IN THE briefing room, the SSR and Howling Commandos sat around a long table. They all felt solemn, but all knew this was it. They could finish this once and for all. The missions they started in 1943 would all come to a close after this. 1945 was their year to win the war. Colonel Phillips spoke first.
"Johann Schmidt belongs in a bug house. He thinks he's a God. He's willing to blow up half the world to prove it, starting with the USA."
Howard leaned over the table, stressing his point. "Schmidt's working with powers beyond our capabilities. He gets across the Atlantic, he will wipe out the entire eastern sea board in an hour."
"How much time we got?" Gabe asked.
Phillips smiled. "According to my new best friend, under twenty four hours."
"Where is he now?" Jacques asked softly.
"Hydra's last base is here," Phillips said as he showed a photo. "In the Alps. Five hundred feet below the surface."
Jim Morita looked around questionably. "So, what are we supposed to do. I mean, it's not like we can just knock on the front door."
Steve, who sat quietly at the edge of the table, blurted, "Why not? That's exactly what we're gonna do."
Before any plans began, Colonel Phillips noticed an empty chair. She was the one to plan strategies, after all. "Rogers. Where is Evelyn?"
Everyone turned to the empty seat, not realizing she was gone since she had been so quiet and distant for the past few days. Steve gulped, realizing he had been neglecting her in order to mourn. Where was she? He shook his head. "I-I'm not sure, sir."
Howard stood up as a machine beeped behind him. The lab tech sitting in front of it said, "Colonel, we have a rogue jet taking off with unauthorized access."
Howard cursed under his breath before turning. "Peg, make sure Evelyn is in her room and not on that flyer!"
Peggy took off running with Steve following as Colonel Phillips began cursing everything and anything above. "What the devil is she doing?"
Howard remembered the conversation he had with his little sister the night before. She had pleaded that he go with her to search for Bucky's body, at least for closure. (She still had the feeling he was alive like before no matter what anyone told her) Howard denied her, saying Phillips would never allow it now that they could finish Schmidt once and for all. He remembered her hugging him tightly, mumbling how thankful she was and how much she loved him. Howard took off running to the control room.
Finally managing to get his shaky hands to the microphone that was connecting to her jet, he called, "Evelyn Vanna Stark, get back down here now!"
It was silent for a moment before the radio crackled. "I have to look for him," her devastated voice broke through. "He'd do it for me. If there's a chance... a chance, Howie. I have to check."
Howard felt tears spring in his eyes. "Then, come back. We'll go together, Lynnie. I promise."
"I can't waste anymore time," she replied. "Hey, I love you, okay? Let Peg and Steve know as well."
Before Howard could reply, she had turned off the radio.
Inside of the small jet, she fisted Bucky's wedding ring in her hand as she directed the jet to the place that haunted her nightmares. It took over an hour for her to even get close, but with all of the snow, it was becoming difficult to see. Looking down, she noticed an emergency light flickering as the snowstorm grew worse outside. Keeping a tight hold on the controls, she began to lower herself to the ground, deciding it was better than being stuck in the air if something went wrong. Suddenly, lights began flashing on the jet, and she heard the engine shut off.
She was not as high, so they landing did more damage to the plane rather than Evelyn herself, but she still grunted in pain as her head hit the seat hard. Shaking slightly as cold air seeped in, she struggled to open the hatch on the side.
"Shit," she muttered, finally kicking it open with her enhanced strength. Walking into the snow that was only rising, she decided to yell, "BUCKY!"
Her voice echoed as she stared at the setting sun ahead of her.
"BUCKY! JAMES!" she yelled again, walking farther away from the crashed jet. "I'M HERE! TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE!"
Evelyn felt her tears freezing to her face, wondering how much further she should walk. "I'm sorry," she shouted. "I should have came earlier! I tried! I couldn't slip away!"
No answer.
"I lo-love you, James! I-I need you to be okay! Please! Please respond, do something!"
The sun was getting lower as the chill grew angrier. She sobbed openly, wishing for it to be her instead of him. He was probably in pain, dying. She should have come sooner.
All Evelyn could think about what the fact that the war was so close to being over. Bucky and she could have lived peacefully, finally. They could have gotten a nice home. Started a family. Grew old with Steve and Peggy at their side. Howard would be around—who knows if he would get married or have kids.
"BUCK! Please!" she cried out in anger, wishing for a sign.
As the snow grew heavier, she decided to turn to go back to the jet. She would rest there for the night and restart her search in the morning.
As she made it inside of the hatch again, she closed it tightly. Sitting on the chair, she tried to start the jet, but nothing worked. She then bundled herself up in a blanket; she felt colder and colder by the minute.
All she could think about was Bucky freezing to death. She shivered at the thought.
Thinking back on memories before the war in order to keep her mind occupied, she thought of the first time Howard and Bucky met. It was by accident, of course, that Howard should spontaneously visit when she had just had a sleepover with Steve and Bucky.
As Howard let himself in, Bucky walked from the bathroom shirtless as he began to complain about the tightness of one of Howard's old shirts. Evelyn looked between Bucky and Howard's stare down in complete surprise before laughter bubbled from her throat. It grew worse when Steve appeared from her room from changing, adding more to the already awkward scene. After Howard threatened to kick both of their asses, Evelyn managed to introduce her best friends. Howard was less than pleased.
Evelyn smiled softly as more memories stayed in her brain... popping up randomly. She did not know the snow was covering the jet. She did not know that Bucky was merely a few more inches trying to call for her. She did not know she would never see Howard again. She did not know that the second her eyes fell shut that it would be the last time they would open for at least seventy years.
No, Evelyn simply sighed contently while clutching her wedding rings on the necklace in her fist.
Days later, the victory over Schmidt and the Nazis was celebrated all over the world. The Howling Commandos shared a toast to the three fallen soldiers–James Barnes, Evelyn Stark, and Steve Rogers. The latter of the three giving his life in the last battle to stop the bombs from blowing up America.
Over those few days, Howard Stark, Peggy Carter, and Colonel Phillips did not stop searching for Steve and Evelyn—all had lost hope on Bucky. Howard refused to believe she was dead, much like she refused to believe Bucky was gone. He had a feeling she was out there, but there was no sign of her. After finding the Tesseract, Howard pleaded to keep going for a few more weeks.
Colonel Phillips finally called it, realizing after all this time, there was no chance of surviving where they were. Howard mourned his sister and friends, while Peggy mourned her friends and love of her life. The pair relied a lot on each other, both going through the hundreds of pages of Evelyn's notes and ideas. She never stopped thinking and noting her thoughts.
Howard found all of Evelyn's letters to Steve and Bucky and the ones they sent her. He even found letters to him that were never sent. The other important thing he found were the notes on Venus and Rebirth—all of Erskine's notes he had lent her. He knew he needed to keep that safe.
Peggy, of course, found the most important thing of all: a large file with the word S.H.I.E.L.D. written on it.
In it was every idea and thought she had ever had about the organization, wanting to be good. To help people from things like Schmidt and wars. Peggy and Howard nodded at each other, refusing to not allow Evelyn's story to be told just as often as Captain America's.
The story of Venus.
Venus, the Roman Goddess of beauty and desire and love and fertility. Evelyn chose it for its irony. That women were only seen to look pretty, make babies, and to be desired... she hated the notion. She wanted women to be seen as heroes just as men were. And she was a hero just as much as any other man or woman who was involved in the war.
No one would let her story be forgotten.