[Jack Thompson] (The things they don't know about) Miss Tonya

[ 5 : t h e - S t a r k - s u b j e c t ]

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Warnings: None (let me know if I missed any worth mentioning)

Spoilers: Agent Carter Season 1

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Peggy had barely stepped out of the elevator when she was immediately hit by an air of active franticness; every agent in sight was out of his seat, bustling around, making calls, exchanging files, there was even a small crowd of several more esteemed agents around Chief Dooley, evidently discussing vital evidence for something. However, the cause of such commotion was still unclear to her - had they heard Howard had left already? How did they find out? Did they know where he was? Had they already caught him?

Thankfully, a helpful source of information limped past her as she made her way to her desk.
"Sousa, what's going on?"

He didn't seem to have noticed her before she spoke. Like everyone else, he had been busy with some errand to contribute to the current matter.

"Get this," he spoke faster than usual, but was clearly eager to be the one to shed light on what was apparently such an excitement. "None other than Tonya Stark herself has just popped up at the local station. From what I've heard, she's saying her disappearance had nothing to do with Stark and she was pretty worked up about the whole thing too."

It wasn't difficult to act surprised: this was news, even to Peggy, given her new involvement in the Starks' lastest issue. She had wondered how Tonya was planning to reintroduce herself amidst her brother's scandal. Howard had left her in an awkward position, breaking her out of jail and then leaving her free as he escaped. He hadn't exactly made it easy for her.

"Really?" she tried to sound more incredulous than concerned for her friend. "Where is she now then?"

"Well, given everything with Stark at the moment, the police at the station she turned up at called us straight away, and Chief sent some men to collect her and bring her back here. It's gonna be a piece of work for him, trying to keep this whole agency covert while dragging in one of the most famous women on the planet."

"Is she going to be held here then? If Howard didn't break her out, why do the S.S.R. need her here at all?"

"Technically, we've only got her word for that," Sousa went on as Peggy followed him around while he continued retrieving files for himself and other agents. "I think they're bringing her in for questioning, find out what really happened or if she knows anything about Stark either way. That's what all this is..."
He gestured to the wild melee of agents around them.

"Everyone's digging up everything and anything we have on the two of them, seeing what we have to work with. Let's hope whoever got her out let her get some sleep: she's in for the longest interview she's ever had, though it'll be unlike anything she's had for one of her films before, I can tell you that."
Peggy was about to ask more, when she was finally acknowledged by Chief Dooley, despite the man's obvious preoccupation with his huddle of agents around him.

"Carter! Will you stop following Sousa like some lost dog and do something helpful like the rest of us? If you insist on working here, at least make yourself useful!"

Before he could make another cutting remark, Peggy was saved by the woman herself as she was marched in by two other agents. A strange and sudden silence fell over the previous babble that had filled the room as every agent present stopped what they were doing to look at her. Peggy wasn't sure if it was because she had been the focus of everyone's morning or if it was the typical ogling the poor actress regularly received, but Peggy felt uncomfortable on her friend's behalf either way.
Dooley stepped forward in command, but before he could take control, Tonya herself spoke up.

"What's the meaning of this?" she demanded, looking around the room with indignant exasperation, smoothly not allowing her eyes to rest for too long on Peggy, who resisted the urge to give her a knowing smile. "I get kidnapped from what I was told is a secure jail cell, which was already an embarrassing inconvenience itself, and now I'm marched into some bombastic, glorified police centre with absolutely no explanation, which I demand this instant."

Even the Chief himself was taken aback by her abrupt directness. It was clear that she was, or at least had been, in a rather upset state, though Peggy silently congratulated Tonya on the use of her superior acting skills here. He certainly hadn't been expecting this apparently vulnerable woman to speak up in such a way, especially given her widespread reputation for being incredibly amicable.
Quickly recovering, Dooley took his turn to speak. "Miss Stark, I apologise for this situation we find ourselves in, but we've brought you here, because we have a few questions to ask you."

"Is this about my brother?" Tonya interjected as Dooley gritted his teeth, reminding himself that she was a widely adored actress and Chief or not, yelling at her would turn a few opinions against him in the room. "Because if it is, I'll tell you the same as the police-"

"We've still got a few things praying on our minds," Dooley cut in before it looked too much like he was being scolded by his own suspect. "Entertain our ideas for us, will you?" His quip earned a few subdued chuckles from the agents around, who were stunned to be greeted by furious glares from Tonya.

"You'll learn pretty quick that I don't like being interrupted and I certainly won't be entertaining anyone around her anytime soon." Tonya snapped irately.

Dooley didn't move his gaze from hers as he tried to ignore the awestruck mutters and whispers from the agents around him. He glanced at one of the agents behind her and gave him a small nod. "Can we continue this... discussion in the interrogation room, Miss Stark?"

It was clear he wasn't asking as the agent went to take her arm to guide her there. She roughly shrugged herself out of his grasp with a snappy remark about being able to walk just fine by herself, though she proceeded to follow him to the small room in the hallway.

Chief Dooley let out a breath of what Peggy amusedly regarded as relief. He turned to Thompson who was, unsurprisingly, at his shoulder.

"Let's do this then," he looked around, raising his voice, back to his commanding self now that he was confident he had control of the room. "I don't remember telling none of you to stop. Keep digging. Find more for us to work with. Bring it to me sharpish when you do. Get to it!"

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