One Shot
Monday February 5th, 1945
"Give me your coordinates, I’ll find you a safe landing site."
"There’s not going to be a safe landing. But I can try and force it down."
"I’ll get Howard on the line, he’ll know what to do."
"There’s not enough time. This thing’s moving too fast and it’s heading for New York. I gotta put her in the water."
"Please, don’t do this. We have time. We can work it out."
"Right now I’m in the middle of nowhere. If I wait any longer a lot of people are gonna die. Peggy, this is my choice. Peggy?"
"I’m here."
"I’m gonna need a rain check on that dance."
"Alright. A week, next Saturday, at the Stork Club."
"You got it."
"Eight o’clock on the dot. Don’t you dare be late. Understood?"
"You know, I still don’t know how to dance."
"I’ll show you how. Just be there."
"We’ll have the band play somethin’ slow. I’d hate to step on your..."
"Steve? Steve? Steve?"
March 15th 1946
One year later.
NYC SSR OFFICE.
SSR officers were working in the small office, desks arranged around the walled off office of their boss.
Suddenly a red light begins to flash and a buzzing sound begins to emanate from a device near by.
Everyone stands, places their briefcase on top of their desk and waits.
They can all see their boss, in his office, answering the phone. Jotting down notes on a pad set aside for such instances.
He hangs up the phone and leaves the office, "Miller, Johnson, Wilkes." He addresses the men, "Let's take them down."
As the three agents prepare to leave the rest of their cohorts go back to work.
Peggy is interrupted by the Chief who came up behind her and places a hand on her shoulder, "How are you holding up sweetie?"
"Quite bored actually." She tells the man honestly.
"Really? I thought we were keeping you pretty busy around here."
She resists the urge to roll her eyes and answers, "Well, while my expertise is in the field, code breaking and data analysis have always come easy to me."
"Well, we all just think you are doing a bang up job."
She desperately wanted to throw the man out of the building's windows. He moves to return to his office and Peggy decides to confrount the man on the issue, "Agent Flynn, sir, it's been three months now and I've yet to have be sent on my first assignment."
"Peggy, Relax. War is over. We'll handle the rough stuff." 'You condescending wanker'.
*
Later that day Miller, Johnson and Wilkes return unsuccessful.
As the trio brief their boss one of the other analysts turned to face Peggy and asked her, "We're gonna need a full analysis on all recent transmissions, by tomorrow evening at the latest."
Peggy opens the top draw in her desk and removes the note pad on top of the contents, "How about yesterday?"
Taking the pad he leaves without any further ado. Peggy reaches to the draw, the framed photo draws her eye.
Distracted, Peggy doesn't even notice that the rest of her colleagues are getting ready to leave for the day. She only realises it when her boss speaks to her, "Carter! The boys and I were heading out for a drink. You want to polish up those field reports on my desk? I appreciate it darling. Don't forget to lock up when you're done."
'Of course they wouldn't invite her', they turn to leave, "What do you say boys, should we go to Nelson's?.."
Peggy finishes up with what is on her desk before moving to Flynn's office and picks up the pile of folders that the men are just too lazy to deal with.
Suddenly the most unexpected thing happened, the alarm goes off and the light flashes out side the office. She places the folders back onto the desk as she round it, grabbing the pad and a pen.
Picking up the receiver she places it to her ear and listens, "We have a locked position on zodiac. Four, zero, point six five one eight degrees north, seven, three, point niner five two two degrees west. This enemy will not hesitate to use lethal force. 3-5 agents recommended."
Looking at these details before her, she knew that she could have handled it, even before the serum.
She dashed out the final line and swiftly moves to her desk and grabs her briefcase.
Head held high she leaves the building, and heads to the address in Brooklyn.
*
Peggy arrives at the building and approaches the door. She can see three men in the front office, one of the men notice her and says something to the other two men.
They come outside as she walks up the steps.
One of the men address her, "Ma'am, you can't be here."
"We got a gas leak issue we're dealing with." The other man adds to the conversation.
"A gas leak?" She asked incredulously, "No injuries I hope."
"You're not from around here, are you?"
"No, I live in Brooklyn actually." Her voice bright and cheerful.
She drops her briefcase and plants that hand into the 'gas-leak' man's chest, sending him flying.
She continued to rotate and plant her right foot into the chest of the other man, sending him flying through the office window. Jolting the remaining man out of his chair in shock.
Peggy picks up her briefcase and stands still, looking at the man.
The man dives suddenly for a gun and Peggy moves swiftly to the doorway, hiding flush against the brick wall on its right.
She can hear the man making his way carefully across the broken glass on the floor towards the door. He suddenly appears through the door.
She points the muzzle of her weapon at his head and cocks it, the distinctive sound freezing the man in place.
"I'll wager..." She tells the man, "That I can shoot you dead, before you can even bring your weapon to bare. Drop it." She instructs the man, holding out her briefcase she tells him to, "Take this." He takes it in hand, "Turn and move."
Keeping her weapon on him she had him lead her towards the back of the building.
March 16th 1946
Having made their way into the warehouse she asks the man, "Where's Zodiac?"
"End of the hallway on the right."
"Drop." She orders him, he complies, "Hands up." again he follows the direction, Peggy cuff the man's hands around the pipe behind him. "How many men?"
"Four."
"Four including you?" He takes a moment to think before nodding, "Now, I need you to scream for help."
"Help! I need help! Somebody please help me! Somebody help!"
Two of the remaining men come round the corner, one asks, "What happened?"
Unarmed she takes these two men down as fast as she had the two outside.
The bait suddenly seeing what she was capable of began to scream, louder, "Help! Help!"
"Thanks, that's enough." She leaves.
She makes her way through the warehouse, pulling out her compact.
Through the mirror she could see the final man, he looks out from the door and calls, "Hey, what's going on out there?"
Closing the compact and slipping it into her pocket she walks around the corner, gun in hand. The man, wisely, scarpers inside the room and closes the door.
She opens fire on the door, cutting a hole into the door. At the door she places her briefcase on the floor and pulls out a white phosphorous smoke bomb which she slipped through the hole she had made.
She held the door closed as the man on the other side struggled ineffectually against the door, he called out, "Let me out!"
Less than a minute and the man was rendered unconscious. Peggy put on the gas mask before entering the room, pushing the man effortlessly along the floor as she opened the door.
Crossing the floor she opened the container before her, removed the contents inside. She placed the vial into her pocket.
She turns to walk outside as a pair of hands wrap around her throat.
Ordinarily this would have been a bit of an annoyance, but she was a super-solider.
She had this man down on the floor as well.
Grabbing her briefcase she makes her way back through the warehouse.
When she got back to where she had the man tied up she leans down to the man's face level and instructs him to, "Learn to count."
He's quick to nod his head as he answers her, "Okay."
*
That morning came and Peggy entered the office.
She prepares herself and was soon greeted by her boss, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Holding the files up for the man to see she answers, "Well, I was about to start some data analysis and code breaking."
"Don't get cute with me Lady. You took a mission last night."
"I completed a mission last night."
"Without even attempting to report in or get the proper authorisation."
"The mission was time sensitive."
"There are protocols in place. No one is above protocols, not even Captain America's old flame."
"How dare you."
"Please, let's stop pretending shall we. Everyone knows why you're here."
"Please enlighten me."
"You were grieving so they kept you on so that you would feel useful. I call it pity."
This dismissive attitude towards her made her more angry today then it usually did, "If they wanted to make me feel useful they wouldn't have made me work for you."
Just then the red light flashes and the alarm begins to announce the call, "You're gonna answer for that."