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"I see. Perfect."

Peggy responded to the voice on the other line of the telephone she held in between her shoulder and ear, writing down in a notepad the address and name of the person who supposedly had the contaminated truck with them. (Y/N) wasn't able to perfectly see the words Peggy was writing down from her spot on the chair, so she stood up and peeked over her friend's shoulder to take a look. The words she was able to make up where Sheldon McFee and Cedan Grove, NJ, which gave her a full hint of where their next move was going to be.

"Yes. Yes," Peggy spoke once again. "Thank you."

Without another word, she hung up the phone and set it back where it belonged. She quickly ripped the paper where she had written down the address and reached for her coat, wanting to sneak out of the precinct as quiet as possible. However, (Y/N), who was moving much more slowly than her, caught up with her a few steps away from their desks, where Peggy was quietly looming over Sousa's hunched over figure on his desk.

(Y/N) grabbed her coat from the rack and gave Peggy a questioning look as to why she stopped, her eyes trailing down to where Sousa poorly tried to hide a racing journal. He had a red pencil in his hands, probably for the circle around the name 'Uncle Bob'.

"Whitby's prospect, third race," Peggy broke the silence.

Sousa looked up, startled. He didn't question why she was there but still doubted her choice. "You sure?"

"Not at all," she slid her coat on. "That's why they call it gambling."

He circled the name she suggested. (Y/N) squinted her eyes when she thought she saw a faint smile in Sousa's lips disappear as fast as it came.

"I need to pop out for a minute," Peggy told Sousa. "Personal matters. Cover for me?"

"Sure thing, but you owe me one."

"Got that film developed for you," one of the scientists from the lab said to Sousa in a monotone voice, dropping a file on his desk.

"Hey, thanks a bunch!" Sousa called after him, but the man didn't bother to look back. He didn't wait for either woman to ask before he jumped to explain. "Photographer from the society pages was at Spider Raymond's club. Says he may have got a shot of the blonde and the woman who was with Spider before he got killed."

(Y/N) internally winced when she remembered the photographer back at the club, and how she shied away from the big flash to avoid being caught in film. Apparently, she wasn't that lucky.

"Well, that would be your lucky day," (Y/N) was the one to answer this time. "Can I help you look?"

"I thought you were leaving."

Sousa opened the manila envelope, his fingers carefully grasping onto the developed pictures inside. He began to slowly pull them out as if he knew how (Y/N)'s heartbeat was speeding up out of nervousness by his actions. She could already see the blurry, black and white imagery on the left side of the image, and was prepared to close her eyes before seeing the result.

Luckily, just as he was about to pull the whole photograph, Krzeminski's voice rang through the bullpen. "Sousa! Need you in the basement."

(Y/N) had never been more grateful to hear Krzeminski's voice than at this moment.

"I'm busy."

"Well, now you're extra busy," Krzeminski snapped. "I got a 10-ton ball of Roxxon garbage with your name on it."

(Y/N) frowned at Krzeminski's words, her head pulling her back to that eventful night at Roxxon, although something clicked inside her mind. She remembered watching how the back bumper of the car had been roped in with the rest of the implosion, and could only imagine it was now stuck in that ball of Roxxon garbage the SSR was now inspecting. This could not be good at all.

"All right, all right, give me a minute."

Sousa shoved the photograph back inside the envelope and opened the second of his desk drawers.

Before she could think any further, Krzeminski's irritating voice rang in her ears. "Carter, finish up those transpo reports and file them for me."

(Y/N) didn't hear a verbal response from Peggy and looked at her to see what was wrong, only to find her flickering her gaze in between the envelope on the drawer and the newly added pile of reports thrown on her desk.

"Dewitt!" Krzeminski clapped his hands impatiently. "Tell your friend to get wiggling on those transpo reports. Help her if you can."

(Y/N) nodded with her lips pressed in a thin line, watching Krzeminski walk away with a satisfied look on his face. When her attention returned to the envelope, she was already coming up with a way to sneakily pull the photograph off when she saw Sousa locking the cabinet with a key he didn't let go off.

"Looks like I'm gonna miss that race," he said, grabbing his crutch for support.

"It's probably for the best," Peggy flashed him a smile.

They both watched how Sousa walked away from his desk and out of the bullpen, with the one key that could open the drawer with the envelope. (Y/N) knew she couldn't just jam her way in that cabinet with so many witnesses around, but she didn't have enough time to wait for everyone to go home and grab the photograph. She had to come up with a plan, and that could take a long time.

She turned back to face Peggy, ready to voice her own thought on how to retrieve the picture, but saw her eyeing the abandoned telephone inside Chief Dooley's lonely office.

"What are you thinking?" (Y/N) asked in a low yet accusing tone.

"Try to grab the envelope, I'll call our friend."

(Y/N) did not argue with her and watched her approach the office as slowly and quietly as possible, and she knew there was no time to waste. She moved back to her desk and watched how the rest of the men in the bullpen were either leaving through the main entrance or entering meeting rooms, which gave her a sign of good luck. She pretended to read through the pile of reports on her desk as more agents walked by and dispersed, to the point where only two more agents were left in their own desks staring forward.

This gave her the sign to act now. She grabbed a hold of an old nail file stashed in her purse before she dropped to the floor and crawled her way to Sousa's desk, doing her best to fit her entire body under the desk. She pulled the nail file and slid it in between the hole reserved for the specific key for that specific drawer. She was about to twist and hope for the best, when she was startled by the familiar sound of the telephone ringing.

The sound was loud compared to the almost empty bullpen, and she didn't dare to move a muscle, too scared to do so. She couldn't see Peggy from this angle, but she was sure she was probably still busy talking with Mr. Jarvis to come and help her out.

Luckily, the sound stopped and (Y/N) resumed her actions, a quiet grunt leaving her lips as she twisted the nail file and hoped to hear a click that would open the drawer. Not a second passed by before the telephone rang again, this time coming from Sousa's own desk, scaring (Y/N) so badly she jumped up and hit her head with the top of the desk. She let out a distasteful groan of pain, mixed with a choked gasp when she saw the bottom of Sousa's crutch and legs making their way back.

(Y/N) retreated the nail file from the keyhole and quickly crawled away from the desk before anyone, especially Sousa, could see her. She swore she was going to let Peggy do the hard work next time a situation like this came their way.

Just as she sneaked away from his desk, he reached for the telephone. "Hello? Sousa."

"Uh. . .No. I don't see her."

Sousa stayed silent for a while, probably listening in for what the person on the other line had to say, which gave (Y/N) the chance to crawl all the way to the back of her own desk. Just as she was about to stand up to her full height, she took off one of her earrings and held it in between her hands.

"Okay," Sousa's voice returned. "Well, I'll keep an eye out."

(Y/N) let out a sigh and stood up to her full height, dusting her skirt off from all the dirt she probably gathered from crawling on the dirty floor.

Sousa's eyes trailed back to the once lonely desk and his eyes widened when he saw (Y/N), someone that wasn't there a few moments back.  "Here she is. She's right — She's right here."

(Y/N) saw his confused frown and showed off the earring in her hands, the lie already prepared at the tip of her tongue. "Lost an earring."

Sousa nodded in understanding and removed the phone from his ear, extending it for her to take.

"Chief wants a word."

(Y/N) took it from him with a smile and her eyes barely flickered to Peggy finishing her own call inside the office, trying her best to sneak out without being spotted by Sousa. When both locked eyes, (Y/N) flashed her a sarcastic grin before gesturing toward the phone in her hand, mouthing the words 'Chief Dooley' to her, which made Peggy frown from her own spot.

"Chief Dooley?" (Y/N) placed the phone to her ear. "Just stepped away."

Sousa sat back on his chair and watched her chat with the Chief over the phone, still frowning at the way she seemed to have disappeared before appearing out of thin air.

"Uh, vita-radiation?" (Y/N) did her best to play an innocent tone. "Yes, I think we have something in the Project Rebirth file. I'll try and find it."

She hung up the phone without bidding a proper goodbye, already heading toward a specific place in mind.

"What was that about?" Sousa questioned.

"Just another errand I need to do."

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(Y/N) made her way to the Roxxon building alone, under Chief Dooley's request to bring the Vita-Ray calibrator as if she had all the time in the world to run around. She was able to enter the building without any setbacks, asking the right person here and there for the directions to the Roxxon president's office.

(Y/N) entered the office with a smile plastered on her face and with the calibrator in her hands, not wanting to waste so much time here.

"Dewitt," Chief Dooley expressed when he saw her. "About time."

"Well, I didn't know our government had such a good taste in secretaries," Hugh Jones, also known for being Roxxon's president, grinned at the sight of her. "What's your name, doll?"

"Agent," she said in a monotone voice.

Jones didn't seem to care or hear the tone of her voice since he grinned. "That has a lovely ring to it."

"As per your request," (Y/N) directed her attention back to the task she came here in the first place and handed the calibrator to Chief Dooley. "See you back at the office."

She turned on her heel ready to walk away, but the Chief's voice halted her steps. "What's the rush?"

"Yeah, stick around," Thompson spoke up for the first time, his eyes never leaving the file he was reading. "We could use your help."

"Not intended for filing purposes, right?" (Y/N) asked in a suspicious tone.

"Turns out, anyone near the nitramene blast was exposed to vita-radiation, which is probably still some whereabouts on their person," Chief Dooley explained first.

Oh, (Y/N) immediately thought of Peggy and herself.

"So we're scanning everyone on Roxxon's staff," Thompson continued, lifting his gaze. "There's a chance this is an inside job."

"Yeah, there's a chance I take Rita Hayworth home tonight, but it's unlikely, if you catch my drift," Jones cut in, the smile he wore also visible in his tone.

"If you got some of Stark's guys in your pocket, there's a chance he's got some of your guys in his," Chief Dooley said with deep seriousness, not up for Jones's laid back comments.

(Y/N) hooked her hands behind her back. "And how can I help?"

"How comfortable are you with this?" Chief Dooley held out the calibrator. "You'll be dealing with the ladies."

Oh, you have no idea.

(Y/N) took the calibrator back from Chief Dooley with a smile, trying to hide her nervousness. She didn't want to think what would happen if the calibrator detected Vita radiation in front of everyone.

"I volunteered, but chief said it wouldn't be appropriate," Thompson spoke up.

"Don't worry. It's probably not the first time women won't want to be near you."

Thompson gave her a look, to which she responded with an innocent expression as if she hadn't said anything.

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As Chief Dooley and Thompson gathered all the employees they could find to test them for Vita radiation, (Y/N) excused herself to go to the ladies' room, no one seeing how she still had the calibrator in her hand as she went inside. She closed the door behind her and checked that there was no one inside the bathroom stalls before starting her search.

She shrugged off her coat and passed the calibrator through it, hearing the soft hum the machine gave with no sign of Vita radiation in it. She then passed the calibrator through her whole body, starting from the top to her shoes. Luckily, her clothes nor any other part of her body had remains of Vita radiation in them. But just as she hovered the calibrator through her hair, she heard the once calm hum change into a much aggressive one, making her halt.

She passed the calibrator through her head again, this time much slower than before to know specifically where the radiation was, that whirring sound returning when she inspected her earrings. She let out a huff of disappointment and took the earrings off.

"Those were my favorite," she muttered in a disappointed tone before tossing them in the bin.

She was probably gone for far too long, and she didn't want to raise suspicions, so she grabbed her coat and the calibrator and left the ladies' room as if nothing happened, already having to come up with an excuse if someone questioned her lack of earrings after this. Luckily, it seemed like no one noticed that she was gone, so that was a win for her.

The next couple minutes were spent with Thompson and (Y/N) handling a single line for the Roxxon employees, with both men and women lined up. Chief Dooley and Hugh Jones were laid back at a table as they watched the inspections happen, checking out the ones who already passed. As one of their respective gender came up next on the line, they passed the calibrator to each other and inspected the employee. Until then, there was no one with any signs of Vita radiation left in their bodies.

Thompson was handling another male employee, passing the calibrator over the man's white suit as the device hummed. "You're clear."

The man nodded before stepping away, allowing the blonde woman behind him to take her turn. Thompson handed (Y/N) the device and she smiled warmly at the woman before starting the inspection.

After a few seconds, (Y/N) pulled back her hand and smiled once again at the woman. "Clear. Thank you."

"Next."

(Y/N)'s eyes fell on the man next in line, and she didn't dare to look away since the face was too familiar. She immediately recognized him to be one of the men inside the Roxxon refinery, the one who handled the nitramene bombs and handed them to the man with the truck.

"Dewitt?"

(Y/N) didn't react to her name being called, too busy staring at the man who seemed to have recognized her too. Her eyes flickered to the name tag with the words Van Ert written on it.

Thompson snapped his fingers. "Dewitt!"

This snapped (Y/N) out of her daze and handed the calibrator to Thompson, who now looked at her with impatience. He proceeded his usual inspection from the back to the front, all while the device hummed quietly with no sign of radiation. (Y/N) knew she couldn't leave him to walk, but she also couldn't risk him ratting her out.

"You're clear," Thompson announced.

The man nodded in satisfaction and turned around, but (Y/N) couldn't let him think he got away with it.

"Wait, hold on for a moment," she called out to him. "Sir!"

Van Ert halted his steps, though not daring to turn back around.

"Mr. Jones, I couldn't help but notice these men are wearing company-issued uniforms," (Y/N) pointed out. "Do they change their clothes on-site?"

"Well, we have a locker room for all the technicians who handle hazardous materials."

"What's your point, Dewitt?" Chief Dooley asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"Well, low-level vita-radiation would barely saturate the top layer of a person's skin. It could wash out with a single hot shower. But clothing would remain tainted for longer. Trousers, shoes, even pieces of jewelry," She explained, trying to maintain a low profile. "I suggest we check the clothes the men wore to work this morning."

"Not a bad idea. We can — "

Before Chief Dooley could continue, Van Ert knew he was busted and bolted out of the room. Thompson yelled at him to stop as he ran after him, Chief Dooley hot on his heels, the employees lined up for the inspection watching with deep interest.

(Y/N) knew it was a waste of time and energy to chase after him. "Where does that lead?"

"Down to the front lobby," Jones answered.

"Stairs?"

Jones pointed to the other side of the room, and (Y/N) headed down the way he had indicated with all the calm in the world, as if a criminal wasn't slipping away from their grasp just now. Still, she walked down several flights of stairs and passed many other workers going up or down to their respective floors until she reached the lobby.

She spotted the hallway where Van Ert and Thompson were about to come through at any second, and she patiently waited around the corner until she heard them get up close.

"I said, stop!" Thompson's voice echoed throughout the entire lobby.

(Y/N) stuck her arm out just as Van Ert ran by, hitting him right in the face. The impact threw him back into the ground with a harsh thud, making the man groan on the floor. Thompson, startled by the sudden attack, halted on his run and leaned down to handcuff the man on the floor, still finding enough time to glare at (Y/N) like she just insulted his entire bloodline.

Chief Dooley, who was behind Thompson, stopped eyed (Y/N) with a surprised look. As much as she wanted to pride in the moment, she couldn't help but notice the drops of sweat on the chief's forehead as if he just ran a marathon.

"Is there anything else I can help with?"

IM BACK !!!

i'm so sorry for leaving you guys hanging for so long, exams were so hard and i didn't want to fail math ( again ).
i'm going to be more active, i promise.

also, for the sake of this chapter, you guys have your ears pierced lol. i know it may look like the reader is replacing peggy, but i wanted to change it up a little since i think it's a bit unrealistic that peggy and y/n are around each other 24/7. i want to give y/n her individual moments too, and there's more to come.

- see you soon, bex <3