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Episode 10: Why Don’t You Do Right? August 6th, 1946. New York City, New York. The mansion of Howard Stark. A chill came over Peggy as she held the phone to her lips. “Fred? Where are you now?” “I’m staying at a hotel in New York. While I was here I overheard some rather disagreeable chaps talking in the hall. I could only make out bits and pieces, but I heard one of them mention something that sounded like ‘Maggia’. Isn’t that the group of criminals in the papers?” Peggy looked nervously around the room, as Jarvis and Angie looked on worried. “Did those men see you?” “I didn’t think they did. But ever since then I’ve had the strangest feeling someone’s been following me. That’s when I remembered that you had accepted the post with the SSR. I have a feeling they will want to know what I know. It sounded like the Maggia were planning an all out offensive to find these masked characters they’ve been talking about on the radio.” Peggy cleared her throat to steady herself. “Well, then. If you want my advice you need to get yourself to the SSR headquarters at…” Fred’s voice cut her off. “No, Peggy. I don’t want to be seen going into that office. I will turn myself over to you. Please meet me at the Bethesda Fountain tonight at 9. Then I will explain what I know. I need to dash. Would love to chat some more, darling, but you know how it is. Until tonight.” With a click of a receiver, Fred was gone. Peggy slowly hung up the phone. “Miss Carter?” Jarvis asked concerned. “What was all that about?” “Yeah, English,” chimed in Angie. “Who’s the guy?” Before Peggy could reply, the door of the mansion opened and Daniel Sousa and Howard Stark rushed in. “Jarvis!” Howard barked. “Did you forget how to answer a phone?!” Jarvis rushed to his side. “Mr. Stark! I’m sorry, sir. I wasn’t aware that you called.” “We rang this place yesterday afternoon and we got no answer,” explained Daniel. Angie gave side eye glance to the still ruined living room. “Um, we were a little bit busy.” Daniel turned a saw the still shaken Peggy. “Peg? What’s going on? What happened?” “And more importantly,” said Howard, with a dropped jaw examining the damage. “What have you done to my living room?” Manhattan, New York. The laboratory of Doctor Jonas Harrow. Bob Frank regained unconscious to find himself in a nightmare. Leather straps around his neck, chest, wrist, waist, and ankles held him in place on a gurney. His breathing quickened as he looked around the dimly lit room. He could hear the screeching of unknown animals coming from a shelf lined with cages. “Maddie!” he yelled into the dark. “MADDIE!” A screen was pushed aside and Dr. Harrow shuffled into the room. “You! You there!” Bob shouted. “Where’s my wife?” Harrow continued pulled an IV closer to the gurney. “Oh, your wife is just fine, Mr. Frank,” he leered. “She is truly a special woman. A perfect specimen.” Bob pulled on his restraints, but they didn’t budge. “If you’ve hurt her, I swear to God I’ll…” He groaned in pain as Harrow inserted the needle into his arm. “Such spirit! Yes, you will be an excellent subject.” He walked past the rows of cages, and opened one. He stabbed a hypodermic needle into the creature inside and it snarled in response. Harrow quickly drew back and shut the cage. He walked back to the IV, as Bob’s struggles weakened. “The count says that I am free to conduct an experiment on you,” he said as he inserted the blood from the hypodermic into the drip. “I gave him strength with my first two subjects. With you, he shall have speed. And if it doesn’t work… well, I guess I’ll just have to ask for a new subject.” Bob Frank had already fallen back into unconsciousness. New York City, New York. Central Park. Peggy slowly paced around Bethesda Fountain. None of her allies was particularly comfortable with her meeting with Fred Wells, and neither was she. It had been years since she had broken off their engagement, shortly after she had received word of Michael’s death. And now, he calls out of the blue about Maggia? All too coincidental. “Can you hear me alright, Howard?” Peggy said. Her words were picked up by the microphone in the necklace she wore, and were transmitted to the moving van where Howard, Daniel, and Jarvis listened 50 feet away. “Loud and clear, Peggy. Told you this thing works like a charm!” Daniel gave a suspicious look. “Do I really want to know why you put a radio transmitter in a woman’s necklace?” “Just a precaution. When I was seeing Helen Forrest.” “Actually, it was Georgia Gibbs, sir,” chimed in Jarvis from the driver’s seat. Howard looked perplexed. “Did I? I could of sworn I gave her the negligee with the mic hidden in the…” “Gentlemen?” The three men turned to face the monitor in response to Peggy’s voice. “This is a thrilling discussion, but could it wait until after our business is done here? I think I see Fred. Listen carefully, and be ready to assist on my word.” “Don’t worry, Peggy,” Daniel said. “Just be careful. Fennhoff may have gotten to Wells to try to target you. First sign of trouble you call us in.” “Understood, Daniel. I mean, uh, Chief.” Daniel turned embarrassed to look at a bemused Howard. “Glad to see I’ve been a good influence on you.” Fred Wells briskly walked towards Peggy. He opened his arms wide to give her a hug. “Peg, darling. It’s been too long.” Peggy held him at arms length. “We don’t have time for this, Fred. I need to know what the Maggia are up to. Too many people are in danger.” Fred smiled and shook his head. “Look at you, straight to the point. You haven’t seen me in over 5 years, and this is the welcome I get?” “This isn’t a game, Fred,” Peggy said irritated. “What do you know about the Maggia?” Fred rolled his eyes and sighed. “You were so much more calm and reserved when we were engaged. So unlike your brother.” Peggy grabbed Fred by the wrist and pulled him in close. She glared at him, barely keeping her voice level. “Leave Michael out of this!” “Oh, Peg, I’d love to, but I can’t. You see, he was the reason we got together. What better way for me to observe a man, than by proposing to his sister?” Peggy let go of Fred and stepped back in shock. “What are you talking about?” Fred adjusted his coat and gave a satisfied smirk. “Really, darling, your time with the SSR hasn’t improved your skills of deduction as much as I thought. Did you really never think once why I was so willing to give you up after you broke off the engagement?” “I... I thought you understood. That I couldn’t just sit behind the lines. That I had to fight, for our country, to honor Michael’s memory.” Fred chuckled and walked around Peggy to the fountain. “Oh yes, that delightful scene. But what you chose to do with your life in the SSR really meant precious little difference to me. I already got what I wanted.” Peggy’s blood ran cold as she answered. “What did you want?” Fred turned back to face Peggy. “Why, your brother, of course. Would you like to meet him?” Daredevil leapt off of the terrace and dived towards Peggy, delivering a strike with his boomerang. Peggy fell back, clutching the side of her head, feeling blood. She gazed up as Daredevil stood next to Fred Wells. “Isn’t this a charming family reunion? Daredevil, would you kindly kill her, please?” Back in the van, Daniel spun to face Jarvis. “Peggy’s in trouble! Drive! Quickly!” Suddenly there was a loud thud as the indentation of a pair of footprints crashed into the roof of the car. “What the devil?” Howard shouted. “Um, sir?” Jarvis whispered. Howard and Daniel looked out the windscreen just in time to see Hammerhead charged toward them and slam headfirst into the front the van, tearing through metal. Daredevil drew nearer to Peggy, who struggled to her feet. “I was sure you would be impressed, dear,” Fred called to her. “We knew your brother’s record made him perfect for us. He just needed a little… coaching to make him the man he was meant to be.” Daredevil held the boomerang in one hand and one of his spikes in the other. Peggy was breathing heavily, but she readied herself. “I don’t know who you are, or what your game is. But if you are my brother, after I’m done with you, I’m going to kill the man who did this to you!” Daredevil hurled the boomerang and Peggy charged ahead. Who will win this battle of a family reunion? Stay Tuned and Find Out! Game On!