"Johann Schmidt belongs in a bug house. He thinks he's a God. He's willing to blow up half the world to prove it, starting with the USA." Colonel Phillips huffed, looking to the map.
"Schmidt's working with powers beyond our capabilities. He gets across the Atlantic, he will wipe out the entire eastern sea board in an hour." Stark looked between everyone gathered around the table.
"How much time do we have?" Christiane glanced up to the Colonel then to Steve.
"According to my new best friend, under twenty four hours." Phillips turned to Steve.
"Where is he now?" Dernier scratched his head, walking around the table.
Phillips pushed aside some papers, "Hydra's last base is here," holding an aerial photo of the base, "In the Alps. Five hundred feet below the surface."
"So, what are we supposed to do. I mean, it's not like we can just knock on the front door." Morita looked up to Steve, furrowing his eyebrows in curiosity.
"Why not? That's exactly what we're gonna do." Steve replied, his eyes never leaving the map.
"Arrogance may not be a uniquely American trait, but I must say you do it better than anyone. But there are limits to what even you can do, Captain. Or did Erskine tell you otherwise?" Schmidt watched Steve, sending a fist flying to his face.
"He told me you were insane." Steve breathed out.
The Red Skull laughed darkly, "Ah. He resented my genius and tried to deny me what was rightfully mine. But he gave you everything. So, what made you so special?" He sent another fist into Steve's face and abdomen.
"Nothin'. I'm just a kid from Brooklyn." As he gasped in a breath to another fist to his face, looking up to Schmidt, "I can do this all day."
"Oh, of course you can. Of course. But unfortunately I am on a tight schedule." He reached for a pistol, blue lines on its design as he pointed it to Steve.
"So am I!" Just as he turned to the windows, the Howling Commandos swinging in as they opened fire to Schmidt as he ran away.
"Steve! You might need this!" Anya threw him his shield, running beside him.
"Thanks!" As they both ran through the Hydra base, chaos ensuing as soldiers fought against Hydra's troops.
Morita ducked behind a cargo box, shouting into this comm, "We're in! Assault team, go!"
"Cut off one head, two more shall…" a Hydra solder gasped under Phillips foot before he shot him.
"Let's go find two more!"
Steve and Anya kept running after Schmidt only to be confronted by a Hydra solder with flame throwers, Christiane and Peggy appearing from the tunnel as they opened fire to the soldier, falling to the floor.
"You're late," the two ran alongside the two.
"Weren't you about to…" Peggy turned to him.
"Right," Steve continuing to run after Schmidt abroad the Valkyrie plane running down the runway.
Phillips pulled beside Peggy, Anya and Christiane, "Get in." He pressed. The accelerator, catching up on Steve as he jumped on at the back.
"Keep it steady," Steve and Anya reached out to the end of the Valkyrie plane.
"Wait!" Peggy pulled Steve down, kissing him fiercely.
Anya and Steve quietly maneuvered inside the plane, finding multiple smaller planes with targets written on them: Boston, Chicago, New York. Anya quickly went round the fighter planes, disabling them as Steve knocked out their pilots, the two of them running to the cockpit as Schmidt turned around, waiting for them.
"You don't give up, do you?" he snickered.
"Nope!" Steve leaped at Schmidt, fists flying as he tried to get him into a choke. Anya ran to the cockpit's control panel, trying to see if she could find a way to land the plane.
"You could have the power of the gods! Yet you wear a flag on your chest and think you fight a battle of nations! I have seen the future, Captain! There are no flags!" Schmidt shouted as he sent another first to Steve.
"Not my future!" As he flung his shield towards Schmidt, throwing him against the Tesseract's console.
Anya turned around, as if everything was in slow motion, Frigga's voice echoing into her ears, "Protect the Tesseract." She looked down to herself, suddenly in the Asgardian Valkyrie armor, the blue cape flying out from the energy's surge as she gripped the sword in her hand tightly, running full force to Schmidt.
He scrambled to get up, "What have you done?" picking up the Tesseract in his bare hands as energy surged out of it, revealing a portal into space above them. He barely registered Anya swing at him with the sword, as he leapt away, cutting him, as she went for the Tesseract flying out of his hands. The two of them leapt towards it, Anya's hands grasping onto it with Schmidt grabbing onto her, engulfing the two of them, taking them into the portal.
She felt the burn in her hands as she held the Tesseract briefly, a shot of energy shooting through her as if fusing her veins to the Space stone.
The cube fell to the ground, burning through falling down to the depths of the sea from the sky.
Steve gasped, his eyes wide at what he just saw before regaining his consciousness, running to the plane's control, trying to radio.
"Come in. This is Captain Rogers. Do you read me?"
"Captain Rogers, what is your…" Morita answered.
Peggy shouted over the radio, "Steve, is that you? Are you alright?"
"Peggy! Anya, she got pulled up into some sort of portal to somewhere while fighting. Schmidt's dead," he shouted back.
She glanced over at Christiane, her face white as sheet as she stumbled to ready herself standing, "What about the plane?"
"That's a little bit tougher to explain."
"Give me your coordinates, I'll find you a safe landing site."
"There's not going to be a safe landing. But I can try and force it down."
"I'll get Howard on the line, he'll know what to do."
"There's not enough time. This thing's moving too fast and it's heading for New York. I gotta put her in the water."
"Please, don't do this. We have time. We can work it out."
"Right now I'm in the middle of nowhere. If I wait any longer a lot of people are gonna die. Peggy, this is my choice." He dove the handles down, feeling the plane take a dive, water approaching, "Peggy?"
"I'm here."
"I'm gonna need a rain check on that dance"
Christiane came beside Peggy, a hand on her shoulders as she felt tears coming, "Alright. A week, next Saturday, at the Stork Club."
"You got it."
"Eight o'clock on the dot. Don't you dare be late. Understood?"
"You know, I still don't know how to dance."
"I'll show you how. Just be there."
"We'll have the band play somethin' slow. I'd hate to step on your…" the line went static going out completely as Peggy and Christiane cried together.
"Steve? Steve? Steve?"
Anya was shot into space, the surge of energy catapulting her through another portal as she saw the Red Skull fly into another one, disappearing from her sight.
She felt her breath shorten, her eyes closing as she felt nothing, her heart slowing down, coldness seeping through her skin. Her wrist and hands started to burn, the rune coin bracelet stinging into the inside of her wrist, exploding into pieces while a wave of blue energy enveloped Anya, pulling her into a portal.
She opened her eyes again to a bright light, a group of people standing before her as she walked towards them, seeing her parents to one side.
"Maman, papa?" Anya gasped, looking around to the others with the recognizable blue eyes she and her mother had.
"Geneviève, do not be surprised, my child. The protection rune has brought you here for a moment," A voice came from the man sitting in the center, his smile gentle to her.
"Am I dead?" She asked, looking around again in confusion and a sliver of fear.
"It is not your time yet," he replied.
"What about my sister?" She asked, coming closer to the man.
"She carries the gift now, there is much in store for you two." he spoke, eyes focusing to hers.
Anya truly opened her eyes, gasping for breath as she was shot out of a portal, rolling onto a patch of debris in what looked like a junk yard. She stared down to her left hand, the rune etched into her skin now.
She quickly got up, dusting off her armor as she looked to the strange land she was in, metallic junk around her. A flying vehicle dashed past her above, landing beside as a woman stepped out, her eyes widening at the sight of Anya.
"No, it can't be," she muttered under her breath.
"What? Where am I?" Anya shouted to her, the panic starting to settle in.
"I was the last Valkyrie, how is this possible?" The woman shook her head, standing closely to Anya as she looked to her. "Who are you, Asgardian?"
"I'm Anya, descendant to Vili, who are you?" Anya backed away, eyeing the woman suspiciously.
"Val," she took Anya in her confused state to the ship, closing the doors as she sat her down, handing her a glass of water. "Exiled myself after the battle with Odin's first-born, Hela. All my other sisters are dead. I was the last Valkyrie."
"Where am I?" Anya looked around, her breath still uneasy.
She moved around to the cockpit, flying the ship to a standing tower, "Saakar."
Loki paced around the Bifrost's gate, waiting for Heimdall to return from a meeting with Odin. As soon as Heimdall walked back up to the gate, he turned to see Loki, running his hands through his hair as he thought to himself.
"What is it, Loki?" Heimdall asked, coming to sit by the gate's lock on the steps.
"I've made my decision, forget what Father has to say about this!" he halted, a looking of wildness in his eyes. "Bring Anya here, please?"
"And what is your decision?" Heimdall asked, curiousity on his face.
"Our lives together. I cannot live up to the image Odin wants me to be, and I will never get to be Thor's equal. Anya wanted me to come be with her in Midgard, and that is what I am going to do." He looked out to the Bifrost, eyes searching.
Heimdall sighed, simply nodding, closing his eyes as he dropped the sword into the gate's key, turning as the Bifrost ignited. He searched for Anya, only to find Christiane, the image of her sleeping, the Bifrost taking her up and dropping her instantaneously in front of them.
Christiane landed with a thump, startling her as she got up, arms raised in defense.
"What the hell?" She mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Heimdall looked to her, telling from the redness and stained cheeks she must have cried herself to sleep.
"Heimdall, this isn't Anya!" Loki looked to the gatekeeper.
"I tried to find her but the powers of the Bifrost directed me to Christiane," he replied.
Loki crossed the room to Christiane, panic and fear in his eyes, "Where is Anya?"
Christiane rubbed her eyes, simply hearing Anya's name already hurt her enough, "I don't know," she bit back. She didn't know whether her sister was dead or not, a sinking feeling of doubt eating her up.
Loki turned around, clasping his fists tightly as he felt himself shake with anger - Anya was the last thread for him, the last hope of existence without pursuing the throne. Without her, he had nothing else to lose anymore, he hated his life, hated the forbidden relationship Odin forced them to become. He hated himself and he'd punish himself for that.
Loki turned back around, opening his palms to Christiane as an invisible force launched her flying across the room to the Bifrost's edge.
"Loki, no!" Heimdall shouted as he tried to catch Christiane, disappearing into the darkness of space.
He ran back to the key, turning the helm of his sword. He turned around to the sound of Loki's footstep, vengeance in his eyes.
"Heimdall," Odin's voice came to him as he closed his eyes, opening again to stand in front of the King of Asgard.
He bowed down on one knee, sword in front, "This is exactly why I forbad their relationship. He has the bringings of his origins, a Frost Giant. He can never be with a descendant of my family, I will not allow it. Seal the Bifrost off. Even if the younger one is my brother's descendant, we must protect ourselves first." Odin waved his hand, sending Heimdall back as he opened his eyes again, staring into the abyss.
He whispered, a final message as he felt a tear roll down his cheek, "Prepare yourself, little one. You must survive."
Christiane awoke falling back into her bed, startling herself as she opened her eyes, realizing where she was back in the barracks of the flats the SSR rented out for their agents.
She turned around to her side, seeing Peggy asleep on her bed across the room. Her eyes moved to the empty bed, where Anya used to sleep.
Her heart ached, trying to keep back tears in the silence of the night. She sniffled, muffling her sobs into her duvet as she tried to close her eyes, trying to succumb to the darkness. She thought was better than living at this point. Everyone she truly loved was dead and gone.
The next morning, Christiane awoke, checking her watch to read 5 o' clock as she quietly dressed herself, glancing to a sleeping Peggy while she pulled on her boots. She needed fresh air, and decided to walk through Hyde Park for the morning. Christiane quickly scribbled a note to Peggy, leaving it on her bedside table as she closed the door behind her.
Christiane walked for an hour, sitting on a bench watching the tranquility of the water reflect against the winter sun. The wind bit her cheeks, reddening and whipping her hair behind, she hadn't bothered to tie her hair up or curl it this morning.
After a while, she continued walking, taking the path by West Carriage Drive through the park, stopping over the bridge over the Serpentine, quietness around her.
She took a breath of air deeply, closing her eyes for a moment to embrace the quietness of the morning. She could hear from the distance the sound of a car approaching, driving quickly before the sounds of brakes halted. Her eyes flew open as she turned around to see men dressed in black try to pull her into the van, Christiane fighting against their grip.
She took down the first man easily, trying to make a run before she felt a pierce to her neck, her hand gingerly moving to take out a dart filled with liquid. Her eyes started to droop, as she felt herself start to fall, eyes closing as her body hit the floor unable to move. She felt nothing.
"Good, you brought her to me," the man in a white coat looked at her, hands clasped together in satisfaction.
She felt herself confined, unable to move, the voices around her muffled by a chamber she was in, a single window showing the lab. It looked like it was in some sort of bunker, with no windows.
"Freeze her, I have much work to do with the other one," he looked to the woman in the chamber, nodding to the technician as he pressed a button, cold air seeping through her. She felt her body go numb, her heart slowing to a halt, her eyes closing.
Zola turned around, gesturing to wheel in the other soldier, strapped to an operation bed as he held onto his arm, whatever thing it was on him, the pain burning at his shoulders where the scientist had melded the metal to him.
"Ah, you're here just in time," Zola turned with satisfaction back to the cyro-chamber. Bucky squinted against the brightness of the lab, his eyes flying open when he realized who was in the chamber.
"No!" he tried to pull himself from the bindings.
"No!" he screamed, tears coming at his eyes.
Around them a siren blared, indicating the Allies entering their territory as the scientist glanced between the girl in the chamber and then to the soldier, cursing under his breath as he stuck a needle into the soldier's arm, causing him to close his eyes, unconscious.
"I can only take one of them! He is the new fist of Hydra! Bring the man, the girl is no use to me," he shouted, men around him scrambling to put everything into bags as they ran out the bunker.
Zola turned around one last time to look into the lab, a single girl in the chamber as if she was sleeping. He put in the passcode, the heavy metal door closing in front of him, burying whatever he could. His focus was the man, to become the ultimate super soldier for Hydra.
She was just a girl in winter.