As it turns out, 14 years of not being able to move makes things a bit difficult.
Peggy finds this out the hard way – just as she takes the first step forward she immediately loses balance, trips and falls to the floor. Her vision blurs out for a while before it manages to refocus, although the dizziness is still there, making the world around her float around. She catches her breath as she steadies herself on the floor, fighting to defeat the numbness spreading in her. It takes her a small while but soon she recovers, standing up again. She quickly picks up the gun the officer dropped after she stabbed him in the neck. It's slightly heavier than she remembers and it looks far more sleek and modern than the one she nicked from the officer in the compound in 1946. She quickly rummages through the Nazi's body, grabbing the spare magazines and his knife. As she tucks them behind the waistband of her pants, she hears a commotion down the hallway, noting the distinct clatter of heavy combat boots closing in towards the room. She quickly darts to the right side of the door and prepares herself. Soon, it swings open and two soldiers waltz back in. Even before they notice the dead body or her, Peggy acts. She raises the pistol, aimed at the back of the head of the first grunt and pulls the trigger. The gunshot makes her ears ring again as the soldier looses his footing and drops dead to the floor with a loud thud. The second Nazi only manages to turn his head before Peggy shoots him, this time opting for the double tap to the head. She quickly peeks out towards the corridor to see whether more are coming, but the only thing she sees is two dead bodies propped up by the wall. Still tense, she grabs one of the assault rifles on the floor, sparing a moment to grab some spare ammo, just in case. The pistol then lands in a hip holster she strips off the dead officer as she finally leaves the room, still slightly dazed by the fact she can control her body again.
She moves slowly, peeking into every room, checking every corner, nook and cranny, just like she remembers from the room clearing course she passed during the SOE training. All she sees is death and destruction the rest of the SS squad left in its wake – broken glass, dead bodies, smears of blood on the walls and the floor and bullet holes in the doors. She had seen that image far too often in her life and another iteration of it stings badly. For now, she pushes it into the back of her mind as she comes closer and closer to the exit. She stops right at the door, putting her left ear to it and listening in. She hears three muffled voices, although she can't distinguish words. She then moves her left hand towards the handle and pushes it lightly, allowing the door to inch open slightly. She takes a quick peek and sees the two remaining grunts and another officer, the one with the eye patch. Not wasting any more time, she lifts up the gun and pulls the trigger, aiming at the group. The force of the recoil startles her for a moment, forcing her to stop firing and roll away from the door.
Just in time, it seems, as a row of bullet holes redecorates the wood, chipping off paint and throwing splinters everywhere. Peggy ducks and waits, and just as the gunshots cease she runs up to the exit again, pushing the door fully open. The Nazi that fired back at her is now on his knee, frantically trying to reload. She doesn't give him that luxury as she shoots, dispatching him with a short burst. She then glances towards the car and spots the person she was trying so hard to find.
At first, a chill runs down her spine. Daniel is laying on the backseat of the car, his hands tied behind his back. His eyes are shut and Peggy then spots blood flowing out of his nose. She breaths a sigh of relief – dead people don't bleed, after all – as she sprints to the vehicle. She opens the door and a quick check confirms her suspicions – Daniel isn't dead, just knocked out cold with a broken nose. Closing the door, she quickly gets into the driver's seat, luckily finding the keys in the ignition. It doesn't take her a long time before she drives off, leaving the death and destruction she saw at the hospital behind her.
When Daniel regains consciousness, the first thing he feels is the pulsating pain originating from his nose. He screws his eyes shut and hisses, as the pain intensifies. He is then suddenly conscious of the fact that his hands are tied, his crutch is on the floor, he's in a car and there's an assault rifle propped against the passenger seat. He looks to the driver's seat and then gasps loudly.
It's not possible.
Am I hallucinating?
"Daniel?" the woman's hoarse, British-accented voice pierces the silence. He feels the car slow down and stop as she turns her head to face him.
It shouldn't be possible, and yet the woman from the hospital is there, speaking to him, behind the wheel of the car. He glances and spots a holster attached to her pants as well as a knife handle right next to it.
"Um..." Daniel hums, nodding at the handle. "Could you...?"
"Oh, of course." she responds, her voice still strained as she grabs the knife and turns around. It takes a bit of shuffling and wriggling, but in the end Daniel is finally free, rubbing his wrists to ease the pain.
"Thanks..." he says, before realizing he doesn't even know her name.
"Peggy." she responds, noting his expression. "Peggy Carter, SSR. If it still exists, of course."
He doesn't respond, his mind still racing, as his hand moves towards his nose.
"It's broken." Peggy says before he touches it. "You bled a bit, but it stopped.. You might want to clean it up."
"Yes, of course." he responds, reaching for a handkerchief in his pocket. A wipe to the lip confirms Peggy's words, as the fabric turns crimson.
"The SSR." he says , still wiping the blood off his lips and chin. "Didn't meet any agents, but heard enough. Cream of the crop."
Peggy smiles faintly, although Daniel notes sadness in her eyes.
"I worked with a few OSS people." she responds, her voice quivering slightly. "But it was quite a long time ago."
Daniel nods in response, unable to find words. The silence is suddenly broken by a loud thud coming from the back of the car. Both Peggy and Daniel freeze, looking quizzically at each other. Then the thudding resumes, alongside a muffled scream coming from what seems like the boot of the car.
"Seems like we have an uninvited passenger." Peggy says, her tone calm.
"Sure does." Daniel replies, before an idea creeps into his mind. He looks around to get his bearings and, after a second speaks again.
"Follow my instructions. I know a place where we can lay low and take care of our guest."
The place turns out to be a small, wooden house just outside of Gdynia. As she pulls in, Peggy notices a small shed next to the building. She turns off the engine and walks out of the car, Daniel following suit. Just before she opens the boot, she unholsters the pistol, her instinct telling her the "guest" isn't going to be friendly. Then, she presses the button and the lid pops open, revealing the officer with the eye patch. Peggy actually feels slightly happier when she smacks him in the temple with the grip of the pistol, knocking him out cold.
"I've been dreaming of doing this for a while." Daniel says.
"Me too." Peggy responds before dragging the lax body out of the boot.
"I'll go to the house and look for something to eat." Daniel says, already turning towards the building. "Can you take care of him? There should be some space in the shed."
"Of course." Peggy responds. Soon, they part, Daniel moving into the house while she drags the Nazi to the smaller building. As she opens the door, she spots a chair in the middle. She makes use of it, placing the body in a sitting position before noticing leather straps on the legs and armrests. She makes use of them quickly, tying the officer up. Standing up, she then notices a rather large chainsaw propped against the wall next to a pair of googles, a pair of leather gloves and a dirty apron hanging from a hook. She makes a mental note of their existence before exiting the shed and moving towards the house. Inside, she notes the unpainted walls and simple furniture before she moves to the kitchen. Daniel is already there, holding up two bottles and two cans of food.
"All I found was some sparkling water and those, don't know what's inside." he exclaims.
"Good you found anything." she responds, her voice slightly less strained. "What is this place?"
"An old safe house of the OSS." he replies. "Can't remember when was the last time I set foot in this place."
"It does seem empty." she retorts, taking the bottle and the can from his hands, opening the lid with the knife and twisting the cap off. After that, she lends the knife to Daniel, who repeats her actions. They eat in silence for a minute, focusing only on the food and drink. It's after Peggy polishes off the can (that turned out to be a Pâté of sorts) that she speaks, taking a swig from the bottle.
"So, is there even any resistance left?"
Daniel takes a deep breath.
"Honestly? No idea. Most of the guys I had contact with either went dark or disappeared. We both know what happened in London and New York. I only heard rumors..."
"And what are those?" Peggy cuts him off, nodding encouragingly.
"That there is some. In Berlin. Imprisoned, but alive" he says, observing as Peggy's face fills with hope.
"Berlin?" she says, curious.
"Yes, but I don't know anything more. OK, I heard what group they belonged to."
"What was it?" she asks.
"The Kreisau Circle."
Peggy's mouth hangs open in shock. She knows that name far too well – she met some Kreisau Circle fighters in Isenstadt, and the news that they may still be alive boosts her morale tremendously. A voice in the back of her head tells her it's a longshot – it's been 18 years, for God's sake – but her gut tells her there might be something to it.
"Do you think that wanker we found in the boot knows something?" she asks, taking another swig from the bottle.
Daniel thinks for a moment.
"Maybe. Kruger's a Colonel in the SS and he always boasted how he rubbed shoulders with Schmidt himself."
"Does that chainsaw in the shed work?" she suddenly asks. Daniel's expression turns both quizzical and surprised at the same time.
"I...I... think it does. Why do you ask?" he says, still not understanding why she asked that.
"I have a plan."
It's after Peggy donned the goggles, the apron and the gloves and actually tested that the chainsaw does work that Kruger stirs himself awake. His drowsiness subsides quickly as he tries to wriggle out of the shackles.
"I wouldn't waste my time, they won't break." Peggy says as she emerges from the shadow into the dim light of the light bulb.
"You!" he snarls back, still trying to free himself, before he stills, panting.
"See? I told you." she deadpans while grabbing the chainsaw off the floor. She smirks as she sees his eyes widen in shock. She then walks over towards him positioning herself so that he can't see her.
"Now, this can either get really messy or it can end quickly." she continues, unfazed. "I will ask you one question. You will answer that question in a way that I find satisfactory and if you don't... let's just say, your head will roll. Literally.". To punctuate that, she starts the appliance and revs it up, hearing a faint whimper over the sound of the engine.
"What I want to know is..." she holds for a beat before continuing "...is where you keep the resistance fighters."
Kruger looks at her for a second before bursting into laughter. Peggy rolls her eyes in disgust as she watches him. He continues to laugh for a second before composing himself.
"Oh, you silly goose." he says, his tone condescending. "There is no resistance. We crushed them all. Just like we will crush you.". His tone turns icy at the end as he spits.
Peggy sighs in response, revving up the chainsaw to full power as she slowly starts to lower it towards Kruger's neck.
"NEIN! NEIN, NEIN, STOP, OK, I TELL YOU! SCHEIßE!" he screams in terror as Peggy pulls the appliance away.
"THE RESISTANCE FIGHTERS, WHERE ARE THEY?!" she screams herself, just inches from his ear.
The Nazi whimpers as his breathing slows down before he speaks, voice trembling.
"Berlin, Eisenwald Prison."
Suddenly, however, he raises his chin and looks Peggy right in the eye.
"But you'll never get there. They will catch you both, you and that useless cripple. And then we will kill you both like the schweine you are!"
Peggy does not even grace that with an answer as she revs up the chainsaw for the last time this morning.
Daniel notices Peggy emerging from the shed nearly half an hour after she went in. She walks back at a briskly pace, determined, her shoulders set straight. She strides into the living room, where Daniel is sitting.
"And?" he asks.
"I know all I need." she answers before she starts rummaging through the wardrobe. "Prepare yourself, we're going."
"Where?" Daniels asks again, unable to hide the surprise in his voice.
"Berlin."