Pepper approached Tony's desk and held out some folders. "Here's what you asked for. It took some time to track them down, for civilians their files was almost impossible to find."
Tony didn't move, in fact he didn't seem to even be aware that his secretary was there. He just stared off into the distance as he rested his chin on one fist.
She frowned in confusion. It wasn't like him to daydream. She shook the files in his face. Still no reaction. She slapped them down on his desk with a loud crack. He jolted and nearly slipped right out of his leather armchair. He muttered a few curses under his breath as he sat back.
She smiled as she gently pushed the folder closer. "The Hiddleston and Stanton files."
He picked them up…but didn't open them just yet. He sighed for a moment and then looked up at her. "Did I ever tell you about Francesca?"
She looked a little wary. "She's not another one of your ex-girlfriends…?"
He shook his head. "Naw, nothing like that. She was just a good friend." He opened up the Hiddleston folder and looked through an assortment of photographs included. He smirked as he recognized one of them and handed it to Pepper.
She blinked in surprise to see the pair posing in front of a vandalized statue. They were also covered in their own colorful arsenal. "Wow, when was this? High School?"
"Pfft! No," he said as he took it back. "In college."
"Figures," she giggled as she sat on the edge of his desk. "So what happened?"
"We met at a frat party," he said matter-of-factly. She raised a suspicious eyebrow and he held up his hands defensively. "Friend remember? Just a friend! Anyway, she saved my life."
She cocked her head curiously. "Really? How?"
At that he unexpectedly sobered. "I had hit an all time low because I was at odds with my old man. I hated the pressure to conform because at the time I had no interest in taking over Stark Industries."
She blinked in complete surprise. That was hard to believe.
He smirked gently. "Yeah, weird huh? Anyway being so mature about it, I drowned my frustration with alcohol. I was a real mess." He looked a little sheepishly at her.
Her expression softened. He wasn't the kind of person who reminisced often…especially about such personal things. She reached out to squeeze his hand.
He pulled away awkwardly, embarrassed by her sympathy. "No its ok, it was a long time ago," he reassured her. He turned his back to her as he looked out the window with a haunted expression. It hurt to remember. "But eventually alcohol wasn't enough to dull the pain. And one night after the frat party…I decided to…kill myself," he mumbled.
She pressed a hand against her mouth in horror. This was so surreal. This didn't sound anything like the cocky, confidant man she was familiar with.
"Right as I was about to jump, she grabbed hold of my arm." He chuckled softly. "She turned me around and hugged me. 'You can't Tony,' she said. 'You're worth more than that.'"
"Well I'm inclined to agree," Pepper said softly as she hugged him from behind.
He looked at her over his shoulder and patted her arm around his chest. "Thanks," he whispered.
She smiled encouraging at him. "So what else happened?"
He shrugged. "Well like any savior, she helped me see the error of my ways and encouraged me to give my Dad another chance. In short it's thanks to her that I'm the dashing and fabulously wealthy man that I am now."
She turned his cheek to give him a gentle kiss. "And I'm grateful."
He turned around to pull her in for a warmer kiss which he broke with a broad smile. "Me too." Then he turned back to the file and his smile softened sadly. "It's a shame that she's dead. She had such a vibrant spirit about her." He picked it up and leafed through it. "So what did you find out?"
"Not a whole lot actually," she confessed. "In fact I couldn't find anything about her previous to college enrollment."
"Really?" He asked. He picked up all the pictures and rapidly looked through them. Then it struck him. They were all pictures from their college days." He looked at Pepper in disbelief. "What about after?" He pressed.
"I have no idea." She confessed.
Now it was his turn to be shocked. Pepper was extremely thorough in her work and always got to the bottom of everything. "Seriously? Then how did she die?"
She shrugged as she was at a loss for words.
He frowned in confusion. He quickly opened the Stanton file and flipped through it. Steve had told him what little he remembered of Patricia. She had been a nurse who cared for him after Erskine's procedure. It had been a rough time emotionally and physically to have his body so altered. He credited her diligent care to his successful recovery. The pictures too were limited in timeline. He looked up at Pepper in utter astonishment. "There is nothing recorded before or after her time as a nurse?"
She sighed reluctantly. "It's strange, isn't it? I had my team working overtime trying to find something, anything but nothing turned up."
"Not even a cause of death?"
She shook her head and he put the file down with a sigh. "We may need to enlist the help of Fury on this one," he grumbled.
She raised a surprised eyebrow. "You're really desperate," she mused.
"Its not like I have a choice," he huffed. "We've got to get to the bottom of this one way or another."
"I'll give him a call right away," she said as she reached for the phone.
He sat down in his armchair and reached for a picture of Francesca. She beamed with that charming smile he remembered so well. His own smile was troubled as he began to wonder if he had ever really known her.
"Hurry up!" Loki called over his shoulder.
Miko stopped once again to catch her breath. Her cheeks were a brilliant shade of pink as she continued to wheeze. He growled in frustration as he whirled to confront her. "We don't have time for another rest." He said firmly.
She looked exasperated as she was at her wits end. In this form she was limited to the human condition. She simply wasn't fast enough to keep up with the impatient God's pace. The chilly air was also thin and the altitude made her light-headed. She wearily sat down on the rocky ridge.
"Get up," he growled, looming over her.
Make me, she thought bitterly but bit her tongue. Knowing him, he just might. "J-Just gimme a sec," she coughed.
"You are stalling."
"I'm dying here!" She snapped at him. "I just can't keep up alright? If only you'd slow down a little jeez…" she grumbled
He grabbed her arm and wrenched her to her feet. She let out a strangled cry as her knees buckled and gave out. Only then did he realize that she wasn't feigning fatigue. There was no other choice. Despite her protests, he slung her over his shoulder and continued up the rugged path.
She didn't have the energy to fight and hung limp. She gently swung from side to side from his momentum and before long her eyes slid closed. With her dead weight, his progress was slower as he clawed his way up the mountainside. His muscles burned as they trembled from the exertion but he forged on.
Up ahead he could see the Relic. It was in the form of a weather-beaten shoe that was lightly dusted with snow. A triumphant grin lit up his face as he hurried on. Then suddenly he lost his footing and slid down a ways before catching hold of a sharp stone. He hissed in pain as it sliced up the palm of his hand. Still he forced himself up inch by inch, more careful this time.
Once at the top he fell to his knees and let Miko slide down from his aching shoulder. She curled up on her side, still fast asleep. He closed his eyes as he willed his body to relax and to quiet his mind. For the spell to work there had to be no other thought on his mind apart from their destination. Once focused, he reached out a hand towards Miko but then hesitated. No, he wouldn't awaken her. Let her rest while she could. He carefully gathered her into his arms. She moaned softly as she nuzzled against his chest like a child with its mother. He grimaced but didn't dwell on it. There could be no distractions. Taking a deep breath he conjured up the image of Kalvogon before grabbing hold of the shoe.
They were swallowed up by a brilliant flash of light. It felt like they were caught in a whirlwind as they were buffeted to and fro, tossed this way and that. He tightened his grip on the girl; he wasn't about to lose her. Then it felt like the "floor" gave way beneath them and they fell hard into a cloud of white powder. Miko fell out of his arms, tumbling head over heels. His head spun dizzily for a few seconds before he regained his composure. Then he looked around in confusion. This…didn't look anything like Kalvogon. Instead he was sitting waist deep in a pile of snow by the side of the road.
Nearby Miko burst through the snow coughing and sputtering. "Hey what's the big idea?! Why did you…" her voice trailed off as she looked around.
He looked at the shoe and watched its magical aura begin to fade. Its power was spent, it was useless now. With a snarl he threw it across the road as he let out a string of Asgardian curses. She flinched but she knew that it'd be nothing compared to Thanos' imminent wrath. A shiver ran down her spine at the very thought and she found it hard to shallow.
Loki turned on her with a face like thunder. "It didn't work," he seethed.
"So where exactly are we?" she whispered as she looked around.
"What does it matter?" His deep voice rumbled as he kicked his way out of the snow bank.
She stumbled after him, brushing the snow off her clothes. "Well where do we go from here?"
Two Relics were lost with only three remaining. He took a moment to calculate their position. "We are in Michigan and need to go to Colorado. How long will that take us?"
She sighed wearily. "Probably two weeks."
His temper threatened to boil over but he was more panicked than angry. He knew that Thanos did not tolerate delay. No doubt his wrath would be insufferable and these set backs would only worsen that. "We don't have time!" He snapped as he grabbed hold of her shoulders and shook her roughly.
"We don't have a choice!" She snapped back as she grabbed hold of his arms to stop him. He continued to glare down at her but her expression softened sympathetically. "Just calm down. We'll get through this, I promise."
He considered her curiously for a moment. Why was she trying to comfort him?
She wore a reassuring smile. "C'mon let's go get another car. Threatening some innocent person should help cheer you up," she giggled as she led the way.