April 14 1943. A car drove through the streets of New York City.
America had been fortunate, all things considered, as far as the war was concerned. With the exception of Pearl Harbour back in '41, almost all the major battles had been fought across Japan and mainland Europe. For many years, the US had managed to keep itself largely out of the conflict that had torn apart most of the old world.
Just like with the First World War, there were major political worries about how getting involved with the conflict would affect the nation. Since many of the citizens were either immigrants from, or descended from immigrants from mainland Europe, there were very real concerns over any involvement causing a split in the population over which side they would support. It was a hornets' nest that politically, many in power hoped they'd never have to disturb.
It was Hitler that forced their hand. Whether it was pressures of facing enemies on all sides or getting high on his successes in taking over much of Mainland Europe, in 1941, he had done the unthinkable and declared war on the United States. The first and only country he had ever officially declared war on. Fortunately, this only rallied the citizens behind the cause and the US had joined the war effort. Americans may have always been hugely divided on most political issues, but there was one thing guaranteed to unite them. Attack America, you felt the wrath of the United States!
Peggy was sitting in the back seat of the black car as it made its way through the streets. A British Intelligence Officer attached to the United States as a liaison with the United Kingdom, she had been grudgingly given clearance to observe America's latest project to tip the scales of the war in their favour. Something called Project Rebirth. There had always been programs designed to create "perfect soldiers", but a scientist who had defected had promised them the ability to turn anyone into the peak of human performance.
It looked like the US war office was going to take them at their word. The man sitting next to her was an adult, but anyone would have been forgiven for mistaking him for a child. Shorter, even than her, skinny to the point a stiff wind would knock him over and so pale only the fact he was still moving made it clear he wasn't a corpse. This was their candidate, Steven Rogers. A kid from Brooklyn, who had tried and failed to sign up so many times Peggy had wondered if he had a death wish. He had a laundry list of health conditions that ruled him 4F, unfit for service. Asthma, polio, short sightedness…she had at first wondered if the War Office had picked him as a joke, or as an ultimate test, that if THIS guy could be made into a Super Soldier, then anyone could. However, the doctor had met with him and picked Steve personally.
Over time, it wasn't hard to see why. Fate hadn't been kind to Steve physically, but over the time she'd gotten to know him as he prepared for this day, Peggy had come to learn the kind of man he was. Despite his stature and his health, he had been involved in numerous brawls over the years, refusing to simply let people walk all over him. He was courageous to a fault, and the only thing that really stopped him charging straight into Downtown Berlin single-handed to confront Hitler personally was his natural frailties. She had thought he was crazy, but as he spoke at length about how much he loved the country, and more importantly, what it stood for, she came to admire him in a way she never thought she could.
America had a lot going for it, at least on paper. They sold themselves as the land of the free, a place where anyone could be anything they wanted so long as they were willing to work for it. Many of their rights were enshrined in law, and they constantly held themselves as a bastion of self-determinism. She'd considered moving there and trying her hand at making her career there at one time, but when she got there, she found the reality to be very different. Despite the claims, many of the same problems she saw back home were still prevalent in the UK. People of different races and religions were still treated very differently, and women were still very much considered as an after thought when it came to political and career opportunities.
Steve though, believed firmly in the initial ideas of the country. He believed very much in the promises written in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to the point most of his fights in his life weren't even about him. When she was on the panel interviewing candidates for the program, she could still remember the words that sealed him as their pick. The doctor, a man who had fled Nazi Germany, had asked him outright if he wanted to kill Nazis, a natural feeling among people. Steve simply took a breath and answered…
"I don't want to kill anyone. I just don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from."
That was the moment that sealed his destiny. The doctor slid her a note saying simply "it's him" on it. He had fled a nation of people who wanted power to oppress others, people who wanted to kill and crush those before them simply because they could. A sick, evil mentality obsessed with creating the "Ubermensch" or super man. He could make a man a superman physically, but in Steve he found someone that was the opposite of that mentality, someone who wanted that power for no other reason than to defend others.
And it was with that answer, that moment, that Peggy started to fall for Steve Rogers.
She saw Steve's hands shaking as he sat in the car. She leaned over.
"Nervous?" She whispered. "I don't blame you. I'm not too fond of hospitals either."
"A little." He admitted. They pulled up to the kerb, at which the officer on Steve's right ordered them out. They stepped onto the pavement, where Steve looked up to the building in front of him.
"A Deli?" He asked. "I thought I wasn't meant to eat before…"
"We're not here for cold cuts son." The General cut him off as he headed inside. He looked to Peggy, who just nodded. He knew she was in intelligence, and now it started to make sense. This place was obviously a front, a disguise for what was really happening here. He'd expected to be taken to one of the military bases out with the city.
"Sometimes the most secure thing you can do is not attract attention to the fact there's anything worth seeing." Peggy whispered to him. "Let's go get a sandwich."
They headed inside, where the counter clerk was waiting. He saw them approaching and gestured to the display.
"Can I interest you in the pastrami? We just got it in fresh this morning." He declared.
"A little spicy for my liking." The General replied.
"Do you have anything for vegetarians?" Peggy asked. The man just nodded.
"Come through to the back." He answered with a gesture. Steve realised that this was a code to verify their identity.
They boarded an elevator that took them deep underground. Steve could hardly remember being in an elevator for this long going UP, never mind down. When they got out, he was in a huge chamber full of machinery and chemicals. At the centre was something that looked eerily like a coffin or perhaps an iron maiden. There was a man in a fancy suit, working on it, his sleeves rolled up, while he directed other scientists around.
"Alright, we're going to use enough juice to knock out the entire city for at least 24 hours. We won't get another shot at this for at least a day, so we need to get this right." He said, before turning to face them. He smiled. "I take it this is our guinea pig? Steven, right?"
"Steve." Steve corrected him. "Wait, I know you…Howard Star? I saw your picture in…"
"Yeah, I get that a lot." Howard responded as he looked Steve up and down. "Wow, Doc, I know you said we could turn anyone into a Super Soldier, but…I guess you really were looking for a challenge. Jesus, someone go upstairs and get this kid a sandwich."
"I did not pick him for his body. That is something I can provide!" Dr Abraham Erskine, the inventor of the Super Soldier Serum declared. He came to Steve and shook his hand. "Are you ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be." Steve answered, taking off his shirt.
"Gentlemen, let's make history!" Howard called out as he led Steve to the machine. Peggy took Steve's shirt from him and stood off to the side, waiting for the procedure to begin. She already knew the kind of man he was. If Dr Erskine could indeed give him a body that would match Steve's will, then there would be no Nazi, not even the dreaded Red Skull that would be able to stand in his way.
As they were preparing the machine though, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. There was a man moving around, holding what looked like a cigarillo case in his hand. No one was allowed to smoke down here. She kept an eye on him as he went through a few other areas. She noticed a flash that at first, she thought might just be a reflection of one of the many flashing lights. But then she saw another…and then another…coming from his hand.
She knew a spy camera when she saw one. She started to make her way across.
"Hey!" She called out. "HEY! STOP THAT MAN! HE HAS A CAMERA!"
His head snapped around as he heard her, and guards started to advance on him. He grabbed the nearest person he could reach, Dr Erskine, and pulled out a stiletto, holding it to his throat.
"Come no closer!" He warned them. "Come any closer and I open his throat!"
"Everyone back off!" The General warned them. "Dr Erskine's the only one that knows what's in that formula! If we lose him, we lose the whole project!"
"If we can't have the Ubermensch, then no one will!" The man warned them. "Now, the doctor and I are going to my car, and if anyone follows us…"
Dr Erskine looked around, seeing people standing around, keeping a safe distance, hoping to figure out a way to save him. It was a desperate move; the man was surrounded.
"Alright, sunshine, let's take it easy." Peggy warned him, trying to get a clear shot with her pistol. "There's no way you're getting Dr Erskine back to Hitler…"
"Hitler?" He chuckled. "You think I work for him? The Fuhrer is a lunatic! I serve a greater master!"
Dr Erskine looked to Steve.
"You are our greatest hope." He told him, before grabbing the spy's wrist, and pulling his wrist in, forcing the blade of the stiletto into his own throat. The move startled everyone, most of all the spy who had been relying on him as a human shield.
Steve cried out as he rushed the agent, trying to tackle him while he was distracted, but the larger man reacted quickly, bringing the knife up into Steve's chest. Gunshots rang out, and he fell to the floor in a hail of bullets. Peggy rushed over to Steve, while the others covered the agent.
"Cut off two heads…another two grow in its place…" He coughed as he bit down into a cyanide capsule. "Hail…Hydra!"
He slumped to the floor, dead in moments. Peggy cradled Steve closely, trying to stem the flow of blood from his chest as she held him, tears streaming down her face.
"Steve, hold on!" She begged him. "We'll…we'll get you help…"
Steve couldn't speak. Blood was welling up in his mouth, and every breath was laboured, taking almost all of his strength. He clutched onto her hand, and looked deeply into her eyes, before slumping to the floor.
Peggy held onto him, feeling the last beat of his heart. Howard was over by some machines, dousing them with a fire extinguisher.
"People, we're up against it here!" He told them. "We need to do this now!"
"Stark! We don't have a candidate!" The General called out. "We need to do this another…"
"The chemicals won't last, and the formula died with Erskine!" Howard declared. "Whatever that cocktail he put together was, I don't even recognise half of the compounds in it! He had some shit from Wakanda I've never seen before! We can't recreate it!"
"Then we'll put it on ice until…"
"You don't get it; we don't know how!" Howard yelled. "I only made the administration system; Erskine was the chemist! What's in there is all there is and if we don't use it now, we'll never get another chance!"
Peggy looked down to Steve, squeezing his hand. She wiped away some tears, before getting up.
"Start up the machine." She declared, starting to pull off her shirt.
"Carter, what do you think you're doing?" The General asked her.
"You heard the man, it's now or never!" She declared, whipping off her skirt and getting into the machine. "Howard, start her up."
"Carter, if you don't get out of that machine right now, I'm going to…"
"With all due respect sir." She interrupted him coldly. "Feel free to court marshal me if I survive!"
With that, Howard punched in the commands, and the machine closed, sealing her inside.
Back in the modern era, in the common room of the Helicarrier, The Avengers were sitting around, listening to Peggy's tale. She took a sip of water as she explained to them what had happened.
"So, in your reality…Steve didn't become Captain America?" Kamala asked her. Peggy pulled out some dog tags, stroking them gently as she nodded.
"He never lived long enough." She sighed. "So…I did what he would have done."
She looked over to Steve, who was just staring at her, having been unable to utter a word since they had met.
"So, you're what? Captain UK?" Natasha asked her. Peggy just shook her head.
"They never gave me a title. I spent the remainder of the war as Britain's dirty little secret." She admitted. "They couldn't court marshal me, they needed me, but they didn't want to admit that their secret weapon was a woman. In the end, me and some hand-picked agents went on some covert operations."
"Covert?" Tony asked. "Dressed like that?"
She looked down at her outfit and chuckled.
"Yes." She admitted, before looking over to Steve. "It seems Howard had something of an…interesting…take on the concept of camouflage in every reality."
She took another sip.
"We took the fight to the Axis and carved through them like a blowtorch through butter. Turns out that their own science division, Hydra, were already working to overthrow them. Between Hydra and us, they didn't last long. Red Skull overthrew the Fuhrer and took command himself. However, his ambitions were no less grand than Adolf's. He grew desperate when his technology wasn't up to the task alone, so he started to seek answers in mysticism. We saved the day, but by the time I did, I found myself in New York…but not the one I knew. I was told that I'd disappeared for almost seventy years."
"That is quite a tale." T'Challa added, coming over. "So, how did you end up here?"
"It turns out that even without Red Skull, without Adolf, the world had no shortage of maniacs and lunatics willing to try and destroy it in order to control the ashes of whatever's left." She continued. "The latest was Baron Mordo. In order to increase his own power enough to oust the power of the Sorcerer Supreme, he was trying to meld the powers of multiple versions of himself across many realities. I battled him in the castle in my reality, but in order to seal the portal I needed to close it on both sides, which meant defeating him on both sides. I hoped to get back through but…"
"But he bugged out." Kamala interrupted her. Peggy just nodded.
"We need to find him; ensure we stop him from trying this ever again." Peggy told them.
"We will." Steve assured her. "And we'll get you home."
Peggy just looked to him, like she was about to say something, but before anything was able to escape her lips, she fled from the room. They all watched her go, about to go after her, when Steve held up a hand.
"I'll…I'll go." He told them. "This is…"
He just followed her. As they left, the others all just sat down. Kamala leaned over to Kate.
"She's…something, right?"
"Oh yeah." Kate agreed.
Outside, Peggy was on the flight deck, looking out over the clouds. Steve came out of the helicarrier, finding her standing there.
"Peggy…my Peggy…really liked a view too." He recalled. Peggy didn't answer, continuing to look out over the horizon. "Look, once we figure out how Mordo's doing this and stop him, we'll figure out how to get you home…"
"Did your Peggy…is she…?" She asked him. She shook her head. "I imagine she's…"
"Passed a few years ago." Steve confirmed. "It was peaceful. In her sleep. She had a good life."
Peggy didn't say anything. Steve just came to her.
"Peggy, we'll get you home…"
"Steve, what did I…what did…she…mean to you?" She asked him. Steve took a deep breath.
"Our worlds are different." He pointed out. "Not everything was the same."
"Yes, of course. Forget I asked." She answered, wiping her eyes. "I suppose you were quite the professional."
Steve just looked to her a little curiously. Peggy turned and reached to his face.
"I…I know you're not him…not my Steve." She said softly. "But when I saw you again, when I saw you alive…"
"We all have those moments. Not many people know what it's like to miss seven decades." Steve assured her. "I just about dropped dead the first time I saw Duggan. I know it's an LMD, but when I saw him, it was like…"
He chuckled, thinking about it.
"It's nice having a familiar face around." He told her. She wrapped her arms around herself, at which he came over, putting his arm around her. She looked to his arm.
"Peggy, I…I know that you're not her. I know you're not my Peggy, but…"
He pulled out his compass, showing her the picture he still carried inside it. She looked to it in amazement.
"I fell for her the moment we met." He told her. "I know you have people who want to see you again back home. Don't worry about it. We'll get you back to them."
Peggy pulled off her dog tags, holding them in her hand. Tears ran down her face.
"You're just like him." She whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder. "It really is nice seeing a familiar face."
"Glad I could help." He answered as he held her tightly.
