Alex step out of the building releasing a sigh of relief. "Shit, now I'm down to only one letter." He recalled when he receive them, only after running around dodging bullets in Germany. Springing one defector scientist after another. His count was a record of 79, now that might seem small but keep in mind that he did that alone with almost no back up. The president was so please to steal all those goodies from the Germans, that he was summon to the white house and was ask about what to give him as a reward.
He saw an opportunity to get out off under his boss's thumps. Event then as good of an agent he was, his intellect and well his lack of suffering idiotic orders. Gave him a foundation of enemies, that would like nothing more, but to grind him down into submission. And so he ask for those letters he receive three. And now he was down to one, that was four months agos. He use the first to get the hell out of Germany, his boss at the time found it humiliating. And so he never spoke of it to anyone, beside who would think that he had three of those. They were s'oppose to be get out of jail free cards, but saddly his rapport with the higher up and reputation was his own worse enemy.
"At this ratio all probably loose the last in two mongths." He groan in annoyance, he had to use the letter he had no choices. If they kick him away now, it would ruin any chance he had, no matter how small of getting something from the Dr Reinstein. He hailed a cab and made his was to the apartment that he had use to get into contact with Lemberge. He didn't need to be sneaky for this, he figured that the place had been already expose. And keeping it would only bring him danger, but he still had to go back and grab his brief case, without it thing would get alot harder.
He told the driver bye and quickly enter, he only slowed down to check to make sure no one was inside waiting for him. Luckily it was attacker free, quickly going for the hidden catch. He pick up his case and left just as quickly. Going back on the street, he hail a new cab.
Now to insure that he wasn't being followed by any one, he bribe the driver to drive in circles, he manage to spot the tails. Then he gave some bugus story about a lovely but very married women, and her, rich overly jealous husband. With money and a good story the driver was more then happy to leave his tails in the dust.
Arriving to his destination, he made sure to give a generous tip and wave the cab away. Walking on foot for ten minutes, he arrive at an old abandon garage. He slip inside, once their he stop to admire his babby. As soon as he saw it he new he had to have it, hell back in his old time any car enthusiast would be willing to give an arm or a leg just to own it. A real smile broke on his face as he practically drooled himself silly, just looking at it. It was a duesenberg model J 1928, Al Capone car, he remembered that he was jumping around it in exitement at the shop. He keep getting weird looks from everyone, for everyone else it was a good car, expensive but nothing to be exited about. But to him it represented a link to his old world pop culture, a trip down memory lane.
"Hello beautiful! How my babby doing? Yes I know daddy been busy...." He went on for longer, saying thing about him and it that would disturbs many if their was anyone around. Finaly getting it out of his system, with a final look he went to the phone in the run down offices. He hope he could sent for a earlier meet, he couldn't wait around for next week.
"Hello operator, yes could you patch me to fort terry please, yes Il hold. Hello, my identification number? Its AZ69WT931JO6. Yes I need to speek to professor Josef Reinstein. No It can't wait, yes right now. Look i know he's busy but he will want to talk to me. Fine just tell him to call me at this number and that its a familly emergency ok, yes thank you, good bye." He could do nothing for now but wait.
A few hours had come and gone he'd left earlier to get food, taking his sweet babby out for a drive. He'd return with the days paper, looking at the date he knew that it was a matter of days before Steve Roger became all that he can be. The Stark project was probably already in the beginning stage of the final tests at this point. All possible problems had been solved, the chamber had already been build, and his well ex team had been in charge of brain storming the few problem that had pop up.
"I at least got some blue prints off Stark, not as much as I wanted but some." Alex walk to his case and open it took out a files as thick as three fingers. This was all he had been able to copies before his attacker and his agency f**k everything up. When Lamberge was in his angry tirad he let slip that, they had swap his attacker body for Paul Monroe's identity. Effectively burning his bridge to Stark, and opening the way for one of their more trusted agent.
"Its not like I don't try to get along, but most of the time my supervisor tend to give me some terrible intel and then I have to improvise to get the job done. Witch then makes them look like idiots." He question agains just how much longer he cloud hold on, before they finally figure how to fire him and look good while doing it. Yesterday fiasco included, he was sure that he was sold out bye someone. But he had not idea who, he knew it wasn't Lamberge and his gang of greedy asshats. They might hate his guts but they would never cross that line those idiots where loyal to a fault, they would ratter work with him then turn traitor.
Witch was why no matter how much they piste him off, he couldn't touch them, and boy did he try, but when he did his situation got worse. He found out the hard way that those pigs had a hell of a backing and a clean spotless record to boot. After Germany he'd gotten promoted pretty high, so he'd figured that it was the time to hit back, he could've use one of the letters back then but he'd just use one to get out of Germany. The result, he was demoted to Junior agent and stuck under Lamberge, who looked at any possible mistake to boot him out. Today drama was just because he'd neglected to contact Lamberge and get approval, usually no agent need to take that step since time and danger trumps policy. But whit Lamberge it was a God damn gift he gave him, well sleep deprive and not having any solide faith in the agency made him waste a letter.
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Finally the phone rang, He pick it up. "Josef?"
"What happen to my familly?" An anxious Jesof, practically shouted on the other end.
"Sorry, your family fine and safe I just needed to get a hold of you right away we need to meet now!"
A sigh of relief on the other end. "That was not nice you almost gave a heart attack. But what could possibly that important, you know in a few days Rebirth will begin. And I need to....."
"No you don't, looked this involves Rebirth directly, we need to meet now Abraham."
Silence, on the other side. "When and where?"
Alex gave him an adress, and hang up. Getting up he'd got into his car drove to the location and waited. He was their mabey 20 minutes, he saw a car drive toward him. He put his hand on his gun, leaving it on the handle but ready for a fight. The car drove up beside and he saw Josef Reinstein alone. He release a sigh, letting go of the gun and getting out of the car.
Both men stood in front of each outer, outside in the middle of the road far from any pring eyes. "So what going on Mr Grey? This isn't like you." Josef sounded calm but in his eyes you could see a bit of fear.
Alex looked at man infront of him, he new that this man would have a huge impact on the world. And he would pay for it with his life, in this moment if he convince him everyting could change in a way that he had no control over. "Hydra is here and they have found us."
Shock, fear, confusion and rage where but a few emotion playing across Abraham Erskine face. Their was also sorrow and regret, as he replayed a few faces of friend and familly that he couldn't save, as they had suffered at the hands of wrath by Heinrich Zemo. "How is this possible?"
"It doesn't matter right now, they send one of there agent after me. My guest is that you where just to well protected or that Zemo still wants your..."
"My serum hes still obsess with it, and hopes to force me into given it to him or sabotaging the up coming experiment, for safety of my familly throught you." Josef said as he close his eyes in pain his hands cupeling his face and his body hunch down as if the weigh of the world press on him.
Sigh. "Yeah, got it one. So you need to come with me Il contact the army and we'll reshuffled the experiment another day." Alex began explaining the next few steps.
"no..." Josef wishper.
"What? Did you say something?"
"I said no." Josef seem to grown back up with strength, he looked up at Alex. "Im not going to hid and run this time, I will not back down, if I run then my candidate will be switch."
"God damn, Abraham this is your life where talking about the hell with the experiment. My priorities is to make sure you keep breathing. And your canditdate can just waite!"
"I can't do that, the general was very clear, if their was more time he would change my choice with one of his. And I will not stand by and watch another red skull come into this world." Josef shook his head in firm denial of the monster he'd unwittingly created.
"Abraham please see reason, you have a huge say on this if you refuse to go on until they give you your choses, they will surely give in. But right now their definitely a hit order on you, and since it failed on me, their responce on you will no doubt be a kill order. But if we retreat and change location the risk go down." Alex approche Josef and place both hands on his shoulders, as he tried to convince him in running and hidding in order to preserve his life.
"I sorry my friend but I must do this." Abraham look and the grief filled face of his young friend. He knew that this man had approche him first for the serum, but along the way they both form to be fast friends. They just seem to click, he knew that Alex had suffered from going above and behond in protecting his family.
"Please the experiment can wait a few days, you can't. If you don't give up this suicidal path, im going to take you by force if i have to."
Abraham looked into his friends eyes and saw thing, that for quite sometime he'd yearn for, he smiled. "I have to."
Looking at the sheer will in Abraham Erskine Face, Alex knew that event if he manage to force him with him, the first chance he gets he would return to perform the experiment no matter what. He looked at his friend in sadness. "They'll kill you and won't be their to save you."
"I know, but I need you to do something for me." Josef said as he came to terms with his destiny, it seem right some how. His serum gave birth to a monster and now it will give birth to hero that will stop it.
"what do you need?" Alex said in a tired and sad tone.
"I have something in a safe in Poland that i need you to destroy."
Looking up Alex had a confuse look. He seem to very clearly ask about all and any hidden things that could be link back to the Erskime.
"This is the location, now when you find it, destroy everything don't let anything left. This is my last request i can only ask you since your the only one I trusth to do this." Josef said in a very somber tone.
"Ok Il do it." Alex responded with no really energy, this he would do. He watch as his friend when back into his car and drove away, for the last time alive he would only see him again as corps in few days.
"In the end I couldn't change it." Tears started to fall as he mourn his friend. Alone under the night skie he cried for not being strong enought to change anything.