[The Last Days As Agent 13] - Smoke and Mirrors - Peggy's Encounter With Rufus

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Peggy sat at the dining table in her cozy home, flipping through the pages of her notebook as Val deftly set the plates in front of her. It had been a long day of investigating, but the leads they had been following had all ended up as dead ends. With a sigh, Peggy looked up at Val and posed the question that had been weighing on her mind.

"So, all of our leads are dead ends now?" she asked, her voice tinged with frustration.

Val took a seat opposite her, picking up a spoon and digging into the food. "I guess so," he replied with a shrug.

Peggy leaned back in her chair, pushing her notepad aside and reaching for a forkful of food. She savored the flavors, but her mind was already back on the case. She knew that they had hit a wall and needed to regroup.

"I think we need to recap everything we have found out so far," she said, setting down her fork and looking at Val.

Val nodded and began recounting their previous encounters. "Although all of the witnesses have been explicitly connected to Calvin and Whitney, we have failed to get our hands on some concrete evidence that would put them behind bars," he said, frustration clear in his voice.

Peggy couldn't help but feel the same frustration. "Yes, and it's so frustrating," she agreed. "But we can't give up. We need to keep digging until we find something. Anything."

Val leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he addressed Peggy. "Do you recall what Wilkes said?" he asked, his voice low and intense.

Peggy nodded slowly, her eyes focused on Val. "He said that Jane Scott was working on Zero Matter. Maybe she accidentally exposed herself to it and died," she said, the pieces starting to fall into place.

Val nodded in understanding. "And then, Calvin and Whitney hired Andrew Henry to dispose of the body to hide their experiments and the affair," he finished.

Peggy couldn't help but feel a sense of triumph as everything started to click into place. But Val was quick to remind her of the reality of the situation. "But those are just mere speculations when spoken without evidence," he cautioned.

Peggy knew that Val was right. They needed solid evidence if they were going to take down Calvin and Whitney.

Peggy let out a deep sigh. She pushed her food around on her plate, lost in thought, while Val finished his meal in silence. When he stood up, picking up his coat, Peggy looked up at him expectantly.

"I will go back to the Isodyne Energy Headquarters and see what I can find over there," he said, his voice determined.

Peggy nodded, grateful for Val's tenacity. "Okay," she replied, "I will stay here and go through my notes and try to find something. Maybe I missed something earlier."

Val gave her a small smile, a look of respect and admiration in his eyes. "You're always one step ahead, Peggy," he said, before making his way towards the door.

A few minutes later, Peggy was seated at her desk, deep in thought as she sifted through her notes and other documents. Suddenly, the sound of knocking echoed through the house, startling her out of her concentration.

* KNOCK *

* KNOCK *

* KNOCK *

Peggy frowned, her curiosity piqued by the sound of footsteps approaching her front door. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should investigate. But her instincts got the best of her, and she stood up, making her way toward the door.

As she reached the door, Peggy paused, listening for any signs of danger. Satisfied that it was safe, she slowly opened the door, her eyes scanning the empty street.

Peggy's frown deepened further as she scanned the empty street, her instincts telling her that something was amiss. Just as she was about to close the door, a sudden movement caught her attention.

Without warning, a smoke grenade was lobbed through the gap, landing on the floor beside her.

* BOOOM *

Peggy instinctively jumped back, her heart pounding in her chest as she covered her face to protect herself from the noxious fumes that began to fill the room.

Coughing and spluttering, Peggy tried to clear her vision, but the smoke was too thick. Through the haze, she caught sight of a figure approaching her, wearing a gas mask.

With a determined stride, the man advanced towards Peggy, his gaze locked onto her as he declared triumphantly, "I finally caught you, Peggy Carter."

Reacting quickly, Peggy dashed into the living room, away from the smoke and the intruder. As she breathed in the fresh air, she cast a cautious eye over the man, trying to place him.

"Do I know you?" she asked, her voice calm and steady.

The man followed her into the living room, and with a flourish, he removed his gas mask, revealing his scarred face.

"Of course, you'll remember me," he sneered. "Your friend did this to me."

As she registered the man's identity, Peggy's eyes widened in surprise and disgust. "I thought you would be dead, but like the cockroach that you are, you managed to survive," she spat out, her voice laced with disdain.

Rufus, the scarred man, snarled in anger at her words, his grip tightening on his mechanical arm. With a fierce determination, he charged towards Peggy, his intention to attack her face.

With lightning-fast reflexes, Peggy managed to dodge Rufus's punch, and she countered with a powerful right hook that landed square on his face.

* WHAM *

Rufus stumbled backward, but quickly regained his balance, shaking his head to clear his mind. Without wasting a moment, he grabbed a nearby chair and hurled it at Peggy with all his might.

Peggy deftly dodged the incoming chair and spun around, delivering a swift kick to Rufus's chest with lightning-fast speed.

* WHAM *

The impact of Peggy's kick sent Rufus flying backward, and he landed hard on the ground, gasping for air as he clutched his chest in pain. He glared at Peggy with intense hatred, his eyes burning with a fierce desire for revenge.

Peggy sneered at Rufus and prepared to attack again. However, to her surprise, his body suddenly moved with an unnatural speed, and he dodged Peggy's left hook with ease. Before she knew it, his right hook landed square on her face.

* WHAM *

Peggy stumbled back, her vision momentarily blurry as she struggled to stay on her feet. She could feel her heartbeat pounding in her ears as she tried to gather herself but she quickly shook her head and looked at him cautiously.

Rufus wiped the blood from his face with his mechanical arm and sneered at Peggy once more. "Let's start again, shall we?" he said with a menacing grin, eager to continue their deadly dance.

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