WALKING DISASTERS | Jack Thompson

61.

SERA WAS HARD AT WORK in the lab, working on the devices with her friends, when the door suddenly opened and Jack walked in.

"Okay, look, I'm not a scientist, but I'm here to help," he said.

"How about collecting the dinner orders?" Peggy suggested.

Jack held up his finger. "You know what, Marge?" for a second, Sera thought he was going to argue, but then he smiled. "I'm gonna do that for you. What do you guys want? Got to be good takeout someplace in this city."

When he got to Sera after taking everyone else's orders, he asked quietly, "She noticed yet?"

"Nope," Sera replied, waving her pen in a circle to indicate everyone in the room. "But everyone else has. Rose cried when she found out."

"Well, tick tock," Jack said. "Time's running out for you to win."

"I won't lose," Sera replied. "You will."

"Alright, what do you want for dinner?" Jack asked.

"Turkey on rye," Sera replied. "Please?"

"For you, anything," Jack replied, smiling at Sera.

He left the office to place the order and Peggy came to stand beside Sera. "What was that all about?"

"What was what all about?" she asked.

"The hushed voices," Peggy replied. "The smiles. What's going on?"

"Nothing," Sera replied. "Will you hand me that screwdriver?"

Peggy handed Sera the screwdriver, and she made sure to take it with her left hand so that the ring was on show, but Peggy didn't notice. "Anything else?"

"Could you hold this in place?" Sera asked, taking Peggy's hand and placing it on the machine. "Just while I screw this in."

Peggy nodded. "Alright."

Sera rolled her eyes, giving up on subtlety. "How much more obvious do I have to make it?"

"Make what?" Peggy asked.

Sera wiggled her fingers in front of Peggy's face and she went cross-eyed trying to see them. "This."

"Oh, you mean the engagement ring?" Peggy asked. "Yes, I saw that the moment you walked into the house this morning."

"And you didn't say anything?" Sera asked.

"I just assumed you'd tell me when you were ready," Peggy replied. "Why?"

"Jack and I had a bet," Sera said. "Do me a favour and act like you don't know until tomorrow."

Peggy laughed. "Alright, but I am very happy for you, Sera. You deserve this."

"Thanks, Peg," Sera grinned, hugging her friend. "You'll be my maid of honour, right?"

"Quite frankly, if you didn't ask me I'd be very disappointed," Peggy replied.

"So is that a yes?" Sera asked hopefully.

"Of course it's a yes."

-

The following morning, the team assembled at Stark Pictures to put their plan into action. Wilkes, Howard and Samberly would be manning the gamma cannon while Sera, Peggy, Jack and Daniel were on the lookout for Whitney Frost.

After a safety meeting to let everybody know that there was a twenty foot radius labelled as the Danger Zone, Howard fired up the machine and everyone stepped back as they watched the rift slowly form before bursting into a brilliant orange light. The wind whipped Sera's hair back and she grinned.