Serenade in Blue

02

"What am I gonna do? Collect scrap metal..."

"Yes!"

"...in my little red wagon."

"Why not?"

"I'm not gonna sit in a factory, Bucky, Bea, Phillip."

"I don't..." Bucky, Phillip and Bea began.

"Bucky, Phillip, Bea, come on! There are men laying down their lives. I got no right to do any less than them. That's what you don't understand. This isn't about me."

"Right. 'Cause you got nothing to prove," Bucky retorted.

"Hey, Sarge!" Connie called. "Are we going dancing?"

Bucky turned to the girls. "Yes, we are." He turned back to Steve. "Don't do anything stupid until Bea, Phillip and I get back."

"How can I? You, Phillip and Bea are taking all the stupid with you," Steve shot back.

"You're a punk." He walked towards Steve and hugged him goodbye.

"Jerk. Be careful." As Bucky walked away, he added, "Don't win the war till I get there!"

Bucky saluted, then started to walk away. "Come on, girls. They're playing our song."

Bea sighed as she walked away and Phillip followed.

"May I have this dance, doll?" Phillip asked as he offered his hand to Bea and she accepted.

As they swayed to the music, she felt a set of eyes on her and asked, "What?"

"I'm gonna miss you, Bea. Hey, be careful when you're flying, okay? I don't want you getting shot down."

"I'll miss you too. I'll be careful, but you gotta promise the same."

He smiled. "I think I can do that."

"Good. Here's to the future. Whatever it may be."

"Here's to it."

Phillip stopped dancing and returned her smile as he took her features in. "I love you, Beatrice."

Bea wrapped her hands around his neck as she said quietly, "I love you, too. Come back to me, Phillip. Please."

"You come back to me, too." He pulled her arms from his neck and held her hands. "I'll try. I can't promise for sure, but I'll try."

"That's all I can ask for."

---

Steve made his way to a medical room.

A nurse whispered something inaudible to a young doctor.

The young doctor said to Steve, "Wait here."

"Is there a problem?" Steve questioned.

"Just wait here." He left.

Steve glanced at a warning sign against lying on your enlistment and began getting ready to leave.

An Enlistment Office MP walked into the room and Steve stared at him worriedly.

Dr. Abraham Erskine entered the room as the Enlistment Office MP quietly left.

Dr. Erskine said to the MP, "Thank you." He turned to Steve. "So, you want to go overseas. Kill some Nazis."

"Excuse me?" Steve asked.

"Dr. Abraham Erskine." He walked over and introduced himself to Steve. "I represent the Shield Scientific Reserve."

"Steve Rogers."

Dr. Erskine began looking through Steve's file.

As he did so, Steve asked, "Where are you from?"

"Queens," Dr. Erskine replied. "73rd Street and Utopia Parkway. Before that, Germany. This troubles you?"

Steve shook his head. "No."

Dr. Erskine flipped through Steve's file. "Where are you from, Mr. Rogers? Mmm? Is it New Haven? Or Paramus? Five exams in five different cities."

"That might not be the right file."

"No, it's not the exams I'm interested in. It's the five tries. But you didn't answer my question. Do you want to kill Nazis?"

"Is this a test?"

"Yes."

"I don't wanna kill anyone. I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from."

"Well, there are already so many big men fighting this war. Maybe what we need now is the little guy, huh? I can offer you a chance." They left the room. "Only a chance."

"I'll take it."

"Good. So where is the little guy from, actually?"

"Brooklyn."

Dr. Erskine stamped Steve's form and handed him back his file. "Congratulations, soldier."

Steve opened the file and saw that he'd been stamped with 1A. He had been accepted.