"Ms. Carter, do you mind if I ask what exactly Whitney is accused of stealing? After all, she's my employee. If she truly violated military law, then naturally she's at your disposal. But if she's being wrongfully accused, I have a responsibility to stand up for her!" After answering a series of questions from Peggy Carter, Josh countered with his own.
"I'm very sorry, Mr. Kane, but I can't divulge too many details... As for Ms. Whitney, we only need her to cooperate with an investigation right now. If it's determined that she's not a suspect, we'll certainly let her go." Perhaps because of Josh's acquaintance with Captain America, Peggy Carter—despite being tight-lipped—still revealed a bit of information about Whitney.
The implication being that Whitney is currently just a strong suspect and has not yet been convicted.
"Hahaha, what's so secretive about this? Josh, can you believe it? They're saying that the thing your actress tried to steal...was Night Light!" Just then, a hearty voice rang out from the doorway. It was General McGinnis.
"General, the Night Light project is a top-level Strategic Scientific Reserve secret. Don't you think it's a bit inappropriate to disclose it so publicly?" Hearing McGinnis' words, the stern Carter couldn't help but question him.
"Hmph, to me, that so-called secret is nonsense. Besides, Josh is no outsider to the Army Department!" General McGinnis scoffed dismissively.
"Don't think only that playboy can come up with inventions. I'm not afraid to tell you—under Mr. Kane's leadership, our Army has developed a brand-new combat-ready serum. As for your Night Light, even a dog would turn its nose up at it!"
Hearing this, Carter's expression turned sour, though what dominated her face was surprise—surprise at the mention of a serum that Josh had led the research on.
"General, Mr. Kane, may I ask if I can learn more about this serum?" Carter couldn't help asking.
"Hmph! What, suspecting we copied the Night Light? That's not something you're authorized to know. Go ask your superior!" McGinnis barked bluntly.
His attitude left Carter in an awkward position. But he was a U.S. general, and she was just a temp worker from the British military. What could she really do?
"General, I believe we should be gentler with a lady," Josh smoothly interjected, easing the tension at just the right moment. After all, he and Cap were at least on nodding terms, and he couldn't just watch Carter get humiliated.
"Haha, you're right. Alright, Mr. Kane and I still have matters to discuss. Ms. Carter, if you don't have anything else, would you mind giving us some privacy?" General McGinnis was clearly in a good mood. He didn't mind Josh's interruption at all and even lowered his tone accordingly—but his words still strongly suggested she should leave, just phrased in a more polite way.
"Mr. Kane, thank you for your cooperation. We won't disturb you further." Seeing McGinnis' tone had softened, Carter gathered her emotions, forced a smile, and said her goodbyes to Josh.
Josh simply nodded, saying little.
"What? Got your eye on her? Can't blame you—she's got one hell of a figure even under all those layers. If I were younger, I'd fall for her too!" Watching Carter's swaying figure as she walked away, General McGinnis slapped Josh on the shoulder with a mischievous grin.
"You're reading too much into it, General. I just have a decent relationship with Captain Rogers," Josh replied, tugging the corner of his mouth into a smile.
"Steve Rogers? With that woman?" McGinnis was momentarily stunned.
Though he had dealings with the Strategic Scientific Reserve before, the relationship between Cap and Carter had been kept fairly low-profile and wasn't widely known.
"That's right. They knew each other even before Steve's transformation," Josh confirmed with a nod.
"I see...Then yes, I suppose we do need to treat her a little more gently." McGinnis nodded. Despite Captain America only holding the rank of captain, after leading the Howling Commandos to repeated victories in Europe, his status had become strategically significant—far above that of McGinnis, who had been relieved of active duty.
"Drink?" Josh offered.
"Whiskey—got any?" McGinnis didn't hesitate. He knew full well how resourceful his partner was... barring any accidents, after Normandy he'd likely be reinstated. So his relationship with Josh was no mere employer arrangement—it was a strategic partnership, especially with that serum in the mix.
Whether he could advance further before the war's end likely hinged on Josh.
"Of course." Josh walked over to a cabinet, took out an unlabelled bottle of whiskey, poured a glass, and handed it to McGinnis. "What's the situation exactly?"
"Damn, that's good stuff. Where's it from?" McGinnis took a swig and smacked his lips in appreciation.
"Heh, just homemade brew. The ingredients are a bit special. If you like it, take a couple bottles home. You know I don't drink much." Josh smiled. The whiskey had actually been distilled in Westeros based on his provided technique, using top-quality barley and spring water. It wasn't mass-produced.
Josh himself wasn't a drinker, but those who had tasted it—especially Dix from Kentucky—praised it highly. Now McGinnis was saying the same, so perhaps it was worth turning into a premium gift.
"Then I won't be shy. Honestly, today's issue is pretty simple—two Night Light serums from Stark's lab were swapped out, and when they were discovered, your actress just happened to be in his bedroom. Plus, she's been the one in closest contact with Stark recently, so naturally she became the prime suspect. In fact, they don't have any real evidence at all. As for you, I sent Colonel Phillips on that side two samples—never heard another word. Your serum is leagues ahead of Stark's junk. If they want to come after you, they'll have to go through General Eisenhower first!" McGinnis downed his drink in one gulp, grinning. "Too bad I won't get to see that brat Stark's face—must be priceless!"
"General Eisenhower knows too? From the front line?" Josh perked up with interest.
"That's right. Using a new combat serum obviously needed his approval. But don't worry—though the formal landing just began, the airborne troops that set out at dawn have already sent back word. The 2nd Battalion of the 506th Regiment, which used the serum, achieved results far exceeding other units. Now it's up to how the 8th Infantry under Ross performs." General McGinnis beamed with pride.
Back then, Josh had provided over 2,000 doses of the "Bright Light" serum to the military—enough for two regiments.
So General McGinnis had pulled all the strings he could to push it through.
Eventually, Colonel Ross' 8th Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division and the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division received the right to use the serum.
Wait…506th Regiment? Isn't that where Company E is stationed?
What a coincidence.
But not that surprising—both the 4th Infantry Division and 101st Airborne were elite units, leading the charge.
Good horses deserve fine saddles. It only made sense for the best equipment to be given to these top troops.
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