I was once again sitting at Phillips desk. This time, however, I wasn't sleeping; I was having a slight panic attack. My knees were pulled to my chest with my arms tightly secured around them. My eyes had been pinned to his desk top for I wasn't sure how long but I knew that I hadn't blinked in a while. Phillips had left me alone, probably a little scared that I would lash out at him if he didn't but he had given Howard a mouthful. Phillips had only let him go when Howard had told him that he couldn't say no to a pretty face.
It had been hours, nearly a whole day, and there was still no sound of Steve or the men he went in to save. The transmitter hadn't been activated. I had helped Steve Rogers, Captain America, die.
"Senator Brandt, I regret to report that, Captain Steven G. Rogers went missing behind enemy lines on the third. Aerial reconnaissance has proven unfruitful. As a result, I must declare Captain Rogers killed in action. Period."
I was pulled from my thoughts by that. Phillips was sending a condolence letter to the Senator. He had given up on Steve. I looked up from his desk and found him looking at me, a frown pulling at his lips and a slight sadness in his eyes. He walked over to his desk and set down a group of aerial photos.
"The last surveillance flight is back. No sign of activity," he told me.
I reached out and splayed the photos across the desk, looking them all over.
"Got get a cup of coffee, Corporal," Phillips said.
"Yes, sir."
I looked up from the photos and back to Phillips who was watching me with a helpless expression. "They can't touch Stark. He's rich and he's the Army's number one weapons contractor. You are neither one but then again they don't know what you are," he said. "I hope you know what you're doing because as soon as this gets back to them, they'll be coming to you for answers."
"I don't regret helping him," I stated. "Neither does Stark and I'm pretty sure that neither did Steve."
He let out a sigh. "They're not going to care about that, Howlett," he stated. "American's golden boy is dead and so are a lot of good men, all because you had a crush."
The same unlady like snort left me. "I didn't help him because of that," I told him, ignoring how I had pretty much admitted that I did, in fact, have a crush. "I had something that you humans seem to have in abundance. I had hope."
He shook his head. "Well, I hope that's a big comfort to you when they shut this division down."
I looked away from him and glanced out at the suddenly busy unit. My eyebrows pulled together when several men went running by and yelling filled the air. "What the hell?" I asked, pulling myself from the chair and heading off in their direction, Phillips right behind me.
Almost the entire unit was huddled around the entrance to the camp, looking at the long stream of soldiers making their way down the road. And leading the stream of soldiers was Steve Rogers.
Phillips pushed passed me and stood in front of Steve, a frown still on his lips.
Steve came to a stop and saluted Phillips. "Some of these men need medical attention," he stated. "I'd like to surrender myself for disciplinary action," he added.
Phillips glanced at the men behind them. "That won't be necessary," he said, a small smile pulling at his lips.
Steve gave the same smile back. "Yes, sir."
Phillips turned and looked to me. "Something humans have in abundance, huh?" he asked before walking passed me.
I shook my head at him before turning my attention back to Steve. I let out a long sigh before stepping up to him, only a few inches between us. "Well, you're not dead," I stated, looking him over. "Close, but not dead."
Steve chuckled at that. "Just following orders."
"Hey!" the man next to Steve yelled, someone I assumed as Bucky. "Let's hear it for Captain America!"
Every man broke out into clapping and cheers, their voices creating a dull roar.
Night had fallen and the camp was quiet, the only sound were those of the random conversations of on duty MP's or the Doctors and Nurses in the Medical Tent. Phillips had gone to bed a few hours ago, leaving me, once again, at his desk. I had been writing a letter to Jimmy and Victor, knowing full well that it would never reach them where they were but the old habit created a comforting numb.
My dearest brothers,
I would ask how you two are doing but that question has become rather redundant and the answer can always be easily assumed. I would also tell you that I am doing fine but the same principle applies to that as well. I shall simply state that the Howlett-Creed family is doing just fine. I regret to inform you that the kind doctor that had taken me in in your absence has been killed by a Nazi spy. Seeing as I can't go into too much detail I'll just skip the explanation and just say that I am now under the supervision of Colonel Chester Phillips, Although, quite honestly, he's not doing much supervising. When the war is over and we're together once again there is someone I would like you two to meet. His name is Steve Rogers, Jimmy stop growling, Victor stop smirking, he is a Captain and he just managed a rescue of two hundred men from enemy hands.
I don't know if it has reached yet where you are but there's a new American Hope by the name of Captain America. A silly thought but the men seem to rally around him. I've had the pleasure of meeting him and was more than surprised to find that he's from Brooklyn and that it took him 5 tries before they let him enlist. I could see Jimmy getting along with him but I fear that Victor would tease and prod at his expense, something I frown at but both Jimmy and I know that you can't
My head snapped up when the sound of a board creaking reached my ears. I relaxed when I spotted Steve standing a few feet away, looking rather sheepish.
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to interrupt you. I'll come back-," he started, already retreating.
I shook my head . "No, you're fine," I told him, smiling at him. "Did you need something?"
He cleared his throat and stepped closer to me, still looking sheepish. "I never got to thank you for helping me earlier," he said. "I would never have been able to save the others without you- you and Stark, so- Thank you," he managed out.
I smiled up at him. "You're more than welcome, Steve, but you didn't need to thank me," I told him.
"No, I did, you're the reason I made it out alive, really," he said, a blush crossing his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.
That perked my interest and I sat up a little straighter. "How did I do that? I would think that I'd have to be there to get you out alive."
He once again cleared his throat. "Well, I always follow orders and you ordered me not to die, so I followed your orders."
I chuckled. "I distinctly remember you saying that you were a Captain and that you were allowed to give me orders, not the other way around."
His eyes widened slightly. "I didn't mean to disrespect you."
I shook my head with a laugh. "I'm joking, Steve," I told him. "I don't take my title serious enough to be angry over something like that."
"Good," he said before catching himself. "I mean, it's good that you're not so uptight, no- not uptight, you're not uptight! I meant that you're not so strict- no, strict isn't the word either-"
I sat at the desk smiling as I listened to him stumbled over his words, trying to make whatever he was saying come out the way it had in his head. After a few moments I rose from the desk and walked to him. "Steve?" I interrupted.
He stopped and raised his eyes to mine. "Yes, Eleanor?" he asked, his voice sounding a little scared.
"Would you like to take a walk with me?" I asked.
His eyes widened slightly before he nodded quickly. "Yes, yes I would like that," he answered, his blush going a little deeper.
I smiled brightly and looped my arm through his. "Come on then, it's a beautiful night," I said, practically dragging him off.
We had been walking for a few minutes before Steve cleared his throat.
"Who were you writing the letter to? If you don't mind me asking," he asked.
I shook my head, "I don't mind," I stated before letting my head drop to look up at the sky. "I was writing to my brothers, Jimmy and Victor."
"Are they in the war?"
"Somewhere," I answered.
"You don't know where they are?"
I shook my head. "No, then again I never really know where they are," I stated with a chuckle.
"Don't you know which unit they're in?" Steve asked, his voice a little surprised.
I let out a sigh. "Honestly, they told me they were enlisting and that they would be back when the war ended," I answered. Victor had told me the very same thing and James had told me to meet them in Brooklyn at the harbor.
"No offense but I thought older brothers were more protective than that," Steve stated, grimacing slightly as he realized that what he had said might have offended me.
"They just know that I can take care of myself," I told him. "God knows I've yelled it at them enough times."
He chuckled at that. "So, if you don't know where they are then why were you writing them a letter?" he asked, his eyebrows pulled together.
I shrugged and looked back up at the sky. "A false sense of security, I suppose. I tend to like those."
"False sense of securities?" he questioned. "Aren't those kind of like lying to yourself?"
I nodded. "Yeah, but I had a false sense of security when you went through the experiment. I had Howard lie through his teeth to calm me down."
His head snapped down to look at me. "You were worried about me?" he asked.
I snorted. "Of course," I answered, looking over to him. "You were going through some experiment that had the potential to go wrong. Something could have seriously gone wrong, you could have been hurt, or worse, you could have died," I said, shaking my head. "I didn't like the thought of that."
"Well, you seemed rather calm," he told me.
I laughed lightly at that, remembering how I had refused to look up from the ground until Howard had spoken in amazement. I still wasn't entirely sure if what I felt towards Steve was a crush or if he just felt like a kindred soul but I wasn't going to shy away from him, at least, as long as he doesn't tell me to go away.
We continued to walk around the camp, talking about whatever came to mind, some of them random but I enjoyed the talk none the less. We didn't stop till I glanced down at my watch and saw that it was 3:26 in the morning. When I informed Steve of this his eyes had gone wide and he insisted on walking me to my bunk.
"Thanks for going on a walk with me," I said once we stood outside the bunk.
Steve smiled down at me. "I'm glad you asked me," he said.
I let out a long sigh and smiled up at him. "I really am glad that you didn't die, Steve." I told him.
"Oddly enough, so am I, Ma'am," he added.
I winced at that.
"Sorry, Eleanor," he corrected.
I shook my head at that. "Goodnight, Steve, sleep well."
He bowed his head to me. "Goodnight, Eleanor, sweet dreams," he added, backing away from the bunker.
I chuckled and headed inside.
I once again found myself in an underground war room. Maps, machines, and soldiers littered the stone walls and tables, everyone looking terribly busy with something only they seemed to understand. I was stood next to a bent over Steve who was pouring over a map, pointing to places that were on the map that was in Hydra.
"The fifth one was here in Poland, right near the Baltic," he said, marking the spot. "And the sixth one was….about here," he said, once again hovering over the map. "30, 40 miles west of the Maginot Line," he said before straightening up.
The officer next to him nodded and pulled the map off the table, heading off to show the others.
Steve looked over to me and shrugged. "I just got a quick look," he stated.
I gave him a lopsided smile. "You can't be perfect," I said before walking off in the direction the officer had taken the map, Steve following next to me.
"These are the weapon factories we know about," Steve said once we were joined by Phillips. "Sergeant Barnes said that Hydra shipped all the parts to another facility that isn't on this map," he told him.
Phillips nodded, taking a glance at the map before walking off once again. "Agent Howlett, speak with MI6. I want every Allied eyeball looking for that main Hydra base."
I nodded. "Alright, but what are we going to do?"
"We are going to set a fire under Johann Schmidt's ass," he answered as a curly blonde assistant handed him a stack of papers. "What do you say, Rogers? It's your map. You think you can wipe Hydra off it?"
Steve glanced back at the map that everyone else seemed to be pouring over. "Yes, sir. I'll need a team," he stated with a matter of fact tone.
"We're already putting together the best men," Phillips told him, shooting me a pointed look.
Steve seemed to have a better idea. "With all due respect, sir, so am I."
Phillips raised an eyebrow. "Alright, as long as that team includes Agent Howlett," he said, nodding to me.
Steve looked down at me with a surprised expression.
I raised my own eyebrow, challenging him to go against what Phillips had just said.
He flashed me a smile before nodding to Phillips. "I don't see how that would be a problem."
I swung around the corner and looked to Phillips. "Phillips, have you seen Steve?" I asked. I had been looking for the Super-Soldier for little over half an hour and it was starting to piss me off that I couldn't find him.
"He's at the bar around the corner gathering his team," he answered, not even bothering to look up from the map he was studying.
I pursed my lips. "Am I allowed to go join them?" I questioned.
"If I told you no would you listen to me?" he asked.
I smiled at that. "No," I answered.
"Can I suggest something?" Phillips asked, still looking down at his papers.
"Your suggestions are always appreciated," I told him.
"Dress like a woman and not a street rat. We're all used to you looking like that but I doubt the fine people of England could handle it," he stated.
I nodded quickly, almost not liking the idea of having to wear a dress again. "Okay, I can do that."
"Do you even own women's clothes, Howlett?"
"Yes, I have a dress," I defended before pausing to remember what I had packed. "I think," I added before throwing myself back around the corner towards the stairs that would take me topside. I broke out onto the London street and found that it was a cool England night with little to none clouds and bright stars. I hurried down the street to the hotel they had us staying at and rushed to my room, trying to remember if I had, in fact, packed a dress. I tore through my bag before I found the blue dress Victor had gotten me on my birthday a few years ago. I smiled and threw it on, more than happy to find that there weren't any wrinkles in it. I brushed through my tangled hair and put it into a simple up do, applied a simple layer of make-up. I dug through my bag again and pulled out the simple black heels that I had probably only worn once.
I found the bar easily, following the scent of beer and the sound of singing. I pulled open the door and stepped in, the once noisy bar hushing over as I walked further in. I raised an eyebrow at the silence but continued on my way towards Steve's scent. I stepped into the other half of the bar and found him standing next to Bucky. Both men looked over, their eyes wide and mouths slightly agape.
I smiled and walked a little closer. "Steve," I greeted.
"Eleanor," he said, his eyes looking me over.
"Ma'am," Bucky said, nodding to me.
I turned my smile to him. "You must be Bucky," I stated.
Steve jumped slightly and cleared his throat. "Sorry, uh, Eleanor this is Sergeant James Barns," he said, gesturing to his friend. "Bucky, this is Agent Eleanor Howlett."
"Please to meet you," Bucky said, holding his hand out.
"Pleasures mine," I said back, shaking his hand like I would any other military man. "You know, I have a brother named James."
Bucky raised his eyebrows. "Really? He must be a very handsome man."
I nodded in agreement. "He is but that's just the opinion of a sister. Sadly, it's put me off any other man named James. I mourn for my lose," I said with a teasing tone.
Bucky chuckled and looked to Steve. "I like her," he stated.
"Me too," Steve agreed before catching himself. "Uh, was there something you needed?"
I pulled out my teasing tone and nodded at Steve. "Howard has made a few things and he wants you to test them. Would you mind stopping by tomorrow morning?" I asked.
"Sounds good," Steve answered before the singing picked up again.
I smiled and looked into the other room. "I'm glad to see that they're prepping for duty," I stated.
"You don't like music?" Bucky asked, clearly ignoring my early dismissal.
Keeping my eyes on Steve I answered. "I love music, actually," I answered. "But you can't have music without dancing; something I plan to do after this is all over."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Bucky asked with a soft chuckle.
I couldn't help but smile up at Steve as I repeated what he had told me what felt like forever ago. "The right partner."
A smile pulled at Steve's lips.
"0800, Steve," I told him before walking off towards the others.
"Yes, Eleanor, I'll be there," he said after me.
I paused at the bar and flagged down the bar tender. "One beer, please?" I asked.
He nodded and filled the order, seeming surprised that I had ordered that.
"Thank you," I said, gripping it by the top of the glass before turning to the French man at Steve's team's table. "Ça vous dérange si m'asseoir avec vous?" I asked.
His head snapped up to look at me, his eyes going wide. "Par tous les moyens," he answered, grabbing a chair from the table next to them and setting it between him and the other French speaking member.
I smiled down at him. "Merci," I said before taking the seat.
"Donc, vous êtes français?" the other man asked.
I shook my head. "No, I just speak it," I answered.
"You're Agent Howlett, right?" the Chinese man asked.
I nodded in affirmation. "I'd rather you call me Eleanor, though," I told him.
"Rogers told us that you would be joining our little team," the one with the bowler hat said before reaching across the table. "Timothy Dugan, pleased to have you with us."
"Pleased to be here," I said back, once again doing the military hand shake.
"James Montgomery Falsworth, at you service," the Englishman said, dipping his head to me.
"Jim Morita," the Chinese man said.
"Gabe Jone," the other French speaker said.
I nodded to him before looking to the French man. "Je suis Eleanor Howlett," I told him.
He smiled at me once again. "Mon nom est Jacques Bernier"
"Ravi de vous rencontrer, monsieur."
His smile brightened. "Croyez-moi, le plaisir est pour moi, madame," he said before grabbing my hand and kissing the back of it.
I chuckled at that and shook my head at him. "Flirt," I muttered, getting him to chuckle with me.
"I must say that I was surprised when Rogers said that we were going to have a woman on the team," Timothy said, smiling brightly over at me. "Although, with the title of Agent, I'm sure you're more than able to take care of yourself."
I tried on to blush over the fact that Steve had talked about me and nodded. "Sadly that is an understatement," I told him, lifting to beer to take my first gulp. I wrinkled my nose and the slightly weak taste. "I should have gotten whiskey," I stated, getting them to laugh.
"I like her!" Jim decided.
I rose my glass in his direction before chugging the rest of it down, earning more cheers from the men. I set the glass down and shook my head, regretting that instantly. Due to the fact that I instantly heal, no matter what the wound is my cells are always active, and seeing as when you're drunk is a type of sickness, I can't get drunk. I was about to signal to the bartender again when a rather lost looking officer stepped into the bar, seeming to look for someone. When he spotted me he gave a small smile and walked over.
"Agent Eleanor Howlett?" he asked when he reached me.
"That depends on which branch of the Army is asking," I answered.
He swallowed hard and stood a little straighter. "Mr. Stark wants you back at headquarters. He said that there has been some development in Project Alpha."
My eyes widened at that and waved my hand at him. "Shhh!" I hissed. "Jesus, doesn't Howard understand the word 'classified'?" I asked before letting out a sigh and looking back to the men. "I regret to inform you fine gentlemen that I shall have to leave you now," I told them.
They let out a chorus of complaints.
"I'll see you guys soon," I said before getting up and following after the officer who still seemed nervous. "What's gottcha shaky?" I asked.
He jumped slightly and cleared his throat. "I just….I've heard stories of you," he answered.
I chuckled at that and shook my head. "Stories from Stark?" I inquired.
He nodded. "Stories from Stark," he answered.
"Well, don't listen to him, he lies," I told him.
"Wrong, I only give False Senses of Security."
My head snapped over and I found Howard walking towards us, dressed up in one of his suits with his hair gelled back, looking rather sharp. I narrowed my eyes at him and crossed my arms over chest. "Project Alpha, huh?" I asked.
He held his hands up in false innocence. "I had to get you out of there somehow," he stated, before pulling a bill of his pocket and handing it to the officer that had got me. "Thanks, pal."
The officer nodded and headed off, probably returning to the underground headquarters.
I let out a sigh. "What do you want, Howard?"
"Dinner with a beautiful woman," he answered. "Originally, I was just going to ask you if you knew where any beautiful women are but look at you, you've managed to pull off the impossible," he stated, gesturing to me.
I shook my head at him. "You always have to make things difficult, don't you?" I asked, knowing there was no way I could get out of going with him.
"You wouldn't stay interested if I didn't," he stated, walking forward and offering me his arm.
I rolled my eyes and looped my arm through his. "I'm eating my weight in food and I'm getting something chocolate for dessert," I warned him.
He chuckled and pulled me along. "I would be shocked if you did anything less."
French conversation #1:
-May I sit with you?
-By all means
-Thank you
-So you're French?
French conversation #2:
-My name is Eleanor Howlett
-My name is Jacques Berneir
-Pleased to meet you, Sir
-Believe me, the pleasure is mine, Madame
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