The Soldier's Girl

The Procedure

It had been nearly three months into Steve's training. He was currently doing push-ups with his team. Peggy Carter was at the front training them all.
"Faster, ladies! Come on. My grandmother has more life in her, God rest her soul. Move it!" She shouted, as she watched majority of the boys do pathetic push-ups. When she looked at Steve and realised he could barely do one without collapsing she sighed and moved on.

Just to the right of the group Chester Phillips and Dr. Abraham Erskine were talking quietly to themselves.
"You're not really thinking about picking Rogers, are you?" Chester asked the Doctor as they walked along side each other.
"I am more than just thinking about it. He is the clear choice." The Doctor replied.
"When you brought a ninety-pound asthmatic onto my army base, I let it slide. I thought, what the hell? Maybe he'll be useful to you, like a gerbil. Then you recruited a young blonde girl from Brooklyn to be your assistant! I honestly thought you had gone mad! I mean you had thousands of smart men to pick from and you chose a girl barely out of her teens who knows how to count? I never thought you'd pick them!" He spoke outraged. But the Doctor only smiled at him, as they arrived to where Steve was training with Peggy and the team.
"You let your new assistant stick a needle in that kids arm and it's gonna go right through him." Chester spoke gruffly watching Steve struggling whilst training with the other new recruits.
"Come on, girls." They heard Peggy Carter calling.
"Look at that. He's making me cry." Chester spoke nearly too loud.
"I am looking for qualities beyond the physical." The Doctor reasoned.
"Do you know how long it took to set up this project?"
"Yeah, I know."
"All the grovelling I had to do in front of Senator What's-His-Name's committees?"
"Brandt. Yes, I know. I am well aware of your efforts."
"Then throw me a bone. Hodge passed every test we gave him. He's big, he's fast, he obeys orders. He's a soldier. And you already had Stark working with you! You didn't need a blonde in there too."
"He's a bully." The Doctor quoted Steve.
"You don't win wars with niceness, doctor. You win war with guts." Chester wasted no time throwing the grenade at where the new recruits are training.
"Grenade!" He shouted.

The pair watch as all the soldiers move away quickly but Steve jumps on top of it covering it with his body.
He didn't think about it twice but while on top of it his thoughts spiralled around, the last being of Allison.
"Get away! Get back!" He shouts waiting for the grenade to go off but nothing happens. Steve leans up surprised but sighing in relief that no one got hurt.

"It was a dummy grenade. All clear. Back in formation." Chester called.
"Is this a test?" Steve asked looking at the Doctor and Officer. Erskine looks at Phillips as to confirm his point about choosing Steve.
"He's still skinny." Chester muttered, walking away knowing he lost his battle.

Later that night, Steve sits on his bunk reading over a letter written to him from Allison. He smiles fondly as he reads all about her work back in Brooklyn with the Doctor. He was happy she had finally found a passion and he sighs thinking about when he could walk down the road to cuddle with the blonde again. His thoughts are suddenly broken when Erskine knocks on the door.

"May I?" He asks.
"Yeah." Steve replied allowing him to come in.
"Can't sleep?" Erskine asked the young boy in front of him.
"I got the jitters, I guess." Steve admitted.
"Me, too." Erskine laughed.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Just one?" Erskine asked as he sits down facing Steve.
"Why me?"

Steve had pondered the thought a lot over the past few months. He had never thought of himself as anything special, the only person who had ever seen him that way was Allison. She was the only person that could persuade Steve he was meant for more than what everyone else thought of him in this world.

"I suppose that is the only question that matters." He looks down at the bottle of schnapps he brought with him before continuing.
"This is from Augsburg. My city. So many people forget that the first country that the Nazi's invaded was their own. You know, after the last war the... my people struggled. They... they felt weak. They felt small. And then Hitler comes along with the marching and the big show and the flags and the... and the...And he... he hears of me, my work and he finds me. And he says, "You." He says, "You will make us strong." Well, I am not interested. So he 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."

Steve listened intently before asking another question. "Did it make him stronger?"
"Yeah. But, there were other effects. The serum was not ready. But more important, the man. The serum amplifies everything that is inside. So, good becomes great. Bad becomes worse. 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." The Doctor told Steve.

"Thanks. I think." Steve smiled.
Dr. Abraham Erskine poured 2 drinks. "Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man."

Steve holds up his glass to toast and nods finally thinking proudly of himself.
"To the little guys." Steve cheered.
But just as Steve's about to drink from his glass
Dr. Abraham Erskine pulled the glass away from him.
"No! No! Wait! Wait! What I am doing? No! You have a procedure tomorrow. No fluids." He pours the contents of Steve's glass into his own.

"All right. We'll drink it after." Steve chuckled.
"No! I don't have procedure tomorrow. Drink it after? Drink it now! I also have a surprise for you tomorrow." Erskine spoke.
"Another one?" Steve laughed lightly.
The Doctor smiled fondly knowing tomorrow he would be reunited with his blonde best friend.