Forget Me Not

1: 10

ALLIED HQ IN LONDON

Dr. Zola entered an interrogation room and the door closed behind him. He looked around the room and stepped closer to the cot to look at it. Several droplets of what looked to be blood were on the floor next to the cot.

As he stared at the blood, he was startled when the door opened.

Colonel Phillips entered with a tray of food and sat before saying, "Sit down."

Dr. Zola sat and stared at the tray of food before asking, "What is this?"

"Steak."

"What is in it?"

"Cow." He paused a moment when he saw Dr. Zola not touching the food. "Doctor, do you realize how difficult it is to get ahold of a prime cut like that out here?"

"I don't eat meat."

"Why not?"

"It disagrees with me."

"How about cyanide? Does that give you the rumbly tummy too? Every HYDRA agent that we've tried to take alive has crunched a little pill before we can stop him. But not you. So, here's my brilliant theory." He pulled the tray closer to him and started eating the steak. "You wanna live."

"You're trying to intimidate me, Colonel."

"I bought you dinner." He passed him a piece of paper which Zola read out loud.

"'Given the variable information he has provided, and in exchange for his full cooperation, Dr. Zola is being remanded to Switzerland.'"

"I sent that message to Washington this morning. Of course it was encoded. You guys haven't broken those codes, have you? That would be awkward."

"Schmidt will know this is a lie."

"He's gonna kill you anyway, Doc. You're a liability. You know more about Schmidt than anyone. And the last person you cost us was one of Captain Rogers' closest friends and Sergeant Barnes' wife. So, I wouldn't count on the very best of protection. There's you or Schmidt. It's just the hand you've been dealt."

"Schmidt believes he walks in the foot steps of the gods."

"Mmm."

"Only the world itself will satisfy him."

"You do realize that's nuts, don't you?"

"But the sanity of the plan is of no consequence."

"And why is that?"

"Because he can do it!"

"What's his target?"

"His target... is everywhere."

BAR

Steve and Bucky made their way to the bar where the former had enlisted his Howling Commandos. Evelyn and Rebecca held their father's hands.

Bucky poured a drink and sighed. "To Maddi."

Steve clicked his friend's glass. "To Maddi."

"To Mama," Rebecca and Evelyn said.

Rebecca sniffled and crawled into her father's lap. He wrapped an arm around her and she started playing with his hand, still sniffling every so often. Evelyn remained quiet, but her grief was obvious.

Peggy followed the voice of a radio through the rubble.

A man on the radio said, "Blackout is still in effect throughout the London area. Please wait for the all-clear. Your attention, please. All citizens shall remain indoors until further notice. Blackout is still in effect throughout the London area."