7 Steve's Training Hell week.

The second day was full of physical training exercises, starting with simple calisthenics, with Steve being the slowest to complete his sets and Adam finishing his first and going over to Steve to motivate him. After that, they went to get breakfast, and Hodge and his pals tried to mess with Steve, but he simply ignored them when they knocked his food tray full of food to the ground. When there was no food left, Adam gave him his own food.

"Eat up; next we have the obstacle courses to go to."

"I fine, I wi-"

"Just eat; I'll eat extra during dinner."

"Thanks," Steve tells him as he starts eating.

"No problem." Adam says looking at Hodge and flipping him off, getting a rise out of him, and his pals stopping him from starting something

After breakfast, they were taken to a rope course. With the starting whistle blown, everyone started the first obstacle, which was a rope wall you had to climb over and barely half way up. Hodges foot hits Steve, and he falls, hanging upside down by his foot. While the others laugh, Adam hops down and helps him, then does the course in the fastest time, beating the others. Then they did military drills until dinner, then they ended the day by watching field sanitation and personal hygiene films and having supper.

The third day was more of the same, with one course crawling under barbed wire. Hodge kicked out a post, making the wires fall on top of Steve. Being next to him at the time, Adam uses an arm to lift it off of him, not caring about the cuts he was getting, and helps Steve get past them. Steve was worried about Adam's wounds, but he took his time and showed Steve how to take care of them on the field. Then we ended the day with weapon training, with Adam getting a 95 percent hit rate and Steve, surprisingly, getting 70 percent accuracy, but his body couldn't handle firing too many shots, limiting him and placing him almost at the bottom. Without Steve seeing it, Adam crushed up a health pill and sprinkled it on his supper that night.

The fourth and fifth days were full of physical challenges that put every person's metal resilience to the test. Like always, Adam got through, showing off how strong he is. Steve got through them better than most of the others.

The sixth day, during morning calisthenics, like always, Colonel Phillips was talking to them.

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

"By the end of this week, we're going to choose that man."

"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. He's going to be the first of a new breed of super soldiers. And together, they're going to bring a quick end to this damn war."

Next, they had them running miles, With Adam and Steve at the back. Even struggling to keep going, Steve didn't stop. Soon they came to a flag pull, and Staff Sargent Michael Duffy challenged them to get the flag, with the reward of riding back to base with Agent Carter. While the others rushed to try and get the flag, Steve was looking around, and after a minute of no one getting even half way up, Duffy ordered for them to continue. Yelling at Steve, who went up and took out the pin at the bottom of the pole, letting it fall to the ground, and going over and taking the flag and handing it to Duffy and getting in the jeep,

"See you at base, Adam." Steve says this with a smirk on his face.

"Ya, ya, you little quiz kid." Adam tells him to leave before moving on with the others.

On the last day, While everyone was on the field doing push-ups with Peggy pacing, Clonal Philips and Dr. Erskine were coming over while talking.

"I guess I just don't understand the European sense of humor, Doctor."

"You're not thinking of picking Rogers, are you?"

"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." Philips continues walking over to an open truck bed with a crate of grenades inside.

"You put a needle in that guy's arm; it's going to come out the other side." looking at Steve struggling to do push-ups.

"Look at him! He's making me cry."

"I am searching for qualities beyond the physical."

"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." Erskine stops when Phillips sees Adam effortlessly going through his push-ups, With Hodge trying to keep up with him.

"Hodge passed every test we gave him. He's big, he's fast, and he takes orders. In short, he's a soldier, and Adam is something else; why not one of those two?"

"Hodge is a bully, and Adam is sure to be a great choice, but Steve has more to offer than you think."

Phillips stares at Erskine for a long moment. Then he reaches for the Crate in the truck. "You don't win wars with niceness, Doctor." Phillips grabs a grenade. "You win them with guts."

The colonel pulls the pin and hurls it, yelling out "Grenade!"

The grenade rolls right in front of the recruits, and Steve and Adams eyes widen. The rest of the recruits scrambled away. Hodge yelps and throws himself under a nearby jeep. Before Adam and Peggy could make for the grenade, Steve was already there and jumped on it.

"Everybody Down!" Steve waits for the explosion, but nothing happens. After a

moment, he opens his eyes, confused.

At the truck, Phillips just glares, and next to him on the crate labeled 'M-56 training grenades', Erskine smiles at him. Hodge peaks out from under the jeep, shamed.

Steve, still splayed over the grenade, asked, "Is this a test?"

Adam next to him bends down and says, "Ya man, you passed with flying colors."

At the truck, Phillips turns to Erskine and says, "He's still skinny," before walking away.

That night, both Adam and Steve are sitting alone on Steve's bunk, with the other ten stripped and the footlockers empty. When Dr. Erskine came in with a bottle of schnapps.

Can't you sleep, you two?" he asked.

"Jot the jitters, I guess." Steve says

"And if he can't sleep, I can't."

Erskine motions to the bottle. "Me, too."

"Can I ask you a question?

"Just one?"

"Why me? Why not Adam? He's obviously the better choice."

"He was the first one I asked." Erskine says, shocking Steve, who turns his head to look at Adam.

"Even if I wanted it, Steve, I would still let you do it."

"Why?"

"Because I know you can do more with this than I can. Plus, even though I gave up the chance, I knew it was a test from the Dr.; he's had his eyes on you the whole time we've been here."

"He's right, you know; I see the future with you, Steve." Steve is overwhelmed by their trust in him.

Erskine motions to some water glasses next to Adam for him to grab and show his bottle. "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 and small. Then Hitler comes with the 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, and obsessed with occult power and Teutonic myth. He and Hitler shared a passion for violence and Wagner." Looking up and seeing their blank looks at the word Wagner. "German operas about war and heroes Blood and race Gods are afoot upon the earth." Shaking his head, Erskine said "Me, I like jazz."

Both Adam and Steve smile at that as Erskine goes on. "Hitler uses these fantasies to inspire his followers. But Schmidt 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." Erskine remembers Schmidt in full Nazi uniform, pointing a luger between his eyes. "He had to become that superior man."

Erskine goes silent, looking at his hands, When Steve asks. "Did it make him Strong?"

"Yes, but there were other effects."

"The serum was not ready, but more important, the man..." Erskine remembers Schmidt yanking the needle out of his hands and injecting himself. "The serum amplifies what is inside. Good becomes great; Bad becomes worse." Erskine says he remembers Schmidt's eyes bulging and his skin burning as he screams.

"This is why I chose you, Steve, and why Adam was not good; he's not you." Erskine tells them. "A strong man who's known power all his life will lose their respect and misuse it. But a weak man will always treasure it and show compassion.

"I have to agree with him, Steve. The good I see you doing will change the future and help so many lives."

"Thanks."

The other two chuckle at that as Erskine motions to the water glasses next to Steve. "Whatever happens tomorrow, promise me you'll stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier... " Erskine says he's tapping on Steve's cheats, looking Steve in the eye. "But a good man."

Erskine takes a glass, as he says. "And if not, Agent Bayard here will smack some sense into you."

They raise their glasses, and Steve says a toast. "To the little guys." They move to drink, but Erskine remembers something and grabs Steve's glass before he can take a sip.

"What am I doing? You have a procedure tomorrow. No fluids."

"More for you and me, doctor." Adam says taking Steve's glass from him and drinking them both "But Dr., I just want to say that what you're going to do tomorrow will save the world." Adam then reaches out to shake Erskine's hand.

"Thank you, Adam; if I could, I'd choose you both for tomorrow," he says, taking his hand.

In Adams head, the familiar 'ding' happened, but also new knowledge and stuff he didn't know before.

Checking the reward, he saw why.

[Met Dr. Erskine Reward: + 6 Mind, + 10 SS coins, Bonus + Beginner Scientist]