Chapter 9

In a tavern in London next to the SSRs secret base and within close walking distance to the British War Office, Captain America sat alone. The tavern had been bombed during the nights Blitz that was now happening more and more frequently than it had been earlier in the war. The super soldier had found a table that was still in good condition after being bombed all during the night. On the table was pint of ale that he had poured himself. On returning to London he and Nightshade had gone to Churchill and gave him an update of what had happened in Europe. So far all of HYDRAs main bases and factories had been destroyed, but they still had to find the main base where Red Skull spent most of his time in as he plotted to destroy the world and create his own new world order in his image.

Wearing his finniest army uniform he had slipped out of the meeting just before they started talking about Bucky. His best friend who was the first to sign up to the army was dead. He could only watch as his friend had fallen to his death on that train that was racing towards a HYDRA base in the frozen mountains somewhere in a European county's mountain range. It had taken him a few minutes to walk out of the offices and then an extra few minutes to get to the destroyed tavern. Taking a large sip out of his beer glass he didn't notice Peggy Carter walking over the timber that had once been a part of the doorframe.

"Everyone has been looking for you!" she said as she slowly came up to the only standing table in the ruined tavern. Looking at the floor she found another chair that had also survived the bombing of the previous night. "I know you and Bucky were close, Steve but you have to carry on for his memory!" she said sitting down on the seat across from where Steve was sitting.

Finishing his drink, he put the pint glass back onto the chipped table. "The doctors said that my metabolism was faster than that of a normal person. Meaning that I can drink more alcohol than a normal person without feeling the effects that come with drinking!" he said keeping off the topic of losing his best friend.

Peggy looked at her hands. She knew that he was hurting from losing his friend, but he had other friends now. She should know, she was one of them. He had even gained the respect of Nightshade and her team, but then again they already had respect for him for what he was prepared to sacrifice for the good of his country knowing that it would be difficult to return to his old life. Looking back at him she saw him taking another drink of the beer that he was drinking. When the glass was put back on the table it rested with a dull thud. "Steve, please talk to me!" she said placing her hand on top of his hands before they could go back to the beer and drink all of his problems away like other men.

"What is there to say?" was all he asked her not looking at her. "My best friend is gone and I could have saved him! He was so close that I could have grabbed him!" he said still not looking at her. Inhaling deeply, he couldn't help but remember that it was because of Dr Zola that his best friend was dead. The same Dr Zola who was within the Allied custody waiting for Colonel Phillips to interrogate him. Finally looking at Peggy he said to her, "What should I do, Agent Carter?" he asked.

She knew what he was meaning. He had joined the army to be with his best friend along with doing his part in the war. With one of the reasons of him signing up was gone he was beginning to wonder what he should do. Tightening her grip on his hands she gave him a reassured squeeze. "You carry on, Steve" she said keeping her hands in his hands, "It will be what he will want you to do! You still have a mission to complete, Steve. and standing down when it is so close to being completed it would make the men think you are giving up!" she continued not taking her hands away as Steve focused closely on her. "And if you step down that will make the men lose hope in winning this war. You are a symbol of hope to them, Steve!" she said slowly taking her hands away from his after giving him that reassuring speech.

Ashamed at what he had been thinking he looked away from Peggy. "I'm sorry, Peggy!" he said looking down at the table. "I thought I had lost everything because of this war, but you have reminded me what I am fight for!" he finished looking back at her.

"Steve? Are you asking me…"

"To a dance when this is all over?" he finished for her.

"Captain sir?" came a voice from the door causing both him and Peggy to look around at the person who had interrupted their alone time. Standing at the door in his military uniform was Julian. His snow white hair was all over the place with him unable to find the right to keep working on it. "Nightshade sent me to retrieve both of you. Colonel Phillips is about to interrogate Dr Zola to see where the last HYDRA base is located!" he said as he ran his hand through his messy hair making it even more messy compared to the sort military trimmed hair of Captain America.

"Thank you, Julian! I was just talking to Captain Rogers when we had time alone!" Peggy said as she rose from her seat with Steve following suit. The super solider fixed his tie along with his uniform. Following after the Werewolf they walked back to the War Office where Colonel Phillips was waiting to start his hopefully sort chat with the crazy HYDRA scientist who had created all the deadly weapons that Nightshade was locking away in a vault deep under the Tower of London where they won't be seen again, much to Howards dismay.

Deep under the city of London in the War Office the interrogation of Dr Zola was getting prepared. Dr Zola had been the only one who worked with HYDRA who hadn't taken a pill like the others. Colonel Phillips was not going to give up the chance of talking to someone who had been working closely to the Red Skull. Phillips was not the only one who was going to be listening closely to the meeting. Standing behind the mirror that allowed them to see the meeting without Zola knowing that they were watching the meeting was Nightshade and Edward.

Edward stood close to Nightshade as she watched Dr Zola walk around the room that he was put into. The zombie like alien had ditched his cloak back in Europe after it was burned by a flamethrower gun and had replaced it with wearing the uniform of a high-ranking soldier. Standing taller than a grown man he had to have the uniform special made for him that would not affect with his massive spine bones that jutted out of his back making him more broad and muscular than a big man would be. Sharp teeth like the tusks of a boar they could easily cause serious damage jutted out of his mouth as he too watched Dr Zola. He had been the guard who had overseen Dr Zola being roughly flung into the ceil he was in now and he couldn't help but bare his teeth every time Zola faced the mirror in the room.

"Do you think this guy is going to talk?" he asked folding his arms over his broad chest.

Nightshade watched Dr Zola as MP soldier gave him his glasses. Watching him as he looked around the small room that he was put in she thought what she knew about this man. The man who somehow was able to develop technology that earth shouldn't have for another century. "I think the only thing that we can do is watch the interrogation, Edward! Phillips is well known as being a man on getting the information that he needs. But if that fails we go to Plan B!" she replied folding her arms. She looked back at the green skinned zombie who was watching Zola like he was a massive wolf about to jump out at an unexpecting deer. The zombie was quick to return his attention back to Nightshade.

"Plan B?"

Still considering the room were Zola was starting to pace around she replied, "You! If Phillips can't get the mad doctor to talk, then we give him to you! I am sure the sight of you would cause him to explain everything that makes the Red Skull tick! And that is before you beat him up!"

Nodding his bald head in understanding he too watched as Colonel Phillips walked into the room. The Colonel had been with them as they had made their way through the numerous HYDRA bases throughout Europe. He had been keeping Peggy, who had remained in London, up to date with their movement as they got deeper into the enemy land. Peggy had remained in London as she kept the map up to date of all the HYDRA bases that were getting destroyed by Captain America and his team. Colonel Phillips had ordered that she stayed behind because he was afraid of what might happen if she was captured by HYDRA, the old man even if he didn't seem like it could worry a lot, especially for Peggy and Nightshade. He didn't want to explain to the leaders of the Alliance why an agent and their secret weapon had been killed in action in some battlefield in Europe when they should have been helping push the enemy back. Even through the glass Edward could feel the arrogant nature of the man as he walked into the room with Dr Zola with a plate of beef and potato. Edward couldn't help himself as he licked his lips. It had been so long since he had a good meal, rather than hunting for a rabbit or a pheasant with Julian while Nightshade basked in the sunlight like a lizard. The two watched in silence the exchange between the two. Slowly Phillips got information out Dr Zola. The integration didn't last longer than a few minutes. Something that Nightshade had never seen before.

Nightshade looked over at Edward. "Do you think he is telling the truth?" she asked her friend.

"Normally I would be asking you that question!" he said to her as he focused on what Dr Zola was saying. "He must know that the Skull wont dare rescue him, and so sees no need to hide information that he has gained from his time with him!" Edward replied watching Zola talk freely with Phillips. The doctor was telling Phillips that the Red Skull believes that he had been chosen by the gods. "What a fruitcake!" he snarled on hearing that part. He didn't care that the people of Demos had visited Earth centuries ago and had been called gods.

"That could explain why he is given up the information so freely! But there might be another reason to why he is given all this up to us!" she said listening more closely to what Zola was saying.

Edward looked back down at Nightshade. Like always it was hard to see her eyes from where he was standing to her side because of her hat. While they had lost things during the time in Europe, Nightshade had kept the little she had close at hand. "What are you suggesting, Nightshade? That Dr Zola was given up by the Red Skull? What for?" he asked.

"Something is wrong here, Edward! It's the only way to explain!" Nightshade said focusing more on Zola and less on what he was saying.

"You think this could be a trap? Or something else?" Edward asked just as the door of their room opened allowing Captain Steve Rogers and Agent Peggy Carter to walk into the room with Julian coming up behind them. The Werewolf closed the door behind him.

Falling silent for a few minutes Nightshade listened more closely to Zola. This was the part of the interrogation that would sent them to another country in the world. The part where they would find out if Zola was telling the truth.

"Edward get ready we are going to the Alp's!" she said walking away from the window that looked into the room that Zola was being held in before he was moved somewhere else that had a bed unlike the cell that he was in at the moment. "Julian," she said looking around to the snow white haired man, "I need you to do something else! Find Leatherback but do not engage him unless you have no choice!" she ordered Julian who nodded his head before slipping out of the door just as Colonel Phillips walked into the room.

The Colonel walked up to Steve who was now standing next to Nightshade as they both watched Zola as he was manhandled out of the interrogation cell to be moved to another part of the SSRs headquarters in London. "What do you think of all this?" he asked the two of them. Steve was watching him as he stood beside Nightshade who was focusing on the now empty room for some reason.

"I think we should end this!" Steve said as he heard Howard walking into the room. The weapon scientist had been working on the HYDRA weapons that he had been given before Nightshade and her men flung them in a vault under the Tower of London where they would never be seen again. "Zola has given us the location of the Skull! I say we take this opportunity and take him out when we still have the opportunity before the Skull hides even deeper!" Steve said to Colonel Phillips while Nightshade was now discussing something with Edward.

"Steve, gather the rest of the Commandos, Nightshade I want you, Edward and Julian to meet us in the meeting room as well!" he said. When he had spoken to Nightshade he had pointed his index finger at the alien to get her attention.

"I am afraid that Julian cannot attend this meeting! We now have a lead on Leatherback's location and I am not allowing him to get away again!" she replied walking towards the Colonel who was still pointing his finger at her. "So you will have to make do with just me and Edward!" she said walking past Phillips was slowly bringing down his hand from its potion towards the door. Edward followed after her. Wearing the standard British uniform for a high ranking soldier he almost blended in, if it was not for the fact that his skin was green. His bare feet were more bony than fleshy slapped against the polished floor as he walked after Nightshade to the room where Phillips held his meetings. His arms were still crossed over his chest as he followed her out of the room and to Phillips meeting room. The zombie and Colonel Phillips stared at each other before Edward closed the door behind him.

Alone in the room Colonel Phillips looked back at Steve and Peggy. "And where were you two?" he asked when he was sure that the two Argentix's were out of earshot. "Wait, I don't want to hear it. Get the meeting room!" he roared showing the three of them the door.