This will eventually become an Avengers crossover but it begins centered more in Iron Man. Please review if you have the chance-Thank you
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The study was a quiet and cozy room. Oak wood flooring ran the length of the room while a plush red patterned rug sat in the center. A grandiose fireplace took up almost the whole right wall with various knickknacks sitting up the mantel. In front of the fireplace were two overstuffed couches with end tables next to them. On the opposite side of the room were a huge floor length window and a desk. Papers sat in a haphazard pile on the desk along with more knickknacks. To either side of the desk sat enormous bookshelves, filled to the brim with an eclectic collection of books ranging from ancient leather bound tomes on the theories of magic to corny romance novels. Every available space not already in use was filled with vases of dried flowers.
The Lady entered into the study. She was neither old nor young but hauntingly beautiful with bone white skin and an unnatural gaze. She glided over to the desk and carefully perched upon the chair. There were too many papers. She internally groaned to herself at the thought of ever finishing them all. Even if she only took the barest of breaks, it would be eons, eons! Before she completed them all.
Sighing, The Lady grabbed a random paper off the top of the pile and began filling it in. Finishing it, she moved on to the next one. The stack steadily went down until she was finally on the last one. Signing it with a flourish, she waved it away and leaned back in her chair. She had an annoying kink in her neck, most likely from hunching over for so long. She rubbed her neck and moved her head back and forth until with a crack the kink went away. Her right hand was cramping terribly from all the paperwork so she massaged it. The door opened right as her hand was beginning to feel better to reveal a familiar form.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, milady but these just arrived." The Maiden curtsied before waving her hand causing a stack of papers to appear on the desk. The Lady felt like crying. It was never ending! Just when she thought she was finally done, more arrived! She hated her job sometimes. She couldn't cry in front of the Maiden though, that might portray her as weak and she had a reputation to maintain. Dismissing the Maiden, The Lady banged her head on the desk. Why, why did it have to be more paperwork? She wished that there was something, a calamity of some sort which required her attention and would thus get her out of doing paperwork.
Hydra Base
Germany
Michael felt weary. It was seven weeks ago that he was captured by Hydra and since then he had been forced to dig every single day. His hands were just beginning to callous over after blistering open raw spots which burned with every jab of the shovel. The soldiers guarding them only allowed bathroom breaks at designated times and punished those brave (or stupid) enough to ask for more. His friend Spencer was still black and blue from his beating for daring to ask for more bread. Everyone was given a piece of stale bread and a tiny cup of watery milk once a day. The only upside was that at least the prisoners had unlimited water which was somewhat of a cursing as some had taken to drinking extra water to trick their bellies into being more full and thus had to pee more often. The Guards wouldn't let them go though, not unless it was a designated break so some had gone on themselves. The air smelt faintly of piss as a result.
"RISE AND SHINE, SLEEPING BEAUTIES!" A guard bellowed at the door to their cell. Groggily, Michael and the other prisoners stumbled to their feet. Old Chris wasn't quick enough and the guard smacked him with the butt of his baton. Chris cried out, his weathered hands cradling his bleeding scalp as the grumpy guard stalked out of the room to collect the rest of the prisoners. Michael knelt next to him and cleaned the wound as best as he could with only water.
The heavy footsteps of the guard could be heard in the hallway coming back to their cell. Old Chris stood up, still a bit bloodied but not wishing to incur the wrath of the grumpy guard once more.
"Time to get to work!" The prisoners followed the guard down a dank and dark hallway which gradually went downwards until it reached a large cavern. Lights were set up, illuminating an underground dig site. Several prisoners, grungy and tired looking, stood behind another guard. The shift before Michael's looked ready for bed. Several other guards walked with guns visible on their hips around the area while above, there was another floor which looked down. Up on the second floor were several tables with blue prints, schematics and old books laying over which hovered anxious looking men in lab coats.
Michael grabbed his shovel and followed the grumpy soldier who directed him where to begin digging at. Michael struck the ground and fell into his normal routine. Once you got used to it, there was a rhythm to it, one that maximized efficiency. Dig, toss dirt, dig. An eternity seemed to pass and Michael's mind wandered to his family. He hoped his daughter was okay. He hadn't heared anything about his wife, mother or daughter so he hoped that they were all right. Dig, toss dirt, dig, toss dirt.
Thunk. The tip of his shovel hit something. Frowning, Michael knelt down to examine it. Dirt covered about appeared to be a black stone but there was still too much dirt on it to be capable of seeing any more on it. Michael dug out the around the object then grasped it between his two hands and yanked. It was still firmly wedged in the ground. Digging his heels in, he tried once more. Straining, he felt sweat collect on his forehead and his arms begin to burn in protest. Grunting, he felt his arms nearly give out when finally, it came free.
The object was still obscured by dirt so he used his hands to wipe as much off as he could. He squinted at it. It was a stone, about the size of his hand, completely pitch black. There was something on the front but he couldn't quite make it out through the dirt. Grabbing his canteen of water, he dumped a bit over the top and used his hander kerchief to wipe the rest away.
A circle sat inside a triangle with one straight line running through it. Michael stared at it in confusion. What sort of strange symbol was it?
"Hey, what do you have!" An gruff voice shouted behind him. Startled, he nearly dropped in the item in question. A guard stood directly behind him.
"I..uh.." Michael struggled to find the words to say. If he said the wrong thing, the guard would beat him but if he was silent it could be taken as insubordination. He gulped nervously.
"I found it in the ground." He burst out.
The guard grunted and grabbed the stone. The grumpy guard examined the stone before calling out "Hey, get Dr. Furter, I think we got somethin' here." To another one of the guards. The other guard scurried off. Michael gulped. Dr. Furter was the head honcho of this work site and meeting with him either resulted in a prisoner being rewards lavishly or death, there was no in between.
A few minutes later that felt like an eternity to Michael, the guard returned along with another man. The other man wore a white lab coat and wire rimmed spectacles and had short but wild brown hair. Dr. Furter took the stone from the guard and examined it, holding it up in the light to get a better look.
"Ah, yes, yes" He turned it this way and that way, looking for something. Apparently satisfied, he held it close to his chest. "I believe this is it, good job." Michael felt a rising of hope in his chest. Perhaps he would get extra rations tonight. Dr. Furter beamed at Michael, gesturing for the guards to come over. The other guards approached.
"Well done, you've managed to find it." Dr. Furter smiled beatifically. "Unfortunately, your useful is at an end." Panic rose in Michael as the guards raised their guns.
Bang, Bang! Blood drenched the dirt floor. Michael stood stock still as he felt the warm liquid running down his arm where it had splattered. Next to him, Old Chris and Norman both fell to the floor.
Michael inhaled shakily. He looked down and saw a small hole in his chest. He was going to die. He was never going to see his daughter again, she might grow up thinking her father had abandoned her and not knowing the truth. Dr. Furter began barking orders at the guards. Michael felt oddly calm as the red liquid gushed out from his chest. Weakness took over, and his legs gave out. He was dying.
The world blurred, Dr. Furter and the guards becoming dimmer as the world around him faded.
Dr. Furter glanced once more at the clock hanging in the work area. It was almost time. If he didn't get it finished soon, he was screwed. Mopping his sweaty forehead with his handkerchief, he shouted at the guards once more.
"Hurry up! We don't have all day!" He fumbled in his coat before pulling out an ancient tome bound in leather. He opened it to an earmarked page and looked over the ritual once more. It had to be performed exactly or else it wouldn't work. If it worked, though, he would be able to defeat his enemies with ease. The ritual was very particular though, if he was even a second off he would mess the whole thing up and the consequences for that didn't sound very good.
Shaking his head, Dr. Furter focused once more at the task at hand. The clock was close to midnight. The guards finally finished etching the pattern in the dirt. Dr. Furter smiled, they finished it in time.
"Stack the bodies up in the four corners, do it quickly!" He snapped at them. The guards rushed to do his bidding. The bodies were stacked, the pattern complete. The lone female corpse was placed in the center. Dr. Furter watched the clock tick down to midnight. It was go time. He began reading the words from the book. At first he worried he had messed it up somehow as nothing changed.
Fighting against growing pit of despair in his stomach, Dr. Furter ignored the voice in his head screaming at him for being such a failure and continued on. Still nothing happened. The seconds ticked by and no change occurred. Dr. Furter stared futilely at the glowing glyphs. Wait a second, they were glowing! Excitement flowed through him. The glow grew stronger and more noticeable. It was a deep, vivid green. Not exactly a color he would associate with what he was summoning as green typically brought to mind plants and life. Shrugging his shoulders, he finished the chanting with a flourish raising his hands into the air.
Nothing happened. Seconds turned to minutes and still no change. It had to work, it just had to! Dr. Furter felt his hope dying as nothing happened. A few of the guards standing behind him began to snicker. Dr. Furter's face flushed red. Several minutes passed and the snickering turned into full blown laughter. Dr. Furter's face turned purple.
"Don't laugh! I'll be the one laughing when this works and I tan your pathetic hides!" Dr. Furter turned around and snapped at the insolent soldiers. They quit laughing and stared at him with horror. Finally, the insolent pests were showing him the due amount of respect. The guards mouths opened in shock. Dr. Furter felt his ego be appeased as he continued his rant. One of the guards raised a shaking hand to point behind Dr. Furter.
"L-look…" The guard seemed to be in shock. Dr. Furter paused in his tirade. A wind blew against his back. Turning he saw a most strange occurrence. An inky black cloud of something hung in the air in the direct center of the glyphs. What the devil? His heart pounded in his chest. Was it working? The years of research and hunting down those blasted items, had it really paid off at last? Hope bloomed in his chest.
The cloud was unaffected by the wind, in fact the wind appeared to be coming from it. The cloud slowly drifted down before touching the glyph. A bright sickly green light flashed, and lit the cloud. Green lightning arced across it. Strange shapes formed in the cloud, monstrous and utterly alien. Terrifying tentacle monsters grinned only to be replaced by a skull and then the shapes were changing impossibly fast before suddenly coalescing into a long oblong form which dwindled before covering the female body.
Bone white skin was revealed as the cloud drifted into it, forming stylized lines with flowers and dots. Inky black hair spilled into the ground, obscuring the face. Rounded curves, decidedly feminine curves, were revealed as the remaining cloud was sucked into the skin.
She lay there for a few minutes before slowly sitting up. Dr. Furter felt his face flush at the sight of her bare flesh from her perky chest to her narrow waist and the swell of her hips and what lay between her legs.
She became aware of her surroundings slowly, as though waking from a particularly bad night of drinking. Her head felt groggy and everything ached. Once she was awake enough to think she attempted to piece together what had happened. She was nude as she could feel the cold air on her naked flesh and idly wished for a blanket or clothes. Whatever she was lying on was even colder than the air and had a gritty feel to it like dirt.
She felt for the rest of herself but she was only a part but more Harriet then she had been in eons. She could feel some of her magic flowing through her veins, tensing at her command as strange black marks formed on her skin. Gingerly, she sat up and took stock of her surroundings. It was clearly underground, a cavern of some sort judging by the rock walls and dirt floor.
Several men in uniforms stared at her. They appeared to be soldiers and each carried a menacing gun. There was one who was not clad in fatigues and instead totted a white lab coat and wire rimmed spectacles. An ancient tome was in his hands. In front of him were three familiar items, a wooden stick, a pitch black stone and a silvery cloak.
Gracefully, she rose from her position on the ground. If they had those items, then she knew what happened. They actually managed to summon her. She couldn't remember the last time she was in the mortal plane. She was so busy with work that she almost never had a chance to personally leave her realm. She wasn't complete though, lacking her full power. It appeared they had only managed to bring some of her magic with her, nowhere near her true scope but close to what she had as a mortal.
The man in the white coat cleared his throat and then began speaking. "Greetings, Mistress of Death." He conintued on," I, Dr. Furter, have successfully gathered your items, as such you are now bound to my will and command." He boasted.
She bit down the urge to zap him where he stood. Under his command? No, not happening. In her long ago youth she had not been very good at listening to authority and age had not changed that.
Dr. Furter continued on "I order you to defend this base from our attackers."
She raised a dark eyebrow. "You order me?" She tilted her head to the side and inspected him. A darkness, sick and foul grew greedily in his small and pitiful soul. She smiled at him. Striding forward, she stepped over the edge of the glyph with no problem. The soldiers took steps back and clutched their weapons but the doctor was too enchanted by her to notice.
"Ah…ah, yes." He fumbled with his glasses. "I, ah, order you to defend this base."
She reached out a bone white hand and tapped her pointer finger against his chest. A flash of sickly green light and he fell to the floor lifeless. She grinned, stepping over his corpse delicately.
"Who's next?" She asked. The soldiers opened fire. More flashes of light, and their screams echoed throughout the chamber. Adrenaline pumped through her and she laughed. It felt glorious to be alive once more. It had been far too long. She felt like dancing or drinking herself silly. She dodged another shot, barely, and her heart rate accelerated. She shot out another deadly spell and the soldier fell leaving only one left.
He dropped his gun and ran. She let him go. Looking down, she realized that she was still nude. The black marks still flowed over her marble skin, a clear sign of who she was. Grimacing, she willed them away. This was her opportunity for a vacation. She couldn't remember the last time she was out of that dratted office or got away from that desk. They would have to drag her back kicking and screaming.
Theoretically, if her current body was destroyed then she would be forced to return but due to a loop hole she could stay in the mortal realm as long as that didn't happen. Unfortunately the only way into the mortal realm was by summoning and she could only be summoned on one freaking planet. She was positive her boss had stuck that part in just to spite her. If someone attempted to summon her elsewhere, like Asgard, it would not work.
Focusing her magic, she conjured a simple dress. Nothing flashy to draw attention to herself, not until she was off the base at least. The more she killed, the more likely she was to be caught by her boss.
Tentatively opening the door, she looked both ways down the long hallway. It was grungy, with swinging lights. A loud boom shook some dirt loose and rattled the hallway. The enemies of the doctor had arrived. It would be best if she avoided attention from them too.
She paused in the doorway. She felt like she was forgetting something. She had that nagging suspicion in the back of her head that always occurred when she left the house without the grocery list and didn't realize it was at home still until arriving at the store.
Ah, her items. Doubling back, she grabbed the trio of items. The cloak would certainly be useful in escaping unnoticed.
"What are you doing here?" A man's voice startled her. She nearly dropped the cloak before turning to face the owner of the voice. He was handsome with dark hair and a strong jaw line. He entered the room. Following behind him were two soldiers clad in uniforms markedly different then the dead soldiers. The doctor's enemies moved more quickly then she thought. Cursing to herself, she hurriedly thought of an excuse. She had killed enough men already.
"I, uh, have no idea. It was terrible, this strange doctor kidnapped me!" She batted her long lashes for effect and willed her eyes to water. She sobbed, "Please don't hurt me!"
The man gave her a surprised look. The soldiers didn't aim their guns at her though so hopefully they were buying it. She cried some more, big fat crocodile tears running down her cheeks.
"I just wanna go h-home." She hyperventilated. The man in front recovered first, gently speaking.
"It will be okay, miss. Just take a deep breathe in, can you do that?" He said.
She pretended to do as he instructed while discretely hiding the cloak behind her back. A careful twist of her hands and it was safe in her sub space pocket. The soldiers spread out to search the room.
"I'm Howard Stark, can you tell me your name?" He asked gently as he handed her a handkerchief. She dabbed her eyes with it. She had no idea what to tell him. She couldn't exactly give him her real name.
"Rose Weasley." She said.
"Well, Ms. Weasley, if you'll follow me and these gentlemen out we can make sure you make it home safely." He assured her.
"O-ok…thank you." She smiled weakly at him.
"It looks like they attempted some sort of ritual." The soldiers finished their survey of the room.
"Was there any sign of him?" Howard asked.
"No, sir." Howard seemed to deflate at the soldier's words.
"Let's head back to the base. The others can finish up here and I'm sure Ms. Weasley is anxious to be out of here." He grinned at her but it didn't quite reach his eyes.
She wondered who he was looking for. Shaking her head, she reminded herself it wasn't any of her business. As soon as she could, she ditch these soldiers and get out so she could have some fun. Just being in this realm made her feel alive, surely partying would be even better.
She ended up in the middle of the group, presumably because it was safer. It wasn't until they got outside that she was able to figure out the era she had been brought to. A tattered newspaper, half covered in mud, proclaimed the end of WWII. Despite the mud covering it, the newspaper had not yellowed and was still somewhat legible meaning it was more recent. More men in uniform bustled about, covering the deceased of both sides in sheets and going through the items left behind.
She ended up sandwiched between two soldiers as they drove back to their base. Their base was what appeared to be a normal farm house out in the country side. A few cows meandered around in the barn yard and she could hear chickens clucking in the back ground. The smell of manure made her wrinkle her nose. The house was large but simple with white clapboards on the outside. They led her inside and below, revealing a complex looking underground set of well-lit tunnels. A strange logo was on everything.
Frowning, she tried to recall where she had seen that symbol. It almost looked like a -Shield! That's where she knew it from. These men must be soldiers for that spy organization. They were mostly a decent lot, if her memory was serving her right but sometimes things got a bit muddled, living as long as she had. Howard took her to a sitting area with over stuffed couches and the heavy smell of coffee, leaving the soldiers behind.
"Do you care for a cup of coffee? "
"Tea, if you have any." She smiled politely. He nodded and disappeared. Seizing her chance, she stood and began to look for a way out. The down side of having a mortal body was that she was heavily limited in her magic. Normally she could go wherever she wanted just by thinking of it but mortal magic required her actually having visited the place. Thus she was reduced to sneaking around like a common criminal.
There was only one door in the room and it led back to the hallway. There were a few windows as well but the basement windows were too small for her to fit through. The door was her only way out.
The cloak would be useful. Glancing at the door to make sure no one was coming; she quickly pulled the cloak out of her sub space pocket. The silvery material was cool to the touch and holding it once more felt like welcoming an old friend back.
"So am I correct in assuming that you weren't really kidnapped? That cloak does not look like something a poor kidnapped girl would just carry around." A familiar voice cut through her thoughts. Startled, she turned to face Howard. He had an amused look on his face and was carrying what appeared to be a steaming cup of tea. No use lying after being caught red handed.
"Haven't you heard?" She smiled as he tensed, reaching towards his hip. "Assuming makes an ass of you." She was quicker, sending out a stupefy before he could grab his pocket gun. She caught him and the tea in a gentle levitation spell and set both down on the floor. He had genuinely wanted to help her and there was something about him that intrigued her, though if asked she wouldn't be able to name it. Perhaps it was just his handsome face but there was a brightness about his soul that she had not seen in a while. Reaching down, she rummaged through his pockets. He had a few random sketches of something mechanical done on napkins, a pocket watch and best of all, a leather wallet stuffed full with cash. Five hundred was more then enough for her to begin with. Grabbing the cash, she whispered an apology to the unconscious man.
Pulling the cloak on, she carefully moved around the unconscious man. The hallway was noisy, she could hear the soldiers and others throughout the house talking and joking with one another. Luckily, no one was in the hallway and it was wide which meant sneaking would be easier. Quietly taking a step, she set off the way she had entered.
One of the floorboards creaked loudly as she stepped on it. Cursing to herself, she froze. No one seemed to have noticed. She continued and managed to reach the front door. Standing to the side of it, she waited for someone to open it. Minutes passed, which felt like an eternity to her. Her heart beat and breathing sounded thunderous to her. Howard should still be out cold for an hour or two but that didn't mean that she wanted to diddle daddle around. The sooner she was far, far away the better.
"I'm tellin' ya, she wants a bigger rock." A gruff masculine voice spoke.
"I can't afford anything bigger, those suckers cost an arm and a leg." Another voice answered. The door swung open and two men walked in.
"If you wanna keep her, you gotta pay the price." The first one spoke again.
"I know, I know." The second one sighed and went to shut the door behind him. She dashed forward and slipped through just as the door was closing. The outside appeared like a normal farm except for the extra vehicles parked in front. She contemplated stealing one but that would probably draw too much attention to her. They passed through a small town that wasn't that far away, she could probably make it in an hour if she jogged.
No one was outside except for the animals. The cows were contently chewing and the chickens had just been fed cracked corn, clucking excitedly over the food. She walked down the gravel drive way. It felt very strange to be walking outside in the middle of the day. The sun was warm on her skin, the cloak did little to block it. The air had the crisp taste of fall on it, and the corn in the fields was yellow and looked ready to harvest.
Honk! A grey goose glared at her. It shouldn't be able to see her, not with the cloak on yet its beady black eyes followed her. She stepped to the right and attempted to walk around it. The goose lunged for her leg, apparently it could see her. She grimaced as its small teeth bit into her left leg. Shaking her leg, she desperately tried to dislodge the dang bird. It doggedly hung on, digging deeper into her leg. What did she do to offend the bird so much? She cast a quick water spell aimed at its head, just enough to temporarily startle it. The bird gave an indignant honk and let go. She scrambled away. She really needed to pay better attention to her surroundings.
After putting a decent amount of distance between herself and the angry goose, she slowed down. Checking her leg, she saw it was bleeding. Not enough to worry about it though. Going on foot was taking too long, she decided. Focusing, she felt her bones shift as her magic flowed over her. A few seconds later, she took off in her feathered form.
Flying was wonderful, the feel of the air rushing through her black wing feathers made her feel alive. Tucking her wings in, she dived down. Almost hitting the ground, she pulled up at the last second and pumped her wings to return to her previous height. The world looked different from above, everything appeared small. The area was mostly farm land, rolling fields of corn and wheat ready for harvest. She guessed it to be September or October, and she was probably some where in America. She would find out more once she reached the town.
The quaint town of Rodell stuck out like a sore thumb from the surrounding country side. Several brightly colored shops lined the streets, and she could see children riding bikes and playing various games outside. Swooping down, she landed in a secluded part of the park which was located in the center of the town. Changing shape, she looked down at herself. Her clothes were a bit grungy and the cut on her leg stuck out. The men from Shield would be looking for someone wearing a white dress so she cleaned up and then transfigured her dress into a grey skirt and white blouse. Her hair could also give her away so she briefly lightened it to a brown and darkened her skin, giving it a healthy looking tan. The magic on her skin and hair would not stick long, from personal experience she knew it was near impossible given what she was for it to stay for long but she just needed a small bit of time.
Satisfied with her new appearance, she left the bushes and strolled down the pathway toward the shops. All she needed was a map and to know where she was. Knowing when she was would probably be useful too. Exiting the small park, she spotted a general goods store. It was small and welcoming; with brightly colored signs advertising soda pop for a dime and household goods.
At the counter stood a middle aged man with balding hair. He greeted her with a cheery smile and a wave. The store sold a bit of everything, milk and dairy products to laundry soap. The store did not, however, sell clothes but there was a small emergency sewing kit on display. She grabbed a couple bottles of root beer and a map.
"Is that all?" He asked politely when she reached the counter.
"Yes, thank you."
He rang her up, and she handed over the cash.
"You're from out of town, aren't you?" He questioned as he handed her the receipt and change.
"Ah, yes, I am. Just passing through."
"You from England?" He appeared to be inquisitive.
"Yes, it's been awhile since I was there. I should get going, do you by any chance know when the next train is leaving?"
"Yeah, the next one for New York leaves in about," he glanced up at the clock, "twenty minutes. If you hurry I think you can make it."
"Thank you." She said as she grabbed her drinks and left. She remembered spotting a train station when she flew overhead, hopefully she could make it in time. She could probably fly the whole way but her muscles weren't exactly built up and she would be very sore and tired if she did that. As it was, her mouth was parched just from the short flight she had. She would need to work out a lot before she could fly regularly in her animagus form.
Opening one of her root beers, she drank it as she walked down the side walk. Several shoppers meandered around the shops, arms laden with bags. A few boys ran by, shrieking in delight. A baker swept her door step in front of her shop. Several women sat under the strange hair dryers that looked like helmets, gossiping with one another at the salon. The door to the salon was open and she could hear snatches of their conversations as she walked by.
They gave her horrible flashbacks to her Aunt Petunia. She couldn't remember the last time she had thought of her long dead aunt. This whole town screamed ordinary, it would have been heaven for Petunia. Finishing her bottle, she came up on the train station. There was a wooden platform, with a few people milling about and a booth to buy tickets at.
She bought her ticket then sat at one of the benches. It was an hour at least since she left, Howard would be waking up soon if he hadn't already. She glanced anxiously at the clock. It was almost four. The schedule for the train that was posted at the booth said that the next train would be in at four. Her arms and legs ached slightly and her mouth still felt dry. Popping open another drink, she savored the sweet and bubbly taste of the root beer.
She would need a place to stay. She didn't need anything fancy, not to begin with. She would have to find an apartment or something, and then get more clothes. She couldn't keep wearing the same dress, that would be gross. More shoes and undergarments were needed as well. She sighed, already envisioning her money dwindling. She would definitely need a source of income.
Two familiar looking men walked up to the ticket booth. She turned away, they would still be looking for someone with black hair in a white dress. As long as they didn't see her face she should be okay, she reassured herself. Still, she could feel her heart rate increase in anxiety. A steam whistle blew loudly and she could hear the train tracks shriek. Standing, she saw a black metal train come into the station. Finishing her second root beer, she threw the empty bottle out. The train came to a full stop. The doors slid open and people rushed out of the train. Most appeared to be workers, likely commuting from this small town to the city for work. She stood up and moved towards the doors.
Entering the train, she was surprised to see how clean the inside was. The train had tan cushioned seats and linoleum flooring that gleamed in the light, it was so clean. The large windows let in a great deal of light, making the train appear welcoming. She sat down and looked out a window. One of the soldiers saw her and started towards the train. The doors shut and the train lurched forward leaving a cursing man behind. She smiled to herself.
The sunlight streaming in felt pleasantly warm against her face. The ride was bumpy but soothing in a way all train rides were. She felt her eyes drift shut.