literature

Across the Universe 41: Eight Days a Week Pt 1

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Literature Text

Pairing: TonyxScarlett (OC)
Universe:
Iron Man MCU Pre-Avengers
Theme:
Action, Drama, Romance

Atu by Khadrimx

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            By the early hours of the next morning S.H.I.E.L.D. crews that had been sent to decontaminate and search the site in the mall in New Jersey had at last returned. Much to everyone’s surprise they’d come back with a rather fruitful haul. The security station had been nearly untouched therefore all the camera footage had been obtained and reviewed by the same crew for anything of note. Most of the cameras in the area of the attack had been completely destroyed but up until the moment they had gone offline had been recording onto a hard drive that was only overwritten at the end of each month. S.H.I.E.L.D. was more thankful than ever for the digital age.

            Amongst the shadowy mass that Scarlett had fought in the department store something else had been spotted, even if only in a few frames. One of the younger S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on the case had made the discovery and was beside herself with all the praise she was receiving on her find. There was a young girl hidden within the shadows, crouched low and rocking back and forth, at least that’s what it appeared to be by the few frames they’d managed to catch.

            Those frames had then been handed over to Julianna (Jinx) who had wasted no time cleaning them up. Within that same hour she had isolated the figure of the girl in the frame and had blown up the image. There was no way to enhance the image past the quality of the video but she had been able to refine what was already there with the software provided to her by S.H.I.E.L.D. She was something of an artist at times so no one was surprised when she’d managed to provide them with a relatively clear image of the little girl’s face.

            Afterward Coulson had decided it would be best if they ran the woman’s face through recognition software. Unfortunately the database was rather large and it would take some time to get a match. Even with S.H.I.E.L.D. resources and technology that was far beyond most other agencies they had to rely on ones provided to them by the United States government for this task and there was little to be done to hurry those along.

            “Do you think this will work?” Natasha approached Scarlett who was watching the faces flicker by alongside the image of the girl that they’d met in Massachusetts the night before. Scarlett wanted to be there when the database was done. She knew there was something to this little girl whether or not anyone else did. If there was no record of her in the United States she’d speak with Daniel to see if he had any contacts in other organizations around the world who could help them. The monstrosity they’d fought that night may not have been of earth but Scarlett was almost completely sure that little girl was. She kept trying to recall the things the girl had said. Were there any tells in her voice? Little hints of an accent? It was hard to distinguish much of anything outside of the wailing cries. Terror sounded the same in every language.

            Even the way the demon had spoken, it was like he’d been taught only very little English to begin with and what he knew, he didn’t completely understand.

            “I don’t know.” Scarlett folded her arms over her chest and bit back the sting that ran through her shoulder and down her back. “I’ve got a feeling.”

            “So now you’re going with feelings, huh?”

            “My gut has kept me alive for many years. I’ve decided to stop questioning it.” Scarlett scoffed then side eyed her shorter friend. “How’s your head?”

            “Vision blurs in and out but nothing debilitating. I’ve definitely had worse.” Natasha smirked and cocked an eyebrow then nodded her head. “How’s your shoulder?”

            “The bandage limits my shoulder rotation a bit so I’ve had to adapt but otherwise fine.” Scarlett lied. Both women stood in silence side by side for a minute. “Do you remember that night…”

            “Stabbed in the back, nearly went completely through to the other side.” Natasha nodded her head in memory. Despite the horrendous sound of the wound she couldn’t help but smile. “Was worried it struck a nerve but you checked for me and it was fine.”

            “I was more worried about tetanus.”

            “Yeah, well rusty nails to the hand will do that too.” Natasha nudged Scarlett just slightly. Both women stood quietly, neither elaborating on the memory they were sharing but rather enjoying it internally. They both missed those days, in a weird way. There was less to worry about when they worked alone. “Do you remember what you said when I suggested we go get medical help?”

            “Yeah, I said I know a guy.”

            “I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a long time, Damien, but Johnny Walker does not count as a guy.”

            “If I remember correctly neither of us felt any pain after our visit, thank you very much.”

            “Only for a few hours.”

            “Oh, come on, I took care of it for you!” Scarlett finally turned away from the screen to face Natasha who did the same.

            “And didn’t take care of yours. I know how you operate.”

            “Ah, I knew you had a point somewhere in there. Don’t worry Tasha, I’m fine.” Scarlett turned back to the screen and Natasha relaxed.

            “We should grab drinks after this is over.”

            “Are you asking me out? Well, Miss Romanoff I’ll have you know that I’m no longer single.”

            “We can call it a ladies night. Is that right?” Natasha scowled at the sound of it. “I take that back.”

            “No, I like it. We’ll redefine ladies night. Who gave that phrase such a negative connotation anyway?”

            “So, you’re in?”

            “I’m in.” Scarlett sighed, watching the pictures flash by. If this didn’t work it’d take considerably longer to search foreign databases. As slow as the US database was it was still one of the most advanced available. Other countries were still muddling through weaker technology and soon the investigation would be at a standstill. Bruce and Tony had redesigned the trap that they’d built but still, it was only a temporary solution, at least Scarlett thought so. It seemed as though the girl that was trapped within that creature had an impact on him. If they could reach the girl, maybe the whole thing could be stopped without any further bloodshed.

            “I might have something of note.” Natasha tilted her head at the picture of the girl they’d seen. She wasn’t sure the girl could be saved. Hell, she wasn’t sure the girl was of any use at all. From what she witnessed the girl could’ve been used to lure them in. Why Scarlett had gotten so sentimental toward the girl was beyond her but she was sure she’d eventually be able to press her further about it.

            “And you’re waiting until now to tell me about it?”

            “I said might, that’s why. I don’t really see what value it will have…”

            “Spit it out.”

            “That creature was reciting something near the end. I recognized little bits of it as it spoke… I couldn’t remember where at first so I checked online and sure enough, I was right.” Natasha pursed her lips in a smile. “Really messed up children’s book actually. It’s called The Little Match Girl. It’s about this poor girl who is sent to sell matches and isn’t allowed to return home until she’s sold them all. It’s freezing cold and the holidays. No one is interested in her matches and so, chilled to the bone, she strikes one to keep warm. In the fire she sees something comforting so she strikes another until they’re all gone. In the morning they find her dead body huddled with the spent matches.”

            “Wow, that’s uplifting.” Scarlett scoffed but noted it in the back of her mind. What child could relate to such a harrowing tale of a little girl? A troubled one, no doubt.

            “It’s beautiful really. I’d read it years ago but never would’ve remembered it off hand.”

            “You and I have very different standards of beauty.”

            “Don’t pretend you’re any less sick and twisted than I am.” Natasha rolled her eyes and smiled a little. “I wasn’t sure it would be of any help but since we’re all going into the field together I figured you should know.”

            “I’ll let Steve know if it comes up.” Scarlett took a step closer to the screen and was just about to turn away when there was a shrill beeping.

            “We found her!” Jinx jumped up from behind the computer. They’d forgotten she was still there, the woman behind the technology. “Hold on, let me get her file.” With a few swift clicks the screen changed.

            “Missing Persons.” Scarlett quickly took in the information. Sure enough the picture that had been submitted to the local police department matched the sad little girl that they’d met earlier that night, only now she was worse for wear. “Caitlyn Smothers.”

            “Hamburg, New Jersey… that’s not far from here.” Natasha scowled, looking over the police report. “She was in a private run facility for orphaned children. Transferred in six months back from somewhere in Fishkill.”

            “Probably bounced around from home to home.” Scarlett shook her head in dismay. “Jinx call up the institution and speak to whoever’s in charge. See if we can come by to take a look at her things and ask a few questions as soon as possible.”

            “Already on the lookout. It seems as though a Sister Marianne is in charge?”

            “Great, a nun.” Scarlett grumbled. “My favorite.”

            “You seem to know quite a bit about this stuff. From experience, maybe?”

            “Wouldn’t you like to know?” Scarlett grinned mysteriously and then walked away. “Everyone get ready to head out. We’ve wasted enough time.”

            “I’m driving.” Natasha nodded as she followed behind Scarlett.

            “Not arguing.” Scarlett led her out through the hallway. Jinx watched them go then picked up the phone and spoke to the nun in charge of the orphanage who agreed to meet them when they arrived in Hamburg. Then she quickly began packing up her equipment.

            “Need some help?” Mickey joined her quickly. Scarlett had found her on the way through the S.H.I.E.L.D. building to the garage provided and warned her they were on their way south as soon as possible.

            “Always!” Jinx nodded contently and the two continued to quietly pack their supplies. Jinx had set up in the situation room for the long haul but now that the young girl had been tracked down she’d have to relocate. With any luck another team would do that for her while she was out with Captain Rogers and Miss Damien. “Where have you been anyway? It’s boring here without you.”

            “Weren’t Damien and Romanoff with you?” Mickey laughed as though it were impossible to be bored with those two around.

            “They were for a time but Scarlett’s sorta scary when it’s just her.” Jinx pouted. “I don’t think she likes me very much.”

            “You pretty much greeted her and told her she had the shadow of death on her. Can you blame her for avoiding further conversation?”

            “Someone had to warn her! It was the right thing to do.”

            “See, this is how you get into trouble. Did Coulson give you the new earpiece for Scarlett and Steve? He wants everything tapped from here on in and transmitted back to the building. Digital backups of everything so we won’t have any repeats of yesterday.”

            “Yeah, he told me. I programmed these new ones so that they’d record a limited backup on the device for about forty minutes in case the interference of that portal keeps us from linking up with them just in case.”

            “Smart thinking!” Mickey smiled brightly.

            “Where were you though? You avoided the question.” Jinx helped place the last bit of technology on the cart that they’d wheel to the garage and Mickey began to pull it away.

            “I was helping our Asgardian visitor get situated.” Mickey’s cheeks instantly began to burn. Jinx giggled at once, making no attempt to hide her amusement. “Oh, shut up.”

            “You’re face is as red as a tomato how could I possibly shut up?”

            “He’s very intimidating, that’s all.”

            “If by intimidating you mean incredibly handsome with a face carved by baby angels, then sure.”

            “I know that we were briefed on his existence after the incident in New Mexico on a need to know basis but even after watching the security footage he’s far different in person! Heck, I only half believed he was real until he showed up in a flash of lightning.”

            “You know who he reminds me of?” Jinx tapped her fingers on the back of the cart as she made sure that nothing fell off.

            “Who?”

            “The lusty fish monger in our new book…” Jinx’s smile spread from ear to ear. Mickey’s face turned even redder.

            “Don’t go there! We have to work with him with a straight face!”

            “Come on, long flowing blond hair, bright blue eyes, jaw that drive’s a girl mad… and you know he’s ripped. He’s a god! A real life god. Judging by those arms, what’s underneath that armor is something to be…”

            “Save it for your fan fiction, okay?” The two friends joked until they reached the garage where they saw Steve, Scarlett, and Natasha all speaking in hushed voices with Phil Coulson who was briefing them on what they were to do next. Scarlett seemed to only be sort of paying attention. It was obvious, even to Mickey and Jinx, that Scarlett had a real problem taking orders from anyone. Eventually that was going to have to be addressed.

            The drive to Hamburg from Downtown Manhattan was about two hours long but with the way Natasha drove it was only about ninety minutes. Steve wasn’t exactly pleased by that.

            “These are for you.” Jinx swiveled her chair in the back of the van and turned to face the open doors where Scarlett and Steve now stood. Scarlett was adjusting her leather jacket to make sure that her gun fit snuggly in the new holster she’d gotten from the folks at S.H.I.E.L.D. and remained as discreet as possible. The authorities in New Jersey were very strict about concealed weapons and while Scarlett’s fancy new S.H.I.E.L.D. badge would let her get away with a number of things, she still wished to remain cautious. Old habits died hard. Besides, the thrill of breaking even a minor law was fun for her. Why was she trying to be a good guy again? Did the others have to remind themselves this frequently that doing bad things shouldn’t be considered fun? One look at Natasha told her that yes, some of them did, but as she saw Steve shifting uncomfortably without his shield in his arms, she knew that some of them most certainly didn’t.

            “Sorry about the last one.” Scarlett took the earpiece that Jinx had handed to her and slipped it beneath her mass of curled hair and into place. It clicked to life and Scarlett noticed that on the screen in front of Mickey data immediately began transmitting from Scarlett, including her location and her vitals. “Fancy tech.”

            “Do not break this one.” Jinx held onto Steve’s before handing it to him. He smiled sheepishly and then placed it in his ear just as Scarlett had done.

            “I’ll do my best.”

            “One more thing.” Natasha finally spoke, having kept quiet from the driver’s side of the van. She leaned over the side of the seat to look at them both. “Try not to draw suspicion to what we really think. Right now your story is you’re from a government organization and you suspect that Caitlyn crossed the state line so you’re hoping to get more insight into her case.”

            “Yeah, I’m not sure anything we say can make the nun suspect that we’re hunting demons from another universe.” Scarlett rolled her eyes and Natasha narrowed hers playfully in response.

            “You know what I meant. Oh and try not to scare the nun. I hear they’re rather god-fearing.”

            “I have the utmost respect for religious authorities.” Steve nodded his head seriously. He could be intimidating to people who didn’t know that he was such a genuinely good guy. After all, muscular men over six feet tall with a serious demeanor didn’t always read as super friendly.

            “I was talking to Scarlett.” Natasha retorted.

            “Me? Why me?” Scarlett was only slightly offended. Mostly she enjoyed giving Natasha a hard time.

            “You know why.”

            “Fine, I’ll be nice I guess.” Scarlett sighed dramatically and turned away. “Let’s go Rogers.” Scarlett grabbed the file that was filled with the official police report that had been taken after Caitlyn had gone missing weeks prior. She flipped through the pages as they walked and held it wide enough for Steve to look when she noticed he was trying to read over her shoulder. “On second thought, Romanoff, what happens if I burst into flames when I step inside?” Scarlett winced when she saw that the old brick building where the orphaned children lived was attached to a rather archaic looking church.

            “Then you douse yourself in holy water like the rest of us. Probably like ten thousand hail mary prayers or something.” Natasha whispered back through her earpiece and Scarlett smirked.

            “I can teach you the rosary if you think it would help.” Steve joked and Scarlett looked impressed.

            “No thanks, I think I’ll take my chances.” Scarlett started up the stone steps to the church and grabbed the large steel handle on the door. “Just in case, maybe you should go first.” She pushed open the door and held it open for Steve who walked past her.

            “I thought I was supposed to be the gentleman.”

            “Whoever started that rumor that only men can do nice things for women and have it mean something should be kicked in the shins for all eternity. I think that’s some kind of biblical punishment, right?”

            “I don’t remember the kicked in the shins chapter of the bible, I’m sorry.” Steve smiled softly but then cleared his throat as they walked together between pews and toward the priest who came to meet them at the end of it. He greeted them politely and introduced himself as Father Caglietti.

            “It’s a real shame about young Caitlin. I’ve only been with this particular church for a few months.” He smiled kindly and directed his gaze away from them remorsefully. “I’m afraid I hadn’t gotten the chance to get to know her very well before her disappearance.”

            “But you were here when she disappeared?” Steve spoke kindly but respectfully. He was much better at dealing with these polite people than Scarlett was. At first she’d thought Natasha had been teasing her about not scaring the religious authorities but now she was taking it to heart.

            “I wasn’t actually here the day they made the report no, but I was alerted that she had disappeared that night. I assure you that we’ve searched the surrounding areas to the best of our abilities and there was no sign of her.”

            “I’m sure you did everything you could, father.” Scarlett tried her best to sound official but also remorseful. She thought she was doing okay, she’d have to ask Steve how well she’d played the role after they were done. It’d been awhile since Scarlett had had to pretend to be anything but herself. She used to pretend all the time for her job, but now her job was different so there had been little need to practice any acting skills. Besides, there was very little kindness in the roles she’d always excelled at playing.

            “I wish I could say I did.” Averting his eyes still Father Caglietti sighed with a heavy heart. “Caitlyn was a troubled young girl. I’m afraid I did very little to help her. She wouldn’t even look me in the eyes. I think she was frightened by me. Poor girl…” He shook his head in dismay. “You’ll have to speak with Sister Marianne if you want to know more. She has the name of her social worker and had built a rapport with the young woman. Well, as much as one could.”

            “We were told that Sister Marianne would be willing to speak with us. Can we trouble you to find her?” Steve kept up his charming demeanor and the father nodded his head.

            “Yes of course. Please, follow me.” He led them through a side door in the cathedral. There were several doors on either side then a hallway that looked as though it had been built onto the church years after its original construction to connect the two buildings. “Sister Marianne? These two agents are here to speak with you about Caitlyn.”

            “Oh, yes, yes! Just one moment.” A short, heavy set woman rose to her feet out of her chair with respect. “If you’ll just give me one moment.”

            “Yes, of course. We’ll be right out here in the hall.” Steve guided Scarlett back into the hallway. The priest excused himself, rubbing his hand over his balding head and then walked back toward the church.

            “This place feels… lonely.” Scarlett sighed, walking to the opposite side of the hallway where she could see out the window into the short span of property behind the building. There was a small, ancient looking playground and faded grass. There were several groups of small children playing together and a few teens huddled in a group near the fence. Several nuns were with them keeping an eye on them. It all seemed very sad to Scarlett.

            “This touch a nerve?” Steve whispered, standing next to her.

            “What?” Scarlett didn’t realize she’d felt bad for the children without parents until he’d said something. It must have been written all over her demeanor. That was a very bad habit she would have to quickly break.

            “Were you an orphan?”

            “What?” She reiterated. “Me? No, no. God, no. It’s just sad is all. Why does everyone think that today?” Scarlett shrugged and looked out at the children. “I know sometimes it’s unavoidable to leave a child parentless but so much of it is carelessness or selfishness. It’s a real shame.”

            “Finally, something we agree on.” Steve grinned but couldn’t continue the conversation when Sister Marianne came out of her tiny office, looking disheveled. Her face was red and she was out of breath as though she’d done some heavy lifting recently. A few curls of dark brown hair were sticking out of her white cotton cap. She barely reached five feet in height but she had an air about her. Scarlett could tell just by looking at the woman that she had dedicated her life to these children in every way possible. She wore the weight of the world on her shoulders but seemed proud to bear such a burden.

Hey, sorry for the long time no update but the last few weeks were simply... well, busy! I was preparing for NaNoWriMo and my sister was here visiting last weekend, then of course, Halloween. I can't guarantee I'll update every week during NaNo but I have this two part-er here because... well I had way too much fun! Ugh, what a great group these guys are, I want to draw them altogether. :3 Enjoy!

First: Chapter One: Tomorrow Never Knows
Previous: Chapter Forty: Yesterday
Next: Chapter Forty One: Eight Days a Week Pt 2

Disclaimer: Marvel, the Marvel Universe, The Avengers, SHIELD, Iron Man and any characters therein do not belong to me but to their respective creators! I simply enjoy writing tributes to them.

Other Stories:

Iron Clad: Glass Heart
Iron Clad: Hollow Scars
One Small Spark: A Killjoys Fan Fiction
Between the Edge and Forever: A Killjoys One Shot
The Aftermath: A Zelda Fan Fiction
The Staff of Dreams: A Harry Potter Fan Fiction
Cursed: An Original Story


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mcaputo123187's avatar
This chapter was like "law & order".........but with super heroes (that's an interesting thought XD) well off to the next chapter *dun,dun*