Logan went to work normally the next day, only to have Drew question her on where she ended up going. She told him she was tired and took a cab, explaining that Tony walked her to the car and she had no idea where he went after that. Drew was aware of Logan's dislike toward Tony and didn't push further, thankfully.
As the day went on, Logan kept thinking to herself about that night and what had happened between her and Tony. She did feel somewhat ashamed for giving in to his advances, but not so much about anything else. She knew what would happen the next morning, and she was okay with it. She was never one for relationships, she wasn't good at the commitment it required and the trust that went into one, so she never bothered with one. Tony Stark was just the same, and Logan thought that was what drew her to make the decision to spend the night with him after all, because she knew she could handle the 'no strings attached' attitude that Tony had. However, if anyone ever found out, she would be seen as another woman that Tony slept with and never bothered calling again, and she didn't want that. The media attention on Tony was astounding, and she wanted no part in his scandals.
''Logan, get your camera, we're out!'' Drew told her hurriedly, running past her desk.
Logan didn't have time to question him, instead she followed his instruction and grabbed her camera and carry bag, ready for whatever it was they were heading off to. It wasn't until they reached the building car park that Drew had enough breath to tell her what was going on.
''Stark Industries press conference!'' he choked out, jumping into the drivers' seat. ''It wasn't scheduled, something must be going on.''
''Did Collins tell you?''
''No, it was online.''
''Then how do you kn-'' Logan was cut off by the car zooming from the car park, launching her back into her seat. ''How do you know it's actually going on?''
''Live video feed. Reporters turning up all over the place, we gotta get there quick.''
Logan held onto her carry bag and camera, hoping they made it there in one piece. The thing about Drew was that he was so passionate about his work that it often overtook him, possessed him like a demon, and there was no stopping him once he started.
When they arrived, Logan saw that everything Drew told her was true. There were reporters everywhere, running into the building, and Drew stopped the car urgently, telling Logan that they would definitely lose each other in there, but to meet back at the car when it was over, promising that he wouldn't leave. Logan grabbed everything ran ran inside behind Drew, rushing to get a good spot to take photos. Drew ran the opposite way to where the reporters were, blending in with the crowd, and then they began getting ready for whatever was about to happen.
Obadiah Stane walked out first, looking quite solemn and serious while a few Stark Industries team members followed behind. Logan could see Tony's assistant, Pepper Potts, off to the side standing silently, a dazed expression on her face. Whatever was going on, it was serious. It was moments of great anticipation when Obadiah took to the microphone in front of him, taking a few deep breaths to ready himself for what he was about to say. Logan took a few snaps, capturing the moment, evening taking a photo of the crowd as their gaze was fixed on the man, readying themselves. The reporters were all silent, sensing something terrible, and Logan didn't know what to expect.
''It is with great sadness and regret that I have the duty to inform you of a terrible incident that has taken place in Afghanistan during a weapons demonstration.'' he began, his voice low and coarse. ''Vehicles that were carrying armed troops were attacked on their way back from the demonstration area, and Mr. Tony Stark was inside those vehicles.'' The crowd gasped, reporters shouting questions and cameras going crazy. Logan held her camera, but she didn't take any photos, she was frozen for a few moments out of shock. ''The location of Mr. Stark, or the knowledge of his health, are unknown and...there is little hope. I'm deep sorry, no further comment will be made until more is known.''
''Mr. Stane, who will be taking Mr. Stark's position?'' One of the reporters asked, disrespectfully.
Logan expected Stane to turn around and yell at the man for his lack of sympathy, but instead he answered very calmly.
''From this moment on, I will be CEO of Stark Industries until further notice.''
The Stark Industries staff left the room, and the reporters began running out the room in hopes to get back to their office to be the first to write about the incident. Logan looked over to Drew who stood expressionless, writing a few things down. He had grown fond of Tony over the past week since he had given Drew so many opportunities and acted as such a friend to him, and now he was gone, possibly dead and never to be seen again.
Logan stayed where she was, holding her camera in her hands, clutching at it. Tony was gone, he was really gone. Lost in a whole other country, taken and presumably dead. It was too surreal to think about, she was only talking to him the night before, hours before he left, watching him laugh and talk to her, completely at ease, and now he was gone, just like that. It wasn't as if Logan was in love with the man, but there was a certain pain in her chest at the thought of him being dead, he didn't deserve that.
''We should probably get back.'' Drew told her, breaking her from her trance.
Logan didn't say anything, only nodded in agreement as she followed him out. To the car and during the ride back to the office, they said nothing to each other, both trying to come to terms with what had happened. It would be all over newspapers, all over television, and what Logan hated the most was that she had the job now to print photo after photo of the conference, reliving being told, and selling the story.
Logan looked at the wall in front of her desk, listening to the tapping of the keys of her co-workers, but today it didn't annoy her like it used to, instead she didn't notice anything but the blank wall in front of her. The little notches in it, the scratches, the color, the bland tone and the blank canvas it was. She had no idea how long she had been sitting like this, just staring at the wall. In front of her on the desk were photos of Tony Stark, many of them, which she had to sort through and decide which ones went with the numerous stories that her newspaper agency was running. Ever since news broke of Tony's disappearance yesterday, it was everywhere she looked. On the news stands, on the television, in the office, and when she wasn't reading about it, she was working on stories to be printed. Since her and Drew were the 'team' now who dealt with all Stark Industries stories, she couldn't escape it.
''Walker.'' Collins walked up to her desk. ''Walker? Are you listening to me?''
Logan snapped her head up at her boss. ''Sorry, what?''
Collins put his hand on his hip. ''Walker, this is the biggest news story to come through here since...well, a long time. You can't waste time spacing out, we need to get these stories out. Do you have those photos for me?''
Logan rubbed her tired eyes, sleep deprived after her non-successful attempt at sleeping all night, and she handed Collins a stack of news reports with the photos she had chosen paper-clipped to them. Collins nodded in approval and looked back at her.
''Is there a problem?''
''Nothing coffee can't fix.'' she assured him with a smile, and once he was gone, she turned back to the wall in front of her, prolonging the moment before she would have to face fishing through even more photos of Tony Stark.
The days went on, and soon two whole weeks had gone by without Logan even noticing. Going into work was such a daze now, it was the same thing over and over again. No more Stark Industries meetings to attend, no more benefits that Tony invited them to, instead it was all about Tony Stark's disappearance, and Logan hated it. No one knew what had happened between the two of them, just like she wanted, but it was hard dealing with everyone telling her to pick photos that emphasized their story when their story was about him dying overseas, or what he might be going through.
''He was such a nice guy to me.'' Drew told her one day as they sat in their office.
They had been appointed to private room now that they were working together. They had earned it after their interview with Tony was published and the public acknowledged Drew being the main reporter on all Stark stories. Their newspaper was getting even more popular, and together they were taking the journalism world by storm, it was just a pity that it was because of such a terrible incident. Drew was even doing television reports, with Logan filming behind the camera. He wouldn't do any news report without her, even when others persuaded him to work with more experienced people, he and Logan were a team.
''Yeah.'' Logan agreed, hating the way that people had just accepted his death with no hope of his survival.
Another week had passed them by, and something big was bound to happen the day that Collins approached them with a few other media members, coming into their office. Logan and Drew exchanged odd looks, wondering who they were, but they soon made it known what their business was. They were a news team, often on television and very successful, and they were there to offer them a proposition.
''We want you in Afghanistan.'' The main man announced.
Drew almost choked, and Logan looked at them like they had lost their minds. ''You what?''
''We need reporters over there, it's almost been one month since Tony Stark's death-''
''Disappearance.'' Both Drew and Logan corrected.
''Yes, well we're putting a crew together to go over and do a few stories on where it happened and how.'' he told them. ''And we want you.''
Logan looked at the bag sitting on her bed, wondering how this was all happening. Today, just two days after being asked by the news team, her and Drew were heading over to Afghanistan to report on the disappearance of Tony Stark. Logan would be filming, and Drew would be reporting. Although it was mainly them two, they had about three other people with them to show them around, interpret and guard them in case anything happened, but ultimately it was just them. Although the opportunity was astounding, Logan couldn't help feeling like she didn't want to go. Tony had disappeared over there, been taken and who knows what else, this was the place that he might have been last alive, and that prospect made her rethink the whole thing entirely. It did hurt to think about not seeing him again, and although almost a month had passed and she had worked on countless stories, looking over millions of photographs of him, she couldn't help the pain that arose in her chest whenever she thought him being dead.
Hours later, they were at the military base, their bags being placed in the jet they were taking over. There was a man there who Logan and Drew had seen before, Colonel James Rhodes, and he was rushing around, gathering troops. They had been informed that Colonel Rhodes came back every few weeks to let him troops go home while he would take another back over to search for Tony. Colonel Rhodes was his best friend.
''You guys ready?'' A man asked them, and Drew told Logan this would be who was accompanying them.
Logan nodded, taking a deep breath. ''Yeah, lets go.''
It was nothing like she had expected. It was so much worse. The feeling she got as soon as she stepped out of the truck and onto the ground where Tony was attacked, she would never be able to explain what it was like. Painful didn't cover it, nothing would. Not only did Tony go missing from here, maybe died, but American soldiers were killed in this very spot, and that was intense to think about while standing in that very spot.
Drew wrote his story on the jet, editing what he would say and what he would talk about while Logan sat back, reloading her cameras and checking the video camera. The news team had let her use one of theirs, and she was still getting used to it.
''Well, no better time than now I guess.'' Drew moved out further. ''We gonna do this?''
Logan didn't answer, looking around the surroundings. It was completely blank, no trees, no villages, it was just never-ending dirt. She couldn't imagine to think of the terror felt in the moment they were attacked.
''You realize what happened here, right?'' she asked.
Drew sighed. ''Well, yeah-''
''Then just take a moment.'' she told him. ''Look around, feel it.'' The photographer in her spoke to him, pointing out around the deserted area. The people accompanying them sat in the truck watching them, looking on as Logan was mesmerized by where she stood. ''This spot right here, it knows so much that we don't. Think about the power it holds, it's phenomenal.''
Drew went along with it, looking around, feeling the area. He knew Logan was passionate about these sort of things. ''It feels...I feel weird.''
''You should. People lost their lives here, it's not a joke.''
''I know that.'' he defended. ''But we need to-''
''I know, the story. But I'm not a reporter, okay? I feel things. This isn't about the story for me, it isn't about finding the right spot to stand while you talk about what happened here, it's about feeling.'' she told him.
Drew stood by her. ''Are you alright?''
Logan shrugged. ''It's just overwhelming.''
''I get it.''
Soon enough, Drew began his story, and Logan filmed him as they stood exactly where it happened. It went on for about an hour, cutting from one story to another, the editing to be done later on. The wind blew around Logan, her hair sweeping in the air, and she noticed something off the the side.
''I left my other bit in the truck, I'll be back.'' Drew told her.
''Huh? Oh, yeah, okay.'' she waved him off, walking over to the dirt.
There were specs of metal in a pile, barely able to be noticed, but with a camera, Logan saw everything. The metal was like dust, but there were bigger bits. She followed the small trail over to a rock, and behind it was even more metal, but bigger pieces now. Dark metal, and as she bent down, she picked a piece up and studied it. Stark Industries was written on the side, and she discretely slipped it into her pocket. Her camera was in her hands then, taking a photo of all her findings, hoping to find more. She didn't know why, but she felt like she was finding things that everyone else was overlooking, but soon enough she walked back over to Drew and began filming again, her mind still on the small piece of metal she found in her pocket.
As I said, the story really begins now and goes deeper. Hopefully you like my ideas, and I have many more to add. I think it will be interesting, I just hope people begin to follow and let me know what they think, I really do hope it's appealing to some people now. Please review.
