Agent Sakuara

U.S. CAMP - PHILLIPS' TENT

Colonel Phillips stares out his window, stoic. Then he started to dictate to a corporal "Senator Brandt, I regret to report that Captain Steven G. Rogers went missing behind enemy lines on the 3rd of last week." He looks down to read the rough draft on his notepad and continued "Aerial reconnaissance has proven unfruitful. As a result, I must declare Captain Rogers killed in action."

The corporal stops typing. Conel Phillips turns to see. Agent Carter standing in the door, red-eyed and tired.

"The last surveillance flight is back." Agent Carter reported. She enters and lays down aerial pictures of the disintegrated Hydra camp. "No sign of activity."

Colonel Phillips gazes at the photos. Then he looks to the corporal and said "Corporal. Why don't you go get a cup of coffee?" The corporal nods and leaves the room.

"I can't touch Stark. He's a civilian...and the Army's number one weapons contractor. You're neither." Colonel said gravely.

"You'll have my resignation in the morning." Agent Carter said, despondent.

"I can probably make it so that you'll avoid a court martial." Colonel Phillips seeing how she looks tried to comfort her.

"With respect, sir, I don't regret my actions. And I doubt Captain Rogers did, either." Agent Carter stubbornly defended.

"What makes you think I give a damn about your opinions?" Colonel Phillips replied. Agent Carter goes cold. Colonel Phillips steps forward and continue to say "I took a chance on you, Agent Carter. Now that boy and a lot of other men are dead, because you had a crush." He was beyond disappointed.

"It wasn't that." Agent Carter defended and said quietly "I had faith."

"Well, I hope that's a great comfort to you when they shut this division down." Colonel Phillips looked at her in the eyes.

Then a commotion starts to build outside.

"What the hell's going on out there?" The Colonel asked. Soldiers were running by his window. He and Agent Carter move closer to look. They step outside to see dozens of soldiers hurrying toward the camp entrance.

The soldiers part, revealing Steve and Bucky walking up the road, leading a squad of P.O.W.'s. Ragtag vehicles follow, carrying the rest. Steve's uniform hangs filthy and torn. His shield is battered and bent. But his head is high. G.I.'s cheer, more come running.

Hodge steps out of the barracks, drying his hair. He stops, stunned. "Rogers?"

Amazed, Colonel Phillips looks to Agent Carter, who wipes away tears. The stunned crowd parts. Steve salutes Colonel Phillips.

"Colonel, some of these men need medical attention." Steve reported.

Colonel Phillips looks at the gaunt faces of the men. He nods. Medics rush in to help the P.O.W.'s.

Steve continue to say "I'd like to surrender myself for disciplinary action."

Colonel Phillips looks at Steve's battered, burned shield and replied tentatively "That won't be necessary."

"Sir, I—" Steve was cut offed.

"Just how many orders do you plan on disobeying, Captain?" Colonel Phillips said, irritated. He and Steve lock eyes.

Steve smiles and replied "Yes, sir."

Colonel Phillips turns to Agent Carter, smiling wryly. "Faith, huh?" He walks away as Steve turns to Agent Carter.

She stops herself from hugging him. "You're late."

Steve pulls out the Stark transponder. It's shot to pieces. "Sorry, couldn't call my ride."

Agent Carter stared at Steve for a long, lingering moment which made Steve felt awkward.

Fortunately, soldiers including those who booed him at the USO show, crowd around him, slapping Steve on the back. They wave his comic book, yelling for Captain America. Flashbulbs pop. Steve smiles despite himself, finally accepted.

A pretty nurse approaches Bucky and asked "Where do you hurt, soldier?" A slow smile creeps across his face.

NEW YORK

At a newsstand in front flogs a paper: "CAPT. AMERICA TO RECEIVE MEDAL OF HONOR". Dr. Erskine immediately bought a copy and read the contents to Yumhee beside him. Both of them feeling proud of Steve.

"After he hears your good news, I'm pretty sure he'll be happier than receiving this medal." Dr. Erskine teased Yumhee.

"He should be." Yumhee said by tapping her staff in Morse code and giggled.

When they reached an alley, five people in black blocked their way and started to push them behind a building.

"Dad...what's happening?" Yumhee tapped her staff again. She felt afraid, she can clearly hear that there are four to five persons surrounding them. With her disabilities, she felt more scared. She knew she won't be able to save the both of them.

"It's okay. Don't be afraid." Dr. Erskine held her hands and looked at the men. "Gentlemen, what is this about?"

"All you need to know is that you're going with us." One of the men answered. A black van stopped where they are and the men shoved them inside. They also injected them with something they didn't know and passed out shortly after.

When Yumhee came to, she was laying in a cold hard place. She doesn't know how long she has been out of it or where she is right now. She tried to move but felt the bounds on her body. She was beyond terrified but not for herself.

On the other side of the glass wall, Dr. Erskine is pleading to a man in all black, Schmidt.

"Please, just let her go. I'll do anything you ask." Dr. Erskine looked at her daughter for the nth time.

"You see doctor...your beautiful step-daughter there has another purpose." Schmidt smiled at Dr. Erskine maniacally.

"I have met your soldier, Captain America right? And did a little digging. I was actually pleasantly surprised to know that besides him and I, you also decided to experiment on your lovely daughter." He paused for a minute, staring at the woman inside the laboratory room. "But do you know the best part is? I actually found out that your daughter is pregnant with Captain America's child!" Schmidt laughed. "Oh I'm so excited to see how he'll react when he saw them again, killing machines without memories nor feelings." Dr. Erskine paled immediately, beyond horrified.

ALLIED HEADQUARTERS - BRIEFING ROOM

A briefing room in an underground bunker.

"The fourth one was in Poland, here, not far from the Baltic..." Steve started to share the information he saw that night at Dr. Zola's room.

Agent Carter watches Steve sketch precise coordinates on a map, perfectly duplicating the one in the Hydra factory.

"And the last was outside of Strasbourg, say thirty, forty miles west of the Maginot line." Steve looked up and admitted "I only got a quick look."

"Nobody's perfect." Agent Carter comforted.

An aid picks up the map and carries it across the room. Steve and Agent Carter turn as Howard Stark approaches, a blue Hydra cartridge in his hand.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be picking up a medal right about now?" Mr. Stark asked, confused.

"I'm off the publicity circuit." Steve replied indifferently.

Just then, Colonel Phillips approaches from across the room.

"Rogers, you just embarrassed a senior senator in front of a dozen reporters and ten members of Parliament." Colonel Phillips hands Steve a medal and continue to say "You should get a medal just for that." He sees the Hydra cartridge. "You figure out what this is, yet?" He asked Mr. Stark.

"If you believe Rogers, it's apparently the most powerful explosive known to man." Mr. Stark replied.

"If?" Steve said, raising one of his eyebrows at Mr. Stark.

"Well, either you're wrong or Schmidt's damn near rewritten the laws of physics." He moves off toward his lab. "And I'm rather fond of the laws of physics..." He trailed off.

Colonel Phillips moves toward the room-sized map table. "These are all of Hydra's factories?" He asked to reconfirm.

"The ones we know about. But Sgt. Barnes said Hydra shipped all the bombs to another facility. And that...wasn't on the map." Steve answered.

Colonel Phillips studies the map, deciding. Then walks toward his office. "Agent Carter, coordinate with MI6. I want every Allied eyeball looking for that main Hydra base."

"What about us?" Agent Carter asked.

"We're going to light a fire under Johann Schmidt's a.s.s." Then he looked at Steve. "What do you say, Rogers? It's your map. Think you can wipe Hydra off it?"

Steve stares, finally given the responsibility he's wanted. "I'm going to need a team."

"We've already started lining up the best men—" but Steve cut off Colonel Phillips.

"If you don't mind, sir...so have I." Then he started to turn and walk away but Colonel Phillips stopped him.

"Rogers...there's something else I need to talk to you about, urgently." The others excused themselves while he and Steve walked inside his office. He close the door and walked to his chair. He remained silent after that.

Steve, feeling puzzled, asked "Sir, are you okay?"

Colonel Phillips stared at Steve's eyes, hesitating. "We have received other news that are...alarming." He paused and walked to the window, his back at Steve. "I regret to inform you that..." He let out a long sigh. "Dr. Erskine and Agent Sakura were abducted by Schmidt."

Steve was stunned. For a while he just looked at Colonel Phillips' back, his mind totally blank, refusing to believe what he just heard. "I'm sorry. But how is that even possible? There were agents around them. I also warned you that Schmidt might get them." He was starting to feel helpless and angry.

"And we added more agents to protect them because of that. But they were all killed." Colonel Phillips informed.

Steve wanted to punch someone so badly. So he started to walk to the door before he does anything rude. But Colonel Phillips dropped another bomb onto him. "Rogers...Agent Sakura is pregnant with your child. It was supposed to be a happy surprise for you when you returned." He turned around and you can clearly see the turmoil in his eyes. "I'm really sorry."

Steve slammed the door open and briskly walked out of the building. Bucky saw him and shouted his name to gain his attention but he can't hear anything. He started to run. He wanted to run away from everything and just be able to see and stay in Yumhee's arms again and see their child grow old.

He stopped running when he reached a clearing and started to break down and cry. He was afraid. No, beyond afraid. He knows what Schmidt was capable of and he's terrified to know and see what will happen to Yumhee and their unborn child.

THE WHIP & FIDDLE PUB

Falsworth, Jones, Dernier, Morita and Dugan lean on stools. Steve lines up at a dart board.

"We barely got out of there alive and you want us to go back?" Jones asked, incredulous.

Steve weighs a dart, then casually tosses a bull's-eye. "Pretty much."

The men look at each other for a long, pregnant moment. They have already noticed the heavy atmosphere around Steve and they tacitly understood there's something more to the story but they let it be.

"Sounds rather a good time, actually." Falsworth said, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm in." Morita followed.

Steve eyes Dernier, questioning. Dernier nods and relied "Je combattrai jusqu'a ce que le dernier de ces batards soit mort, echaine ou bien qu'il pleure comme un nouveau-ne! (I will fight until the last of these bastards are dead, chained or cries like a newborn!)"

Jones, laughing, also said "J'espere touts les trois! (I hope all three.)"

Dernier laughs, clapping Jones on the shoulder. When they look up, they see the others not understanding a word.

"Oh, uh, we're in." Jones explained.

Dum Dum Dugan finishes a beer, mustache covered in foam. "I'll fight. Well, I'll always fight. But you gotta do one thing for me."

"What's that?" Steve asked.

He hands over his empty pint glass and seriously said "Open a tab."

The others laugh and hand Steve theirs. Steve couldn't help the grin appearing on his face and takes the glasses back to the bar where Bucky waits. Steve slides over the empties.

"Another round?" Steve motioned for the bartender.

The bartender looks impressed. "You drink all these yourself?" Steve shrugs and turns to Bucky.

"That was the easiest battle of the war." Bucky opened up.

"What about you? You gonna follow Captain America into the jaws of death?" Steve lightheartedly asked.

"Hell no. That little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb to run away from a fight? I'm following him." Steve felt grateful. Bucky nods at a tour poster of Captain America: "PERFORMANCE CANCELLED - NOT TO BE RESCHEDULED." and asked "But you're keeping this outfit, right?"

"Don't get your hopes up. It's not exactly regulation." Steve replied.

"I dunno. You saw those guys in Italy when you came back. I don't think they were cheering just for you." Bucky said.

The Howling Commandos sing, arms wrapped drunkenly around one another. One by one, they stop as they notice Agent Carter enters the bar. Out of uniform, she looks great. Steve was about to open up to his best friend about Yumhee and their unborn child but stopped himself when he noticed the people around him. He then followed their eyes and saw Agent Carter.