Angels || Steve Rogers¹ ✓

𝙨𝙞𝙭 | 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙠𝙚𝙮

"HELLO, STEVE." The voice pulled him from his thoughts, his pencil retreating from the doodle in his notebook. Despite the rain, she carried no umbrella, looking lovely as ever in her skirt and jacket... why did he care how she looked? Because she didn't care how you looked. Whispered a voice in the back of his mind. Kallie. 

"Hi." He blinked, certain he looked like an ogling buffoon. "What are you doing here?"

She smiled lightly. "Technically, I'm not here." her eyes averted downwards, becoming more serious. "Not that anyone will care where I am for much longer."

Steve frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"My experiments... haven't been going as well as I'd hoped. And since I'm still refusing to help recreate the serum, I'm sure the Colonel will run out of uses for me soon enough and then... doctor no more."

He shook his head. "They can't be done with you. I saw what you did when that spy attacked. We all deserve a chance, and I know you're more than just some apprentice, Kallie."

She sighed, taking a seat next to him, her eyes catching on the drawing; a circus monkey, bearing his shield. "You were meant for more than this too, you know." She told him gently. "Erskine believed in you. I do too. What you have to understand is that you're walking through here unscathed, whether that's your choice or not, and these men have been through worse hell than most others. When Schmidt sent out a force to Azzano, two hundred men went up against him. Less than fifty returned. You're audience contained what was left of the 107th. There rest, killed or captured."

She didn't miss the small fire that lit in his eyes at that, hope and fear combined into one. "The 107th??"

Kallie frowned. "Yes, why? Who is it?" She knew the look well enough by now. Someone he cared about had been part of those two hundred men. He didn't waste a second running to the command tent, Kallie only a few steps behind, ignoring the mud. 

"Colonel Philips."

"Well, if it isn't the Star Spangled Man With A Plan. What is your plan today?"

"I need the casualty list from Azzano."

"You don't get to give me orders, son."

"I just need one name. Sergeant James Barnes from the 107th."

The Colonel took this moment to point his pen in Kallie's direction. "You and I are gonna have a conversation later that you won't enjoy."

She clenched her teeth at the comment. "It was only a matter of time." 

"Please tell me if he's alive, sir. B-A-R-"

"I can spell." After another moment of stubborn silence, Philips relented, standing to go find the list. "I have signed more of these condolence letters today than I would care to count. But, the name does sound familiar. I'm sorry."

Steve was silent for a long moment, and she could almost hear his heart break. "What about the others?" He asked finally. "Are you planning a rescue mission?"

"Yeah, it's called winning the war."

"But if you know where they are, why not at least-"

"They're thirty miles behind the lines through some of the most heavily fortified territory in Europe. We'd lose more men than we'd save. But I don't expect you to understand that because you're a chorus girl."

"I think I understand just fine." He replied, his tone almost harsh.

"Well then understand it somewhere else. If I read the posters correctly, you got someplace to be in thirty minutes."

"Yes, sir, I do." But Kallie was not blind to the way his eyes had lingered on the map, of the location of the captured men. She didn't miss the defiance in his stance and in his eyes. 

"If you have something to say, now is the perfect time to keep it to yourself." She heard the Colonel tell her.

When she found Steve, he was in his tent, already packing. "So you're just going to, what, walk to Austria?" She demanded.

"If that's what it takes." She stood in his path when he turned to go. "Please move, Kallie."

"I can't."

"After everything he's said to you-"

"I can't," She snapped, louder now. "Because there's another way. Come with me."

╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

sooner than
you'd think...

╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

STARK KNEW THE LOOK ON KALLIE'S FACE WHEN SHE WALKED IN. He knew it all too well. "What can I do?"

"You can get me a plane in the air." She told him, appreciating that he seemed to recognise when there was no time for nonsense.

"Where are we going?" Peggy wondered, stepping out to join them. 

"To rescue the 107th."

"Isn't that a little risky?" She wondered. 

Kallie grinned. "That's why I draw my own lines."

Less than thirty minutes later, they were in the air, off in the right direction. Kallie, beneath her coat, was dressed in army-green cargo pants, a long-sleeved black top and boots, the outfit armed with guns and knives. Her hair was also effectively pulled back out of her face into a braid. 

"The Hydra camp is in Krausberg," Peggy explained. "Tucked between these two mountain ranges. It's a factory of some kind." 

"We should be able to drop you right on the doorstep." Stark called back from where he was piloting. 

"Just get me as close as you can."

"Get us as close as you can." Steve turned, looking t Kallie like she was insane. 

"Absolutely not."

She tugged off the coat, revealing the outfit beneath. "Well, Rogers, unless you plan on cuffing me to this plane -- which I doubt you could manage -- you can't stop me."

"It's too risky."

"I jumped off a building." She assured him. "That was nothing, and neither is this."

He frowned. "What are you?"

She sighed. "Not like you... but not like anyone else either. Erskine knew, along with a select few others. I guess you're all my new secret keepers now."

He still looked unsure. "This is gonna be more dangerous than just jumping out of the helicopter..."

"Trust me," She smiled. "I'm counting on it."

"Agent Carter," Stark piped up. "If we're not in too much of a hurry, I thought we could stop off in Lucerne for a late-night fondue."

Steve's expression turned to one of disgruntled confusion as he turned to Kallie for an explanation. She only pressed her lips together to avoid bursting into all-out laughter. 

"You two... uh..."

"Transponder." Kallie cut in, to avoid any more awkwardness. She took the device from Peggy. "We activate it when we land. It'll lead them straight to us."

"And you're sure it works?"

"It's been tested more than you, pal." Howard offered. 

Their conversation was cut off quite suddenly and rudely by the guns firing into the sky. Ignoring the shouts from Howard and Peggy, Steve climbed over to the door, hauling it open. He was immediately followed by Kallie, and the two leapt off into the hazardous night sky.