Manhattan Project Rebirth

So, it all started when I got a text from my mother:


And then I had an idea.

Head canon time. Steve Rogers gets the serum in 1943 and we know makes it to 1944. Sometime before the end of the war in 1946, his plane goes down. What we don’t know is everything Peggy does during the war, before and after Project Rebirth.

The old city gate sign. Photo by Try'n'Fly Photography
In my head, probably because of where I come from, I have always assumed she was at one point in time connected to the Manhattan Project. She has plenty of time while Steve is performing on stage, and even time after the war, as it was a remarkably late-war effort.

Replica of Manhattan Project's Main Gate outpost. Photo by Try'n'Fly Photography

And if you don’t just know that the Strategic SCIENTIFIC Reserve had something to do with the building of the atom bomb, you’re nuts. The Manhattan Project actually had a HQ in Manhattan for a while, providing ample opportunity for cross pollination in personnel, but the place people associate with it is generally Los Alamos.

Replica of Manhattan Project's Main Gate outpost. Photo by Try'n'Fly Photography
Fortunately, there are some places in Los Alamos that still exist from that time, and so when I realised I could pull together a Project Rebirth outfit, it seemed all too appropriate to go get shots there.


Historical photo of the original gate guarding Los Alamos. Huge security measures, including censoring incoming and outgoing letters were undertaken to preserve the secrecy of what they were working on.

Replica of Manhattan Project's Main Gate outpost. Photo by Try'n'Fly Photography
This is a replica of the guard house that stood in Los Alamos and everyone who came to or from the Manhattan Project had to pass through it. The whole mesa was a restricted area, and passes had to be had just to get on it. Further security surrounded a number of the actual scientific sites during the war.

Photo by Try'n'Fly Photography
Post No 1 was the way in to Los Alamos. It was manned by the army and everyone going in our out of the town was checked. Cars were also checked to make sure nothing was smuggled out.


This is a historical photo of Post No. 1 and the Gate at the front of the mesa. The tower is still there today near the Replica of Post No. 1.

Photo by Try'n'Fly Photography
In my head, an obvious choice for duty for Peggy when not needed as a codebreaker or coder could have been administrative in nature. Checking passes could have been on the cards, although unlikely. They probably left that to the menfolk with rifles.

Photo by Try'n'Fly Photography
This tower is one of the few original military locations still standing. It was right across from Post No 1 (see historical photo above) and was in use for quite a long time after the war.

Photo by Try'n'Fly Photography
Fuller Lodge was also used during the Manhattan Project. It was a town hall, mess hall, and dance hall all wrapped into one. It was the centre of the soocial scene in town. If she'd been in town, Peggy would have certainly spent some of her off time here, as frankly, there wouldn't have been a whole lot of options otherwise.

Photo by Try'n'Fly Photography
This site is not just a historical place for the Manhattan Project, but it was an integral part of the Boys Ranch that existed before being taken over for the Project. The boys ate, slept and did all sorts of things here.

Photo by Try'n'Fly Photography
Total head canon stuff here. If Peggy were to be at Los Alamos, she would have likely been working under Groves (on the right) as part of the military personnel, maybe an SSR detachment under the military’s control, as we know that’s how she operated before. Groves was a pretty gruff personage, although capable. I imagine him a lot like Colonel Phillips from TFA.

Photo by Try'n'Fly Photography
I have a feeling Peggy would have seen a lot to like in Oppenheimer. Physically, he and skinny Steve had a lot in common, and he is said to have been a personable man who wanted to do the best he could.

Photo by Try'n'Fly Photography
I know a lot of this is complete fabrication on my part, but I can't shake it. And I'm so thankful I got to put this into action. Thank you once again to Try'n'Fly Photography for making this come true.

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