Fourth in the Timeline series |
Clara Lewis never expected to be back in the 1940s and Howard Stark never expected to have to help her get back...again. But with Howard branded a traitor Clara knows of only one person who can help her: Peggy Carter...
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"Where are we?" Clara asked Jarvis from the back seat of one of Howard's many, many cars. A few weeks had passed. Jarvis had allowed her to stay at one of Howard's mansions so he'd been somewhat helpful but Clara still hadn't actually seen Howard. Without him, she was stuck in the past...again.
"Um. That's a bit hard to explain, Miss Lewis." Jarvis mumbled, glancing at Clara every now and again in the rear view mirror.
"I told you, Jarvis, call me Clara. It's friendlier." She smiled, encouragingly.
"Yes, I recall, Miss Lewis. I'd prefer to keep calling you, 'Miss Lewis', Miss Lewis." Jarvis fumbled, "I'm afraid the current circumstances aren't very 'friendly', Miss Lewis."
"Oh?" Clara muttered as Jarvis pulled up somewhere.
It was pitch black outside making it near impossible for Clara to see past the reflection in the windows. As the engine stopped humming, Jarvis clicked the door open silently and disappeared into the blackness.
Clara wasn't going to sit there alone, waiting for answers. Her S.H.I.E.L.D training was hard to shake, sleuthing came to her as second nature. The need for answers, she thought, would never leave her either.
As Clara left the car, she suddenly became very self conscious. These weren't the streets of New York she knew. These cobbled sidewalks belonged to history.
Clara wrapped her arms around herself, not because of the chill night air, but because if anyone saw her in her modern clothing in the 1940s, they would either have a heart attack or shoot her.
Never did she expect that they would actually try and shoot her...
The darkness was Clara's closest friend, it would mask her from her enemies and who knows who that might be.
Clara held her breath as she followed Jarvis down a narrow path that sloped downwards. The smell of salt in the air told Clara she was by the sea.
The crashing of the waves almost masked the noise of a gun cocking. Almost. Yet nothing would pass a S.H.I.E.L.D agent's trained ear.
Clara sharply spun on her heels, ready to strike but the flash of a bright red hat made her falter. Her breath was momentarily knocked out of her as Clara came face to face with the barrel of an old fashioned looking gun. But the gun didn't go off.
"Clara?" Peggy questioned in disbelief as she lowered her gun. Clara drew in a long breath. "What are you doing here?!" She hissed.
"It's a long story." Clara dismissed, glancing around for a sight of Jarvis.
"I thought you'd died!" Peggy hissed again, trying to keep her voice down. "You just disappeared. Howard said he didn't know what happened to you. We held a service."
"Yeah..." Clara mumbled sheepishly, "It's a long story. A really long story... Have you seen Jarvis?" Clara asked urgently, her eyes darting all around her for possible danger. Something about this whole thing felt off.
"Can I be of assistance, Miss Lewis?" Jarvis announced politely as he emerged ominously from the shadows.
"Jesus!" Clara gasped. "Jarvis, what is going on?" Clara asked, exasperated.
"He hasn't told you?" Peggy asked, sliding her gun back into her holster, which, in a long skirt, proved difficult. Jarvis had to avert his eyes.
"He hasn't told me what?" Clara asked snidely, glaring at Jarvis.
"About Howard." Peggy continued.
"No...what about Howard?"
"He's a traitor."
"What?!"
"Well, not really." Jarvis interrupted, desperately trying to salvage what was left of Howard's reputation.
"Jarvis!" Clara snapped, "Tell me!"
Clara glared at Jarvis, her eyes unblinkling. Jarvis recoiled from her stare and sighed, ready to spill everything. And, in return, Clara would do the same.
*
"He really did it? He built a time machine?" Peggy asked, astounded after each of them had told the other their tale. Clara nodded rather smugly as Peggy leant back into the car seat.
"And Howard's on the run because his stuff was stolen?" Clara recapped after Peggy and Jarvis explained the situation to her. "Makes sense. That must be how the Soviets got the time machine and I ended up in Siberia!" Clara exclaimed without really thinking about what she was saying.
"The Soviets?" Peggy queeried but her question was not met by an answer.
Clara was deep in thought, coming up with a plan of the quickest way to get back home.
Howard was a traitor in the eyes of the public. Peggy was working from inside the SSR to clear his name without them knowing.
Clara didn't really want to get involved with anything major incase she altered something in the timeline. Truth be told, she had no idea how time travel really worked. Each time she'd done it had been an accident. Yet, in order to get to Howard, she'd need Peggy. And to speed it all up, she'd have to help.
"I'll help you if you help me?" Clara bargained breaking the silence that had fallen.
Peggy was silent for a moment longer, waying up the pros and cons in her head. Clara didn't blame her. As far as Peggy knew, Clara was only a nurse.
