WALKING DISASTERS | Jack Thompson

54.

"OH, GREAT WORK, JACK," Masters said, going over the redacted file. "Above and beyond."

"Thanks," Jack replied. "I gotta tell you, I'm starting to question the validity of that file. I mean, it's just... It's a little too good to be true."

"Jack, what's happened and what's true are two different things," Masters said, waving the file at Jack. "Now this is an official document. That means it's true regardless of what happened. Do I really need to be telling you this?"

"No," Jack replied. "Sir, I understand that. Still... Sera mentioned something about the file not being about Peggy, and my gut is telling me that Peggy Carter-"

A knock on the door preceded a man entering the office. "Sir, woman on line one says it's urgent," when Master went to shrug it off, he added, "She knew your access code."

Masters picked up the phone. "Vernon Masters," he covered the speaker. "Jack, could you give me a minute? And, uh, close the door on your way out?"

Jack nodded and walked out of the office, closing the door behind him before he walked over to one of the desks and picked up the phone, tapping into Masters' phone and listening in.

"Well, then I'll retrieve them at once," he was saying.

"Spoken like someone pretending he has a choice," Whitney Frost replied. "I'll need you to bring them directly to me. The uranium rods are in the wall safe at the SSR, hidden in the lab behind a picture frame."

Jack put the phone down after listening to the rest of the conversation, scribbling down the coordinates of the meeting place. Everything Sera had been trying to tell him had turned out to be true. Whitney Frost was plotting something, and she needed volatile explosives to do so. While Masters was still talking to her, Jack headed down to the lab and waited to see what Masters would do.

When he walked into the lab and made a beeline for the safe, Jack stepped out of the shadows. "Vernon."

"Jack," he said. "Now's not a good time. Wait for me in my office, will you?"

"I won't let you do this," Jack said. "You know, Sera was right about you."

"Jack, I owe you a sincere apology," Masters said. "I underestimated you. You're right to call me on it."

"I can't let you take them, Vernon," Jack replied.

"Looks like you're gonna be getting that promotion-"

"Okay, stop!" Jack shouted, placing his hand on his gun. "Right there."

"Well..." Masters sighed. "You have no idea how sorry I am to hear that."

"God, I can't believe I didn't listen to Sera," Jack said, shaking his head. "This whole time I didn't listen to her and she was right all along. You are a manipulative sack of shit."

Masters sighed. "Jack, I'm very sorry to hear that."

He lunged for a device on the table and Jack wasn't quick enough to stop him.

-

Sera, Peggy and Daniel raced down the hall towards the lab, and Sera burst through the door, surprising herself when she saw Jack standing by one of the tables. "Jack? What are you doing here?"

He turned to her. "I don't know."

"Why are you in the lab?" Sera asked, walking closer to him.

"Uh..." he cleared his throat. "I'm not sure. I was in the bullpen, now I'm here."

"Oh, damn it!" Daniel whispered, crouching down to pick something up from the floor.

"Crap," Sera whispered, taking the memory inhibitor from Daniel and stepping closer to Jack. "Hey, Jack, someone used this device to give you amnesia. Do you have any memory of who?"

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"The uranium's gone," Daniel said.

"Jack, this is of the utmost importance," Sera said. "What is the last thing that you remember?"

"I was on the phone," Jack replied, taking Sera's hand. "I'll show you."

He pulled her out of the lab and back to the bullpen, pointing out the desk he remembered standing at. Daniel asked, "Who were you talking to?"

"I wasn't talking," Jack replied. "I was listening, to Vernon and a woman."

Peggy tore a page out of a notepad. "Is this your handwriting?"

"Yeah," Jack nodded.

"Those are coordinates," Daniel said.

"To Whitney Frost," Peggy said.

"Jack, I could kiss you right now," Sera grinned, placing her hands on his cheek. "You absolute beauty!"

Jack grinned. "Glad I could be of help."

Jack went into Vernon's office and left Peggy, Daniel and Sera in the bullpen. Sera turned to her friends and saw their expressions.

"You don't want him to come, do you?"

"It's not that we wouldn't appreciate the extra help, it's just that-"

"You don't trust him?" Sera finished, cutting Peggy off. "It's fine, you can tell me. Honestly, I wouldn't trust him either, but you're the ones that are telling him."

"Alright," Peggy said, heading towards the office, Daniel and Sera following her in.

"Let's hurry up," Jack said. "Or do you need me to load your weapons, too?"

"Why don't you stay here in case we're wrong and Vernon returns?" Daniel asked.

"Don't you trust me, Danny Boy?" Jack asked. "I'm hurt."

"You don't have the best track record," Daniel replied.

"Your backup is a lab tech and a butler," Jack said. "If I were you, I'd take all the help I could get."

"Two hours ago, you were using a redacted file to frame me," Peggy said.

"And twenty minutes ago, I was having my brains amped," Jack replied. "If I were helping them, I'd be on my way there. But I'm here with you."

Sera was standing awkwardly behind Peggy and Daniel, but she rolled her eyes after Jack finished speaking. "Let's go."

"Let's do it," he said, heading out of the room.

"I think he's being honest," Daniel said.

"Agreed," Sera and Peggy replied.

As Sera headed out of the room, Daniel caught Peggy's arm and pulled her back. Catching up with Jack, Sera fell into step beside him and bumped his arm with her shoulder.

"So, you don't remember anything?" she asked.

"No, nothing," Jack replied. "But I do know that I owe you an apology."

"For what?" Sera asked.

"For not believing you about Vernon," Jack said. "You tried and tried to tell me that I shouldn't trust him and I didn't listen to you, and for that I'm sorry."

Sera raised her eyebrow. "Jack Thompson, is that sincerity I hear from you?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said, rolling his eyes.

Sera heard raised voices from the office, and turned to listen to Peggy and Daniel arguing about their motives. The word 'dispassionate' was thrown around quite a bit, and Jack rolled his eyes, walking back up to the office and poking his head round the door.

"If it makes a difference," he said. "I'd have let him blow you both away."

Sera shoved him. "Hey, not helping."

"Let's go!" Jack said loudly.

Sera rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright, we're coming."