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mywingsareonwheels · 1 year

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I’m still on my Fred Thursday bullshit <3

Here be spoilers for series 9 again, as well as the rest of the show too. ;-)

[checks] Yep, still heartsore that Thursday and Morse will never see each other again. Still filled with oodles of compassion and love for them both. Still very much of the opinion that their relationship, however fraught at times, was beautiful and rich and moving and lovely, and that most of the time they brought out the best in each other. Still very much of the opinion that the lessons Morse learns from Thursday are still with him in Inspector Morse, though by then with the welcome addition of those from McNutt. That one of the reasons why he comes to love Lewis so much is that here is another working-class family man who is very different from him but listens to his opinions, who is loyal and kind but no-nonsense, and who isn’t put off by the asperity and grumpiness and intensity of his demeanor. But one who is much happier in himself, and thus much calmer.

I’m still sad that Thursday made the mistakes he did in s9, and (of course) that that hurt Morse so profoundly, and that his final appearance is as someone so broken and unhappy and who now has to disappear with his wife and son. I mean, just... ow. But I think it really would be doing both him and the show a disservice to see that as the final and conclusive word on him as a character. Morse says Thursday was “the best” teacher in their final scene together, and he clearly means it. That final held gaze between the two of them is so moving and significant. And when Morse is singing “In Paradisum” with the choir and remembering people met over the course of the series, and smiling with what reads to me as a peaceful pleasure in having known them all, Thursday is the last and most important.

And I’m still happy that over the course of the show (including in s9, even in 9.3!) we did get to see so much of the other stuff: the heroism, the extreme altruism[1], the generosity, the open-mindedness, the warmth, the kindness. His defensive, panicked words about Raymond Kennett aside (which I think he’s ashamed of as soon as Morse calls him on them), Thursday is a fighter for the underdog. A man who treats victims who are young addicts or old homeless men or sex workers or others who get despised by others with profound respect, while letting his contempt for posh arseholes show almost as much as Morse’s does. The man of the coat blanket and “you’re alright, Morse” and “corned beef” and “take as long as you need” and “I’ve... it’s good to see you back”. Who’s an all-too rare representation in anything of a white working-class British man born in the early 20th century who is left-wing, anti-fascist, and who despite being very old-fashioned in some ways refuses to give into racism, misogyny, or homophobia. Who befriends an older man with dementia in s7 in one of the most moving scenes in the whole show. Who sees Morse’s PTSD in early s2 and takes it so seriously and compassionately, and who never quite gives up on getting the lad to look after himself, even though Morse resists him all the way. Who realises he needs to change as a father and as a husband and does so, repeatedly. Whose worst mistakes are always made for the sake of someone else (Morse and his family (inc. Charlie), of course, but he does most definitely stray for the sake of vulnerable strangers too), and most especially when the weight of the unspoken self-hatred gets too great. Who risks his life, reputation, and career repeatedly to save Morse (even at times when they’re barely on speaking terms), just as Morse does for him. Who very nearly dies at the end of s2 because a vulnerable young boy from a horrible background might just possibly be in a location and be saveable, even though he knows that it’s probably a trap.

He’s extraordinary. He’s flawed. He’s kind. He’s selfless. He’s vicious. He’s compassionate. He’s impatient. He loves intensely and profoundly and almost never manages to spit it out. His middle name is Albert but it might as well be Acts of Service. He’s almost as bad at accepting help and sympathy as Morse is, and almost as much in need of them. He’s a violent and angry man who craves peace and warmth and gentleness, and who keeps trying to provide them for others. He’s a man from an abusive[2], unloving, extremely impoverished background who has worked his whole life to build a far better future for his wife and children. He’s almost Morse’s opposite but he keeps choosing him over men he has far more in common with. He repeatedly fucks up. He forgives others almost too readily. He’s the best and wisest of men. He’s a childish, impatient twit who is painfully good at convincing himself what he wants to believe and is at times almost as emotionally cowardly as he is physically brave.

Above all, he’s so fucking human.

And he’s probably dying, or will be soon. The parallels between his “funny turn” in the quad and Morse’s experiences in “The Remorseful Day” are clearly not a coincidence. He’s too old and exhausted to go on the run, but he’ll do it for Sam’s sake and because he knows perfectly well that it’s his fault that it’s needed. He’d never have survived prison, even if he hadn’t been swiftly murdered there (which given the number of and calibre of his enemies - mostly acquired by doing heroic good - is rather a big “if”).

The words he says to Morse after Luisa’s death in “Sway” keeps resonating for me today: that despite appearances, she died of wounds. The trauma of the war just kept festering and - like the men whose injuries were profound but took a year or two to actually become fatal - that’s what she ultimately died of. Thursday’s never got over the war either, and I think in s9 (with the epic trauma conga line it throws at him) we finally see that catching up with him fully, both in his actions and in his suffering and the deterioration of his health. He’s in serious danger, at least, of dying of his wounds, and I think that Morse knows this even if Thursday doesn’t. Which for a show that has always been extremely compassionate in approach, and which has always taken trauma very seriously, is fitting, painful, powerful.

If he does get some more years than predicted, and even gets to heal a little, that’s very much thanks to Morse. Obviously in practical ways, but even more because we see in real time that Morse’s love and devotion and forgiveness work profound changes on Thursday in his final two scenes (oh goodness, someone give Roger Allam an award for that!!), especially as he very clearly really wasn’t expecting them. Which after he’s been betrayed by his brother, and hit by his son... oh, I can understand that loss of faith. :( But giving up the gun, letting himself be openly tearful(!), the praise, the little joke, coming damn close to actually spitting out the “l” word... That’s someone transformed, who is ready to do the emotional work he needs to do now to save his marriage, make a new start, help Sam stay sober and healing, lean in thoroughly to his (extremely awesome) best self, get some of the peace he’s needed for so long, heal somewhat, live hopefully at least a little longer than it looked like he might. I think he deserves to do all that, and since we don’t know that he doesn’t, I’m going to assume he does. Frankly having had that thought, I love both him and Morse even more than I did. :-)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

[1] My partner and I were talking about this and they did identify one (1) moment where Fred did something major just for himself, and no one else at all, and in a spirit of, “dammit, this is what I want”. He bought that pair of canaries. ;-) <3

[2] I didn’t even spot that revelation in 9.3 until the rewatch! No question about it, though: the Thursday boys were physically abused by their father, Fred mentions it while arguing with Charlie in the warehouse before Lott’s men start shooting. :(

#itv endeavour #fred thursday #endeavour spoilers #endeavour s9 #i promise i will start talking about other things soon!#endeavour morse #long post #tw child abuse mention #tw death mention #tw ptsd mention #tw addiction mention

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swan-of-sunrise · 3 years

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Specs and the Flyboy (Chapter Nineteen-Part Two)

Summary: The team begins their mission to retrieve Michael Carter and destroy Zodiac, but not before having several heart-to-hearts and a quiet conversation between two partners.

Pairing: Jack Thompson X Reader

Word Count: 4.6k

Warnings/Disclaimers: References to torture

A/N: Thank you all so much for reading! I hope that you enjoy!

Chapter Nineteen (Part II) The Forests of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (Previous Chapter)

“You see anything yet, Specs?”

(Y/N) sighed through her nose but didn’t look away from her binoculars as she called back, “Not since you asked me two minutes ago, Flyboy. What’s the rush, you got a hot date or something?”

“No, I’m too busy watching my partner perch herself on an unstable, snow-covered tree branch fifteen feet in the air. Seriously, (Y/N), I really should be the lookout-”

“That’s not happening, Jack; in case you’ve forgotten, you’re still recovering from a severe case of hypothermia and torture.” Tearing herself away from the binoculars, she looked down and raised a brow when she spotted Jack’s concerned frown and crossed arms. “Why don’t you go check on the others and make sure Howard isn’t teaching Henry any bad habits?”

Jack heaved a sigh but reluctantly complied, grumbling under his breath as he trudged towards their truck, and (Y/N) rolled her eyes in mild exasperation before returning her attention to the binoculars. They were stationed a little less than a mile away from a large warehouse-facility, hidden away in the dense forest, and waiting for Peggy’s signal to proceed with the next phase of their plan; after they decoded Michael’s final message, Howard was finally able to enhance the photographs they’d taken back at Attwell Airfield and since all the maps depicted led them directly to the structure hidden away in the Lithuanian forests, it was a safe bet that that was where the Secret Empire was meeting with Leviathan.

In theory, the plan they’d come up with was simple: Extract Michael Carter, destroy Zodiac and go home. They’d agreed to split up into two teams of four; Peggy, Dugan, Sawyer and Pinkerton would enter the north side of the facility and (Y/N), Jack, Henry and Howard would enter its south side. Each group would make its way through the facility, (Y/N)’s with the intention of procuring Zodiac and Peggy’s in search of Michael, then they’d leave as quietly as they’d come.

There were countless things that could go wrong with their plan, that much was true, but (Y/N) had faith in her group of rag-tag companions and their impressive skills. Even the occasionally-annoying flyboy who’s spent the past half an hour circling this tree like a nervous Nellie, she smiled to herself; although he was still recovering from his recent injuries, Jack had insisted on accompanying them on their mission and (Y/N) knew better than to waste precious time arguing with her hard-headed partner. That man’ll be the death of me, she thought with a quiet chuckle, her eyes still trained on the forest of trees in the distance.

Not long after, (Y/N) spotted the flashes of light reflecting off of Peggy’s compact mirror and translated the Morse Code before securing her binoculars around her neck and calling down, “All clear, time for Phase Two!” She started making her way down the tree, getting about halfway down when Jack reappeared below her. “Peggy and the others are in position, so it’s time to go.”

“Copy that, Specs, but you’ve gotta be more careful or else you’ll-” The branch (Y/N) stepped down onto suddenly snapped, sending her sprawling onto the piles of snow about six feet below and briefly knocking the air out of her lungs. “Fall.” Jack was standing at her side in an instant, his hand stretched out for her to take and his expression a strange mixture of concern and amusement. “You know, I could’ve sworn that I predicted that happening…”

“You’re very funny, smart-ass,” (Y/N) grumbled as she took his hand, allowing him to help her to her feet; the power behind his action took her by surprise and before she could steady herself, she stumbled right into him. Her hands had automatically latched onto his broad shoulders and when she felt his arm snake itself around her waist, her eyes flicked up and met his blue ones; realizing just how close his face was to hers, her heart began to race but she didn’t immediately pull away from him like she’d done in the past. Instead, she brought a hand up and trailed her fingertips over the bruise that stretched across his cheekbone; it was already beginning to turn a yellowish hue and when she brushed over the edge of it, he flinched and she winced in sympathy. “Sorry…you’re not in too much pain, are you?”

Jack smirked and opened his mouth to reply, but grew serious when she didn’t smile back. “It still hurts a bit but it’s nothing I can’t manage, (Y/N). I’ll feel a whole lot better once we finish this mission and go home.” She nodded and began pulling away from him, but stopped herself when his hand gently tightened on her waist and his expression shifted from reassuring to apprehensive. “Look, we don’t really know what we’re walking into and there’s a helluva lot riding on this mission, so I…I wanted…you’ll be careful, right?”

The earnest look in his blue eyes combined with the weight of his hand on her waist nearly made (Y/N) go weak in the knees, but she suppressed the sudden surge of affection as she nodded again. “Of course, just as careful as my calm and level-headed partner’ll be out there. Maybe even more.” Jack’s lips curved into a small smile at that. “Everything’s going to be fine out there, Jack, I promise. Now c’mon, the others are waiting for us…”

Biting back her growing smile, (Y/N) walked beside Jack as they made their way over to where the others were waiting. Daniel was already seated in the driver’s seat of the truck, his expression clouded with apprehension; he’d allowed Peggy to go along with the Howling Commandos and stayed behind to act as their backup without an argument, but it was clear to anyone with eyes that he was worried about his girlfriend. Edwin was preoccupied with adjusting the sleeves of his bomber jacket and Howard was talking away to Henry, who was listening to the inventor with barely-concealed awe. “Good news, Daniel, there’s a small clearing about a quarter of a mile southeast of here that should give you two plenty of cover.”

Daniel nodded, starting the truck’s engine and calling out, “Okay, Jarvis, it’s time to go.”

“Yes, of course, Chief Sousa!” Edwin hurriedly got into the passenger seat before addressing (Y/N). “Miss (Y/L/N), are you quite sure that Mr. Stark will be all right going with you and Chief Thompson?”

“He’ll be just fine, Jarvis; he’s only coming along with us for his scientific insight, that’s all.” (Y/N) flashed him a reassuring smile, touched by the concern the butler had for the inventor’s well-being; her smile faltered when her eyes drifted over to where Jack, Howard and Henry were gathered, worry furrowing her brow as she scrutinized the rookie officer’s youthful face. “To be perfectly honest, though, I’m more concerned for Henry. Howard’s been in plenty of tough scrapes over the years but Henry…?”

“With two highly-skilled SSR operatives watching his back, I’m sure the kid’ll be in good hands.” Daniel’s words were meant to put her at ease but her anxiety refused to disappear; the rookie officer reminded her far too much of Freddie for her to be placated with words of comfort. The chief’s eyes looked past her at Jack, who was slinging a rifle strap over his shoulder as he walked over to them. “Watch each other’s six, okay? We don’t have any idea what’s inside that facility; for all we know, this could be where Leviathan’s training more of their spies.”

Jack nodded and gave him a playful salute. “You got it, Chief.” The two of them watched as the truck drove off into the forest, turning and walking over to Howard and Henry once it disappeared from view. “All right, fellas, when we get in there, Agent (Y/L/N) and I’ll take point. Zhang, it’ll be your job to cover our backs and keep Stark out of trouble-”

“O-Okay, Chief Thompson, it’s just that…” Henry swallowed nervously and his hands clutched the shoulder strap of his rifle as he continued, “Well, the police academy didn’t really train us to handle a situation like this and I’m not sure I know what to do but I don’t want to let you all down and-”

“Hey,” Stepping forward, (Y/N) rested her hands on the rookie officer’s shoulders and looked him directly in his panicked eyes. “Take a couple of deep breaths for me, Henry. Can you do that?” He nodded, and she smiled kindly at him when she felt his shoulders beginning to relax. “That’s it, Fred-” (Y/N) caught herself before she could say the rest of her brother’s name; Henry didn’t seem to notice her slip-up but out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Jack and Howard exchanging sympathetic glances as they turned away to give the two of them some privacy. As she stood there in front of the rookie officer and watched him rapidly blink away his tears, a distant memory suddenly came to the forefront of her mind…

“Freddie, what the hell are you doing here?!” (Y/N) asked, her brow raising in disbelief as the smiling sixteen-year-old jumped off his bicycle and leaned it against the station-house. “If Mother and Father find out that you skipped school to see me off-”

“I don’t care if they find out,” Freddie’s smirk widened as he shrugged. “There’s no way in hell they were gonna stop me from seein’ my big sister ‘fore she leaves.”

A reluctant smile played on her lips and she shook her head in exasperation. “I swear, you’re such a little troublemaker…”

“Oh, I wonder who I learned that from?” (Y/N) playfully swatted her brother’s arm while he laughed; the two of them sat down on a nearby bench and looked out at the empty train tracks, the tense silence finally broken by his quiet plea, “Take me with you.”

(Y/N) sighed, unable to turn and face Freddie; since the moment she’d told him about Bletchley Park, she’d dreaded the day that he’d inevitably try and convince her to bring him along. “Freddie…please don’t make this any harder than it already is.”

Ignoring her plea, Freddie hurriedly knelt on the ground in front of her and grabbed her hands. “I wouldn’t be any trouble, I-I could get a job to help you pay the bills! We could finally live somewhere far away from Ma and Pop, and I’ll even try joinin’ the army-”

“Stop it, Freddie!” (Y/N) spoke sharply, instantly regretting her tone when he visibly flinched; her shoulders sagged and she sighed. “I’m sorry for yelling, bud, it’s just…where I’m going is incredibly dangerous, and it’s only going to get worse the longer the war goes on.” She smoothed his hair back and forced herself to smile. “You’re sixteen years old; your only concern right now should be keeping your nose clean and graduating high school, not a war happening half a world away.”

Tears began to well up in his eyes. “If it’s so dangerous then how come you’re goin’? Why’re you leavin’ me here by myself?”

“Freddie, the last thing I’d ever want to do is leave you, but…” (Y/N)’s hands tightened around his as she continued. “I have an opportunity to use my skills to do the right thing. Sometimes doing the right thing’s hard, but that doesn’t mean we just lie down and stop trying. It doesn’t seem like it now but I’m going to England for you, bud, to make the world a better place for you to live in. Does that make sense?” Freddie sniffed and wiped away his tears with the sleeve of his coat as he nodded. “I’ll write to you every week, okay? And you can write me back as many times as you want about whatever’s on your mind; about school, about baseball, about your adorable crush on Susan Holloway…”

“I don’t have a crush on Susan Holloway!” Freddie insisted with an embarrassed smile. “She and I are just lab partners in Biology!”

“Whatever you say, bud.” (Y/N) chuckled, reaching forward and pulling her brother into a tight hug. “Who knows? I might even be back in time to see you graduate next year!”

He snorted. “I don’t wanna let you down, but I’m barely passin’ Math and it’s only Algebra; you’re the brains of the (Y/L/N) family, remember?”

“Well, then, it’s a good thing I left all my old Math notes on your desk this morning,” Pulling away, (Y/N) rested her hands on either side of Freddie’s face and smiled as she took one last look at him, a distant train whistle sounding through the air while she continued. “And you could never let me down, Freddie. Never.”

Blinking away her own tears, (Y/N) refocused her attention back on the hyperventilating young man before her. “Henry, you remember the other night when you told us you were a fan of Captain America? How you read all his comics and listened to all his radio shows? Well, those comics and radio shows don’t tell the full story about Steve Rogers; when he was chosen to participate in Project Rebirth, he weighed less than a hundred pounds, had a laundry-list of medical issues and barely any basic military training. But Steve beat out every single candidate because he, all ninety-eight pounds of him, was the only one who had what it took to be a hero and none of it came from a test tube.” Henry’s eyes were still widened, but (Y/N) was pleased to see that he’d stopped breathing so heavily. “And right now, I’m looking at someone who’s got all the same things that Steve Rogers had even before he became Captain America.”

“Really?”

(Y/N) smiled patiently at his timid question. “How many other rookie officers do you think would travel all the way to the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic to save the world and a man they’ve never met?” He chuckled once and she patted his shoulders before letting go of them. “Everything’ll be okay, Officer Zhang, all you have to do is follow our lead and trust your instincts. You’re not going to let anyone down.”

Nodding, Henry took a steadying breath and flashed her a small grin of thanks; they both made their way over to where Jack and Howard were standing, and (Y/N) felt her face warm when she noticed the way her partner was looking at her with eyes filled with unabashed pride. He quickly looked away once he realized she’d caught him staring and cleared his throat, his face flushing a little as he addressed them all, “Like Peggy said earlier, no weapon discharge unless absolutely necessary. Keep your eyes peeled and remember, our priority is to retrieve Zodiac and get the hell out of there; it’s the others’ job to extract Michael, not ours. Are we clear?”

Henry still looked a little nervous but he gave Jack a firm nod, and Howard simply raised his hand in the air. Letting out a sigh of exasperation, (Y/N) wearily asked, “Yes, Howard?”

“When do I get my gun?” The expectant smirk on the inventor’s face fell when (Y/N) and Jack both rolled their eyes. “What? C’mon, (Y/N), I know how to handle weapons! I invent them, for Pete’s sake, that’s gotta count for somethin’!”

“…Howard, I was in your lab that time you nearly blew yourself up.”

Howard furrowed his brow in confusion. “Wait, which time was that?”

Wincing, Henry patted the outraged inventor on the shoulder while they all began walking towards the nearby tree line. “I think you might’ve just proven Agent (Y/L/N)’s point, Mr. Stark.”

“You know,” Jack began, his voice low as he leaned down and flashed her an amused smile. “I think that kid’s starting to grow on me…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Infiltrating the facility proved to be an easier task than (Y/N) anticipated; they’d quickly dealt with the two armed guards standing watch on the south side, then they managed to find a loose drainage grate to slip into undetected. It’s like I’ve time-traveled back to 1944, she thought to herself while they crept down a deserted hall, silently marveling at how similar it all was to the missions she’d gone on with the Howling Commandos.

“This all seem a little too quiet to you, Specs?” Jack muttered, falling in step beside her with his rifle still raised. “If Leviathan’s really here, then where’s all the guards?” Right on cue, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed throughout the space; (Y/N) grabbed Jack’s hand and pulled him into one of the hallway’s decorative niche’s as Henry did the same with Howard across the way, pressing herself against the wall and holding her breath while two armed guards walked past.

Once the guards turned down another hallway, (Y/N) let out a relieved sigh. “Now we know that there’s guards here. Maybe they…” Her words died in her throat the moment she looked over at her partner, realizing in a flash just how close their faces were and that her hand was still clutching his; she’d felt the impulse to kiss Jack several times throughout their partnership, but it seemed that the heightened danger made the impulse stronger than ever and it was with great difficulty that she pulled away from him and clambered out of the niche. “Those guards were Leviathan, all right; they were wearing Red Army uniforms.”

They continued making their way through the large facility without any issues, finally coming across a walkway that stretched over a block of cells below; two guards sat at a table beside the cell block, their rifles propped against their chairs as they played a game of poker. Most of the cells were filled with visibly frightened men and women dressed in white laboratory coats and as she looked closer, (Y/N) suppressed her gasp of recognition when her eyes landed on the familiar figure of Adam Fieldman, Michael’s other accomplice within the Secret Empire, sitting alone in a cell.

“Son of a gun; I think we’d better pay Fieldman a visit.” Jack turned to her with an expectant look on his face. “Got any bright ideas, Specs?”

(Y/N)’s lips curled into a small smile. “I always do, Flyboy.”

After finalizing their off-the-cuff plan, (Y/N) crept out onto the walkway and stopped above where the two guards were seated; she lowered herself down to sit on the very edge of the walkway and took a moment to judge how far down they were before steeling her nerves and letting herself drop down. She landed on the balls of her feet, straightening up as the two guards scrambled to their feet and rushed towards her; she punched the first guard in the jaw, then elbowed the second guard in the neck before slamming her fist down onto his groin. The second guard doubled over in pain as she kicked the first guard in the shin, pulling him down by the back of his neck and kneeing him hard in the face; his unconscious form fell to the ground and (Y/N) ducked to avoid the second guard’s hit before kicking him back into the wall, her chest heaving as his head collided with the stone and he crumpled to the ground on a heap.

“Agent (Y/L/N), please! We don’t have much time!” (Y/N) turned and hurried over to Adam Fieldman’s cell; he looked worse for wear, as if he’d been locked up for several days, and his hands were tightly clutching the bars of his cell. She was vaguely aware of the others dropping down from the walkway and Howard talking to the other captives in broken Russian while Adam frantically continued, “Thomas knows that you’re here! He had that train car bugged, he heard everything Michael said to Chief Thompson before his escape!”

Jack crossed his arms over his chest, looking more than unconvinced by the panicked man’s words. “Oh yeah? And why should we believe anything you say? You’re a part of the Secret Empire, the same as your old college pals.”

“Yeah, but not willingly! Almost a year ago, Thomas and Michael paid me a visit at my dad’s orangery in L.A. and forced me to manufacture weapons based on copies of Howard Stark’s stolen blueprints; they told me they’d kill my dad if I didn’t join their damn Secret Empire!” Adam insisted, glancing back at (Y/N) with pleading eyes. “Thomas caught me trying to break Michael out of his brainwashing and locked me up. He would’ve killed me, but Leviathan still needed me to work on replicating Zodiac for them.”

“He’s right,” Howard walked up to them, an unusually serious expression on his face as he gestured towards the scientists. “They say that Leviathan’s holding them prisoner to study, replicate and weaponized Zodiac the moment they get their hands on that key and open the box.”

Adam nodded. “That key is what’ll unite the Secret Empire and Leviathan, and all that gold’s gonna fund their Zodiac weapons development. After what he heard on that bug, Thomas thinks that Michael’s little sister has the key and that she’ll do anything to save him, even hand over the one thing that’ll unlock Zodiac.” Before any of them could reply, the sound of distant gunfire echoed through the room and made them all jump. “Please, you’ve gotta get us out of here! Thomas has Zodiac with him and once he gets that key, there’s no tellin’ what he’ll do!”

Together, (Y/N) and Jack shot the locks off the cell doors and while she ushered everyone out, her partner spoke into his walkie-talkie. “Change of plan, Sousa, we’re sending Zhang and Stark out the south side with Fieldman and about a dozen scientists.”

“Copy that, we’ll be in position to pick them up.”

“Chief Thompson, what about you and Miss (Y/L/N)?”

(Y/N) unclipped her own walkie-talkie from her belt and answered, “We’re going to finish the mission ourselves.” Securing her walkie-talkie back onto her belt, she drew one of her handguns and held it out towards Howard. “Only use it if you have to.” The inventor gave her a firm nod and took the gun, and she turned to the rookie officer. “Get everyone out safely, Henry.”

Clutching his rifle in his hands, Henry’s jaw tightened with resolve. “I will.”

(Y/N) flashed the two of them a brief smile and Jack patted Henry on the shoulder before turning and hurrying out of the makeshift prison, towards the continuing echoes of gunfire on the opposite side of the facility. While they ran, she tried not to think about what Adam had said about Peggy willingly giving up the key; if that was the only way to save Freddie then I’d do it in a heartbeat, she thought with a frown, urging herself to run faster.

“Please tell me you brought some nifty gadgets with you, Specs,” Jack was panting a little while they turned a corner, one of his hands clutching the stitch in his side. “I’d feel better ‘bout all this if I knew we had an advantage.”

Two guards began to turn around at the sound of their approaching footsteps but (Y/N) and Jack each slammed the butts of their rifles into their heads and continued running while they crumpled to the ground; she looked over at him with an incredulous brow arched. “Just the lipstick Howard created for me, Flyboy, you’re welcome to borrow it if you want.”

“Thanks, but it’s not really my shade.”

The two of them skidded to a stop when they came across a staircase off to the side; without the sounds of their running distorting their hearing, she realized with a sinking feeling that the echoing gunfire had stopped. “That doesn’t sound good; which way should we go?”

Jack glanced between the hallway and the staircase before gesturing towards the staircase. “We’ll have a better tactical advantage if we go up, c’mon.”

Her partner led the way as they climbed several flights of stairs, finally reaching the landing and creeping down a corridor; the sounds of voices started to grow louder and louder until finally, the corridor opened up onto a balcony overlooking a warehouse. They pressed themselves back against the edge of the wall and Jack maneuvered so that he was standing right behind her before they both slowly peeked around the wall and got their first good look at the situation; the warehouse was cluttered, with stacks of wooden crates stamped with the symbols of Leviathan and the Secret Empire piled up around the vast room.

From their vantage point, (Y/N) quickly realized that they were witnessing a stand-off, with Peggy and the Howling Commandos taking refuge behind stacks of crates on one side of the warehouse while Thomas Attwell and a handful of Leviathan guards were hunkered down behind crates on the opposite side. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw that none of her friends appeared to be injured, and she was finally able to focus on what Attwell was saying down below.

“…settle this like civilized people, Miss Carter. We both have something that the other wants dearly; agree to my terms, and I’ll allow you and your American friends to walk out of here alive with your dear older brother.”

“It’s ‘Agent Carter,’ actually, and the SSR doesn’t negotiate with enemy operatives. You will hand over Zodiac and you will release Michael Carter into our custody, or else you’ll be dead on the floor of this warehouse very shortly.”

(Y/N) heard Dugan’s humorless chuckle. “I’d listen to her if I were you, pal.”

“Zodiac in the hands of Leviathan will be more respected than it ever was by those fools within the United States government; here they develop such a groundbreaking weapon and all because of a little town in Switzerland, they refused to use it even if it meant ending the war against the Axis powers sooner. And as for your brother…” It was difficult to tell from so far away, but it almost looked as if the man was grinning. “Leviathan has some of the best minds in the world under its thumbs; with a little tinkering in that scrambled mind of his, I’m sure that Michael will be appreciating his place within our joined organization much more than he already does.” It wasn’t until Jack elbowed her in the side that she realized he’d un-slung his rifle and was aiming directly at Attwell down below; if he was able to shoot the man, then the others could utilize the chaos to take care of the guards and finish the mission so with a nod, she moved back to let him take the shot. But as she moved, Attwell turned to face the balcony that they were standing by and called out, “Isn’t that right, old chap?”

“Certainly.” The two of them whirled around to see Michael Carter and Dottie Underwood pointing pistols directly at their hearts. “I suggest that you drop your weapons now. Slowly.” (Y/N) and Jack both set all their guns down on the ground, careful not to make any sudden moves. While she straightened back up, (Y/N) took the opportunity to examine Michael’s face and was taken aback by how cold and calculating it looked. “Now, kick them over to Miss Underwood.”

Once they’d done as Michael said, a smiling Dottie took the guns and in one swift motion, threw them all off the balcony’s edge; when she turned back to them, her smile widened. “It’s so good to see you two SSR folks again! Now the party’s really in full swing, isn’t it?”

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A/N: Cliffhanger! Chapter 19 was originally only supposed to have 2 parts but the story ran away with me so now you guys get a Part 3!! Thank you guys so much for reading! If you haven’t checked it out yet, I created a Spotify playlist for this series and I’ll be updating it every time I upload a new chapter.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/21pWY7OiMFj8LaYpxhtVtW

Chapter Nineteen-Part Three

“Specs and the Flyboy” Masterlist

Tagging: @nnon-it-up @fluffymadamina @remmyswritings @ourstarsailor @darkusangelus @josis-teacup @marvel-jackt-loki-buck @yeetyeetchickenmeat @sameoldbaby @theserenityspace @seeing-but-not-observing @supervoldejaygent @momc95 @brooke0297 @kinda-c0nfused @outoftheregular @mads-weasley

#jack thompson x reader #agent carter #jack thompson #peggy carter #daniel sousa #howard stark #edwin jarvis #dum dum dugan #pinky pinkerton #happy sam sawyer #the howling commandos #michael carter #dottie underwood #marvel cinematic universe #strategic scientific reserve

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