California

Chapter 8

After showering and sanitizing, we dropped off our bags of goodies in the conference room. The girls ran in to give me a hug, thankful we made it back safely. Brooklyn's hug was the shortest as she made her way over to Bucky next. He may be an asshole to me, but he's better than I could hope for to B.B. and that's what matters.

"Did you guys run into any trouble out there?" Scott asked, helping us unload the bags.

"No but we came close, thanks to Bucky and Charlie bickering like children." Tasha smirked as she glanced over at me.

I just shook my head. "No everything went pretty well actually. And I think we racked up, so we should be good for a little bit."

"CHARLIE COME HERE." Pete's voice made me jump so I took off running into the lab.

"What? Are you okay? What happened?"

His head tilted in confusion. "I'm fine. I just have someone who wants to talk to you."

Rolling my eyes, I made my way to the computer Peter was sitting in front of. He had hooked up a webcam and I saw a video chat window open on the screen.

"It's about time you got back."

I'd know that British accent anywhere. "Peggy! Oh my god. Where are you?"

"I'm inside the cordon." Her face was tight with nervousness. "Things are really bad here, Charleston."

"Who else is in there with you?"

"Erm Jarvis, Wanda, Stephen, and Sam."

"I thought Strange was out of the country for some surgeon thing."

"I just so happened to be lucky enough to come back right before the outbreak." A male voice interjected.

"Glad to have ya back then Dr. Strange. I'm actually glad we're talking. We have a plan."

"We're listening." They said simultaneously.

"They're trying to find a cure, or at least something to stop the spreading. But they won't let anyone in or out of the cordon. They have no way to test anything. So they're corresponding with the CDC in Philly. The whole city was overrun so they have it all quarantined. But they're too far away. And it won't be long before communications go down there."

"You want us to try and find a vaccine." Strange stated more as if thinking out loud then asking.

"Yes. You guys can do it. You're smart and you have the means and equipment. And the people..."

"Is Banner there?" Strange interrupted me.

I nodded and called out for him. He quickly made his way into the room, pulling a chair up beside me.

"Strange. Where are you?" Banner pushed his glasses up his nose as he settled in his seat.

"Inside the Cordon. Charlie thinks we can work on a vaccine here. Do you?"

"I do. You're in the center of the virus. The lab at the hospital has all the equipment you would need and you could use anyone who is in quarantine. They're saying it's about a 48 hour incubation period. So you'd have to move quickly. Call Jake Riley. I heard he's helping a doctor there. Could already be working on something, so check in. See if you can help."

Strange looked at Peggy who nodded before turning our attention back to her. "We'll do what we can. We're not far from the hospital. We can be there in the next couple of hours and begin immediately. Banner, be on standby if we need anything. You too Charlie. Find out what you can about this virus. We'll call you when we get there."

"We will be here. You guys be safe."

"You as well darling." Peggy's voice came through as the video call ended.

"Jake is in the Cordon?" I asked Banner as we stood up.

"Yes." He replied. "He was out here when everything started but volunteered to help the doctor. Unfortunately they won't let him bring the doctor out so they're both stuck in there."

"Who is this doctor?" Pete questioned.

"He works at Midtown Hospital. He's got a load of medical experience from England. He's the one that discovered the virus was spread quickly and fatal in anyone infected."

"Wait, are you talking about Dr. Cannerts? Didn't they announce that he was the one who spread it?"

Bruce sighed. "I spoke to Jake after that announcement was made. That liaison lady just wanted to pin it on him because she was getting in trouble for not knowing the cause. It's not true."

"Well," Pete stretches back in his chair before leaning forward. "Let's see what we can find out."

While Pete hacked his way through cdc and counterterrorism records with Bruce looking over his shoulder, I made my way back to the rest of the group to let them know our conversation with Strange and Peggy.

"Everything okay?" Sydney asked as she was sorting out the supplies. The group turned towards me waiting for an answer.

"I just spoke with Peggy and Strange. They're inside with Jarvis, Wanda, and Sam. They are on their way to Midtown Hospital now to meet up with some Doctor to work on a cure or vaccine... or both I guess."

"Is Peggy okay?" Steve's voice full of concern.

I knew they were friends but I didn't know they were close. "Yeah she's fine. She said it's bad in there though. So hopefully they can figure something out soon."

"Did I hear Bruce say Riley was in there?" Ace leaned forward in her chair.

"Who is Riley?" Bucky questioned.

"Jake Riley. He's a cop. And... a friend." I struggled with explaining who he was to me. "And yes he's in there. He was sent to retrieve the doctor but by the time he got there, the place was so bad, they wouldn't let them out of the Cordon."

The room was quiet. I remembered what Pete and Bruce were doing. "Steve?" He glanced up in acknowledgment. "Peggy and Strange need to know everything we can find out about the virus and the attack. Pete is in there looking through records."

"You mean hacking into government databases? I'll go get him what he needs." I smiled as he chuckled and walked towards the lab.

I made my way over to Tasha who was typing away on her laptop. "So Nat..."

"What's up Charlie?" Her eyes never leaving the screen.

"When did Steve get so concerned about Peggy?"

I saw her shoulders tense as she slowly looked over towards me. "You really want to know the answer to that question?"

I squinted at her. "I think you just answered it for me!" I stood up and walked into my office to get some peace and quiet while doing what research I could on this thing.