Marvel: The Journey

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As Val emerged from the dimly lit basement, he took a deep breath of fresh air and relished the feeling of his muscles stretching after being cramped up for hours. With each step toward the kitchen, the sound of his footsteps echoed through the silent house. When he entered the kitchen, he noticed Peggy sitting at the counter, sipping a drink. 

When Val looked at Peggy, a wave of warmth flooded over him. He had always relished their banter, but since she had been away in New Jersey, he had missed her company more than ever. Even though he loved to tease her relentlessly, he decided against it when he saw her sitting there, sipping a drink.

Peggy had developed a drinking habit since Steve's supposed death, and she would often spend hours lost in thought, drowning her sorrows in alcohol.

Val couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he thought about Peggy's drinking habit. With the serum flowing through her veins, she could drink all night and never get drunk. 

Val approached Peggy with a gentle stride and sat down beside her, giving her space to open up at her own pace. As they sat there in silence, Val patiently waited for Peggy to speak, sensing the weight of her sorrow.

After a few moments, Peggy let out a soft sob. Val took a deep breath and asked, "What happened, Peggy?" His voice was steady and calm, but he couldn't hide the concern in his eyes.

With a trembling hand, Peggy took out a vial of Steve's blood and placed it on the table. Val raised his eyebrows, surprised by the unexpected object before him. He knew that he didn't need Steve's blood since he had already developed the serum, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he gently asked, "What's this, Peggy?"

"That's Steve's blood," Peggy replied, her voice shaking with emotion.

Val couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Really?" he asked, astonished. "How did you manage to get it?"

Peggy's demeanor suddenly shifted, and she abruptly stood up, clutching the glass tightly in her hand. Without warning, she smashed the glass on the floor, and Val flinched at the sound of shattering glass.

"Howard Fucking Stark!" Peggy shouted. "That asshole had it!"

Val could feel the anger radiating off of her, and he didn't blame her. He knew Howard Stark's reputation and could imagine the deceitful lengths he would go to for his gain.

"That snake wanted to keep Steve's blood to make money!" Peggy continued. "And Steve trusted him! As a friend! Now, look what type of 'friend' he is!"

Val sat there quietly, his eyes fixed on Peggy as she unleashed her pent-up emotions. He watched as she raged against the injustice of it all, smashing a few things in the process.

Despite the chaos around them, Val remained calm and patient, giving Peggy the space she needed to vent her anger and frustration. He knew that sometimes, the only way to heal was to let the emotions out.

After a few minutes of shouting and breaking things, Peggy finally started to calm down. Her breathing slowed, and Val could see the tension in her shoulders beginning to ease.

Peggy pointed a finger at Val, her voice rising again in anger. "And you, mister. Don't think you can get away scot-free?"

Val looked at her with confusion, not understanding what he had done wrong. "What did I do?" he asked, genuinely puzzled.

"I can't get fucking drunk!" Peggy exclaimed, her frustration boiling over as she stomped her foot on the ground.

Val listened to her words, trying to understand the depth of her pain. He knew that alcohol was often used as a way to numb the pain, but he also knew that it was a temporary fix at best.

"It's better that you can't get drunk," Val said calmly. "You can use that anger and frustration and use it as motivation."

He knew that it was important for Peggy to channel her emotions into something positive, to use them as fuel to achieve her goals. 

Val stood up and gently took Peggy's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You need to get your mind off of these things," he said softly. "Come, I will show you the results of my copying Batman."

Peggy looked at him with a quizzical expression. "A what man?" she asked, not understanding the reference.

Val smiled at her, enjoying the opportunity to share something new with her. "Don't worry about it," he said, leading her out of the room.

As they walked, Val couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement building inside him. He had been cooped up in the dark, creepy basement as Batman does in his Batcave, working tirelessly on his experiments. Now, he was eager to show Peggy what he had accomplished. 

Val led Peggy down to the basement and gestured to a table where a small device lay. "This is the new bomb that I created," he said, his voice tinged with pride.

Peggy approached the table and looked down at the device, her eyes widening with surprise. "What is it?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

Val smiled, happy to share his achievement with someone who could appreciate the hard work that had gone into it. "I reduced the explosive property of the Nitramene bomb and transformed it," he explained. "It's a stun and smoke grenade combined while also being an explosive grenade."

As he spoke, Val watched as Peggy examined the bomb with interest, her fingers gently tracing the surface of the device. 

Peggy studied the bomb intently, her eyes glancing back up to Val as she asked, "What are you planning to do with it?"

Val paused, contemplating his response before deciding to try and lift her spirits. He let out a chuckle that sounded like an evil mastermind, and joked, "Destroy the world!" But when he saw Peggy's expressionless face, he realized the joke had fallen flat.

Feeling a bit foolish, Val cleared his throat and quickly reassured Peggy, "I developed this for you! As a last-minute escape, you could use it."

Peggy nodded thoughtfully, considering the potential uses for the device. "Didn't it take you some time to make it?" she asked.

Val shook his head, a confident grin spreading across his face. "Nah! I made it in just a few hours." 

When Peggy surveyed the laboratory, her sharp eyes quickly took in the various tools and experiments scattered around the room. Her gaze fell upon a group of beakers and equipment arranged haphazardly in a corner, and she couldn't resist her curiosity.

"What's that over there?" she asked, pointing towards the jumbled mess.

Val hesitated for a moment before brushing off her question with a nonchalant wave of his hand. "Oh, don't worry about that. It's just an unfinished experiment," he said, hoping to steer the conversation away from the unfinished project.

The two of them continued talking, their discussion turning into a lighthearted argument. After a while, Val managed to coax a laugh from Peggy, pleased to see her mood improving. 

The following day, Peggy received a call from Howard Stark, who begged for her assistance in finding something that had been stolen from him. Reluctantly, Peggy agreed to help, but not without warning Howard that this would be the last time she would ever offer her assistance.

Together with Jarvis, Peggy set out on a mission to search for Howard's former romantic partners in the hopes of finding the culprit responsible for the theft. Peggy knew that one of these women could be a Russian spy and that they would likely bear scars on their wrists from past experiences with shackles.

Peggy Carter and Edwin Jarvis arrived at the L&L Automat to share their findings on Ida Emke, a supposed Russian spy. As they walked in, they noticed customers being escorted out of the establishment, indicating an arrest was in progress by the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Peggy recognized agents Reese and Messner from Washington, D.C., and quickly instructed Jarvis to block the entrance to prevent other agents from entering.

Approaching Reese, Peggy landed a punch on his face and lifted him with ease before slamming him to the ground. She then leaped over a counter to take on Messner and another agent, swiftly knocking them both out. Peggy and Jarvis made their escape through the back door, leaving the scene without any further incident.

As Peggy and Jarvis stepped into the alley, they were suddenly faced with Jack Thompson, who had them cornered.

"Stop right there, Carter. No sudden movements. Ah, those idiots from D.C. didn't believe me when I said you'd be hard to grab," Thompson barked.

Peggy raised an eyebrow, "What's happening, Jack?"

Thompson replied, "Witness places you with Brannis the night he died, there's a photo of you in the club the night Spider Raymond was killed, and here you are with your best friend, Howard Stark's butler."

Daniel Sousa then arrived on the scene, warning Peggy that if she tried to run, he would know that what they said about her was true.

Thinking quickly, Peggy pulled out the bomb that Val had made and dropped it on the ground, causing a massive explosion that stunned both Sousa and Thompson. Peggy seized the opportunity to run ahead and escape.

As events unfolded, a young woman by the name of Dottie Underwood arrived in New York City. She appeared to be a naive and innocent girl to most people, but in reality, she was a highly trained operative of the infamous Leviathan organization. Dottie was secretly working under Johann Fennhoff's command and was given the task of eliminating Peggy Carter, who had been proving to be a hindrance to their sinister plans. One of her fellow Leviathan operatives, Ivchenko, had assigned her this crucial mission.