- "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."
"What's happening, Jack?"
"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." - ―Jack Thompson and Peggy Carter[src]
The Ambush at the L&L Automat was a trap set up by the Strategic Scientific Reserve to capture Peggy Carter.
Background[]
- "I'm in the middle of something, Sousa. Can it wait?"
"No. It can't." - ―Roger Dooley and Daniel Sousa[src]
Two investigations were occurring simultaneously; one performed by Peggy Carter in order to find the missing inventions of Howard Stark and another by the New York Bell Company Office branch of the Strategic Scientific Reserve to prove that Stark was a traitor to the United States of America;[2] especially after the death of Agent Ray Krzeminski.[3] During Carter's investigation, a picture of her was taken in the nightclub La Martinique[2] and there was evidence that a woman was involved in the death of Leet Brannis.[4] Meanwhile, Agent Daniel Sousa had the picture and, though he was not officially lead detective, he did the most pertinent investigating to who the woman was. Sousa discovered that the woman was Carter and promptly informed Chief Roger Dooley. Though other agents underestimated, even belittled Carter, Dooley did not.
L&L Automat was a restaurant where Carter frequently ate and spoke with Edwin Jarvis, her assistant in her investigation to find Stark's stolen inventions and clear his name.[5]
Ambush[]
- "Procedure 791. Isolate the suspect and remove civilians from harm before attempting arrest."
- ―Peggy Carter to Edwin Jarvis[src]
Peggy Carter and Edwin Jarvis arrived at the L&L Automat and updated each other on what they found on Ida Emke. Carter noticed that the customers were being evacuated and recognized this as an arrest procedure of the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Carter recognized agents Reese and Messner from Washington, D.C. and had Jarvis block the entrance so no other agents could enter. Carter approached Reese and punched him in the face before throwing him to the ground. Carter jumped over a counter and attacked Messner and another agent. Jarvis knocked out Reese with a glass and used a chair to block the door. Carter knocked Messner to the ground and Jarvis knocked him out with a tray before the two escaped out the back door.
Carter and Jarvis entered the alley but were cornered by Jack Thompson. Thompson urged Carter to come quietly but Carter disarmed him and knocked him out. Carter ordered Jarvis to meet her after she retrieved Steve Rogers' blood from the Griffith Hotel. Daniel Sousa came round the corner and held Carter at gunpoint, seeing Thompson unconscious. They both however knew that he would not shoot her. Sousa begged her not to run, because if she did he would know for sure that she was guilty. She apologized as she ran from him.[5]
Aftermath[]
- "What do you mean they lost her?"
"They said she managed to take down the extra men." - ―Roger Dooley to Yauch[src]
Chief Roger Dooley was extremely angry when he was informed that Peggy Carter escaped from the L&L Automat; he had a meeting with all of the agents in the New York Bell Company Office branch of the Strategic Scientific Reserve, saying they would be fired if she was not captured. Dooley ordered the closing of LaGuardia Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, and Grand Central Terminal, as well as the posting of pictures of Carter on every bus stop, train station, dock, airport, and trolly.
With Peggy Carter gone, Jack Thompson and Daniel Sousa regrouped and planned their next move. They decided to go to The Griffith since that's where Carter was residing. Unknown to them, Carter was also headed back to The Griffith so she could retrieve the vial of Steve Rogers' blood that she had hidden in her wall.[5]