LATER THAT NIGHT, STEVE WAS SITTING ON HIS BUNK, READING A BOOK. But he could barely focus on the words, since there was only one thing on his mind: Agent Knight.

He knew he should've been preparing for the procedure tomorrow, but he couldn't get her out of his head. There was something about her that was just... different. Steve couldn't put his finger on what it was, but the way she held herself, the way she acted — it was unlike any woman he had seen before (even though he didn't have much experience in that department). She was mischievous and intelligent with a strong sense of self-worth, and it was obvious that she knew that about herself. To most it would appear as if it came from being born into a wealthy family and a high education, but Steve could tell that wasn't it. It had to be because of where she came from — somewhere exotic that most people probably didn't know about. But that couldn't have been the only reason, either, since there was this mystical aura about her that couldn't come from being a native to another continent. She was just so... ethereal. It was almost inhuman.

Steve sighed. I'm overthinking it, he told himself. It's probably just cause she's from a different country.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and moments later Dr. Erskine poked his head in. "May I?" he asked.

Steve nodded, gesturing for him to enter. "Yeah."

Dr. Erskine walked in, carrying two bottles of schnapps and a couple glasses. "Can't sleep?"

Steve shrugged. "I got the jitters, I guess."

Dr. Erskine laughed. "Me too."

It was silent for a moment before Steve spoke up, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Just one?" Dr. Erskine said, sitting down in front of Steve.

Steve looked up at him. "Why me?"

Dr. Erskine nodded. "I suppose that is the only question that matters." He looked down at the bottles he had brought with him. "This is from Augsburg," he said. "My city. So many people forget that the first country that the Nazi's invaded was their own." He looked up at Steve. "You know, after the last war the... my people struggled. They... they felt weak. They felt small. And then Hitler comes along with the marching and the big show and the flags and the... and the..." He waved his hand. "And he... he hears of me, my work and he finds me. And he says, 'You.' He says, 'You will make us strong.' Well, I am not interested. So he sends the head of HYDRA, his research division. A brilliant scientist by the name of Johann Schmidt. Now, Schmidt is a member of the inner circle and he's ambitious. He and Hitler share a passion for occult power and Teutonic myth. Hitler uses his fantasies to inspire his followers. But for Schmidt, it is not fantasy. For him, it is real. He has become convinced that there is a great power hidden in the earth, left here by the Gods, waiting to be seized by a superior man. So when he hears about my formula and what it can do, he cannot resist. Schmidt must become that superior man."

"Did it make him stronger?" Steve asked.

"Yeah." Dr. Erskine sighed. "But, there were other effects. The serum was not ready. But more important, the man. The serum amplifies everything that is inside. So, good becomes great. Bad becomes worse." He pointed at Steve. "This is why you were chosen. Because a strong man, who has known power all his life, will lose respect for that power. But a weak man knows the value of strength, and knows compassion."

Steve smiled softly. "Thanks. I think."

Dr. Erskine poured two drinks, handing one to Steve. "Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man."

Steve nodded, then held up his glass to toast. "To the little guys."

Just as Steve was about to drink from his glass, Dr. Erskine stopped him. "No! No! Wait! Wait! What am I doing? No! You have a procedure tomorrow. No fluids." He took the glass from Steve before pouring the contents into his own.

"All right," Steve said with a nod. "We'll drink it after."

Dr. Erskine gave him a look. "No! I don't have procedure tomorrow. Drink it after? Drink it now!" He drank from his glass while Steve chuckled.

"That woman who's training us..." Steve said after a moment. "Who is she?"

"Agent Carter?" Dr. Erskine asked.

Steve shook his head. "No, the other one."

Steve saw a brief look of panic flash across Dr. Erskine's eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it had come as he nodded at Steve. "Ah. You mean Agent Knight."

"Yeah," Steve said, nodding slowly. "Who is she? What's she like?"

Dr. Erskine raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

Steve shrugged. "Usually I'm pretty good at reading people. You know, getting an idea of who they are as a person. But with her it's like–"

"Reading a brick wall," Dr. Erskine finished. He chuckled, then fell silent for a second. "Her name is Raven. She's originally from Albania, but when she lost her parents in an accident, she came here to the States to help the war effort."

"She lost her parents?" Steve asked in surprise.

Dr. Erskine nodded. "Yes. And it has made her very guarded as a result. But, don't let that fool you. She has not been here for very long, so she can be a bit... naïve."

"Naïve?" Steve repeated. "How so?"

"She... trusts easily," Dr. Erskine told him. "Believes that every man is good, and is capable of showing that goodness in some way or form. But, she has enough intuition to know right from wrong, and that she can trust you, which is good."

"She trusts me?" Steve frowned. "How do you know that?"

"Simple." Dr. Erskine shrugged. "She told me."

"So you two are friends?" Steve asked.

"I guess you could say that." Dr. Erskine got up, gathering the bottles before looking at Steve. "But I'm going to warn you now, Steven: don't get too close to Raven. She is not going to be here forever, and she does not handle loss very well. Either of you or the both of you could wind up with a broken heart."

Steve blinked in confusion. "What do you mean, she's not gonna be here forever?"

Dr. Erskine sighed. "Her people mean everything to her. She gave them her word that she would come back to them when this is all over. And believe me when I tell you: her people always keep their word."

He walked out of the room without saying anything else. But as the sound of his footsteps retreated down the hall, Steve couldn't help but feel like the "people" the doctor was referring to weren't actually Albanian.

══════════ ◦◦◦✥◦◦◦ ══════════

The following day was the day of the test. Raevanna, Steve and Peggy were now sitting in a car, driving through Brooklyn on their way to the facility. The ride had been a silent one, which Raevanna appreciated since she needed to focus on staying calm. She had never enjoyed riding in cars; they were, in her opinion, giant metal death traps, and she was always worried that she would be killed in one. How people could find them safe, she had no idea.

"Hey, you alright?" Steve asked, bringing Raevanna out of her thoughts.

Raevanna was touched by the genuine concern in his voice, but the fact that he had noticed her anxiety meant that she wasn't doing too well at hiding it. So she forced a smile and nodded at him. "Yes. I'm just nervous."

Steve didn't look too convinced, but thankfully he didn't question her further. Instead he looked out the window at the city around them. "I know this neighborhood," he said, then pointed to an alleyway and added as it passed by, "I got beat up in that alley." They kept driving, and he pointed again. "And that parking lot. And behind that diner."

"Did you have something against running away?" Raevanna asked him.

"You start running they'll never let you stop," Steve replied. "You stand up, push back. Can't say no forever, right?"

Peggy nodded. "I know a little of what that's like. To have every door shut in your face."

"So do I," Raevanna agreed. "Back home, the idea of a woman having my position wasn't exactly something everyone favored."

Steve shrugged. "I guess I just don't know why you'd wanna join the army if you're a beautiful dame." When Raevanna and Peggy gave him a look, he quickly corrected himself, "Or a beautiful- a woman. An agent, not a dame! You are beautiful, but-"

"You have no idea how to talk to a woman, do you?" Peggy asked as Raevanna smiled in amusement.

Steve shrugged again. "I think this is the longest conversation I've had with one. Women aren't exactly lining up to dance with a guy they might step on."

Raevanna glanced at him in surprise. "You must have danced?"

Steve shook his head. "Well, asking a woman to dance always seems so terrifying. And the past few years... just didn't seem to matter that much. Figured I'd wait."

"For what?" Raevanna asked. 

Steve looked at her. "The right partner."

Raevanna's lips curled up in a genuine smile. She was becoming more and more fond of Steve as time went on.

Eventually the car pulled up by an antiques shop, and Raevanna motioned for Steve to get out. "We're here," she said.

The three got out of the car. Steve glanced around in confusion until Peggy got his attention.

"This way," she told him, pointing to the antiques shop.

Steve frowned, still confused. "What are we doing here?"

Peggy just gave him a look, and Raevanna gestured for him to follow. "Follow us."

They entered the store, stepping into the dimly lit room. It was empty and quiet, save for the elderly woman standing in the back.

"Wonderful weather this morning, isn't it?" the woman asked.

"Yes, but I always carry an umbrella," Peggy replied.

The woman nodded faintly, walking over to the desk and pushing something behind it. Then, next to her, the bookcase slid aside to reveal a set of hidden doors. With Peggy in the lead, the three walked through the doors and down the hall until they reached another pair of doors, guarded by two SSR soldiers. They opened the doors, and Raevanna, Peggy, and Steve stepped inside the hidden lab. It was a huge circular room, filled with machinery and a large pod in the middle. Dr. Erskine and his team were already inside, preparing the machines for the transformation.

Dr. Erskine walked up to Steve, smiling at him. "Good morning." As he shook Steve's hand, someone took a photograph of the two, to which Dr. Erskine gave a pointed look and said, "Please, not now."

The photographer walked away, and Steve's eyes drifted over to the pod. Raevanna could sense his nerves, and she instinctively stepped closer to him.

"Are you ready?" Dr. Erskine asked. When Steve nodded, the doctor went on, "Good. Take off your shirt, your tie and your hat."

Steve removed his hat and began to unbutton his shirt. Once it was off, Steve climbed into the open pod and laid down.

As he did so, Raevanna spotted Howard among the scientists. Grinning widely, she walked over to him and said, "Well. It's a coincidence seeing you here, isn't it?"

Howard turned around, smiling. "Indeed it is." He then gave her a warm hug before leaning back, his smile growing wider. "How ya been, angel?"

Raevanna smiled again; Howard had given her the nickname "angel" shortly after she began her training in the SSR, coming from his incorrect assumptions about being dead when he arrived on Elyon. At first Raevanna hadn't liked the nickname, but it had grown on her, and now she found it endearing.

"I'm alright," Raevanna said to him. "A little homesick, but otherwise I'm fine."

Howard put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Raevanna. If this works, the war will be over soon, and then you can go home."

"Mr. Stark," Dr. Erskine suddenly said, catching their attention. "How are your levels?"

Howard looked at the measurements on the machine. "Levels at one hundred percent."

Dr. Erskine nodded. "Good."

Howard glanced at the measurements again before continuing, "We may dim half the lights in Brooklyn, but we are ready as we'll ever be."

Dr. Erskine nodded again, then turned to Raevanna. "Agent Knight? Don't you think you would be more comfortable in the booth?"

Raevanna nodded quickly, slightly embarrassed that she had been hanging around. "Oh, yes. Of course. Sorry."

Dr. Erskine smiled. "Good."

Raevanna left the lab floor and walked up to the observation lobby, then took a seat next to Colonel Phillips. Once she was seated, she looked at Dr. Erskine, who had picked up a microphone and was tapping it.

"Do you hear me?" he asked. "Is this on?" Once he was sure that he could be heard, he began to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen, today we take not another step towards annihilation, but the first step on the path to peace. We begin with a series of micro injections into the subjects major muscle groups. The serum infusion will cause immediate cellular change. And then to stimulate growth, the subject will be saturated with Vita-Rays."

Dr. Erskine then set the microphone down before walking over to the pod and picking up a needle. He flicked it a few times before injecting it into Steve's arm, causing the man to wince.

"That wasn't so bad," Steve said once it was over.

Dr. Erskine gave him a look. "That was penicillin." Steve winced apologetically, and the scientists placed a a small machine with needles on the inside over his chest. Then, the Doctor said to the others, "Serum infusion beginning in five, four, three..." Sensing Steve's nerves, he gently put his hand on the small man's shoulder to calm him. "Two, one."

At those words, the serum was injected into Steve, flowing through the vials before entering his body. Steve hissed in pain, his eyes squeezing shut, but once it was over, his eyes snapped open.

Dr. Erskine looked to Howard. "Now, Mr. Stark."

Howard lowered a lever, and the pod slowly moved upright, enclosing Steve inside.

Dr. Erskine walked up to the pod and knocked on it. "Steven, can you hear me?"

"It's probably too late to go to the bathroom, right?" was Steve's reply.

Dr. Erskine smiled, turning to Howard. "We will proceed."

Howard began to slowly increase the power, managing the controls and monitoring the progress. "That's ten percent. Twenty percent. Thirty. That's forty percent."

"Vital signs are normal," one SSR doctor said.

Howard continued to increase the power. "That's fifty. Sixty. Seventy."

Suddenly, Steve started screaming in pain, and Raevanna's heart dropped. Without a second thought she jumped from her seat and ran out of the booth.

"Steven!" Dr. Erskine shouted, trying to be heard over Steve's screaming.

"Shut it down!" Raevanna told him, leaning over the railing.

Dr. Erskine continued to bang on the pod. "Steven!"

"Shut it down!" Raevanna shouted, this time with more desperation in her voice.

Dr. Erskine spun around to face Howard. "Kill the reactor, Mr. Stark! Turn it off! Kill it! Kill the reactor!"

Howard nodded, beginning to shut it off, but then, Steve managed to speak.

"No!" he cried. "Don't! I can do this!"

Howard looked at Dr. Erskine, but continued increasing the power: "Eighty. Ninety. That's one hundred percent."

Raevanna's hands gripped the bars of the railing, her knuckles turning white as she stared at the pod. The glow from inside grew brighter and brighter, until sparks began to fly out from the controls, and moments later everything overloaded, causing the reactor to close itself down.

When the light faded, Dr. Erskine turned to face Howard. "Mr. Stark?" he asked.

Without a word, Howard opened the pod, and as steam rolled out of the opening doors, Raevanna relaxed, a smile now spreading across her face.

The small, thin man Steve had once been was gone. In his place was a tall, broad-shouldered, muscular man, his skin red and glistening with sweat as his chest heaved from exhaustion.

Dr. Erskine rushed up to Steve with a smile on his face. "Steven. Steven."

Everyone poured out of the observation chamber, gathering along the railings. The others hung back, watching in amazement.

Steve stumbled out of the pod, supported by Howard and Dr. Erskine. "I did it," he panted.

Dr. Erskine's grin widened. "Yeah, yeah. I think we did it."

"We actually did it," Howard agreed, a similar smile on his face.

Raevanna rushed over to Steve, stopping in front of him as the doctors and scientists gathered around him. Then she hesitated, suddenly feeling very self conscious. "How do you feel?" she asked.

Steve, who was still trying to catch his breath, stood a little straighter. "Taller."

It was true; Steve was now at least half a head taller than her. So Raevanna nodded, patting at his chest awkwardly before she was handed a shirt for him. "You definitely look taller."

The others who were in the observation room came down, including Colonel Phillips and one of the endorsers for the project, Senator Brandt. Raevanna smiled at the Colonel, who finally seemed satisfied with Dr. Erskine's efforts.

"How do you like Brooklyn now, Senator?" Colonel Phillips asked Senator Brandt.

Senator Brandt grinned, clearly excited as he replied, "I can think of some folks in Berlin who are about to get very nervous." He reached out and shook Dr. Erskine's hand. "Congratulations, Doctor."

"Thank you, sir," Dr. Erskine said gratefully.

Suddenly, a small explosion went off in the observation room, causing everyone to drop to the ground or shield their eyes from the shattered glass. Raevanna covered her head, and as confusion swirled around the room, she saw one of the men grab the last vial of the serum before running towards the exit.

Thankfully, Dr. Erskine had seen him, too. Pointing at the man, he shouted, "Stop him!"

But then, much to Raevanna's horror, the man drew a gun and pointed it at Dr. Erskine.

"No!" Raevanna cried.

But before she could even move to save him, the man fired, the bullets going right through the doctor before he fell to the ground. Then, the man fled, rushing out of the lab without so much as a glance in the doctor's direction.

Raevanna rushed over to Dr. Erskine as Peggy ran out of the lab, most likely chasing after the man. Then, Raevanna and Steve knelt by Dr. Erskine's side, and Raevanna felt tears well up in her eyes, knowing that there was nothing she could do.

Dr. Erskine slowly lifted his hand, pointing to Steve's chest as if to tell him to stay true to his heart. Then, the doctor put his hand on Raevanna's shoulder and said softly, "You know... what you have... to do. Wings... Magic... Use them..."

Then, Dr. Erskine's hand dropped to the ground, and his eyes closed as his bullet-ridden chest stopped moving. He was dead.

Steve looked at Raevanna. She saw the grief in his eyes turn into determination, and she immediately realized what he was going to do.

"Steve, you can't," Raevanna told him.

But Steve ignored her, leaping to his feet before he, too, ran out of the lab. Raevanna closed her eyes for a moment, knowing that Dr. Erskine was right. She had to do something to stop the assassin. And she couldn't do it without her magic.

Raevanna opened her eyes and jumped to her feet, darting out of the lab and down the hall. When she reached the antique store, she saw the old woman who ran it on the ground, her body ridden with bulletholes, but Raevanna quickly moved on and ran outside.

She saw Peggy, pointing her gun at a