Jack here.

Trying to figure out a way to get to Carmen was a nightmare.

We saw Howard Stark going in – neither of us wanted to explain the situation and incriminate ourselves somehow. Sorry Carmen.

We settled for waiting while another game of chess.

Carmen here.

I would have liked nothing better but to vanish during the confusion of the aftermath.

However, that would look highly suspicious, and when I didn't want to make things any worse than they already were.

Agent Carter and the others were discussing the missing canisters and what to do.

"Well, I've counted ten canisters," said Agent Thompson. "Meaning Ivchenko has enough to send half the city into a homicidal rage."

"But why?" asked Agent Carter. "Why go to all that trouble?"

"Because he's a Russian jerk with a chip on his shoulder. Why else?"

"No, it's got to be something more than that, if Ivchenko has a plan. He brought us into Russia, he tricked us into bringing us into this country. There's something specific that he is targeting. We just have to find out what it is."

"The target is me."

I spun around in the direction of the voice.

Before us stood Howard Stark and Mr. Jarvis.

The entire office aimed their guns at him.

"Get your hands up, get your hands up," ordered Agent Thompson.

Mr. Jarvis's arms shot up.

"What kind of welcome is this?" asked Mr. Stark, ignoring the guns.

"How'd you get in here?" asked Agent Sousa.

"You know who designed the SSR security system?"

"Yeah, the same outfit that secures the White House."

"Exactly. They stink. You should have hired me." He turned his attention to Agent Carter. "I know, you missed me."

I couldn't resist rolling my eyes.

Mr. Stark eyed me. "I thought you said you were the only lady agent, Peggy."

"She doesn't work here," said Agent Carter.

I stepped behind the desk, feeling more than a little uncomfortable with the way he was eyeing me.

Mr. Stark began to spell out what he wanted from the SSR. "Oh, and I want Blondie over there as an assistant."

Silence.

Peggy rolled her eyes.

I'm eighteen, for the record. In case anyone was wondering about that. And I've been told I look older. Still weird, though.

"Why?" asked Agent Thompson.

"This way, Blondie," he said to me, ignoring the agent.

Why, Thompson? Because he can, that's why. I resisted the urge to groan and just did what he asked.

We walked to the lab.

"What's your name by the way?" he asked.

I told him.

He raised his eyebrows at my last name. "What are you doing here?"

"Killing time."

"Are you German?"

"Yes."

"Sprichst du Deutsch?"

Short German lesson here – he asked if I spoke German.

However, you do not use "du" with someone you've just met. You say "sie", which is the formal version of "you". It also means "they" and "she". Yes, I know it's way easier in English. However, your language is impossible to spell. Which is worse?

End rant.

I gave into the urge to roll my eyes. "Yes. I also speak Dutch. And some Russian." My family is German, but some Dutch and some Russians married into us. I learned from them. My Dutch isn't completely fluent, but quite good – the similarities to German help – and my Russian is decent at best.

"Smart and pretty."

We entered the lab.

Mr. Stark's eyes widened in horror. "Okay, Fräulein, I'm going to need some help here."

"Do not call me Fräulein."

"Whatever you say." He started moving around the lab and putting things away. "This is photosensitive, it needs to be somewhere dark, this needs to be somewhere cold, and this – he walked to the table in the middle of the room and flipped over an object which looked like a gun. "Now this is fine."

Agent Carter looked at me as if to ask "What would we do without the incredible Howard Stark".

I laughed.

"It's not funny!" said Mr. Stark.

"I know. Sorry."

He moved over to some of the shelves. "So how did you end up here?"

"A misunderstanding," I replied.

"Being German doesn't exactly help, huh?"

"No."

"So this stuff that made the people in the theater act like that..."

He hesitated.

Now he was worried about who he showed off to? "I know most of what happened, just fill in the spaces, could you please?"

"It's called Midnight Oil. It makes people go into a crazy killer rage – an unintended side effect of what I was trying to make. It was supposed to let soldiers fight for a long time without getting tired."

"Things so often don't go as planned. I tried to return some money to Agent Carter's roommate this afternoon, and look what happened." Offhand, I wondered what Miranda and Jack were up to. Making plans of some sort, probably.

Jack here.

We were, in fact, still playing chess.

We like chess a lot. Besides, I've almost figured out how to beat Miranda.

Miranda narrating here.

No, you haven't. Our score since we first started (10 years ago) is still me 214 you 0.

Carmen here again. Thank you for those interjections, Jack and Miranda. And may I congratulate you, Miranda, on being good at chess?

After we finished dealing with Mr. Stark's inventions in the lab, he went to go get his press conference arranged.

I was brought into the now rather broken and battered interrogation room, for lack of a better meeting place.

"What should we do with you?" asked Agent Carter, from across the table.

I shrugged.

"You'll have to stay here until this this... mess is cleared up."

Brilliant. I'd get mixed up ineverything.