GOODNIGHT SWEETHEART

{Author's Note: Thank you to Lily & CrimsonBlade13 for the kind reviews *hugs*. Also, thanks to all who have added to alerts & favourites; this chapter is dedicated to all of you readers, as the ball has officially started rolling...Next chapter will be Steve's rescue. (and the awkwardness of asking Bucky's permission to date his sister XD) Please review, as I'm keeping up my promise of updating regularly. Thank you for reading my lovelies :).}

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the character(s) you don't recognise.

EDIT: In relation to a reviewer's comment, I have changed the place, as it was a minor mistake-I own up to that :).
But, regarding the comments about her being a 'poster girl'.
I feel the need to point out that Rosie is actually being used as a pin up, and posters in those times would of been painted/printed, so her likeness would be very loosely based, not to mention that women during that time had similar looks and style due to the simplicity of the make up and clothing that would be available.
Meaning that she could get away with still being an Agent.
Her poster was also only given to American soldiers in nearby barracks, as they had not been mass produced yet to be shipped around the country. (If it had, I would of said so in the story, as that was meant to come later :)) And the film she did was done a few days ago, so it wouldn't be distributed yet...it is the 1940's ;).
They also didn't use her name, as was made evident when Senator Brandt called her, 'Miss America.'


~+~
{SSR TRAINING CENTRE| NEW JERSEY, AMERICA| A WEEK LATER}

I had spent the past week being a courier between different Allied countries.
Transporting various goods such as weapons, bullets, medical supplies and provisions to the needy and soldiers on the frontlines.

Steve had sent me a few letters during this time, mainly telling me about how he feels stuck in a rut and how he compares himself to a performing monkey.
I would reply back to each and every one of his letters with words of comfort, urging him to remember what I had told him during our time together.

Just thinking about how much I was starting to let myself feel for Steve had brought a smile to my face.
Our relationship was only just beginning, and although we had both agreed to get James's blessing before we embark any further, just being held by him felt so special and intimate.
I was well and truly besotted with the man I had unwittingly given my heart to years before.

As I entered my dormitory to try and pick up some files that needed to be read through before the afternoon was over, I jumped in surprise at seeing Peggy sat on the edge of my bed with a troubled expression on her face.
We had gotten closer since I had moved into the facility; I thought of Peggy as one of my closest friends and a woman whom I could trust with any secret.

"Peggy?"
I moved closer in worry as she cleared her throat.

"Marilyn, I am here…as a friend, instead of a colleague."
She stood up to close my door before gesturing for me to sit, "You may wish to be seated before I tell you what I have found out this morning."

I furrowed my eyebrows in concern at all the ominous atmosphere, but nodded as I took a seat, "Are you okay?"

She sighed softly, "Do you remember that I had made you a promise?"

"Do you mean the one to do with my brother?" My heart sank as I realised what was going on, "Oh God, please do not tell me that he is dead?!"

The guilt was obviously eating away at her, as she said simply, "We don't quite know. The entire one-o-seventh has not returned from their mission. You see, we had managed a few days ago to break the encryption on those HYDRA files. So, Colonel Phillips made the decision that we must move out quickly in order to tackle the problem before it raises more issues."

I looked down in disbelief as I struggled to piece together everything that she was telling me, "I…How long since being updated on their progress?"

"Seventy-two hours."

Gasping, I shook my head, "They are not going to send out more troops to rescue them?!"

Peggy placed a hand on my shoulder, "We unfortunately can not spare the soldiers…Marilyn, I am telling you this because I made a promise as your friend. There is still reason to believe that your brother is alive."

My whole body felt cold and numb.
Due to a tactical mistake, my brother could be dead or in pain; I had to find him.
Lifting my head up to finally face her, I asked, "Where was the HYDRA base?"

Peggy sighed in concern, "You can not go out there Marilyn! Their base of operations is well beyond enemy lines!"

"He is my brother, Peggy! I am not leaving him to be tortured or killed! He would do the exact same thing for me! Anyway, I have completed rescue missions successfully when I worked with ASO-I can't sit back and do nothing."
I knew that it was a bad idea to go after my brother when it'd be just me, but at the same time it made sense that by not bringing in a whole charge, I can avoid detection.

She nodded in understanding at my impassioned plea, "I am meant to be leaving for Italy in an hour, we can both fly over to SSR base camp, and I can fill you in on the way."

Smiling lightly in gratitude I nodded, "Thank you so much for giving me this information Peggy."

Looking determined, she smiled empathetically, "I made a promise. Come on, we should be getting ready."

~+~
{A MILE FROM SSR BASE CAMP| ITALY| A FEW HOURS LATER}

We had been in the air for a while before Peggy had worked up enough courage to tell me what I needed to know.
I knew that she was feeling guilty and worried, but if I have learnt anything from my time with the SSR, it is that I'm stronger than I think I am.

"Johann Schmidt is believed to currently reside at this location in Austria, so you must be careful to not affect any of our future plans regarding him. We are not sure about how many people he has taken prisoner, but my own personal calculation far surpasses what should be classed as 'fatalities of war'."

Listening intensely whilst also keeping my gaze focused on the skies, I answered, "Do we know how many HYDRA agents are there?"

She sighed in frustration whilst rifling through the files she had brought with her, "No, that is what I am concerned about! You are going into foreign territory without any prior knowledge-"

"Peggy…" I cut her off to say firmly, "Everyday we make decisions without a whole lot of information; that is what makes us Agents. Just…do one thing for me?"

"Of course."

Looking guilty for a brief moment, I spoke quietly, "Please don't tell Steve where I am? I can't do this knowing that he would come after me and jeopardise himself."

"Marilyn-"

"Please, Peggy?"

She sighed but nodded, "Unless there is sufficient reason to, then I will not speak a word of this to Captain Rogers."

Smiling, I looked at her in gratitude, "Thank you Peggy for all of your help."

"You may not be thanking me when you reach your destination…"
Peggy then indicated to a small field underneath the plane.
"You must land the plane here. Colonel Phillips must not know that I told you any of this Marilyn; I already feel wracked with guilt over putting you in this mess."

I started the descent, "Peggy, you have nothing to feel guilty about! I am just too stubborn to not get involved. Growing up in Brooklyn, you learn that the people you hold close to you are the ones that you need to protect at all costs; war will never stop me from aiding Steve or my brother."

She smiled in admiration at me, "Be careful? You are too good of an Agent to lose."

"You too, Peggy." I smiled in return as she opened the door for her to exit.

Peggy nodded one last time in goodbye to me before jumping out and running out the way of the plane so that I could take off quickly.

~+~
{HYDRA WEAPONS FACILITY| KREISCHBERG, AUSTRIA| JUST A FEW MILES INTO ENEMY TERRITORY}
~+~

My heart was beating a mile a minute as I steered the plane nearer to the base.
I knew that any minute now the anti-aircraft guns would be spotting me and that I needed to find quick cover and land.

Spotting an open bit of wooded area that should be concealed from most soldiers patrolling the area; I sent my plane into a rapid descent and managed to land safely and without any damage.

They say that the planet knows when great evil comes together, and that they imprint on the Earth, which in turn disrupts the natural balance; I could understand fully what that they meant now.
No birds flew overhead, nor did any colourful plants grow in the surrounding area-even the air was thick with smog.
It was an unwelcoming and inhospitable land that made it perfect for HYDRA.

Moving carefully, I navigated through the dense foliage stealthily, keeping my eyes trained on the huge structure that loomed in the distance.
I needed a way to get in unnoticed and without causing too much disruption.
That came in the form of a HYDRA guard who was patrolling the perimeter just to my left.
It shocked me at how their uniforms were much more advanced looking than that of the German soldiers.
Obviously Schmidt was not on the best terms with Adolf Hitler anymore; that was helpful information.

Stalking closer to the guard, I spotted a baton peaking out of his belt, as I knew that in order to knock him unconscious, I needed to be quick, precise and that I'd only get one shot.
Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I reached out swiftly to take his baton as I straightened up in the shadows behind him.
Bringing my hand up high, I then swung the baton into the back of his head hard, watching as he fell to the ground.
Quickly I half-dragged his limp body into the bushes before stripping him of his uniform and changing into it myself.

"Sorry…" I looked down at him whilst grabbing the gun that had dropped to the ground.
It wasn't anything that I had seen before, but I knew that whatever it was; I needed to have it in my possession if I were to survive a confrontation.

The actual HYDRA guard attire was surprisingly lightweight and didn't restrict my movement too much.
My problem was with the damned mask that was hard to breathe through.
Firstly, it was way too big for my face and I had to try and not move my head about too much, secondly, it was heavy and bathed my vision in this eerie dark green light.
HYDRA liked their dramatics obviously.

As I was about to start the lengthy trek up towards their base of operations, I heard a voice call out to me.
"We need to be back! Herr Schmidt has need of us!"

I turned in time to see a truck come my way with guards climbing in and indicating for me to join them, "Hurry! Herr Schmidt will not tolerate insubordination!"
Barely managing to nod due to the weight of the helmet, I climbed into the back with them and observed the silent drive to where I had a lot to gain, but so much to lose.

~+~
{HYDRA WEAPONS FACILITY| KREISCHBERG, AUSTRIA| A HALF HOUR DRIVE LATER}
~+~

That had to be the worse half hour of my whole entire life.
Every man was facing forwards and because of the masks, I couldn't see their faces or determine if they thought something was suspicious.
The only sounds came from a radio that was spouting propaganda in German.
I couldn't make much out, except for the words 'Captain' and 'America'.

The second we were through the thick iron gates, the truck had pulled over and guards were filing out as though the devil were behind them.
"Come on!" A guard tilted his head towards a building as he ran off in that direction, leaving me to ponder where they would keep my brother.

Every single separate building looked alike; there was nothing that could help me to work out where the cells were.
Cursing under my breath, I made a quick decision to go through the nearest door and search every area that I could.

As soon as I had stepped foot into the first room, I had realised that something was very wrong.
There should be much more HYDRA agents patrolling-there were none.
Not just that, but a room labelled 'Experiment Subject #2571', was left ajar.
A shudder came over me as I cautiously edged closer to the room and pushed it open fully.

"JAMES!"
I had gasped to myself before rushing over to a surgical table where my brother was strapped down.
He was unconscious and had needle marks on both of his arms.
Heartache caused me to unthinkingly pull off the helmet, so that I could look at him properly and check for any obvious signs of damage.
"James? It's me, Rosie! I'm here…It will all okay!" I blinked away tears as I tried to tug on the restraints, getting frustrated at them not budging.

"No, it will not be okay."
A women's voice could be heard from behind me as I turned around in shock, glaring at her sneering face.

"Who are you?!" I asked in anger as I stood protectively in front of my brother.

She raised an eyebrow at me as she entered the room, "I am Doctor Klara Weismann, but you, I do not believe we have had the chance to be introduced?"
Her voice was heavily laced with an Austrian accent and an air of authority, as she stared at me.

"Don't move any closer!" I held up the gun as I gave her a firm glare, "What have you done to him?!"

"Done to him? I am on the verge of a scientific discovery that could shape the world! But…unfortunately, Sergeant Barnes here is not…" She made a face, "Right for our finest procedure…"

"What?! Why are you doing this? My brother is just an innocent soldier!"

Her eyes lit up, "Ah! You are his sister? Yes…I can now see the family resemblance…hmm…your eyes are very unique. That, is a genetic mutation you know? What is your name?"

I still stood my ground in front of my brother as I replied back, "You do not need to get hurt Doctor-"

She scoffed, "Really? You are the one pointing a gun at me Ms. Barnes! I am unarmed…" Holding up her hands to prove her point, she then asked, "Do you even know how to use that gun? Or, perhaps you just do not want my blood on your hands? Hmm…that is unusual for you Americans!"

"Us Americans?" I glared in anger at her, "HYDRA and the Nazis are the ones tearing apart-"

"No! Hitler and his followers are destroying our world, HYDRA? We are on the verge of something incredible Ms. Barnes! Well, I am…"

James suddenly started to stir as I moved backwards to try and soothe him, still keeping my eyes on the woman in front of me.
She watched me in fascination as I took a hold of my brother's hand and tried to get his attention.
"James? It's Rosie…can you hear me?"

His eyelids fluttered as he was struggling to find the strength to open his eyes, "Rosie? What are you doing here?"
The raspy, throaty noise that resembled his voice had me forcing back tears.

"Ms. Barnes, as you can see, your brother is not dead; not by a long shot! But, as I was saying earlier, he is not the ideal choice for our new procedure that involves…well, you shall find out!"

I wasn't quick enough to stop her from producing a small device from her pocket and using it to emit a high pitched ringing noise that had me gasping and holding onto my head in pain.

"Clever, nein? This is one of Doctor Zola's best pieces! Shame that it does not last long, but then again, I always have a back up plan…"
The last thing I felt before my whole world went dark was a needle in the side of my neck as James's voice called out to me.

"Rosie…leave…before…too late…"