Author's Note:
No triggers for this chapter. Just finally getting the ball rolling on some movie plot. As always please review and let me know what you think.
Astrid sighed. The last few days had definitely been a whirl. First, the trip back to London was chaotic in of itself. The sheer amount of men and supplies that had to be shipped back across the channel. Followed by endless debriefings about what happened once they landed. As well as debriefings on who she was. Astrid lost track of how many people she talked to. Though Steve had it far worse than she did.
After a long conversation on the ship over, Astrid and Steve agreeded that keeping her parentage a secret was pointless. Bucky and Shamira agreeing also. Phillips was actually way more accepting than Astrid first thought he would be. Probably because any intel she knew was good. Also, the fact that she was technically a captain helped. On top of being a torturer. A group well known for always telling the truth. Plus, they couldn't exactly arrest the wife of Captain America. That would not go well. For anyone involved.
But even then, she was sidelined. Much to the chagrin of Steve who kept trying to give her the credit. Regardless she barely had so much as a minute with Steve since their arrival. Each of them pulled in different directions. The only time she really saw Steve was when they both collapsed in bed for the night. If it wasn't for Peggy and Shamira Astrid was sure that she would have gone stir crazy. Those two were keeping her grounded.
Though things were starting to change. Currently, she was in the war room with Peggy and Steve. Which consisted mostly of one massive table and a lot of maps. Side rooms and corridors splitting off from this main hub. Astrid surveying their surroundings. She got the feeling that she would be coming back here a lot in the coming years. Giving the SSR credit. She would never suspect a base hidden underneath an accounting office.
Astrid turned her attention back to Steve. Taking a moment to admire him. He looked good in SSR uniform. Really good. The kind of good that made Astrid want to tear the uniform off of him. Peggy did as well. Somehow those two managed to pull it off. Meanwhile, Astrid just felt uncomfortable. She would kill to be in scrubs at the moment. Or at least civilian clothing.
All of that that would have to wait. At the current moment, they were in their own corner. Mapping out Hydra bases. She was looking over the map Steve was filling out. He caught a glance of a map when rescuing Bucky. Though it wasn't perfect. Astrid noting which of the bases on Steve's map were fake. As well as a couple more bases. The map Steve spotted was a decoy. A provision should anyone actually take the facility. Red Skull always had a backup plan for his backup plans. Though it wasn't completely inaccurate. Reveal enough truth so that people don't go digging further. A trick she taught him sadly.
"Fifth one was here in Poland and the Baltic," Steve stated marking it down with a pen. Astrid nodded along. That one was an absolute pain in the ass to get to. But that was kinda the point. "The sixth one was about here." He marked another point on the map. "30 to 40 miles west of the Maginot line.
"Actually, it's further along to the North," Astrid added pointing to its true location. Steve nodded. Correcting its location on the map. "There is also the one in Tunisia and Norway." She pointed out their locations for Steve to mark down. Once that was done one of the men took the map away. So, they could mark it up on the massive map. Steve, Astrid, and Peggy all glanced at each other.
"Fine work you two," Peggy stated.
Steve shrugged his shoulders. "It was mostly Astrid's doing. I just caught a quick look." Damn good for a quick looked. He absolutely nailed the fake map.
"Well, no one's perfect. But this is Astrid we are talking about so she might be the exception." Steve looked at Peggy. A quizzical look on his face. As if he was starting to realize something.
Astrid shook her head. "Hey. It's not some master skill on my part. My father only wanted to make sure I had someplace safe to go. No matter where I was. And who knows what updates he's put in place." They had to be prepared for anything. Every trick, every possible outcome. Defeating Hydra was going to be no easy feat. Red Skull was a brilliant man before the serum and the serum only made it worse.
She gestured towards the main table. On the other side of the hub. Phillips holding a debriefing now that the map was complete. Ready to come up with a plan for defeating Hydra. Taking the lead. Heading to the main table for the debrief. Running into Stark who had just come in to join the debrief.
"Hey," he stated looking at Steve. "Aren't you supposed to be picking up a medal right now?"
"I've decided that I'm officially off the press circuit," Steve answered glancing at Astrid. That was part of it. The other part was that Steve would only agree if Astrid was given a medal as well. When that clearly wasn't going to happen there was no chance of Steve showing up either.
"Rogers," Phillips called out walking up to join the four of them. He drew both Astrid's and Steve's attention. "You just embarrassed a United States senator in front of a room full of reporters and ten members of parliament." Steve looked concerned until Phillips started chuckling. Holding out Steve's medal that he failed to pick up. There was a reason Phillips was Astrid's favorite commander. "You deserve a medal just for that. I can see why Doc married you." Steve grinned. Phillips was starting to grow on him as well. Phillips was a good commander who actually gave a damn about his men. A little rough around the edges but that was to be expected.
Phillips turned his attention to Stark. Who was holding onto one of the pieces that Steve and Astrid got out of the Hydra base. "You figure out what that is yet?"
"Hell, if you believe either Rogers it's the most powerful explosive known to man."
"If?" Steve questioned. He was still getting used to Stark. That was definitely going to take some time. Astrid and Peggy exchanging knowing glances. Stark was someone that you definitely had to get used to. And even then, Astrid wanted to punch him in the face on occasion.
"Well either you and Doc are wrong or Schmidt rewritten the laws of physics."
"I would go with rewriting the laws of physics," Astrid interjected capturing the attention of all three of the men. "Trust me. That's far more likely than me being wrong about this." She pointed to the objection in his hands. "If he's found what I think he's found then physics is going to take a back seat."
"What do you think he's found?" Phillips asked.
Astrid sighed crossing her arms. "Honestly sir you're not going to believe me even if I told you."
He looked at her puzzled. "I thought telling the truth was part of your code or whatever."
"I would be telling you the truth. Just wouldn't matter. You aren't going to believe me and there's no way you'll be able to tell the higher-ups without seeming insane." She earned a glance from both Steve and Peggy. Astrid would tell them later when she got the chance. Though they may not believe it themselves.
Phillips gave her a look that basically said that wasn't good enough. Astrid rolled her eyes. If he really wanted to know the answer. "Okay fine. For as long as I have known him Red Skull has been looking for something called the Tesseract. The jewel of Odin's throne room. It's power too great for mere men to handle."
The four of them blinked at her. Trying to get over what she just told them. "And you believe this exists?" Phillips asked glancing at the item in Stark's hands.
"I thought it was a story my parents told me growing up. Until I watched men vaporized in a puff of blue smoke." That is what really turned Astrid into a true believer.
Phillips took a deep breath. "Your right. I don't believe you." She also earned looks from the others. Though they were looks of belief. At least they believed her. Well, Steve and Peggy did. Stark look flabergasted.
"So what was this Tesseract supposed to do?" Stark asked looking keenly at Astrid.
She shrugged her shoulders. "I have no idea. Again, until rather recently it was just a story my parents told me. All I know was that it's supposed to contain some great mystical power." She earned more looks. "Red Skull was always slightly crazy. Even before he had his skin melted off by some untested serum."
Peggy bobbed her head back and forth. She had briefly known her father when she was undercover. Where the two of them first met. Though at that time Peggy was trying to rescue Erskine while Astrid was trying to rescue every person she could. The only reason that her father got away with it for so long was that he was helping Astrid with her cause. Making her turn a blind eye to everything that was going on. Until the explosion. Which started the chain of events that resulted in Red Skull and Peggy escaping with Erskine and his formula.
She glanced at Steve. Astrid considered herself incredibly lucky that she was married to the man Erskine serum work on. Having looked over the formula. Poured over it with Erskine during the late nights. If she was honest with herself she never thought he could get it to work. And even if he did she did not expect the results to be so spectacular. But that had less to do with the serum and more to do with Steve. Maybe it only worked because it was injected into Steve. In anyone else, it would only result in what happened to her father.
Phillips gestured towards the main table. The men having finished setting it up. Steve taking the lead followed by Phillips. Peggy and Astrid right behind them.
"These are the weapons factories that we know about," Steve stated. "Sergeant Barnes said that Hydra shipped all the parts to another facility that isn't on the map."
Phillips turned towards Astrid. "You know where it is?"
"If I did it would be on the map," Astrid pointed out.
Phillips sighed and started walking away from the table. The three of them following. "Agent Carter, coordinate with MI-6. I want every Allied eyeball looking for that Hydra base."
"What about us?" she asked.
"We are going to set a fire under Johann Schmidt's ass." A blonde handed him some papers. Not before taking a long look at Steve. Astrid frowned, glaring at her. Fighting the urge to shove her into the wall. Phillips taking her out of her thoughts. "What do you say, Rogers? It's your map. You think you can wipe Hydra off of it?"
Steve gave a quick glance to Astrid. Making sure that she was okay with this. She nodded. After all, she had failed to take out her father before and that had cost everyone dearly. He needed to be taken down. Steve took one last look at the map before turning back to Philips.
"Yes, sir. I'll need a team."
"We're already putting together the best men."
"Will all due respect, sir, so am I."
"Are you now?" Astrid asked. The two of them hadn't really had much time to talk. It didn't surprise her that he was going to go after Hydra. It was going to come as a shock when she revealed her plans. "I'd like to see how that goes. In the meantime, I have to meet with Shamira." She nodded to Phillips. He knew what her plan was. He actually agreed to it. Made her life easier.
"I'll see you at the get-together, later right?" Steve called after her as she left.
She looked over her shoulder. "Definitely," she replied heading up the stairs. Leaving their secret bunker in a nondescript building. Matching everything else around them. Making her way down the streets of London she ducked and weaved. Having walked these streets before. What was years ago now. Until she made it to a house she recognized instantly. Most people would walk right past it. But for Astrid, it was a whole other story. Knocking on the door in a specific pattern it swung open. Revealing Shamira standing behind it.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked. Astrid stepped inside and she closed the door behind her.
"Steve is going after Hydra. It's only fair that we do our part." She looked at the equipment that was left. There was actually plenty of it and in good quality too. Even a mobile torture kit. Astrid hoped she wouldn't have to use it much. Looking around she also noticed a good amount of clothing. Particularly dresses.
Shamira smirked as she picked one out. A beautiful green. "Wasn't this the one you wore when you had to distract the front desk clerk at the visa office while we broke in?"
Astrid looked it over. Remembering that dress vividly. "It was that one indeed."
"You had every guy and gal who looked at you speechless."
Astrid rolled her eyes. "I remember." The number of offers she got that night. It made it ridiculously easy to steal the papers. Namely, because everyone was focused on her. Seeing if they could get lucky.
"Steve will drop his pants faster than you can blink if you showed up in this."
"Shamira!" Astrid slapped her on the shoulder. "I don't need a dress to do that."
Shamira chuckled picking out a pretty blue. "Still. It's one way to make every man in that room jealous. Isn't that right Lady Liberty?"
Astrid gave her a deadpanned stare. "I swear if you call me that one more time."
"Just wear the dress. Who knows when the next time will be that we get the chance to be pretty." Astrid sided eyed the dress. Shamira dropping her hand. "Besides what better way to get all the women to stop eyeing up your husband than to showcase that even Captain America is out of your league." Astrid glared at Shamira before taking the dress from her hand. She had to admit. It was grating watching all these women swoon over Steve when before they wouldn't even give him a second glance.
Astrid stripped off her uniform. Happy to finally be out of it. Donning on the dress. An immediate change coming over her. Already feeling more comfortable. Shamira whistling.
"You see. Not even America's Golden Boy will be able to keep his hands off of you. I can guarantee you that. You'll just arrive and he'll have to pull you out of there. Maybe he won't even resist long enough to get back to your room. Finding some suitable dark corner."
"Shamira," Astrid groaned tilting her head back. "Don't make me regret this."
Shamira chuckled. Slipping on her own dress. "You won't. Besides who knows what new tricks he has learned."
There was that. Astrid had to admit that she was slightly nervous. It almost felt like her wedding day all over again. She steeled herself. This was Steve Rogers that they were talking about. She had absolutely nothing to be worried about.
