[ Her expression flickers with recognition at the name, a twitch of her brows and a tightening of her mouth. Werner Reinhardt had been at the last HYDRA base she at the Commandos had raided and just on the heels of Fitz telling her it wasn't the last head to be cut off, the victory feels hollow now. But it's strange how the pieces fit together β she does recall a Chinese woman named Jiaying only because they'd taken a record of the survivors before getting them home. They hadn't noted anything remarkable about her at the time and maybe that was for the best. God knows what the SSR and American government would have done with such a find. (Winning the war doesn't guarantee being a Good Guy.)
And unbeknownst to both her and Fitz, among the artifacts recovered from that base was a crate holding the body of a dead Kree, along with the Diviner that triggered the inhuman "epidemic" in the 21st Century. She knew nothing about it either, only that it was dangerous. And all of it, Reinhardt included, had to be locked away from the world in order to protect it and to stop men like Howard Stark from toying with it. Seems as though that only delayed the inevitable. Humanity does like to evolve and discover, for better or for worse.
None of it matters now and yet all of it does. It provides the context for Fitz's understanding of the abilities they now possess and how something similar may apply here. He may not agree but Peggy does, if only because it falls into the most basic of reasoning: a problem occurs, a solution presents itself. A hole is discovered, something fills in the gap. These inhumans balance the scales, Captain America was engineered to do the same. The displaced tumble into the 26th Century plagued by all its problems.
We're not in the business of believing in coincidences. ]
The closest our science ever came to such a thing was Project Rebirth, [ she says after a moment. ] Dr Erskine always said his formula was designed to enhance what was already within. [ Good becomes great, bad becomes worse. ] Johann Schmidt received the same serum as Steve Rogers β and one turned into the Red Skull while the other became Captain America.
[ She exhales slowly, gaze drifting towards the water and the skyline towering above it. She remembers that basement in Brooklyn all too clearly, the quiet bravery of the slight man at her side, his screams from inside the pod. Shut it down. He could have died and he was willing to take that risk for his country. ]
We didn't know what would happen, not with Schmidt as the only success we knew of. We just had faith that the science was sound and that the man we chose was the right one for the job. [ She speaks about Steve as she would any other soldier; with careful detachment and professionalism. But the silence before the pod hissed open had been worse than the screams. ] I believe that's what's happened here with us. It's as you said β you've been leaping through holes in space and now you can create them. And I... [ A beat as she holds her breath then exhales it in a silent laugh, shaking her head. ] Well, I'll always find a way to be in the line of fire.
[ She looks down, lips quirked. ]
May as well be the shield while I'm at it. Why let Rogers have all the fun?
no subject
And unbeknownst to both her and Fitz, among the artifacts recovered from that base was a crate holding the body of a dead Kree, along with the Diviner that triggered the inhuman "epidemic" in the 21st Century. She knew nothing about it either, only that it was dangerous. And all of it, Reinhardt included, had to be locked away from the world in order to protect it and to stop men like Howard Stark from toying with it. Seems as though that only delayed the inevitable. Humanity does like to evolve and discover, for better or for worse.
None of it matters now and yet all of it does. It provides the context for Fitz's understanding of the abilities they now possess and how something similar may apply here. He may not agree but Peggy does, if only because it falls into the most basic of reasoning: a problem occurs, a solution presents itself. A hole is discovered, something fills in the gap. These inhumans balance the scales, Captain America was engineered to do the same. The displaced tumble into the 26th Century plagued by all its problems.
We're not in the business of believing in coincidences. ]
The closest our science ever came to such a thing was Project Rebirth, [ she says after a moment. ] Dr Erskine always said his formula was designed to enhance what was already within. [ Good becomes great, bad becomes worse. ] Johann Schmidt received the same serum as Steve Rogers β and one turned into the Red Skull while the other became Captain America.
[ She exhales slowly, gaze drifting towards the water and the skyline towering above it. She remembers that basement in Brooklyn all too clearly, the quiet bravery of the slight man at her side, his screams from inside the pod. Shut it down. He could have died and he was willing to take that risk for his country. ]
We didn't know what would happen, not with Schmidt as the only success we knew of. We just had faith that the science was sound and that the man we chose was the right one for the job. [ She speaks about Steve as she would any other soldier; with careful detachment and professionalism. But the silence before the pod hissed open had been worse than the screams. ] I believe that's what's happened here with us. It's as you said β you've been leaping through holes in space and now you can create them. And I... [ A beat as she holds her breath then exhales it in a silent laugh, shaking her head. ] Well, I'll always find a way to be in the line of fire.
[ She looks down, lips quirked. ]
May as well be the shield while I'm at it. Why let Rogers have all the fun?