A few weeks later, when Peggy had finally been able to break away from Colonel Phillips and all the things he needed her to do, she met Howard in secret. He flew a specially designed aircraft, one unlike anything she had ever seen before.
"Yeah, this is some of the tech that Bucky gave me," Howard said. "Repulsor lift technology for propulsion, allowing true flight. Imagine this: the engines run on some sort of wacky new power cell technology.
He even gave me schematics for a potentially limitless energy device and told me to figure it out on my own. Lots of gear, lots of blueprints. When we get to our destination, I'm sure you'll see just how forward-thinking our dearly departed Bucky Barnes really was."
The plane didn't have to travel very far, but it was extremely stealthy, pulling into a secret location in New York. It was near enough to the Stark Industries building, not there, but close enough. Once inside the hidden hangar, Howard powered down the plane. The two exited the aircraft, and Howard led Peggy to a very special room.
They entered a room dominated by a large round table. In the center rested a shield, and emblazoned across the table in bold letters were the initials JSA. Peggy looked at the table, then around the room. She saw a painting of Steve as Captain America, and beside it, one of Bucky Barnes. She was overwhelmed for a moment, but then she gathered herself.
"Howard… what is this place?" she asked.
"Oh, this, my dear Agent Carter, was an idea old Buck had. He said that in the coming years, there would be a need for more heroes like Captain America. Maybe not out in the open, but working beneath the surface. It was up to us to figure out how. He left me so much material to work with."
"What do you mean?" Peggy asked.
"You know that sword of his, the one he said he found in some monastery?" Peggy nodded. Of course, she did; she had always tried to get him to reveal where he'd gotten it so she could go digging to see if there were more objects like it.
"Well, yeah, that's the story he told me, too. And then, before his final mission, he gives me this little mini-computer filled to the brim with designs, molecular structures for rare materials, things I couldn't even have dreamed up. Bucky claimed this was the true origin of the sword. He said I could make as many of them as I wanted, provided I developed the right technology."
He paused, then added, "He gave me all of this for a purpose. An initiative, he called it."
"Is that what JSA stands for?" Peggy asked.
"Exactly right. JSA, the Justice Society of America. It was almost the Justice League of America, but we both felt 'Society' had a more elegant ring to it."
"I agree," Peggy said, "but I don't understand. If he wanted there to be more heroes, where are they supposed to come from?"
"I asked the same thing. He told me some would appear on our radar and approach us. We'd find others. And the most interesting thing of all, we'd make some ourselves."
"Make our own heroes?" Peggy asked.
"Yeah. You see, he believed that one day Earth would face a great calamity, invaders from outer space. Right now, the world isn't ready for that. The purpose of the Justice Society is to prepare us. To defend us when we need defending. That was his vision for the future, and he trusted me to carry it out."
Howard looked at her seriously. "I'll be honest with you, Peggy. This is a big responsibility, and I need someone to share the burden. I was hoping that would be you."
"You said something about making our own heroes," she said. "What exactly do you mean?"
"You want to know the benefits of joining up?" Howard teased.
"No," Peggy replied quickly. "I'm just curious." Though it would have been wrong to say she hadn't thought about it.
"Don't worry, Miss Carter. He was very clear about leaving some things specifically for you. To begin with, you have your very own perfected Super Soldier Serum."
"My own serum? Perfected?"
"The original formula brought people to the peak of human potential. This one pushes them beyond it."
"And he gave it to me? Why not you?" she asked.
"He told me I could take it, but not until after I'd had kids."
"Does it interfere with having children?" she asked.
"According to him, no. But he said if I took it too early, he couldn't predict what might happen."
Howard continued, "Anyway, he left a bunch of options for outfits, weapons, tools, everything. He told me to let you pick whatever you wanted. You can come up with your own nickname if you like, Wonder Woman, Captain Britain, whatever suits you. Just go through the tech list and tell me what you want, and I'll put it together. He wanted everyone to be unique, no overlapping abilities. Each person should stand out."
"And for me," Howard added, "he helped with a little project I've been working on. That unfinished blueprint he told me to figure out? If I crack it, I can become a real Iron Man."
"Well, that's intriguing," Peggy said.
"You don't know the half of it. He also insisted we keep things low-key. Every costume needs a helmet to conceal the user's identity. Plus, everything is fully armored, men and women alike. He said it would be a shame if someone took a bullet to the head and died unnecessarily."
Peggy looked again at the photos of Steve and Bucky. She felt wistful. Bucky had foreseen a future that needed heroes, people like him and Steve. Though they were gone, she and Howard had been entrusted with their vision.
A Justice Society.
She liked the sound of it.
"I'm in," she said. "But I suppose this means breaking away from Colonel Phillips' project."
"Oh no," Howard replied. "SHIELD needs to come into existence no matter what."
"SHIELD?"
"That's what he called it. An ode to Captain America. He figured if they were doing an ode to him, they might as well call it something like SWORD."
"You mean blazing guns or something?" Peggy laughed.
"I don't know. You never saw him in the field with that sword; it was almost creepy how good he was with it."
"I heard," Peggy said. "But anyway… Bucky left all of this for us, and you're just building it?"
"Yeah. He left his share of Stark Industries' profits to fund it. I made him a partner, remember? On paper, it all belongs to Bucky Barnes and his heirs, but he doesn't have any, except maybe me. I've been given full authority to use the money however I see fit."
"You'll need to keep working with Colonel Phillips to get SHIELD going," Howard continued. "But remember, you have a role here too. I don't know how you'll manage both, but you'll have to."
"Who else are you planning to recruit?" she asked.
"The Howling Commandos, of course," Howard smiled.
"That was another one of Bucky's suggestions. He said they knew how to fight and would be a good example for the next generation. This is meant to be a generational organization, secretive but effective, handling what others can't."
Peggy considered everything Howard had explained. She wasn't about to leave Steve or Bucky's legacy unfinished. This was her mission now.
"Any other surprises?" she asked.
"Nothing… except the workers. Want to see them?"
"Sure," she replied.
Howard led her to what looked like a massive warehouse under construction. Inside were rows upon rows of humanoid machines, GI-style robots.
"There are so many of them," Peggy said. "They're more like workers than soldiers."
"That's exactly what they are, workers, not soldiers. Bucky was very particular about how they should be treated. Every night during recharge, they undergo a memory wipe. He said it's an unfortunate rule of the universe: when automatons with artificial intelligence develop memory errors, you eventually get a mechanical uprising. Memory wipes prevent that."
"A double-edged sword," Peggy remarked. "Useful, but dangerous if mishandled."
"Like any powerful tool," Howard agreed.
"Everything's still in early development," he continued. "The serum isn't finished yet, and I don't know what weapons you'll want. Think about it. Think about who you want to be, your hero name. They're really just code names for us in the Society."
"This is a lot," Peggy said. "But I have to admit, I'm extremely excited." She grinned.
"Me too. During the war, I was just a smart guy who made technology. Now I'm still that, but maybe someday I'll become a real Iron Man."
Howard returned Peggy to California, where the SSR was establishing its operations. The coming years wouldn't be easy, but this gave her hope, hope for the future, and purpose.
Elsewhere, in Hell's Kitchen, several gangsters were running for their lives. Every time they turned a corner, they saw a shadow, one that filled them with terror. It vanished, only to reappear ahead of them, herding them through the streets.
Finally, they reached an alley. That's when he appeared, the man in the red helmet. He called himself the Red Hood.
"Listen carefully," he said. "From now on, you don't do business without my approval. Tell your bosses that."
"My boss isn't going to like that," one of the men said.
The Red Hood tilted his head. Even without seeing his face, they could feel his glare.
"Do you think I care what your bosses think?" he said coldly. "If they don't want to end up like the last three gang leaders, they'll do things my way. Now get lost."
The men fled and reported everything to their superiors. The reaction was predictable: kill him, put a bounty on him, do whatever it took.
That night, every crime boss in Hell's Kitchen gathered. The doors were locked tight to ensure privacy.
It was the worst mistake they could have made.
The Red Hood dropped from above, landing cleanly on the center of the table.
Everyone reached for their weapons.
"Thanks," he said calmly, "for making this easy."