Angels || Steve Rogers¹ ✓

𝙩𝙬𝙤 | 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙡𝙖𝙜

THERE WAS A CAR WAITING FOR THEM WHEN KALLIE AND ERSKINE ARRIVED AT THEIR STOP, a mud-splattered army jeep, occupied by the driver and a woman. Erskine snatched shotgun while Kallie hopped in the back with the other woman. She was quite beautiful, with chocolate brown hair that bounced above her shoulders and equally brown eyes sharp with intelligence. She wore an army green jacket and matching pencil skirt, offset by her startlingly red lipstick. 

She offered Kallie a smile and a hand to shake, which she accepted. When she spoke, her British accent was every bit as definitive as Kallie's herself. "Ms Johnson. I'm Agent Peggy Carter. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure's mine." Came the young woman's polite reply. "It's nothing short of an honour to be working with you."

As the only two women living on the grounds, Kallie and Peggy would be bunked up with one another and no one else. Given this factor, they seemed to silently, yet mutually agree that it may be a good idea to get to know one another better. Kallie spoke to the agent of the different branches of science and discovery that had opened to her after she began working with Erskine, and more specifically about how deep she'd delved into biology for this particular project, and Peggy told the apprentice of the days spent planning with the Colonel, of strategy, difficulties with the men and so much more. 

"They're beyond stuck-up." She warned. "They despise the idea of looking at a woman as their superior."

"Oh, I know all about stuck-up boys." Kallie chuckled. "I've got brothers of my own."

Peggy smiled. "How many?"

"One younger, one older. The younger one's not so bad. It's the other one... he's just that boy who doesn't want to listen to anyone."

"Are they... at war?"

"Oh, no." Kallie hurriedly shook her head. "They're back home, far from all the fighting." As long as they stay that way... 

╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

a few days later...

╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

KALLIE ONLY HAD A FEW DAYS TO SETTLE IN, to assess and adjust to life here and among her new comrades before the new soldiers began to arrive, signing in to take their place amongst this experimental little division. In two days, all who had been expected had reported. Time for the fun to really begin. It was with Peggy that she strode in first day, dressed up like a real scientist now; dress short, vest and tie, a long, belted brown skirt, stockings and black boots with a long brown coat pulled over it all? Oh yes, she was certainly playing the role now. 

"Recruits, attention!" Peggy called out as they approached. The men snapped into position and Kallie's grip on her clipboard tightened ever so slightly. Showtime. "Gentlemen, I'm Agent Carter. I supervise all operations for this division."

"What's with the accent, Queen Victoria?" One of them piped up. Oh dear. "I thought I was signing up for the U.S. Army."

"What's your name, soldier?"

"Gilmore Hodge, Your Majesty."

"Step forward, Hodge." Sighing, he obeyed. "Put your right foot forward."

He grinned as he did so. "We gonna wrestle? Cause I got a few moves I know you'll like."

A strong punch crunched into his nose only seconds later, knocking him to the ground. Kallie locked eyes with none other than Steve Rogers, and the both of them had to refrain from laughing at one another's smiles. 

"Agent Carter, Dr Johnson!" They both turned at the new voice.

"Colonel Philips." Kallie replied smoothly as he approached form the vehicle. 

"I can see that you are breaking in the candidates. That's good." He shot Hodge an unimpressed look. "Get your ass up outta that dirt and stand in that line at attention till somebody comes tell you what to do."

"Yes sir!" Peggy and Kallie exchanges amused glances. 

"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 faltered slightly, catching sight of Steve, the smallest among them. He shot Erskine a look, and Kallie's eyes averted down to her feet. "And because they are going to get better. Much better. The Strategic Scientific Reserve is an Allied effort made up of the best minds in the free world. 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-soldiers. And he will personally escort Adolf Hitler to the gates of hell."

Over that week, she watched Steve -- Erskine's handpicked man -- get berated and bullied by the others. She wanted so badly to intervene, and yet at the same time, she knew it was testing him. Would he snap, or would his patience hold? Would he break, or would it prepare him for the harder battles to come? She saw him fall from the climbing ropes, only to hang by his foot when it get caught. She saw Hodge kick out a post, bringing barbed wire down on his head during a drill for crawling beneath the wire. She watched him stave off asthma attacks when it was time to run. She watched the officers and the Colonel yell at him after every mistake, every fumble, every trip on a stick in the mud. Eventually, it was her he'd come to, sick of wondering if this was some sort of joke he'd fallen for. 

"Why did Erskine want me here? Really?"

"We told you why."

He huffed. "Why would he want me?"

The corner of her mouth quirked up into a small smile. "Because no other man would try to go to war five times. Because every other man is more concerned with how much money he makes, how many girls are in love with him, and with saving his own skin. Do you really think we want to give the power of a super-soldier to some arse like Hodge?"

Later in the week, she rode in the jeep that led their running drill, stopping not far past the flag that marked the halfway point. The other men were keeping it together alright, but Steve was rather a huffing and puffing mess. "That flag means we're only at the halfway point!" shouted the commander. "First man to bring it to me gets a ride back with Agent Carter and Doctor Johnson! Move! Move!"

They all ran for it, leaping as high as they could some attempting to climb the pole. All except for Steve. And yet Kallie could almost see the gears turning in his mind. What are you up to?

"Come on, get up there! If that's all you got, this army's in trouble!" Hodge climbed, making it a few feet... "Get up there Hodge!" And slid back to the bottom. "Nobody's got that flag in seventeen years! Now fall back into line! Come on, fall in! Get back into formation!" Once more, all of them but little Rogers were quick to follow the command. "Rogers! I said fall in!" Instead, Steve bent down to the pole's base, pulling out the latch and toppling it. Kallie's eyebrows shot up, a small smile falling on her face, shocked, but impressed nonetheless. 

"Thank you, sir." He handed the Officer the flag before hopping in the back of the jeep next to Kallie, who gave him a little wink. A job well done.

A/N
Sine I do a shit job of describing 1940's outfits, I left a picture of Kallie's uniform for you up top. Hope u liked! <3