Agent Sakuara

CAMP LEHIGH - PRACTICE FIELD

A woman in a British army uniform strides in in front of eleven healthy recruits...including Steve who was looking small but determined in green army clothes.

"Recruits, attention!" Instructed by the woman. "Gentlemen, my name is Agent Carter. I will be supervising your induction today." She passes out papers and clipboards. "To begin with, I shall need you to complete this doc.u.ment." At the top of the doc.u.ment reads LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT.

One of the recruits suddenly said "What's with the accent, Queen Victoria? I thought I was signing up for the U.S. army?"

Agent Peggy Carter stopped from walking and asked the recruit "What's your name, soldier?"

"Gilmore Hodge, your majesty." Hodge replied sarcastically.

"Step forward, Hodge." Agent Carter instructed. "Right leg forward, arms like so..."

Hodge suggestively said "We gonna rassle? 'Cause I got a few moves I know you'll like."

Agent Carter comes close to him then punches him square in the nose. He drops in a heap, eyes watering, a trickle of blood coming from one nostril

"Agent Carter!" Somebody yelled from the distance. The men leap to attention as the man approaches, Dr. Erskine trailing behind him.

"Colonel Phillips." Agent Carter replied.

"I see you're breaking in the candidates. That's good." Colonel C.h.e.s.ter Phillips looks to Hodge. "You. Get over there in that line and stand at attention until somebody tells you what to do."

After that, he stands before the men. "General Patton has said that "wars are fought with weapons and won by men"." He notices the sickly Steve, he scowls at Dr. Erskine. "We're going to win this war because we have the best men..." Then he looks again at Steve. "And because they are going to get better. Much better."

After the training, the recruits started to unpack their bags and settle in the barracks. Steve went out after a while and immediately saw a smiling Yumhee walking up to him. He was just mesmerized at how beautiful she is.

"—ve? Steve? Hey, you okay?" Steve heard Yumhee saying, genuinely concerned for him. "Yea. Yea, I'm okay." Yumhee smiled a little. "So, what are you doing in this part of the camp?" Steve asked politely.

"I'm actually here to talk to you. You know...for you to get to know me." Yumhee giggled when she saw the blush on Steve's cheeks. "Ready for a quick date?" Without waiting for a reply, she grabs Steve's left hand and started walking to a nearby falls.

When they arrived, Yumhee sits on the ground near the edge of the falls. Steve follows suit after Yumhee invited him to sit beside her. She smiled widely at him and asked "So, what do you want to know?" With that, they just talked for an hour about anything and everything.

Steve has observed that Yumhee is way too direct most of the time. But he actually likes that about her. Her honesty is very refreshing. He also noticed that she's really observant. 'I guess that's why Dr. Erskine let's her handle the search for super soldier worthy candidates.' Steve thought. Another thing he learned about her is that her sarcastic remarks are actually funny. They're witty and charming. After an hour of talking, both of them decided to go back at camp. Steve insisted on walking her to her assigned living quarters.

"I really enjoyed talking and spending my time with you Steve. You're like an instant stress reliever for me. Seriously." The two laughed a little at that.

Steve looked at Yumhee and smiled warmly at her. "Me too actually."

There was a pause with the two just looking at each other until Steve was able to pull all his courage and kiss Yumhee. At first, it was a bit stiff. But when he feels that she was responding positively, he gets bolder by gently prying her lips with his tongue. She opens up her mouth slowly and after a few minutes, they separated. Gasping for air after that very heated kiss. Their foreheads connected, eyes staring at each other. Steve's hands on Yumhee's cheeks while hers on his arms. They were definitely feeling hot and needy right now but they both also knew that it was way to early to do anything beyond kissing.

When both were able to calm themselves, they said their good nights then parted with smiles on their faces.

This process repeated everyday. Everytime they both have a free time, they spend every second of it together. The separation part, especially during the nights, becomes harder each day until the night before Steve went back to New York. But that's a story for another time.

CAMP LEHIGH - OBSTACLE COURSE

Everyday the recruits undergo harsh training. For today, they are running through the obstacle course and it's pretty obvious that Steve is struggling.

The recruits scrambles up a cargo net. Steve's foot gets tangled. Hodge climbs over him, smashing his face. From an observation platform, Dr. Erskine watches as Steve grimaces but hauls himself up.

"Our goal is to create the finest army in history. But every army starts with one man." Colonel Phillips said.

The next day...as Agent Peggy Carter checks the stopwatch for each recruit, they crawl through mud beneath a barbed wire net. Hodge kicks out a support and the barbed wire falls on Steve.

"By the end of this week, we're going to choose that man." Colonel Phillips said again. "He's going to be the first of a new breed of super soldiers. And they are personally going to escort Adolf Hitler to the gates of hell."

The next day the recruits run around the camp. Steve always being left behind. They stopped at a flagpole. Their instructor for the day, Lieutenant James, gestured at the flagpole and said "That flag means we're only at the halfway point. First man to bring that flag to me gets a ride with Agent Carter for the last half of the way."

The men hurriedly tried to climb the pole but it was way too slippery. The Lieutenant ordered them to fall in line when noone was able to climb the pole. As they start to run again, Steve walked to the pole then pulled a bolt at the bottom part of it. This caused the flagpole to fall onto the ground. Everyone watched as Steve retrieved the flag and gave it to the Lieutenant, dumbfounded. Steve walked to the jeep and hopped in while Agent Carter tried to suppress her laughter by concentrating on writing her observations to her clipboard.

The following day at the practice field. You can see Steve struggling to do push-ups. Agent Carter paces as the recruits do calisthenics.

At the distance, Colonel Phillips and Dr. Erskine walk toward Steve's group of recruits.

Colonel Phillips is arguing with Dr. Erskine. "I guess I just don't understand the European sense of humor, Doctor." They pause for a moment and Colonel Phillips looks at Dr. Erskine seriously asking "You're not thinking of picking Rogers, are you?"

Agent Sakura joins the two men arguing about selecting Steve as the first candidate for the super soldier serum. Hearing his father's answer to the Colonel's question. "I am more than just thinking about it. He is the clear choice."

"When you invited a ninety-pound asthmatic onto my army base, I let it slide because I assumed he'd be useful to you. Like a gerbil. I never thought you'd pick him." Colonel Phillips said irritably.

"With all due respect, Sir. The super soldier serum enhances the human body. Breaking some humanly impossible limits like health regeneration and/or self-healing capabilities. So the physical condition of the person doesn't really matter. What matters is the person's mental and emotional state." Yumhee stated indifferently but with a hint of annoyance in her tone.

"Well it's nice of you to join us Agent Sakura." Colonel Phillips greeted sarcastically. The three stop near an open truck, a crate of grenades inside.

"You put a needle in that guy's arm, it's gonna come out the other side." Colonel Phillips ignored what Agent Sakura said and instead said this to Dr. Erskine. They then all watch as Steve struggle to do the push-ups. Colonel Phillips continued to say "Look at him! He's making me cry."

"Like Agent Sakura said, I am searching for qualities beyond the physical." Dr. Erskine repeated the point Agent Sakura made a while ago.

Colonel Phillips exasperatedly replied to the Doctor "Do you know how long it took to set up this project? The groveling I had to do in front of Senator Brandt's committee."

"I'm well aware of your efforts—" The doctor started to say but was cut off by the colonel while watching Hodge powers through his push-ups.

"Hodge passed every test we gave him. He's big, he's fast and he takes orders. In short, he's a soldier." Colonel Phillips commented. Which made Agent Sakura to almost roll her eyes at him.

"He's a bully." Dr. Erskine simply countered. The colonel stares at him for a long time like he's some kind of an idiot. Then he reaches for the crate of grenades in the truck.

"You don't win wars with niceness, Doctor." Colonel Phillips grabs a grenade. "You win them with guts." Then he pulls the pin and hurls the grenade at the group of recruits, yelling "Grenade!"

It stumbles in the grass, stopping in front of the recruits. Steve's eyes go wide. The rest of the recruits scramble away. Hodge yelps and throws himself underneath a nearby jeep.

Agents Carter and Sakura make their ways for the greande, but Steve gets there first, throwing himself on it. Agent Yumhee froze for a second when she saw that while her heart sped up due to panic.

Steve shouted "Everybody down!" He waits for the explosion...but nothing happens. After a moment, he opens his eyes, confused. And that's also the moment Agent Sakura realizes that it was an M-56 training grenade - inert.

Colonel Phillips just glared while Dr. Erskine smiled. Hodge peeks out from under the jeep, ashamed.

"Uh...is this a test?" Steve confusedly asked. Agent Sakura walked out immediately but not fast enough for Steve not to see the tear roll down from one of her eyes. Colonel Phillips follows after saying to Dr. Erskine "I still don't like him."

That night at the barracks, Steve sits alone on his bunk. Around him, eleven other bunks lie stripped, their footlockers empty. Then Dr. Erskine enters, carrying a bottle of Schnapps.

"Can't sleep?" Dr. Erskine asked.

"Got the jitters, I guess." Steve replied.

"Me too." Dr. Erskine said. He sat at the bed right next to Steve and they faced each other while talking.

"Can I ask you something?" Steve somewhat anxiously asked.

"Just one?" Dr. Erskine replied.

"Why me?" Steve seriously asked.

"I suppose that is the only question that matters." Dr. Erskine solemnly said. He holds up the bottle and the two wine glasses. "Made in Augsburg. My city. So many forget that the first country the Nazis invaded was their own. I don't excuse what my people have become. After the first war, my people struggled...they felt weak, small. Then Hitler comes with big show, the marching. He finds me. Hears of my work. "You", he says, "will make us strong". I am not interested. He sends the head of Hydra, his research division. A brilliant scientist named Johann Schmidt. Schmidt was a member of the inner circle, ambitious, obsessed with occult power and Teutonic myth. He and Hitler shared a passion for violence and Wagner."

Then he sees Steve's confused look. Realizing that he doesn't know what Wagner is, he explained what it is. "German operas about war and heroes. Blood and race. Gods afoot upon the earth." He shaked his head. "Me, I like a little Benny Goodman." Steve smiles.

Dr. Erskine goes on. "Hitler uses these fantasies to inspire his followers. But Schmidt...he does not believe in fantasy. For him, it is real. He became convinced that a great power had been hidden on earth left here by the gods - waiting to be seized by a superior man. And when he understood what my formula could do, Schmidt could not resist... He had to become that superior man." After that, Dr. Erskine goes quite.

"Did it make him strong?" Steve asked tentatively.

"Yes, but there were other...effects." Dr. Erskine replied honestly. "The serum was not ready, but more important, the man... The serum amplifies what is inside. Good becomes great...bad becomes worse." Dr. Erskine pours the Schnapps into the two glasses. "This is why you were chosen. A strong man, he might lose respect for the power if he has had it all his life. But a weak man knows the value of strength...and compassion."

"Thanks. I think." Steve replied. Dr. Erskine chuckles at his response.

"Whatever happens tomorrow, promise me you'll stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier..." Then Dr. Erskine taps Steve's c.h.e.s.t with one finger, looking inyo his eyes. "But a good man."

Steve clinks his glass with Dr. Erskine's. "To the little guys." Steve move to drink, but Dr. Erskine grabs Steve's glass before he can take a sip.

"What am I doing, you have a procedure tomorrow. No fluids." Dr. Erskine reminded Steve.

"We'll drink it after." Steve said. But Dr. Erskine pours Steve's drink into his.

"I don't have procedure tomorrow." He takes a sip. "Is very good. I save you a little." Then as if remembering something important, he urgently said to Steve. "Mr. Rogers...my daughter, Yumhee. I know that the two of you have something more than just being friends. Though she doesn't speak to me about this things...I know...I know that you are very important to her. If you can be so kind, please talk to her before we leave. The events that happened a few hours ago...I saw her reaction. She's remembering her family's death and she's starting to build walls around her heart again. It's her defensive mechanism for things she can't take emotionally or mentally." Dr. Erskine stands. "Please Rogers, help her." He bid Steve goodnight and left after that.

After thinking about what the Doctor said and arranging his thoughts and emotions about the situation he and Yumhee is in now, he stood, grab his jacket then determinedly walk towards her place.