Roman Phoenix- A Marvel Fanfiction

Chapter 2: Pearl Harbor

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James had drove Natalie into town in his truck, and parking in front of a recruitment office, he looked at her, "You know, we would not mind you staying with us, even for a little longer."

"Thank you, Mr. Robertson, but this is where I am supposed to be. I promise to write you and Mary when I have a chance." Hugging the man, she got out of the truck, with nothing more than the address for the Robertson family farm, she walked into the recruitment office and said, "I wish to sign up."

The man standing at the desk looked her up and down and said, "The nurses' recruitment is further down the street." Nat couldn't help but get smart. "I am looking to actually fight, not amputate men's limbs so they can live another day."

"Look, Miss, if you haven't realized, there are only men here. Key word, men. Come back when you are a man, sweetheart." The man called for the next person and the man standing behind her pushed her out of the way when a military official came through, and she decided to follow him. Maybe if she got some sort of intelligence about-

"May I help you?" A young woman with a British accent asked, and Nat turned around, not knowing what to say. "Hi, I'm looking for...." she looked around and finding a name on a document, said, "Colonel Phillips. I am the new secretary and didn't know where my station is."

"Follow me, miss," the woman said and Nat followed before she was cornered by a few people, the woman stating, "She was following you. Think she might be a spy?"

A spy? Oh God, I did it, Nat thought before she shook her head, "No, nothing along the terms of a spy. I don't even know-"

"You said you were looking for Colonel Phillips. Knowing he doesn't need a secretary, you stood out like a sore thumb." The woman countered and the older man held up his hand. "Stand down, Agent Carter. Let's hear what she has to say."

"My name is Natalie McGregor, and I was the step-daughter to Harry Fraser, the man who was killed in a fire a couple years ago." She said, Phillips nodded, "I heard, three men were found in the blaze, yet a man was stating that God had saved you from the flames." 

"I ask to join the army. Please. I have nothing else to work for and I won't work as a nurse nor a factory worker." She stated, Carter asked, "Have you held a gun in your life?"

"No." Nat stated. Phillips sighed, "Then you are no use to us-"

"I caused the fire that destroyed my step-father's bar." she said, Agent Carter chuckled at that and Colonel Phillips asked, "How did you start the fire without getting hurt?"

Nat took a deep breath and focusing on the metal trash bin, it automatically burst into flames, and just as that happened, the flames disappeared, the garbage inside singed and dark from the fire she had started. "I am sure I can do more than just that."

"What are you?" Agent Carter looked at her and Nat sighed before stating, "I am the daughter of the Roman God, Vulcan, as much as that sounds stupid, explain how I could start a fire in the trash bin?"

"You planted it." Carter noted, then the woman grabbed a piece of paper with no importance and asked, "Catch this on fire."

"Agent Carter, that isn't-" Phillips said and instead of the paper catching fire, it was the stupid hat the woman wore. Again, as fast as the hat caught, it was out. "She might be an asset to us. Fine, but you are under my orders, until you are given your mission. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Sir!" she said and as he looked at Agent Carter, he said, "Go show her to her bunk, you can be in charge of her, until we get some sort of help with the SSR." 

~~~~~

1942

Natalie had been enjoying her day off, with Peggy having gone on a mission, she had been focusing on her conjuring of the flames and when the door swung open, she quickly flew like a bird, standing at attention as Colonel Phillips came in and said, "At ease. Your mission now. Your training has been... promising." he said, it had been a few months since she started in the army, mostly with the SSR, but she had been speaking to Peggy about how she had probably been the firebird over New York back in 1939 when the Nazi party was starting to mobilize their army and invade Poland in September of that year. 

"I try to strive to be the best, sir," she noted, trying to be civil. It was when Phillips took a seat, and looked at her, "I have a mission for you. Have you heard of Abraham Erskine?" 

"I heard Agent Carter was going on a mission that involved him, why?" and taking a seat, she read the files on the table. When she was done, she asked, "HYDRA?"

"A Nazi subdivision of their science department, seems that Schmidt is getting just stronger with each day that passes. Dr. Erskine was a part of it, but not on his own accord. Agent Carter had gone and done a rescue mission, and you will be there to make sure he doesn't get gunned down." Nat gave the files back to Phillips as Peggy came in, nodding, "So I assume you spoke to her?"

"He has, so I am babysitting the doctor?" Nat joked, then said, "I will do my job without fail. Where can I meet him?" An older man was coming into the room and with a German accent, looked at Natalie, "This is the Natalie McGregor who in turn will protect me from HYDRA?"

"Dr. Erskine, I won't fail in my assignment." She noted, maybe a little too proudly when he looked her over and said, "There is a fire in your soul. Will you join me for a small walk?"

"Yes, Doctor, but inside the compound." She said and leading him out of the room, sighed, "When you said fire in my soul, what do you mean by that?"

"It's how you portrayed yourself, girl." He said, walking in pace with her. With Natalie being in a beige uniform and her hair done in a french braid, she knew she didn't belong in this uniform. 

With how everything had been going for her, she was surprised she wasn't dead yet. Nat was sure without her mother, she wouldn't last longer than she has, and then Erskine continued, "Did you know what I did for HYDRA?"

"You made a serum to enhance the human body, making it more super-human in a way." she said, and he chuckled, "My, you are a fast learner."

"I had to be. If I couldn't learn fast enough, what's to say I wouldn't be here now." Erskine chuckled. "Ah, your humor amazes me. Do you know what went wrong with HYDRA?"

"No, I don't" she said and he enlightened her, "They didn't wish to wait for the right time, almost like a wine, air it too soon-"

"-and you can ruin the batch." She nodded, Harry had complained of a few wines he had gotten before her mother's death. "So they took it too soon and things went horribly out of hand?"

"In a way, but in Schmidt's case, he wanted to prove that he is far superior than the 'greater race', and with his impatience, he is now far past the help of anyone. A man so evil, it made him worse." Nat nodded, when Harry drank, he would beat her and starve her until he died, so she knew what Erskine meant, if to her limited ability. Upon getting to a room that was vacant, she said, "You may rest here and we can see about getting you into a lab in the morning."

"It was nice speaking with you, Miss McGregor. I look forward to having you working with me." And with that, Natalie had left Dr. Erskine in his room before returning to hers, in a better mood than earlier that day.