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"C'MON," SAID STEVE, nodding down the hall. Bex followed.
"You're resilient," she said to him, as they sat and waited to be directed into an examination room.
"Hey, so are you," he told her. He looked down at the sheet he'd filled out with all his information. "Where you from this time?" he asked her.
"Albany," she said, peering down at her own. "You?"
"Trenton."
"Jersey, again?" she laughed.
"I ran out of good cities in New York," he shrugged.
"I haven't done this in a while," she said, looking down at the card. She picked at the corner of the paper.
"Why?" he asked.
"I don't know," she replied. "I guess I just gave up on it for a little while."
"So why try again?"
"I guess you inspired me," she said, turning to him and smiling.
In that moment, both their names were called. Their exam rooms were on opposite sides of the building. With one last look at each other, they walked away, into the rooms. The curtains were closed.
— ☆ —
"I can offer you a chance," said Dr. Erskine to Steve. He opened the curtains and led Steve to the desk. "Only a chance."
"I'll take it," replied Steve, following him.
"Good."
"But wait."
"Wait?" questioned Erskine.
"There's this girl."
Erskine looked at the ceiling for a moment.
"Ah, a girl," he said, a smile lingering on his face.
"Her name's Rebecca Cooper," Steve explained. "She's in an examination room across the hall."
"And you want me to give her a chance, too."
"She's waited. You can look, she's tried, but no one lets her in the army."
"And you empathize with this girl, Rebecca Cooper?"
"I do."
"Well, if you believe in her so blindly.." he said. He motioned for one of the soldiers at the desk to go to Rebecca's room and bring her there. "You're taking the chance?" he checked.
"Yes, sir," said Steve.
Erskine put a stamp reading 1A on Steve's card.
"Congratulations, soldier."
Just then, Rebecca walked out beside the soldier. A slight look a fear was on her face, as no one told her what she had been dragged away for.
"Are you Rebecca Cooper?" asked Dr. Erskine.
"Yes," said Rebecca.
"And where are you from, Ms. Cooper?"
Rebecca didn't know how to answer. In fact, she thought she'd definitely been caught.
"Uh.."
"Manhattan, perhaps? Queens? Albany?" He looked through a file someone behind the desk had handed him. "Where is it you're from actually, Ms. Cooper?"
Rebecca let out a breath and gave in. "Brooklyn, sir," she said, looking down. "But I—"
"And why is it you tried four times?"
Rebecca only needed to think about it for a second. "Because I want to be in the army, sir. I want to help my country. Help the people. I don't like war, sir. My brothers died in the war. I want to help it be over."
"Hmm," said Erskine.
"Am I in trouble?" she asked.
"No," he said. He took her newest card out of the folder and stamped it. "You're in the army," he completed.
He handed Rebecca the card. Stamped on was the sign 1A.
"This is our chance," said Steve. He held up his own, with the same stamped on.
Rebecca smiled at him.
— ☆ —
Some weeks later, Rebecca stood in a line of men. They wore hard helmets and green jumpsuits. As they were called to attention, she shortly looked Steve in the eye, then looked straight ahead as she was told. First days, huh?
The voice that had called them to attention was a woman's— it made Rebecca surprised.
"Gentlemen—" she caught sight of Rebecca, "and ladies, I am Agent Carter. I supervise all operations for this division."
A man walked behind her, carrying a box of clipboards.
"What's with the accent, Queen Victoria?" said a soldier just a few away from Bex. "Thought I was signin' up for the US army," he completed cockily.
"What's your name, Soldier?" she asked.
"Gilmore Hodge, your majesty."
"Step forward, Hodge."
He did as he was told.
"Put your right foot forward," she said.
"We gonna wrassle?" he smirked. "Cause I got a few moves I know you'd like," he said.
Agent Carter looked him in the eyes, then punched him in the nose.
Bex glanced at Steve. They both raised their brows in surprise.
"Agent Carter," called a voice from afar. This one belonged to a man.
"Colonel Phillips," she replied.
"I can see that you are breaking in the candidates, that's good," said the older man, walking over. He looked down at Hodge. "Get your ass up out of that dirt and stand in that line at attention til' somebody tells you what to do," he told him.
Hodge did as he said. "Yes, sir."
"General Patton has said that wars are fought with weapons but they are won by men. We are going to win this war because we have the best— men." He stuttered when his eyes dawned on Steve and Rebecca. "And because they are going to get better," he finished. "Much better."
"The Strategic Scientific Reserve is an Allied effort made up of the best minds in the free world," Colonel Phillips explained. "Our goal is to create the best army in history. But every army starts with one man. At the end of this week, we will choose that man. He will be the first in a new breed of super-soldier. And they will personally escort Adolf Hitler to the gates of hell."
— ☆ —
Rebecca never thought she'd call training hard. But glory, was it.
Climbing rope after rope, wall after wall, crawling in the mud with a rifle— all especially hard when boys are calling at you and specially trying to sabotage the efforts. She'd tried to help Steve a couple times, too, but got hollered at for it, because that wasn't allowed. He and Rebecca were supposed to get stronger on their own. But why they couldn't do it together, Rebecca didn't really understand. Wasn't winning a war a team effort?
"Pick up the pace, ladies!" called their coach.
It was supposed to get the men angry and motivated, but Bex couldn't really take it as an insult, could she?
"Let's go! Let's go! Double time!"
Bex was getting tired. Though surely, she'd just have to endure it. It's not like she could quit now, right? This was her chance.
It might have been a little sad, but she was ahead of Steve. She kept looking back and attempting to wait for him to catch up, but every time she tried, coach would call, "Cooper!" and she'd have to keep going.
"Come on, faster, faster! Move! Move!" A pause. "Squad, halt!"
They stopped in front of a white flagpole. Bex stood, listened, and tried to catch her breath, because she was quite sure she wouldn't be able to do it for long.
"That flag means we're only at the halfway point," said coach. "First man to bring it to me gets a ride back with Agent Carter." He gestured toward the flagpole. "Move, move!"
The men began running toward the pole and climbing it.
The coach criticized the soldiers and told them to "move," and "hurry," while Bex stood near Steve and watched. She looked down at the base.
"What if you just take the pin out?" she said. He looked at her like she had an idea.
"Then the flag would just fall to the ground," he completed. "That's what I was thinking."
"Nobody's got that flag in 17 years!" called coach, at the boys climbing fruitlessly up the flagpole.
"Now fall back into line!" he said. "Come on, fall in!"
While Bex followed orders, Steve stepped up to the flagpole. Bex stopped and watched.
"Rogers! I said fall in!"
With the last pin, the flag creaked and fell to the ground. Steve grabbed the flag and handed it to the coach, who was appalled. "Thank you sir," he said, getting into the car. He looked back at Bex, who winked at him and smiled. He returned the gesture, and the car drove off.
a.n.: hey lol surprise
don't forget to vote! i promise once i write more of this story i will publish it so much. i just haven't had time ahhah. i've been invested in other stories which you will also love
molly ♡