WALKING DISASTERS | Jack Thompson

26.

SERA AND PEGGY ENDED UP TELLING Jack, Daniel and Dooley everything they knew, because Peggy had seen Dr Ivchenko communicating with somebody across the street in Morse code. They were running out of time, and so they resorted to desperate measures, announcing that the confession was a fake and that they would tell them everything, right up to when they found Howard's inventions on the boat.

"And why are you telling us this now?" Dooley asked.

"Because we need your trust if you're going to believe us about Dr Ivchenko," Peggy replied.

"The evil enemy scientist?" Dooley asked.

"Yeah, he's a real killer," Daniel said, eyeing the men from across the bullpen. "You can tell by the way he rubs his nose."

"We know what we saw," Sera snapped. "He was communicating in Morse code with someone across the street. The south-east corner of the building, at least ten stories or higher."

"I saw it too," Jarvis said.

"Well, as long as you saw it too..." Jack said.

"He was discussing some kind of timetable," Peggy said. "We have less than ninety minutes before something's going to happen. We can't leave him on his own."

"He's a good man," Dooley said. "He's done nothing but help us."

"He has only been here for forty eight hours," Peggy said. "We don't know him."

"Maybe not, but we know you two," Daniel said.

"I'm supposed to believe that you two pulled off your own investigation without any of us noticing?" Dooley asked.

"Why would you go through all that trouble instead of coming to one of us?" Daniel asked.

"We conducted our own investigation because no one listens to us," Sera replied. "We got away with it because no one looks at us, because unless we have your reports, your coffee or your lunch, we're invisible."

"Forgive me for not getting all pissy-eyed at your tale of woe, but your track record with the truth hasn't been all that hot," Dooley said. "So if all I've got to go on is your word..."

"There is one more thing," Sera said, swallowing hard. "I need the device you found in Peggy's bag."

One look with Peggy was enough to see that she was reluctant to agree to this, but if they were to get the men to trust them, then it was all they could do. When Jack fetched the storage device from the interrogation room and handed it to Sera, she took a deep breath before flicking the switch.

The vial ejected from the device and Sera lifted it up so that the men could see. Dooley asked, "Does that stuff implode, explode? Spice up an old fashioned?"

"That is the last remaining sample of Captain Steve Rogers' blood," Peggy said, her expression wrought with sadness. "Mr Stark was afraid your scientists would squander the remaining samples attempting to recreate the serum."

"Which they did," Jarvis said. "So I'm afraid you'll have to forgive him for trying to protect the greatest scientific feat of the twentieth century."

"Howard didn't trust either of us with it, either," Sera said. "He lied about the contents of the device. He nearly convinced us that we were saving the city by stealing it."

"Is that why you kept it?" Daniel asked. "Because he lied?"

"Maybe at first," Peggy replied. "Or perhaps I didn't trust our greatest capitalist with such a prize. But I couldn't bring it here, either, and for that, I don't have an answer. I suppose I just wanted a second chance at keeping him safe."