Hello everyone! I hope you are doing just fine!
I found out, that the last chapter could have been confusing! (Or at least a part of it). I found out (too late), that when Michael said "slug it back" it has two meanings - the first one (which I did not use) means " to drink an alcoholic drink, especially by swallowing large amounts at the same time" the second is " to hit someone because they hit you" I thought that they were fighting together so I used the second meaning in the story. I hope that you were not disappointed by that.
Now, finally! The next chapter! (It took me longer, sorry for that). Enjoy! :)
Peggy was sitting with the Howling Commando outside the mess hall. They brought some crates to sit on, created a circle and were enjoying the sun that decided to show up that morning. Michael was sedated as were the other ones for their own sake. Nobody was sure whether they are programmed to commit suicide once they are caught, and nobody wanted to push their luck. Peggy went to see Michael every now and then to ensure she was not dreaming. Howling Commando did their best to distract her. Today, finally, she joined them to have lunch with them. She noticed that Steve created a very unwelcoming habit of watching her as if he expected her to faint at any moment. She put on a stern expression and once when he caught her eyes, he turned his head away so quickly that she was impressed that nothing broke in his neck.
She had to admit that she looked horrible. She was crouching due to the numb but everlasting pain in her back. Due to a few hits from Michael's attack, her face was mostly covered in bruises. One bruise covered her left cheek with the continuation at her ear. The bruise stopped where she had a deep cut which would once be covered by her hair that had to be, unfortunately, shaved off. The wound was patched and thanks to a skilled doctor (and very strong painkillers) did not cause Peggy too much pain. She sometimes felt lightheaded but nothing worse was happening.
Without them knowing, a car arrived at the camp. The driver and the passenger got out of the car. Colonel Phillips was there and shook his hand with the passenger who, according to his uniform, outranked him. The general started asking questions on their way to the main tent.
"What happened? How did you find him? How do you know it's him?" He was not tall. He was strong and his uniform was barely fitting but he was not overweight. His face was serious. As Phillips started answering his questions, his eyes wandered around the camp. When he saw the group sitting in front of the mess hall, his face went white.
"And WHAT," he interrupted Phillips, "is my daughter doing here?" Without waiting for an answer, he went to the group. He approached them when everyone was focused on Bucky who was telling an extremely embarrassing memory of him and Steve. Steve was sitting next to him, and his ears were bright red.
"The girl asked him about his name, and he was so nervous that he started stuttering. I promise that she thought that he was mental." Everyone was laughing, but the general's eyes were fixed on Peggy.
"Margaret?" he almost whispered. Nobody besides Peggy looked up. Nobody else was calling her 'Margaret' so they did not join two pieces of the puzzle as quickly. They reacted to her twitch and her paleness. Everyone went quiet and who showed their backs towards the stranger, stood up quickly, reaching for their guns. They did not know what danger was behind their backs, but Peggy's reaction made them aware of the menace. When they realized that they were aimed at an old general who, according to his uniform, was on their side, they awkwardly put their weapons back into their holsters. The general seemed that he did not notice them at all, his eyes were boring into her.
Peggy stood up, looking straight at her father. There was silence.
"We should probably move to the tent," Phillips suggested after a while.
General Carter nodded and followed Phillips who led the way. It took Peggy a few seconds before she was able to move too.
"Peggy?" Steve reached out and caught her hand. "Who is it? What is going on?"
"Do not worry, it's ok. It's… it's my father." She did not tell a living soul that he was coming. She did not know why she did not mention it. Maybe there was no time for that or that she did not know how to start a conversation with those men who she considered to be her brothers. Brothers. When she moved towards the main tent, Steve only reluctantly let her go. Everyone from Howling Commandos followed her with their eyes.
She had to run after them, but they all entered the tent together. Phillips sent everyone who was in there away. Only after the last person left the tent did her father turn to her.
"I thought that I was summoned to identify my son, not my daughter." His voice was angry.
"It is true, sir," said Phillips. It was strange to hear him addressing someone who outranked him, thought Peggy. "We found your son. Thanks to Agent Carter…"
"Agent? You are an agent now?" he turned to Peggy, "I thought… WITH YOUR MOTHER WE thought that you are a codebreaker somewhere in London! We did not think that you are in the field carrying a gun, being an aim for our enemies! What were you thinking when you were lying to us?" Peggy could not answer. Again, she felt like a little girl being shouted at for something that was mostly unladylike. Luckily, Phillips took the floor.
"Sir, as you know, agents are not allowed to reveal their whereabouts. It was not her choice to lie to you."
"What are women for as agents? They are…" Carter started angrily, and Peggy finally found her voice finally.
"I found Michael!"
"Michael is dead. It must be someone who looks like him." He shook his head dismissively.
"Michael is not dead. And you had never said so. They told you that he had been MIA. You never told me…"
"I knew what MIA meant! I was in the war; I know that MIA meant death. I did not want you to do anything stupid. But here we are!"
"It IS Michael. Come and see. It's him!"
"From what I was told, he came here and tried to kill someone in the camp," he scanned Peggy's bruised face. "Was it you?"
Peggy could not answer, but the quiet was omniscient.
"And do you really believe that Michael would try to kill you?"
"It's… it's harder to explain. He was brainwashed."
"Rubbish. Brainwashing is nothing that can be … proved. If he tried to kill you it means that he deserted to the enemy."
"What? No, he certainly did not! We found out…" Phillips coughed loudly. What they found out was top secret.
"We are sure that he was brainwashed. If he was in his right mind, he would never…" her voice trailed off. The silence between them settled again.
"Sir, do you want to see him?" Phillips asked gently. Carter only nodded and followed Phillips out of the tent. Peggy stayed there standing. She realized that her fingers were trembling, and she tried to inhale deeply. After two minutes when she regained her composure, she went to the provisional prison. When she entered, she could see her father wordlessly watching Michael.
Carter then looked at Peggy, back to Michael and then he left the tent. He aimed towards the woods. Peggy followed him, and Phillips stayed back.
Carter stopped abruptly and waited till Peggy reached him.
"Father?" she asked quietly.
"It's him," his voice sounded broken. "it's my son."
"Yes, yes, it is!" Peggy's face brightened up. "And we can take him home… did you tell mother why you are coming here?"
"No, I did not. And I will never tell her." Peggy felt confused.
"Why? We found Michael, he is alive, he is…"
"He is going to be judged, found guilty and killed by our government."
"What are you talking about?"
"I am talking about his file. I read all of it. He was working for Hydra. And nobody would ask why he did…"
"No, listen to me. He was brainwashed and… I can't explain it properly because it's top secret, but a device was used on him that made him do those things. Do not worry, it's still him. You just have to trust me."
"A device?" he was confused.
"Yes. It was made by Stark, and he will testify that…"
"He will not," he said heavily and turned his face from her. "If there is anything like the thing you are describing, the American government would have made sure that he would not tell. He must be bound by confidentiality."
"But during the process…"
"During the process, he would not be allowed to say a word. Otherwise, he would be found guilty of breaking the contract he surely has with the government."
"I do not think that he really signed up for anything like that…"
"The fact that you do not know about it does not mean that the contrast does not exist," he said sadly. "If Michael faces the court, he will be found guilty. There will be no one who will stand up for him." His voice was quiet. He looked so broken. She remembered the day when they were told about Michael's death… or…., about him being MIA. He looked suddenly small. She wanted to help him, cheer him up. But, at the same time, she was angry with him that he was about to give up on his own son. She could not hold back any longer.
"I will not give up on him so easily! And you should not do it too. You are his father!" Peggy almost shouted.
"I am not! My son died. And I am not going to be there and wait for his trial to lose him again." He took a deep breath, then he looked at her and his face was hard. "It would have been better if you had not found him," he said after a long silence. He moved towards the camp and left her there alone.
Peggy straightened up. She knew what she had to do. She had to find Howard and make sure that he did not sign anything that could prevent him from explaining the whole situation in front of the court. She was sure that he would not do such a thing!
He would not!
But… would not he?