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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Back at the house, Clara was becoming more and more paranoid. Dottie had been gone for the best part of an hour. Surely it didn't take that long to walk into town, Howard's house was only five minutes away.
Clara sat in the library, nervously biting her nails. The shrill chiming of the phone almost made her jump out of her skin. Cautiously, she answered.
"Hello? Hello? It's me." The familiar voice of Peggy Carter rang out.
"Oh thank god it's you." Clara sighed.
"What? Are you okay?" Peggy asked.
"Yeah, yeah. Fine."
"Okay, well, I've got some good news. We've managed to secure one of Stark's stolen inventions. Well, I say 'we'. You can probably guess who did all the work." Peggy rambled. Clara nodded, not knowing what to say.
"Anyway, although Howard told me not to open it, I know when he's hiding something." Peggy explained then suddenly stopped. Clara heard her take a sharp intake of breath.
"Are you okay?" She asked, concerned.
"Yes, yes. I know now why everyone's so eager to get ahold of it." Peggy explained, her voice suddenly much softer.
"What is it, Peg?" Clara coaxed.
"It's a vial of Steve's blood." She stammered, Clara could hear her tearing up.
"Oh god. Peg..."
"At least no one else got hold of it."
That Clara could agree with. If the Soviets managed to get ahold of Howard's time machine, there was a very real possibility they could get more of Howard's technology. If they got Steve's blood they'd have access to the super soldier serum. And Clara knew first hand how badly they wanted it. It was the least she could do to stop them from getting it.
"Is it safe?" Clara asked desperately.
"Yes. I've locked it away back at my apartment, in a trunk under my bed. Only I've got a key to that. I had to steal my landlady's spare to keep it safe. If she finds out, I'm homeless." Peggy joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Good. I take it the SSR are still onto me."
"Afraid so. You're going to have to lie low a bit longer. I'll contact you as soon as I can but I am going to have to limit our phone calls. They can be traced." Peggy explained.
"I understand." Clara said glumly.
"Anyway, I won't be able to phone for a while, they're shipping me out."
"On a mission?"
"Yes. They're sending me to infiltrate the Red Room or something. I can't quite remember the name. They think it has something to do with Leviathan."
"The Red Room Academy?" Clara asked, jumping to her feet.
"Yes, that's it. How did you know?"
"I can't say. I can't give too much away." Clara explained. She knew better than anyone she could interfere too much in the past. Whatever was going to happen with Peggy at the Red Room Academy was supposed to happen. And, as much as Clara wanted to help, nothing could change it.
"Anything you can tell me?" Peggy prompted.
"Only, good luck. You'll need it. And keep your guard up." Clara added before she hung up. As for the time being, it looked like she was going to be no use.
Just as she put the phone back in its cradle the door clicked open and Dottie entered, carrying two brown paper bags packed full of tin cans and a smile on her face. Yet Clara still couldn't shake her suspicion.
*
"Clara!" Dottie called up the stairs, "I forgot to buy bread so I'm heading out again." Dottie excused. Clara didn't reply. She didn't know what to say. She just stayed hidden in her room until she heard the door close downstairs.
Dottie stopped in the driveway and peered up at the upstairs window. She could see Clara peering out and waved cheerfully to cover up her sleuthing. Perhaps Dottie had misjudged her. Clara had been displaying more and more signs of suspicion towards her. Dottie would have to be careful if she wanted to keep her cover.
Once again, Dottie had used grocery shopping as a cover story. She whipped out the bronze key to Peggy's apartment as she neared the building. It was too easy. The landlady already thought Dottie lived there, so entering the building was a piece of cake.
No one was in the hallway as the only people who lived at that end of the hall was Peggy and herself. At this time of day, Peggy would be at work and the apartment would be empty. Well, not empty but Howard Stark would prove no task to a highly skilled assassin like Dottie.
To her surprise, Howard wasn't there. The apartment was empty.
A sly smile twisted Dottie's lips as she entered Peggy's apartment freely. How lucky she had been these past couple of days. Yet, perhaps it was not luck rather than the skill of a trained assassin that she had come across such good fortunes.
Dottie silently shut the door behind her and began a thorough search of Peggy's apartment. She began by searching through the contents of a handbag, carelessly discarded on the kitchen table. Dottie took out pens, a pad, a makeup bag. She undid the zip and examined the contents. Surely one lipstick wouldn't go amiss, she thought as she applied a layer of deep red 'Sweet Dreams' brand and admired herself in the vanity mirror.
She rifled through cupboards and draws. Carefully she removed objects in her gloved hands and replaced them as if they had been untouched to cover her tracks. But she found nothing of value.
She turned around in a whirlwind of frustration when a gleaming caught her eye from underneath the bed. Crouching down so as to get a better look, Dottie realised the gleaming was of the sun reflecting off a silver clasp of a case. She eagerly slid it across the floor and greedily undid the clasps, swinging the lid up and staring wide-eyed at the contents.
Dottie had expected more. A single package lay in the case, double wrapped in brown packing paper and tied neatly in a bow with twine. It was an odd shape but once Dottie had carefully removed each layer of wrapping she understood why.
In her hands was what the Soviets didn't know they so desperately needed. It wasn't Dottie's mission. She hadn't come to America in order to retrieve this vial, her mission was far worse. But now she had her hands on the blood of Steve Rogers, their project would run much smoother.
They would thank her for her aid in The Winter Soldier project.
