WALKING DISASTERS | Jack Thompson

24.

THEY MET UP WITH JARVIS at the automat and discussed their findings. Nobody knew of an Ida Emke living in the apartment they had found, and Jarvis had pulled up next to nothing about her from the building owners. It wasn't until the entire automat went quiet that Sera's eyes widened.

"Quiet," she whispered, looking behind her. She noticed a couple of agents entering the automat, asking those inside to leave. "Procedure 791. Isolate the suspect and remove civilians from harm before attempting arrest."

"I'm sorry, what's happening?" Jarvis asked.

"The man at the counter is Agent Messner from Washington D.C," Peggy replied. "The man behind me is Agent Reese."

"SSR agents?" Jarvis asked.

"We need you to find a way to block the front door so that no one else can come in," Sera said. "We'll do the rest."

"I'd love to," Jarvis said.

Peggy turned to Agent Reese. "Oh, ten cents for a cup of coffee, if you can believe it."

She punched Agent Reese in the face and knocked him to the ground. Sera leapt up onto the table and punched another agent in the face, knocking him backwards as Peggy picked up a plate and threw it at the third agent. Jarvis smashed a vase on the head of Agent Reese before he held the door closed.

"I can't hold it forever!"

Sera kicked a chair towards him, which he used to block the door, and she pointed at the back exit. "That way!"

Jarvis followed after them, stopping only to whack one of the agents in the face with a tray, and when Sera and Peggy burst out into the back alley, a voice said, "Stop!"

Sera froze when she saw Jack pointing a gun at her. "Right there, Stark. No sudden movements," Jarvis burst out of the door. "Ah. Those idiots from D.C didn't believe me when I said you'd be hard to grab."

"What's happening, Jack?" Sera asked, her hands raised in surrender.

"Witness places you both with Brannis the night he died, there's photos of you in the club the night Spider Raymond was killed and here you both are with your best friend, Howard Stark's butler," Jack said.

"I think there's been a terrible misunderstanding-"

"Stuff it," Jack interjected.

"You've got it all wrong," Sera told Jack.

"Then turn yourself in," Jack replied. "Come to the office and tell me all about it."

"You know we can't do that," Peggy said.

"Sweetheart, look around," Jack said. "You don't have a choice."

"I'm so sorry, Jack," Sera said.

His gun was pointed at Peggy, so Sera grabbed his wrist and twisted it, using Jack's shift in momentum to flip him over onto the ground. As he made to get up, Sera punched him in the face and watched him fall to the ground, unconscious.

Sera winced. "I'm sorry."

"The Dublin House, 79th Street," Peggy told Jarvis. "Meet us there."

"Meet you there?" Jarvis asked. "Where are you going?"

"There's something I need to get from the Griffith," Peggy replied.

"That's a horrible idea," Jarvis said. "It's the first place they'll look for you. What could you possibly need."

"Steve's blood," Peggy answered, her voice twinged with pain. "Go!"

As she and Sera took off down the alley, Daniel rounded the corner with his gun raised. "Margaret Carter and Seraphina Stark, you're under arrest for treason, espionage ad aiding and abetting public enemy number one, Howard Stark."