Hey all, Here is the second part of the chapter. I hope you enjoy it. :)

And the same Copyright applies. I do not own anything marvel.

Chapter 15:

The Engineer's Guilt

Toni let out an annoyed chuckle as the damn device shocked her yet again; however, she was closer in finding a solution as the shock wasn't as wild as before, though no solution would matter if she couldn't power it. No matter what she tried, she couldn't get enough power to it, and it wouldn't retain the power. "Maybe, a more stable power source might work out the kinks. Or I can put in so much power into it that it won't matter that it's spitting some back," she stated as she ran another diagnostic on her phone-turned scanner.

Shaking her head, she stepped away. "You're fooling yourself," she told herself, as she crossed to the window and stared out at the busy city street. They had been on the move nonstop for several weeks, and Toni had lost count to how many cities and camps she had been.

She let out a chuckle, remembering all of the countless posters that she seen of Steve in that stupid outfit. She thought his outfit in the future was bad, but this get-up was completely hilarious. She couldn't believe that he went along with the Senator's idea, but she guessed she knew why. He wanted to be doing something, and he was doing something, even if it was comical.

On the other hand, Salty seemed to trust her a little more, allowing her to work alone, and he also learned that it was a mistake to leave her in the room with her father. The last time that she was, she threw a wrench at his head. Howard had dodged and laughed it off, but the Colonel, annoyed that neither of them would tell him why she threw it, thought it would be best to separate them for a bit. Peggy, though silent, did not approve, which Toni could see as plain as day.

Toni crossed back to the device and loaded it into the suitcase just as the door to the small lab opened. "Stark," she greeted as she glanced up. She was getting him her famous glare.

"Hey, Toni." He had on his stupid smile, which matched his annoying fancy suit that he always wore.

"What do you want?" she asked as she locked the suitcase. There was no real point to lock it as both Howard and Phillips had a key, but it gave her a little comfort to lock it.

"To see how you're doing," he replied as he stepped to the table.

"I'm good."

"Really?" He eyed her not believing her. "How's the device going? Besides the fact that it keeps sucking the power from the building, it does appear to be functioning." He paused. "Maybe, that's the point? However, wouldn't you consider that a weapon? I thought you opposed making weapons, Sark." His friendly tone changed.

Toni let out a huff. "That was the main purpose of the device," she answered. Howard was too damn smart to fool and Toni wouldn't even try to lie to him, as it would be a waste of both of their time.

"Was?" he asked, eyeing her.

"Yes, was, but the main purpose changed. The power sucking is just a side effect to the new purpose."

"Is that what happened to the thing in your chest?" he asked. His eyes dropped to her chest where the covered rector was located. His eyes hovered.

"Hey, Buddy, do you want to me to throw another wrench at you?" she asked as she reached for the closest tool on the table. "Correction, a screwdriver. You want me to throw a screwdriver at you?" she yelled as she waved the screwdriver. "And you ask a lot of questions."

"I like questions," Howard stated.

Toni raised her eyebrow. "Why do you care about my chest piece?" she asked as she crossed her arms against her chest. "You don't need to worry about it." The screwdriver dangled from her hand dangerously.

He blew out slowly. "You know. I'm just trying to help. Nothing wrong with asking for help."

She laughed. "This isn't about help. You want to know how I outsmarted you." She was being childish she knew, but it wasn't every day that she had her father guessing, and she was going to enjoy it.

Howard stared at her as he tried to read her. "So what did I do?"

"What are you talking about?" Toni asked.

"What did I do to make you dislike me so much?" he asked as crossed back to the door. He closed the door with his foot and stood in front of it to block her escape. "I don't remember ever doing anything to piss you off, and even if I did, how can you allow that dislike to control you? It seems like you need this device to work, and I can help with that." He paused and took a deep breath. "Stop being rash and juvenile."

Her arms dropped to her side and her hands balled, burying the screwdriver in her hand. Calm down, Stark, she told herself. She hated that he was right yet again. "I doubt I'm the only one who doesn't like you."

"You aren't, but most women love me, well that if you don't count the ones whose hearts I have broken."

"And I bet there's a lot," she stated, knowing her father was a lady's man. That was one of the reasons for her parents' fights. Her mother had thought her father was having an affair and had even accused Peggy of sleeping with him. Now, Toni didn't know if her father had cheated and she didn't want to know, but she wouldn't have put it pass him.

"Tell me what I did… or what my company did." He was clearly annoyed. "We don't have time for your hatred."

Even if Toni wanted to tell him, she couldn't, but she had to tell him something. "Let's just say, I lost my father because of Stark Industries," she admitted as she set the screwdriver down on the table. Her eyes flickered to the metal suitcase for a second before she stepped to the door. Howard moved aside, letting her pass, as he was unsure of what he should say to that.

*O*O*

Colonel Phillips had them on the move again, and this time, Toni found herself in Italy. The camp was located on the edge of the woods, which would prove some coverage if there was an attack from the sky, and it would also make it easy to escape into the woods, which Toni had learned. Instead of her long walks through the camp, she would sneak pass the border of the camp and the guards. They had almost caught her the first few times, but she had learned their schedules and found a hole. It worried her slightly, but she didn't alert anyone to the security risk. It wasn't her place, and if she told them, it could ruin the time line.

Yes, it was stupid to leave the camp and tread through the woods so close to enemy's lines, but she couldn't stay in the camp anymore. She needed space, and she did have a gun, which she had pickpocketed from some guy who had flirted with her. He had thought that she was feeling him up when she lifted it from the idiot. She knew he realized it but he didn't want to admit that a woman got the best of him. That was the only good thing about this time: no one would expect a woman.

With the gun and a journal tucked in her belt, Toni headed deep into the woods to the point that she couldn't see or hear the camp. Having been to this area a few time, she had set up a mini camp for herself where she could work in peace. She wasn't able to bring her device as the locked suitcase was with the Colonel; he didn't want her to go too far with it. However, she was able to scan the Arc Reactor, without being watched. Taking it partly out, she was able to connect the scanner to it, and though it gave her an idea of what was wrong with it, it confirmed that the reactor could not be fixed in this time. Most of the technology that she would need was not invented yet.

After disconnecting the scanner and pushing the reactor back into her chest, Toni headed back to the camp, knowing that someone would be looking for her. It was about halfway when she noticed someone following her, and for a split second, panic overtook her; she was able to calm herself after a few deep breaths. It was clear that her stalker didn't know that she spotted him. Not learning from past experiences, she circled back to get the drop on her tail, and after a few minutes, she confused, which was something that she could tell from the distance, the man by laying a few false tails.

Toni grabbed the gun from her belt, and training it on the tail, she slowly made her away toward him without taking her eyes off him. When she got within a foot of him, she struck him hard in the back, causing the man to stumble forward and fall on his hands. He tried to stand, but Toni didn't gave him the chance and hit the side of his face with the gun, sending him back to the ground. "Who are you?" she demanded as pointed the gun at his upper back.

The man sluggishly turned around. "Toni," he called as he faced her.

She felt her face twitch as Barnes stared deep into her eyes. "Stay down," she ordered as he started to stand.

"Toni," he stated, with a chuckle; he wasn't listening to her demand.

It annoyed her that he wasn't taking this seriously, that he wasn't taking her seriously. "Why are you following me?" she asked.

After dusting himself off, Barnes rubbed the spot that Toni decked him with the gun. He could already feel the black eye coming on. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Who said I wasn't?" she asked. Keeping the gun trained on him, she shifted her body. She wasn't a good shot, but she knew she couldn't miss from this distance.

Barnes took a step forward, which Toni didn't like it. "I've seen you sneak out countless times into these woods, Toni. You know how dangerous that is? I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Really? You're worried about me? That's funny." She let out a chuckle. "I can handle myself, thank you." She stared deep into his eyes as she tried to figure out what was going through his head.

"Can you really?" he asked with a smirk. "Can I test you?"

"You're flirting with me now?" she hissed. "You got some nerves." How could he be flirting with her after what he had done? Did he think she would be weak at the knees if he flirted with her? "And I can take care of myself!"

Before Toni could react, Barnes rushed forward, grabbed her hand, and twisted it, disarming her. She stumbled back, landing on her ass. "Can you now?" he asked as he trained the gun on her.

Frustration filled Toni as she stared down the barrel of the gun. What was his point of him taking it? Was it just to show her how weak she was? Or was he going to take her back to Phillips and call her traitor? "Don't count me out," she said through her teeth.

Barnes sighed as he put the gun away and offered his hand to Toni. "I would never. You're too spunky for that." She glared at his extended hand. "There's nothing wrong with accepting a helping hand." He let out another chuckle at his pun.

"Why would I take it from you?" She asked as she slapped his hand away.

"Toni."

She forced the growl down her throat as she pushed herself to her feet. "Stop saying my name." She hated how he said it. He said it as if he cared.

"What should I call you then?" he asked with a smile.

"Just stop it," she demanded as she dusted off her ass. Her journal was still safe in her belt, which gave her some relief. It held some of her secrets.

He took a deep breath. "Toni." He paused. "I followed you as this isn't safe."

She let out a chuckle. "And you think the camp is safer?" she asked. She couldn't count all of the times that some asshole tried to force himself on her, thinking she was easy.

Barnes took a step toward her. "Nowhere is safe if you can't defend yourself, and I want to help you with that."

"You want to teach me?" she asked, with an eyebrow raised. "I can protect myself. I don't need you to show me." She would keep saying it until he believed her.

"Really?" he asked as he took the gun out of his pocket and waved it in front of her. "How did I take this from you so easily?" He let out a chuckle. Was this a game to him?

"Shut it," Toni snapped, knowing that he was right. She may have gotten her sexy body back, but she needed to work on defending herself. She couldn't rely on her technology like she did in the future. "Fine, I accept your help, but I want this back." She crossed to him and snatched the gun from his hand.

His face lit up. "You're such a ball of fun."

"Just because I agree to let you help, it does not mean I forgive you," she stated as she tucked the gun away.

Shaking his head, Barnes smiled. "I thought that there was no need to forgive me as you didn't care about me."

Toni's eye twitched. "I don't."

"If you say so."

"I do!" she stated as she turned to walk away. She could feel him right behind her with his eyes on her. It annoyed her that he could get in her good graces so easily, but it pissed her off that he was right and that would bug her to no end. She also didn't like the fact that he could read her so well, and she hated that she needed him. No matter how many times she told herself that she didn't need him or his protection, it didn't change the fact that she did.

*O*O*

Toni wanted to scream, because she didn't know what else to do. Though the device hadn't shocked her in a while, she couldn't get it to do anything besides sending her back one fucken minute; however, she couldn't be sure it did even that. Her clock could've been off for minute for all she knew, but that couldn't be right as the object at the end of the table moved slight. Then again, that could've been her imagination. That damn device was driving her crazy and it was hard to tell what was real.

Though no matter the outcome, she wasn't any closer to getting home, because she needed more than one minute worth of power, and she had no idea of how to get that. Her father and the Colonel had supplied her with a power source, but it wasn't enough. She needed more. She was unsure of where to get that power.

If that wasn't bad enough, she had to deal with the Sassy Agent. She could handle the cold shoulder from Peggy, but it was draining. That woman never let up; she kept going and going and her insults weren't direct, but Toni knew they were about her. At first, Toni didn't blame her, but now, it was annoying. She had no idea why the agent was such a bitch. Was it because she brought up Rogers? Was she as close to him? Was she jealous? Why in the hell would she be jealous? There was and would be nothing going on between Rogers and her. Toni took a deep breath as she thought about it. Maybe, it was wrong to bring up Rogers, but Peggy shouldn't be taking it so seriously.

Then there was Phillips. She wasn't sure what he thought about her, but it was exhausting trying to read him; however, she knew one thing: he was strict. She couldn't do anything without asking, and if she tried anything, he knew. She wondered if he was psychic or something. He had found out about her walks in the woods, which he wasn't very happy about it to say the least. She thought she would've gone deaf after that lecture, which Future Rogers could've been proud of, and on top of that, Salty wouldn't let her go anywhere alone. After a few days, he let up and allowed her some freedoms back, but he kept her on a short leash.

It was too much to handle at the moment, and she did what she did best: she ran. Taking a break from everything, she disappeared into the woods again, but she wasn't alone. Barnes was with her, as he became her shadow lately. She wasn't sure if it was just because Salty had told him to or if he was trying to make up for being an ass. The reason didn't matter, because his presence was relaxing, even if he told her that she was being stupid.

"Toni," Barnes called. He had been trying to talk her into staying close to the camp, which was in eyesight. "Slow down."

Toni stopped and turned back to Barnes, who was a few feet behind her. "Where's the fun in that?" she asked, smiling.

He shook his head as he paused to rest. "I thought you wanted to train."

"You just want to touch this, let's face it." She motioned to her body, which looked amazing even in the loose fitting military uniform. To cover the reactor's glow, she was wearing a long sleeve shirt under a loose fitting short sleeve one. Her cargo military pants were tucked in her boots and belted at her natural waist, which was annoying as it made her feel like a grandma. She had never worn pants that high. Dog tags, with her fake last name, hanged around her neck, worrying her slightly as it clanged whenever it bounced off the reactor. Thought it wasn't loud, it was noticeable, or… maybe it wasn't. She may have only noticed it because she knew there.

"I do want to train," she added, out of breath. They had been running for miles, and she had sweat dripping down her face. "Let's go." She stepped back to him. "I'm rea-" Without watching where she stepped, she tripped over a tree root and before she could even think to put on her arms out, she found herself in Barnes' chest. His arms were wrapped around her, making her forget where she was.

Toni felt him laugh before she heard it. "You got to be careful."

"Me careful?" She laughed. "You're funny." She pushed him away slightly so she could look up at him. She was worried about him being this close and noticing the glow, but she realized that he wasn't anywhere else but her eyes. "There's no fun in that..." She could feel the heat buildup in her cheeks.

"I get risks, but you need to be smart about them."

It was here that she started to lose track of what he was saying. Between getting lost in his eyes and distracted by his hand, which rubbed her back in a cyclical motion, she didn't know what was going on, but she knew it wasn't good and this couldn't continue; however, she didn't know if she could push him away. There was something relaxing about being in his arms, which was different than all the other arms she had been in. Stop being a bowl of Jelly! She told herself. Am I really that kind of girl to melt over a guy? She asked. Closing her eyes, she pushed him away hard and swung her arm blindly.

She felt his hands drop and him dodge. "Hey!" he yelled. Opening her eyes, she throw another punch at him and he was able to dodge that too. "What the hell?"

"You have to be ready for anything," she said as she tried to kick him. As he caught her leg, she tried to mask what she was feeling. She couldn't believe that he was getting to her.

"Geez, Toni," he muttered as she had him on the defensive. She was throwing punches and kicks like there was no tomorrow. "Good to know all of these lessons are working out well." Toni let out a chuckle as she swung again, but Barnes caught this one. She tried to pull away, but she couldn't break his grip. "Gotcha."

She growled which made him laugh harder. She threw the other fist in annoyance, but that wasn't too smart as he was able to grab it as well. "Ass," she muttered.

Barnes smirked as he raised her hands above her head and walked her back into a tree. "But I'm a loveable ass."

"I'm not sure about the loveable part," she stated through her teeth. She looked up into his eyes and felt her anger disappear. It was hard to be mad at that face.

"C'mon, just look at these eyes," he replied within an inch of her face. He still hadn't let go of her wrist.

Toni let out a snort. "I don't-"

"Am I interrupt something?" A female voice asked.

Barnes released Toni's wrists, stepped away from Toni as if he was caught doing something illegal. "No, Ma'am."

Toni let out a huff of annoyance as she turned toward Peggy, who was giving her a look. She hated that look she received from Peggy whenever she did something wrong. "Can I help you?" Toni asked, annoyed at Peggy had interrupted them. Toni wasn't sure what she had interrupted, but it was still frustrating. Toni took a deep breath.

Peggy looked at Barnes for a second before she turned to Toni, who was blowing her bangs out of her face. "Sergeant Barnes, can you leave us? I have something to speak with Corporal Sark about." Her arms were across her chest and she stood firm. No one dared mess with her, when she was like that.

"Yes, ma'am," Barnes replied as he turned to leave. He gave Toni a look before he walked back to the camp.

Once he was gone, Toni pushed off the tree and stepped to Peggy, who was dressed in her formal uniform. "Heels, Agent?" she asked. "Is that a good idea for this terrain? I tripped and I was wearing boots." She picked up her foot and waved it at Peggy.

Peggy let out a sigh. "Are you always like this, Sark?" she asked.

"Like what?" She asked, narrowing her eyes. What the hell was Peggy going on about, now?

The Agent shook her head. "Never mind."

"No, say it." Toni hated when people had shit to say, but they wouldn't say it. She liked honesty and loathed it when people lied to her. She was an adult and she could handle it.

Peggy took a deep breath. "You like to play the victim, while you're the one leading them on. It is quite pathetic," she answered. "You just like to break hearts."

Toni took a deep breath to calm herself, because Peggy's statement just infuriated her. "Play?" She tried to hold back her anger but it was seeping through. "I do not play and I'm not a victim."

Peggy shook her head. "Then what was that?" she asked, referring to Barnes.

"He's a friend."

"You're playing him. You're playing everyone."

Toni's hand balled and her nails dug into her skin. She wasn't playing anyone, though there was a time in her life that she did. Calm down, she told herself. It wouldn't do any good to snap on Peggy as that was what the Sassy Agent wanted, and she wouldn't give that to her. "Besides insulting me, is there a reason why you interrupted my training?"

"You call that training?" Peggy asked, looking Toni over again. Toni's hair, which was in a high ponytail, was a mess; sticks were sticking out everywhere. Her uniform looked disheveled. "Maybe, Steve can train me."

The genius let out a chuckle as she couldn't believe this was about Rogers. "He might like that." She let out a sighing laugh. She couldn't believe she was fighting with Peggy over a fucken guy, a fucken guy that she didn't even want. And besides, he was an ass. She didn't date asses as there could only be one ass in a relationship and that was her position. Two couldn't work in a relationship. Her brain stopped and she wondered for a second what it would be like to date the famous Captain America. Would he be the overprotective type, never letting her out of his sight? Would he be the snappy type, who would never forget any important date? Would he be the traditional type with no sex before marriage? The calm and boring type? That wouldn't work for her, as she loved to be wild… Wait, was why she even thinking about it?

"Are you there, Sark?" Peggy asked, noticing her mind wandering.

Shaking her head, she snapped out of her thoughts. "So again, Sassy, what do you want?" she asked as she rubbed her forehead. She was starting to get a headache.

Peggy's eye twitch. "Sassy?" she asked.

"Yes, Sassy. My name for you," Toni explained as she walked pass the agent. "If you're not going to answer, I'm leaving."

"I don't like it."

The genius turned back slightly and looked at Peggy over her shoulder. "And Salty doesn't like his, but I still call him that." She put on a big smile. "Besides, we can't like everything." She could see Peggy's eye twitch, and it was hard to hold back her laugher.

"Anyhow, that reminds me. Colonel Phillips wants to speak to you."

"You could tell me this sooner?" Toni asked.

"I'm telling you now."

"And you call me childish," she snorted. Without another word, Toni headed toward Phillips' tent.

*O*O*

Toni exhaled slowly as she enter the Colonel's tent, which looked like a stereotypical field office. A typewriter, which she mentally chuckled about, was in the corner of the tent, and in another corner, there were barrels of maps, or what looked like maps. There was a makeshift desk between them, and across from the desk, the Colonel, talking to a male officer, stood at a table that had a map laid out on top of it. Another male solder stood at the end of the table watching in silence as Salty spoke; each one of them were of a high rank. There were also 4 guards positioned outside the tent at the corners to make sure no one got in that was not welcome.

Toni watched for a few seconds, wondering if they would notice her, and when they didn't, she thought it would be best to announce her presence. "Colonel Phillips, I heard you wanted to speak to me," she spoke loudly. The two unnamed officers turned and looked at her, but they reminded silence.

Philips looked up at Toni. "You heard right. Men, can you leave us for a few minutes?" he asked as he turned to his desk. "And close the flaps when you leave."

"Yes, Sir," they replied at the same time.

Toni didn't watch as they left, but she felt their judging eyes on her. She could guess what they were thinking and it wasn't something that she would like. After hearing the flaps close, she spoke, "What can I help you with, Salty?"

"I wish you would stop calling me back, but at least, you didn't call me that in front of my Officers."

"I have my moments." She stepped toward the table that the officers were standing moments before and stared down at the map. As they were still in Italy, she knew before looking at the map that it was of Italy and the surrounding areas. "So why did you call?"

"How's your device going?"

That wasn't what Toni thought he wanted to talk about, but she wasn't surprise by the question. As she had not seen or spoke to him recently, she could understand why he was asking. "I have a few bugs to work out, but it's going in the right direction. Still need a power source." Unfortunately, she had no idea of what she could use.

"And how's the device in your chest?" He asked as he forced his eyes to anywhere that wasn't Toni's chest.

"It's fine. Needs some adjustments, but it's still operational." Something was up.

The Colonel crossed to the files on the table and pretended, which Toni could tell even from a few feet away, to look through them. "I see you and Sergeant Barnes are getting along."

"You called me here, so you can talk about my rel- friendship with Barnes?" she asked, refusing to say the word relationship. They did not have a relationship, and she would refuse to have one.

"No, it's not the main reason." He paused for a few seconds. "I see you got pass him tailing you."

Toni shook her head in a no fashion, because she hadn't gotten it pass it; however, she understood it. He was following someone that could've been a criminal. "Do you have any idea of who attacked me in the alley?" Though little by little she was getting over it, it still woke her in the middle of the night in a pool of sweat. She was beginning to believe that Peggy was noticing.

"We have some leads."

"So in other words no," Toni translated, bitterly. She didn't know what she was expecting but she would've thought that they knew something. Someone had attacked her and it wasn't random. Someone was after her for a reason. Did they know she was from a future? If not that, were they after her because she was a genius? It had her worried, because if they didn't know the reason, they couldn't figure out who it was. "What have you guys been doing?"

The Colonel turned around. "You're exhausting, you know that?"

"That was what my nannies told me when I was a child." She had gone through many nannies in her youth.

"Had a lot of nannies, did you? I guess I can understand why you don't get along with your father." He leaned back against his desk and looked at her.

Urgh, she thought. She couldn't believe that she had let that slip; it was stupid. She was stupid. "I did not say that."

He let out a chuckle. "You didn't have to. With Howard being Howard, it would make sense that you had a lot of nannies, and that you two weren't close." He let out a sigh. "However, I can't have you throwing things at him, even if he deserves it."

"I only threw the wrench at him," she paused, "though, I almost threw a screwdriver at him." Salty gave her a look at hearing that. "Don't look at me like that! He so deserved it. He's an ass. How can anyone stand him and that planet size ego," she explained, shaking her head.

"He reminds me of you."

"Shut it." That was an insult that she didn't want to hear. "I'm not my father."

Taking a deep breath, Salty crossed back to the table. "Do you know what this is?" he asked as he pointed to an area on the map.

With her arms folded across her chest, Toni glanced at him before looking down at the table. As it was a 1940's, it took Toni a few seconds to realize what she was looking at. She could see a few enemy camps close to where they were. She suddenly realized why Barnes didn't like her to stray too far. "So is this why you asked me here?" she asked.

"I had promised myself that I wouldn't ask you anything about the future," he responded.

"So that's what this is about," she muttered. "I won't tell you anything." She shook her head and stepped away from the table. She eyed a knife sitting on a table a foot from a shotgun.

"Do you know who Johann Schmidt is?" Phillips asked.

Toni crossed to the knife and picked it up. "I do," she answered as she played with the blade. She had read about that mad man in a few of her father's journals. Schmidt's technology was ahead of its time and her father had-would spend months trying to figure it out.

"There's a rumor he'll be at this base," he stated as he pointed to a location on the map.

With the knife still in her hand, she stepped back to the Colonel. "And you want me to confirm it, Salty?" Toni asked as the blade danced in her hand.

"I'm sending the 107 in and I want to make sure I'm not sending them in to be slaughtered."

Toni looked down at her hand and noticed a fine red line. I must've cut it and not noticed, she thought. "You know I can't help you," she stated, as she thought about the future. She didn't know when exactly, but Salty's men would get captured and Rogers would save them. Though Toni hated the idea that some of these men would be taken and killed, she couldn't do anything. Rogers had to save them.

"I know." He took a deep breath and turned away.

She looked at him, feeling like a total bitch. How could she do this? For the future, she told herself. "You need to do things as if I'm not here." She set the knife on the table and walked away. She shook her head as she remembered the time in the lab that she had given her father advice, which had worked. Toni had made a mistake that day, but she couldn't help it. It wasn't often that she knew something that her father didn't.

Salty shook his head as he blew out. "I get it. Thank you," he said.

With those words, Toni felt like she had just murdered someone.

*O*O*

Toni took a deep breath as she made her way back to her tent. After leaving the Colonel, she felt ill, and with each passing second, she felt worse as she eyed the solders. Was she sentencing them all to death? No, you aren't, she countered as she tried to calm herself. You aren't supposed to be here in the first place and they're supposed to die. She knew that she couldn't change the future, but it didn't make her feel any better. And then, there's Barnes. She had to stop and catch her breath as she thought about his death. Though she didn't have that legendary connection that Rogers had with him, she had a connection, which she didn't approve of, with Barnes, and knowing that he would die stopped her in her track. She bent down with her hands on her knees as she tried to breathe. "I hate this," she muttered to herself.

"You're just being stupid," she told herself. She pushed herself up, exhaling slowly. She had to get her mind off Barnes' death. This is why you shouldn't have gotten close to him. However, she knew, even if she didn't have that connection, that she would take his death hard. She was human after all. Knowing that someone was going to die and that there was no way to stop it would weigh heavy on anyone.

Toni jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Mother fucker!"

"What a mouth on you, Fire Rocket."

Her hands balled as she eyed the man who had grabbed her. She still did not know his name. "What do you want?" she asked, ready to slug him. She was not in the right mind set to deal with him.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "I'm not going to try anything." He put his hand up in surrender.

She shook her head as she didn't believe him. He was up to something. "I'm fine," she snapped. "What do you want?"

His put his hands in his pocket. "You look like you need a friend."

Something in her mind snapped and she slapped him. "If I need a friend, you will not be it." Why in the hell did he think she would want to be friends with him?

He held his face, which was turning red. "I just thought that-"

"You thought what? That if you're nice, I would have sex with you?" she asked, hissing. The man just looked at her as if she had shot him. "Just leave me alone."

"I didn't-"

"Is everything okay over here?" Barnes asked as he came running over from somewhere. He angrily eyed the unnamed solder.

Toni watched Barnes as he turned down the asshole. Turning to her, he gave her a worried look. "Things are fine," she lied as she stared at him. Seeing Barnes was draining all of the control that she had; she had to get away or she would break and she could not allow that to happen in public. "I got to go," she stated, louder and squeaker than she intended.

Before either man could say anything or even react, Toni bolted. She heard Barnes calling after her, but she would not stop. She could not stop. His death kept playing in her head, and her guilty was weighing on her. Though she hadn't known how he died, she kept seeing his death and each way was different. She had to get those images out of her head or she was going to go crazy.

*O*O*

Toni smiled when her tent came into view as it was her escape, but it didn't last as she spotted a certain someone laying on her cot reading a journal that she had been keeping. "What are you doing here?" she hissed as she made sure the flaps to the tent were closed. She didn't want anyone to come in and see a god on her cot; that would be hard to explain.

Loki sat up in the cot and put the journal down, keeping it open with two fingers. "I had the desire to see your beauty," he stated with a smirk. "Interesting diary you have it." He fingered the pages of the book.

Toni's eye twitched as she folded her arms across her chest. Though it annoyed her that he had her journal, she wasn't going to show him that it was getting to her as he would like that too much. "Why are you here?" she asked, glaring at him. She wished she could fry him with her eyes.

"I wanted to see you."

"I'm not going to sleep with you," she snapped, taking a step to him. She briefly wondered how he thought she was pretty, looking like she did. She was covered in sweat and mud, her clothes were filthy, and her hair was a mess.

"You'll come around," he replied as he looked down at the journal. He flipped a page. "I expect more guts spilling in here, Stark." He flipped to another page. "All I see is possible ways to fix your device, historical counts of your days' events, and massive guilt. No mention of love. So sad." He glanced up at her with another creepy smile.

"You came here to speak to me about my love life, Loki? Really?" Her day was getting worse and worse, wasn't it?

He closed the journal and slid it away from him. "I find you stimulating, Stark."

Toni closed her eyes for a second. "Are you here just to be creepy?" she asked. "Or do you want something else?"

Loki kicked his feet over the cot and stood up slowly. "Have you thought about my offer?" he asked as he stepped toward Toni. He looked the same as he did when he appeared to her in the cell, but his skin looked paler. If Toni didn't hate him, she would ask about it. "It would be wise to accept."

"It would also be wise if you stop trying to get me in your bed. There's no chance in hell that I would sleep with you and there's no way that I would take your deal," she said, getting angrier with each second. She balled her hands yet again as she tried to calm herself.

"Then you'll never get home." Loki walked back to the cot and pick up Toni's journal. "Don't you want to escape the guilt?" He opened the book to a random page and looked down as if he was going to read it. "You can't get over the guilt that you have knowledge that can spare these mortal's lives." He waved his hand in the air, motioning to the people in the camp. "I'm not sure why you're so guilt ridden over these pathetic humans."

"Did you forget that I'm one of these pathetic humans?" She could feel the hatred in Loki's voice and that was one of the reasons why she could never even think of sleeping with him. "Why don't you just go?"

He glanced her over before looking into her eyes. "You may be human but you're different."

"Yea, different that I'm not afraid to kick your ass!" She so wished that she could punch or kick him in the face. It was so unfair that she couldn't beat the shit out of him.

"I am shaking in my boots," Loki laughed as he dropped the journal on the cot. "Well, that was if I was wearing boots."

Ignoring his stupid comment, Toni eyed the book. "How are you able to touch that?" she asked as she just realized he was touching something on her plane. "And you should be!" She started to push up her sleeves.

"I have my ways."

"Oh, I so want to slap you!"

"Such a turn on," Loki smirked. "Please slap me." He took a few steps toward her. "I have a craving for you."

She shuddered in disgust. Why was this happening to her? Why did every person that she ever met want to sleep with her? She got that she was a sexy god but this was ridicules. "Just leave me alone in my guilt."

"You know you'll never get home without the power to create rifts through space and time, and your device does not have that." He paused. "No matter what you do, it will not have that power on its own. I can help you get that power."

"I don't need you; I am not taking your offer. I got here on my own and I will get home on my own." That statement got her mind going. What the hell was he talking about?

"Your device didn't get you here on its own." Loki laughed as he crossed to her.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. Her brain went into overdrive as she tried to remember everything from the day that she was transported back to this time. "Why am I asking you? You're no help." She shook her head as she thought about everything that Loki and Thor had ever told her. She finally realize what she needed and what she needed was the Tesseract, which would have unlimited power. It could open portals.

Loki stepped even closer and reached for her face. "I can be very helpful. Just let me-"

At that moment, the flaps to the tent flew open and Peggy pushed through. "Are you okay?" she asked as she looked around the tent. "I heard yelling. Were you talking to someone?"

Though she had noticed that Loki had disappeared, that wasn't important. She had to speak to Phillips about her accompanying the 107. "Yes, myself. You know I'm crazy," she stated as she kicked the journal under the bed. "I got to go," She stated as she dashed out of the tent.

*O*O*

Toni didn't care what meeting she had interrupted when she burst into his Salty's tent. She didn't care about the nasty looks and comments she received from the officers when they exited the tent. She didn't care that the Colonel looked pissed. She didn't care about anything besides getting into that Hydra Base. She knew she wouldn't get the Tesseract itself, but that cube was used to create Hydra weapons. Maybe, if she get her hands on those power cores in the weapons, she might be able to power her device.

"This better be important, Sark," he stated, sticking to Toni's fake last name.

Toni crossed to the table. "I need to accompany the troops."

He looked at her funny. "Accompany them where?" he asked as he picked up a file.

"To the Hydra base," she revealed. "There's something in that base that I need."

Salty narrowed his eyes as he took a seat at his desk. "Tell me what you need and I'll make sure that one of the men brings it back." He rested his arms on the table.

"That's won't do, Salty. I need to get it myself," she stated. She couldn't risk someone else getting it. Besides, she knew no one was going to make it back; the only way to ensure its return was to get it herself.

"I'm not letting you go out there," he spoke as he put on a pair of glasses. He reached for a file and opened it.

"Why is that? Because I'm a woman?" she asked, annoyed that he wouldn't let her do what she needed to do. Couldn't he understand that she couldn't risk anyone else's life? Couldn't he understand that she couldn't take anymore guilt on her conscious?

He stared at the file as if he was reading it but he wasn't. After a few seconds, he looked up at her. "You're correct. I'm not sending a woman out into the battlefield." He flipped a page over.

"Really?!" She couldn't believe that he admitted that. "I can handle it. Barnes taught me a few things."

Phillips took a deep breath as he rubbed his forehead. "You're still not going out."

In anger, she slammed her fists down on his desk. "Listen to me! I need to go." She paused as she tried to read his face. "If you don't let me go, I'll go anyways. Nothing I tried with the device worked, and this is my last shot. If I don't get this, I won't be able to go home." She let out a weak chuckle. "Besides, I'm not supposed to be here, so who cares if I die?"

Resting his head in his hands, he closed his eyes. "Women simply do not fight on the battlefield and I would be laughed at if I let you."

Toni narrowed her eyes. "You're just being sexist."

He looked up startled as if Toni had admitted to killing someone. "I'm no such thing."

Holding back her growl, she glared. Her arms were at her side. "Then let me go."

"I just don't believe you should be on the battlefield." He exhaled slowly as he pushed the documents in front of him away. He looked at her as he tried to figure out what to say. "There're reasons why there aren't woman solders on the battlefield. One being that men are physically stronger than woman."

She knew he was correct but she wasn't going to let him be right. "I can handle it," she stated. With a deep breath, she said, "in the future, there are women in the military and they are serving in the field."

"I thought there would be no future talk?" He sighed as Toni glared at him, which was her response to his question. "What if you're captured?" He eyed her. "Regardless of gender, anyone will fold under continuous torture." He stood up and crossed to one of the flaps as if he was going to leave. "I doubt that my own men could keep silent under harsh torture. How could you?" he asked as he motioned to the officers outside of his tent. "I cannot allow future knowledge to fall in Schmidt's hand."

"No one knows I am from the future," she countered. She paused for a second as she thought about her past. She wasn't as innocent and naïve as he thought she was. She had faced and seen things that she wouldn't wish on anyone. "I have been tortured before," she admitted, weakly. "Do not doubt me."

Phillips turned back to her, and Toni could see the shock in his face. He wasn't expecting that. "Was that how you got that thing in your chest?" he asked, poking to her chest.

She took a deep breath. "Do you really want the answer to that?" she asked.

"No. No, I don't." It didn't take a genius to know why Salty didn't need the answer. "Against my better judgment, I'll let you go, Stark." He paused "You're going to kill me, you know that?"

"You aren't the only one to tell me that," she stated, with a smile.

*O*O*

"What are you thinking, Toni?"

Taking a deep breath, Toni put down her bag and turned to the tent's flap. "Barnes," she greeted with a smile. "Hey." She knew why he came.

"Toni," he repeated, as he looked her over. "What are you doing?" He was in full battle uniform with his rifle on his back, and he was looking pretty intimidating. She couldn't get pass his eyes and how angry he looked.

"Getting my pack ready," Toni answered, giving him a look of her own.

"I see that, but why?"

"I'm going," Toni responded as she reached down for her bag. She slipped her arms though the straps and pulled it on her back. "Schmidt has something I need," she stated, unsure if Barnes knew who that man was.

Barnes took a step toward her. "Why don't you tell me what you need and I'll get it for you?"

She was getting really sick of being treated like some weakling because she had a damn vagina. "Does this has to do with me being a fucken woman?" she demanded as she got into his face. "I thought you were different." She couldn't believe Barnes was a sexist pig like Phillips.

"No, it isn't. I would be an idiot if I thought that." He took a step back from Toni and looked into her eyes. "I'm just worried that's all." He paused for a second. "You are important to…" He let himself drift off unable to finish it

There was something in his voice that touched her, and she couldn't be mad or upset at him, but she was still annoyed. "You wouldn't even know what it is if I told you." She turned back to the cot and picked the gun up. "I don't need you to protect me."

"Steve would kill me if I let something to you," he stated as he watched her tuck the gun into her pants and hid a knife in her boot.

The Genius' mind spun as she thought about what Barnes had said. Considering how she disappeared on Rogers, would he even care if something happened to her? Surely, after she disappeared without a word, he would have pushed her out of his mind. She knew she would have if someone did that to her. "I don't think Rogers would care." Something inside of her didn't like that thought.

He gave her a funny look. "So he is Rogers again?"

"Yes," she stated as she pushed pass him.

"You know after the Stark Expo when Steve noticed you were gone, he were frantic and went looking for you. It took me a while to get him to come back to the apartment," Barnes admitted as he followed her out. "I know he was still looking when I left him."

She glanced at him before she continued her walk. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I thought you would like to know, so you know how much he cares."

"We don't have time for this," she stated as she tried to ignore what she was feeling. She didn't need more guilt as it was already threatening to take her over. She also tried to tell herself that she didn't care about Rogers' feelings. Why would she care about his feelings? He was an ass, who was warmed and caring. Urgh, you don't have time for this, she told herself. Taking a deep breath, she made her way to the crowd that was forming.

"Toni."

Shaking her head, she forced her glance forward. "Not now, Barnes." She had too many things on her mind to think about Rogers. Right now, she was about to be captured, because if she remembered correctly, that would be the outcome of this mission. Most of the 107 would be killed or taken hostage, and Toni wasn't going to do anything but let it happen. She just didn't have an idea of what she was going to do. Would she allowed herself to be captured? Would she allow the others to be captured while she escaped? She didn't think that she could allow that, even if Rogers would save them. She was heartless and cruel, but she couldn't be that heartless and cruel. She felt sick thinking about it. You have to be strong, she told herself. She had a task to do and she couldn't allow herself to drown in her guilt.

The end for now.

I am sorry that there was no Steve in this one, but he will return in the next chapter.

I kicked up the speed in this chapter. I am trying to get this story moving. Please let me know what you think.

And did you all hear in the new Comic of Iron Man, Tony Stark was adopted. I am not sure how I feel about that. It kind of changed the whole story of Iron Man, doesn't it?

Bye until next time.

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