June 14, 1943
"Peggy! I've got this group, and you will assist me."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Here we go. Recruits, attention! I am Agent Rogers, and this is my assistant Agent Carter. I supervise all operations for this division."
"What's with the accents, Queen Victoria? I thought I was signing up for the US Army?"
"What's your name, soldier?"
"Gilmore Hodge, Your Majesties."
"Agent Carter, care to do the honors?"
"With pleasure. Step forward, Hodge."
"Put your right foot forward," I continue.
"Mmm...We gonna wrassle? Cause I got a few moves I know you'll like."
"Oh, shut up!" I say, and we both punch him.
"Agent Carter! Dr. —Agent Rogers, Barnes whatever your name is these days!"
"Colonel Phillips," I say as I roll my eyes.
"I can see that y'all are breaking in the candidates. That's good! Get your ass up out of that dirt and stand in that line at attention until somebody comes and tells you what to do."
"Yes, sir!"
"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. 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-soldier. And they will personally escort Adolf Hitler to the gates of hell."
Day 1 of training:
The guys have to climb up some ropes, but Hodge kicks Steve.
Day 2 of training:
The recruits have to read various books.
Day 3 of training:
They have to crawl through a barbed wire fence, and Hodge kicks part of it so it falls on Steve.
"Let's go! Rogers! Get that rifle out of the mud," an officer shouts at him.
Day 4 of training:
The recruits are running on our makeshift track with an officer shouting at them.
"Pick up the pace, ladies! Let's go, let's go! Double time! Come on! Faster! Faster! Move! Move! Squad, halt! That flag means we're only at the halfway point. First man to bring it to me gets a ride back with Agents Carter and Rogers. Move, move! Come on! Get up there! If that's all you got, this army's in trouble! Get up there, Hodge! Come on! Get up there! Nobody's got that flag in 17 years!"
"You sure about that, officer?" I whisper to myself.
"Ady, you've gotten it haven't you?" Peggy asks with a smug smile.
"Yeah, I have. Even before I got the serum, but whatever," I say as I roll my eyes. The officer continues to yell at them.
"Now fall back into line! Come on, fall in! Let's go! Get back into formation!"
"He's going to do it, Pegs," I say as I see my brother staring at the flag.
"I think you're right."
"Rogers! I said fall in!"
Steve pulls the pins from the flagpole causing it to fall over, and he grabs the flag.
"That's one way to do it," I mutter.
"There are other ways?"
"Oh, Pegs."
Steve hands the flag to the officer. "Thank you, sir," he says. Our car starts, and the guys begin to run again. Peggy turns and smiles at Steve.
"Hey there, soldier. How's it going?"
"Thanks, Ady."
"For what?"
"Being a great teacher."
"I told you it would come in handy someday."
"Yeah. Yeah, you did."
I laugh as he puts his arm around me.
Day 5 (Final Day) of training:
Peggy and I are walking around the recruits as they are doing various exercises.
"Faster, ladies, come on!" she says as they do push-ups.
"My grandmother has more life in her, God rest her soul," I yell out. "Move it!" I shout before walking over to join Phillips and Erskine.
"You two aren't really thinking about picking Rogers, are you?"
"Colonel, with all due respect, I believe he is the only one to choose. I should know."
"She's right, and we are more than just thinking about it. As Agent Rogers said, he is the clear choice."
"When you brought a 90-pound asthmatic onto my army base, I let it slide. I thought, 'What the hell.' Maybe he'd be useful to you, like a gerbil. I never thought you'd actually pick him."
"Well, it isn't your decision to make, is it, Colonel Phillips?"
"You stick a needle in that kid's arm, it's gonna go right through him."
I scoff at him.
"Come on, girls. Look at that," Peggy says as the guys do jumping jacks.
"He's making me cry," Phillips says.
"We are looking for qualities beyond the physical," Erskine says.
"Do you know how long it took to set up this project?"
"We are well aware," I say under my breath.
"All the groveling I had to do in front of Senator What's-His-Name's committees?"
"Brandt!"
"Yes, I know. We are well aware of your efforts," Erskine replies.
"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."
"Colonel, he's a bully. My brother—"
"Brother nothing. You don't win wars with niceness, Doctors."
"Did you just interrupt me?" I ask. "You do realize I have a higher rank than you, correct? Don't interrupt me, and you listen to me. It's the fact that he is my brother that's making me want to choose someone else, but it has to be him for this, and I know, 'You win wars with guts,' so let's give him the ultimate test," I quip as I grab a bomb and pull the pin. "Grenade!" I shout.
Steve jumps to cover it and yells at everyone to get away. I just stand there smiling. He looks over at me and asks, "Is this a test?" I smile and give him a slight nod. I walk back to the colonel.
"Well?" I prompt.
"He's still skinny."
....................
A/N: Hey, guys! I know I haven't really said anything to y'all yet, but thank you so much for reading this book. I have put my heart and soul into getting this to you guys as quickly as possible, and I apologize that it is taking me so long to do so. Thanks, guys!
- Leona
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Viper
FanfictionShe's the director of SHIELD, but she started out as an agent. This is the story of Adelaide Rogers and her rise to power throughout the MCU.
