She ran her red-polished nails over the paper, tracing each letter. First she read them
mentally, then she read them aloud.
On this day, ten years ago, tragedy struck this planet during what we now know as the
Great Cataclysm. Our world changed forever, and today I can proudly say that, while I still
remember those who died, I also remember the great achievements that emerged from
that tragedy. Humanity is now united in an unprecedented way; many former enemies
have put aside their differences and worked toward a better future.
Peggy Carter sighed. The woman looked to be in her forties, but she was actually much
older. Proof of this was the black and white photo on her desk, which showed her standing
next to the early Marvels . These were, of course, the Human Torch and Namor , the
Torch's sidekick, Toro, and other enhanced humans like Union Jack, Spitfire , and the
Thunderer. But the one Peggy held closest to her was the one she considered the greatest
of all: Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America.
The world she lived in was crazy; nothing was as simple as it once was. She was living
proof: she had reached 100 years old, retaining her youth and physical form thanks to one
of the numerous attempts to recreate her lost lover. The practice called the "Infinity
Formula" had brought her close to Steve's physical perfection, at the cost of outliving her
husband.
Her long career, years of experience, and enhanced physical fitness made her the ideal
person to command the world's premier response agency, the WDRA. Since the Great
Cataclysm, Peggy began to build the agency into a military powerhouse, unofficially and
secretly from the United Nations. However, this meant being careful about who entered
and left the agency and what progress they made.
"Things were so much simpler, Steve," he thought, stroking the area of the photograph
where Steve appeared.
He tore up his speech and threw the scraps in the trash, taking out a pen and paper to
write a new one. The world wasn't united, not really; there wasn't a major war going on, but
humanity itself wasn't ready for one, at least not for anything other than humanity itself. It
was said that the Marvel era was over; Peggy thought differently, and there was growing
evidence to prove her right. She looked at the blurry photos confiscated from the Bugle,
which showed the silhouette of a boy dressed in red and blue, swinging between the
skyscrapers of New York.
"They're out there, Steve, but they're divided, they can't protect their country like you did,"
he crossed out a line, then another, before tearing the paper again.
There was a sudden knock at his door.
"Come in," she said, looking toward the door as it opened.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, ma'am, but Mr. Stark is here," said his secretary, a blonde woman,
fresh out of college, but still extremely bright.
"Let him in, Susan," he said.
Susan stepped aside, letting a tall, dark-haired man enter. He was wearing a sharp,
expensive-looking suit, though Peggy expected it to look much more expensive. The man
had a reputation for being extravagant, but Peggy had to squint at the sight and wonder if
it was really him. His hair seemed more disheveled, and the goatee he was known for in
the headlines had been replaced by a beard.
" Director Carter, I wish I could tell you how good it is to see you again," the man said.
Anthony Stark was a man known for his charming personality and arrogance. It was a wellfounded arrogance: he graduated from MIT at a young age, possessed a brilliant mind,
and created numerous revolutionary inventions. While his company only designed
weapons, they continued to make the United States the greatest military power in the
world. But two years ago, something unexpected happened to the American people,
something that angered many military personnel, including Peggy. Stark disbanded the
weapons development program and began selling shares in his international company.
"I wish I could say it's good to see you too, Stark, but that would be a lie," Peggy said.
"I thought it was something you were good at," Stark replied.
"I beg your pardon," Peggy's eyebrows rose in surprise.
Stark wasn't known for being an aggressive man. When he got drunk, he had fun and
often made a fool of himself. But the man hadn't been drinking, and he definitely wasn't
joking.
—A few years ago you told me that Captain America was dead —Stark reached into his
coat pocket, pulling out a miniaturized computer tablet, much thinner than an iPod and
much more powerful, one of Stark Industries' patents, known as the Stark- Tab .
He placed the tab on the table and tapped it, causing a holographic image of a mapped
area in Antarctica to appear.
"You and my father have a history. You've taken good care of him, but you're doing
something that contradicts everything you've been telling the American people. You lied to
them, you lied to my father, and you lied to me, and there have been deaths because of it,
Carter," Stark explained.
"Tony listens..."
My mom called me Tony, my dad called me Tony, my friends call me Tony—you're none
of those things, Carter—and I've heard justifications, I've even made them up. Well, I'm not
going to make them up anymore, Carter, because I see WDRA for what it is. Shut down
the projects, Carter, or I'll start filing lawsuits. I don't care if you drag me down with you.
He stood up and started walking towards the door.
"What happened out there, Stark?" Peggy asked.
Tony paused, his hand on the handle and his head down.
"I saw young men and women die, killed by the very weapons I designed to protect them.
We're part of a system, Carter, that has no accountability, no responsibility," Tony shook
his head as he looked at Carter. "You've made sacrifices. You're no longer the woman you
were. I probably wouldn't want you anymore if I knew what you did."
.
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