Chapter 12
It was starting to become an old refrain.
“This was nothing more than the old West India dockyards when I was young.” Peggy stared at cluster of glittering buildings on the Isle of Dogs. She had been there once or twice with her father on jaunts into the city, but it had looked nothing like this in her own memory.
“I don’t much about it, honestly.” Sharon glanced around the space, a large, tree-lined plaza paved in stone under the watchful gaze of tall, rectangular towers. “I meant, other than it is here. Canary Wharf is one the major financial centers outside of those found in the city of London, that is.”
Just when Peggy thought she was used to the idea of living in the future, there were moments like this when she realized she was still very much in Wonderland. “If I were a woman from ancient Britain, or even from Tudor London, I wonder what I would make of this place?”
“You are a woman from the 1940s.” Sharon’s grin was pointed. “What do you make of it?”
Peggy hardly needed to consider that, meeting her niece’s smile with her own. “It’s brilliant!”
It was at that. London looked like a modern city, and there was something energizing and exciting in that. For all that she mourned what was lost, Peggy had lived abroad for all of her adult life and had seen the endless possibilities. To know that there was a part of that even in staid, traditional, hidebound London was thrilling and comforting, a reminder to her that life seemed to always figure out a way to keep going, to move forward...much like Peggy herself.
The corporate headquarters of MST Pharmaceuticals was located in one of the tall buildings of Canada Square. Sharon took the lead as they made their way to where the offices lay, politely asking for Miss Deepa Mathews, flashing her badge as she did. Peggy belatedly showed hers, but hung behind purposely, allowing Sharon the space to operate. As Sharon had the foresight to set an appointment, they were shown right into elegantly appointed offices that overlooked the Thames and the greater London area itself, spread about them like a blanket of buildings, warehouses and ribbons of asphalt.
“Agent Carter?” A woman greeted Sharon, rounding a simple metal and wood desk to take her outstretched hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you in person. I am so happy that SHIELD is taking this case seriously.”
“As seriously as they take every other case, I can assure you, Miss Mathews,” Sharon managed with pointed politeness, turning towards where Peggy waited. “This is Director Peggy Carter, also with SHIELD. She is here assisting with this investigation.”
“Also Carter?” The woman blinked between them, curiously. “Any relation?”
Peggy flicked a glance towards Sharon, who shrugged it off with a smile. “Cousins who happened to go into the same career path, though Director Carter here has much more on her plate. She heads up the Avengers Initiative for SHIELD.”
“Really?” The other woman’s eyes went wide at that as she studied Peggy for the briefest of moments. To be fair, Peggy was doing much of the same. Deepa Mathew was lovely woman of South Asian descent, Peggy guessed, though from her tone and way of speaking she was educated, if not born, in England, clearly in better schools. Her poise and manner said she had a certain polish expected to one in her position, one that came from the high end sort of establishments that Peggy herself recalled very well. Her pant suit was elegant and expensive, as was her understated jewelry, and her dark, shining hair was piled in a practical and elegant chignon on the back of her head. She had the overall effect of making Peggy, in her suit-case rumpled suit, feeling slightly shabby.
Peggy picked up the threads of the conversation smoothly. “Yes, as a matter of fact. That is part of why I am here working with Agent Carter. It turns out a line of investigation I am looking into happens to intersect somewhat with this case. We aren’t sure if it is a lead or not.”
Miss Mathews arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow in curiosity, waving to a couch overlooking the view outside of her window. “Please, have a seat. Could I get you both water? Tea?”
“No thank you,” Sharon replied and Peggy echoed. They waited as the other woman settled herself into an armchair facing them, crossing her legs at the knee, wrapping well-manicured fingers around her top knee.
“As you can imagine, this has been upsetting for the whole MST family,” Mathews began, dark eyes filled with worry and concern. “We are not a company that is used to such overt attacks. This was unexpected and sudden. As I said when you interviewed me, Agent Carter, it is hard to imagine why anyone would want to attack one of our facilities.”
“We are still investigating why or even if MST was targeted,” Sharon explained, glancing towards Peggy, briefly. “We are searching through every possible lead, I can assure you, and in doing so we’ve come across something we wished to know more about.”
The other woman inclined her head in brief agreement. “If I can share it with you I will do my best.”
Peggy for one didn’t miss the careful turn of phrase, but Sharon pressed on, continuing. “It’s my understanding that MST Pharmaceutical does a great deal of high end and experimental research, correct?”
“Yes,” Mathews responded, promptly. “Like every other pharmaceutical company we are always looking for answers to healthcare problems in the world, whether it be searching for new drugs for cancer treatment, or AIDS research, or finding new ways to improve the nutrition and diet of underserved populations in the world. That is one of our main missions and has been since our founding.”
Sharon nodded, pulling out her phone as she tapped out notes quickly, her thumbs flying over the glass of the device. “Without sharing any proprietary information or research, is there anything that MST is working on currently that would be considered interesting, promising, or even threatening to anyone outside of the company?”
At that, the other woman laughed, shrugging her shoulders under her suit jacket. “That could be any of hundreds of different projects that are currently under way or slated to be in the near future. The pharmaceutical industry is highly competitive, Agent Carter, and always has been. We are all vying to have the next big, medical breakthrough first, and then it’s a race to get approval in various countries and to get our products to market. Just like in the technology industry there are always those who would wish to either hamper production or get a jump on it, and MST is always fending off such efforts.”
“Has there been anyone of late who has been frustrated in their efforts?”
Mathews thought, carefully, shaking her head. “I’d have to consult with our own internal security team, I am sure there likely is. I don’t know how that escalated from corporate espionage to international terrorism?”
“Again, we are merely searching for every possible angle,” Sharon assured her, smoothly, sliding her gaze over to Peggy, passing her the ball, as it were, to begin her own line of questioning.
“Miss Mathews, I am led to understand that MST has done a great deal of work with regeneration and human cellular repair in some of its research, is that correct?”
“Yes,” she blinked, considering Peggy’s question. “Particularly five to ten years ago we were one of the leaders in the field, with several top researchers working for us: Max Werner, Helen Cho, Mohan Rao, all here working on several different projects. Several of them have moved on to their own groups and research.”
“Did any of that work include research into Dr. Abraham Erskine’s formula?”
If she knew what Peggy was talking about, she didn’t know it by that name. “I’m sorry, is he a well-known scientist in America?”
That pained Peggy somewhat, considering the kindly old man she had known. He should be better known that that, considering what he had been trying to do with his serum. If nothing else, he should have been better known for making Steve who he was. “Dr. Erskine was research scientists in the 1930s and 40s, specializing in working on a human growth serum. His goal was much like MST’s, to help sickly and underserved populations and improve the overall health of the public. As it turned out, however, it instead was the key piece in creating super soldiers.”
She knew the minute she mentioned “super soldier” that Mathews would understand. “Like Captain America?”
“Exactly,” Peggy nodded. “The formula itself works on the principles of cellular regeneration. It would make sense that anyone who is interested in that field would be basing some of their research off of his work.”
“If there were, Director, I wouldn’t be able to tell you that, not just for confidentiality reasons, but because I simply don’t know. Our research teams have shifted over the years, and that particular team no longer is a primary focus. I can say that at no time has MST ever claimed to have recreated that serum, nor has there been any interest in doing so. Our company’s interest, in fact our entire ethos, has been to help humanity, not to create weapons or further wars.”
Peggy wasn’t certain that this woman meant any insult by her words. After all, her sentiment wasn’t particularly a bad one. Peggy wished that there were fewer wars and more peace herself. But still, it stung somewhat, knowing that underscoring that was the truth that the serum, whatever Erskine’s original intention with it had been, had been turned into a weapon in the form of Steve. She wasn’t wrong, and that was why Peggy was so concerned in the first place, the fear that this serum would be given to those who weren’t Steve Rogers, to people who could be easily turned into something much, much worse and unleashed on the world.
“We understand that your commitment to humanitarian efforts is central to your business model,” Sharon assured the other woman, smoothly stepping in. “But as I said, we are covering all our basis. You can understand why there would be some concern in the matter of the serum and super soldiers. It is a valuable commodity to people like this Mandarin, the ability to create an army of men and women with superhuman abilities. If MST was working on something like this, you can see why the Mandarin might target you.”
It was not an angle that Mathews had clearly considered, given the expression on her face. “I...suppose so, yes, you are right, but I can assure you that it is not something that we have or are currently working on. Why this Mandarin figure would believe we did, I don’t know. Perhaps it is a misunderstanding, given our previous work.”
“Or it could be as simple as there is something else you are working on that he is interested in, something mundane but valuable,” Sharon conceded, gently. “Perhaps if you could connect with your research teams and do an inventory of what is being worked on and what is being produced in the facility that was targeted, that might give us more of an idea of what someone like him might be interested in.”
“I mean, I could,” assured Mathews, looking slightly baffled by all of this. “But that facility specializes primarily in medications, the standard types that have been approved for market. Nothing there would be any of our high research projects, just...medicine.”
“And maybe that is what he wants, medications to take and control and sell to the highest bidder in some market desperate for it. We won’t know till we get a better idea of the scope of what he could have accessed there.” Sharon slipped her phone into her pocket once more. “Until then, please let us know if you run across any information that might be helpful in our investigation. And of course, we will keep you informed on any further developments as we are able.”
With that the rather brief and not particularly enlightening interview was over. Peggy waited till they were well into the lobby of the building before saying anything about it. “Do you honestly believe she would be candid on any research their company is doing? It’s her job to not be.”
“In fairness, no, I didn’t expect her to spill the beans on any research they had done that might draw the Mandarin’s attention, which is why I may have done a quick and dirty hack into their system while we were sitting there.” Beaming, Sharon pulled out her phone, holding it up and waiving it in front of Peggy’s face. “Your old friend, Agent Burk, has been working on an app based off the same technology Tony Stark used to hack into the SHIELD servers. I decided to give it a try.”
Peggy blinked as they stepped into the misty, gray sunshine outside, wrapping her scarf around her neck. “Turning Stark’s technology against him?”
“Nothing that advanced, believe me, I don't know if there is a computer hacker alive who can get into Stark's system. But if Stark’s tech can hack into the servers on the Chimera, then we can use it do a bit of remote hacking on advanced servers ourselves. Besides, Burk asked Stark if he could use it, because he is polite. I guess Stark told him to have a ball with it. I asked him for a prototype of his design.” She waited till they were well across the square before she pulled up what files she could on the SHIELD designed phone. “MST really needs to work on its network security and encryption.”
Even after all this time and her relative ease now with computers and mass communication, Peggy still only vaguely understood that. “I am guessing you were able to get inside?”
“More easily than I should have just sitting in her office, connecting into the guest wifi network protocols.” Sharon ran a thumb up the screen, glancing through information. “We will have to tear through some of this later to see if anything is useful, but so far on the surface nothing strange is popping up. MST Pharmaceuticals, a division of Mys-Tech Corporation, a chemical company based here in London.”
“Mys-Tech?” Peggy snorted at the name and the implied pun in it. “A strange name for a chemical corporation. You would think it would be named something entirely different.
“Maybe it has something to do with the founders’ names or some product they first created years ago that they decided to name the entire company for. Sillier things have happened.” For several long moments Sharon continued to scroll through what Peggy presumed was reams of data on her screen. “So far they seem legitimate too. Mostly known for chemical research in consumer products; plastics, cleaning supplies, fabrics, medicine...any one of those divisions might be something that would interest the likes of an international terrorist.”
Peggy frowned in mild frustration at it all. “Are they known for anything specific?”
“I mean...it’s hard to say! Half of the things they make would be useful to them. Chemicals for bombs and warfare, sure, the medication, maybe any number of products or patents they could get their hands on to recreate. No weapons, this isn’t Stark Industries, but still…”
She trailed off, vaguely, mouth pursing as she stared at her screen, cocking her head in that way that said something had popped up in her perusal. “Well isn’t that interesting!”
“What?”
“Mys-Tech is tied to the Darkmoor Research Facility in Northern England.”
The words hit Peggy like a punch in the gut, leaving her momentarily breathless and stunned. When she found her words again, they were breathless and disbelieving. “That’s not possible. Darkmoor was shut down seventy years ago. I shut it down.”
Sharon paused, quietly turning the screen to where Peggy could see it. “That’s what it says here. You may have shut down the secret government weapons research, sure, but the facility is still in use. It’s been turned into a lab for research on alternative energy, has been for decades.”
Peggy stared at the words in black and white on Sharon’s phone, but didn’t read them. She knew exactly who would think to reopen the facility for such a purpose. “Howard’s doing, then?”
Sharon shrugged, apologetic, as she flipped the phone back around. “Maybe initially, it doesn’t say.” She scrolled more, scanning the data. “There is a head of the conglomerate...Sio...buh...han?”
Her nose wrinkled in that way that said she didn’t know how to pronounce whatever she was reading. She showed it to Peggy instead.
“Shuh-von, I think, at least that is how I recall Siobhan being pronounced.” Peggy paused on the woman’s last name. “Siobhan Haldane...she must be related to Ranulph Haldane. He headed up Darkmoor when your grandfather was working for it.”
Pieces fell into place for both of them. It took Sharon only a breath to understand where Peggy’s mind was already going. “You think she’s kept up the family business in the background?”
“Or at least has changed it enough that it would appear innocuous on the surface.” Finally, the break they both needed to make sense of this. “Perhaps Darkmoor and its research isn’t as dead as we once believed.”
Sharon stared at Peggy, already connecting this to her case, to possibilities and ideas. “If that’s true, then I want a word with Miss Haldane.”
“A trip up north to Darkmoor, then?”
Sharon nodded, shooting Peggy a dry smile. “Steve is going to be less than happy that you are prolonging your trip.”
“Not really,” Peggy assured her, knowing he would be far more concerned with her digging into forgotten corners of her past. “He knows of it, or at least I told him of it. He would understand.”
Sharon didn’t look as if she were as certain of that as Peggy was.