Marvel: The Journey

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*****

In a sudden burst of aggression, Rufus lunged toward Peggy with his fist aimed straight at her stomach. 

* WHAM * 

But Peggy swiftly raised her leg and blocked his attack. She tried to land a forceful blow to his face.

However, once again, she saw his body move unnaturally as he deftly avoided her punch and launched a counterattack.

But Peggy wasn't about to give up. With lightning-fast reflexes, she blocked his punch and retaliated with a flurry of blows. As she continued to fight, she noticed something peculiar about Rufus' movements. His body seemed to anticipate her every move, almost as if he could predict the future. Suddenly, it hit her that Rufus must be a mutant.

Undeterred by Rufus' mutant abilities, Peggy continued to press her attack with unwavering determination. Despite his uncanny ability to predict her movements, she refused to let him get the better of her.

As they continued to exchange blows, Peggy's intuition began to kick in. She carefully observed Rufus' movements, searching for any signs of weakness. And then, she figured that he must have the power of danger perception, allowing him to anticipate her every move before she even made it.

With a newfound understanding of her opponent's powers, Peggy confronted Rufus with a confident smirk. "You're a mutant with the power of danger perception, right?" she asked. To her surprise, Rufus simply smiled and confirmed her suspicions.

"I can sense your punches before you even do it," he explained, flexing his arms in a display of his formidable abilities. 

Peggy's eyes darted toward the table behind her as she searched for an advantage in her battle against Rufus. With a sudden burst of inspiration, she grabbed a handful of books and miscellaneous items and hurled them toward her opponent.

But Rufus was no slouch. With lightning-fast reflexes, he dodged the incoming objects, his mutant powers allowing him to predict their trajectory with uncanny accuracy. As Peggy rushed forward to take advantage of Rufus' momentary distraction, she swung a punch at his chest, hoping to land a decisive blow.

However, Rufus was ready for her. With a deft sidestep, he dodged her punch with ease. 

But, Rufus was so focused on dodging Peggy's attacks that he failed to notice her other hand moving in the periphery of his vision. As he instinctively dodged what he thought was a punch, he instead found himself in the path of Peggy's true strike.

* WHAM * 

* CRACK * 

The force of the blow sent Rufus stumbling backward, his guard finally broken by Peggy's clever feint. He looked at her in shock, barely able to believe what had just happened. Peggy, for her part, simply smirked in triumph.

"You have a flaw in your powers," she said, her voice calm and measured. "It only allows you to dodge the punches that are thrown at you."

Rufus gritted his teeth, determined not to let Peggy's words get the best of him. He attacked her again, but Peggy had already learned the weaknesses of his abilities and knew exactly how to exploit them. With each passing moment, she beat him down relentlessly until he was finally left unconscious on the ground.

Following the intense fight, Peggy lifted Rufus's unconscious body and made her way to the basement. She laid him down on a chair as she tied his hands to it and splashed water on his face with a steady hand, watching as his eyes flickered open.

Rufus groaned softly as he regained consciousness, blinking blearily in the dim light of the basement.

As Rufus began to stir, Peggy stood above him, contemplating her next move. She knew that she needed to extract information from him about his involvement with the Arena Club, but he wasn't going to talk easily. Without hesitation, she delivered a swift slap across his face, hoping to jolt him into a state of clarity.

Rufus groaned and tried to push himself up, but Peggy held him down firmly. "You're not going anywhere until I get some answers," she said sternly.

"Answers to what?" Rufus spat back.

Peggy leaned in closer and whispered, "Answers to everything. Who's behind the Arena Club? Who's pulling the strings?"

Rufus remained defiant, refusing to divulge any information. Peggy knew she needed to up the ante. "I have a drug that will make you feel intense pain," she threatened. "And unless you start talking, I'll inject it into you."

Rufus sneered at her. "You wouldn't dare."

Peggy held up the syringe. "Try me."

Peggy injected him with the drug and as it coursed through his veins, Hunt writhed in agony, his body convulsing with each passing moment. Peggy watched him intently, waiting for him to break. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Please, stop! I'll tell you everything," he begged, tears streaming down his face.

Peggy raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what makes you think I'll stop?"

Hunt's eyes darted around the room, looking for an escape. "There's a cure, right? Please, I'll tell you everything."

Peggy feigned surprise. "Oh dear, I must have forgotten to mention that there's no cure. You'll just have to tough it out."

Hunt's body trembled as he realized he was truly at her mercy. "Fine, fine. Thomas Gloucester and Hugh Jones are involved in the Arena Club. They were responsible for the death of William McKinley and the Wall Street Crash of 1929. There are incriminating tapes in the Club building."

Peggy's eyes widened at the mention of the Club. "And what else?"

Hunt hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "I was given orders to steal Jane Scott's body and...and to kill Jason Wilkes."

As Peggy listened to Hunt's confession, her mind raced with the implications of what she was hearing. The Arena Club, responsible for the death of William McKinley and the Wall Street Crash of 1929? It was almost too much to take in. But as Hunt spilled more and more information, Peggy knew what she had to do. 

Once he had revealed everything, she swiftly took action, ending his life and making sure there was no trace left behind. It was a grim task, but one that Peggy knew was necessary to protect those she cared about.