Chapter 6
Lee stood with Steve, Peggy, and Colonel Phillips around a large table, examining a map of Europe. Different marks were scattered across the parchment, and Steve pointed to another region, and marked some more. They had been flown to London from Italy for their debriefing, and Lee still hadn’t gotten the chance to take a look around. He didn’t mind, though, because the feeling of finally being important in his new job outweighed the missed opportunity.
“The fifth one was here in Poland, right near the Baltic.” More marks on the map. “And the sixth one was… about here, 30, 40 miles west of the Maginot Line…I just got a quick look.” Another soldier picked up the map and departed. Peggy turned to him with a playful smile on her lips.
“Well, nobody’s perfect.” Steve nodded seriously, and turned to Phillips. He really doesn’t understand women at all, does he, Lee thought, and tried to pay attention to their debriefing.
“These are the weapon factories we know about. Sergeant Barnes said that Hydra shipped all the parts to another facility that isn’t on this map.” Lee pointed to one more, missed by Steve, and Steve marked another spot. “Well, now there’s all of them.”
Phillips turned to Peggy. “Agent Carter, coordinate with MI6. I want every Allied eyeball looking for that main Hydra base.”
“What about us?” She asked. Phillips looked determined, with a newfound passion in his eye. He almost looked cheerful, something Lee’s never seen in the stout angry man.
“We are gonna set a fire under Johann Schmidt’s ass. What do you say, Rogers? It’s your map, you think you can wipe Hydra off of it?” Lee perked up, hopeful.
Steve grinned and shook his hand. “Yes, sir. I’ll need a team.”
“We’re already putting together the best men.” Lee deflated internally, of course he is.
Steve shook his head, defiant. “With all due respect, sir. So am I.”
०००
Lee leaned against the counter of the bar and ordered a Manhattan, having heard another soldier order the same. He grabbed his drink, a whiskey cocktail with lemon, and joined the group gathered around a round table, discussing plans.
Steve nodded at Lee, and he raised his drink. He took a sip and immediately sputtered, the strong whiskey burning his throat. He tried to play it off, and tipped the rest back down his throat. Steve pretended not to see, but the tiny secret smile on his face ruined the image. Lee tipped the glass back one more time, and caught the lemon wedge between his teeth. The whiskey wasn't so bad soaked in the lemon, so he savored it and tuned back in to the conversation.
Dum Dum Dugan, a burly man with an impressively sculpted mustache and a bowler hat atop his head, leaned forward. “So, let’s get this straight.”
Another soldier, Gabe Jones, spoke up. “We barely got out of there alive, and you want us to go back?” Steve shrugged and nodded.
“Pretty much.”
James Falsworth, chimed in. “Sounds rather fun, actually."
Jim Morita leans in as well. “I’m in.”
Gabe Jones speaks to another soldier, Jacques Dernier, in French, then they both laugh and turn to the group. “We’re in.”
Dum Dum takes one last swig of his glass, and sets it down. “Hell, I’ll always fight. But you got to do one thing for me.
Steve looked suspicious. “What’s that?”
Dum Dum grinned from ear to ear. “Open a tab.”
Morita laughs it loud. “Well, that was easy.”
Steve gets up from the table and walks over to the bar, and ordered another round for the group. Lee watches him go, quiet. He goes to sip his drink, but realizes it's empty, and happens to glance back at the table. Everyone's laughing and singing along to an old bar song, and he felt a swell of pride in this new team. Steve leans against the counter, and Lee glances back to him, and his breath catches in his throat, table forgotten.
He watches his arms, the muscles rippling under his uniform, the curve of his back. He knew he couldn't get drunk from the whiskey, but fuck. Bucky joins him, and they strike up a conversation. Lee's eyes leave no prisoners, and he watches Bucky as well, observes his features. Even before the Serum, he noticed Bucky was easy on the eyes, but in his uniform, he looked dashing, and Lee was lost in thought at what both of them could do to him, they could pin him down, tease him, make him beg for mercy, they could easily just fucking take him for all he had, and he would've ravished in it, Lee wanted to drag them both to somewhere quiet, and give them what they're looking for--
Peggy strides up to the two, wearing a gorgeous red dress and heels, her hair is curled and not a strand out of place. The fantasy is ruined. Lee grimaced, and shook himself out of his private stupor, and tried to pay attention to the group again. He didn't mean to be jealous, this white-hot feeling running through him. He knew Steve was interested in her, he could see it all over his face, there was no denying it.
Lee got up out of his chair and walked to the bar, and ordered another Manhattan. At least they tasted good after a while, and he ordered an extra while he was there, to save the trip. Peggy was discussing work plans with Steve, and Bucky tried to flirt, offer her a dance, but she shut him down. Lee smirked a little, hearing the poor playboy be rejected, but didn't say anything. Steve watched Peggy leave, and Bucky finally noticed Lee waiting for his drinks, and nudged Steve in the side gently. Steve turned to Lee, finally noticing he was there as well.
“Lee! Are you ready for tomorrow's fun? I heard Agent Carter say Howard's going to test out some new equipment for you boys.” Bucky greeted him, and Steve wrapped an arm around the shorter man's shoulders, giving him a light squeeze.
“You alright?” He murmured quietly to him, and Lee relaxed a tiny bit. Steve smelled like light cologne and his arm was warm and heavy on his shoulders.
“I'm fine, just a bit tired. And yeah, she briefed me before we all left for here, so I would be ready for it. I guess she didn't tell you earlier, or I would have.” Steve looked a little bit quizzical, and let go of his shoulders.
Bucky noticed Lee's tone change slightly when talking about Peggy, and zeroed in on it. “So, I'm guessing you're not a fan of Miss Carter, are you, Lee? She seems like an all around bright woman. What do you think?” Lee looked at Bucky, narrowing his eyes, knowing exactly what he's trying to say. What's with the interrogation? He wanted to ask, but he knew that conversation wouldn't go well.
“Well… uh…” He took a moment to say the right words. “I think she's brilliant, but I also think her interests might be… uh…” He glanced at Steve, then continued, “too close.” Bucky watched him closely, then let it go. No sense in mentioning something he shouldn't. Especially right now, where it would mean dire consequences.
“All right then, fair enough. Keep an eye on her for me then, since Steve can't keep his eyes away.” Steve snapped his head up to Bucky and turned bright red. Lee laughed, and Bucky took that as a victory. The bartender finally came back with their large round, as well as Lee's two drinks, and they joined the group, passing alcohol out to eager hands.
°°°
The next morning, Lee woke up freezing, his chest bare and his blanket on the floor of his and Steve's shared room, Steve's bed already made and Steve himself already gone to see Howard. Lee rubbed the crust from his eyes, and sat up. He jumped out of bed from the top bunk, and strode into the tiny bathroom attached to the tiny room, and washed his face. He gazed in the mirror, tan skin and dark hair gazing back. He rubbed his cheek, then ghosted his fingers over his upper lip, where his mustache grew, and he smiled. Maybe I should shave, shake things up a bit, he thought, but decided against it. He brushed his teeth, and walked back into the bedroom, changing his clothes quickly into the fatigues he was issued, all black, warm and no longer huge on him like it was before.
He finally left their quarters, and headed to the weapons lab. Steve was already waiting with Peggy and Howard, and Howard was going over various prototypes of guns and other scientists were running tests on the guns that Bucky's group brought back from the HYDRA camp. Howard greeted him, and immediately walked over to another table, lined with different weapons and bits of what looked like armor.
“So Lee,” he called, gesturing for the other three to come over, “I've put some thought into what I could do with you, both combat- and defense-wise. Steve’s got his shield, but what do you have? You watch his back. So, you lean more towards stealth and defense, rather than combat. So I made here a few pieces.” He moved his arm in a sweeping motion towards the table, and Lee leaned in closer to look. There was armor, just like Lee initially thought, but it was different. The armor seemed to be mechanical in some ways, and Lee traced a hand over it. The panels in the armor shifted with his fingers, and he played with it, fascinated by its shimmer. He turned to the next weapon, which was a shield similar to Steve's, but was smaller and looked like it didn't cover much. He dismissed that one and continued, passing guns in various degrees of drama until he stopped at a pair of gauntlets, with panels on the tips of fingers in the glove. Lee grabbed one and tried it on, slipping into the glove and feeling the texture inside. It was soft, but firm, and he tested the panels on the tips and gently touched them with his bare other hand. The panels felt ridged, similar to fingerprints.
“Those are pulse shockers,” Howard said. “When you turn them on, they’ll emit a pulse of pure energy that will incapacitate anyone or anything you touch. I tested them a week ago, the pain is not a pretty feeling.”
“I want these and the armor, if you don't mind, Howard,” Lee said, grabbing the other glove and turning back toward the armor.
“That armor is actually similar to the gloves! The paneling on the armor emits the same energy, just less so. It's made more as a… repellent, of sorts.” Lee nodded and grabbed the armor as well.
“I’ll take them. May I try the armor on?” Howard nodded enthusiastically and Lee set to work. He kept his undershirt on and his underwear, then slipped the armored suit on. It fit snug, but not too tight, and the armored panels fit on his torso, his forearms, his thighs, and his shins. There was also a split panel on his back, and he decided to grab his jacket and put it on over the suit.
“Does the shock work over clothes?” He asked, turning his legs this way and that. Howard nodded again, and handed him his pants. He slipped them on, and turned to Steve, who was watching next to Peggy. Howard showed him the button to turn the suit on, and Lee grabbed the gauntlets too.
Lee crouched in a defensive stance at Steve, who grinned and shrugged his jacket off, grabbing his new circular shield that he picked before Lee arrived. Lee circled him, and pounced, fingers buzzing. They sparred, and Steve made contact with the armor, being thrown backwards a few times until Lee understood how his suit worked. Lee's kicks became more and more powerful, and he realized the energy in the suit was building up each time he made impact with Steve's shield, the vibranium vibrating waves of energy from the gauntlets. Finally they collided one last time, and both of them were thrown back by the blast of energy released from Lee’s suit against Steve’s shield. Lee sat down on the floor, breath knocked out of him, and let out a breathy laugh. Steve got up from where he was thrown, and staggered a moment before righting himself, a huge smile on his face.
“So,” he said, breathless. “I think that’ll work for us.” Lee looked down at the gauntlets, trying to calm his hammering heart at us. Us. That'll work for us.
Peggy interrupted Lee's thoughts. “Well, since we've got that sorted out,” she said. “I have other things to do. Good day, Howard, Lee, Captain.” The last bit was said rather curtly, and she departed. Lee looked at Steve quizzically, but he just shook his head and joined Howard.
“I had some ideas about the uniform.” He gave Howard a piece of paper, and turned back to Lee, who was up and waiting to go, already changed out of the suit.
Howard took a look at the paper. filled with sketches, and grinned. “Whatever you want, pal.”
°°°
Over the next few months, Steve, Bucky, Lee, and the Commandos slowly but steadily took down each HYDRA base they could find, and Lee's suit slowly became like a second skin to him. He stopped taking it off when he was on duty, and simply wore his pants and his jacket over it, staying warm but light. He learned the panels worked through even thick fabrics, everything except for leather, and retrofitted his pants to carry multiple types of knives, grenades, and various other weapons without becoming bulky.
Sometimes during missions, Bucky would run past him, scream “KNIFE!” and a switchblade would be thrown either at Bucky or at the enemy Bucky was running to. Sometimes Bucky would be accidentally stabbed in the arm, and he would just grit his teeth, yank the knife out, and use it to finish the job, his blood still staining it. Later Lee would apologize profusely and try to help bandage him up, but Bucky would wave it off and laugh.
Lee grew to feel the same fluttering protectiveness of Bucky as he does with Steve, and now the original thoughts he had that day in the bar came back in full force. He would force himself not to daydream, but instead his unconscious mind at night would flood with the dreams of the three together.
They finally wind down to the last known HYDRA base, deep in the mountains. The snow whips in their faces, and the Commandos prepare to zipline onto a train, headed into the mountain.
Bucky turned to Steve, before they're supposed to jump off. “Remember when I made you ride the Cyclone at Coney Island?”
“Yeah, I and I threw up?”
Bucky frowned. “This isn’t payback, is it?”
Steve grinned and tried to look innocent. “Now why would I do that?”
Gabe locates Zola through binoculars. “We were right. Dr. Zola’s on the train. Hydra dispatcher gave him permission to open up the throttle. Wherever he’s going, they must need him bad.”
Falsworth looked nervous. “Let’s get going, because they’re moving like the devil.”
Steve analyzed the distance between the group and the train. “We only got about a 10-second window. You miss that window, we’re bugs on a windshield.”
“Mind the gap.” Falsworth says, and readies the zipline.
Dum Dum turns to Steve, Bucky, and Lee. “Better get moving, bugs!”
Dernier keeps his eye on the train. “Maintenant! (Now!)” Steve, Bucky, and Lee zipline onto the train, wind whipping their faces. They land onto the top of the train, one by one, and sneak into one of the cars.
Lee switches on his suit and gauntlets, and Steve and Bucky head inside, shooting and knocking out HYDRA agents, while he takes up the rear. As the fight gets louder and more intense, more agents rush to where they slowly advanced, and others tried to come up from behind. Lee took each one down, bullets ricocheting off his armor, and he slammed his hands into the metal walls, creating a shockwave of energy that slammed into the agents from both sides, crumpling them. Lee turned to Steve, and did the same to his shield, sending a blast of energy reverberating off his shield, knocking out more soldiers.
They finally make it to Zola's car, where the tiny man screamed orders to soldiers, Steve and Bucky intercepting them.
Another trooper with a blaster appears, and Steve shouts a warning, but it's too late. The soldier blasts a huge hole out of the side of the train, sending Bucky tumbling until he grabs onto a broken railing, dangling off the side of the train over the mountain.
Steve scrambles to the edge, trying to grab him, and Lee rushes the soldier with the blaster, sending him falling out of the hole, tumbling through the open air down the mountain below. Lee turns and rushes to Zola, and kicks him hard in the face.
“Remember me, asshole?” He yells, and Zola is thrown from one side of the car to the other, slamming hard into the wall, leaving a dent in the shape of him against the wall.
Lee turns to Steve and Bucky, and realizes what's about to happen. Steve leans a little too close, and Lee rushes to grab him. Bucky's hand slips, and he tumbles, screaming, and suddenly Steve is screaming, struggling against Lee's hold, screaming for Bucky. Lee can only pull him from the edge, his throat tight and his hands shaking.
He's gone.