Introducing Captain America and...
"Think you got enough?" Steve asked as Peggy drew vial after vial of blood. "Ow!"
"Shut up and let her finish," Amy snapped, flicking the back of his head.
"Ow!" Steve whined. Despite his new size and strength, Amy's strength matched with his.
"Any hope of reproducing a program is locked in your genetic code. But without Dr. Erskine, it could take years."
Steve looked down. "He deserved more than this."
"If it could only work once, he’d be proud it was you."
"What about Amy's powers?"
"Her powers come from alien origin. From another world."
Amy sighed, leaving them in the world, and headed towards the SSR room where they were talking about Schmidt and Hydra. "Senator...Colonel. Hate to interrupt, but I overheard you talking about HYDRA. HYDRA is the Nazi deep science division. It’s led by Johann Schmidt. But he has much bigger ambitions."
"HYDRA’s practically a cult. They worship Schmidt, they think he’s invincible," Colonel explained.
"I personally had a run-in with him where he and his men nearly slaughtered an entire village full of innocents."
"So what are you gonna do about it?" Senator Brandt asked.
"Spoke to the president this morning. As of today, the SSR is being retasked."
"Colonel?" Peggy asked.
"We are taking the fight to HYDRA. Pack your bags, Agent Carter. You too, Stark. You’re flying to London tonight."
Steve stepped up. "Sir, if you’re going after Schmidt, I want in."
"Oh yeah, me too," Amy agreed.
"You’re an experiment. And you...You basically aren't human anymore. You’re both going to Alamogordo."
"The serum worked," Steve argued.
"I asked for an army and all I got was you and a woman. You are not enough."
"Whoa! Wait one goddamn minute! You sent me to that village to get the Tesseract!" Amy argued.
"And you failed!" Colonel Phillips said harshly.
Amy's face turned bright red. "With all due respect to the Colonel, I think we may be missing the point. I’ve seen you in action, Steve. More importantly, the country’s seen it. The enlistment lines have been around the block since your picture hit the newsstands. You don’t take a soldier, a symbol like that, and hide him in a lab. Son, do you want to serve your country on the most important battlefield of the war?"
Steve sighed in defeat. "Sir, that’s all I want."
"Then, congratulations. You just got promoted."
"What about me?!" Amy asked.
"I've heard about you...You're a sacrifice for this nation. You've also been promoting."
"The Star Spangle Man With a Plan?" Amy sighed as she winced as a hair stylist teased her hair.
"Captain America? What am I the captain of?" Steve asked from behind the curtain.
"America?" Amy asked, trying to write a letter to Bucky. "At least it's better than Lieutenant Liberty."
"You writing to Buck?" Steve asked, coming out.
"Yeah...Explained that we both went through some changes. Hope to see him soon- What are you wearing?"
Steve shifted, pulling on the tights. "I don't know...I feel like a sham."
"We look like shams. Those tights are ridiculous," Amy laughed.
"At least your costume fits," Steve sighed as Amy got up and pulled down her skirt.
"At least you get to wear pants," Amy sighed.
"Are you two ready?" Brandt's aide asked.
"I don't know if I can do this," Steve told him.
"Nothing to it. Sell off a few bonds, bonds buy bullets, bullets kill Nazis. Bing bang boom! You’re American heroes."
"It’s just not how I pictured getting there."
"The senator’s got a lot of pull up on the hill. You play ball with us, you’ll be leading your own platoon in no time. Take the shield."
Steve took the shield and went to the set. "Who’s strong and brave, here to save the American way?" the USO singers sang.
"Not all of us can storm a beach or drive a tank. But there’s still a way all of us can fight."
"Who vows to fight like a man, for what’s right, night and day?"
"Series E Defence Bonds. Each one you buy is a bullet in the barrel of your best guy’s gun."
"Who will campaign door-to-door for America? Carry the flag shore to shore for America? From Hoboken to Spokane, the star-spangled man with a plan and the girl who can!"
"Cut. Guys, don’t look at the camera."
Amy rolled her eyes. "Captain America and Lieutenant Liberty!"
"Men can't have all the fun! Ladies, you can help the war effort by buying your own bonds...Or even yet, why don't you just join the war effort by getting in those factories!" Amy told the camera, placing her hands on her hips.
"We can’t ignore there’s a threat and a war we must win."
"Each one you buy is a bullet in the barrel of your best guy’s gun."
"Who’ll hang a noose on the goose-stepping goons from Berlin? Who will redeem, heed the call for America? Who’ll rise or fall, give his all for America? Who’s here to prove that we can? The star-spangled man with a plan and the girl who can!"
"We all know this is about trying to win the war. We can’t do that without bullets and bandages, tanks, and tents. That’s where you come in. Every bond you buy will help protect someone you love." Amy said to the crowd, her hands on her hips.
"Turn around! He’s right behind you!"
"Keep our boys armed and ready, and the Germans will think twice about trying to get the drop on us." The man attacked him and got faked punch.
"Stalwart and steady and true, forceful and ready to defend, the red, white, and blue. Who’ll give the Axis the sack and is smart as a fox? Far as an eagle will soar. Who’s making Adolf afraid to step out of his box? He knows what we’re fighting for. Who woke the giant that napped in America? We know it’s no one but Captain America and Lt. Liberty! Who’ll finish what they began? Who’ll kick the Krauts to Japan? The star-spangled man with a plan and the girl who can!"
Dear Jamie,
This is the sixth letter I sent you while waiting for a reply. Are you upset with me? Are you upset with Steve? What happened to me was an accident. I didn't know that it would give me powers. And Steve...You know how skinny and sick he was. While he volunteered, it's so much better for him. I've never seen him so healthy. He actually has a rosy tint to his cheeks now instead of a pale sickly gleam.
I'm worried about you. We're gonna be in Italy next week, and then England. If I have to hunt you down James Buchannan, you're gonna be sorry. I love you and I miss you. Please...Just write to me. I l love you.
Yours,
Amy
Amy sighed as she folded up the piece of paper and stuffed it into an envelope. "Ames, the plane's leaving!" Steve shouted out.
Amy dropped the letter into the mail slot and headed towards the plane that would take them to Italy. "I still can't get a hold of him..." Amy told Steve as they settled in their seats.
"He has to be in Europe. When we get there, we'll ask around."
"I'm gonna skip the show when we get there. They don't care about Lieutenant Liberty. They care about Captain America."
Once they touched down, Amy went out on her mission to find Bucky. "How many of you ready to help me sock old Adolf on the jaw?" Steve asked as Amy stood backstage in her ridiculous outfit. It was silent. "Okay...I need a volunteer.
"I already volunteered! How do you think I got here?" a heckler shouted, causing the crowd of soldiers to laugh. "Bring back the girls!"
There was a cheer. "I think they only know the one song. But um…let me…I’ll…I’ll see what I can do," Steve stammered.
"You do that, sweetheart."
"Nice boots, Tinker Bell!"
"Where's Lt. Liberty?!"
"Come on, guys. We’re all on the same team here."
"Hey, Captain! Sign this!" another heckler shouted, standing to show his bare ass.
"Hey, asshole! Cut it off!" Amy shouted, marching onto the stage in her costume.
"Why don't you come down here, sweetheart, and make me!" There were a couple of cat whistles and wolf whistles. Amy felt the pulsing energy awake inside of her. Throwing a blue ball at the men, they fell silent and scrambled away.
Marching off the stage, she grabbed her brother. "Come on...I see an enlistment tent over there...We can see if Bucky's platoon is nearby."
"You're glowing," Steve said, pulling out his sketch pad and pencil.
"Well, I'm pissed. They had no right to say those things to you or to me. They're disgusting."
"Hello, Steve. Amy."
"Peggy!" Amy shouted, hugging one of her dear friends.
Steve blushed. "Hi."
"Hi," Peggy blushed back.
"What are you doin’ here?"
"Officially I’m not here at all. That was quite a performance. From both of you."
"Yeah. Uh...I had to improvise a little bit. Crowds I’m used to are usually more uh...twelve."
"I understand you’re 'America’s New Hopes?"
"Bond sales take a ten percent bump in every state I visit."
Peggy quirked an eyebrow. "Is that Senator Brandt I hear?"
"At least he’s got me doin’ this. Phillips would have had us stuck in the lab."
"Been there and done that."
"And these are your only two options? A lab rat or a dancing monkey? You were meant for more than this, you know? Both of you."
"Jesus," Amy muttered as an ambulance arrived, unloading wounded soldiers. "They look like they’ve been through hell."
"These men more than most. Schmidt sent out a force to Azzano. Two hundred men went up against him and less than fifty returned."
"Fucking Schmidt," Amy grumbled. "I so want to put a bullet in his fucking brain."
"Rumor is he's looking for you," Peggy told her friend.
"Me?" Amy asked at the same time Steve said her name.
"Yeah...You bested him...You touched the Tesseract. You hold its powers. But those men...Your audience contained what was left of the one-oh-seventh."Amy's blood froze as her heart stopped. "The rest were killed or captured."
Amy was already on the move as Steve looked sickened. "The one-oh-seventh?"
"What?"
"Come on!" Steve said, following his sister who was flashing over to a tent.
"Colonel Phillips!" Amy said, arriving in a flash of blue electricity.
"Lt. Rogers...Well, if it isn't the Girl Who Can and the Star-Spangled Man With A Plan. And what is your plan today?"
"I need the casualty list from Azzano," Amy told him.
"You don't give me orders."
Amy reached across, grabbing him by the shirt. "Please...I just need one name. Sergeant James Barnes from the hundred and seventh."
Col. Phillips pointed at Peggy. "You and I are gonna have a conversation later that you won’t enjoy."
"He's my fiancé!" Amy lied. "I've been writing him for weeks, and haven't heard a word from him! Please tell me if he’s alive, sir. B-A-R…"
"I can spell. I have signed more of these condolence letters today than I would care to count. But the name does sound familiar. I’m sorry."
Amy gasped, collapsing against the table. "What about the others? Are you planning a rescue mission?" Steve asked, ignoring his own feeling of grief.
"Yeah! It’s called winning the war."
"But if you know where they are, why not at least...?"
"They’re thirty miles behind the lines. Through the most heavily fortified territory in Europe. We’d lose more men than we’d save. But I don’t expect you to understand that, because you’re a chorus girl."
"I think I understand just fine."
"Well then understand it somewhere else. If I read the posters correctly, you got someplace to be in thirty minutes."
Amy looked up, the idea of revenge in her head. Flashing behind him, she took the map and flashed to her tent, map in hand. "What do you plan to do? Walk to Austria?" Peggy asked as Steve and she caught up.
Amy was already stripping out of her red, white, and blue clothes for trousers. "If that’s what it takes."
"You heard the Colonel, your friend is most likely dead."
"You don’t know that."
"Even so, he’s devising a strategy. If he detects…"
"By the time he’s done that, it could be too late!"
"Yeah...I'm gonna kill Schmidt," Amy said, changing her shirt with a black tank top. She pulled hair back into a ponytail, and grabbed a gunbelt.
"Well, hi there, Starshine!"
Amy groaned. "Stark. Should've known that you were around," Amy groaned as she followed Peggy and Steve.
"If you're gonna go after Schmidt and those men, you need a different outfit," Stark said as he started the plane.
"Well, I'm in mourning!"
"Look in the back...I've been making that for you. Have a bit of a crush on you."
Amy and Steve saw a box in the back of the plane. Amy pulled it out, seeing black leather.
"Really?" she asked.
"Yeah...Not really Lt. Liberty."
"You're right..." she sighed, going to change.
The outfit was skin tight, consisting of a leather half jacket, a sleeveless corset-type top, black cargo pants, black heeled boots, and black gloves. It also came with a utility belt.
She came out, putting the mask on. "The HYDRA camp is in Krausberg, tucked between these two mountain ranges. It’s a factory of some kind," Peggy told them.
"We should be able to drop you right on the doorstep."
"Just get us as close as you can," Steve said. "You know, you two are gonna be in a lot of trouble at the lab."
"And you won’t?"
"I don't care," Amy said. "I just want Schmidt dead."
"Where I’m going, if anybody yells at me I can just shoot ‘em."
"They will undoubtedly shoot back."
"Well, let’s hope it’s good for somethin’."
Amy turned to her brother. "Agent Carter, if we’re not in too much of a hurry I thought we could stop off in Lucerne for a late-night fondue."
Peggy looked awkwardly at Steve, who was getting ready to parachute. Amy stood at the edge of the plane.
"Stark is the best civilian pilot I’ve ever seen. He’s mad enough to brave this airspace, we’re lucky to have him."
"So are you two...? Do you...? Fondue?" Steve asked awkwardly.
Amy let out a bark of laughter. "This is your transponder. Activate it when you’re ready and the signal will lead us straight to you."
"Are you sure this thing works?"
"It’s been tested more than you, pal."
Amy held onto the plane as it shook. "Okay...This is our stop!"
"What?" Steve asked.
"We're gonna wing it! See you down there!" With a flash of light and a high-pitched noise, she was gone.
Steve shook his head at his little sister, getting ready to jump. "Get back here! We’re taking you all the way in. Where's Amy?!"
"She's already down there! As soon as I’m free, you turn this thing around and get the hell outta here!"
"You can’t give me orders!"
"The hell I can’t! I’m a Captain!" He jumped out of the plane with a final look.
Amy landed on her feet, blasting a HYDRA soldier back. Walking over to the man, she grabbed him by the shirt, hitting his head against his car. Taking his gun, she transferred the blue energy to it, shooting one of the other guards. Her brother ran behind her, looking at the carnage around him. "Took you long enough," she sighed, grabbing an extra gun and passing it over to him.
"How do I work this?" Steve asked.
"Point and shoot. Don't hit me. There's a truck coming."
They both jumped up, landed in the truck, and coming face to face with two HYDRA guards. "Fellas," Steve greeted, rearing back his fist.
"Where do you think we're going?" Amy asked, seeing dense trees.
"I don't know," Steve said.
Their question was answered by a huge factor. They jumped out and headed inside. They opened the first door they saw, seeing American soldiers.
"Who are you supposed to be?" an African American man asked.
Steve froze. "I’m… Captain America. And this is?"
Amy glanced down at her black outfit with a silver star outline. "I'm...Star Girl," she said, shrugging.
"I beg your pardon?" Another one asked.
"Stand back," Amy told the men, blasting the cell door.
Steve unlocked another one, leading people out. "What, are we taking everybody?" a man with a big mustache asked.
An Asian descent man held up his dog dogs. "I’m from Fresno, Ace."
"Is there anybody else? We're looking for Sergeant James Barnes. He goes by Bucky," Amy informed them.
"There’s an isolation ward in the factory, but no one’s ever come back from it," another prisoner asked.
"All right. The tree line is northwest, 80 yards past the gate. Get out fast and give ‘em hell. I’ll meet you guys in the clearing with anybody else we find," Steve told them.
"Wait! You know what you’re doin’?" the African American one asked.
"Yeah. I’ve knocked out Adolf Hitler over two hundred times."
Amy followed a hallway down towards one of the isolation rooms. On her way, she blasts several HYDRA agents. She heard the commotion as her fellow prisoners revolted. She blasted several HYDRA soldiers. Seeing a camera, she flipped it off, smirking. She caught sight of Zola, her eyes narrowing. The sort German man looked at her, realization in his eyes. She was about to blast his head off, but a voice caught her attention.
"Sergeant. 32557..."
She blasted the doors open, rushing in to find the love of her life strapped to a medical testing chair, speaking gibberish "Bucky?" she asked, rushing forward. "Oh my god...." She ripped the straps away from his body, helping him up. "It’s me. It’s Amy..."
The realization came to his eyes as he blinked groggily. "Amy?"
Leaning down, she pressed her lips against his. Pulling away, she helped him sit up. "Come on."
"Ames," he sighed, recognizing her at last.
"I thought you were dead," she whispered, kissing him again.
He brushed a piece of white blonde hair from her face. "Is your hair blonder?"
"Yeah...I got some things to tell you," Amy said, helping him to his feet.
"Buck?" Steve asked, rushing into the room.
Bucky froze, taking a step back. "Steve?"
"We thought you were dead."
"I thought you were smaller," Bucky said.
"Come on," Steve told them.
"What happened to you?" he asked.
"I joined the Army."
Bucky ran his eyes up and down Steve. "Did it hurt?"
"A little."
"Is it permanent?"
"So far," Steve smirked proudly.
"Can we talk about this when we're not in enemy territory?" Amy asked.
"What the hell happened to you? And what are you wearing?"
"Remember the job that I was sent on after you went to England?" she asked.
"Yeah?"
"Well, I touched a magical extraterrestrial weapon and well...Got superpowers."
"What?! And your hair?!"
"Part of the powers."
"And your...outfit?" Bucky asked, staring at the tight leather that was molded to her body.
"Can't kick HYRDA ass in a dress."
"Captain America! How exciting! I’m a great fan of your films. So Dr. Erskine managed it after all. Not exactly an improvement, but still impressive," Schmidt said.
Steve ran forward, punching the man in the face. "You’ve got no idea."
"Haven’t I?" he asked. He went to hit Steve, but he used his shield to protect himself. Amy shouted to Steve as she saw Zola pull a leaver.
"No matter what lies Erskine told you, you see I was his greatest success!"
Amy shuddered as Schmidt pulled out his face, revealing a ruby-red skull. "You don’t have one of those, do you?" Bucky asked the siblings.
"You are deluded, Captain. You pretend to be a simple soldier, but in reality, you are just afraid to admit that we have left humanity behind. Unlike you, I embrace it proudly. Without fear!"
"Then how come you’re running?" Amy shouted towards the men.
Schmidt froze. "Ah, Frauline...I remember those pretty blue eyes...And the power that runs through your veins."
"Well, unlike you...I didn't turn into a fucking ugly bitch."
The two HYDRA scientists continued their escape as did Amy, Steve, and Bucky. They ran across the factory, walking across a catwalk while everything was on fire underneath them. "Let’s go. One at a time," Steve said. Bucky reached the other side, but the gantry collapsed before Steve and Amy could pass through.
"Gotta be a rope or something!" Bucky said, frantically.
"Just go! Get out of here!"
"No! Not without you two!"
Steve jumped over the chasm. "Damn...Ames?!"
Amy sighed, and began to run, mustering up enough energy to shoot herself across the short space, landing in Bucky's arms as she crash-landed.
"So...powers?" he asked, helping her upright.
She nodded. Sending a blast to create a open the wall, she turned back towards him. "You have no idea."