We Can't Go Back

What Was That?

Part of her wants to stay longer at Stark Towers. She wants to stay in a place that's safe and in a bubble. In the bubble, she could acclimate to the new world she's landed in without actually having to experience it. However, she knows she couldn't stay in the bubble forever. Peggy is 90 years old and she doesn't want to waste any possible time left with the one person she knows.

She knows Stark has good intentions but she can't trust him. He wouldn't have let her out of the building if she asked so she let herself out. She knows that he's probably working on finding her now but she disabled his security system before she left. It will only buy her a little time but she has the advantage of knowing how to navigate New York on foot. She very much doubts that Stark has used the streets very much in his life.

The city landscape may have changed a lot but she knows how to disappear in to a crowd. She grew up knowing how to blend in.

She had went over a map before leaving so she knew exactly how to get to the train station. She made sure before she left to also use Stark's credit card to buy a train ticket to Chicago from a different station. He thought she was smart but hopefully he would still underestimate her enough to take the bait.

She let CCTV get one picture of her before she turned down an alley that she knew didn't have cameras. She ducks in to a store and purchases a new jacket. Luckily Stark left cash lying around or she'd be in trouble. After, she avoids the route to the stations where she knows there will be cameras.

Some people around her and point to the sky. Sure enough, Iron Man is flying over in the direction of the station she purchased tickets for Chicago. She glances down at her watch and sees she's cutting it close.

She walks as quickly as she dares to the train station and purchases a ticket to D.C. She just barely clears the platform when the train starts pulling away. She lets out a sigh as she sinks into her seat. However, she keeps her head down because there were cameras everywhere. She needs to become a ghost and ghosts weren't caught on camera.

The train ride seems to take way longer than it is in actuality. She wasn't able to bring any entertainment or something to distract her brain so all the thoughts she was avoiding in the past week flood in. The grief she suddenly feels is palpable and she feels like she's drowning. She feels her throat getting tight and her vision blurring. Her fingernails dig in to her palms but she refuses to cry. Crying would bring unwanted attention and she at least needed to finish this journey. If Stark caught up with her later, so be it, but she needed to see Peggy.

She has never been to their nation's capital before. Before she got on the ship to Europe, she hadn't been many places at all. After she saw Peggy, she wants to see some of the monuments and museums. She can't run from Stark forever so she might as well see some history until he finds her through CCTV.

When she gets off the train, she sees a jacket with a hood sitting on a suitcase. She hates the idea of stealing but the man isn't paying attention and his baggage is designer so she doubts he'll be missing it. She sheds her current jacket and puts on the stolen jacket as soon as she checks around to make sure there are no cameras.

She is actually slightly surprised at how she picked up the ability to be unnoticeable. She's never been a particularly suspicious person but looking over her shoulder has somehow become second nature. Maybe it's because of her time in the war and how much she was around Peggy. Peggy was constantly vigilant and it must have been something she picked up over time.

Luckily there are cabs outside the station. She had read that taxis were going out of style and being replaced by something called 'Uber'. She manages to hail a cab and gives them Peggy's address. She hopes that she has enough money to get there.