Hi everyone! Here we go, this is chapter five, and I do hope that you all like it. I'm not going to say too much here, I don;t have much free time left before I have to get back to work, so if there's any questions you'd liek to ask me, please do and I'm open to any suggestions. Please leave a review to tell me what you think. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All things that are in, associated with, or based off of Marvel in any way are NOT mine!

Languages:

Italics and underlined(German)

Italics (Emphasized English)

Side Note: Will also provide English translations when necessary.

Chapter Five: Success and Tragedy

EviePOV:

"Come on, faster ladies! My grandmother had more life and spirit in her, God rest her soul."

Evie laughed quietly to herself as she watched Peggy move up and down along the lines of men who were currently doing push ups on the ground, every single one of them covered with dirt and sweat, letting out grunts as they kept pushing themselves up and down. Peggy made sure to keep a sharp eye out for anyone who may be slacking, not hesitating to whip them right back into shape. It made Evie remember her own training sessions with the fierce British agent, and she understood what it was like to be under her command. While Peggy walked around with the stop watch in her hand to time their progress, Evie moved along the outside of the group, taking down notes as she made her past the men, knowing Phillips was expecting her report that afternoon once they were all finished. Pausing for a moment, Evie's eyes trailed over towards Steve who was, of course, moving slower than everyone else, struggling to keep pushing himself up, but the determination in his face was enough to make her smile softly in admiration.

Ever since the night they had talked and she told him her real name, Steve and Evie seemed to make a routine of taking a stroll in the evenings together after a full day of training, and it was something she found herself looking forward to often. It was a time of peace where they could get to know one another, talking about everything and nothing, from simple childhood tales to serious matters concerning the war. For most of her life, Evie always felt as though she had to hide away, but with Steve, she felt more comfortable and open than she had in the past and she was interested in learning more about the skinny boy from Brooklyn. Despite his lack of size, he was actually very intelligent, which was proven only just the other day. One of the other training officers, Sargent Roberts, had taken the recruits out for a run through the wooded path outside of camp, taking them over hills, through thick brushes of wildlife, through streams and climbing over rocks. At the time, Evie and Peggy were waiting for them at the halfway point, where there was a tall flagpole with the green Camp Lehigh flag waving around in the wind. When the men finally arrived, Roberts gave them a little challenge-the first one to grab the flag would get to ride back to camp with her and Peggy in the jeep. Every man present scrambled over themselves to climb up the pole, but they all ended up sliding back down to the ground. However Steve, who was a bit behind in the group, observed the flagpole for a moment before reaching down and taking out the pins that were keeping it tethered to the ground, resulting in the pole falling right over. Evie could only watch in amusement as Steve took the flag, politely handed it over to Roberts and then climbed into the jeep as the others looked on in astonishment, or slight bitterness in Hodge's case.

"Steve Rogers, you never cease to amaze me," Evie had told him with a laugh while they were riding back to camp, shaking her head. "You just put to shame seventeen years worth of fools."

Peggy herself even laughed at that while Steve could only blush a little in embarrassment. No matter what was thrown at him, whether it was the physical strain of the exercises or Hodge making everything ten times worse for him, Steve simply refused to give up, in all the time they've spent at Camp Lehigh. Now, they were nearing the end of the training and testing process, and Evie had a feeling that her father's choice for the first super soldier had not changed at all. To be perfectly honest, putting aside the odd feelings she had towards Steve, she agreed wholeheartedly with Abraham's choice. This war already has too many big, overconfident, reckless men fighting on the front lines. It may be time to have a smaller man with a good head on his shoulders join the fry, one who doesn't back down and sticks up for himself as well as others. For now, all they could do was wait for the next couple of days to be over so a final decision can be made.

While Evie and Peggy were weaving their way through the soldiers, out of the corner of her eye, Evie could see Abraham and Phillips standing not too far away, speaking with each other as they approached everyone else. Phillips seemed to be irritated, as per usual, and Abraham was walking with that calming atmosphere that always seemed to surround him. Evie brought her attention back to Peggy, who had just ordered for the men to stand up to their feet and begin their jumping jacks. Everyone rushed to straighten up and followed orders, flapping their arms up and down while moving their legs in and out. At one point Evie walked past Hodge and she could instantly feel his eyes on her, which was proven correct when she looked up from her clipboard to see him grinning at her, sending her what he must have thought was a flirtatious wink. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Evie frowned deeply at him before looking away to start moving again, shaking her head in distaste. If Hodge thought she would be any easier to charm than Peggy, he was very mistaken. Just then, a small object flew right past her, landing on the ground and right in the middle of the group of men, skittering to a stop. Evie only had to glance over its size and shape before she felt her stomach drop.

"Grenade!" Phillips shouted.

Within the next three seconds, it was every man for himself as the soldiers scattered in all different directions, taking cover behind the nearby parked army trucks and getting out of dodge. Panicked and not thinking clearly, Evie started to hurry forward to kick the grenade away towards the neighboring open field, but Steve beat her to it. To her shock and horror, Steve rushed over and threw his body down right on top of the grenade, covering it completely and curling himself around it.

"Stay away!" he yelled, wavering her away frantically with his arm. "Get back!"

For the next few seconds, Everything was still and silent, with Evie's heart beating rapidly in her chest, her insides going a bit numb at the situation in front of her as they all waited for the explosion. However, even more seconds passed and nothing happened, to the surprise of many. Once she was able to properly breath again, Evie turned around to look at Phillips and her father, who was smiling widely at Steve, like he was proud and expecting that reaction out of the skinny man while Phillips muttered something to him before walking away. Working out what must have happened, Evie could feel her shoulder sag with relief and the tight knots in her stomach loosened up as she turned to gaze at Steve, a weak smile of her own forming at her lips. Steve slowly sat up when he saw that nothing was going to happen and he stared around with a confused expression.

"Is this a test?" he asked. Evie huffed out a laugh as she walked over towards him, reaching out a hand to help him back up.

"If it is," she said, pride shining in her eyes. "Then I have to say you passed with full marks. I can't believe you just did that."

"Neither do I," Steve admitted. "I just saw the grenade and I didn't want anyone to get hurt, so I just..."

"You followed your instincts," Evie finished for him before reaching down and taking the dummy grenade in her hand. "When in doubt, always follow your gut, it tends to be more reasonable then your head."

"All right everyone the show is over, back in formation," Peggy called out as the rest of the men started coming back out from behind the trucks. Evie gave Steve another smile and then turned around so she could walk over to her father, who was standing next to one of the trucks that had some cargo inside, which was probably where the fake weapon came from.

"I'm sure that Phillips could have found a way to test them without sending me into shock," Evie commented.

"Well, I did not have enough time to call out a warning," Abraham chuckled. "So, what do you think?"

"I believe on a regular day, Steve is meant to do great and marvelous things," Evie replied without missing a beat, looking over towards said man. "With the serum, he is sure to perform wonders. We definitely need men like him for this war if we ever want to see it come to an end."

"Is that an unbiased answer?"

"Absolutely."

"Well then, I suppose i will need to go inform the others that a decision has been made."

Later in the day, it was announced that Steve Rogers was chosen to be the first man to receive the super soldier serum for the SSR and after being thanked for all their time and effort they put into the project, the other recruits were either sent home or off to be placed in other locations from platoons or bases that needed more man power. There was some debate on Abraham's decision, and the following meeting seemed to go on for hours on end, with Evie and Peggy presenting their progress reports to support Abraham's choice, and once he reassured their colleagues that the serum will have an effect on Steve's physical stature, they finally relented and it was set up for him to receive the serum as of tomorrow, bright and early. Phillips had already reached out to their base back in New York, instructing Howard to make sure everything si set up by the time they arrived, and he even invited Senator Brandt to come along to witness the process for himself, since he was the one who funded the entire project in the first place.

After so many years of hard work and sacrifice, everything was finally coming together. Evie herself was glad that this will all soon be done with, and she felt a deep sense of satisfaction that Red Skull would never be able to get his hands on the perfected formula, that it will be used on such a good man that will help others bring an end to the war, and to HYDRA's cruelty. That night Evie packed up all of her things, knowing that she and Abraham were going to be leaving before anyone else, along with Phillips, so she wanted to make sure she had everything in order. When she had all of her belongings secured and set up her outfit for tomorrow morning, she checked the time on the bedside alarm clock and was relieved to see it wasn't too late yet.

"Where are you off to?" Peggy asked as Evie walked over towards the door.

"I'm going to see Steve," Evie replied. "He has a big day tomorrow, I want to make sure he's doing all right."

"Yes, of course you do," Peggy said, a smirk clear on her face.

"Do you realize how disturbingly like Howard you look when you smirk like that?" Evie said with a raised eyebrow. "What are you thinking?"

"Just how sweet it is to see you so concerned for him," Peggy responded innocently.

"Of course I'm concerned-he's my friend."

"Oh Evie, I love you but sometimes you can be a complete twit. Go on, you wouldn't want to be late for your evening out."

Evie just rolled her eyes at Peggy as she left their sleeping quarters and stepped out into the cool night air, feeling it gently caress her cheeks. Knowing the path by heart at this point, she started heading over towards the barracks that housed Steve and the other candidates. When she arrived, she hopped up the few steps to walk through the front door, and before she could walk through the short front hall to round the corner and head into the room that held all the beds, she could hear quiet voices speaking with one another in the bunker, which she easily recognized as Steve's and Abraham's. As she was about to make herself known, something her father was saying made her stop in her tracks for a moment.

"...sends the head of HYDRA, his research division. A brilliant scientist by the name of Johann Schmidt. Now, Schmidt is a member of the inner circle and he's ambitious. He and Hitler share a passion for occult power and Teutonic myth. Hitler uses his fantasies to inspire his followers. But for Schmidt, it is not fantasy. For him, it is real. He has become convinced that there is a great power hidden in the earth, left here by the Gods, waiting to be seized by a superior man. So when he hears about my formula and what it can do, he cannot resist. Schmidt must become that superior man, and he had very…persuasive means of acquiring my assistance."

"Evie," Steve murmured knowingly while Evie's stomach clenched in an uncomfortable manner at their topic of conversation.

"My one weakness," Abraham confirmed. "He had threatened to hurt her if I didn't do what he ordered, and he held us hostage for a very long time. Eventually, he ran out of patience with me and one day held my daughter at gunpoint, demanding that I give him the serum to turn him into his vision of the perfect, supreme being."

"Did it make him stronger?" Steve asked, and Evie could have sworn she heard a slight edge in his voice.

"Yes, but, there were other effects," Abraham explained. "The serum was not ready. But more important, the man himself wasn't ready. The serum amplifies everything that is inside. So, good becomes great and bad becomes much worse, such as the case with Schmidt, who felt nothing but greed and cruelty. This is why you were chosen. Because a strong man, who has known power all his life, will lose respect for that power. But a weak man knows the value of strength, and knows compassion."

"Thanks, I think," Steve said.

"Steven, whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man."

Evie felt herself smile just a tad bit as she heard the sound of two glasses clinking together. Shaking her head, she finally decided to make her presence known, turning around the bend until she came out into the main room, where Steve and Abraham sat across from each other on two separate beds, each of them holding a small glass of what appeared to be schnapps.

"Papa, what are you doing?" Evie asked as she approached, raising an eyebrow. "You know Steve can't have any fluids until after the procedure tomorrow."

"Goodness you're right, I can't believe I forgot about that," Abraham said with wide eyes as he quickly reached over and took the glass from Steve's hands.

"All right, we'll drink it after," Steve said.

"Oh no, I don't have a procedure tomorrow," Abraham countered, taking a sip of the schnapps while Evie rolled her eyes fondly.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Evie said.

"No, no my dear," Abraham answered, standing to his feet. "I was just making sure Steven was all set to go for tomorrow. Well, I will bid you goodnight son, and I will see you in the morning. Sleep well."

"Goodnight, doctor," Steve said as Abraham walked away, the older man smiling at Evie as he passed her and patted her shoulder. Evie smiled back at him before taking his place on the bed opposite of Steve, giving him a gentle look.

"How are you doing?" she asked him. "Are you nervous about tomorrow?"

"A little," Steve replied, glancing down at his hands that were holding a book. "My hands can't seem to stop shaking."

"Everything will be all right, Steve. You are going to show everyone who ever doubted you that it takes more than brawn to win battles, and you will show why you were the perfect choice for this," Evie told him with assurance and confidence.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know a good man when I see one," she responded. "A good man who's enhanced courage and nobility will make a difference."

Steve was quiet as she spoke, and there was an strange emotion shining in his eyes as he smiled at her.

"You know, not that many people have ever believed in me," he admitted to her. "Growing up, all I had was my mother and Bucky, no one else really saw me as worthy of anything because of my size and health. It's awfully nice to have someone have so much faith in me, to think I can do something meaningful."

"You have been meaningful Steve," Evie reminded him. "From what you have told me about yourself, you left school to help your mother when she became sick, you usually got beat up defending the little guy and if I happen to recall, helped save a certain damsel in distress from a mugger in the pouring rain at the park without a second thought, risking bodily harm as well as a bad cold."

By the time she was finished speaking, Steve's ears were a bright shade of red and he had an embarrassed look about him that Evie couldn't help but find positively adorable. Hoping this wasn't too bold of a move, she reached over and gently squeezed Steve's shoulder.

"Just make sure you keep your promise to my father," she muttered. "The army has enough perfect soldiers, but what we need are good men like you. So don't worry about the procedure tomorrow, you're going to be fine. My father and I will be there, and do you think I would let anything happen to you?"

"No, ma'am," Steve chuckled lightly.

"Good. Now, you need to get some rest, I will see you qwhen you arrive with Agent Carter in the morning."

"Evie, wait," Steve said as she stood up, placing his book to the side and opening up the drawer to his bedside table. "I, um, I have s-something for you."

Evie raised her eyebrows in surprise at this, not expecting Steve to have gotten her anything and she looked on as he withdrew a folded white handkerchief from his drawer. Holding it carefully, he bashfully held out the handkerchief to her and she accepted it with a curious expression, wondering what was inside. She moved the folds of the smooth fabric aside and her mouth dropped open a bit as she was met with the sight of a lovely, fully bloomed flower with wide, frilly petals that were a splendid combination of pink and purple. It was truly a very pretty flower and she trailed the pad of her finger over the soft petals.

"It's called a Peony, I think," Steve mumbled, his ears going dark again as he fidgeted with his hands. "On our last run, we passed by a whole cluster of them and I just thought you might like to have one. It looked very bright and beautiful, it made me think of you. I mean, not that I think you're a plant, just that you're a really beautiful dame-lady! Woman, I mean, you're not just a dame, you're great...I just, uh..."

"I love it, Steve, thank you," Evie said, fixing him with a big smile as she cut off his rambling, making sure he knew how much she appreciated his thoughtful gift. Steve smiled back at her and for a moment there was silence between them as they stared at one another, with Evie feeling something squirm in her stomach, but not in a bad way this time. She noticed how expressive and bright Steve's eyes were, even in the dim light, and there was no doubt in her mind that his eyes were probably the best part of his physical features, in her opinion. After being around so many people with nothing but evil intentions for so long, it was always refreshing to see a pair of eyes that held nothing but compassion and honesty in them. Once she realized how long she had been staring, she cleared her throat and said that she needed to be getting to sleep, hoping her cheeks were not horribly red. She and Steve bid each other goodnight and the entire way back to her sleeping quarters, she felt very giddy, holding her flower close to her chest as she moved.

=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=

"Mon cherie! You're finally back!"

The very second Evie stepped into the lab at the hidden SSR base in New York, she was swept off her feet and she let out a yelp of surprise as Howard started spinning her around in circles, much to the disapproval from a few of their onlookers. When Howard placed her back down on her feet, Evie kept a hold of his arm to steady herself, as everything around her was spinning rapidly and it took a minute to get her bearings.

"For God's sake Howard, don't do that!" she said, giving him a light glare.

"You have no idea what it was like being stuck around all these...people with slightly lower IQ's," Howard huffed out in a long-suffering voice. "And no one could get my coffee right, no one! But with you back by my side, I feel as though I can live again."

"You know Howard, I think you may have followed the wrong career path," Evie commented in exasperation and amusement. "I think the theatre may have definitely been your calling, you are certainly dramatic enough. And is getting you coffee all I am good for?"

"Of course not!" Howard scoffed, looking affronted at the very idea. "You're also an amazing cook, I've been spoiled too much with your food."

"Or it could be that I'm the only one who can keep you from blowing yourself up," Evie noted as she slipped on her white lab coat.

"That too," Howard admitted shamelessly as he went over towards the control panel of the machine. "When are they due to arrive?"

"Very soon," Evie answered as she went over the energy levels of the machine they would be using for the transformation, going over the numbers at least twice and writing them down on the clipboard in her hands before heading over towards the pod in the middle of the chamber, looking over the gears and functions with a keen eye, making sure that nothing was out of place. While she was nowhere near the level of intelligence as Abraham and Howard when it came to things like this, it didn't mean she was completely uneducated. Growing up with a scientist as a parent and spending over a year experimenting with a genius inventor was bound to teach her quite a few things. Evie double checked with one of Howard's assistants that the general mobilization of the pod was in working condition before heading back over towards the man in question, handing over the data information she gathered.

"Everything is good to go, although we more than likely will cause a power outage for at least a mile," she informed him.

"Excellent," Howard said with a grin as he headed back over towards the control panel, while Evie stared around the room they were currently in. It was a secret, underground chamber that was hidden behind the guise of an old antiques shop in Brooklyn, that held several different machines, all equipped with the best technology available, courtesy of Howard of course, and there were others dressed in lab coats like her, making sure everything they needed was functional and ready to go. Above their heads was a small booth enclosed with glass, where guests such as Senator Brandt, Phillips and other important officials were gathering to witness this event firsthand. Right now, it was just a matter of waiting for Peggy to arrive with Steve in tow, and all the confidence that Evie had expressed the previous night was starting to turn into worry. No matter how many times they've gone over this, there is always the slight chance that something will go wrong, and Steve could end up being hurt, or worse. Abraham was right when he had said that Steve's life was essentially in their hands, and she didn't think she could handle it if something did happen to him.

Just calm down Evie. If anything, trust Papa when he says everything will be all right. Evie took in a deep breath as the door to the laboratory opened and Abraham walked inside, carrying a tray that held tubes containing his formula in his hands. He made his way over to the storage compartment that was connected to one of the panels standing up against the walls, placing each tube in carefully to keep them at a cold temperature until it was time to secure them inside the pod.

"Papa, will this really work?" Evie asked softly in their native language. "Will Steve be okay?"

"He will be just fine, sweetheart," Abraham reassured her, a bit of a smirk on his face. "You seem to care about him a great deal."

"How can I not? He's a very dear friend, I don't want something bad to happen to him," Evie explained.

"He's a lot tougher than we think, Evie," Abraham said, guiding her over towards the pod. "I'm confident he will come through the process fully intact. The numbers are accurate and the medical staff is on standby just in case."

Evie took small comfort in his words but she knew that now wasn't the time to be having second thoughts about this. After just a few more minutes, the doors upstairs beside the booth opened up, revealing Peggy as she strolled in with Steve at her side, dressed in his uniform and gazing at everything below with a look of awe as well as nervousness. Everything and everyone grew quiet as they both started to descend down the staircase and Evie strode forward with a welcoming smile, not wanting Steve to see that she was just as anxious as he looked.

"Good morning, soldier," she greeted.

"Good morning, Miss Reinstien," Steve said, being careful to use her alias as they were surrounded by so many people. Just then a photographer came up beside them and took a picture, the flash of the camera making Evie see spots for a few seconds.

"Please, not now," Abraham sighed as he gently shooed the photographer away, turning towards Steve. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, sir," Steve replied, and Evie was surprised at how even his voice sounded.

"Very well then. Take off your hat, shirt, and tie, then Evie will help you into the pod."

"You should feel honored, you know," Peggy whispered quietly, leaning down towards Evie so no one else could hear them.

"What do you mean?" Evie whispered back, puzzled.

"Apparently Mr. Rogers has a bit of a hard time speaking with women," Peggy said, and Evie could hear the smile in her voice. "All except you, that is. He said it feels so easy to talk to you, about anything, and he feels he can truly be himself with you. He also happened to mention that you are the most beautiful woman he's ever met."

"He-he did?" Evie squeaked, fighting off a blush while Peggy laughed to herself.

"I would not be surprised if Steve suddenly requests to speak with your father sometime in the near future," she murmured.

"Peggy don't be ridiculous," Evie hissed as Steve handed over his discarded clothes to one of the nurses and Evie then led him over towards the pod while Peggy took her leave, wishing Steve good luck and subtly winking at Evie before heading back up the stairs to sit in the booth. While Steve lowered himself into the pod and made himself comfortable, Abraham came over to join them as another one of the nurses started to prep the penicillin shot.

"Comfortable?" Abraham asked.

"It's uh...it's a little big," Steve replied. "Did you save me any of the schnapps?"

"Not as much as I should have," Abraham said sheepishly. "Sorry, maybe next time."

"Papa," Evie groaned fondly, shaking her head. "Howard, what are your levels?"

"Levels at one-hundred percent," Howard replied easily with a thumbs up in her direction. Evie shared a brief nod with her father before she went over towards the storage unit, taking out the vials of formula to place inside the pod while Abraham picked up a nearby microphone and tapped it a couple times for testing before he started speaking into it, addressing everyone sitting in the booth on the upper level.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today we take not another step towards annihilation, but the first step on the path to peace. We begin with a series of micro injections into the subjects major muscle groups. The serum infusion will cause immediate cellular change. And then to stimulate growth, the subject will be saturated with Vita-Rays."

Evie set to work with making sure the tubes were connected to the piece of the pod that would attach themselves to Steve's arms and chest for the injection while a nurse came over to gently swab a small area on Steve's arm before giving him the penicillin.

"Oh, that wasn't so bad," Steve muttered.

"That was the penicillin," Abraham said, making Steve's face fall a bit at this information.

"Steve, look at me," Evie said, gaining the man's attention. "You're going to be all right, okay? Trust me."

"Okay. I trust you," Steve breathed, giving her a nod. Evie nodded back to him and then attached the side of the pod to his arms, prepping for the start of the injection.

"Serum infusion beginning in five, four, three, two, one," Abraham announced. Evie stepped back off of the platform and watched as Steve began to receive the injection, seeing his eyes close and his face scrunch up in pain as the needles pierced his arms and chest, releasing the serum into his body, the machine humming loudly and Steve's breathing coming out just a little faster. On Abraham's que, Howard pressed the buttons that allowed the pod to shift and move until it was upright, the gears groaning a bit as it enclosed Steve inside the pod, hiding him from view. After making sure Steve was doing all right so far, Abraham gave the signal for Howard to continue with the Vita-Rays. Evie clasped her hands in front of her, praying that everything would turn out just fine. All the endless work over the years had finally come to this, and it would be an understatement to say that Evie was on edge. The seconds seemed to tick on by like hours, with Howard increasing the percentage of the Vita-Rays slowly, and Evie could see the bright lights of the rays from the small circular window on the pod. Then, just as Howard increased the energy to seventy percent, there was an ear-splitting scream of great pain from Steve inside the pod and Evie felt her heart shoot right through her chest. Without a second thought, she dashed right back up onto the platform, trying to peer through the window to get just a peek at Steve but the light from the Vita-Rays were too much, making her squint her eyes against it.

"Steve!" she yelled. "Steve! Howard, shut it down, now!"

"Kill the reactor, Mr. Stark!" Abraham called out. "Turn it off! Kill it!

"No!" Steve voice shouted from inside the pod desperately. "Don't! I can do this!"

Evie had never felt more torn about what to do. The thought of proceeded when Steve was in obvious pain killed her, but he sounded so sure, like he was willing to go through with it until the very end. She threw an anxious glance at Abraham over her shoulder and after a brief silent conversation between the two, he nodded and then told Howard to keep going. This time, Evie stayed right beside the pod in case Steve needed her and she balled her hands into fists as she fought to control her breathing, ready to resort to using her powers to break it open if she had to.

"Eighty...ninety...that's one-hundred percent!" Howard yelled over the loud whirring sounds the machines and pod were designating. The sounds were growing with every second that passed, the lights increasing in volume to a near blinding point, causing Evie to squint and shield her eyes with her hand. All along the control panels, there were electric sparks from the overload of the circuits and then, just as Evie was wondering if the entire mainframe was going to be fried, the noises began to lower as the machines finally died down, the light fading out until it was completely gone. For a moment there was complete and utter silence as everyone stared at the pod and Evie held her breath.

"Mr. Stark?" Abraham said. Howard didn't seem to need any further prompting as he pulled down on a switch and then the outside of the pod started to fold back, revealing the man inside. Evie's eyes widened in complete shock as Steve was revealed, only he didn't look like himself. Instead of the tiny, skinny man who stepped into the pod, what Evie was seeing before her was a man at least six feet tall, now with broad shoulders and very well developed muscles that were now visible on his body. For a minute Evie was stunned and her throat felt very dry, gaping at him like a fish out of water. She knew that the serum was going to make some changed but dear Lord, this was incredible. Steve was panting a little, a thin sheet of sweat covering his toned skin and Evie felt her cheeks burn brightly, something flaring up in her stomach as her eyes trailed over every part of him. Abraham and Howard rushed over to help Steve out of the pod while Evie continued to remain frozen, each of them placing an arm over their shoulder and helping him forward. Shaking her head to get a grip on herself, Evie went over to stand in front of them, focusing on Steve's face, where tired blue eyes looked down at her.

"How do you feel?" she asked him.

"Taller," he panted, staring at everything around him in befuddlement as Abraham and Howard finally let him go, deeming him able to stand on his feet without falling over.

"Well, um, you certainly look...taller," Evie said, hoping her blush would just go away as she was handed a plain white t-shirt from one of the nurses to give to Steve. "I told you everything would work out all right."

"I didn't doubt you for a moment," Steve said as he pulled the shirt over his head, and Evie thanked God he covered up the muscles on his chest and stomach. "I just...I can't believe we did it."

"Neither can I," Evie agreed with a weak smile. "This is amazing Steve. You're going to do so much good, and you will have the enemies running straight for the hills."

"I might not have gotten far if you hadn't believed in me the way you did," Steve murmured. "Thank you."

Evie only just realized how close they were and her smile became more timid as she avoided his eyes, which seemed to have developed a habit of staring right through her. Everything was a great big flurry of excitement, with photographers snapping away with their cameras, all the scientists giving themselves a pat on the back, and Evie could make out Howard beaming, shaking his head as if still processing their success at the experiment.

However, before the celebrations could last for very long, there was a huge boom that resounded throughout the room as an explosion appeared above all their heads from the booth on the second level, sending bits of debris and shattered glass everywhere on top of their heads. Evie gasped as she ducked along with everyone else, throwing her arms over her head and crouching down, the vibrations of the explosion sending goosebumps all over her skin. Confusion and worry were starting to form inside her chest and she stared around wildly, trying to figure out what just happened among the yells and cries of fright and shock as everyone on the ground floor tried to collect themselves. At that moment, Evie heard Abraham's sharp, panicked voice shout out, heard clearly through all the ruckus and not far away from where she was.

"Stop him!"

Everything that occurred next seemed to go by in slow motion, and what could have happened in mere seconds lasted hours in Evie's mind. She whipped her head around to see Abraham standing just ahead of her, pointing at a man who was standing across the room. There was only the briefest of seconds where Evie was able to get barely a glimpse of the man, with his dark hair combed back, and his dark gray suit before she noticed the last tube of serum in his one hand and the gun in the other. In the blink of an eye, the man raised his gun, took aim, and then fired of two shots...right into Abraham's chest. The entire world seemed to come to a screeching halt, the background noise fading away into muffled whispers and the ground beneath her feet suddenly vanished, causing her to fall steadfast into a deep black hole. Abraham's body became rigid as he received the wounds and then he went falling backwards onto the floor like a puppet whose strings were cut. Something freezing cold gasped Evie in its tight clutches and a strangled, shrill scream tore from her lips.

"PAPA!"

Within the next moment she shoved her way past everyone, pushing them away as she ran over to where her father dropped, instantly getting down on her knees at his side, ignoring the instant sting of pain as the pieces of glass cut into her skin. Fear was easily eating away at her and her breathing was coming out in short gasps, tears immediately welling in her eyes as she saw the blood begin to pool out of his chest from the gunshot wounds, one of them almost directly over his heart. Not caring what anyone else thought, Evie reached down to tear off a piece of her skirt, ripping it up with one good yank and bundled it together to place over the wound while the chaos continued around her, with more gun shoots and yells. Evie placed a shaking hand underneath Abraham's head, lifting it up just as she saw someone else crouch down on his other side, and from the corner of her eye, she saw that it was Steve.

"Papa, Papa, look at me!" Evie exclaimed, the tears slipping down her cheeks. "Please, Papa, look at me!"

Abraham's eyes slowly fluttered open, a barely audible groan escaping his throat. His dark brown iris' shifted from Evie to Steve and then he raised his hand, pointing a single finger into Steve's chest, a faint knowing smile on his lips. Then, with some difficulty he turned back to Evie, using the same hand to gently caress his fingers over her cheek.

"My little dove...I'm so sorry..."

"No Papa, don't speak, you will be okay. You're going to be okay!"

"I l-love you...my beautiful daughter...I love..."

Letting go his final breath of air, Abraham closed his eyes and then his whole body went limp, his head lolling to the side. For a good thirty seconds Evie could barely even breath, let alone speak, and she carefully laid her father's head on the floor, her hands trembling violently.

"Papa," she whimpered, the tears coming out even faster now, blurring her vision until Abraham's lifeless form was nothing more than a blob before her. "Papa..."

Evie was so wrapped up with her father that she didn't see the furious expression that came across Steve's face and she barely took notice when he suddenly jumped to his feet, taking off to who knows where. All the while Evie, kept staring down at Abraham, the fabric of her skirt long forgotten as she cupped his face with her bloody hands, having difficulty drawing in breath. She kept shaking her head, muttering "no," under her breath over and over again, trying to savor the warmth she felt in her father's cheeks. Her tear-filled gaze took proper notice of her hands for the first time, stained red with blood...Abraham's blood.

There was a voice right next to Evie and she thought she felt a hand on her shoulder, but she didn't care. All she could do was continue to stare horrified at the blood on her hands, and soon enough she felt a very familiar emotion brewing dangerously inside of her. It boiled and bubbled, reaching an all time high and Evie hunched over a little, clenching her fists just as the bright beams of light started to peek through her fingers. Evie's entire body started shaking terribly and her skin started to glow rapidly, fading in and out and becoming brighter each time, her fists quivering as the swirls of energy encased them and if anyone was able to look into her eyes, they would be able to see they had transformed from a warm brown into a striking silver. She vaguely heard someone yell for everyone to clear out the room, and her breathing became more ragged as her emotions threatened to burst forth, the pain and heartbreak almost too much for her to handle. Eventually she could feel whatever resolve she had snap in an instant and she screamed so loud it was surprising that more glass didn't break. The second she opened her mouth to scream out her anguish, she could feel her power burst forth from her in a huge wave, rippling through the air and crashing through anything in its path, knocking over tables, denting the steel machines that lined the walls, destroying the pod and reducing it to a crumpled heap, the electric circuits to go haywire and come to life like mini fireworks. As the energy wave struck the walls, it left huge scorch marks in the brick foundation, rising higher and higher like a fanned flame and all the while, Evie continued to scream.

Then, the wave of blinding white power was gone, leaving the room back to its dim lighting and Evie finally stopped screaming, her voice now hoarse and scratchy. She was full out sobbing now, every breath she took pulling more weight onto her chest and she carefully gathered Abraham up into her arms, placing his head and shoulders in her lap and burying her face into his white hair, her body still glowing and radiating great power, creating an audible hum in the atmosphere around her. She carefully rocked him back and forth, not being able to bring herself to accept the fact that he was gone.

"Papa please," she whispered weakly. "Don't leave me too..."

How long she sat there on the floor hunched over, she didn't know, and she couldn't find it in herself to care. It could have been hours, or it could have been days, and it wouldn't have mattered to her. He's gone...her father is gone. The only family that she had left, the man who loved her, cared for her and did his best to keep her protected was gone. She was alone. Evie's tears kept falling from her eyes, landing on Abraham's cheeks and she was so wrapped up in her grief that she didn't hear the sound of someone slowly approaching her, their feet quietly crunching the scattered debris on the ground as they moved closer. Evie only took notice of this person when they bent down beside her, feeling a pair of eyes on her and Evie whimpered, not wanting to see or deal with anyone right now. A large, gentle hand placed itself on Evie's shoulder and she flinched at the contact.

"Evie, it's okay," a deep voice muttered. "It's just me."

Steve? Very slowly, Evie lifted her head and then turned to see that Steve was indeed next to her, gazing at her with nothing but concern and care in his blue eyes. He was dripping wet from top to bottom and a tiny part of her mind wondered what had happened to him after he took off earlier.

"I'm right here Evie, I'm not going to hurt you," Steve reassured her, glancing her over with a bewildered look on his face. "I need you to breath for me okay? Just be calm, and breathe."

It was then that Evie realized her skin and hands were still glowing pure white and while she knew that she should feel horrified that Steve now knew, all that she could feel at this point was sadness and pain. Evie swallowed the large lump that had formed in her throat and took a couple shaky breaths, allowing Steve to reach over and carefully pry Abraham's upper body out of her arms so he could lay fully on her lap. Moving slowly so as not to alarm her, Steve then placed an arm around Evie and drew her into his side, one arm wrapped awkwardly around her waist while his other hand cradled the back of her head. He whispered softly and soothingly into her hair but she barely heard his words, choosing instead to close her eyes and hid her face into his chest, crying her eyes out until she could feel the exhaustion take over her, and she slipped into unconsciousness.

=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.

The next thing that registered in Evie's mind was how tired and heavy she felt. As her senses started to come back to her, she realized that she was lying down on something uncomfortable, with a crisp sheet drawn over her body and stopping just below her chest. Sighing softly, Evie opened up her eyes to see that she was in an examination room that was lit only with a single bedside lamp and whatever sunlight was able to stream in through the window. Considering it had been a bit overcast all day, that wasn't saying much and so it resulted in the room having a gray, gloomy look about it. After spending a couple more minutes just lying on her back, Evie started to sit up from the makeshift bed she was settled on, removing the sheet and wincing as she placed her bare feet on the cold tiled floor. What happened? How long has she been asleep for? Had it been very long since they conducted the experiment for Project REBIRTH? Does her father-

Papa

A fresh new tidal wave of sadness crashed over Evie in an instant and she gripped the edges of the bed tightly with her hands, closing her eyes tight and something similar to a whimper and groan managed to make its way up her throat and out of her mouth. The memories of all that had happened came rushing back to her in a flood, swarming her head-the man who took the serum and shot her father before running off. She remembered holding Abraham as he died in her arms, seeing his blood on his hands, and losing control of her powers. She recalled how she destroyed nearly everything in the lab and she thought she remembered someone holding her to calm her down but she couldn't be sure. There was so much going on the only thing she could remember was eventually blacking out on the floor. For a second Evie became very worried-she didn't hurt anyone when she used her powers, did she? The whole lab had been full of people and she didn't even bother to make sure no one was there before she lost herself in her grief. And where was everyone? Evie stood up from the bed and winced again from a bit of pain in her knees, which she saw were both cleaned and had bandages wrapped around them. Seeing that her heels were right next to the bed, she slipped them on before leaving the room she was in and stepped out into the hallway.

As she walked through the halls alone trying to find someone, her thoughts swirled around everything that has happened. Her father was dead. He was killed, shot in the chest and left to die in her embrace while she begged him to stay. Somehow her heart felt incredibly numb and painfully heavy at the same time, threatening to pull her down until she crashed straight through the ground beneath her. How could this have happened? Everything had been going so well, this morning they had breakfast together, prepared the lab for Steve's arrival, smiled in happiness and relief at each other when the procedure ended up being successful. They were supposed to go out and celebrate when this was all over, he had promised to take her to see a concert at Carnegie Hall and take them out for dinner. He always felt bad for having her cook for them all the time, but she had always loved to cook, even when she was a young girl. Back at home she would always help her mother make the meals, where she was taught all the best recipes, with delicious smells wafting throughout their old home, while Marlene and Klause would play...

Evie could feel the tears gather in her eyes at the onslaught of memories, but the refused to fall this time. Sniffing a little, she continued on walking until she could hear a bunch of voices up ahead, in one of the SSR's other tech laboratories. She approached the lab quietly, listening in on the voices and when she came through the doorway, seeing that the room consisted of a few of Howard's assistants, Colonel Phillips, Senator Brandt, Howard himself, Steve and Peggy. Phillips seemed to be in a mini argument with the Senator while Steve stood a bit off to the side with Peggy, and Howard was busy studying some sort of strange new submarine in the middle of the lab.

"HYDRA's practically a cult. They worship Schmidt, they think he's invincible," Phillips was saying to the Senator.

"So what are you gonna do about it?" Brandt asked in irritation.

"Spoke to the president this morning. As of today the SSR is being re-tasked," Phillips replied, looking over towards Peggy. "We are taking the fight to HYDRA. Pack your bags Agent Carter. You too, Stark. You're flying to London tonight."

"Wait, what?" Howard said, shooting up to his feet so fast he whacked his head against the wing of the submarine.

"Sir, if you're going after Schmidt, I want in," Steve put in.

"You're an experiment, Rogers. You're going to Alamogordo," Phillips countered.

"The serum worked."

"I asked for an army and all I got was you. You are not enough."

"But sir, what about Angela?" Peggy cut in.

"If anything it may be best that Miss Reinstien goes to Alamogordo," Brandt suggested. "They may be able to help her figure out how to control whatever the hell that was back there."

"She's not a lab rat sir," Peggy argued tensely. "She saw her father murdered before her eyes, how did you expect her to act?"

"It would have been some common curtesy if you hall had informed me of her in the first place," Brandt said with a frown.

"Senator, as I'm sure you'll understand, Miss Reinstien's condition was kept on the low for a reason, and considering everything else we've got going on, I apologize if dialing your number was the last thing on my list," Phillips explained in a politely sarcastic way. "Besides, the doctor told me personally that if anything were to happen to him he wanted her to stay with the SSR. So congratulations Stark, you've got yourself a personal assistant and lab partner for the trip."

"Sir, HYDRA may still be after her, it could be dangerous having her go to London," Steve protested with wide eyes.

"Son, as far as I'm concerned you have no need to be a part of this conversation anymore, it's out of your jurisdiction," Phillips snarked at him.

"Fine, then I'll ask," Howard interrupted instantly, once again shooting up and smacking his head against the submarine as he scrambled to get out from underneath it. "Ow! Dammit! Steve has a point, wouldn't it be safer for Angela to stay here?"

"As you have all clearly seen, a spy of HYDRA was able to sneak his way in here under our radar, kill the good doctor, and nearly make it away with a vial of the formula for the serum, which unfortunately was destroyed right before he committed suicide," Phillips reminded them. "It seems to me if they can send their goons here undetected it won't make much difference if she stays or comes along. At least with us she'll be under our watch and we can keep an eye on her ourselves."

"Colonel, the power she posses is beyond anything we've seen, she could be dangerous-"

"With all due respect senator, we went through hell getting her out of one hole, I'd rather not put her in another-"

"Enough!" Evie snapped, finally having enough of this and stepping further out into the room. Everyone immediately stopped talking and turned around to face her, taking in her scowl and narrowed eyes. Evie was sure the annoyance and frustration was written all over her face, but she felt she had ever right to feel such a way considering every one of them was standing around discussing her future without her present. Her eyes were still very red and glossy but she wouldn't let any more tears fall, not in front of them.

"I would very much appreciate it if you all would stop arguing over my future without my presence or permission," she said, her tone laced with anger. "I'm not anyone's possession to figure out which corner to stuff me in, so if you all don't mind I would like to know where you've taken my father because before anything else is decided, I have a funeral to arrange."

There was a tense silence after Evie spoke and she glared around at them all, daring anyone to object to anything she just said. Another minute went by before Phillips cleared his throat awkwardly.

"We put him down in Examination Room Three for now," he muttered. "We were going to have him transferred to the morgue in a couple hours."

"That won't be necessary, Colonel," Evie said after taking a breath and standing up straighter. "I know how precious your time is to you, so I will have everything taken care of by the time the day ends. If you could please just send someone out to St. John's Cemetery in Queens to get a plot ready, I will take care of the rest."

Without waiting for a response, Evie turned around and then started walking briskly back out of the room, her heels clicking loudly against the floor as she moved.

"You still want to try and stick her in a lab, senator?" she heard Phillips ask, but she didn't bother to try and listen for Brandt's answer. She hastily walked through the halls and up a metal staircase, only passing by a handful of people on the way, all of them giving her sympathetic glances. In no time at all, Evie found herself standing in front of the door that led into the room where Abraham rested and for a minute she just stood there, not sure if she wanted to go inside or not. The muscles in her legs didn't seem to want to obey the command given my her brain and she flexed her hands, which had become a little sweaty. She sucked in a slow breath before finally forcing herself to move forward, opening the door with a shaky hand and stepping inside. The plain white walls were not much to look at, but all Evie cared about was the table set up against the far left wall, where there was something covered with a sheet on top of it. There was a nurse close by who was writing something down on a clipboard and she looked over when Evie entered the room.

"Oh, Miss Reinstien," she said. "I didn't realize you were awake."

"Yes," Evie whispered, never taking her eyes off of the figure on the table. "Ma'am, could you...could you please see if there's anyone who can fetch some clothes from my father's room? I-I don't want to bury him in a bloody lab coat."

"Of course miss, I'll take care of it myself," the nurse replied, her eyes soft as she gazed at Evie. "I will be back soon."

Evie just nodded at her as the nurse took her leave, closing the door gently behind her as she went, leaving Evie alone in the room. Taking slow steps, she approached the table and took the sheet into her hands, taking another breath before lifting it away to reveal Abraham's face. the man looked as though he were only sleeping, his eyes closed and a peaceful expression on his face. This was probably the most peaceful he had looked ever since they left Germany. Blinking her eyes rapidly, Evie saw that someone had taken off his glasses and she frowned. Looking around the room, she saw that his glasses were folded and placed on a nearby counter, so she grabbed them and carefully set them back onto his face, making sure to smooth his hair away from his forehead.

"I don't know what they were thinking, taking these off," Evie mumbled. "Everyone knows you are blind as a bat without your glasses."

There was no response from Abraham and Evie bit her lip, reaching under the sheet so she could raise her father's arm and clasp his hand tightly in hers. She flinched a little at how cold his skin felt now when it had still been so warm before.

"You said you would always be with me," Evie whispered in a broken voice. "You said you would never leave. I'm-I'm so sorry, Papa. You have protected me my whole life and I couldn't even return the favor. I'm sorry."

The next few minutes passed by in silence as Evie held her father's hand, stroking the back of it with her thumb, and a couple of tears managed to make their way down her face. Time seemed to pass by slowly for Evie as she stood there in her grief, not even caring about anything else outside of the room. Eventually she heard someone knocking at the door and she quickly wiped at her eyes, figuring the nurse was back with Abraham's clothes. Once she called out for her to come in, she looked over her shoulder to see that it wasn't the nurse, but Steve. The super soldier made his way over towards her, his eyes expressing his worry.

"I want to ask you if you're all right, but I think I already know the answer," he said. "I'm so sorry, Evie. Your father was a good man."

"He was," she agreed, moving her gaze back to his hand.

"I wanted to apologize," Steve continued on. "For what you heard, before. We really should have asked you first what you wanted to do, not just to assume. I guess I just...I'm worried about you being so close to all the fighting, and to HYDRA. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I know that, Steve. But Phillips is right, it would be no better for me to stay behind here in New York. I probably will be better off going with the others to London, I still want to help in any way I can, and I know that Phillips will keep me with Howard so I stay out of trouble," Evie said. "Will you be able to come with us?"

"Phillips would rather me be sent to a lab to be tested on," Steve muttered and Evie could hear the faint anger in his tone. "But Senator Brandt actually offered me another option."

"He did?"

"Yeah, he wants me to help making sure the guys on the front lines have what they needs, and he says more have enlisted after my picture was put in the paper. He says I'm an inspiration that can help the troops, and that's better than being poked and prodded on."

"Oh," Evie said softly, not being able to deny the sadness and disappointment that settled itself in her chest. "Are you sure that's what you want, Steve? I may not know Senator Brandt, but I know his type. I don't want him taking advantage of your need to put in your part for the war and turn it into something ridiculous."

"Something is better than nothing," Steve replied.

"Is there nothing I can do to convince you otherwise?"

"All you would have to do is ask, and I would stay at your side all the way to London," Steve answered instantly before he seemed to register what he said and cleared his throat. "But Colonel Phillips won't allow it."

"No, he wouldn't," Evie sighed. "Does this mean that this is goodbye?"

"How about, 'I'll see you soon?'" Steve said. "I don't like the idea of saying goodbye."

"Neither do I," Evie admitted, turning to face him. "But Steve, there is something I want to ask you. You're...not scared of me, are you?"

"Why would I be scared of you?" Steve asked, looking stunned at the question.

"You saw what I can do," she stated. "What I am. It's not really something you see every day."

"That may be true, but it doesn't make me scared of you," Steve told her, and she could see just from his face that he was telling the truth. "Maybe more confused than anything else, but I'm sure you have your reasons for keeping it a secret and I'm not about to pry it out of you."

"Thank you, Steve. You have no idea how much that means to me," Evie said quietly. "Did I-did I hurt anyone?"

"No, Howard made sure everyone got out in time," Steve reassured her.

"That's always been my greatest fear," Evie confessed. "My father helped me to gain control of it, at least mostly. What I did in the lab, that was the first time I had a reaction like that in years. He was always able to help me, to reel it in but now I don't know what to do."

Before Steve could reply, there was another knock on the door and then Peggy stuck her head in, glancing from one to the other.

"The senator's waiting for you, Steve," she said.

"Okay, I'll be right there," Steve told her and once Peggy left, he looked over at Evie again. "Would it be all right if I come to the funeral?"

"Of course you can," Evie said. "My father was very fond of you Steve."

"All right. So...I'll see you soon?"

"See you soon."

Steve nodded once before he turned, about to head out of the room before he hesitated. Before Evie could ask what was wrong, Steve reached over and pulled Evie into a comforting embrace, which she easily fell into. Despite her sadness, Evie felt safe and secure in Steve's arms, even briefly closing her eyes as she savored the moment. This was the first time Steve had held her in this way, besides back at the lab, and for the first time in a long while, she truly felt at ease. All too soon, the moment was over and they separated. He gave her one more smile before he walked out of the room, leaving her alone once again with her father and Evie was a bit surprised at how much she missed his touch already. She had to admit that she was more than a little down at the fact that soon they would be thousands of miles apart, and she would no longer see him on a daily basis, as she had gotten used to doing while at Camp Lehigh. There would no longer be any strolls in the evening summer air, no flowers, no adorable blushes and no sparkling blue eyes. By this time in just a few days, Evie will be with the rest of the SSR in Europe, a dangerous battleground. Sure she would be as safe as can be with Howard in the lab, but something in Evie's mind told her that maybe it wasn't enough for her.

Taking a moment to look over Abraham's pale, lifeless face, Evie could begin to feel her sadness turn into something completely different: rage. Pure, unconditional rage that was seeping into her veins, infesting her body with a tense hatred that left her eyes completely dry and she clenched her free hand into a tight fist, feeling the bits of warm light tingle in her palm. This was all their fault. HYDRA did this. They murdered her entire family, took away everything she ever loved and left her with nothing. Her home destroyed, years of her life stolen and spent starving in nothing more than a cage, seeing the extent of their cruelty firsthand and if they were not stopped, they would continue with their evil purge until satisfied. Back in Germany, they wanted to see the full potential of Evie's power. So why not show them?

"I promise, Papa, I will make them pay," Evie whispered, squeezing Abraham's hand. "I will not be shut away safely while others take on HYDRA and Schmidt. I will learn to fight, and I will learn to control my power so I can make them hurt as I have. I will avenge you if it is the last thing I do, and I will not stop until all of HYDRA is dead. They wanted to make me a weapon...looks like they might just get what they asked for."

+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+

Please read and review! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, the next one will posted on 08/12/20. See you then, love you all!