1965
"Your files have you listed as: inactive. For all intents and purposes, you're still dead." Peggy told a blank faced Lucy. "We haven't told anyone you're still alive yet." Lucy didn't respond so she continued, "Do you want us to notify the government that you're alive?"
The trio was seated in a dark office down in the basement of SHIELD Headquarters. Howard and Peggy had just coaxed Lucy inside from beneath the tree they had sat under for hours, until the afternoon sky went black.
Lucy couldn't really hear what the other two were saying. It was as if she was trapped inside a glass box. All she could think about was how he was gone. Noise came to her dull and distorted as were the rest of her senses. The silence stretched on for several beats until she finally whispered determinedly, "No."
Howard looked up from his seat across the table, "Are you sure?"
She nodded, "You two know I'm alive and that's all that matters." Lucy paused, gathering her scattered thoughts, "No one else can know about the serum, it's caused enough problems as it is. The world isn't ready for anything out of the ordinary." She finished bitterly.
Peggy consented sifting through her files; "You'll need a new name then." She remarked plainly.
"I'll use my middle name." Lucy countered.
"Marie?" Howard examined thoughtfully, leaning back in his chair, "I can't see you as a Marie."
Lucy glared at him, showing for the first time since the news about Steve, a flicker of emotion. He put his hands up in surrender, "Ok, fine. Doesn't matter to me, I'm still calling you doll, doll." She rolled her eyes.
"And a last name?" Peggy prompted, "I'll need to draw up some government papers."
Her fingers were tracing the wood grains on the surface of the desk as she pondered the question, "Rogers." Lucy replied decisively, nodding to herself, "Marie Rogers. Has a nice ring to it doesn't it?" she observed wistfully.
Howard and Peggy gave each other a look.
"Are you sure?" Peggy inquired softly, "You don't have to decide now…"
Howard agreed, "We can wait, do it tomorrow…"
"No." Lucy cut off their soothing declarations, slamming her palms onto the table, "If I can't have my own name, I might as well change it to something that can never happen." She scowled at the other two; "It doesn't matter anyway… not really." She continued, sinking back into her chair suddenly exhausted, "All the information is going to be fake, besides no ones going to believe I'm 45." She gestured to her 25-year-old looking physique. "I don't even know how old I really am."
Peggy smiled sympathetically, "All right then, Marie Rogers it is."
Over the years, all traces of a 'Lucille Barnes' and her work on Project Rebirth slowly disappeared. She was just another casualty of the Second World War. To Howard and Peggy, when they were alone, she was still 'Lucy'. To her new friends, she was Marie. And bit-by-bit, the legends of Agent Zero began.
-sublimation-
Somewhere in Russia…
The day had just turned to dusk near the train tracks. A long chain of cars could be heard clacking along the tracks past an abandoned warehouse. Inside, the Black Widow was sitting, strapped to a chair close to the edge of a hole on the highest floor of the building. A beautiful chandelier lit up the room from the corner, casting a menacing shadow across her captors. They were all conversing in Russian.
The leader of the men was an older fellow, his white hair contrasted beautifully with the olive tone of his uniform. Looking to one of his goons he gave the tall dark man an order. Walked toward the red headed spy, the muscle man tipped her chair back, almost forcing her down several stories, ultimately to her death. Natasha breathed quickly, her toes searching for purchase on the wood floor.
They spoke again, trading jabs and prods in their native language. Having enough the man in the green suit ordered his lackey to force her mouth open, gripping her head in place.
Strolling over to an array of crude tools he picked up a pair of rusted pliers.
"You may have to write it down." The old man smirked at her struggling form. Suddenly, a cell phone rang.
The third henchman took the call, "Hello?" he handed the phone to his boss.
Speaking quickly in Russian the white haired man answered the line confused.
"You are at 114 Silenskin plaza, third floor." The man on the phone notified them, "We have an F-22 exactly 8 miles out." The men looked about the building, "Put the woman on the phone or I will blow up the block before you can make the lobby." Walking over to the incapacitated woman the man shoved the phone between her ear and her shoulder.
"We need you to come in." Agent Coulson continued to her.
"Are you kidding?" Natasha replied, miffed, "I'm working!"
"This takes precedence."
"I'm in the middle of an interrogation!" she insisted, "This moron is giving me everything."
"I don't… give…. everything." The older man stuttered, affronted.
The Black Widdow rolled her eyes, "Look, you can't pull me out of this right now."
"Natasha," Coulson stopped her, "Barton's been compromised."
Her jaw tightened, "Let me put you on hold." She nodded to her captors. As the leader of the trio took back the phone she kicked him causing him to fall to the ground. Standing quickly she again kicked the other man and whipped the chair, still attached to her back, across the other. Rolling and hitting them a few more times she launched the chair on top of one of the men, breaking it and freeing her. Using the broken legs she hit the other man a few times before jumping on top of his, her legs wrapped around his neck and flipping him to the ground. As the two henchmen were disabled, she went back to the old man. Picking him up she wrapped his leg in a chain, secured it then pushed him off the balcony leaving him hanging by his foot.
Finished, Natasha picked up the discarded phone and her heels, "Where's Barton now?"
"We don't know." Coulson replied.
"But he's alive." She clarified, willing it to be true.
He was watching past footage of Strike Team Delta on a computer, "We think so. I'll brief you on everything when you get back. But first, we need you to talk to the big guy."
"Coulson, you know that Stark trusts me about as far as he can throw me." Natasha responded walking out of the warehouse.
"No, I've got Stark." Coulson corrected, "You get the big guy."
She paused in her steps, "Oh, god." She exclaimed in Russian.
- sublimation-
2012 Present day…
Steve was seated in the dining room, looking over a box of files SHIELD had given him on people he knew. Lucy had just run to the corner market for a few last minute ingredients they had forgotten to get to for their dinner. While she was out, he decided it was time to face the music. This would the first instance he would discover the status of any of his friends, besides Lucy.
The first few files were originals from the SSR, worn and faded with time. The papers were on the other members of his old team, the Howling Commandos. Jim Mortia, Monty Falsworth, and Junior Juniper were all deceased. The rest were still alive, living peacefully somewhere in the world. Next was Peggy. He grinned; of course that woman was still alive and kicking, 'Retired' it read. She now lived in D.C., maybe he and Lucy would visit at some point. Setting down her page he uncovered Howards. Large letters had been stamped across his pages as well, 'Deceased'. He sighed over the loss of another friend.
Underneath were two newer SHIELD profiles. The first was for Anthony 'Tony' Edward Stark, Howard's son, also known, as Iron Man. He had yet to meet the infamous man, but Lucy talked constantly about him. Lastly was a profile where most of the information boxes had been left unfilled. It was for 'Agent Zero' also known as 'Marie Rogers'. Steve stared at the page. Lucy's image was in the corner along with a few details that had question marks after them.
- sublimation -
S.H.I.E.L.D. Profile
Name: Marie Rogers
Alias: 'Agent Zero'
DOB: Unknown; Active since 1965
Status: Alive
Document Citizenship: United States, others (?)
Place of Birth: Brooklyn, New York (?)
Race: Caucasian (?)
Gender: Female
Title: Consultant – Clearance Level Alpha
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Languages: English, German, French, Chinese, Russian, etc. (?)
Identifiable Markings: None
Family: None
Education: unknown
Current Employment: unknown
- sublimation-
Keys jangled in the lock as the door to the apartment opened causing Steve to look up. Lucy walked in with a few bags, "Dinner is saved," she joked, placing the ingredients on the counter.
Steve picked up the paper and went to join her in the kitchen. "Lu," he questioned curiously, "why does your SHIELD profile have the name 'Marie Rogers' on it?"
She paused in her movements turning to face him, "I guess you would've found out sooner or later." Sighing she took the page and read it's contents. "Years I've known that man," she stated, referring to Fury, "and this is the best he can do?" she scoffed reading through the various question marked details, "I expected better."
"Agent Zero?" Steve urged, "Marie Rogers? What happened to Lucille Barnes?"
"I didn't want anyone to know I was alive." She replied simply, placing the sheet on the counter and going back over to her shopping, "Therefore I decided to change my name."
He followed after Lucy, "So you took mine?" he quipped, lightly catching her by the waist and turning her to face him.
Lucy didn't meet his eyes, her back against the counter as he stood in front of her, "I thought you were dead." She muttered, "I wanted something to remember you by."
Steve smiled touched by her admission, lifting her chin, "Miss Lucy Rogers." He breathed testing it out whilst waiting for her to look up, "One day, I'll make it 'Mrs.' if you'd like."
She blinked up at him, "Is that a proposal Captain Rogers?" Lucy joked, placing her hands on her hips.
He grinned in return, "Not yet, but it's a promise. One day…" he ducked to give her a peck on the corner of her mouth, "If you'll have me."
"Well, we'll just have to wait and see then. Won't we?" Lucy smirked, stretching up to kiss him properly.
-sublimation-
Somewhere in Calcutta…
A little girl ran though the crowded streets hurrying with a grave mission.
"Do not come here!" a woman warned, seeing the child at the top of the stairs, "Who are you? Go away. Here is a disease."
"Are you a doctor?" the girl pleaded, "My father did not wake up!"
Doctor Bruce Banner was currently washing his hands and face in a basin when he noticed the exchange. Trying to calm the panicked child he asked, "Like them?" pointing toward other sick patients.
"Please…" she held up a few bills.
Running to the outskirts of town she lead him to a little shack of a house. As he followed the child inside, she disappeared though a small hole in the wall. Pausing he realized it was a ruse to lead him away.
"Should have got paid up front, Banner." He scolded himself.
"You know for a man who's supposed to be avoiding stress," a voice spoke from behind him, "you picked a hell of a place to settle."
Banner set down his satchel, facing the woman, "Avoiding stress isn't the secret."
"Then what is it?" she raised her eyebrows, "Yoga?"
"You brought me to the edge of the city," Bruce remarked, "smart." He looked through the open windows, "I uh…assume the whole place is surrounded?"
"Just you and me." she reassured him.
"And you actress buddy," he motioned off to the corner, "is she a spy too? They start that young?"
"I did."
"Who are you?"
"Natasha Romanoff." She introduced herself.
"Are you here to kill me, Miss Romanoff?" Banner clasped his hands together, "Because that's not going to work out for everyone."
Natasha shook her head, "No. No. Of course not." She placated him, "I'm here on behalf of SHIELD."
"SHIELD?" he muttered considering the name, "How did they find me?"
"We never lost you, Doctor." She informed him, "We've kept our distance, even helped keep some other interested parties off you scent."
None of this made sense to him, "Why?"
"Nick Fury seems to trust you." She shrugged, "But now we need you to come in."
"What if I say no?" he queried.
"I'll persuade you." The spy smiled.
"And what if the…other guy says no?" he nodded pointedly, referring to his alter ego.
"You've been here more than a year without an incident." Natasha countered, "I don't think you want to break that streak."
"Oh I don't every time get what I want." Bruce remarked bitterly, tinkering with a baby rocker.
"Doctor, we're facing a potential global catastrophe." She continued, tapping at her phone.
Banner laughed, "Well, those I actively try to avoid."
"This is the tesseract." She slid the phone toward him, it displayed an image of the cube. "It has the potential energy to wipe out the planet." She continued sitting down at a table.
He took out his reading glasses, "What does Fury want me to do? Swallow it?"
"He wants you to find it. It's been taken." She explained, "It omits a gamma signature that's too weak for us to trace. There's no one that knows gamma radiation like you do. If there was, that's where I'd be." She finished leaning back in her chair.
"So Fury isn't after the monster?" he took off his glasses to better regard her.
"Not that he's told me."
Bruce scoffed, "And he tells you everything?"
"Talk to Fury, he needs you on this." Natasha tried again.
"He needs me in a cage?"
"No one's going to put you in a…" she started soothingly.
"Stop lying to me!" Banner yelled slamming his hands on the table, cutting her off.
The Black Widow jumped to her feet, aiming a handgun directly at his form.
Bruce retreated quickly, "I'm sorry, that was mean. I just wanted to see what you'd do.
Why don't we do this the easy way, where you don't use that, and the other guy doesn't make a mess? Okay?" he put his hands up in surrender, "Nathasha?"
She watched him closely before activating her radio, "Stand down. We're good here." She notified the horde of SHIELD agents, guns at the ready outside the little hut.
"Just you and me?" the Doctor repeated back to her sarcastically.