12 The Team

On a stage with important people Senator Brant welcomes the hero Captain America to the stage, only for no one to show up.

Same day In the depths of Allied Headquarters, a dimly lit briefing room served as the clandestine hub for strategic planning. A group of determined minds had convened to finish Hydra off.

Captain Steve Rogers stood at a map table, focused and resolute. With a hint of weariness in his voice, he recounted his recent exploits.

"The fourth one was in Poland, here, not far from the Baltic," Steve's voice resonated in the room. Peggy Carter, a sharp and capable agent, observed intently as Steve meticulously sketched coordinates on the map. His lines mirrored the ones etched onto the map from the Hydra factory, a testament to his attention to detail.

"And the last was outside of Strasbourg, say thirty or forty miles west of the Maginot line," Steve continued, looking up from his markings. He shrugged with a half-smile. "I only got a quick look."

Peggy's response was swift, injecting a dose of levity into the tense atmosphere. "Nobody's perfect."

"But with this, we have a road to follow and take the fight to Hydra," Adam says.

The map was soon lifted from the table and carried across the room. Howard Stark, an ingenious inventor, approached with a curious device in hand. A blue Hydra cartridge, its enigmatic purpose concealed within.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be picking up a medal right about now?" Howard quipped, his voice tinged with mischief.

Steve's response was swift, and his commitment to duty was unwavering. "I'm off the publicity circuit."

"Ya fuck that political asshole." Adam says

A presence approached from a distance. Colonel Phillips, his demeanor a blend of authority and begrudging respect, addressed Steve.

"Rogers, you just embarrassed a senior senator in front of a dozen reporters and ten members of Parliament," Colonel Phillips began, his tone surprisingly approving. With a hint of irony, he handed Steve a medal. "You should get a medal just for that."

The colonel's attention then shifted to the Hydra cartridge that had intrigued them all.

"You figured out what this is yet?" Colonel Phillips inquired, skepticism dancing in his eyes.

"If?" Howard Stark's retort was swift, embodying both curiosity and scientific skepticism. "Well, either you're wrong or Schmidt's damn near rewritten the laws of physics."

Howard sauntered off toward his laboratory, his love for the immutable rules of science palpable.

As Colonel Phillips approached the room-sized map table, the truth of Hydra's nefarious factories was laid bare. Each location was meticulously plotted, but Steve's thoughts were focused on what lay beyond, what wasn't on the map.

"These are all of Hydra's factories," Colonel Phillips stated, but Steve's gaze remained unwavering.

"The ones we know about," Steve interjected, his voice tinged with a mix of concern and determination. "But Sgt. Barnes said Hydra shipped all the bombs to another facility. And that... wasn't on the map."

"We'll just have to find them, then," Adam adds.

A decision was reached, and Colonel Phillips walked resolutely towards his office, his voice carrying authority.

"Agent Carter, coordinate with MI6. I want every Allied eyeball looking for that main Hydra base."

Peggy's response was swift, her resolve unshaken. "What about us?"

Colonel Phillips turned back, his gaze landing on Steve, who stood ready for the challenge ahead.

"We're going to light a fire under Johann Schmidt's ass," the colonel declared, the room echoing with his resolute words.

He turned to Steve, whose moment had come. "What do you say, Rogers? It's your map. Think you can wipe Hydra off it?"

A pause ensued, with tension hanging in the air as all eyes rested on Steve. His gaze met Colonel Phillips's, and his voice was steady and resolute.

"I'm going to need a team."

The colonel's affirmation was swift, a nod of approval and acknowledgment. "We've already started lining up the best men."

Steve's response was equally swift, a glimpse into his unwavering resolve. "If you don't mind, sir, so have I."

In a bar called the Whip and Fiddle pub, sitting at a table, Falsworth, Jones, Dernier, Morita, and Dugan rest on stools as Adam and Steve convince them to join the fight with Hydra while playing drarts.

The atmosphere in the room shifted, with voices laced with uncertainty and skepticism. Jones, his eyes betraying the harrowing experiences they had just escaped, voiced the collective sentiment.

"We barely got out of there alive, and you want us to go back?"

Steve, undeterred by the challenge, weighed a dart in his hand. With a casual flick of his wrist, he sent the dart sailing through the air, the satisfying thud of a bullseye punctuating his response.

"Pretty much."

A lingering silence hung in the air as the men exchanged glances, their unspoken thoughts passing like an electric current between them.

Falsworth's voice, tinged with a mixture of bravado and anticipation, broke the tension. "Sounds rather like a good time, actually."

Morita, his resolve unyielding, chimed in with unwavering determination. "I'm in."

Steve's gaze shifted to Dernier, a silent inquiry conveyed in his eyes. Dernier, a man of few words but fierce loyalty, offered a nod of affirmation.

"Je combattrai jusqu'a ce que le dernier de ces batards soit mort, echaine ou bien qu'il pleure comme un nouveau-ne!" Dernier's words rang out, his conviction a rallying cry. ("I will fight until the last of these bastards is dead, chained, or crying like a newborn!")

Jones, his laughter infectious, added his agreement in a lighthearted manner. "J'espere tous les trois!" ("I hope all three!")

"Bien sûr, ce sont des nazis, sinon je serais déçu." Adam adds laughter. (Of course, their Nazis would be disappointed if we didn't.)

The camaraderie was palpable as Dernier's laughter mingled with Adam's and Jones's, a moment of unity despite the language barrier. However, a glance around the room revealed puzzled expressions on some faces.

Adam speaks for them. " Their in."

Dum Dum Dugan, never one to shy away from a challenge or a drink, swiped the foam from his mustache after finishing a beer.

"I'll fight. Well, I'll always fight. But you've got to do one thing for me," Dum Dum Dugan declared, his tone part jest, part earnest request.

Steve's curiosity was piqued. "What's that?"

With a flourish, Dum Dum Dugan handed over his empty pint glass, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Open a tab."

Laughter erupted in the room, a moment of levity in the midst of a serious discussion. In that instant, the bond between these men, forged in battles and shared experiences, shone brightly. Everyone hands Steve their glasses, and he heads over to the bar and talks to Bucky.

Back at the table, Adam and the guys got a new round of drinks and were laughing when Peggy came in dressed to impress. Everyone at the table falls silent, looking at her, as does the rest of the pub. It lasted until she went over to Steve to talk to him.

Inside the confines of Stark's advanced laboratory at Allied Headquarters, a sense of cautious curiosity permeated the air. Robot claws moved with calculated precision, carefully manipulating the enigmatic cube cartridge within a blast chamber. Outside the chamber, Howard Stark observed intently, his analytical mind at work, while his diligent engineer jotted down every detail.

"Hmm. Emission signatures are unusual. Alpha, beta, and gamma ray neutral," Howard's voice echoed with a touch of intrigue. His gaze was fixed on the peculiar object, his thoughts racing to decipher its secrets. He couldn't resist a wry comment, doubting that Steve Rogers had detected the subtleties he was unraveling.

As Howard gently extracted a glowing pellet from the cartridge, his curiosity only grew. The pulsating light emitted by the pellet cast an eerie glow across the laboratory.

"Hmm. Looks harmless enough," Howard mused, his tone laced with a hint of skepticism. He maneuvered a robot claw with practiced precision, positioning a sparking wire with calculated intent.

"Howard Stark, master of understatement," he quipped, a playful glint in his eyes. With a deft touch, he brought the sparking wire into contact with the glowing pellet.

The ensuing explosion shattered the tranquility of the laboratory, shattering windows and sending shockwaves through the air. Howard's lithe form was propelled forcefully against the far wall, a testament to the unexpected potency of the reaction.

In the aftermath, dust settled and silence returned, broken only by Howard's resilient voice.

"Write that down," he managed, his tone remarkably composed despite the chaos that had just unfolded.

The engineer, undeterred by the explosion and still focused on the task at hand, obediently recorded Howard's instruction. In this high-stakes game of discovery and innovation, even setbacks and unexpected outcomes were valuable pieces of the puzzle, propelling them ever closer to the heart of Hydra's enigmatic power.

Later Steve approaches Private Lorraine, who is reading a newspaper article in Allied Headquarters, asking for Mr. Stark. Lorraine points out Stark's absence and offers Steve a seat. As they talk, Lorraine admires Steve's heroic actions in saving hundreds of men, which he modestly downplays. Their conversation is interrupted by Peggy Carter's arrival. Lorraine hastily retreats as Peggy exchanges cold glances with Steve.

Peggy and Steve engage in a tense exchange about his newfound popularity. Steve suggests Peggy and Stark might have their own private interactions, causing Peggy to coldly dismiss him. Steve confronts Peggy about her attitude, but she remains aloof, implying that Steve still doesn't understand women.

Later, Steve finds himself in Stark's advanced lab, where they discuss shields and armor. Stark presents Steve with a prototype shield made of vibranium, an exceptionally rare and lightweight metal with incredible durability. Peggy enters the lab, observing the shield's capabilities. Unimpressed, she tests it by firing bullets at Steve, who successfully blocks them. Peggy acknowledges its effectiveness before leaving, her demeanor icy.

Steve, intrigued by the shield's potential, hands Stark a sketch of his envisioned uniform. While Steve discusses his ideas, both he and Stark observe Peggy's departure, their thoughts seemingly focused on her. Steve concludes with a request for a customized uniform, with Stark agreeing to help.