Fights and Finance
"So, are you enjoying working for our good doctor?"
Peggy ducked as I threw a punch at her head and came up towards my side. I lowered my elbow and blocked her. She swung at me again and I skittered backwards. I threw a kick at her head and she reached a hand, blocking me. She gripped my ankle and yanked, trying to tug me off balance. I went with the tug, aiming to use the momentum for an extra-strong punch.
"Miss Ealum!"
Surprise made me lower my guard. I twisted around to see who had called my name. Dr. Erskine was standing in the doorway of the little gym that Camp Lehigh boasted. His eyes widened and he opened his mouth to shout a warning, but not before Peggy's wrapped knuckles landed on my shoulder with a surprising amount of force for a woman her size.
I was already off balance, and I toppled to the ground. My head smacked into the mats and instinct took hold. A concerned Peggy hurried to my side, but all I saw was a looming opponent.
"I'm sorry, Josie, I-"
A shot of adrenaline went through me and I lashed out with a foot, nailing Peggy in the ankle. She yelped as she dropped, her elbows banging painfully to the ground. I rolled onto my side and felt a snarl curl my lips back. Peggy looked up at me, panting, eyes wide.
Peggy, who I'd spent hours talking with last night. Who was my roommate and the closest thing I had here to a best friend.
I recoiled, tucking my hands back against my chest, feeling my nails bite into my palms. I took deep, frantic breaths, trying to get control of myself. The adrenaline was still pounding in my veins. I worked to wind it back in, trying to force my heart to slow back to a normal, sedate pace.
The sound of running footsteps provided a sufficient distraction. I looked from Peggy's wide-eyed stare to see Dr. Erskine standing at the edge of the mat.
"Meine Gott!" he cried in German. "Are you two alright?"
I looked at Peggy desperately, twisting up onto my knees so that I knelt next to her. "Peggy, I'm so sorry," I insisted. "I just reacted, I didn't think… Are you alright?"
Peggy was looking at me with this expression… like she hadn't quite seen me before. It was crushing, like she'd just punched me in the gut. Then the expression was gone, shuttered off behind a polite smile and hidden away like it had never happened. But I knew it was still in her mind.
I had lashed out. There was no other word for it. She'd seen me coming at her with a snarl, she'd seen the look on my face and the way my nose had wrinkled, my lips curling.
"It's fine, Josie," she said reassuringly. She got to her feet and left the ring just a little faster than was really necessary. "I hit you, you hit me. We were sparring, it happens." She turned and sat down on the bench where we'd left water and towels.
"I'm still… I'm sorry," I repeated, slowly rising to my feet. I wasn't quite sure what else to say. I'd slipped up, and she'd seen, and that changed things. We'd been getting along well, and then I had to go and do something like this and ruin it.
Dr. Erskine cleared his throat. "Alright, well then. I think it's time you both got back to work. May I steal her back, Agent Carter?"
Peggy was still panting, a glass of water resting on the bench beside her. Her forehead gleamed with sweat and her curls were everywhere. She looked almost unnerved as she sent me a parting glance.
"Of course, doctor," Peggy replied. She grabbed her water and beat a hasty retreat to the locker room to change into her usual uniform.
"Miss Ealum, I need a word."
I winced at that. Dr. Erskine usually called me Josie. If he was calling me Miss Ealum, then I'd definitely done something wrong. And I had a bad feeling I knew what.
"What's happened?" I asked as I moved to the bench Peggy had just vacated. I took a few gulps of water, despite the fact that I wasn't really thirsty, and began unwrapping the tape from my knuckles. I frowned when I saw a few blots of blood from where my nails bit into my palms, but the marks were already gone.
"It would seem that Dr. Campbell has filed a complaint against you," Dr, Erskine said. I looked up at him and found him just staring at me, a look of disappointment in his eyes. His hands were folded in front of him, waiting.
"What did he say I did?" I asked wearily, although I could already guess. I tossed the tape down onto the bench and sat down.
"According to Dr. Campbell you physically assaulted him," Dr. Erskine explained. "Normally I would dismiss this as academic rivalry, but you have proven yourself capable of physical violence before. Just now I saw you assault Agent Carter," he said, nodding to the ring pointedly. I followed his gaze and in my mind's eye I could see Peggy sprawled out on the ground, that startled and hurt expression on her face.
"That was just instinct," I said automatically, blinking away the image of Peggy. Dr. Erskine sat down next to me, folding his hands in his lap. He nudged me with one shoulder.
"Was the incident with Dr. Campbell instinct as well?"
He looked disappointed in me, and that hurt. There were very few people in my life I truly admired. My father, my great-grandmother. Peggy was making her way onto that list, and Dr. Erskine was near the top. In way, having him disappointed in me was even worse than having my own father give me that look. At least my father would give you a way to atone, chores or drills, something. Dr. Erskine wasn't giving that option, he just wanted information, an explanation.
I shook my head silently and leaned forwards, burying my head in my hands. I did not want to see him looking at me like that. Dr. Erskine was an impressive man – a genius scientist, one who escaped from HYDRA, who was doing his best to help the war effort. Letting down someone like that was crushing.
"Josie," Dr. Erskine said slowly, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I need an explanation."
I straightened up, sighing. "I have a temper," I began. Dr. Erskine smiled slightly at that.
"I had noticed."
"I stayed late to clean," I recited. "Dr. Campbell came in and he started saying how I didn't belong there. He got agitated when he realized I'd dusted the top of his desk, kept demanding to know if I'd touched his files."
"Ah." Dr. Erskine nodded. He knew as well as anyone how particular Campbell was about his files. "I see."
"He kept going on about how I didn't deserve to be here, how I should be cleaning instead of 'playing scientist,'" I added hastily. "He called me a bitch."
"And did you react violently?" Dr. Erskine asked pointedly, looking at me over the top of his glasses.
I shrugged. "I didn't really think so. I threw a dust rag in his face."
"You… threw a dust rag in his face?" Dr. Erskine said, blinking. "That's it…?"
I looked up at him in confusion. "Yes… I'm sorry," I added. "I shouldn't have lost my temper, I know I shouldn't have, he just made me so mad…"
"Calm down," Dr. Erskine encouraged. He patted my shoulder and smiled at me genuinely. I frowned, confused.
"You're not angry with me anymore?"
"Josie, I wasn't angry to begin with!" Dr. Erskine laughed. "Merely… disappointed. As I said, I wouldn't have believed it but for the fact that I've seen you react violently against people before. Campbell claimed you punched him like you did with that soldier."
I raised my eyebrows, a bit annoyed. "That was a completely different situation!" I protested. "That soldier put his hands on me, Dr. Campbell just got mouthy. I can handle people getting mouthy without using violence!"
"So I see," Dr. Erskine assured me. I still winced and looked down at my lap.
"I still shouldn't have lost my temper," I muttered. "It wasn't professional."
"From what you've told me, you had every right to be a bit peeved after what Dr. Campbell said to you," Dr. Erskine mused. He was still patting my shoulder soothingly. I smiled a bit at that. "For now, I would advise you to just avoid Dr. Campbell as much as possible. Don't give him the opportunity to rile you up."
I nodded, smiling at Dr. Erskine. "Thank you, sir."
"It's nothing," Dr. Erskine said, patting my shoulder one last time. He stood up and offered me a hand. I took it and stood. "I think it's time we got to work, eh?"
I looked up at the clock on the wall. It was nearing nine in the morning. Most of the other scientists would have already been at work for an hour now. Those who'd burned the midnight oil would likely still be passed out, but they deserved it. I knew for a fact that one of the biologists was working about sixteen hours a day. I'd see him chugging coffee in a desperate attempt to stay awake.
"That would probably be a good idea," I agreed.
"Walk with me," Dr. Erskine invited, offering me his arm. I took it, sliding my hand into the crook of his elbow. I gathered up my water in my free hand and tossed the towel over one shoulder. We headed for the door. Just as we reached it, and Dr. Erskine reached out to open it, he paused.
"What is it?" I asked curiously.
"… We have a dust rag?"
I peered around the lab. As expected, most everyone was gone. It was nearly midnight, and the only people still present were a pair of biologists swaying tiredly near a chalkboard of squiggles with steaming coffee cups clutched tightly in their hands and stubble on their jaws. A third was sprawled across the desk behind them.
Judging by the light under the door to his office, Erskine was still there as well. I cautiously crept past the chemists, but I needn't have bothered. They were too out of it to notice much of anything. Quietly, I knocked on the door to Erskine's office.
"Come in," was the tired reply. I opened the door and stepped inside, shutting the door behind me. Erskine sat behind his desk surrounded by a sea of paperwork. I could see a ledger open in front of him, an unnerving red pen held in his hand. He tugged off his glasses and rubbed his eyes for a moment, putting them back on before addressing me with a weary smile.
"Guten abend, Josie," he greeted weakly. "Isn't it a little late to be up?"
"Apparently not," I said, nodding to him pointedly as I sat down in the chair opposite his desk. "I had something I wanted to talk to you about."
"What is it?" Erskine asked, perking up slightly and leaning forwards in interest.
"Phillips told me you've been having money troubles with the Senate," I admitted. Erskine sighed and leaned back wearily in his chair, mumbling something about Phillips having a big mouth under his breath in his native language.
"I noticed you both seemed tired and I asked him," I explained hastily. "He told me what was going on."
"That was nice of him," Erskine said, but he still sounded a little tart. "But I don't want you worrying about money troubles."
"That's why I made a few calls," I said sheepishly, fiddling with the edge of my sleeve.
Erskine's eyes narrowed. "You did what?" He leaned forwards. "Fraulein Ealum, this project is top secret, if you have told anyone what we are working on I will have no choice but to-"
"I didn't!" I assured him quickly. "I didn't. I called my great-grandmother, Nevade."
Erskine frowned. "You… called your grandmother?"
I nodded, feeling a little awkward. It was always uncomfortable explaining to people that my family was very close to Howard Stark in terms of wealth. We'd been lucky in our investments after the Civil War and those investments had turned into thriving businesses, the profits of which flowed to everyone in the family.
"The Ealum Corporation," I explained slowly, "has money coming in from cotton, coal, oil, liquor, horses, even a couple of steel mills. As you can imagine, those generate quite a bit of profit."
Erskine's eyes widened. "I can imagine. I knew you came from money, Miss Ealum, but I didn't realize…"
"Most people don't, we pretty much stay out of the public eye, unlike our generous benefactor Howard Stark," I said with a small smile. "But I called Nevade. I explained that the project I was working on was underfunded and that it was to help the war effort."
"That is all?" Erskine asked sternly. There was only so much that we were allowed to say about the project, and talking about it at all wasn't exactly approved of. I'd been very careful when talking to Nevade to make sure I didn't give away anything.
"That's all," I assured him. "And she authorized me to write this."
From the pocket of my navy blazer I pulled out a folded check and passed it over the table to Erskine. He took it curiously and unfolded the check. His eyes widened and he fairly choked when he saw the amount.
"Miss Ealum!" he gasped. "This is… too much!"
"It's really not," I said firmly. "You know my father is a Lieutenant Colonel currently in Greece. But my grandfather was a retired army captain, and my great-uncles also served. Two cousins have enlisted since the war started. For us, this is not just an investment in your project, but an investment in bringing our family home safely, and continued service to this country."
I bit my lip. I didn't talk about it much, but I worried about my family. Peter, the brat with whom I'd had a decade-long prank war going on. Claude, the youngest, barely eighteen, who used to crawl into my bed when the fall thunderstorms blew through the state.
Erskine looked at me grimly and I knew he understood. He didn't say, but I could guess that he had lost people to HYDRA. He knew what this project meant to me, and to my family – a chance to end the war sooner and pull our family out of harm's way.
"I hope this will help bring your family home," Erskine said softly, holding up the check.
I smiled. "I don't doubt that it will."
Meine Gott! – My God!
Guten abend – Good evening
