June 2014, Manhattan
Steve and Tony took the news about as well as Peggy had expected.
"We need to find them," Steve said, once he'd finished loudly agreeing with Tony about how much of an asshole Fury was.
It was times like this that Peggy could understand why people had been nervous about these two getting along.
"They've got the Bus," Peggy said. "It's highly sophisticated in the first place, but if they think Ward's HYDRA, they'll have upped the security even further."
"I can get through that," Tony said confidently.
"Ward said they had a hacker on their team," Peggy said. "Apparently she'd hacked SHIELD twice before and no one noticed."
"Well, SHIELD didn't have me," Tony said, and, okay, he might have a point there.
From her corner of the lab near the elevators - which looked more like an office, just without walls (and Peggy was fairly sure she would have them within the week, if not a full office) - Darcy cleared her throat.
"Can I interject?"
"You have an idea?" Peggy asked.
"Well, not exactly," Darcy admitted, "but maybe now's a good time to go public on social media. Your hacker might be monitoring stuff like that."
Peggy grimaced. "We can't say anything about SHIELD's reclassification - half the reason for that is to act as a flytrap."
"Yeah, but it might at least get her attention," Darcy said. "Enough to get them to come to you for some kind of help or back-up."
"I suppose it can't hurt," Peggy said slowly. "And we have to do it at some point. What do you suggest?"
"Intro videos," Darcy said. "Let people know who you are and where you came from. Get rid of some of the mystique. I mean, it's up to you how much you share, obviously, but I would advise the more the better. I can then post it across all the major sites, on your personal profiles."
"How is anyone even going to see it?" Steve asked. "Don't you need … what are they called? Stalkers?"
"Followers," Tony corrected, rolling his eyes.
"What about that woman who turned up at every single event you attended?" Peggy asked.
"Sometimes they're stalkers as well," Tony conceded.
"People have already noticed the names are reserved," Darcy said. "A lot of the major news sites have already followed them, just in case. They're just waiting for the first drop in the ocean. After I've posted, I can hand them over to all of you, and …"
Peggy grimaced. "Do we really want them to have free rein?"
"They can't be worse than me," Tony pointed out.
Peggy sighed. "Good point."
"It needs to be genuine," Darcy added. "It's not if I'm tweeting for you. And people will notice, trust me." She held up her phone. "Ready?"
"Not here," Peggy said. "We'll use our apartment."
Darcy seemed to know what she was doing, at least - when they got to the apartment, she wandered around for a bit, checking the light, finally directing Steve to stand in front of the bookcase.
"Do you want us in uniform?" Steve asked.
Darcy thought about it for a second. "No. We want people seeing Steve, not Cap. Oh, and if you can bring up Bucky, do it."
"Why?" Steve asked.
Darcy rolled her eyes. "A - because he might be watching, and it might get his attention, and B - if we find him, sooner or later, he's going to be outed as the Winter Soldier. I told you what the risks are; we want the public seeing Bucky Barnes, American War Hero, who has had something awful happen to him, rather than the Winter Soldier, deadly assassin, who happens to be Bucky Barnes."
"She's right," Peggy said. "Darcy, has Pepper hired you yet?"
"My official title is lab supervisor," Darcy said. "And I'm Tony's PA."
"Damnit," Peggy muttered.
"I'm open to moonlighting," Darcy said. "I seem to do everything else round here. Okay, Steve, recording now."
Steve looked vaguely panicked. "What do I say?"
Darcy giggled. "Just introduce yourself."
Peggy stifled her own laugh out of sight of the camera. He might not mean it, but this was already going to do wonders for making Steve less intimidating to the man on the street.
She hoped Darcy didn't cut it out.
"Um, alright. My name's Steve Rogers, I was born in Brooklyn, in 1918. When the war started, I tried to sign up, but I wasn't medically fit." Steve paused. "My best friend Bucky, he was drafted, and … I couldn't stand being left behind. I met Dr Erskine, who was working with the Strategic Scientific Reserve … Peg, how much am I allowed to tell people?"
Peggy took a deep breath and stepped into shot, taking his hand. "I think we need to let it all out, Steve." She smiled at Darcy. "I'm Peggy Carter, and the media helpfully dubbed me Lady Liberty a long time ago. I was born in 1921, so I'm not quite as old as our Captain here." She paused. "Although I lived through the last seventy years and you didn't, so I'm not quite sure which one of us is robbing the cradle."
Steve sniggered. "We're getting ahead of ourselves. Dr Erskine had developed a formula that would supposedly create a super-soldier …"
For a long time, the story had been hushed up by the government. No one wanted to admit that they had resorted to human experimentation, much less that they were still trying to perfect it - not to mention the government's approach to naturally enhanced people while trying to create artificial ones.
Now Peggy and Steve took it in turns to tell the true story of how Captain America came to be; how he had been sidelined when he was the only one; how the Howling Commandos had been formed.
Peggy explained how she had received the last of the serum, and how Howard and Tony had both tried to extract the serum for research purposes and failed.
"It's probably a good thing," Steve said to that. "Honestly, I don't trust a single government in the world with an army of super-soldiers."
"No," Peggy agreed. "Neither do I."
Steve proceeded to tell them how Bucky had died, and not one of his tears was faked. Peggy told them how Steve's plane had gone down - and her tears weren't faked either.
He kissed her head, letting her bury her face in his shoulder.
Once they had composed themselves, Darcy asked them some lighter questions in the hopes of ending the video on a lighter note.
"Favourite colour?"
"Blue," Peggy said.
"Green," Steve answered. "I was colourblind before the serum; that was the first colour I saw clearly."
"It was Army green," Peggy put in dryly. "It's not the best colour."
"Favourite memory?"
Steve told a story about him and Bucky and the rest of the Commandos that should probably be classified; Peggy told how a pre-serum Steve Rogers had outwitted the other recruits to touch the top of a flag-pole and get a ride back to base.
"If you could have one wish, what would it be?"
"World peace," they answered together, laughing when she teased them about being clichés.
The video was uploaded ten minutes later with little to no editing, and the internet lost its collective minds.
June 2014, online
BrianTuner ( TunerVision) - OMG Captain America and Lady Liberty have to be the cutest couple on the planet!
RealTonyStark ( IronMan) - TunerVision do not encourage them. That is my godmother we are talking about.
Forbes ( Forbes) - IronMan does this mean you were aware of Lady Liberty's ID all this time?
RealTonyStark ( IronMan) - Forbes obviously. I can keep a secret, contrary to popular belief.
RachelEsher ( capette) - This whole story feels like it should be fake but no one in their right mind would make it up.
TamishaBrown ( TammyB) - capette my granny was one of the cappettes in the original show - he borrowed her helmet to rescue the 107th. All true
PeggyCarter ( LadyLiberty) - TammyB thank your granny for me please - that was the only real 'armour' he had.
FoxNews ( FoxNews) - CaptainAmerica we'd really appreciate it if you'd share your views on the state of modern America.
SteveRogers ( CaptainAmerica) - FoxNews I've seen your 'news' shoes; you really wouldn't. Darcy, how do I hashtag again?"
DarcyLewis ( AvengersPR) - CaptainAmerica you're lucky I monitor your accounts #hashtaglikethis
SteveRogers ( CaptainAmerica) - AvengersPR thank you #prochoice #equalityforall #profreehealthcare #progayrights
June 2014, Manhattan
Darcy snorted, scrolling through Twitter. "Steve, Fox News wants to know who's running your Twitter page."
Steve grinned. "Oh, good, I upset them."
"Steve, no," Peggy said.
"Steve, yes," Darcy said cheerfully. "You mess with them as much as you like, Captain; I'm gonna go and film Banner."
Bruce took a lot more convincing than Peggy and Steve, but eventually agreed to tell his story. It was the first time Darcy had heard it in full, and she had to grit her teeth to stay quiet and not interrupt.
Somehow, even without notes, Bruce managed to avoid using any names, but Darcy wasn't going to let that lie.
She wasn't going to tell him that though, instead changing the subject.
"Thank you for telling your story, Bruce; I appreciate that it wasn't easy. Now for the fun part. Favourite colour? Don't say green."
Bruce cracked a smile. "I do actually like the colour green, but it's actually blue."
"Favourite memory?"
Bruce thought for a moment. "Well, actually, it's meeting this team. As awful as the Invasion was - and it was awful, make no mistake - it was the first time in a long time that people looked at me and saw something more than a monster."
Darcy considered saying something about that, but decided against it for now. "If you had one wish, what would it be?"
"If you'd asked me a few years ago, it would have been to fix me," Bruce said. "But I would have to say … I'd want everyone in the world to be valued for what they can do, rather than only valued if they are what the world thinks they should be."
Before Darcy posted the video, she filmed herself in a darker room, so her face wasn't entirely visible - she wanted Bruce to be the focus, not her.
"In case you were wondering, people of America, the idiot who forced Dr Banner into testing a highly volatile theory on himself, and then recreated it, was General Thaddeus Ross. He has since spent almost all of his time trying to get Dr Banner classified as 'Army property' and locked up so he can throw the Hulk at people he doesn't like. The idiot who agreed to recreate it and then wrecked most of Harlem was named Emile Blonsky. Officials on the ground agree that all civilian injuries and most of the property damage was caused by the so-called 'Abomination' and not Hulk, who - not unsurprisingly - was trying to get away from the people with guns, because, obviously, you shoot the being running away and not the being killing people." She paused. "For reference, this is almost certainly part of the reason why Captain America and Lady Liberty would not trust our government with an army of super-soldiers."
June 2014, online
ElizabethRoss ( DrBettyRoss) - DrBanner I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!
NewYorkTimes ( nytimes) - DrBettyRoss are you any relation to General Ross?
ElizabethRoss ( DrBettyRoss) - nytimes unfortunately he is my father and I was present for the initial incident. Everything Dr Banner said is completely correct. IronMan I trust you're ready for him?
RealTonyStark ( IronMan) - DrBettyRoss The Avengers Initiative has lodged a formal complaint against the army on Dr Banner's behalf. We'll see if they listen more than they did when I raised my concerns when it first happened.
USAGovernment ( usagov) - The President would like to make it clear that he was not aware of the allegations made against General Ross. Investigations are ongoing.
MichelleJones ( MJ) - usagov This happened almost a decade ago and was apparently a government sanctioned experiment. How was no one aware?
FoxNews ( FoxNews) - IronMan is harbouring a monster in the middle of Manhattan and is insulting a war hero. Is he really a role model for our children?
RealTonyStark ( TonyStark) - FoxNews did you actually watch the video? Or did you just have a minion watch it and then ignored their summary?
ElizabethRoss ( DrBettyRoss) - FoxNews someone being in the army doesn't make them a war hero. My father never saw active service.
BrianTuner ( TunerVision) - FoxNews You and I clearly have a very different idea of what makes someone a monster. IronMan I'm not tagging Dr Banner because I don't think he needs to read that, but can you let him know that we're all behind him?
RealTonyStark ( IronMan) - TunerVision Happy to. Also FoxNews I never claimed to be a role model
MeaganSchwatzweiger ( MegsS) - DrBanner you and Hulk saved my daughter's life during the invasion. She'd like to thank you in person if possible.
DarcyLewis ( AvengersPR) - MegsS DM me and we'll figure something out.
June 2014, Manhattan
"I really don't know if this is a good idea."
"You never think anything's a good idea," Tony said.
"Tony," Peggy said warningly. "Bruce, she's a lovely girl. And her mother is a really nice lady. You'll be fine."
Bruce didn't look reassured. "What if there's an incident?"
"Then you go in the Hulk-pod and we deal with it," Darcy said patiently. "That's why we have it. But - Tony, how many incidents has Bruce had since he moved in?"
"None," Tony said, unnecessarily smugly in Peggy's opinion.
"So why would you suddenly have one now?" Darcy asked. "Now would you please chill? The less chill you are, the more likely it is you'll have an incident." She poked him in the side. "Stop self-sabotaging."
Bruce chuckled a little reluctantly. "I'm not a hero, Darcy."
"To this little girl, you are," Darcy said, her eyes oddly serious all of a sudden. "So you are going to suck it up, smile, and let her thank you, because it's not about you. It's about her and she needs this. Got it?"
"Ms Schatzweiger and her daughter have arrived," JARVIS announced.
"Thank you, JARVIS," Peggy said. "I'm going to go and meet them."
The last time she had seen Amelia was in the hospital bed, looking impossibly small and frail, so Peggy was somewhat unprepared for the bundle of energy that was an uninjured seven-year-old.
Even the prosthetic leg didn't slow her down, even though it was ill-fitting and a little too small for her.
Peggy crouched down to catch her. "It's lovely to see you again, Amelia. You look a lot better."
Amelia nodded eagerly, clutching what looked like a handmade card. "My leg doesn't hurt anymore."
"That's wonderful!" Peggy straightened up and accepted Meagan's hug as well. "Really?"
"She's growing so fast," Meagan admitted. "The insurance can't keep up. Thank you so much for your help getting Ewan back. We … she needed him."
Her voice faltered, and Peggy noticed that she was no longer wearing a wedding ring.
Couples dealt with stress in different ways, she supposed.
"If you're looking for a career change, I know they're hiring at Stark Industries," Peggy said. "And that insurance would keep up."
Tony had made quite a few changes when he took over after Howard died, but was somewhat hampered by the board - although with hindsight, it was probably Stane causing most of the problems.
When Pepper became the CEO, she had put her foot down, and Stark Industries was now a world-leader in employee benefits - Pepper and Tony had both made it clear to the board that they would rather lose profit than employees.
"I'm not sure I'm qualified," Meagan said.
"Don't write yourself off," Peggy advised. "Can't hurt to try. I'm unconnected to SI, I promise, so I can't influence it in any way."
She got the sense that Meagan would rather turn down a job than get it through any kind of biased process.
Peggy took them into the elevator, hit the button for the lab floors, and turned to face them. "I have to say this, so bear with me. While you're here, you may see things relating to Stark Industries or the Avengers Initiative which are not public knowledge; for obvious reasons, I need you to not mention any of those things to anyone else."
Meagan was nodding. "Of course; I understand completely. We're just grateful to be here."
Peggy smiled as Amelia slipped her little hand into hers. "Well then. Let's go and find Dr Banner."
Bruce, of course, was where she left him, talking to Darcy, and Peggy was glad that the young woman had stayed; she seemed to have a calming presence on everyone.
"Dr Banner, Darcy; this is Amelia and her mother, Meagan," Peggy said.
Darcy gave them a bright smile. "It's good to finally meet you both."
Meagan released Amelia's other hand. "I'm sorry; I need to do this." She stepped forward and hugged Bruce, who looked mildly terrified, patting her on the back.
"Ms Schatzweiger, I really didn't …" Bruce cut himself off, when Darcy kicked his ankle. "I'm glad we could help."
Meagan pulled away a sniffle. "I really didn't think I was going to get her back."
Peggy could feel Amelia shaking a little beside her. She remembered seeing her mother cry after her father died, and how scary that was. "Okay, sweetheart?"
Amelia nodded. "Mom's still scared, I think."
"Well, it was scary for everyone," Peggy said, glancing down to see that the girl's eyes were watering a little. "Are you hurting?"
Amelia hesitated, but nodded. "I don't like to say it, because Mom feels guilty, but the leg kinda hurts sometimes."
"Are you okay if I pick you up?" Peggy asked.
The little girl nodded, so Peggy lifted her into her arms and set her on her hip the way she had once done with a young Tony, carrying her over to where the others were.
"Bruce, I think Amelia has something for you," she said softly, setting Amelia down to sit on the workbench.
Amelia handed over the card with a shy little "Thank you."
"That's beautiful," Darcy said, looking over Bruce's shoulder. "I love the picture of Hulk smashing an alien."
Thank goodness for Darcy, because Bruce seemed to be having trouble forming words.
"You're very welcome," he managed eventually. "I'm glad you're feeling better."
Amelia beamed and hugged him.
Once Peggy was sure that he was comfortable, she excused herself to head over to the other side of the lab where Tony was working.
"Thanks for hanging out."
"Well, the yoga studio is not my scene," Tony said quietly, "but he feels better with me here. What's up?"
"She's growing so fast that they need to keep replacing her prosthetic," Peggy murmured. "It's hurting her. Seems like a problem that's probably affecting all kids with prosthetics."
Tony frowned, and she could see his mind beginning to work. "I'll see what I can do."
Peggy kissed his cheek. "Thank you."
Any individual Twitter users have been made up. Any official Twitters - please don't sue me :)
Also this site really does not like the Twitter format so it deletes the at signs. Should still be readable.
