Rose was having a really tiring week.
She had been discussing treaties, starting/ending wars, creating new species... She really needed a break, which meant that when she heard Peggy was meeting up with Dum Dum Dugan... She had to hitch a ride.
-"You roll out in an hour."- Rose heard Dooley say as she entered the office.
-"and I'm coming with."- Rose said announcing her presence. -"I'm quite interested in seeing 'the red room' myself"- Rose said sitting on the desk, confusing the hell out them.
Still, not one to be quiet, Thompson protested. -"Sir, babysitting one woman is one thing, but 2!?"-
Before he could even get another word in, a knife came flying towards him, impaling itself just above his head (nicking a few hairs off).
-"Shut your trap. I am coming, you like it or not."-
Both of them turned pointedly towards Dooley, making him sigh tiredly.
Nodding he looked at them.
-"She's going. That's all."-
-0-0-
Rose entered the men's (smelly) locker room, just as Peggy was asking.
-"Do none of you have sisters?"-
-"They don't look like you."- One of the men answered.
Making herself known, the men quickly turned her way.
-"I'm unsure of who should be more offended... Your sisters, or Peggy."- She said, walking towards Peggy and changing in the same locker line.
-"Come on, congratulate the ladies... They're on the team."- Thompson said, taking his shirt off.
-"Both of them?"- One asked.
When he nodded, the other guy leaned closer and whispered. -"Jack, you really think that's a good idea?"-
Thinking about the small discussion he had when the women were gone, he quickly answered.
-"It's not my call."-
-"We can't be responsible for a woman, let alone 2!"- He quickly protested, making both Peggy and Rose roll their eyes.
-"Let me know if you want to stay home.
I got six guys out there who'd love to take your place."- Jack Thompson said, fed up with both the situation and the complaining.
After a few minutes of silence, Peggy broke it by talking to Rose (not that the other men realized, so they just answered anyway.)
-"Oh, this is new."- Peggy said lifting up a vest. -"It's lighter than it looks."- She added.
-"Yes, Lab boys just dropped it off. It's 10% titanium alloy... Although, I don't think they had 38-22-38 in mind when they designed it."- Agent Jack Thompson mockingly said.
-"Math isn't your forte, is it, Agent Thompson? Or is that just words in general?"- Peggy said with her ever sharp wit.
-"That's 'words in general, sir.' "- Thompson answered, reminding her of her place.
-"Yes sir, lieutenant junior grade, sir."- Peggy sarcastically said, making both women laugh.
-"Guess you're both used to serving under a captain, huh?"- He asked hitting below the belt.
-"Just not used to serving with boys."- Peggy answered nonchalantly.
-"...What about you Maskell? Have you ever served under anything but a captain?"- He asked after not receiving an answer from her.
-"Agent Thompson... I've never served under anyone... I'm afraid I've always been the one giving out the orders, either for myself or a small force."- Rose answered, making all the men stop and listen.
-"Well, I'll be honoured to be the first man to give you orders... apart from your father of course."- Thompson said gleefully.
Smirking Rose answered. -"I'm afraid I have no mother or father, it had always been my younger brother and I. I'm really sorry, but you won't get the honour, as I will be working as an independent party."- She said making Thompson grind his teeth in annoyance.
Before he could think of a witty comeback, Daniel Sousa came in with some files.
-"Field report. Maps, weather, charts, all known bogey dope for the area, dossier files on the tac team, though Carter and Maskell are pretty much all the Intel you need on them."- Sousa said, giving him the folders.
Thinking of an even better way to get the pesky women back, Thompson congratulated him. -"Thorough as ever, Sousa."-
Patting his pockets, he checked if anything was missing.
-"Oh, compass! Almost forgot my compass."-
Looking around here pointed in the girls' direction.
-"Uh, locker 42. Would you grab that for me, pal?"- Thompson asked with false politeness.
Turning towards the other men, he shared a silent grin with them. Taking out his compass out of his pocket, he held his finger up; in preparation of the screams he was anticipating.
-"Oh, bloody Nora!"- Peggy shouted, turning around while covering herself up.
-"Whoa, Nelly! Uh, you're yes, e-everything's fine."- Sousa said, stuttering as he watched the 2 women.
-"Uh found it! You don't have to worry about it, Sousa."- Thompson said, slightly confused after not hearing Rose exclaim.
After hearing Peggy loudly clear her throat, Rose finally talked.
-"Is there anything else, Daniel?"- She asked, making no effort in covering herself.
-"N-no? Yes?..."- Daniel said stuttering, trying to not look at Rose, only to quickly avert his eyes when they fell on Peggy's back. -"Have a swell trip."- He ended up saying, quickly leaving the room after.
Sighing at the stupidity of Thompson's attempt at embarrassing them, she walked towards their own locker line. Standing right in front of them in nothing but her pants and bra, she chastised the red faced agent.
-"Next time you want to embarrass us... Do try harder, because it will amuse me greatly to see the same courtesy delivered back to you."- She said leaving red faced and embarrassed agents.
-0-0-
Rose was starting to get really fed up with the other kids' nerves. She could hear every bloody sound they made and they were trying her patience.
Looking pleadingly towards Peggy she jerked her head towards the men when Pegs looked at her with an inquisitive eyebrow lifted.
Sighing Peggy turned towards the men.
-"Relax, you'll sprain something. It's just as you remember it."- Peggy said trying in vain to calm them down.
-"You a mind reader, or is that your woman's intuition speaking?"- Thompson asked, hiding his fear with mockery.
Undeterred, Peggy answered back.
-"How's this for woman's intuition, this is your first jump, isn't it?"-
-"Ninth."- Thompson answered making Rose try to stifle a small laugh. -"Eight training jumps."- He added once he realised that Rose somehow knew the truth (-"How the hell does she know?!"-).
-"You've infiltrated hostile territory before, you'll be fine. Just follow our lead."- Peggy said gesturing between Rose and herself.
Thompson answered quite condescendingly.
-"Thanks, Carter, but I already have a mother."-
-"Prepare for drop."- A man interrupted when the lights turned red and the alarms blared.
Thompson kept speaking as if he were never even interrupted.
-"What I need right now are soldiers Let's go, boys! It's go time!"- He said shouting and opening the hatch doors.
-"The drop will put us 10 kilometres from our rendezvous with our tac team, assuming they're where they're supposed to be."- Thompson informed the team, shouting over the wind's noise.
-"They'll be there."- Peggy said, exasperated.
-"They better be."- He answered.
Rose quickly made her way over to the open hatch.
-"If you're quite done complaining Thompson, the guys are waiting for us."- She said her back towards the open door.
-"See you down there!"- Rose shouted, throwing herself off the plane -back first- squealing in delight, making all the men swear loudly.
One of the agents walked towards Thompson.
-"She wasn't wearing her parachute!"- He said, making all the men stare at Thompson.
Wiping the back of his neck with his hand he muttered to himself. -"I'm so getting killed for this... I'll report this when we're down."- He added, louder so that the others could hear him.
-"Don't hold your breath, she isn't dead... Call it woman's intuition."- Peggy said jumping through the hatch (with a parachute).
-0-0-
-"We're eight clicks east of the RV."- Thompson said while everyone packed their parachutes.
-"I'll take lead. Carter, you're in back. Stay tight. Keep an eye out for a smashed woman's corpse."- He said taking a step forward.
Stopping suddenly when they heard guns cocking, the small company froze.
-"Don't move...Emu."- A voice said, followed by a hushed sniggering from behind him.
-"...What?" Thompson whispered absolutely confused.
-"Ostrich, man. Ostrich!"- Another voice whispered from behind the company.
-"Shut up. Emu."- The first voice said again, completely ignoring the full blown laughter coming from behind him.
-"Cart-er, Dugan forgot the password again, and Rosie-poo won't tell us."- The second voice said, completely halting the laughter from behind.
-"Call me that again, and you'll find yourself with a broken arm... Whether you need it or not."- The laughing voice said, causing a huge gulp to be heard from everyone there.
-"Password is "eagle," you apes."- Peggy said, stepping forward and breaking the uncomfortable silence.
-"Oh, hi, Peggy... Fellas."- said Dum Dum Dugan, emerging from behind a tree with a small woman on his back.
-"...Thompson, that's Dum-Dum Dugan carrying Maskell on his back."- Mike Li said, looking over at the pair in awe.
Thompson could barely register the fact that Dugan was there, when he was looking at the petite woman in awe and curiosity of how she even survived the fall.
-"Jack Thompson, Mike Li, Rick Ramirez, this is 'Junior' Juniper, 'Pinky' Pinkerton, 'Happy Sam' Sawyer, you seem to know Dum-Dum Dugan and Rose Maskell. The 107th, our tactical team."-
-"You guys are the howling commandos…"- Rick Ramirez said looking at the men in awe.
-"Yeah, I hate that name."- Sawyer said resignedly.
-"OI! I chose that name way before you joined the team."- Rose quickly protested, jumping off Dugan's back and poking Happy Sam's chest.
-"Right. It's a wonderful name Beth… really the best."- He dryly remarked, making Rose harrumph.
-"Dugan, you fought side-by-side with Captain America, didn't you?"- Ramirez asked still idolizing the man.
-"Yeah… As did Rose, as an unofficial member of the Commandos."- He said making the men look at her in shock.
-"But I never did work with him as much as both Peggy and Rose did."- He added.
Stepping forward, Thompson shaked Dugan's hand -"Agent Jack Thompson. I'm running point for the SSR."- He presented himself.
Turning towards Rose, he tilted his head. -"Before we continue, I'd really like to know how you survived that fall…"- he said with as much authority as he could muster.
-"Hmm… That's for me to know and you to find out."- She said giggling as she (once again) climbed upon Dugan's back and put on his bowler hat.
Resigned at the fact that he wouldn't get a straight answer out of her, he looked back to Dugan.
-"We head due east till we hit the border."-
Dugan quickly protested. -"We'll hit a wall of Reds before we reach the border. Let's head up into Lithuania, cross over into Russia at Ashmyany."-
-"You planning on walking halfway across Lithuania?"- Thompson asked incredulously.
-"Well, you can if you want."- he said, patting Thompson's back he walked away from them, Rose still holding on to his back.
-"But me? I'm taking these… Come on Peggy!"-
-0-0-
Having slept all the way, the guys woke up Rose when they decided to set up camp.
-"Wake up sleeping beauty!"- Pinky said, grabbing a -very- long stick, to poke her with.
Having explained to the other 'amateurs' the art of waking up Rose, everyone watched her closely as the 'professionals' did their work.
Just as the stick was about to come into contact with her arm, a hand quickly shot out and broke it, crushing it into many small pieces… and she was still asleep.
Turning towards Agent Thompson and his 2 men, Junior raised his eyebrows.
-"Now imagine that, but with our arms instead"- he said making them all take a small step back.
After many sticks (at least 25), Peggy finally took compassion of the guys and took a step forward herself. When the other agents tried to stop her, Dugan put his arm across their chests.
-"There are only 7 people in the whole world that can get close to her when she's sleeping… without having their arms broken. 3 are dead and one is walking towards her right now."- He said making all the men stop their (whispered) protests and watch.
Getting close to her Peggy quietly whispered. -"Rose… Rose we're setting camp, you need to get up."- When she didn't react, Peggy sighed internally and nodded towards Dugan.
Turning towards Peggy's backpack, he quietly took out a small metal shield and slid it towards Peggy.
-"I thought you said she wouldn't break her..."- Mike asked Dugan.
Raising an eyebrow Dugan simply answered. -"I said she wouldn't break her arm… I never said anything about getting her face smashed in."- He said chuckling at the expressions of disbelief they gave.
Getting back to watching Rose like hawks, they watched as Peggy lifted the shield to her face and quickly shoved Rose with a quick hand from under it.
Rose -eyes still closed-, sat up and threw a mighty punch at the shield, Peggy barely ducking her head avoiding the dent that it left.
Finally opening her eyes, she rubbed them and yawned. Now fully registering the wide eyes of 3 agents, she looked around and found them all staring at her with different emotions on their faces.
-"What are you guys looking at? There's no circus here… SCRAM!"- She said, shouting just at the end, making 2 of the 3 agents run back towards the trucks, while Peggy and the Commandos just smiled.
Having been the only SSR agent (apart from Peggy) who realized that she had dented the thick metal of the shield, Thompson looked at her incredulously.
-"Are you going to tell me how the bloody hell you dented that metal shield?!"- He hysterically shrieked.
Rose looked at him thoughtfully while the others looked slightly guilty at having forgotten that part.
-"I'll let Peggy tell you, when you tell her about what's buried in Okinawa."- She said, surprising both Thompson and Peggy (for different reasons).
-0-0-
Having finally settled into camp, The Commandos -plus Carter and Maskell- were eating around the campfire.
-"Hey, go easy on those beans, okay?"- Dugan joked, making everyone laugh at Peggy's expense (not that she minded, having laughed along with them).
That was the scene that Thompson and Junior walked into.
-"Coast is clear. Li and Ramirez are on the night watch. We should be good to go at first light."- Thompson said, putting away his rifle.
-"Which means we stand relieved."- Junior said sitting down tiredly.
-"You see any abominable snowmen like the one in Tibet?"- Peggy joked.
-"I-I never said, a-abominable snowman."- Junior protested stuttering slightly.
Dugan appeared to have pitied Junior and corrected.
-"In fairness, he did specify 'yeti'."-
Junior pointed towards Dugan, beer in hand. -"Yeah."-
-"Sorry, it was a little hard to make out words in between all the sobbing."- Dugan excused himself, making the whole camp laugh.
Drinking his beer, still slightly shaken, he only muttered. -"Shut up. It was scary."-
Gulping, Thompson lay back and turned towards Junior. -"So, what is the difference between a yeti and an abominable snowman?"- He asked him.
-"One's real and one isn't."- Junior responded looking at him seriously as if he were nuts.
Rose quickly intervened after the laughter died down a bit. -"Don't be so sure about that…"- she said, making the laughter abruptly stop.
-"W-What?"- asked Junior stuttering with eyes wide open in fear.
Scooting closer to the fire, she turned and looked everyone in the eye.
-"They say that, -in the beginning-, there has always been the tree of life, Yggdrasil."- She began, drawing said tree in the snow-covered floor, and making everyone huddle closer to get a look.
-"Yggdrasil is an eternal green ash tree, and its branches stretch all over the 9 worlds -all the way to the heavens-, while its roots are divided into 3 levels."-
Drawing the first root, and drawing a mighty city, she pointed it out. -"On the first level -or root-, is the home of the gods… Asgard"- she said. -"There lives the mighty king, protector of worlds, ruler of the 9 realms, and his people, the æsir."-
Drawing 2 smaller cities around it she said.
-"On its left is Vanaheim, home of the Vanir, and on the right, you can find Alfheim, the home of the Light Elves.
Drawing a second root she continued. -"In the middle is Midgard 'Middle Earth', the home of the Humans. Midgard is connected to Asgard by Bifrost 'The Rainbow Bridge'. "- she said, drawing a line leading from Asgard, all the way to Midgard.
-"The Bifrost cannot only transport to Midgard; it is a bridge that can take you anywhere."- She added, looking up to see wonder filled faces (and one sceptical one).
Quickly continuing with her tale, she drew one last branch.
-"On this level, you can find Svartalfheim, the home of the Dark Elves, Nidavellir, the home of the Dwarfs and Jotunheim, the home of the Giants."-
Looking up and leaning back, she informed the group.
-"There are many more realms, but I have reached the one where our story begins."-
Turning towards Junior she said.
-"It was once said that the world's first life was a frost giant called Ymir... Total bullshit -I know-, but that was what was said."-
Looking up, she was picturing Ymir just as if it was yesterday.
-"He was an abominable snowman."- She said, making half the camp snort.
-"He was completely covered in snow, making it look like a second skin... Many creatures couldn't even get close without freezing."-
-"The gods Odin, Vili, and Vé, -brothers of Odin-, fashioned the Earth from his flesh, from his blood the ocean, from his bones the hills, from his hair the trees, from his brains the clouds, from his skull the heavens, and from his eyebrows the middle realm in which mankind lives, Midgard."- Rose told them. -"But not before he gave birth to a new race called the Jotuns... Also known as Frost giants."-
-"This new race and the æsir, fought like cats and dogs. It it's said that the greatest battle they ever fought against each other, started here on earth, in Norway. Using 2 powerful artefacts they fought against each other, the æsir forcing back the Jotuns forces, causing them to leave behind the most powerful weapon they had... The Tesseract. "- Rose said, making Peggy gasp and Dugan to suck in a sharp breath.
Finally losing the mysterious voice she had used to tell the story, she turned towards Junior and nonchalantly told him.
-"You might have seen a Jotun corpse, although they're supposed to be blue with red markings on their skin... Who knows!?"- She ended happily.
Everyone laughing at Junior's horrified expression, Peggy turned towards Thompson once everyone calmed down.
-"So, I hear they have, uh, mermaids in Japan... You see any of them when you were out there?"- She asked, not noticing Rose tense at the direction of her question.
-"Yeah, story time."- Junior said still chuckling nervously
-"I got nothing you guys ain't heard before. Did a lot of groundwork, dug a lot of trenches..."- Thompson said, taking a swig from his drink
-"They don't give out Navy Crosses just for digging trenches."- Peggy said, causing Thompson to inhale deeply, and everyone to stiffen when Rose coldly barked out.
-"Enough."-
Thompson -in his own small world-, breathed out. -"Navy Cross... Hmm."-
Sitting up, he turned towards the group.
-"All right. Nothing detailed."-
Taking another swing of his drink, he began.
-"I fell asleep on the night shift, and when I wake up, six Japanese soldiers are walking into my camp, just waltzing in the dark. One of them bends down over my sleeping C.O., one more second, he'd slit his throat."-
Not noticing Rose's heavy breathing, he continued.
-"I snapped. I shot him in the back. Shot them all before they even knew I was there... Before my last man was even awake."- He ended.
Chuckling, he accepted the beer that Junior gave him.
-"Truth be told, I like the Rose's frost giant story better."- He said waving towards Rose, only to stop mid action, when he saw the murderous look in her face.
-"Are you alright Maskell?"- He asked her, looking over at her seriously (with a hint of concern).
Rose gritted her teeth and forced out a smile. -"I'm just dandy... It's always a pleasure to hear how one of your old friends husband was brutally murdered in the night... "- she said, shocking the camp and making them look at her.
Walking towards him, she leaned over him and whispered in his ear. -"Next time you tell the story, be sure to tell them about the white flag... You might feel mighty guilty, but it won't take away the bravery they had in trying to surrender... Find the right people to tell the real reason behind your navy cross, and your guilt will lessen."- She told him.
Standing back up, she turned towards Dugan, leaving a pale faced Thompson trying to calm his shaking hands.
-"I'm going with Ramirez and Li... Maybe fall asleep nearby so I can scare the hell out of them... Have a good night."- She said walking away.
Just as she was about to be lost from their sight, she turned back.
-"Jack?!"- She shouted, making him turn his head towards her.
-"Just for the record... I forgive you."- She said smiling slightly, making his shoulders sag with small relief.
Nodding, she continued her way towards the two oblivious agents.
-0-0-
-"Looks like we beat the bad guys here."- Thompson said, coming back from spying on the facility with his binoculars.
-"So we could have slept for another hour?"- Dum Dum protested
-"Well, then we wouldn't have the advantage of surprise, would we, Timothy?"- Peggy said elbowing him in the ribs.
-"So, we infiltrate in four teams of two you, you, you, and us. No weapons discharge unless absolutely necessary.
Meet on the ground floor in 30... Clear?"- Thompson said, gesturing toward groups of men.
Dugan turned towards Peggy.
-"Carter?"- He asked.
Shrugging noncommittally, Peggy answered.
-"Agent Thompson's lead."-
Feeling the uncomfortable mood in the ranks, he turned towards Peggy.
-"You got a better idea? Let's hear it."- He said.
-"Four teams of two are faster. Two teams of four are safer. Discretion seems to be the order of the day and we don't know what we're walking into."- Peggy wisely strategized.
Quickly thinking about it, Agent Thompson agreed. -"Okay. You four, Happy Sam, Pinkerton, Ramirez, you're with me. Rose... Choose a team. Good?"- He asked.
Dugan quickly turned towards Rose.
-"Will it work?"- He asked, confusing the 3 SSR agents.
Nodding at Dugan, Rose turned towards Thompson. -"I'll be bouncing around on my own... As the commandos can surely tell you, I can take care of myself. "- she said, smiling when she sensed the agreeing nods from behind her.
Ignoring the sceptical looks they sent her way, she raised an eyebrow gesturing the trail to Thompson.
-"OK."-
-0-0-
Rose sat on a small bed, observing a little girl as she sat on the floor crying.
-"It's a boarding school."- She heard Peggy say as they approached her.
-"Why are there shackles on the beds?"- Mike Li asked his team.
-"It's Russia, man."- Junior answered, acting as if that explained everything.
-"Welcome to the red room."- Rose said, causing an unnoticeable pause of surprise in the small girls cry.
Nodding at the arriving team, she stood up, in front of Junior just as Dum Dum knelt down in front of the girl.
-"Hey, there. You okay? It's alright... We're here to help. It's all right. We're not here to hurt you."- Dugan said, talking to her as if she were an injured animal.
Rose, quickly positioning herself as the girl pointed towards his bowler hat, she quickly sprang into action as the small girl stabbed Dugan and tried to shoot her.
Delivering a full blown kick to the girl's face, causing her to fall back and stare at her with wide eyes, she grabbed the girl by the uniform's lapel and lifted her up.
-"When you meet up with your headmistress, you're going to tell her about me... The woman who you shot in the heart, and she still didn't die... The woman who somehow knew about your secret assassin school... You're going to tell her that she will send so many girls to try and kill me... And they will all fail to even get close to me... Who knows, maybe when you find your infamous Black Widow, she might be able to get close enough, but until then... Tell her that when the red room is at its strongest... that is the day it's going to burn."-
Pushing the girl towards the hole she was aiming to escape through, she sadistically smiled when she saw the girl scrambling to get away from her.
-"You might want to put an ice on your forehead... It will leave a nasty scar. Have a good day... Serafima."- She shouted as she lost sight of her.
Turning towards Junior, (completely ignoring the new additions who were either staring at her incredulously or at the small hole in her shirt), she quickly checked on him.-"You alright?"- She asked him.
-"Yeah... I wasn't the one shot or stabbed at"- he said looking pointedly at Dugan.
-"The vest took the brunt of it."- Dugan carelessly waved.
-"While I might have been shot, and Dugan stabbed, we're not the ones who would be a bloody corpse on the ground had I not interfered."- She said looking at him pointedly.
-"Thank you. Really."- He said voice dripping with sincerity.
-"What happened?"- Thompson interrupted looking pointedly at her clothes, and the hole through which the girl had escaped.
Rose turned towards him beaming away. -"I just named a nameless assassin girl. Serafima... The one that burns."-
Pointing towards the hole in her jumpsuit, she seriously told him.
-"Any other questions about what you saw or heard cannot be answered as they are confidential matters."-
Slowly nodding, Thompson turned towards the team.
-"We've come too far to turn back now... We need to move quickly."-
-"We're going to need an exit out the back."- Dum Dum grunted out.
Peggy shook her head, taking charge.
-"We can't leave until we know who's setting Howard up. Dugan, Pinky, Junior, Ramirez, find a back way out of here... The rest, come with me."-
-0-0-
Walking their way through the compound, Rose was quickly getting bored.
-"Peggy, can I shoot the wall?"- Rose asked.
-"No Rose, you can't shoot the wall."- Peggy answered as if she was talking to a five year old.
-"...How about the windows?"-
-"No."-
-"The staircase?"-
-"No."-
-"How about the enemy soldier from around the corner?"-
-"No-o, wait what? Of course Rose!"- Peggy exclaimed raising her gun higher while Rose quickly shot the man.
Thompson and Li looked at Rose strangely. -"Sawyer, stay here. Keep an eye out. Rest of you are with me."- He said
Grabbing Peggy's arm, just as they stood outside an occupied cell, she whispered in her ear.
-"Russian girl is in your apartment… she took some stuff and now knows that you're friends with both Steve and myself. Careful."- She said, making Peggy stiffen slightly but nod quickly, realizing that there was nothing she could do at the moment.
Looking at the bald Russian man, she quickly glared at him.
-"You are not Leviathan."- He said, ignoring Rose's gaze.
-"Why is Leviathan holding you prisoner?"- Peggy asked, taking charge of the questioning.
The bald man inched closer to the bars of the cell. -"They acquired some schemata in the black market, a weapon they don't know how to build… They want us to build it for them."-
-"So you're engineers?"- Peggy asked him.
Nodding his head towards the other man he continued. -"He is the engineer. I serve as Nikola's terapevt... psychiatrist."-
Thompson looked extremely sceptical.
-"So the Reds locked up a head doctor and a mad scientist to build a bomb… Sure, why not?"-
The bald man quickly protested.
-"He is not mad! He is burdened!... Look, he sees things in dimensions that we can only imagine. You look at a field of grass, you see pretty picture, He sees biology, photochemistry."- He said walking towards him.
-"Agriculture, Botany, Anatomy, Phocaea; 500 genera and around 8000 species of plants… I'm afraid that his gift isn't that uncommon Mr. Fennhoff… or should I say Ivchenko?"- Rose said looking at him with an Icy stare, causing him to freeze up for a moment.
-"I-Ivchenko will be fine madam,"- he hastily said, continuing with his previous train of thought. -"Keeping his gifts from overwhelming him, this requires discipline, stability… Since Leviathan took his family, stability does not come easy. I provide the discipline he needs."- He finished.
Peggy -ignoring the confusing conversation he had just had with Rose- quickly asked the question they had been wondering.
-"This weapon Leviathan wants you to build what it is?"-
Walking towards them, the bearded man picked up some blueprints.
-"Oh, it's beautiful. It's a photonic amplifier. You understand light is both particles and waves?"- He asked, making both Peggy and Rose nod their heads.
-"Mr. Stark has found a way of altering the behaviour of the waves."- The man said excitedly.
-"Stark."- Thompson said, finally excited.
-"Yeah. Of course. It's his design right here."- The man said, pointing towards the logo on the blueprints.
-"Is Howard Stark here?"- Thompson asked, making the bearded man shake his head.
-"No, of course not! They stole the schemata! I mean, if he was here, the Leviathan would have no need for me… If he was here, I would be in Kiev with my wife!"- He shouted crazed.
-"You thought you would find Howard Stark here? That's why you came? I have heard no mention of Stark himself from our captors."- Ivchenko said, calming down the upset man. -"Only the work."-
Before anyone could give an answer, Sawyer was heard shouting.
-"Incoming!"-
Quickly (and grudgingly in Rose's case) letting the prisoners out, they ran, finding cover in the boiler room.
-"Go, go, go! Dugan, we're in the boiler room, and we need an exit."- Peggy told him.
After several rounds of shooting, (and Rose's crazed laughter), Peggy turned towards the men and quickly told them
-"Gentlemen, if you know the way out of this facility, now's the time to share it, as Rose is unlikely to share."-
Rose, quickly turning, shot the blonde little girl who had appeared from a hole above, in her leg.
-"GET OUT OF HERE NOW!"- She screamed, scaring the girl, and making her run as fast as she could with her limp leg.
-"You're welcome Li, I just saved your bloody life"- she shouted, surprising Li (and earning his utmost respect).
-"I know what to do… I know what to do."- The crazed man said, grabbing Sawyer and putting a gun to his head.
Speaking in Russian to the guards, he offered the capture of 3 Americans in exchange for his freedom.
-"What is he saying? Is it bad?... It's bad, isn't it?"- Sawyer said, looking nervous as no one answered him.
-"Doctor, this is not the answer."- Peggy quickly said, once she realized that he didn't care about the fate of the rest of the men.
-"We will not be your leverage. We will die before we are captured!"- Peggy sternly said when she heard the man's offer.
Rose, watching the proceedings carefully, turned quickly when she heard Ivchenko talk.
-"Nikola, listen to me… I want you to focus on the sound of my voice...Are you listening, Nikola?"-
Getting real tired of the whole situation, she turned back towards Peggy when she shouted at the man.
-"Then listen to me! You've got one chance of getting out of here alive, and it's because of our good graces! You kill our friend, and you will die at our hand instantly! So you have until the count of three to put down your weapon and fall to your knees! ONE! TWO!"-
Before she could even reach number 3, Rose got behind him and in one simple move, broke his neck, instantly killing him.
Pushing Sawyer towards cover, she ignored the bullets that weren't even reaching her (being stopped by some golden shield of some sorts), and she turned towards Peggy.
-"Thompson is paralyzed; he's going into shock… Take care of him, I'll cover you, and for god's sake, get Dugan in here."- She ordered her.
Throwing an extra gun towards Sawyer, she turned towards the Russian soldiers.
-"If you stay, you'll be slaughtered, if you leave, you'll be rounded up and put into a special prison… Your choice, but choose quickly, because I'm running out of patience."- She shouted in Russian, making the men laugh.
-"Very well"- she whispered to herself, and proceeded to bring out her big guns from thin air, amazing the whole room.
Handling all the heavy shooting herself, she smiled when she heard a wall collapsing and an accompanying -"Wah-hoo!"-
-"Everybody out! Go, go, go!"- Rose shouted towards them, making them all crawl through the small hole in the wall.
Talking as if they were sitting around a table waiting for tea, Rose turned towards Dum Dum.
-"What are you still doing here?"- She asked looking at the wall pointedly.
-"What will Cap say when he finds out that I left his fiancé behind?"- Dugan asked with a smile.
Beaming back, Rose quickly answered. -"He would have say that I am perfectly capable of managing myself… after all I am immortal."-
-"Jesus is he whipped... I'm placing all the blame on you. I'll see you later!"- He told her, leaving through the hole, and driving away. (Much to the protest of the SSR agents.)
Turning towards the men, she put away her guns and quickly paralyzed them.
-"I'm afraid I couldn't show off much in the presence of an enemy agent… but you get a front row seat to the show now kids!"- She said with fake enthusiasm.
Slowly, the room turned gold, until a blinding flash of light and an ear-splitting boom where heard, and, in the same spots where the Russian men had been standing, all that was left was a small pile of dust.
-0-0-
Dum Dum Dugan turned his back on the leaving team.
-"Bye-bye, bourbon."- He said sadly, having given his own to the Ivchenko man.
Spotting a hand carrying a bottle of bourbon, his face brightened considerably.
-"Thought you might like this."- A woman's voice cheerfully said, causing a chuckle to be let out from the team.
-0-0-
Sitting in the cockpit, Rose couldn't help but to overhear Peggy's conversation with Thompson. Finally reaching the topic in which she was interested, she put the plane on autopilot, and listened attentively.
-"They were carrying a white flag... The soldiers that came into my camp in Okinawa. The ones I killed."- Thompson said taking a deep breath.
-"They were coming to surrender... I just didn't realize it until it was too late.
I buried the flag before anyone else saw it."- He finally admitted.
Reminiscent, he looked out the small window.
-"Everybody thinks that I'm this guy that I never was... And every day it gets harder and harder to live with."-
Looking away, he groaned as he sat up and grabbed his own neck.
-"I've been trying to tell that story since I came home from war."-
Peggy looked on pityingly.
-"You just did."-
They sat in silence for a few minutes, each entertaining their own thoughts, until Thompson remembered.
Turning towards Peggy he desperately pleaded.
-"Maskell knew… I don't know how, but she knew the whole story."- Sitting up straighter he carried on.
-"She told me -in the camp-, she whispered about the flag… and before that, with the dented shield… she mentioned what was buried in Okinawa…"-
Looking at her directly in the eyes, he asked without hiding the plea in his voice.
-"What is she?"-
A/N - I'm watching the last 3 episodes left in Marvel's Agent Carter, to see how important they are and if I should include them… I think that's about it.
Hope you enjoy.
-F.