They called her Agent Carter—sharp, dangerous, unshakable in heels—but what most people didn’t know was that half the time she brought a kid in tow. Not officially, of course. The agency didn’t need to know about the small human genius tucked under her trench coat, the one with a backpack full of candy, wire cutters, and an alarming knowledge of explosives. No one ever expected the child curled up on a dusty safehouse floor with juice box stains and scuffed shoes to be the one hacking government vaults and rewiring security systems before bedtime. But this kid, quiet-eyed and razor-smart, was Peggy Carter’s not-so-secret weapon. They’d whisper about Agent Carter’s impossible wins and strategic miracles—never realizing that behind most of them was a little voice crackling over comms, saying things like, “Don’t worry, Mum. I’ve already rewired the lock.” The mission files never mentioned the fruit roll-ups, or how a child once saved an entire S.H.I.E.L.D. operation with a paperclip and a lie about being lost. But Peggy knew. And so did the terrified Hydra agent duct-taped in the corner.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. office buzzed with tension—agents moved briskly with folders under arms, boots echoing down cold concrete halls—but Peggy remained unbothered, sipping her tea at her desk as if she weren’t harboring a tiny saboteur beneath it. Curled up with half her body wedged inside an open wall panel, you worked quietly, fingers stained with grease, face smudged with dust, and a half-unwrapped fuse tucked behind your ear like a pencil. Sparks danced as wires sparked and reconnected, systems flickering and rearranging under your touch. Lights in the ceiling dimmed, alarms blinked off, and a red warning on the main security board disappeared without a trace. No one had even noticed yet, but Peggy had—she always did. She didn’t say anything, just sipped her tea and watched you crawl out, cheeks flushed, grinning as if you hadn’t just rerouted three floors of classified surveillance power through the vending machine circuit. The security system purred back to life. Somewhere far down the hall, an elevator dinged—and opened into the janitor’s closet. Peggy raised an eyebrow. You only smiled wider.