The Woman in Uniform

Arnim Zola

Marlene looked up at him. Her eyes told her story. They told of her pain, her sorrow, how she wanted everything to stop. They told of how she was thankful.

"That was the first time anyone said his name since his death," she croaked. "At least in front of me."

"Yes, well, you aren't someone who breaks easily, blondie. That's obvious."

"I suppose I wish people would stop walking on glass around me. How am I meant to heal when everyone looks at me like some abused puppy?"

"That wouldn't help much," Howard cracked a faint smile. "I'll leave you to glaring at the German guy."

"He's Swiss."

"Whatever."

Marlene turned back to the glass, watching carefully.

"I don't eat meat," Zola declared.

No to putting rat poisoning in his chicken wing I suppose, Marlene said in her mind, partly joking.

"Why not?" Phillips questioned, raising his dark grey brow.

"It disagrees with me."

"How about cyanide?" Phillips questioned, as he began to eat the steak. "Does that give you the rumbly tummy too? Every Hydra agent that we’ve tried to take alive has crunched a little pill before we can stop him. But not you. So, here’s my brilliant theory. You wanna live."

"Is that your own theory, or Agent Marlene Rogers?" Zola challenged. "Speaking of, where is the American Beauty?"

"Is that what your friends are calling her?" Phillips asked curiously, taking another bit of steak.

"No. She's known as the Midnight Fox," Zola's beady eyes bore into Phillip's. "But you already knew that. I was hoping I could speak with her."

"Not going to happen."

"Why not?"

"I bought you dinner," Phillips passed him a piece of paper.

"‘Given the variable information he has provided, and in exchange for his full cooperation, Dr. Zola is being remanded to Switzerland.’" he quoted, his eyes scanning the paper.

"I sent that message to Washington this morning. Of course it was encoded. You guys haven’t broken those codes, have you? That would be awkward."

"Schmidt will know this is a lie."

"He’s gonna kill you anyway, Doc. You’re a liability. You know more about Schmidt than anyone. And the last guy you cost us was Captain Rogers’ closest friend. So, I wouldn’t count on the very best of protection. There’s you or Schmidt. It’s just the hand you’ve been dealt."

"I'll speak with Agent Rogers," Zola stated. "I speak with her, and you get your answers."

Marlene didn't hesitate to enter. She stood beside the Colonel with her arms crossed, glaring down at Zola.

"Ah, Mrs. Barnes!" Zola grinned. "Such a pleasure to finally meet you! I've heard a lot about you!"

"It's Rogers," Marlene said stoically.

"Silly of me, Miss Rogers" Zola corrected. "I'm sorry to hear about your wedding being postponed. A tragedy truly."

"Yes, well, that coincidently happens when the groom is blasted off of a train into a revene," she said icily. "And in all technicality, he never purposed."

"You wear the ring around your neck, correct?"

Marlene's hand uncontiously flew to her neck where the ring and his dog tags rested.

"That's close enough in my opinion."

"You've spoken to her," Phillips spoke, bringing the attention back to himself. "Finish your side of the deal or I'll let Miss Rogers take the anger she has bottled up inside of her on you. She was brutal before, as you must have heard, imagine now especially if you are the man responsible for the death of her loved one."

"Schmidt believes he walks in the foot steps of the Gods," said Zola. "Only the worl itself will satisfy him."

"You do realize how psychoatic that is, correct?" Marlene raised a brow.

"But the sanity of the plan is of no consequence."

"And why is that?"

"Because he can do it!"

"What's his target?"

"His target is," Zola paused dramatically. "Everywhere."

"Oh joy," she said loftly.

***

"Steve?" Marlene called as she made her way through the camp. "Steven Grant Rogers!"

"No need to yell," he grumbled.

"You reek of alcohol," she scrunched up her nose.

"I can't even get drunk," he looked down at his feet from where he sat alone.

"That would be one of the effects of your procedure," Marlene sat beside him. "Peggy told me that you blame yourself for his death."

"I could've done more to save him," Steve said, his eyes brimming with tears.

"You did the best you could, brother," she said sadly. "I don't blame you. You shouldn't blame yourself for Ja- his death."

"You can't even say his name," Steve noted.

"Neither can you."

The Rogers siblings sat in silence for several moments in their grief. Both loved James Barnes. Both in different ways, but they loved him nonetheless.

"He loved you, you know?" Steve said, turning to look at his sister. "He loved you more than words can express."

A fresh wave of silent tears fell down her face, dripping off of her jaw.

"When I found him at the Hydra base while you were leading the strike out, he was mumbling three things," Steve continued. "The number on his dog tags, something about plums, and your name, Marlene. His first questions, after whether or not the after effects of the procedure were permenant, was about you. He asked where you were, and if you were alive. Gosh, you should've seen his face when I said you were here and off fighting Hydra guards."

"I miss him so much, Steve," she said, her voice shaking. "We were meant to go touring around London after the war. I was supposed to show him around. We were supposed to be happy. All of us."

"We will, eventually," Steve said, bringing his sister into a hug. "We'll always remember him, and love him, but over time, it'll hurt less."

"Steve, I can't lose anyone else," she cried. "His death brought me out of my fairy tale where we all come out of this unscratched and alive. I fear every moment that you won't be there in the end of it. That Peggy and Howard won't. I'm so scared. I'm terrified that I'll lose everyone else-"

"I'm not leaving," he assured.

"It's not about whether or not you're leaving. It's about whether or not you die. It's about whether or not I'll see you when this is all over."

"I won't die on you," he promised. "I'll be there with you at the end of it."

Steve Rogers needed to learn not to make promises he couldn't keep. They truly came to back to bit him in his America's ass.