Chapter 4
Hi everyone! Here's chapter 4 for you! I hope you enjoy it, there's quite a surprise towards the end of the chapter! Thank you lots!
--Evelyn-ecrivaine
"What would you like to order, ma'am?"
Peggy looked up at the waitress standing in front of her table. She was disappointed it wasn't Angie, but she knew that her friend had an important audition to go to. She remembered that Angie had told her about going to try out for the part of Betty Carver, in a Captain America radio special. Peggy thought how Betty Carver was supposedly based off of herself. The name was almost the same and she couldn't imagine the coincidence had been for nothing. However, Peggy doubted it would be an honest portrayal. Sometimes, stories could only be experienced, and not told. Nothing could recreate the times she had journeyed with Steve during the war. The thought that her stories, no matter how inaccurate, would be shared with anyone listening to the radio made her feel somewhat nostalgic and sad. She realized the waitress was still standing in front of her waiting for her to speak. "No, not right now, I'll order later, thank you." She nodded politely and walked away, leaving Peggy once again to become lost in her thoughts. Suddenly, a little girl went running by and tripped over Peggy's purse, which was sitting on the ground. The girl tumbled over and Peggy quickly bent down to help her.
"Are you all right?"
The girl embarrassedly stood and brushed off her dress. "Yes ma'am," she murmured softly. Her mother strode over to help her daughter up and apologize.
"I'm so sorry, she's very energetic today, can I help you clean up your stuff?"
"No, that's alright," Peggy smiled.
As they walked off, Peggy overheard the mother gently tell her daughter, "Emily, you must run around without knowing where you're going!"
"Yes mama, I know. Now can you please tell me about Captain America?"
Peggy looked up in surprise. She hadn't expected to hear about Steve, when she had just been musing about him moments ago. Despite telling herself to mind her own business, she craned to hear what the lady would say to her daughter.
"Why do you want to hear about him, sweetie?"
"All the kids at school always talk about him."
"Well, he was very strong and daring. But that's not the best part, because he was also very kind and brave too. We should all try to be like him, Emily."
The words filled Peggy with pride. She remembered how the small, skinny boy she had met in Brooklyn had been so brave and kind long before he had become Captain America.
"What happened to him, Mama?"
"Oh sweetheart, he was lost while fighting to defend our country. But we must always remember what he did for all of us."
Peggy took a deep breath. What if there was hope of finding Steve and saving him? What if he wasn't lost forever?
"Angie?"
"English?" Angie's light, peppy voice sounded through the telephone line and reached Peggy's ears. Her friend's cheerfulness filled her with warmth and she immediately regretted what she was about to ask of Angie. No, she couldn't hesitate, she had to give herself a chance to find Steve.
"Angie? Can you meet me at the diner in five minutes?"
"Oh! Umm now? Can you get there that fast?"
"Yes, I'm already there."
"Is everything okay, Peg?"
"Yeah, everything's okay. I just need to talk too you."
"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can."
Ten minutes passed. Peggy tapped her foot as she was overcome with impatience. Where was Angie? Finally she saw her friend walk through the door hurriedly and smiled.
"Angie, thanks for coming."
"Sure English, what's going on?"
Peggy didn't know how to start, the thought of having to explain everything to Angie all at once made her stomach churn. Who knew if Angie would even believe her? "How was your audition today?" she asked, delaying bringing up Steve, even though she had just been so anxious to tell Angie about her plan to find him.
"Oh, that." Angie sighed. "Didn't get the callback, but," she shrugged faking indifference, "that's okay. So what's up? What did you have to tell me?"
There was no more delaying the subject, and Peggy needed to tell Angie her plan. "Well Angie, you auditioned to play Betty Carver today, right?"
Angie nodded, looking somewhat confused as to why the subject was being turned back to her.
"Well, that character's based off of me. As in, I was in the war. With Steve Rogers. I was a Agent in the SSR which is a secret group for the government. "
Angie's jaw dropped open and she looked and Peggy with incredulity. Peggy Carter from the telephone company, fought in the war as an agent for a secret government group? The only thing she managed to say was "oh."
But, as Peggy slowly explained her story to Angie, everything became more clear, why Peggy never had much time to spend with her friends, how she actually knew Thompson, who was actually an agent too. Then she told Angie about the folder she had discovered with the Captain America papers in it. "I guess I just want a chance to make it up to Steve, because in a way, he saved us all."
"So, you want me to steal the folder from Agent Thompson?" Angie asked.
Peggy nodded. "It'll be easier for you to. You don't have to, but I truly think there is something in there about Steve, something that Howard Stark didn't know when he was looking for him. Angie, I'm asking a favor as a friend, I-" she paused, "I really need your help."
Angie took a sharp breath in. She was conflicted with emotions. She knew it was wrong to take the folder, that was clear. Not to mention the consequences of stealing from the SSR. The folder was top secret for reason. But, Peggy loved Steve, and if there was a chance Angie could help her find him, it was be wrong to ignore the opportunity. After all, Angie knew what it was like to lose someone in the war.
"I'll help you, Peg."
Peggy exhaled with relief, "Oh, Angie thank you so much! But, what about you and Thompson? You are stealing a top-secret folder, you know."
"Oh, erm, well, I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Of course he would, Angie thought, but better to worry about until later. "Let's shake on it." She needed a handshake for affirmation for herself, she couldn't let herself chicken out now that she'd promised to help.
They shook hands. "I want to help you find Steve, truly. We can't give up until we know we've done everything we can. I-" she paused, "I lost someone in the war too, and I wish I had a chance to see him again."
"Oh Angie, I'm so sorry."
"Yeah, I miss him a lot. Do you want to see a picture?"
Peggy nodded.
Angie took off the locket she wore at her neck and opened it. "This is from the day before he went off to Europe to fight. We went to this, umm what was it called, it was this science expo thing."
Peggy squinted at the picture. "It's all blurry, Angie, I can't really see."
Angie shrugged, "Yeah, his friend who took the picture had kinda shaky hands," she explained.
"What's that you guys are standing in front of?"
"Oh. That?" Angie pointed at the background of the photo "Flying car."
"A flying car?"
Angie nodded, "It didn't really work at the show though."
"Angie, this science expo you went to, was it the World Exposition of Tomorrow?"
Angie nodded vigorously. "Yes! That's what it was called, I remember now! Howard Stark was there, he was the one with the flying car."
Peggy smiled. "Yes, that sounds like Howard, I recall he told me about the malfunction of the car at his show. What a coincidence you were there at Howard's show that day! He'll be helping us with our folder heist."
"Have you told him about it yet?"
"No, but I'm sure he will want to help."
Angie took a deep breath. Folder heist. It sounded silly yet it struck her with a sense of reality. She was about to go steal something. Something top secret. She closed the locket gently. "Well, let's go steal some secrets."
