A/N: I apologize for any historical inaccuracies, most of the information I found was from a few hours worth of researching and I ended up needing to develop my own agency and information. And as before:
Italicized speech will either represent a character speaking German, or the character's internal dialogue.
The first thing Odette noticed was how much pain she was in. Everything was stiff, and she ached as though she hadn't moved in days. The second thing she noticed was how dry her mouth was. She hadn't had a proper drink in, evidently, quite some time. Slowly, as her senses came back to her, and she became more aware, more pains and other realizations started to sink in. For starters, her arms and chest ached as though she had several small bruises everywhere. She was also freezing, but found she could not shiver or curl up to warm herself due to the leather constraints across her chest, wrists, hips, legs, and ankles. And worst of all, Dr. Zola was the first voice she heard.
"So, you've finally awoken." He said, sliding into view, hovering over her, that stupid smug smirk on his face. "You know, I had always suspected you were a spy. From the moment that idiot Lohmer showed me your clinic." his accent was thick, but even still, his ego shone through. "But, I had to confirm my suspicions. Thankfully, General Schmidt was here to provide me with the opportunity to do so."
"Bastard." Was all Odette could manage to spit out.
"Ohhh," Dr. Zola tsked, "Is that anyway to treat your doctor?" Odette squinted in confusion, but soon her eyes widened and her heart raced as a familiar needle shined overhead.
She began to shake her head, "no, no, please-!" But Dr. Zola did not care to hear her cries for mercy as he plunged the needle into her arm and injected her with his torture serum.
If watching someone be injected with it was painful, being injected was a whole new level of pain. Odette had never felt this kind of physical pain before. It felt as though her entire body was on fire, her own blood stung her muscles and skin. It was like her own body was attacking her, stretching her thin like dough before crushing her back together. She could feel energy coil up in her stomach and she tried to shake it out of her. The leather straps across her body made sure she could not. She threw her head back and screamed as loudly as she could, burning her vocal cords raw within a few seconds. She tossed and turned and tried her best to break loose, to escape this pain, but it was no use. The agony seemed to last for hours, slowly ebbing away until she collapsed back onto the bed in a sweaty puddle. Her body shuddered uncontrollably and bile bubbled up in the back of her throat.
"Interesting." Dr. Zola remarked, "you recovered much faster than the man." Odette couldn't respond, her tongue felt fat and numb in her mouth. "Time for round two, then." Odette shook her head as quickly as she could and moaned in pain before feeling the agony all over again.
Her screams cut off intermittently as her vocal cords were already strained from her previous scream.
Odette suffered four more rounds of torture before Dr. Zola spoke to her once more.
"Do you know how we figured it out? Little nurse?" He asked. Odette could only gasp for air, struggling to fill her lungs before they would once again be used to scream out the pain she felt in her very soul. "We noticed that there were just a few extra portions of rations missing each day. That, the men leaving your clinic were a little too happy. And, then, of course, there is your relationship with my lab rat." Odette was finally able to catch her breath.
"Go to hell!" She growled between clenched teeth.
Dr. Zola ignored her, "What exactly is your relationship? Eh?" Then he shook his head, "doesn't matter. You are making far more progress in your first session than he has in ten. He will most likely die before the day is out."
"Fuck you!" Odette was foaming, and spit flew from her mouth and hit Dr. Zola in the face.
Dr. Zola once again ignored her in favor of subjecting her to more tests.
Odette screamed in agony. It felt as though parts of her body were separating, or like they were floating away, only to violently shock her through the invisible lines still connecting them to her body. A dark cloud crossed over her vision multiple times and she began to hallucinate. A snowy forest sky, the beach, her boot camp, home. Odette thought of her family, how they had no idea of what she'd done, where she was, or what was happening. She thought of her friends who had gone off to other stations or those she left behind at home.
Dr. Zola only stopped his torturing when a commotion in the factory caught his attention and Odette was finally left alone. Her legs shook uncontrollably, tears and snot had fallen down her face, into her mouth, ears, and hair. Her body felt bruised due to the leather straps pressing against her involuntary shakes. She prayed to any God that might hear her that they might send a savior.
"I know I do not deserve to be saved for my cowardice." Odette prayed, "I know I am not as loyal to you as I should be. I am willing to die here if you just rescue my men." She couldn't even whisper her prayer due to the level of pain she was in, but she hoped that any God with any kind of omnipotence could hear her and answer her prayers. If she could take Dr. Zola's attention off her men...off Sergeant Barnes...she would gladly die. Fresh hot tears burned her cheeks and blurred her vision.
Dr. Zola came back to the room in a rush and began to collect his supplies in his bag. "It seems we will have to continue our experiments another day," he ordered someone else to wheel her behind him, however before they could move her the door slammed open. She could hear Dr. Zola and another man groaning in pain.
"This her?" A new voice asked.
"Yeah," that was Barnes! "Hey, farm girl," Barnes leaned over her, "let's get you out of here." Barnes and his companion worked quickly to undo the leather straps. Deep in the factory somewhere an explosion rocked the foundation.
"Come on, Buck." The new voice urged.
"Hold on." Barnes grunted through his gritted teeth, finally the last strap was undone. Odette's skin burned where the leather had dug into her, but she was thankful to be free. "Come on," Barnes was able to sit her up and turn her. He helped guide her to the floor where her bare feet sent shocks up her legs. She cried out in shock and would have fallen if Barnes hadn't caught her by her armpits. For also being a patient of Dr. Zola's torture serum, Barnes was surprisingly sturdy as he carefully stood her back up, "Steve, gimme a hand."
"Pardon me, miss," Steve, the new voice, apologized before he put one of her arms over his shoulder. Barnes did the same to her other arm and they dragged her out of the room. Well, more like Steve dragged them both. She could feel that Barnes still didn't always have his own footing so she tried her best to find her own. Every time her foot connected with the ground, it sent a ripple of pain up her body. It took her entire will to live to not collapse into a puddle of painful tears. Eventually, Barnes was able to hold himself up and he ran beside Odette and Steve, the latter of which was still mostly dragging her along.
"By the way, Odette, Steve. Steve, Odette." Barnes panted as he staggered to keep up.
"Pleasure." Steve said, not turning to look at her.
"All mine." Odette managed to choke out.
The floor changed from tile, to concrete, to grates, each more painful to step on than the last, and as more explosions set off around them, Odette realized they were in the heart of the factory and it was exploding from the inside! The heat was almost too much to bear. Odette was able to get her feet under her and she gripped the handrail of the catwalk. Steve and Barnes stood on either side of her, also taking in the explosions. For a brief second, Odette was able to focus and look at Steve through the smoke and ash. He was built like a tank! Tall and muscular, with army fatigues over a brightly colored red, white, and blue suit. His face was slightly dirtied, though not as horrible as she had seen from her men, and he carried a flimsy prop shield with him.
"We gotta move, come on." Steve pulled at them both. Odette followed him blindly, throwing all her trust into a man that Barnes seemed to trust. They ran up a set of stairs, Odette's feet were screaming at her the entire time.
They began to make for an outer wall when Schmidt's voice called to them over the explosions and raging inferno below, "Captain America! How exciting! I am a great fan of your films." Schmidt walked out to the opposite end of a long catwalk that covered the width of the factory. The three stopped and stared at him, like deer in headlights no doubt. Dr. Zola, looking a little frazzled, but unfortunately not unharmed, meekly followed Schmidt into the blazing heat of the main factory. Steve began to walk out onto the catwalk, keeping pace with Schmidt's casual stroll. Schmidt looked around Steve at Odette and Barnes. "You found my lab rats." He smirked at them before turning back to Steve, "I would like them back."
"Not a damn chance." Steve spat at him.
"Temper, temper." Schmidt taunted. He paused to look Steve up and down, "My," he breathed, "So, Dr. Erskine managed it after all." Barnes tried to follow Steve, and he blindly extended one hand back to Odette. She took it, but could hardly bring herself to inch herself forward, so Barnes stayed behind with her. "Not exactly an improvement, but still, impressive." The two large men stood just a few steps from each other. Without warning, Steve punched Schmidt in the face, knocking the other man's head back. He staggered, but caught himself on the catwalk rails.
"You have no idea." Steve growled through gritted teeth.
Schmidt picked himself up, cursed in German, and threw a punch back. Odette's gut clenched as Steve was barely able to pull his shield up in time. Even over the fire, she could hear the metal bend around Schmidt's fist. Steve reached for the pistol on his hip, but Schmidt punched him again and sent Steve falling back on his back and the gun into the inferno below. Steve braced himself on the catwalk and threw his whole body back before launching his legs forward. His feet connected with Schmidt's diaphragm, knocking him backwards. Dr. Zola, sensing everyone's demise in the fire, pulled a lever that made the catwalk separate in the middle and retract to the sides. Steve rejoined Barnes and Odette.
"No matter what lies Erskine told you," Schmidt spit at them, "I was his greatest success!" Then, with just a bit of difficulty, Schmidt grabbed at the folds of his neck, ripping his skin upwards. Odette screamed and gripped Barnes's arm in horror. Underneath his fleshy mask was a smooth red skull.
"You don't have one of those, do you?" Barnes asked, grabbing a hold of Steve, but Steve's eyes were locked on Schmidt in horror.
"You are diluted, Captain." Schmidt said before Steve could answer, "you pretend to be a super soldier, but in reality," Schmidt dropped his mask into the fire, "you are just afraid to admit that we have left humanity behind. Unlike you, I embrace it proudly. No fear." As he spoke, he and Dr. Zola inched towards the door.
"Then how come you're running?" Steve questioned once he found his voice, but Schmidt closed the door on them. There was no time to sit and think of a way to open the catwalk again. More explosions were going off under them, and the fire was starting to climb. The ash and smoke would soon make the air too thick to breathe. Suddenly, Steve grabbed them both, "Come on, let's go. Move!" He ordered. Bucky and Odette had to cling to the stair rails as they followed Steve up the stairs.
At the top they began to climb the support beams, inching their way to a gantry that would get them to the other side. Barnes was able to get over, but Odette hesitated.
"Odette! Come on!" Barnes screamed.
But Odette was looking down at the fire. She blinked tears and sweat out of her eyes and shook her head. She backed up into Steve's chest and he held her shoulders to keep them both steady.
"I can't do it." Odette mumbled softly.
"Odette! Odette! Look at me," Barnes called. She did so, "It's gonna be fine." He reassured her. One hand held the railing, the other stretched out to her.
"We've gotta go this way, miss." Steve urged her forward.
Odette swallowed hard and inched her way out. Another explosion rocked under them and the gantry collapsed into the fire. Steve managed to pull Odette back just as she began to fall. She clung onto Steve for dear life, a scream caught in her throat, praying to be anywhere but there.
"Buck! You go on! Just go! Get out of here!" Steve called.
"No!" Barnes argued, "not without you two!"
"I'm so sorry." Odette began to sob. Even in her final moments she was a true coward.
"Not as sorry as I am." Steve warned her. In one swoop, he picked her up in his arms, and got a running start towards the gap between them and Barnes. Suddenly, they were weightless. Odette squeezed her eyes shut, hoping for this moment to pass...
The walk back to the Army Camp that Steve was leading them to was long and arduous. After they'd escaped the factory, Odette, Steve, and Barnes met up with the rest of the prisoners. Odette nearly collapsed into tears when she saw them all. Many of them came up to thank her for giving them hope, and some (when they saw the state she was in) offered their coats and shoes to her. Odette, after a lot of pressure from the men, accepted a long coat and a pair of boots.
They walked all night, staggering into each other as the sun slowly rose over the trees. Too often, Odette found herself staggering into Barnes, or stepping on Steve's heels. She apologized profusely to them when she did. Even with the coat, she was shivering and miserable, but she refused to let that slow her down. They were still in enemy territory after all.
"You can lean on me a bit if that helps." Barnes offered as she staggered into him. She declined. Steve, on the other hand, didn't even seem to notice when she'd step on his heel.
Crunching snow underfoot was all that she heard, the excited mumble through the crowd behind them had turned into tired and irritable grumbles, and then painful silence as they continued to march. Everyone was tired, hurting, and just wanting a single night of peaceful sleep. The long walk in the cold was only making people angrier.
Finally, there was a pause in Steve's steps. Odette looked up from her boots which she'd hypnotized herself into not feeling as she stepped...or perhaps they'd gone numb from the cold. In the distance she could just barely make out a collection of tents in the trees.
"Fellas. We're back." Steve said. The whisper of finally being free, of finally making it back into safer territory made the men pick up their pace. As they grew closer, Odette heard and saw men from the camp exclaim at their presence, and soon, a whole crowd surrounded them, cheering loudly. Some of the men broke off to rejoin their buddies, some stayed in the group and followed Steve until he came to a stop in front of a slightly older gentleman.
Steve saluted this man, "Some of these men need medical attention,"
"Medic!"
"We've got wounded!" Two men in the camp called. Odette felt a call to action, but Barnes grabbed her before she could move.
"And I'd like to surrender myself for disciplinary action, sir." Steve told the man.
"That won't be necessary." The man said, looking over the crowd of soldiers.
"Yes sir." Odette could see the smile in Steve's voice.
A beautiful dark haired woman walked up to Steve and looked him over with a tight frown and tense eyes, "you're late." Was all she said.
Steve sheepishly looked down at his waist and pulled a transponder off of his belt. "I couldn't call my ride." He admitted sheepishly. Even from her spot behind Steve, Odette could see that the transponder was destroyed. She hoped it wasn't due to her hesitation.
Barnes pulled Steve and Odette in for a three-way hug, "Hey! Let's hear it for Captain America!" He cheered. Odette winced in pain at the bursts of cheers coming from all sides. She found herself standing next to the other woman all of a sudden. Barnes and Steve looked at her in surprise before Steve shook himself from his thoughts.
"Peggy, this is miss Odette," Steve hesitated.
"Odette Swann." Barnes finished, Steve nodded, "She was working undercover, keeping track of prisoners of war."
"You're a member of Good Health?" The woman, Peggy, asked.
Odette nodded, "I am. I was working with Doctor Luce to keep a record of the men imprisoned at the factory."
"Good Health?" Barnes asked.
"Operation Good Health is a spy operation, meant to get our doctors in contact with prisoners of war kept behind enemy lines." Peggy explained, Odette nodded in agreement, "I thought they never got out of the planning stages for it." She turned to Odette.
"They figured the less people who knew about it, the better. Head of SOE and CIA know, and all us Good Health operatives know, and that's it." Odette explained.
"Well." Peggy smiled at her, "It'll be nice to have a decent woman to talk to around here. Let's get you something clean to wear, hm?" Peggy held out her arm. Odette looked cautiously at Barnes at Steve, they both waved her on, so she turned and accepted her arm.
"Thank you." Odette smiled politely and took Peggy's arm.
Being the only woman in camp, Peggy had her own tent and sanitation station. It wasn't glamorous, but it was enough. A cot, a trunk, a basin of water. Enough.
"Here," Peggy opened her trunk and pulled out a uniform similar to her own, "It might be a tad bit small, but it'll be better than those Nazi clothes and that raggedy coat. You can use the washcloth and soap beside the basin to clean up. I'm sorry it's not more." Odette took the clothes from Peggy, "I'll be just outside if you need me."
"Thank you, Peggy." Odette smiled. Peggy smiled and nodded once before walking out of the tent.
Odette let out the breath she'd been holding since she'd been separated from Barnes and Steve. She stripped out of her outer clothes, and scrubbed the dirt off her body as best she could with the soap and washcloth. The water in the basin was freezing making Odette work quickly to clean herself up.
Her body was covered in several ugly bruises where Dr. Zola had injected his torture serum into her. She also had a large bruise where one of Dr. Zola's men had punched her in the gut when they ambushed her. She tenderly touched each bruise to inspect how deep and damaging each one was. Thankfully, although they were still painful, they seemed to be a quick heal. To her horror, however, once she sat down to clean her feet, she saw the damage the march had done. Her feet were filthy from the escape, and being in someone else's sweaty, dirty boots. There were several bloody sores and blisters on the soles, ankles, and heels of her feet, which were sensitive and stung when she dabbed at the dirt and blood with the washcloth. Her feet ached as she stretched back out. Once she was clean to her satisfaction, she got dressed in the uniform Peggy provided her. It was a little tight around her hips, but other than that, it fit just fine, and after some stretches, the uniform fit comfortably on her body.
She emptied and refilled the basin with clean water and inspected her reflection. Her curls were a frazzled, wild, tangled mess, and her face looked painfully ordinary without her makeup. She didn't want to take Peggy's, and she also had no energy to fight with her curls. Her hair clasp had been lost somewhere between Dr. Zola ambushing her and the march to camp. So, all she could do was wet her fingers and gently run them through her hair. Eventually the soft curls came back, and Odette looked around for a few moments for a spare hair tie or clip, but to no avail. Accepting she could do no more, Odette cautiously stepped outside.
Peggy turned and smiled, "Feel better?" She asked.
"Much. Thank you again." Odette nodded.
"Good," Peggy gave her a genuine smile before straightening her shoulders and putting on her work face, "if you don't mind, we'd like to ask you some questions about your time behind enemy lines."
"Alright. Who am I to report to?" Odette asked.
"Oh, no, not here." Peggy explained, "we'll head back to HQ first in London." She motioned for Odette to walk beside her, which she did. The entire camp seemed to be packing up while Peggy explained that they would be moving the entire base operation to London. Steve and Odette's perspective on the warehouse and enemy movements would be invaluable. Odette only wished she had thought of grabbing her copies of the files she'd made. All the men she'd helped, those she'd lost, gone. She only hoped Doctor Luce had kept the copies she'd given him. It wouldn't be up to date, but it'd be better than all her work going to waste.
There was a buzz of excitement and relief as word spread around camp of their movements. Those too injured to make the trip would be shuttled further into allied territory, dropped at camps that could better help them while those who were able would join them in London. Odette could use the travel time to recuperate and relax since she was now safe from enemy hands. The rest of the men crowded together on trucks, tanks, and buses, but Peggy guided Odette to a modest car. They were joined by Steve, and the older gentleman from earlier, who introduced himself as Colonel Phillips, and the four of them traveled to London together. Odette said very little as they traveled, still very much on edge as they reached a few checkpoints along the way. Peggy reassured her that they were in Allied territory, but it was still a bit much to handle. She had, after all, been behind enemy lines deep undercover for ages. She fidgeted the whole way. Phillips was not the talkative type, and Steve and Peggy exchanged flirty yet innocent conversations every now and then, all while Odette watched the landscape roll by.
Once in London, the four were led to an underground bunker where they were asked by British Intelligence to list and pinpoint any Nazi or HYDRA weapons factory. Steve was able to provide locations, while Odette told them of the kind of technology and weapons they were creating.
An officer took the map Steve had drawn on to another table where tiny representations of factories were laid out on the corresponding spots on the larger map indicated with a flag marking if they were Nazi or HYDRA based.
"These are the weapons factories we know about." Steve explained to the officers surrounding the table.
"However," Odette spoke up, "Hydra ships all their parts to another facility. It's never officially been marked down, but the men spoke of it." She explained.
"Agent Carter, coordinate with MI6," Phillips ordered, "I want every Allied eyeball looking for that main Hydra base." He began to walk away, So Peggy followed, and naturally Steve followed, so Odette followed as well.
"What about us?" Odette asked. Was this it? Did she go home now? After everything she'd seen and been through. She couldn't. She wouldn't.
Phillips gave her a quick look, sizing her up before he answered, "We are going to set a fire under Johann Schmidt's ass." A pretty blonde woman walked over and handed Phillips a folder, she lingered her gaze towards Steve, "What do you say, Rogers? It's your map. You think you can wipe Hydra off it?" Phillips asked.
"Yes sir, but I'll need a team." Steve replied.
"We're already putting together the best men." Phillips replied.
"With all due respect, sir, so am I." Steve informed him.
"Is that so?" Phillips asked. He was challenging Steve who only smirked and nodded. "Well, if your men are up for it," he dismissed them.
Odette was given a station at HQ, a room near the clinic no bigger than a broom closet, but it sufficed. After her meeting with all the corporals, and generals, she simply sat in her room.
"Clearly they must think I have some use, otherwise they would've sent me home." Odette reassured herself, but when she went to step outside and go to the surface, every person walking by stopped and stared. She retreated back into her room quietly. She stared at the door in deafening silence.
Her eyes burned and a ringing in her ears pained her so much she had to squeeze her eyes shut and press the meaty part of her palms into her ears. Suddenly, it was impossible to breathe and Odette found herself gasping for air. Hot tears rolled down her face and silent sobs wracked her body, she rocked back and forth on the cot she'd fallen back onto, drawing her knees up to her chest. She furiously wiped at her eyes when the ringing stopped, but as soon as she applied pressure to her eyelids she was back in Germany. Back in the warehouse. Dead and decaying bodies piled high around her, faces she recognized and some she'd forgotten stared blankly at her with slack jaws opened in silent cries. Shocked at the sudden flash of imagery, Odette opened her eyes with a gasp and found herself sitting in a back alley gutter in London.
Panicked, Odette backed up against a wet brick building and tried to ground herself in reality. How had she gotten outside?
She bit the knuckle of her index finger as her heart raced as fast as her thoughts. She'd heard about soldiers who had gone crazy after returning from war. Men who were changed, some almost deranged, from the horrors they'd witnessed firsthand. She knew blackouts were also a common way to block out trauma. "Oh God, I hope I didn't embarrass myself." Odette tried to calm her breathing, taking steady, even breaths as the sounds of London returned to her. She stood up a little straighter and checked her appearance. Aside from some damp spots on her backside where it was pressed to the ground and wall and the tiny bits of debris lodged into her palms, she was fine.
"Miss Swan?" Odette winced as she turned to see Peggy at the entrance to the alleyway. "Are," she paused, "are you alright?"
Odette tried to answer, but her voice croaked out. She cleared her throat, straightened herself up, and nodded, "yes. Sorry, I needed fresh air. Did you need something?" She asked.
Peggy didn't look entirely convinced, but she didn't press further, "No. However, Steve is going to ask his...prospective team to join him, and he has extended the invitation to us."
"Us?" Odette repeated. Peggy, she could see Steve inviting. She was gorgeous, smart, and unafraid of anyone or anything. Not to mention it was clear to Odette that Steve admired her for all that and more. But Odette? She was what? A nurse spy who failed at her job? Who had to be rescued because she got found out and tortured? What use could she be to them? Not that the alternative of becoming a secretary sounded any better.
"Yes." Peggy's response knocked Odette out of her thoughts. "He thinks your expertise as a spy as well as your skills as a doctor would be invaluable." Odette's heart nearly flew out of her chest and her insides trembled with...fear? Delight? Pure joy?
It didn't matter because Odette smiled and nodded. "Alright. When and where?" She asked. Peggy gave her the address and then turned to walk away, "wait!" Peggy looked back with a start, her dark eyes staring directly into Odette's green ones. She shifted from foot to foot, "never mind." She felt silly for wanting to ask what Peggy would be wearing in order to determine what she should wear, and she decided she would just figure that out on her own.
"Well," Peggy smiled tensely, "alright." And she turned back around once more and left the alley.
Odette waited for a moment before she took a breath and walked out onto the London streets. Given the fact she was in a rush and had blacked out, she turned around in circles taking in the sights she hadn't had the time to see before. Even though the war seemed to be at its height, those brave enough to stay in London, seemed to be basking in this unusually sunny day. Odette recalled her time passing through London when she was on her way across enemy lines for the first time. Her three day stay in London seemed to be drowning in perpetual rain.
"Hey, Odette!" She turned around and spotted Sergeant Barnes across the street. He waved at her, looked both ways, then jogged across the street.
"Sergeant Barnes," Odette smiled at him. He'd cleaned up nicely since she'd last seen him. It had only been a few days, but he seemed to be doing much better. If only she could say the same about herself.
He gave her a boyish smirk, "I told you," he gave her a light, playful shove, "my friends call me Bucky."
Odette's eyebrows perked up, "friends? We're friends now?" She teased, turning to begin walking in a random direction. She hoped he would follow and he did, quickly catching up to match her stride.
"Well sure we are, farm girl." He faltered slightly l, "unless I've done something to offend you—,"
"No!" Odette was a little too quick to reply, and Bucky's smirk only widened. She fought the urge to sock him in the jaw just to wipe that smirk off his face. Instead, she innocently asked, "So, you and Steve?"
"Yeah," Bucky nodded, "Me and Steve."
Odette chuckled, "No, what's the story there?" She asked.
"Ah," Bucky rubbed the back of his neck, "He was a scrawny little shit-sorry-," he cringed at his own vulgarity, but something about that word coming from his lips set off a fire in her. She waved him off nonchalantly. Still Bucky was conscious about his language as he continued, "He was this scrawny kid I grew up with. We're with each other through thick and thin. 'Til the end of the line." Bucky explained.
"Wow, scrawny?" Odette asked, "I can't picture Steve as scrawny."
"Believe me, I can't believe the way he looks now. All those muscles? Brand new." Bucky sighed, his eyes growing hard as he fell into deep thought.
Afraid of losing him to even darker thoughts, Odette spoke up once more, "Thick and thin, huh?" He looked over at her, "So, do you know who all Steve invited to this little shindig?"
Bucky tilted one hand back and forth, "I know them, but I don't know them, ya know?"
Odette blinked for a beat and then laughed, "Sure, I suppose."
"They're all men from the factory." Bucky explained, "that's all I know," He trailed off.
"Really?" Odette asked, "Do you remember their names?" She wondered if she had helped any of them.
"Uhh, ya know what," Bucky squinted in the sunlight, "no. No clue." Odette laughed again and Bucky smiled. She laughed so hard she had to cover her mouth and wrap an arm around herself in an attempt to stifle herself. Bucky just rolled his eyes, "Yuk it up, Odette." He teased her, which only made her giggle even more. They paused on a street corner, having circled the block all the way back to HQ, "So, you do a lot of dancing?" He asked after Odette had calmed down.
"Me? Dancing? Oh, no. No no no." Odette shook her head, "I am an awful dancer." She looked anywhere but at him, afraid he might notice how terrified she was at how easy the conversation seemed to be between them.
Bucky nudged her side with his elbow, "Ah, c'mon, I'm sure you're great. Gal like you must've had a ton of practice back home."
Odette winced as she explained, "Well. I danced enough to be in my show choir." She said, "but I've been told I'm a horrible partner."
"And why's that?" Bucky asked, crossing his arms as though he defied her statement.
Odette blushed, "toe stepping, seemed to be the biggest complaint. And I would sometimes get so into the song that I would break away from my partner to do my own dance."
"You're kidding?" Now it was Bucky's turn to laugh and Odette playfully pouted and waited for him to finish by tapping her foot. People passing by were looking at them strangely, but for once Odette didn't care about the wandering eyes. She only cared about Bucky's. And his eyes were alive with pure joy, sparkling in the sunlight as he wiped tears from his eyes and stood back up. "That I've got to see." He said.
"Not a chance." Odette refused.
"How about, we start with something simple?" Bucky suggested. Odette raised an eyebrow and shifted her weight to one side, challenging him to say something stupid. "Tonight, at Steve's little pow wow?"
Odette eyed him curiously, "Sergeant Barnes, have you, yourself, ever gone dancing?" She narrowed her eyes at him, glancing at him up and down.
"All the time back in Brooklyn." Bucky nodded affirmatively.
"Hm," Odette hummed, "if you've got a pair of hard boots, maybe I'll promise not to absolutely destroy your toes tonight." She teased.
"I'll take that." Bucky smiled, "I'll see you tonight?" He started heading off into the city.
"Tonight." She nodded, reassuring him. "Bucky look out!" She called.
Bucky jumped out of the street, narrowly missing a honking car. He sheepishly shrugged his shoulders and laughed. Odette shook her head and giggled as she turned away.
A mortifying hole ripped her stomach apart, "oh God, what do I wear?" She worried as she rushed back to HQ.
Lucky for her, the paymaster had not left for the day, and Odette had quite a stack of cold cash to pull out from her time across enemy lines. The poor lieutenant had to scramble around before Odette clarified she didn't want it all at once, and was only taking a small bit. She then had the poor man jot down a note to send wire to Dr. Luce, and have him double check that half her pay was still being sent home. He was grateful for her kindness, but closed up as soon as Odette had her cash in hand.
Odette hugged her coat close around her. She felt ridiculous in her new dress, and had found herself in the same alley way she was in earlier. Her back was to the street and she fought off tears.
"Stupid, stupid tears." She growled. She wiped them away furiously and began to pace. She should have stayed in uniform to attend Steve's recruitment. It was the professional thing to do. Especially since she'd shown up not a minute after Peggy and had seen how every eye was ogling her. Even Bucky's...
It had been second nature at that point. Instinct. Odette hadn't even stepped through the door. Her hand slipped from the warm, brassy handle and she ran back onto the street.
She had never been one to get jealous or angry. She'd never been anyone's first pick anyways. So why waste energy on fairytales and daydreams? It had never bothered her before when she'd been passed over, so why now? Why now did it hurt? It couldn't have been from the attention she'd gotten from Bucky, she'd had plenty of attention from plenty of boys back home. And when it came time to commit or break things off, it was always the same. Another pretty face would come along and Odette would let them go. She'd never been angry at the other girls either, if anything she had always felt relief when it happened. Even now when she thought of Peggy, she couldn't feel angry or bitter. Jealousy maybe, but not even at Peggy catching every eye in the room, more jealous because of how Peggy took all those eyes watching her and turned it into confidence. Whereas Odette would have turned all those eyes in shame. So why did this hurt so much? Embarrassed and ashamed of herself, Odette couldn't even bring herself to return to her shabby little closet. She would have to walk past everyone who had just seen her off, and she just couldn't do it. Her face was already on fire, and she couldn't handle the shame of being all dolled up and nowhere to go. With a choked sob, Odette sunk to the ground once more. She clutched the coat tighter around her frame, and slipped into blackness.
When she woke up she found herself in her room. The clock over the door said that at least four hours had passed. It was midnight. Odette sat up, her body stiff and sore. She was grateful that whoever brought her inside did not help themselves to her, and in fact, had left everything on her. From her shoes and family necklace, to her stockings and hair pins. Groaning. Odette fought in the almost total darkness to strip from her worthless new clothes and into her uniformed sleepwear. She all but yanked the pins out of her curls and shook them out before she begrudgingly picked up the discarded fabric and folded them up neatly. She stuffed them in the very bottom of the trunk they provided her with and slipped back into bed, practically melting on the thin mattress as she drifted back to sleep.
Odette dreamed of her home. Of seeing her mother and daddy and her sisters. She hugged them all and cried as they told her how much they loved her.
Odette woke up the next morning to someone pounding at her door.
"Ms. Swann?" It was Steve. Odette's eyes widened as she remembered the previous night. She slapped her forehead and cursed her stupid schoolgirl crush. Steve was setting up a team, and she flaked on him!
She rushed to get decent, "Yes?" She called.
"I uh," Steve paused, "Was worried about you. Peggy said she told you about last night, but you never showed."
Odette winced as she fought with her stockings, "I'm so sorry about that, I ended up not feeling well."
There was a beat of silence and Odette paused in buttoning up her jacket. "Are...are you sure?" Steve asked, "the guy up top said you had gone out but never came back...you weren't...attacked were you?"
Odette paused. How could their guard not realize she'd come back? She was clearly in her own room...She didn't have time to overthink it, "no," she said, then realized she'd spoken too quietly, "no!" She called, "I assure you, it was just some mild head pain." She quickly brushed herself out, made sure she was suited up straight and opened the door to find Steve standing a respectful distance away from her door, "Wasn't feeling up for crowds. I apologize for not sending word." Partial truth, not a lie. At least that's how Odette justified it.
Steve smiled, "well, if you're willing and able I would still like to invite you onto Captain America's team as our primary nurse and spymaster."
"Captain America?" Odette repeated. Steve nodded sheepishly, "how about I follow Steve Rogers instead?" She held out her hand.
"Ya know," Steve smiled as he shook her hand, "you're the second person to say that."
"Am I?" Odette asked.
Steve nodded, "Yeah, Bucky." He answered, then Steve cleared this throat, "he," he trailed off, "he was also worried about you."
Now Odette felt really stupid, and she once again cursed her cowardice, "Well, would you mind apologizing on my behalf when you see him next?" Odette asked.
"Of course," Steve nodded. Odette thanked him and Steve bid his farewell as he went further into HQ for some equipment testing. Not ten minutes later, as Odette stepped out to grab something to eat, was she being caught again, but this time by Peggy.
"There you are." Peggy gently, yet firmly grabbed her upper arm, "I was worried when you never showed last night, and then no one said you'd come back. When did you get here?"
"I assure you," Odette froze to the spot, "I didn't feel well and returned not long after I attempted to meet up with you." Mostly true. "I've been asleep in my quarters all night."
Peggy slowly let her go, "all night?"
"All night." Odette repeated with a nod.
The other woman pulled away, "I'm starting to wish I hadn't gone either."
Odette blinked in surprise, then worry and anger, "Why? Did something happen?" If Peggy had gotten hurt...damn her cowardice!
Peggy winced, "Yes," then she steeled her emotions and lightly shook her head, "No." she immediately corrected herself, "I," she closed her mouth and chewed on her words carefully. "Steve," she huffed out.
Odette could hear the frustration, confusion, and hurt in her voice, "I understand," she said gently. Usually when someone was so flustered like this around her it was a boy or a man trying to come up with excuses and reasons to leave her, they no longer saw her as a romantic interest. She knew how to navigate these waters, but with Peggy it was different. She clearly had feelings for Steve, and from what Odette had seen, the feeling was mutual, but something had happened that had shaken Peggy's view of him. "Men can be dumb, and they often think with their body rather than their heart or their head." She tried. Peggy sniffled a little behind her hand in a desperate attempt to reign in her emotions and gave a sad chuckle at her words. Peggy nodded, so Odette smiled and continued, "But, Steve is also a sweet guy. And I'm sure hurting you was the last thing on his mind."
"It still gives him no right to assume what my feelings are and attempt to manipulate them." Peggy grimaced.
Odette pursed her lips, the situation sounded more complicated than she'd imagined, "Well. Then let's leave it at 'Men are stupid', okay?" She proposed.
"Agreed." Peggy nodded, "Oh, yes, since you are part of his team," Odette pretended not to notice or care that Peggy avoided saying Steve's name, "Your presence has been requested in Stark's armory."
"My presence?" Odette wondered. Then she wondered why Steve wouldn't have told her that himself, "but maybe he wanted to avoid Peggy." She thought to herself. "What for?" She asked.
"Weapons, armor, setting you up with any tools you may need." Peggy explained. She turned and motioned for Odette to follow. She led her down, deeper into HQ, as she explained Howard Stark's involvement with the army. He was their biggest weapons dealer, and was involved in finding new energy resources. Odette had no idea Stark was actually as smart as his showboat-y expos praised him to be. She always assumed he was a pretty face figurehead taking credit for the work his employees did.
Peggy paused at the stairs to Stark's lab area. Steve and Stark were talking across a table, as Steve held and inspected a large, silver, metal shield. Then, in a split second, Peggy took a breath and ordered Odette to follow her. "Quite finished, Mr. Stark?" She called, "I'm sure the Captain has some unfinished business." Her voice was filled with venom and
Odette couldn't help but shoot Steve a "what did you do glare?"
Steve, either blindly oblivious, or truly heartless, turned to Peggy and Odette with the shield held up before him, "What do you think?" He asked cheekily.
With no hesitation, Peggy turned, grabbed a pistol off the table, "Peggy, no!" Odette called out. She didn't grab the gun for fear of throwing Peggy's shot wide and running the risk of shooting someone else.
Peggy fired four shots, each hitting and bouncing off the shield like it was nothing. Everyone ducked away and movement came to a stand still. She took a deep, tense breath before she gave a sickeningly sweet smile and said, "Yes, I think it works." And dropping the gun back on the table. Peggy then marched around, "Never mind. Follow me, Dr. Swann."
Odette hesitated, watching Steve slowly uncurl himself from behind the shield. "Yikes." She whispered to him as she passed by. Once in a separate room, Peggy led Odette to a cubicle made up of tables. On the table to their left sat an array of weapons, the one pressed to the wall housed a simple, black suitcase, and the right hand table had a set up of supplies.
"Mr. Stark has developed a number of weapons that should be easily concealable, lightweight, and virtually untraceable." Peggy explained. There were a set of grenades, a modified M1911 pistol, a small pocket knife, and a modified M1903 Springfield. "He," Peggy paused, "was given access to your file, and saw you were trained as a sniper?" She asked.
Odette winced, "There was a snag in our plan to get me into the factory." She explained. "Lohmer originally hired another nurse. Dr. Luce was unable to get backup and was told if I had failed to get in to send me home. Instead he had me trained with a rifle and I," Odette briefly remembered the chill that night as the other woman dropped dead down the street. "Took care of her." It was listed as an act of random violence. And she got her in.
"Odd." Peggy mused.
"Unconventional." Odette agreed, "But," she hesitated to admit this, "but I was the one who insisted."
Peggy blinked, she almost looked impressed. Instead of saying anything else, she went across the little cubicle to the table with medical supplies. "it won't be as good as having your clinic with you, but it'll patch the boys up in a fix." Plaster, adhesives, scissors, thread, needle, bandages, gauze, pins, and a tourniquet. All modified to Stark's likening, but would be useful enough.
"Better than nothing or improvisation." Odette mused.
"And this," Peggy turned to the table against the wall with the simple black suitcase. "Some additional protection." She unlatched the buckles and lifted the lid.
Inside was a folded bit of fabric. When Odette lifted it, it was cool to the touch, almost completely black, with silver and grey undertones and shape definitions. Odette gawked at it. It would be completely skin tight! How was that going to protect her?!
Peggy must have seen the shock and horror on Odette's face because she chuckled, "it'll go on under your uniform. Designed for stealth and," Peggy instructed Odette to hand the costume on the nail sticking out of the bricks. She stepped back once she had done so and watched as Peggy went at it with a knife. Or rather, attempted to go at it with a knife l, because the fabric did not rip, tear, or so much as look scuffed once Peggy withdrew the knife. "Completely tear proof." She said, letting go of the breath she'd been holding.
"Wow." Was all Odette could manage to choke out.