Steve Rogers

The last three weeks were insane.

They got approval from the brass to form a team--despite the fact they insisted that they treat Erik as a prisoner of war for the duration.

They shut up about him after the first two missions. Now, Lydia's father was making calls and pulling strings not merely to have Erik designated officially as a defector, but grant him citizenship under asylum. They were working small potatoes thus far--disrupting supply lines for Hydra, but unable to get a way into the first of the remaining factories until that third week, when Allison's intelligence brought to light an especially disturbing prisoner in this particular factory.

"Poppy says they're calling him Weapon X." Steve explained to the group around a table in the back room of a small Paris bar, gifted to them by one of Lydia's contacts while they strategized prior to the mission. Allison was bringing Poppy, her contact, to the meeting site shortly, while the other five worked with Steve over the briefing.

Flipping open the file folder on the table, Steve spread its contents out a little so everyone could evaluate it.

"His real name is James Logan Howlett--aka, the Wolverine." he continued. "He's a Canadian soldier with a...patchy service record in terms of behavior, but he's a relentless fighter, hence the nickname. He's been a POW for a while now--and intelligence indicates he's being groomed by Hydra as this Weapon X. Among the rumored procedures he's undergone, there was alloy grafted to his skeleton, chemical brainwashing...we don't know much more than that, but Poppy should be able to provide us with a little more information when she and Allison get here."

Charles pulled out some medical records from the file, eyes going wide as he turned to show them to Lydia, beckoning to Claire to join him on the other side of the table.

"His white blood cell count is absolutely staggering--hyperactive without being parasitic." he observed.

"What's that mean?" Erik asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"It means he can't get sick." Charles replied, flabbergasted. "Literally, his immune system is primed to take on any infection. I wouldn't be surprised if he can't get drunk, either--I'm shocked they'd even attempt chemical brainwashing, I'm not sure how well any drug would work on this man."

She assisted with his physical when he got to the base for basic training.

All the men got pretty extensive exams, and Steve was no exception. It made him nervous, but Erskine hovered to lay a hand on the doc's arm when he was about to say something regarding Steve's condition, or when a nurse went to ask about whether or not Steve could even handle a penicillin injection...

She never said a word. She shot him up, poked and prodded him, and when she made sarcastic remarks about the 'big, strapping Private Rogers,' she did it with a coy smile and a wink.

Erskine quickly had her at his elbow whenever he looked Steve over. He wasn't sure if it was because he knew Steve liked her, or because he knew she was one hell of a nurse...he liked to think it was a little bit of both.

He dreaded every trip to the infirmary, even when she was there, but at least the time went by a little easier when she was on hand to give him guff for the latest asthma attack or banged up body part.

Today, she was cleaning up the scratches he'd suffered from the barbed wire that fell on him in the middle of a training run. It was nothing serious, but in his condition infection was always a risk. Fortunately, Erskine didn't seem upset.

"No harm done...but do try to be careful, Steve." Erskine admonished gently, motioning for the little blonde nurse to clean and bandage his scratched up back. "You are, as zey say, my 'ace in zee hole.' Try to survive long enough for zee procedure, vill you?"

"Aye aye, Doc." Steve replied with a resolute smile, watching as Erskine retreated before he shot the blonde nurse behind him a sheepish smile.

"I don't suppose the doc's lecture will suffice for you, huh?" he teased good naturedly, facing forward again so she could clean up his back. "You gonna lay into me, too?"