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Chapter 1 : gun in hand
It had been years since Agent Carter had heard of Leiviatan, or about a certain Russian spy that had tormented her. But there it was, right in front of her, evidence. Peggy looked at the unmistakable grin that was printed on the picture she was holding.
“So?” Daniel asked her. He had that stupid dumbfounded look in his eyes. It was that look that, apparently, every man has. It’s the look that says “tell me what to think and what to do but then let me take credit for doing it and thinking it,” exhausting. Peggy was used to it, but it bothered her from time to time. She composed her interior before replying.
“Well, I have no idea. I don’t think Leiviatan is involved though, so I don’t know why she’s back,” she replied.
“Also because, unless Leiviatan believes in second chances, she wouldn’t be able to work with them anymore. They probably want her dead,” she continued. She frowned, contemplating.
She couldn’t say she was upset, Dottie was a challenge, and Peggy never liked “easy”. It was boring to her, she had to work for what she had to want it. It was one of the things she didn’t like about herself, she got bored easily. And every time she got bored and she started searching for more, someone got hurt. Or involved, which was worse.
“But why would she rob a bank? For no reason? She just took money. Is that like her?” Sousa asked her, breaking her chain of thought.
“No, it really isn’t. It’s not about the money, but I think we have to find the money to know what she wants,” she replied. She felt weirdly honored to answer questions about Dottie. She knew her best. And that was just because it meant she was good at her job.
She took the case file home. It wasn’t the most urgent, or the most challenging, but Dottie was involved which automatically checked both of the boxes. As soon as she entered the ridiculously large house Stark had lent her, she plopped down on the couch, file in hand. She reread every single word at least three times, yet none of it made any sense. Why? She knew the answer to that question came with the girl, so she changed it.
“Dottie Underwood, what the hell are you?” She whispered.
“I thought you’d never ask,” a chuckling voice rose from the hallway. Peggy instantly grabbed her gun and quickly pointed it towards the voice.
“No need for that,” Dottie said, coming out of the shadows with her hands up. “I didn’t come here to harm,” she continued, walking towards Peggy. She seemed completely relaxed. Peggy, on the other hand, kept a strong grip on the gun she was pouting at her. Dottie seemed to not have noticed because she sat down next to her, stretching her arms and yawning.
“What do you want?” Peggy asked, gun still in hand.
Dottie swatted the gun away from her face. Her expression read a very disappointed “seriously?” to which Peggy finally put it down.
“Well, I missed New York,” Dottie said. She was now staring at Peggy with her freezing, light blue eyes. Even though their color was cold, they had a weird sparkle, and paired with Dottie’s wide and kind of crazy smile, they looked happy. When Peggy noticed it, she told herself it was to fill out the arrest chart. Obviously, the chart expects a one word color, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that Peggy would’ve recognized those eyes anywhere, in case she was looking for her, at work of course.
“God, you’re unbelievable,” Peggy replied, sighing.
“Come on, I know you missed me,” Underwood replied, smiling. Peggy wondered if her innocent smile was yet another technique to trick her newest prey. She, of course, wouldn’t fall for it. She ignored the comment completely.
“Why’d you rob a bank? Did you run out of money?” Peggy asked. She spoke hesitantly, not wanting her to run. But Dottie stayed immobile.
“Great question. I came here just to explain my evil plan,” she replied, grabbing Peggy’s gun and jumping up from the couch.
“Don’t,” she continued as Peggy reached for her backup.
“You wouldn’t,” Peggy replied. There wasn’t an ounce of unsureness in her voice.
“I don’t think you want to find out,” Dottie said as she reached the door.
“So you’re not going to answer?” Peggy asked the girl.
“Guess you’re going to have to catch me to have that answered,” she replied, her body already halfway out the door.
“See you soon, Agent Carter,” she continued before throwing the gun back at Peggy and shutting the door.
Peggy sat on the couch, completely silent, replaying their conversation. Searching for a hint through her words, wondering if there was something she’d missed. Either way, Stark was getting a very thorough phone call about his security system.
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“Seriously Stark, I don’t know how you can have so much high quality tech and have absolutely no security system,” Peggy exclaimed at her phone.
“A man has his priorities. Plus, I didn’t think you’d need any protection,” he said, finishing the phrase with a flirtatious tone.
“Watch it,” Peggy replied sternly. “And get your system fixed before I get brutally murdered in my sleep,” she said before hanging up the phone.
As she walked to her room to get dressed for the day, she noticed a small, folded paper on the floor. She looked around before grabbing it and opening it. It was in the hallway Dottie had hid in, it even smelled like her. It was a card for a hotel in the center of town, and scribbled on it were 2 numbers, 54. It was too easy, Peggy knew that. A trap, maybe? A fake hint? Dottie was too good to have let it slip. And she knew Peggy too well to think she would fall for it. There was something else.
“Hello?”
“Come to Jarvis’s house, don’t tell anyone where you’re going. Meet me there,”
“What? Carter?” Sousa confusedly asked. Peggy hung up the phone.
“So she broke into your house, flirted a little, took your gun, gave it back, and then left a note for you?” Daniel asked.
“I’d hardly call it flirting since I had a gun pouting at her face for most of the time,” Carter replied.
“Are you going to go?” Jarvis interrupted. He tried to keep a straight face but his excitement poured out of his body.
“I think so, yes,”
“Are you sure it’s a good idea to keep the USSR out of this?” Daniel asked.
“Well, obviously I’m not sure, but they’d probably make it worse and I’ve done it alone before. I don’t see the point,” she replied. She bit her tongue before she could add that it felt like it was between her and Dottie.
“Yeah, you’re right,” he said.
“Well?” Jarvis asked, almost impatient.
“Well, we go.”