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...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The Roxxon Facility Jarvis had chauffeured them to certainly looked impressive. It was an enormous facility with an electrified gate running around the entire compound. On the way past Clara had noticed at least twenty armed guards. Well armed for a simple refinery. That meant they were protecting something; it had to be the nitramene. But getting inside wasn't going to be easy, let alone locating the bloody thing.
"Keep your eyes peeled, Jarvis. And wait here." Peggy chorused as she swung open the door and hoped out. Clara pushed the passenger seat forward and went to slide out after her but was pushed back into the backseat by Jarvis as he leant over.
"But I'm coming too." Jarvis protested, his voice whining like a small child.
"Mr Jarvis," Peggy began firmly, "Are you new to espionage?" She asked although Clara was pretty sure they all knew the answer.
"Actually, just last month I caught the cook making off with the good spoons." He hissed in hushed tones. Such a secretive operation it must have been.
"And this cook," Peggy pondered, "Was she a large woman? Quite violent?"
"Well...no. She was quite petite actually. But she did have quite long-"
Peggy slammed the door shut and Clara pounced at the opportunity to escape from the cramped space of the back seat.
"Quite long fingernails." Jarvis continued.
"Keep a lookout." Clara said cheerfully, "We'll radio if we need any assistance."
Clara hurried after Peggy and found her pressed flat against the wall by an open door. She motioned silently to Clara to follow her as they sleuthed their way through the winding corridors.
Eventually, Peggy stopped by an open door way, the sounds of muffled voice seeped into the corridor. The two women pressed themselves flat against either wall and peered into the room, staring in at two scientists. A familiar golden glow was emitting from the room.
"Focus and try not to make too much noise." Peggy whispered to Clara as she edged closer to the doorway. No sooner had Peggy said that, the radio in her hand sprung to life and Jarvis's innocent voice rang out, clear as a bell.
"Miss Carter, it seems-"
Peggy hastily clicked the button on the side of the radio to silence it but it was too late, they'd already caught the unwanted attention of the two men in lab coats. Both Clara and Peggy flattened themselves against the wall and held their breath as the men advanced towards them. Peggy waved her hand back and Clara, a frantic signal. Clara immediately knew what to do. She backed off down the corridor, still pressed flat against it, and rounded the corner. Peggy did the same and back around the opposite corner. No matter which way the scientists came, they'd have them right they wanted them.
One of the them was coming along to the corridor. Clara didn't dare poke her head around to look at what she was dealing with incase he saw her and ran off. Based on his heavy footsteps he was the larger of the two men. Clara could use that to her advantage. He wouldn't be able to run as fast. As soon as he came into view, Clara drew her pistol from the behind her back and aimed at the man's shoulder. The wound wouldn't kill him but it would disable him for a moment.
He fell to the floor with a heavy thud, clutching his shoulder and groaning in pain. This one was disabled but the sound of gunshot had spooked the other and he bolted, the nitramene tucked under his arm.
"Go!" Clara yelled at Peggy who didn't need to be told twice. She sprinted off after him, twice as fast as Clara could go in heels. The man at her feet staggered up but was swiftly knocked down again with a sharp kick to the head. At least 1940s style heels were good for something.
"Peg, where are you?" Clara asked over the radio. "Have you got the Nitramene, I can help.
"Never mind where I am. Get out, I'll meet you at the car." She snapped. "I can help, Peg." "Do as I say!"
Clara rolled her eyes and slammed the antenna down on the radio, pocketed it and ran for the exit as fast as her heeled shoes would carry her.
Getting out of the building was easy enough but the scaling the fence again was going to prove a challenge. Clara flicked up the antenna on the radio and clicked the button allowing her to talk.
"Jarvis, could you bring the car around?" She asked cheerfully.
"Certainly, Miss Lewis. Whereabouts?" He replied, polite as ever.
"I can see you now, actually. Can you see me?" She asked as she barreled through the emergence exit onto the access road. "I'll wave." She added as she saw Jarvis's head dart around aimlessly trying to locate her.
"Oh I see. You're...inside the gate. How do you?- oh." Jarvis mumbled under his breath. "I see, Miss Lewis. You know, you and Miss Carter have an awful lot in common."
Clara could see Jarvis from where she was as he slammed down the antenna and started the car. He made an expert U-turn and came charging at the fence, blowing it clean off its hinges. He swung the car around and leaned over to open the car door for her from the inside.
"Thanks Jarvis. Now there is one more thing you could do for me." Clara said coaxingly as she clocked the disgruntled look on Jarvis' face.
"And what on god's earth might that be?"
"Can you drive right up to the building and pick up Peg?"
"Whereabouts?" "Just...around."
"And I don't suppose you can't be any more specific?"
"You suppose correctly, Mr Jarvis."
"Peg," Clara spoke into the radio. "We're ready when you are."
"Perfect. Keep driving." Peggy replied, her voice breaking up in a mix of her running and losing her breath as well as poor signal and static.
"You heard the woman, Jarvis. Keep driving."
"I can't just keep driving, how will Miss Carter get in the car? What's she going to do, hang off the roof?" He asked. Just then there was a loud thump on the roof and Peggy's head poked out on the windscreen.
"Keep driving!" She shouted. "We don't have much time before-"
A wave of fiery smoke and debris flew towards them pushing the car forwards with an almighty tremor that, at the same time, threatened to drag them into the burning inferno. No sooner had the thing exploded, flinging detritus across a 500 yard radius, an extraordinary force was now sucking everything back in.
"Put your foot down, Jarvis!" Clara shouted as she struggled into the backseat, opening the door so Peggy could crawl into the relative safety of the car. Jarvis didn't need to be told twice, he slammed his foot down, propelling the car forward by just the right amount. The back bumper had been dragged off but the rest of the car was still in one piece as the explosion retracted, compressing what was once a six story tall factory into a ten foot mass of debris.
"Well," Jarvis flustered, "That was a remarkably close escape."
