EXT. INTERSECTION - NIGHT
Bucky and Dino get out of their cover.
DINO
Jeez Louise!
BUCKY
Keep your voice down.
DINO
What?
BUCKY
Krummpt’s still kicking.
Get over to him, Give with the fritz talk.
Let’s see how good an actor you are.
DINO
Right.
Dino heads over to Krummpt and leans down to him.
PHILIPS (V.O.)
Johann Schmidt?
INT. H.O.D. CONFERENCE ROOM
Philips, Steve, Peggy and Falsworth sit around the middle of the table. Peggy wears a British service uniform. Falsworth looks at an accurate sketch of the Red Skull drawn by Steve.
STEVE
Well, it’s a cliché for a reason, Sir.
FALSWORTH
Actually, the Jerry equivalent of “John Smith” is
“Hans Schmidt”.
FALSWORTH
Though this sketch is rather useful.
PHILIPS
Does it ring any bells?
FALSWORTH
I’m afraid not. I’ll have it circulated, someone’s
Bound to recognize him.
PHILIPS
A plot to install a new Nazi government could
Have set back the war’s end. Good work, both of you.
Captain Carter, I’m sure the Executive are waiting
On you. So unless there’s anything else...?
That’ll be all.
The four stand up. Falsworth, Peggy and Steve head to the door.
PHILIPS
Captain Rogers, why don’t you hang back a
Minute?
Steve shuts the door behind Falsworth and Peggy, then turns to face the General.
PHILIPS
How are you feeling?
STEVE
Fine, sir.
Philips stares at Steve for a moment.
PHILIPS
You liquidated the Red Skull.
You must feel something besides fine.
STEVE
He isn’t the first. He’s no different from any of the
Others, either. He just had a more impressive title.
PHILIPS
Really? Aside from everything that Hydra’s done against the
United States and her allies, he masterminded the end of
Project Rebirth, and is responsible for the death of a great man
You were close to. He even tried to kill the two of us.
PHILIPS
In a particularly warped way, he’s responsible for there being a
Captain America.
STEVE
Twenty-three, Sir.
PHILIPS
What was that?
STEVE
The Red Skull was responsible for the deaths of twenty-
Three great men I was close to, sir.
PHILIPS
Of course.
PHILIPS
You’re a good soldier, Steven.
Just be sure you don’t forget what got you in.
INT. OFFICER’S CLUB
A band plays to an appreciative crowd. Steve moves among the tables, heading to the bar, where Peggy sits by herself. A BARTENDER places a drink in her reach.
STEVE
Good evening, Captain.
PEGGY
(nodding)
Captain.
STEVE
Is this seat taken?
PEGGY
It’s all yours.
Steve sits.
BARTENDR
What’ll it be, sir?
STEVE
Scotch neat.
BARTENDER
Right away.
STEVE
What are you drinking to?
PEGGY
Vocational change.
I’m being transferred to Falsworth’s department.
STEVE
Congratulations.
Peggy smirks.
STEVE
It wasn’t your choice, was it?
PEGGY
It was, but the only alternatives was a discharge.
At this point, they’ve got all the male spies to
Cover Germany that could need.
PEGGY
No longer any need to indulge women in a man’s game.
What of you, Captain, do you think of this as unwomanly
Work?
The Bartender hands Steve his drink.
STEVE
I don’t think it’ work for anyone, to tell you the truth.
I don’t know how anyone does it. Do you … Enjoy it?
PEGGY
I do. Quite a bit.
STEVE
If you could, would you want to be a spy after the war?
PEGGY
I think so.
A long pause follows, until…
STEVE
A week hasn’t gone by these last couple of years that
I didn’t think of you.
Steve’s declaration catches Peggy off guard. She stops lifting her glass while halfway to her lips and holds it there, unsure how to respond.
STARK (O.S.)
Steve Rogers!
Howard Stark walks up and slaps a hand on Steve’s shoulder.
STARK
How’s it going, soldier?
STEVE
I’m fine, sir.
STARK
I told you before, it’s Howard.
STARK
Well, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?
STEVE
Sir, this is Captain Margaret Carter, of S-O-E and now
Working for Mr. Falsworth.
Captain Carter, this is Major Howard Stark, special scientific
Advisor to General Philips.
PEGGY
A pleasure to meet you, sir.
Peggy gets up.
PEGGY
I should be on my way.
STARK
What’s the hurry?
Peggy smiles politely and leaves. Steve looks on, somewhat regretful.
STARK
I’m impressed, Steve. You have some very nice
Looking friends.
Say, I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?
STEVE
(sighing)
No.
Steve finishes his drink, Stark takes Peggy’s place.
STARK
I believe I owe you a drink.
STARK
Eddie, two of the excellent Bourbon for my friend
And me.
BARTENDER/EDDIE
Yes, sir.
STARK
So, I hear you had a run in with none other than Arnim
Zola.
STEVE
Who told you that?
STARK
What can I say?
I have a winning personality, people talk to me.
Steve says nothing.
STARK
Come on, don’t be afraid to tell a couple of
Stories. A couple of years from now, they might
Take you places if you tell them right.
Eddie presents the two drinks.
STARK
What was he like?
STEVE
Zola? I didn’t see him myself.
He wasn’t much of a talker.
STARK
Did you really kill him?
STEVE
I didn’t shoot him, but he was taken out in the blast, probably.
STARK
You know, part of me hopes not.
STEVE
Why?
STARK
Well, he’s a Nazi and that’s terrible and everything, but the
Man’s a genius. To tell you the truth I wished I’d be able
To meet him someday.
STARK
I saw him when he visited Stanford back in Nineteen-
Thirty, he lectured on four-dimensional space, and tesseracts…
Didn’t understand a lot of it at the time, but it changed my life.
Up until then I was going to be a cowboy.
STEVE
That’s what you did, then? You were a… Physicist?
STARK
Well, I was halfway through my doctoral thesis when I was
Drafted. Once this show’s over, I’m getting into applied physics,
Start my own company. I think the connections I’ve made in the
Army will be useful.
STEVE
Sounds like a plan.
STARK
What about you?
STEVE
I’m the one-track minded type. I haven’t given it due thought, yet.
STEVE
This is damn good Bourbon, by the way.
STARK
Isn’t it just? Eddie, more giggle juice!
INT. H.O.D. OFFICER’S MESS
Steve talks to a few fresh-faced second lieutenants in a corridor.
STEVE
The most glorious thing you can do now is see that your men
Get home. On a mission, devote every spare minute to study
Your objective.
Don’t show uncertainty in front of your men, but also listen
To them, especially your NCOs. They’ll have to follow you,
But be the kind of men they’ll want to follow.
STEVE
Alright, I’m all out of sage wisdom, so you can be on your way.
Steve and the junior officers part ways. He turns around to see Peggy standing with a tray in hand. She sets it on the vacant table next to her.
PEGGY
Captain Rogers.
STEVE
Captain Carter. I see you’ve joined us… Welcome aboard.
PEGGY
Thank you.
PEGGY
About last night...
STEVE
Listen, I realize I shouldn’t have said what I said. I was drunk.
PEGGY
You had a few sips of whiskey. Not particularly good whisky,
Either.
STEVE
The procedure that granted my abilities also lessened my…
Drinking…
Peggy smiles.
PEGGY
Would you care to sit with me?
She sits. Steve hesitates, but follows suit.
PEGGY
If I seemed to vacate rather abruptly last night, I apologize.
STEVE
That’s okay.
PEGGY
You did rather surprise me, you see.
PEGGY
Truth is I’ve thought about you myself.
Of course you were wearing your nation’s flag
When we first met, quite a first impression to make.
Steve smiles.
PEGGY
So we’ve both thought about each other. Now what?
STEVE
Well… Would you like to have dinner sometime?
Maybe go dancing?
Beat.
STEVE
I don’t dance. I don’t know why I even suggested that.
PEGGY
Dinner sometime would be lovely.
Beat.
STEVE
So… Do you like Vera Lynn songs?
PEGGY
No.
EXT. LONDON STREET - NIGHT
Steve and Peggy walk through a recuperating city among a moderate crowd of upbeat civilians.
PEGGY
My brother Harrison introduced me to his friend
From university, Peter Reidl. This was Ten years
Ago. He’d fled Germany when Hitler’s lot took over,
Came to England to study Economy.
We were engaged within a year.
PEGGY
Father liked him quite well, mother adored him.
It was an unremarkable love story to everyone aside
From the two of us. Then Franco came along.
STEVE
The Spanish Civil War.
PEGGY
Harrison wanted to fight, as did Peter. So off they
Went to join the International Brigade.
PEGGY
It was during the battle of Ebro that the International
Brigade withdrew. Harrison found his way back, but
Peter didn’t.
PEGGY
For some time, I was mad with grief. I should say that
It was in Spain that Harrison had met Falsworth,
And it was him that eventually learned that Peter was
Alive somehow, and that he’d been taken back to
Germany.
PEGGY
The news was meant to give me hope, they didn’t
Expect me to abscond to Germany by myself.
I spent a few months looking for him, along
The way I’d managed to cultivate a few contacts
In the German resistance.
PEGGY
I didn’t feel like I could return to England.
So I worked for the Resistance as a courier,
Until circumstances necessitated my escape.
PEGGY
A few weeks after I got back, Falsworth introduced
Me to a few men in Army Intelligence who were
Impressed by my exploits. They recruited me to S-O-E
And sent me back. The rest is history.
STEVE
So, did you find Peter?
PEGGY
Yes.
PEGGY
These days Peter is a loyal German and son of the
Reich. That came as a bit of a shock to me.
I’d expected to find him in many a-condition, but
Never to have abandoned his ideals.
PEGGY
But that’s the opponent, isn’t he?
They’re not content with territory, they want to
Do away with any semblance of individuality or
Will.
Peggy stops near the entrance of a lodging house.
PEGGY
I’m here.
STEVE
I’m… A few blocks back.
PEGGY
Well, it was nice of you to see me home.
STEVE
Well. Goodnight, Margaret.
It’s alright if I call you Margaret, isn’t it?
PEGGY
Peggy.
STEVE
Got it.
PEGGY
Goodnight.
(pause)
Steve.
Steve watches Peggy walk up the steps and into the house.
INT. BEDROOM
In the darkened room, someone moves the curtains on the window an inch apart to look out at the street below, to see a soldier in uniform linger for a moment before walking away.
Arnim Zola steps back from the window and frantically stuffs his effects into a suitcase while his MISTRESS stands nearby, looking annoyed.
Zola picks up his suitcase and nervously hobbles to the door, struggling with the weight.
ZOLA
Let’s go! What are you waiting for?
His mistress rolls her eyes as she picks her own bags. They get out of the apartment and descend down the stairs.
EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING
Zola looks around nervously while his mistress follows him, silently infuriated.
But despite Zola’s best efforts, two men in dark uniforms sneak up from behind. One clasp his hand over the mistress’ mouth and they pull her away.
Zola looks behind, but is himself blindsided by two men who knock him to the ground and slip a black bag over his head. He yelps, but is kicked in the stomach for it, and is dragged into a car that suddenly drives up from the corner.
TO BE CONTINUED