Guys... I just wrote 17 thousand words for a chapter. For one freaking chapter... I wrote 37 pages... I need a hug.
Fighter
"I'm back, JARVIS," Darcy yelled out as she entered her room. Friday classes have just ended, marking the start of the Thanksgiving break. It has become a tradition for her to come home to Malibu every Thanksgiving break to celebrate her birthday with her parents. She loves coming home on Novembers. She'd get cake and turkey. But to her demise, the 21st fell on the same time as her last of classes. That's right. It was her birthday.
Welcome back, Ms. Darcy. How is your birthday so far?
Darcy didn't reply right away and just sighed. Her wild, mussy hair bounced as she hopped on to her bed. Cerulean eyes closed slowly. Nothing really big happened on her birthday. She considered it as one of the great perks of being a social outcast. "I got that wake-up call from Ma and Dad. Then the birthday tune from the cleaning robots. Thanks again, JARVIS."
Anything for you, Ms. Darcy.
Darcy giggled. "Oh, then Stan got me this collection of famous works of Philosophes, like Rousseau, Kant and other people," she said while laying out the books on her bed, then she reached for her bag and took a miniscule violin case. "Then Alex gave me this small violin replica that he got from his recent trip from Austria. Look it plays Eine Kleine," she said as she wound a small knob on the back of the violin. Mozart's famous piece resonated throughout the room, "and that's it."
That is very refreshing, ma'am. Also, I am pleased to inform you that a package was dropped off at 11:03 this morning.
Darcy looked around to find the package and found it on top of her desk. She looked at it in confusion. "How did the mail guy come in?" she asked while walking towards the bag. The package was a simple brown paper bag, ornate with a white organza ribbon.
I simply opened the door for him.
"Seeing a door open magically with no one inside must be terrifying. That's not nice, JARVIS." She chuckled. She read the card attached on the gift and read it. "It's from Ivy. 'Happy 13th Birthday, Darcy! I hope this is enough to contain your genius head. I made it with my mom. I hope you like it.' she said." A small grin crept on her face as she pulled the bag open and dug her hand inside it. A soft, warm sensation surrounded her hand as she fiddled with her gift. With one quick pull, her gift was revealed. It was a chocolate brown knitted hat. Without any hesitation, Darcy ran towards her mirror and slid it over her disheveled curly hair. It was the perfect size for her head. It was so comfortably soft and it contained her voluminous locks conveniently. She grinned as she spotted a black knitted bow on the side.
"I hope you like it, she says. No! I love this!" Darcy beamed as she swayed to look at her new beanie hat in different angles, "Ivy always know how to accessorize. Remind me to call her later to thank her."
Certainly, Ms. Darcy… May I also remind you that you have a 5:00 flight to Malibu? Ms. Potts has sent a car to pick you up at 4.
Darcy twisted around to look at her clock. "Oh crapballs. It's 3:30." Then she ran towards her cabinet and grabbed some clothes. "Give me ten minutes then I'll be done!"
oOo
"Am I forgetting anything?" Darcy asked as she twirled around in front of her mirror. She clad herself with deep violet sleeveless turtle neck dress that just reached above her knees. It was given to her by Pepper last year for Christmas and it was a nice change to her usual pullover hoodies and t-shirts. She wore black tights instead of denim jeans and slipped on black suede boots with one-inch heels. Instead of her usual wild mane of a hair, she brushed it briskly into neat waves that reached down just above her waist. Her hair has grown to be so long, she almost looks like a normal girl. Darcy never wears something so girly besides her school uniform. It gave her a totally different look, a completely different air. Cool, I look like a lay-dee, she thought. She tilted her chin up and smirked. She was giving the same radiance as her father.
Your watch, Ms. Darcy?
"Got it," she responded as she put her left wrist up.
It is 41 degrees outside, ma'am. I recommend you use your cotton gabardine trench coat and a hat of your choice.
"Okay," she said as she went towards her closet space and pulled out a beige coat. She slipped it on and reached for the beanie that Ivy gave her. "How do I look now?"
Exquisite, Ms. Darcy.
"Oh, stop it, you," she giggled. Darcy picked up a small cross body bag and put it over herself. "I got my ticket and ID, and my iPod and my headphones. That's all I need, I guess." Blue eyes darted down to look at her watch. "Fantastic. I'm right on time. Frank should be outside now. I'll go now, JARVIS. Talk to you later."
I must remind you to bring an umbrella, ma'am. There is a 40% chance of rain.
Darcy ignored the AI and proceeded herself towards her door. "Oh it's just 40%. I'll be fine. Okay? I'm going now."
Have a safe trip then, Ms. Darcy.
Darcy pulled her door close and continued to walk down the stairs. She noticed a lot of children going out of their dorm rooms too, ready to start their vacations. She smiled to herself. She, herself, was excited to go home. She couldn't wait to spend the rest of her birthday with her parents. She missed Tony and Pepper. She wanted to see her Uncle Happy and Uncle Rhodey too. The warm, breezy atmosphere of Malibu would be a nice break from the dreading winter. A faint sound emanated from her stomach. Oh, she couldn't wait until she gets her cake.
As she reached the ground floor, she took out her noise-cancelling/amplifying headphones and slid it over her ears. Darcy plugged the jack into her iPod and pressed shuffle. Hm, "Fighter" by Christina Aguilera. Interesting. She bopped her head as the beat pumped through her ears. Pushing the dormitory doors, she braced herself.
There were kids, kids everywhere. All of them were pulling big suitcases and carrying big bags. Cars and taxis crowded past the gates, all boarding their clients. She overheard some kids laughing and talking about their upcoming trips. Some were crying because most of them were little snobby children. Some were even shouting at their parents. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Darcy tried to think about the times when Tony or Pepper would be angry at her.
Pepper got angry, one time, when she took apart her phone and the TV to make her own circuit board. But it was forgotten when she used the circuit board to make an LED-lighted card for Mother's Day. Darcy smirked as she remembered when she snuck in to Tony's shop and stole on his engines to power one of her robots. Pepper was furious because it led to one mechanized teddy bear to walk around and spontaneously combusting. Tony was just amused. She even tried hacking into JARVIS and put Lou Bega's Mambo No. 5 to annoy her father but it just resulted one of the most memorable dance party the two could ever have.
Upon reaching the gates, Darcy realized something. She couldn't recall any memory of Tony being genuinely angry at her. There wasn't a time where her father would yell at her and scold her. It was mostly Pepper that disciplined her or Uncle Rhodey. The only time Darcy would hear a raise in his voice was when he'd be laughing hysterically.. He never even yelled at her even when he's inebriated. Tony Stark was never angry at Darcy Lewis.
Someone calls out her name and her head whipped immediately to the source. A short, yet lanky man was standing in front of a black Lincoln car, waving to her enthusiastically. He wore a normal black suit and tie topped with a chauffeur hat. Darcy almost laughed at the contrast of his pale skin against the dark shadows of his suit. "Frankie!" she called out, waving back.
"Oh my, you've grown up since I saw you last year. How's Harold's little niece?" the man showed a silly grin. Darcy didn't say anything but just beamed at him. That was the cover. Tony still wasn't comfortable with giving anyone Darcy's real identity so for the moment she was Harold Hogan's super-smart niece. "You're one lucky kid, you know? Getting to ride on one of Tony Stark's private jets."
"Lucky, indeed." Darcy chuckled. Frank smiled back and swiveled around to open the car's door for her. She gracefully glided inside and took a whiff of the leather seats. The chauffeur almost closed the door when Darcy heard a familiar voice ringing through her ears. Blue eyes looked towards past the windshield and saw a long limousine parked in front of them. Its trunk was wide ajar, encumbered with large boxes and suitcases. She noticed the chauffeur have a hard time closing the trunk. A shrill voice was reprimanding him, yelling at him over and over again, Darcy could describe as a depreciation of the man's incompetency.
Pushing her headphones down to her neck, she stopped Frank from closing the door completely. She slithered out of the car and closed it. She pulled an amused look as the girl in front of her distorted into an angry little monster. Her long blonde hair that shared the same length as Darcy's bounced up and down as she released her shrieking voice every five seconds. Her bright white tulle dress swayed with force against her black fur coat as she stomped angrily. Oh how Darcy loved rich people.
"Ca va, Jeanne?" Darcy grinned. How are you, princess? Jeanne halted yelling, relieving the poor chauffeur from her wrath. She flipped her blonde hair to side, regaining her usual domineering composure. She stroked the collar of her fur coat as her eyes swept up and down, putting Darcy under supercilious scrutiny.
"2002 Burberry's Fall Collection. Not bad, Lewis," she commented haughtily, "I don't know about that hat though. Oh I know. Did Nguyen give you that? Of course, it is. It looks like it was made in an abandoned shack." Darcy's eyebrow twitched up. She was used to all the deprecating remarks from Jeanne. She lived on the faith that Jeanne was dropped in the head as a baby, leaving the 'nice' function of her mouth on the cold floor. Pity.
"You would know, right Jeanne?" Darcy smirked. She heard the chauffeur from before gasped amusingly behind them. Jeanne glowered, not finding a cleverer remark. "What do you want, nerd?"
Darcy shrugged. "It looks like your driver was having a hard time here. I thought I'd come and help," she said while scanning the area. The compartment trunk was over-filled of boxes. Behind Jeanne were even more boxes and suitcases. "Well, Jeanne. Is there a flood coming? Wait, scratch that. I don't even know if Noah's Ark can handle all that luggage."
"These are all necessary," Jeanne's chin inclined, "But this ignorant man here keeps telling me that he must the put rest of my luggage inside the car, not the trunk. Look at this, I have nowhere to sit! And I'll be late for my first-class flight." She groaned loudly, gesturing Darcy to look inside the car. It was already nearing maximum capacity and there was still more to put. After a moment of silence, Darcy spoke, "Where are you going?"
"Paris. There's an important dinner that Papa has to go to and I'm also going," she bragged. Darcy smacked herself with her palm, "I doubt that you're driving all the way to Paris, mon amie. Let's try this again, shall we? Where are you headed to?"
Jeanne's mouth rounded to an 'oh'. "LaGuardia Airport," she said, confused. Darcy was silent again, face blank but eyes calculating. After a second, she swerved around to walk towards her car. Before going inside, she turned to face the blonde girl. "Come on, Jeanne. You're riding with me."
"What?" she asked, incredulous. She was surprised that Darcy suggested such a thing. A nice thing. But of course, her gold-brimming mouth interpreted it another way, "Why would I ride in that dinky car?"
"This car is just the shorter version of your limo. I'm going to the airport too. Let your driver put your entire luggage into the limo and just ride with me. He'll just follow us." Darcy stated stoically. Jeanne was about to retort but Darcy gave her no chance, "Shut your trap and come in."
Darcy slid back into her car and Frank followed to start the engine. She didn't close the door and merely took out her iPod to scroll through her song collection. After ten seconds, she felt someone sit next to her timidly. Darcy didn't say anything and just grinned inwardly. After the door closed, she looked up to Frank, "LaGuardia Airport, please, Frankie."
"Aye-aye, kiddo."
oOo
"Why did you help me?" Darcy suddenly heard. She looked up to see Frank take another direction away from the drastic traffic. The she pulled her left sleeve to look at the time. "18 minutes." Darcy muttered.
"What?" Jeanne asked, puzzled.
"It took you 18 minutes to get over the awkwardness," she simply stated.
Jeanne's lips pursed together. "Why did you help me?" she repeated, "Is this your version of a prank?"
"Not a prank."
"Then why are you being nice to me?" Jeanne pursued, "After all I've said to you..."
"Oh please," Darcy smiled, "I prefer to see your insults as tender words of endearment. It gives me a meaning to wake up in the morning." Jeanne didn't say anything. Darcy's never ending sense of sarcasm and carefree attitude stunned her. After all those years of her verbal attacks, Darcy would always respond with either a witty remark or just cool indifference. Jeanne wouldn't admit it, but she admired that about Darcy. She was strong in her own ways. Jeanne wondered if she could ever be admirable as that.
"I…" she muttered shyly, "…like your hat… Sorry about that comment before." Darcy looked at her, surprised. The mean Jeanne Delattre was actually apologizing. What has the world have come to?
"Thank you, and you were right. Ivy made it. She gave it to me for today. I'm sorry for calling you an abandoned shack baby," Darcy smirked, "I also like your outfit. Very classy."
Jeanne returned with a big smile. "I also like your dress and hair. It's a nice break from your boring sweatshirts you dare to call clothes..." Darcy chuckled. The blatant nastiness of her personality was still there.
"Thank you," she replied, amused, "I try to dress nicely for my birthday." Jeanne stared at her with wide eyes, filled with half surprise and half guilt. She suddenly recalled calling Darcy a good-for-nothing nerd when she came to class this morning. She looked down remorsefully, biting her lower lip. Darcy giggled again at her, amused by her reaction.
"Oh I only act like a good-for-nothing nerd for you, Jeanne," she joked, remembering her insult, "Don't worry too much about it. Hearing you apologize was a good enough birthday present from you."
The two shared a couple moments of silence. Darcy didn't mind it as she looked ahead to see Frank trying to avoid the traffic. Jeanne was still feeling guilty. With a sigh, Darcy decided to bring some self-deprecation in to the conversation to cheer her up. After all, Jeanne's happiness only feeds on sparkly things and the entertainment of seeing inferior people, well, become more inferior.
"Paris sounds nice," she started, "Sure beats me going back to California."
Jeanne's head whipped up immediately, with her usual supercilious smile. "Oh yes. Papa is bringing an important thing back to France and we were invited to eat with the President. Maman is waiting for me at the airport right now for our first-class flight," she rambled.
"That's cool. First-class, huh?" Darcy grinned. Jeanne's smile grew even wider, "You're not going by first-class?" she asked.
Does having a private plane considered as first-class? Darcy just shook her head, "Not necessarily."
Jeanne was completely cheered up after that. She began rambling on about her upcoming trip and her plans for her vacations. She began telling her about all the lavish things that she'd buy, the luxurious places she'll be sojourning in, and the renowned people she'll meet. Darcy didn't mind the pompousness Jeanne was exuding. It was somewhat entertaining and interesting. She understood that Jeanne likes having her power displayed to the world. Jeanne enjoyed the materiality of the world, the leisure, the good life. Wealth was her basic foundation for superiority. Jeanne wanted to be on top, to be in control.
Darcy then remembered about her father. Tony Stark likes being in control too. But though most of the people think that Tony Stark held a stronghold in the financial niche of the world, it wasn't. It was intelligence. Wits and knowledge were his greatest weapons not money. He synthesized formulas, observed and analyzed variables and calculated results. He did not live on the primaries of wealth, but the science of it.
Nonetheless, both of them were still similar in some ways. They both have a unique strong flair with drama and style. Fast-moving, and fast-talking, they both looked forward to the finer things in life. They lived focusing only on the external, their five senses stuck on the outside concrete material of the literal world. Dangerously blunt and straightforward, they both enjoy the pursuit of verbal attacks. They love to have fun, and are fun people to be around. They can sometimes be hurtful to others without being aware of it, as they generally do not know and may not care about the effect their words have on others. It's not that they don't care about people; it's that their decision-making process does not involve taking people's feelings into account. Darcy finds them so very interesting.
Darcy let Jeanne ramble more for a few minutes but suddenly the car skidded. The two passengers grew quiet as the chauffeur stepped onto the brakes hastily, trying to stop the car. They painfully crashed themselves towards the back of the front seats. Then Darcy caught a glimpse of a black van that stopped in front of them. She let out a deep sigh of relief when Frank stopped at the right time. After a few moments, Frank turned around to look at his passengers and asked them if they were okay.
"Girls, are you okay?!" Frank exclaimed, "I'm sorry. I wanted to get off traffic so I took this one- way shortcut. Then this van in front of us suddenly stopped midway." The two nodded in utter silence, completely in shock. The he sighed. "Okay, good, just let me back up and we can turn at this corner and—
Darcy let out a bloodcurdling scream. She wanted to see if Jeanne was okay so she turned to her right to look. While Jeanne was fixing her hair and smoothing her coat, Darcy saw a big truck speeding towards their way... It was coming their way and it was coming fast. Darcy took no time to think and immediately grabbed the oblivious Jeanne and pulled her close towards the left side of the car. She shoved Jeanne back to the car door and clutched herself on the car floor, grasping on anything she could hold on to. The two quickly shut their eyes close and waited for the impact.
She felt her ears go numb as Jeanne screamed close to her. The crash happened so fast. Amidst the world that Darcy shut her eyes off to, she felt her body hit against the car door very hard. Millions of glass debris flew towards their way as the truck hit them. Darcy expected the car to topple over because of the truck's monster velocity but luckily for them, the car only slid a few feet back.
Darcy took all of her strength to pry her eyes opens. There were glass everywhere and the right passenger door was completely wrecked and replaced by the metallic grills of the pick-up truck. Her first instinct was to check on Jeanne. The poor girl was trembling all over inside her fur coat. She was hysterically crying.
"Jeanne, Jeanne, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Darcy stammered, getting on her knees, "Tell me, what's wrong?"
The girl continued on sobbing, burying her tear-stained face in her hands. Darcy's eyebrows knitted together. She was completely blank of what to do. She suddenly heard the door open at the front so she waited for Frank to open the door.
"Are you two all right?" Frank stuttered as he popped the door open. Darcy regained her balance and stepped outside the car, then carefully led her friend out. Darcy noticed crimson fluid dripped over his eyes from his head. "Frank, you're bleeding!" Darcy cried.
The man stared at her incredulously and raised a shivering hand to touch his bloodied forehead. Upon the moment he laid his yes upon his tainted hand, a large man clad in all black and a ski mask crept up behind him. Jeanne screamed loudly as the bulky man grabbed a hold of Frank's head. Frank didn't have to time to react as the guy smashed his head on the car. The man miserably fell unconscious, leaving the dark big guy to turn his attention towards the girls.
Two pairs of bright blue eyes went ajar as the man began walking towards them. Jeanne swallowed back a sob but Darcy didn't say anything. She reached for Jeanne's arm and gripped it tightly. She couldn't say anything or do anything but look at Frank's inanimate body lie coldly on the concrete. Jeanne let out a desperate whimper, snapping Darcy's attention towards the imminent danger dreading in. She inched close to Jeanne and whispered, "Run." With that cue, the two twisted their feet to run back to a place where there were more people.
Darcy kept her focus on the sight of the alleyway, hoping that they'd reach the end of it. But all hope was lost when a large hand went to cover her mouth. All hope was lost when she started breathing in a sweet-smelling smell from a dirty rag. All hope was lost when she turned to see Jeanne getting carried by strange men, eyes closed, paralyzed, unmoving. All hope was lost when she only saw nothing. Nothing but darkness.
oOo
oOo
A throbbing pain. Excruciating stings. Piercing burns. These were all the things that Jeanne felt as she drifted back to consciousness. The air was damped and the smell of rusting metal filled her nose. The hard floor stung her cheeks, poisoned with the pernicious November frost. The glass shards were still clinging on her hair, threatening that more pain will come if she moved the slightest inch. Jeanne had no idea where she was.
And yet, she didn't dare to open her eyes. She didn't want to. The frank contamination of fear was thrashing inside her system. She didn't dare to witness the imminent monstrosity outside the voids of the darkness her eyes dwelled in. She was afraid that she might see the things she doesn't want to see. She was afraid that once she opens her eyes, her captors will begin to hurt her even more. She was completely, utterly afraid.
So she listened.
With the most cautious move, she shifted her head to let both of her ears come into contact with the air. Her breathing slowed and evened out. She stayed still as a statue and listened. All she could hear was her beating heart, thumping, trembling.
And Darcy's voice.
Her voice was low, down to a whisper. Jeanne expected her to be shaking in fear as she would have been if she was caught conscious. She expected to hear a sob or some kind of desperate cry for help. But Darcy's voice was steady. It was stably confident. Strong.
Confused. Slowly, opening her eyes, she snuck a peek. Nothing changed from opening her eyes. Blunt nothingness still shrouded the place she was thrown into. Then she moved her head up slightly to face Darcy. Jeanne was surprised that she could actually see Darcy.
Darcy's face floated amongst the darkness they have been contained in. Her usual paleness was tinted with a light blue hue. Her usual deep azure eyes glowed, reflecting some kind of light. They were steady and calm. Darcy didn't seem to notice that she was awake. She just kept looking down on something, muttering quietly to herself. So Jeanne decided to sit up.
Now she was even more confused. The girl in front of her was just plain weird.
"Lewis, why are you talking to your watch?" she asked with a low hiss. Jeanne looked at her as if she just saw a mindless retard. Darcy ignored her and continued on muttering to her watch.
"…okay? I'll be fine, don't worry. Mom, I'm okay, stop crying. I have to go now, be sure to do what I told you. Oh and bring an ambulance. Okay. This will work. Don't worry, bye…" Darcy murmured quietly, eyes intently on her glowing watch. Then she switched her gaze back to Jeanne, then back at her watch, "2 hours, 14 minutes."
"What?" Jeanne was totally puzzled, "What are you talking about?"
Darcy's face was covered in dirt. Cuts and bruises were also evident, resulting by the crash. But Jeanne found no trace of tears. Darcy just looked at her, blank of emotion.
"It took you 2 hours to wake up... Good morning, princess."
oOo
Pepper truly wished she could teleport. She wished that she could just snap her fingers and magically appear on the boroughs of New York. She wished that she wasn't so far away. She wished Darcy wasn't just kidnapped two hours ago.
She gazed at her own reflection. Her cheeks were stained with countless tears. Her ginger red hair was disheveled. Her pupils dilated against her grey blue eyes. Her skin was empty of any color. She never thought she'd see this side of herself again. Her hands shook tremulously against the cold porcelain sink. Her lips quivered. She never thought she was able to feel it again.
That feeling.
As if chains coiled with barbed wire wounded around her heart squeezed tighter each second. Air wasn't so fulfilling, suffocating her with every breath. Her chest throbbed. Her stomach ached. Everything hurt. A loud sob escape her throat as she spiraled into vertigo. It was the same feeling. She'd never thought she'd be able to feel it again. It felt like the day Meredith died.
Pepper sobbed more. She was worried… worried that there was still no news of Darcy. She was afraid… afraid that Darcy could be injured, hurt, alone. She was angry… angry that she couldn't do anything about it. It was one of her greatest weakness. The feeling of being useless. As if she was nailed down to the floor, hands tied together, eyes blind, mouth mute. She felt abhorrently, utterly powerless, desperate of hope.
Why must she always be so far away when something bad happens? She was always 3000 miles away from the people that needed her the most. Pepper hated it. She feared it.
Pepper tried to gather some strength to maintain an inkling of stability. But what was the point of gathering something that doesn't exist?
No.
Reaching for a tissue, she wiped all the tears from her face. After that, with all the strength she mustered before. She looked straight at her reflections. Eyes glared, still gleaming with tears.
She shouldn't think like this. She shouldn't be like this. When has she become so pessimistic? Darcy is strong. She raised her to be that way. Darcy is smart. Tony raised her to be that way. Darcy would be finding out some way to free herself from her captors. She'd be devising some plan to obliterate all obstacles. She'd be killing people with her never ending cynicism. Yes. Darcy was strong. She'll be fine on her own for now. She'll hold them off. And JARVIS would be there to help her.
Of course…! Pepper's eyes widened. JARVIS is with her! The watch!
After throwing away her tissue, she slid the bathroom door open. All the flight attendants pushed themselves away from Pepper's way to let her rush towards her seat. The plane began to shake weakly, as they entered a low pressure system. A rain was dreading in but she ignored it. She focused and made her way to her seat. Her stare concentrated straight ahead, examining the man in front of her.
The moment they stepped inside the plane, Tony did not say anything. He did not move an inch. He did not talk to anyone. He merely sat on his usual seat, leaned back and whipped out his phone. With his phone on his right hand, and a glass of scotch, he didn't do anything. He didn't do anything but stare at his own device. Not a second did he look away. Not a thing could distract him. He simply held the metal contraption and stared at it. Pepper couldn't handle his impassive behavior. She didn't want to be the only one freaking out in the situation. Happy was in the corner trying to contact his injured friend. Rhodes was behind her making calls with his satellite phone. But Tony was just there sitting… looking intently at his phone, while shaking his glass. Frustrated, she dashed to the bathroom to release all her anger, her anxiety.
Now, she came back, Tony was still the same, still staring… drinking. Pepper fumed.
"You!" she yelled, attracting attention from Happy and Rhodey. Tony didn't response nor look up. "You! You knew! You knew all along!"
"What? Did you want me to drop down on my knees and slowly cry myself to death or something?" He sighed, still not looking up and took a sip of his scotch. "I don't do that."
"Why didn't you tell me?!" Pepper yelled, "I deserved to know too!" Happy and Rhodey just looked at them, confused.
"Because you're just there crying your eyes out!" Tony barked back, surprising everyone, stunning Pepper. He finally looked up, his pupils shaking with anger. "You haven't taken one second to just stop and look at the situation! Again, you never believe. You just assume all you want and continue to torture yourself, when your daughter was right there was smart enough to turn on the homing tracer in her watch." He flipped his phone, to show the screen to Pepper. Happy and Rhodey rushed towards next to Pepper to look at the screen too. The screen was all black, topped with geometrical lines and shapes, taking the look of a floor plan map. On the center was a big rectangle contained smaller squares. Inside one of the squares was bright red dot, blinking. "Dry Dock 4, Brooklyn, New York," Tony said nonchalantly, calming down, "Blinking means she's fine."
The three of them sighed in relief in unison. Pepper felt a heavy weight being lifted off her shoulders. The dark miasma of hopelessness was gone. It was washed away with reprieve and a hint of pride and joy. Darcy was truly smart.
"You had coordinates all along, Tony," Rhodes piped in, "You should've told me so I can send my people there."
"No," Tony quickly replied, "It's too risky. We don't even know why someone would kidnap Darcy. We don't know what they want. We don't know why. I'm just waiting for Darcy for instructions."
"Is this about keeping the secret, Tony?" Pepper asked angrily, "Darcy is in danger and you're just there sitting worrying about the secret? And why would Darcy give—
A loud beeping sound radiated from the phone. Everybody's attention was cut off and switched towards the beeping phone. Tony placed the phone on the table in front of him. The other three quietly gathered around it. JARVIS' voice popped in.
Ms. Darcy is calling.
"About time... JARVIS, answer," Tony ordered, "Everybody shut up," he said as he tapped the phone's screen. Everybody held their breath as they waited for Darcy's voice to come out.
"God, the reception is awesome, Dad. Is this via satellite?" Darcy first said. Tony didn't say anything and just smirked inwardly. "Okay, not the point. Anyway, um, yeah I think I was kidnapped. I guess there's a first time to everything… I'm in a dock but you probably know that by now. I can't see anything though, everything is pitch-black." Pepper wanted to start rambling to her daughter, to demand questions and answers, but the domineering stare from Tony restrained her so. "I'm okay, first of all. You all can start breathing again." Everybody obeyed.
"I'm just a little woozy. Whoever kidnapped me used chloroform. I didn't get the full dose, because I was fighting at first and I held my breath. Yup, I fought. Uncle Happy, you rock for all those lessons." Happy grinned weakly. "So yeah, I regained consciousness a little bit earlier than what they've expected."
"Do you have a plan?" Tony murmured, "Do you know what they want?"
"Don't I always, Dad?" Pepper could feel her smirk. "I was already half-awake when they started dragging me inside this warehouse. I remember there were a lot of cargo containers inside but the entrance is still clear in my head. I don't know how many people exactly are outside, I think only 5 or 6 and I think their leader. They sound stupid, though, so I think I'll mess with them a little."
"Darcy! Please, don't do anything rash. Help is on the way." Pepper begged, "Honey do you know what they want?"
"Okay, fine I won't mess with them." Darcy sighed, "But I have a plan of escape. It'll be easy. They didn't bind me or anything. Just threw me inside this container. I'll create a distraction so there's room for an escape. I just need an extraction team. Yeah, I've been reading too much spy novels. That'd be awesome though. I wish I can meet spies. Okay, rambling again. I need some kind of rescue team by the dock as soon as possible. We are far away from the road so the best possible way is to go by water. Ask Uncle Rhodey to send the Coast Guard, Sea S.W.A.T. or the Sea-Faring Police Department of New York or something. Send the Navy for all I care. Full stealth mode, though. Tell them to just wait there. No troops to barge in and stuff. I still don't know if they have guns or not. This warehouse is the perfect home for ricocheting bullets. Ricocheting bullets are bad. So, they just need to wait there. All they need to worry about is the extraction. All I need is extraction. Think about the kidnappers later. Dad, you still there?"
"I'm still here," Tony replied, "Are you sure this would work?"
"Now is not the time to start doubting me, Dad." Darcy said, turning serious, "Just trust me on this one. This will work. Stop worrying, okay? I'll be fine, don't worry. Mom, I'm okay, stop crying. I have to go now, be sure to do what I told you. Oh and don't forget to bring paramedics. Yeah. This will work. Don't worry, okay…bye…"
Silence flooded the room.
"All right, I'll call Coast Guard." Rhodes started going back to his seat.
"I'll call NYPD." Happy contributed.
Tony just checked the time. Only 1 hour left till they land. Pepper reached for his phone again. Tony stopped her hand. "Don't call back. We have to stick to the plan. We have to trust her, Pep."
Pepper tried to wriggle his hand away, but Tony's strength overpowered her. She continued to fight back, trying to get the phone. After a while, she gave up. She slumped back to her seat, completely blanched.
"She kept saying that she's okay, Tony! Then why did she just ask for paramedics?"
oOo
"W-Where are we, Darcy?" Jeanne stuttered. Darcy didn't answer. She was still muttering to her watch. She looked around for a door or any kind of opening but found no luck. Everything around was just pure darkness. She hugged her knees, and shivered. Wherever they were, there was no hell they had heat to protect them from the November cold. She looked at Darcy again, still ignoring her. "Hey, did you make that? Is that our way out here? Did you call the police?"
"Yeah, it's our way out," Darcy simply replied. Jeanne watched continue to speak to her watch. She had seen Darcy work on a few technological subjects during homeroom. She would take out her kit of screwdrivers and work on some piece of metal, and a bunch of wires. Jeanne always knew. She was there to make of fun it.
She waited until Darcy stopped talking. Darcy muttered, "Thanks, JARVIS."
"You named your watch?" Jeanne asked with a tone of bewilderment.
"It's the system. The system's name is JARVIS. Don't ask." Darcy sighed, and then froze in place. Her face turned stoic, eyes calculating. Jeanne, confused again, inched in closer to her. She called out her name, trying to keep her from spacing out. Darcy was wearing the same pensive look when she tries to figure a complex math problem, or… "What are you thinking, Darcy?" Jeanne asked, waving her hand in front of Darcy's face.
She let out a small gasp when Darcy grabbed a hold of her waving hand skillfully. Darcy no longer wore her pensive look. It was replaced by a face, serious, officious, asserting all the power in the situation. Jeanne was surprised. She had never seen that kind of expression from her. Darcy was always so sarcastic or just completely emotionless. The face she wore was gravely stern, confident, powerful… charismatic. Darcy continued to hold her wrist as she looked up to see Jeanne eye-to-eye. Quivering blue eyes met a pair of unyielding, serious ones.
"Close your eyes," Darcy ordered. Jeanne's eyebrows scrunched together, puzzled. Darcy squeezed her wrist tighter, "Close them!" she hissed. Jeanne quickly obeyed, shutting her eyes closer. She was now frightened more than ever.
"I want you to focus, concentrate really hard," Darcy whispered. Jeanne tried to free her hand from her grasp, but Darcy tightened her grip even more, "I want you to shut up and listen. Listen really hard. Concentrate all your thoughts to every noise you can pick up, and tell me what you hear."
Jeanne obeyed. She sat still. She squeezed her eyes close. She inhaled shallow breaths… and just listened.
"I…" Jeanne whispered, facing west, "I hear them. The men who kidnapped us. They're arguing."
"Yeah, they've been arguing for awhile. Ignore them," Darcy commanded, "What else do you hear?"
"I… hear birds…?" she said, turning to her left.
"Seagulls. You're hearing seagulls. What else?"
Jeanne pushed out the cries of the seagulls and focused more. She heard it but it was faint, but she knew where it was. "Waves? I think I hear water, and boats." The sound was very weak, but it was distinct.
"Good," she heard Darcy sigh in relief, "Great, you can hear. This might actually work."
"Darcy? What are you talking about?" Jeanne asked, opening her eyes. Darcy's grave expression was gone. She was smiling at her. The smile was weak, but genuine. Jeanne didn't know why but somehow that smile was sending a pang to her chest. Darcy loosened her grip around her wrist, but she didn't let go. Sending a piercing stare at Jeanne, she grinned weakly, "I have a plan. There is a chance to escape," Jeanne didn't say anything back. She just stared back at her, incredulous.
"Are you crazy, Darcy?" she lowly hissed, "What do you mean plan? There is no planning here. This is a kidnapping! They kidnapped us because they want something! The most logical thing to do is to wait for the ransom so we can be freed. Papa will be here any minute to help us."
"What they want is too valuable," Darcy shook head, "It's too valuable."
"I'm sure nothing can be more valuable than the lives of two little girls." Jeanne glared, "Darcy, trying to escape is riskier. What if we get caught? They'd hurt us! C'mon, Darcy, think! I thought you were the genius here!"
"Have you ever heard of the Hope Diamond?" Darcy snapped back, rendering the girl in front of her speechless. "Yeah, I'm talking about the freaking part of the French crown jewels. I overheard one of the people outside arguing about this. It's insured for 250 million dollars. It will be even more in the black market. It's one of your countries greatest treasures. They knew that the French Ambassador—your father—would have it to send to Paris tonight. So what way could even be greater than keeping the French Ambassador's daughter as hostage?"
Jeanne couldn't say anything. She was shocked. "Yes, Jeanne. You're the bargaining chip. It's your life for the diamond."
"P-Papa can give them the diamond," Jeanne stammered, "He has to…"
"And he will, Jeanne," Darcy said gently, "The gem may be millions of dollars, but your life is too precious. Your life is priceless." Jeanne could feel tears coming up. She heard Darcy gulped. "But… they have guns. I saw them carrying rifles, Jeanne. I don't know but it is very likely that they'd either kill your dad on the spot, or you, or all of us."
"No, no, no!" Jeanne whimpered, burying her face in her knees, "What are we going to do? I don't want to die. I don't want anyone to die. What are we going to do, Darcy?"
"That's why I came up with a plan. Escaping here would keep anyone from coming to this trap. No one will have to get hurt, Jeanne." Darcy crooned. "If you are safe, then your Dad won't have to be forced into coming here and save you. You have to save yourself. You hear me?"
Blue eyes gave out streams of tears as Jeanne exhaled in exasperation. Darcy squeezed her left wrist again. "Jeanne, you hear me?" She sniffed and nodded. She looked up to meet Darcy's gaze. More tears came out. Darcy' eyes were completely solid and serious. Jeanne knew that those eyes were determined. They have to act now.
"Okay," Darcy commenced, "Before I lay out the plan, you have to promise me. Jeanne, you have to promise me with all of your heart, that you trust me. Trust me with everything and that you follow through the plan unreservedly, no questions asked. No matter what I say, you follow me this time. There is no time for questions, you hear me Jeanne? You have to do everything I say so you can come out alive."
Jeanne nodded but that wasn't enough for Darcy. Gripping both of her wrists, she hissed louder.
"Jeanne, do you understand? Are we clear?" Darcy attested.
"Yes, Darcy. I promise. I-I trust you. I understand." Jeanne stammered. The two exchanged stares, a moment of fortitude, communication, and a cry for hope.
"All right," Darcy exhaled, "Here's the plan: They know the estimated effect time of chloroform dose they gave us should end right about now so it is no surprise that they'll come and barge in here any moment, and when they do, they will probably bring us out for questioning, or some kind of kidnapper monologue they planned. They'll probably make a scene about how the ransom will play out, and all that drama and stuff. Don't ask, I read a lot of books. They're going to ask questions but I want you to be quiet. You hear me, Jeanne? I want you to shut up. Don't say anything. Let me all do the talking. If you ever open your mouth, we are dead. Start bawling on the floor or something. Cry like a little spoiled brat you are but please do not say anything."
Jeanne glared at her. "Spoiled brat?" Darcy just rolled her eyes at her, "Please, Jeanne. Now's not the time to start questioning your identity. And what did I just say? Is there a little bugger on your brain that refuses to follow directions?"
Jeanne continued to glower at her but she knew it wasn't the time, "Fine, fine… I'll shut up. I'll just sit there and cry. Yup. Shut up and cry." She sighed. She knew that she was bound to cry when they drag her and Darcy out. She knew she was weak. She didn't have the capabilities to be as cool-headed and strong like Darcy. All she can do is cry, and if that's the only way to escape, she'll gladly act the part.
"Good. Glad we're on the same page here." Darcy continued, "After their little villain monologue, I'm going to talk to them. Mess with them a little bit. Throw them off course." Jeanne opened her mouth to question that aspect of the plan. She didn't see any reason to provoke their kidnappers. The people with the guns. But Darcy was already glaring at her, daring her to speak. "I know, Jeanne. Yes, I'm going to aggravate them. They are going to get angry. That's good, you see? They'll get distracted. All their attention will be directed to me and to me only and this is where you come in. Are you ready?"
Jeanne nodded, eyebrows together, worried, and scared. She watched Darcy raise her hair from her neck and slid out something. It was the headphones that she always wore. Darcy then placed the earphones around Jeanne's neck and arranged her hair to cover them. "I know it's not really your style, cherie. But just bear with it, okay?" Darcy said, "When they start getting distracted, you put these headphones over your ears. These are already broken though, the jack got cut off but they're still noise-cancelling. These will protect your ears. Understand?"
Jeanne nodded, then raised her hand timidly to ask for permission to talk. Darcy sighed and rubbed her temple, "Yes?"
"Why should I wear them? What are they—
"Shut up. Let me finish," Darcy spat back, "When you put these headphones over your ears, the noise surrounding you will be reduced. This will help to protect your ears from this." Darcy took her left wrist and raised it limply in front of Jeanne's face. Around her wrist was a black watch that Darcy was talking to earlier. It was glowing blue, just as when she first woke up. She looked at it, astounded. She never noticed Darcy put it around her wrist. She couldn't even feel it around her wrist. As if it wasn't there. She then switched her gaze to Darcy. Jeanne had complete knowledge of all the finer things in life and she knew that what she was wearing was high quality crocodile leather. It adds one more mystery to the curious identity of Darcy Lewis.
"If you look at the watch, there's a little map. This is a satellite view of the warehouse we are in. You see this? You're the little red dot." Darcy pointed at the watch's screen. Jeanne saw a little floorplan of the place. "In this little opening right here, that's the way out. This exit is closest to the water. When I say go, you will turn the crown here. You will turn it counterclockwise twice." Darcy acted it out to show her how to do it. "When you have the headphones over your ear, and when I say go, remember¸ when I say go, turn it and it will release a whistle with a sound pressure level of 85 decibels. At this decibel and above will stun the kidnappers for while. If we're fortunate, it'll shatter their eardrums. The whistle can only go for at least 20 seconds because of the battery. In those 20 seconds, I want you to run."
Jeanne tried to speak again but Darcy cut her off by dropping her wrist. "Jeanne, yes, I want you to run. Run to that exit. Run as fast as you can. And when you are outside, you follow the sound of the water that you were hearing earlier. Trust your instincts and follow it. If you ever get lost, look at the watch. But don't rely on it too much, the battery will die. So just run. Run away from here. When you reach the water, the Coast Guard and the Police will be waiting." Darcy asserted, "Run, Jeanne and never look back. Never ever look back. You keep your eyes on the prize. Don't look back and just run. Clear?"
More tears began to fall down from Jeanne's eyes as Darcy continued to tell her the directions. She was incredibly frightened. She was afraid of her captors. She was afraid of the things they'll do to them. "Darcy, I don't know. I'm so scared. What if they take the watch away from me? What if I forget the plan? What if I turn it clockwise instead of counterclockwise? What if I started babbling about how we're going to escape? What if I forget to wear the headphones? What if I don't know where to go? Oh my god, I'm going to trip. Yes I'm going to trip and die. I'll trip while running and roll off the water and drown. Papa will just bring my cold dead body to Paris. Oh my god, Paris. I'm never going to Pari—
Jeanne's jaw dropped to the ground when she felt a massive force throwing her cheek back. "Did you just slap me, Lewis?" she hissed, holding her cheek. Darcy was glaring at her.
"Yes, and I'll do it again if you don't shut the hell up. Stupid girl." Darcy snapped back, "Stop doubting yourself. You can do this, Jeanne Delattre. You can do this. I believe in you. You hear that? I believe in you. You are one of the most confident people I know. You rank second to my list, I won't tell you who's the first. Don't ask. But that person, he always gets to his goals. He finishes what he started. He'll do anything to achieve anything. He's the greatest person I know. Now if you make it out through this, if you keep that confidence you have, if you just believe in yourself, you could be number 1. Do you want to be number 1, Jeanne?"
Jeanne wiped her tears with her fur coat, and sniffed. "Number 1 sounds nice," she sobbed.
Darcy smiled gently, and reached for Jeanne's shoulders. "That's more like it."
"Hey boss! I think the kids are awake. I hear 'em," they suddenly heard. Muffled voices continued to talk outside their container. Jeanne let out a quivering gasp, and wormed closer to Darcy.
"Do you remember what I told you, Jeanne?" Darcy whispered, pulling her close. Jeanne nodded, "Shutting up now."
Darcy stretched her hands towards Jeanne's fur coat and smoothed it out. She pulled the sleeves down to conceal the glowing watch. Darcy then pulled back to give her one last look of the shaking girl. Clicking her tongue, she curled her lips and looked around. Jeanne watched her wiped her hand on the dirty container floor. Then she gasped as Darcy touched her own face and dab the dirt on her face. She let out a louder gasp as Darcy wiped for more dirt and reach for Jeanne's face. She wanted to scream in disgust but she held on to the little faith that it was part of the plan. She could feel the dirt covering her whole face.
"A little war paint wouldn't hurt, right?" Darcy smirked through her sullied face. Jeanne wanted to glare at her but suddenly, the doors of the container began to clank. The two froze and prepared themselves for their captors. Jeanne shivered next to Darcy and tried to hold back a sob. At that time, they were finally on their own.
"Oh, before I forget," Darcy uttered under her breath, "Wear this." She then raised her arms to slip her knit hat off her head and slithered it over Jeanne's. "I know it's not your taste but you know how it is. It's going to be cold outside," she murmured as she fixed the hat over Jeanne's head. "It looks good on you, don't worry," she said, meeting Jeanne's eyes.
As the door opened, revealing large silhouettes of two men, Darcy quickly grabbed Jeanne's wrist. She squeezed it really hard as sign for Jeanne that their plan has begun. She heard Jeanne whimper, burying her head deeper into her fur coat. Darcy swallowed deep breaths as the two men in front of them inched closer, their dark hands hoisted up like claws, ready to capture their prey.
"Jeanne," Darcy muttered lowly, "Also… there's one thing you need to do."
Jeanne swallowed back a sob.
"Don't speak French, Jeanne."
oOo
Tony's attention to his watch heightened when the red dot that indicated Darcy started moving. The red dot moved slowly towards the left then zoomed up. His hands clenched tighter, grabbing the phone hard. His stare hardened, and his lips flattened. Whoever kidnapped Darcy, just threw her across the floor. Tony deduced that the men have started talking to them.
Tony never predicted for this to happen. It was a problem he never expected, never imagined. He thought he had planned it perfectly. The secret was flawless. Darcy Stark-Lewis would be safe in a highly protected boarding school while he continues his masquerade as the billionaire philanthropist, Tony Stark. No one had any suspicions. But now, this kidnapping, it was simply unexplainable. It was an unnecessary variable to his calculations. Only he, Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy knew about Darcy. Well, there was that Doctor Conrad but he can't tell anyone due to the restricted of the confidentiality between a doctor and his patient. To other people's eyes, there was only the simple Darcy Lewis. No one knew about Darcy Stark. So why would someone kidnap her?
He thought of reasons. The only thing that was extraordinary about Darcy Lewis was her genius-intellect, but it wasn't worthy of abduction. No one knew about Darcy's unparalleled financial background. Her cover parents were only mere public relation workers of Stark Industries. Certainly, a 13-year old child wouldn't have Stark Industries secrets so it wasn't that. It wasn't money or anything. The answer still was a mystery to him.
His thought process was suddenly interrupted when his Colonel friend walked to his side. "Coast Guard's ETA is 5 minutes, Stark. NYPD is also on their way across the river." Rhodes murmured, "Also, I would like you to stay at the airport until we recover Darcy."
"I'm perfectly able by myself, Rhodey," Tony interjected, "Just prepare a helicopter."
"No, it's too risky. We don't want Tony Stark coming in a police scene of an unknown girl's kidnapping. I also contacted S.W.A.T to—
"That is my daughter in that warehouse, Rhodes, nothing can stop me." Tony hissed. Rhodes sighed and squatted to face Tony eye-to-eye. He wore a gentler look.
"Fine," he said, rubbing his temples, "How about we get you to the South Street Port where the police and the paramedics are waiting to receive Darcy. Then you can do whatever the hell you want."
"There will be a car waiting for us in LaGuardia, Tony," Pepper piped in, "The jet will be landing in less than an hour."
Tony didn't say anything. He ignored everyone. His main focus was the glowing red dot on his phone's screen. Darcy should escape any minute.
oOo
The two men grabbed the girls' arms tightly, and started dragging them out of the container. Jeanne continued to cry, whimpering because of the pain. Darcy winced, and tried to free herself from the man. She continued to wriggle and move as Jeanne stared at her with her tear-stained face. Upon reaching the exterior of their little container cage, the two men bent down to clutch the two by their shoulders and tossed them to the center of the warehouse.
Darcy rolled over the floor to lessen the impact. Jeanne didn't know what to do so she just cried in pain. Darcy pulled her close, soothing her. She hugged her close, stroking the back of her fur coat as she scanned her surroundings.
She counted five men surrounding her, all clad in dark outfits and black tinted sunglasses. Honestly, it's completely dark and these people are wearing sunglasses. Stupid men, Darcy thought. They all had rifles in their hands. Jeanne continued to whimper like a sick puppy as bright lights began to shine over them. Darcy squinted to look against the light. She positioned herself to expose her to the men more, bringing Jeanne to face the back, giving her perfect view of the exit.
Distinct steps began to resound towards them. Upon the bright blight that blinded Darcy, a long silhouette of a man treaded to her. The man walked close to one of the men, Darcy recognized as one of the men that abducted her. The man yelled at the guy and slapped his head.
"You only had one job!" the man had a gruff voice, throaty and brooding yet it had a tinge of a shrill piccolo undertone, "You had one job, you ignorant wanker and that was to kidnap one girl. Did you feel you were going to get extra credit if you kidnap two of them? Stupid! Stupid!" the man bellowed. Darcy glared at the dark figure. So they were targeting Jeanne. She didn't get kidnapped because of her secret. She sighed inwardly. The secret was safe. But that doesn't change the fact that they were still captured.
"Sorry, boss," whined the man. He sounded like a little boy, "I didn't know there was another girl in the car. You only told me to follow the car and get the girl. I swear, boss, I didn't know there was another girl. And I didn't know which one to get so I just got them both."
Darcy wanted to smack herself. The pure ignorance poisoning the air was getting annoying.
"It's the French Ambassador's daughter! How hard can that be! I told you get the girl with the blue eyes, and long hair, and the one with expensive clothes! Is that too hard!?" the man complained, "The Ambassador has blue eyes and dark hair. Look at them, just find which one looks like him. You know what? I'll do it since you little moronic little shits will probably get it wrong."
Darcy rolled her eyes. It's her first time getting kidnapped and she was kidnapped by possibly the most idiotic people in the world. Jeanne shivered in Darcy's arms when she heard them. The man began to walk towards them.
The man stopped just a foot in front of them and pulled himself down to their level. Darcy gave out the meanest glare she had in her system. The man was someone Darcy did not expect. He was unpredictably old. He looked like he was like in his late forties or even older than that. He wore a dirty black suit and a black tie. His head was thin and pale, covered with fully grey hair. His white hair was tousled and messy, two chunks of it pointed up mimicking the look of animal ears. His pale white moustache twitched as he smirked in front of them.
"What a pair of beautiful girls," the man sneered. Jeanne whimpered more, burying her face in Darcy's wild mess of hair. Darcy flashed her bright blue eyes, and glared at the man harder.
"It's shame that you two are covered with dirt and glass. I wouldn't get to see all your beauty," the man said venomously, reaching to touch Darcy's face. She quickly used her free hand to slap it away, giving another ferocious glare. The man pulled back, chuckling. "Oh what do we have here? We got a feisty one." The other men laughed at them.
Then a frown covered his face, "I don't like feisty ones. I like my victims crying and begging." Then his hands zoomed to grab Darcy's coat and Jeanne's arm. Jeanne let out a cry as Darcy growled. The man ignored her and looked down to examine her. "Goddamnit," he hissed, "Both of these girls are wearing expensive clothes. Burberry and Prada. Both of them have blue eyes too."
"Well, boss, they do go to an expensive boarding school, it's not a surprise that they—
"Shut up! I don't have time for your sass," the man growled. He let go of them, letting Jeanne crawl back to Darcy to cry more. Darcy's glare followed the man as he paced back and forth. Jeanne was already doing her part, she should start hers.
"Who are you?" she squeaked out, maintain her piercing glare. The man stopped pacing and smirked. He leaned down close to sneer at her. "I am the world's greatest thief. You must have seen my work. Recently, I've acquired a Gauguin, a Picasso, and a Van Gogh from Whitworth Gallery. Such woeful security, they had."
"Never heard of such thing," Darcy countered. The man growled.
"Then you must know me for my infamous name," the man pursued, "They call me the Black Fox," he sneered.
Darcy shrugged, "You look more like a meerkat to me. How about the Black Meerkat? It suits your more."
The old man growled louder, inciting a response from his men. Darcy gulped to herself when the men around took a step closer to them, gripping their rifles. Jeanne sobbed, hugging Darcy tighter. "Step back, I'm fine," he hissed, waving to his minions to step back. He twisted around to face Darcy and squatted down to eye level with her. He grabbed her face painfully and squeezed it hard. "You've got some nerve, little girl. If I were you I'd watch that filthy mouth of yours before somebody gets hurt." He stuck out his thumb and index finger to make an L-shape and pointed it at her temple, earning a frightened moan from Jeanne.
"You've got some nerve trying to kidnap the Ambassador's daughter," Darcy glowered, shaking her head to remove the man's finger away from her face, "It will only be a matter of time until someone kicks your butt, meerkat,"
"My plan is flawless," the man chuckled, "I've already sent the message to the Ambassador. It will only be a matter of time until I get the gem… The precious Hope Diamond. A precious life for a precious gem. That's all I ask for." he nudged his finger harder on Darcy's temple, digging his nail on to her skin, "All I need is for the daughter to call him for a little dramatic flair. It settles the negotiation, you know?"
"I hate to break it to you, but your plan has a lot of holes. Your men are stupid and you're even more stupid and crazier." Darcy gibed, "I can hear the tonka truck gears clunk and grind in that underdeveloped cranium of yours. Someone went a little cuckoo tonight!"
Darcy praised herself for that wonderful insult. She expected the man to explode in anger. She expected him to grab her and slide her across the floor and distract them. But the man didn't say anything and just smirked. Darcy wanted to slap the guy to wipe that evil smirk of his ugly face.
"You are a strong little girl. You are surely not affected by my threats. You certainly have a death wish," he leered, removing his pointy nail from her temple. Darcy's eyes widened as he moved his hand and pointed his finger to Jeanne's forehead. Jeanne swallowed back a sob, letting more tears fall as she felt the cold tip of his finger touch her skin. "But you see… I'm not your fairy godmother. I don't grant wishes. I give them to other people who needs them more." He laughed as he poked Jeanne's forehead. Then he held his other hand out, "Drake, my pistol please."
Darcy's head whipped to the left to see one of the men come out of the darkness, holding a small gun on his hand. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. Anger flushed through her system. She felt a small tug in her heart when she heard Jeanne sob beside her. Jeanne can't get hurt. It wasn't part of the plan. No one needs to die tonight. There was no need for unnecessary bloodshed. She didn't want to turn this kidnapping into a murder. Darcy shut her eyes. She hoped that the second part of her plan works.
Stop!
Inhaling a deep breath, she slowly opened her eyes to glare at the sneering man in front of her, "Arretez!" she yelled. The man with the pistol stopped in his place. Black Fox smirked even wider. Jeanne raised her head to look at her, shocked. Darcy ignored.
"You don't have to hurt her," Darcy yelled, "She is not the one you want."
Jeanne could feel her pinch her side, wanting to blurt the questions running through her head but Darcy just gave her a warning look. Follow the plan, Jeanne. Just shut up and let me do the talking.
"She is just a classmate," Darcy continued, "She offered me a ride to the airport when there was no space in my limousine. Do not hurt her."
The man stood up and guffawed. "Did you see that guys? I told you I'll find out who the daughter is." His men laughed with him. "Glad to see that you're cooperating, Ms. Delattre," he said to Darcy.
The plan was going well. The fish has caught the bait. They think that Darcy is Jeanne.
"Do not hurt her," Darcy glared, "I'm the one you want. Let her go."
"Let her go? Let her go?" the man continued to laugh, "Why would I let your little friend leave? She has seen our faces… and I don't like witnesses." Then he stood up quickly to grab his pistol from one of his men. Instinctively, Darcy threw her body over Jeanne's. She held her stance strong, not budging as the man tried to grab her away. Jeanne cried loudly as the man cursed under his breath trying to strip the stubborn Darcy away from her. "You obstinate little girl!" the man hissed. Then he gestured two of his men close. Darcy shouted at them as the two brooding men stepped closer to grab Jeanne away from her. She wanted to jump at them and claw their faces out but suddenly a strong forced grabbed her curly hair and pulled it back. She cried out in pain as the Black Fox hauled her like she was a piece of weed in the ground. She growled louder as the two men carried Jeanne away towards the back.
"Let go of me!" Darcy roared. The man just laughed maniacally and continued pulling her by her hair. The process was somehow excruciating. She didn't know that hair-pulling was so painful. It stung, it burned, and it hurt like hell. She raised her arms to reach for the man's arms. She felt an overwhelming urge to scratch the guy. Jeanne's hysterical cries began to deafen her ears. It echoed throughout her room. Although she didn't plan for the men to start hurting Jeanne, the plan was going through its course. Their mastermind was distracted and Jeanne was getting closer to the exit. The next phase of their plan is up for completion.
Ignoring the numbing pain she was beginning to feel in her head, she took a deep breath to compose herself. But everything broke when she heard another agonizing shriek from Jeanne.
"Obtenez vos mains de sur elle! Laissez-la tranquille! Je vais te tuer! Je jure devant dieu, si vous posez un doigt sur elle, Je vais te couper! Ne joue pas avec moi, fils de pute. Nom de dieu de putain de bordel de merde de saloperie de connard d'enculé de ta mère!" Darcy snarled ferociously. "Quand je reçois mes mains sur toi, je vais vous castrer avec une cuiller, salaud! Alors je vais te faire manger vos boules putain. Je vais vous détruire, vous con. Je vais vous détruire!" The man continued to laugh at her, not minding her shouts of the filthiest insults she never thought she'd say. "Papa will make you pay! You stupid fox! You'll regret this!"
The man stopped pulling hair and coldly dropped her head on the ground. Darcy glared at him as he made his way in front of her. He dropped to her level, pointing the barrel of his gun to her cheek. "All I need is the Diamond, mademoiselle… Why don't you behave for a little bit and wait for your pathetic Papa? Just shut up and wait… is that too much to ask?"
"You will never get it," Darcy grimaced, "You don't know who you're messing with! You'll be the one begging and crying for messing with me!"
"What are you going to do to me?" the man leered, "Glare at me to death?"
While glaring at him, she dug through her pockets to get two pieces of cloth balls. She had prepared it before Jeanne woke up by tearing the cotton cloth from her coat and rolled it into small balls tied with strands of her hair. They were not enough to protect her ears from the high pressurized whistle, but it should keep her eardrums from shattering.
Sticking the cotton balls into her ear, she smirked at the guy. With the loudest voice she can possibly scream, she yelled, "JEANNE! GO!" then covered her ears.
oOo
Jeanne felt like all of the water in her body was coming out of her eyes. She had never cried so much in her life and she had never imagined crying because of a situation like this. Her heart dropped when the man turned his hand towards her forehead, threatening to shoot her. The feeling of dreading death was utterly horrifying. Her lungs ceased to function when the guy asked for his pistol. She knew it. She was going to die.
At that moment, she felt Darcy squeezed her hand tightly, and yelled 'Stop!' in French. When she started speaking in French and started saying nonsense that she was target, she quickly realized. She realized the real truth of this escape scheme. Darcy will pretend to be Jeanne Delattre so that she can escape. She wanted to hit herself for not realizing it sooner. This plan that Darcy has concocted… it was only meant for one person. Darcy never included herself.
She gave her a warning look, reminding her to stick to the plan.
"She is just a classmate," Darcy said, "She offered me a ride to the airport when there was no space in my limousine. Do not hurt her."
What are you saying Darcy?! You're the one who gave me the ride!
The scary man stood up and cackled maniacally. "Did you see that guys? I told you I'll find out who the daughter is." His men laughed with him. "Glad to see that you're cooperating, Ms. Delattre," he said to Darcy. She felt Darcy squeeze her tighter.
I'm Ms. Delattre! Oh my god, Darcy, you sneaky little—you planned this all along!
"Do not hurt her," Darcy glared, "I'm the one you want. Let her go."
Jeanne wanted to yell out stop to everyone. She wanted the man to stop laughing like a psycho. She wanted Darcy to stop lying for her. She wanted to stop all the madness. She was an active volcano waiting to erupt. Is this why Darcy told her to shut up so many times?
"Let her go? Let her go?" the man continued to laugh, "Why would I let your little friend leave? She has seen our faces… and I don't like witnesses."
Jeanne's blue eyes contracted like saucers as the man went to grab his pistol. She felt Darcy throw her body over her, protecting her. She couldn't say anything but shiver like a lost puppy. She just cried and cried as Darcy tried to hold her close, ignoring the pain as the man pulled her hair. Then her heart started palpitating quickly when she felt two pairs of strong hands grabbing both of shoulders, yanking her away from Darcy's hold. Jeanne let out an instinctive shriek, jerking back and forth to release herself from the two men. Darcy let out a pained wail as the guy pulled her away by her hair. Jeanne extended her hysterical cries as the men carried her away from Darcy.
The plan was actually working, a big surprise to Jeanne. Their mastermind was actually preoccupied and his two henchmen are actually bringing her close to the formulated exit. But at the same time, she felt thoroughly heavy and painful as if barbed wire was constricting her guts. She did not like how this plan was only for her. Jeanne let her tears fall down more, yelling an agonized cry; she was absolutely bare of any plausible idea of what to do.
At that instant, she heard Darcy shouting in French. She flinched with every single word she was hearing. It was utterly crude, and somewhat violent threats Jeanne never thought she'd be able to say to someone.
"I think we should stop here," one of the man mumbled, "Boss didn't really say anything but pull her away from the Ambassador's daughter." The other man nodded and they simultaneously dropped Jeanne to the floor. She scanned her surrounding, finding out that the exit was just a few meters away. The two men turned around and stood on their guarding stance.
"Are we going to kill her?" the other man murmured. Jeanne inhaled sharply.
"I don't know. I left my gun back there…" the man nervously chuckled, "I only have my—
"Moron!" his comrade slapped him on the head, "Why the hell would you leave your gun?"
"JEANNE! GO!" they suddenly heard. They were about to rush off to their boss when suddenly they realized.
"Who's Jzawn?"
"I don't know."
"Wait. Where's the kid?"
The two turned around at the same time to see Jeanne, already with her headphones on. She didn't dare to look up to meet her captors and immediately raised her wrist and turn the crown of the watch. A shrill whistle shook the entire warehouse. Jeanne could feel the vibrations from her arm. The two bulky men in front of her dropped like flies, their hands quickly gluing over their ears to stop the noise. The other men in the warehouse dropped too and so did their boss. Jeanne couldn't believe the thing actually worked. Just what kind of watch is this?
Forcing herself to stand up, she looked around for Darcy. The girl was on the floor like everybody else, inanimate. She felt her heart stopped at the sight. Running quickly to her, she sniveled. The girl was sprawled over the cold stone floor, her long curly hair disheveled and dirty. Darcy's body was clamped in a fetus position, her eyes clutched together. A pained expression covered her face, her dirtied hands hanging limply over her ears. Jeanne knelt down quickly, and shook her while sobbing. "Darcy, Darcy, come on let's go, we have to escape," the girl was still not moving, "Oh my god, Darcy, I'm not leaving without you, wake up! Wake up! DARCY!" She jerked her limp body back and forth desperate for a response.
"Jeanne," Darcy's voice whimpered. Her dark eyebrows contracted together, eyes still squeezed close. She must be in pain. "Go…"
"No, Darcy! We have a plan! We're sticking to it! Come on, get up," Jeanne sputtered, shaking her body. The comatose girl breathed out weakly, growing limp and unmoving.
She slowly exhaled and floated back to unconsciousness. "This was always the plan, Jeanne."
At that moment, she heard a weak groan from behind. Her eyes widened as she sees her captors slowly drift back to consciousness. But Darcy was still unconscious.
I have to hide her. I have to get help.
Gathering all her strength, she grabbed the sleeping girl under her shoulders and dragged her to somewhere safe. She couldn't possibly drag the dead weight on her arms all the way to the marina so she scanned the area for potential hiding spots. With all her power, she pulled Darcy's body towards the farthest and most concealed cargo container in the warehouse. Pulling the door opened, she hauled her body inside. She rested her body carefully far inside the container and left Darcy something to protect herself, in case she woke up. Jeanne retrieved the weapon from one of the guards, thinking it might help. Silently placing the device beside the body, she braced herself to run. After closing the doors, she found the men already sitting up. Putting the headphones over her head again, she activated the whistle again. The men dropped like flies again, all screaming in excruciating pain done by the high-pressurized sound. Inhaling deep breaths, she turned towards the exit. Darcy's words rung in her head, echoing as she sprinted with all her might.
Run, Jeanne. Don't look back and just run.
oOo
At the second the plane doors descended, Tony, Pepper, Happy and Rhodey immediately went out. Thunder rumbled throughout the dark night as ominous clouds slowly moved above them. Rain was coming but they all knew that there was no time to waste.
"Coast Guard's waiting by the dock, Tony," Rhodey informed him as Happy went to get the car. Pepper stood behind him nervously, as Tony only gave attention to his phone. He tapped his foot impatiently as the red dot on the screen began to move.
"Darcy's on the move." Tony murmured. Pepper breathed out a relief sigh. A sleek black car skidded in front of them and Pepper immediately slid herself inside. She expected for Tony to go in with her but she only watched as he walked the other way and stop in front of the driver. Happy questioningly open the door and asked, "Tony, come on, get inside."
"I'm driving," he simply stated. Happy gaped at him
"W-what?" he stammered.
"Harold, get off the car," he said in a harder tone. Flabbergasted, Happy swiftly glided off the driver seat and went to sit next to Pepper. Staying silent, Tony got in the car, and revved it, cueing Rhodes to get in. The Colonel slid inside, and swiftly put on his seatbelt, not bothering to ask any more questions.
Tony growled to himself, as he stepped to accelerate. He drove as fast as he can, skillfully swerving left and right of the traffic. No one dared to stop him.
Why does it have it to always rain?
oOo
Right…
Straight ahead…
Right…
Left… Straight….
Oh my god, dead end.
Panting incessantly, she leaned her body against the surface of a brick wall. Groaning in exasperation, she looked back to her former route to see if anyone was following her. The brooding alleyways were dark and winding but she found no people lurking about. She sighed in relief. The kidnappers would be pretty much powerless after receiving her offense. She wondered how bad they must have looked after waking up with their ear drums completely shattered. She couldn't have possibly been able to escape without the watch.
The watch... without a single doubt, Jeanne knew she'd still be inside the dirty warehouse without it. Truly, the device was a genuine representation of pure ingenuity. She has never thought that a simple watch could be turned into some kind of super-spy gadget, but it was right there around her wrist. Pondering, she knew Darcy was smart, dominating on the genius-level. She had seen the girl make little contraptions in class. But to own this complex device, Darcy couldn't have it made using a kit of screwdrivers. Jeanne had come to the conclusion that somebody else made this watch—somebody even smarter than Darcy Lewis. But she somehow can't put a name on it.
While shaking her head to ward off unnecessary thoughts, she looked down on the device to get directions. A bright ruby red dot blinked over and over again on the small screen, indicating her location. She needed to find a shorter way to get to the waters. With Darcy unconscious, she was determined to find and get help. A flash of guilt washed over her. Darcy has helped her so much. Of all the years that she lived to harass the girl, waking up every day to badmouth her, Jeanne still couldn't fathom the idea of Darcy sacrificing herself for her. She did nothing but insult her. She even masterminded the bullying of Ivy Nguyen. So why in the world would Darcy even think about helping her?
In the back of her mind, she wondered why she even started living as Darcy's tormentor. It all started with Alex Mayr. Jeanne was head-over-heels about him. After knowing that she was a Special-Star like him, a similarity she can never have, she was envious. Then that envy slowly evolved to another kind of jealousy that Darcy was able to acquire all the privileges with just her wits. Darcy never needed money or fancy things. She just used her brain and it has rewarded her great things. Great things Jeanne knew she would never have. Then she had a loyal best friend that stood by her side always. Jeanne wanted a friend like that. Sure, she had two friends but that bond was only linked by her financial background. She grew up with the notion that all rich people should be together with other rich people. So it was only natural for her to obtain the same obnoxious, supercilious friends like herself. Succumbing to the inclined thirst for more power, and fame, her group enlarged as she exposed herself to lavish parties and gatherings. Darcy, on the other hand, was content with only having one friend, who was not even rich compared to Jeanne's social circle. They laughed together, helped each other out like real friends should always be. Jeanne was first annoyed at the sight of those two. They were both complete exemplifications of social gracelessness—a middle-class denizen and a good-for-nothing nerd—and yet they still managed to stay together. That sheer vexation of their friendship later developed to become another branch of her jealousy. She had everything, the money, the luxury, all present at the snap of her fingers. But somehow, Darcy looked the happiest.
Jeanne didn't want seeing that kind of unconditional happiness. She didn't want to live it vicariously. If she can't have it, then no one can. She needed to destroy that happiness. The sight of Darcy all alone fed her satisfaction. By taking Ivy, solitude crept slowly upon Darcy, turning her more to a social outcast. People ignored her, made fun of her, alienated her. Darcy would've thought that she was brought to a place where her talents should be glorified, but Jeanne made sure that her power would be the one to take her down.
However, Darcy still remained, well, like Darcy. Even without a friend by her side, she still laughed and smile. She ignored all the harassments by reading books. She would always go down to the library and discuss happily with the librarian. She would even have conversations with Alex about music. It was as if nothing wrong happened. Even after Ivy moved away to another school, Darcy still remained strong by herself. So Jeanne continued her relentless verbal attacks hoping to induce a different reaction from her but Darcy would always shut her down with sarcastic remarks. She only used her mouth to fight back and nothing more. She never did anything to get back at Jeanne, which perplexes the French girl even more. Then later on, as time progressed, it became a daily routine for the two of them to wage verbal wars. An awkward relationship has sprouted between the two of them, stepping upon the basis of Jeanne's jealousy and pride. But was that even enough for Darcy to go this far? Has she considered her a friend after all this time? Has Jeanne become a friend that Darcy would risk her life to?
Gathering enough energy, Jeanne managed to catch a few breaths to prepare for another sprint. She pulled her coat closer over her chest to combat the November cold. She may not know the reason for Darcy's noble act. She may not have the same strong willpower as Darcy. But she will do everything in her power to save her. She has to move now—and fast.
"Whoa, that is some watch, huh?" she suddenly heard. The hairs on the back of neck straightened even more as chills snaked down her spine. Her stomach churned just as though she had swallowed a tornado. Her heart refused to beat. Her lungs declined to breathe. She gulped loudly and shivered.
This is it.
They caught me.
I'm going to die.
"You know, I thought I was too late. I got here as fast as I could. Man, this place is a labyrinth," the voice said, "Then you escaped by yourself and you are all dirty and dark, it's hard to spot you. Good thing you got to this dead end… makes my job easier to find you." The sound echoed through her ears clearly as if the guy was right behind her. It was as though the man was peering over shoulder.
But it was impossible. She was at a dead end.
Without thinking, she quickly pushed her sleeve up to turn on the whistle on the watch. Her mind scrambled as she turned the crown counterclockwise. But nothing happened.
My 20 seconds were up.
I'm gonna die.
"Is that how you escaped? With that watch?" the voice asked in her ears, "Interesting tech, you have there… I guess it's not working anymore? Battery exhausted?"
The voice behind her had a tone of indifference. It was so conversational and casual that Jeanne found it more horrifying. But no, she can't get caught again. Darcy had sacrificed so much for her to go this far. She needed to get help and no one should stop her. Slowly closing her left hand slowly to fist, she prepared herself to attack. She was perfectly aware that a silly punch from her wouldn't exactly render a grown man unconscious but it should throw the guy off-course for a second. A second was the only thing Jeanne needed to run away.
Twisting her body ninety-degrees, she swung her left arm to jab the guy's face behind her. Her blue eyes widened when her fist met nothing but air. No one was there behind her but darkness. She immediately scanned her surroundings to find the guy but he was nowhere to be found.
"You got a mean swing there, little kid," she heard, "You could've hurt me." Swerving around, she heard the noise come from somewhere on top of the buildings. She saw nothing but black as the night cloaked his figure. Something didn't make sense. She felt like the guy was literally just behind her and yet he was all the way on top of the dark building.
"I'm pretty good at swinging, not to brag. I could show you."
Completely scared, she decided to make a run for it. If the guy was on top of the high building, he wouldn't be able to catch up with her right? Whimpering, she started to dash.
"Whoa, wait! Where are you going? Hey, come back. I have to bring you back!" the man yelled at her. Jeanne ignored him and continued on running. Run, run and run. That's all she needed to do.
Then all of the sudden, she felt something grab her by her shoulders. The hold was not tight and constricting but she surely felt it. She screamed loudly as she started moving backwards. She tried to run again, but something was holding her back, pulling her in the darkness. Another yelp escaped her throat when her feet quickly left its place on the ground.
Jeanne closed her eyes and began to thrash her arms around and kicked her feet wildly to free herself of her captor's hold. A mixture of her earsplitting screams and shrilling cries echoed throughout the brick walls of the buildings as she tried to fight her way to freedom.
"I suggest you stop moving if you don't want to fall face flat to the ground," the man huffed as he snaked his dark arm around her waist, earning another shriek from Jeanne. She then felt a rush of cold air gushing through her hair. The wind breezed through her face, and her ears began to hurt because of the temperature. She didn't dare to open her eyes. A slight whimper croaked out of her as she sensed that she was going higher up the sky. Another scream echoed then when she experienced a drop in her chest as though gravity was pulling her down. It became a cycle, the climb in altitude and the drops as if she was going up and down a twisting, gut-wrenching roller coaster. She saw it as some sick joke that her captor has decided to torment her off. She had the notion that she was grabbed by a man in a helicopter, swinging her body up and down to mess with her mind. Maybe they planned for her to go crazy before they drop her body coldly to the ground.
The cycle continued for minutes, and Jeanne was getting tired of screaming her heart out. She let her arms fall down weakly. Fatigue has lingered through her muscles, and her mind was weary. Desperation and defeat flooded her psyche, thinking that everything was over. She will never be saved. Darcy would never be saved. Her stomach began to constrict and twist, wondering if it was hurt because of the jumps or the overwhelming guilt of being useless. She let her tears fall down in defeat. The harsh wind muffled her sobs as she shook her head.
"Please…" she whimpered against the breeze, "Please let me go…"
She heard no answer from the man. The wind merely howled in reply.
"I just want to see my Papa again…"
"And you'll see him again… don't worry," the voice surprised her. It was shockingly gentle and soothing. It became even more surprising when she felt her two feet touch a solid surface. The feeling was unanticipated, gasping as her knees gave out. Two warm hands scooped her up and softly supported her up. Her shivering hands reach intuitively for balance, dropping them upon the man's arms. Her eyebrows contracted in confusion. Strange material touched the pores of her fingertips. The feeling was not common. His arms were strangely covered in some kind of rough fabric, plotted with little indents, Jeanne recognized as mesh. Curious, she slowly lifted her lids to see the man that captured her.
A flash of white light blinded her at first. Her blue eyes looked up to see the lights towering over her like stadium lights over a wide football field. It felt like decades, being inside the shadows of the dark, that she forgot the warmth of light. There were cargo containers everywhere, all lit up with bright metallic colors. A huge crane hovered above her, its yellow hue contrasting against the pitch black night. Her ears twitched as she heard the cries of seagulls flying above her. The briny smell of the river whiffed through her nose. Faint sounds of water crashing over the docks filled her ears. She couldn't believe it. She was where she needed to be.
"I am at the marina…" she gasped. Her pale hands reached up to cover her mouth, to hold back another sob. Her face and hands felt so cold, oh how her skin longing for warmth.
"You're safe now," the gentle voice said. Her head whipped to the source and she gasped loudly. This man was her savior.
As the light shined over the dark countenance of the man, a crimson red suit squatted in front of her. . Long, thin black lines enveloped his suit mimicking the geometrical arrangements of a spider-web. Navy blue patched his back, arms, and legs. A red and black mask veiled his face. Gold and blue hues fought over dominance on his off-white eyes. He cocked his head to the side as Jeanne stared at the very well-known spider emblem on his chest. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. The amount of bizarre she had experience tonight… it was too unbelievable.
"FREEZE!" Jeanne flinched when she heard someone shout, "PUT YOUR HANDS UP!"
More lights entered her vision, blinding her. Jeanne squinted her eyes to look through the multitude of flashlights. She counted five darkly uniformed men treading towards them with pistols.
"Great, I go save a kidnapped girl and they point guns to my face," she heard him sigh, "Can't a guy get a break?"
"I said hands up, web-head," one of them ordered, Jeanne assumed as the squad's leader, "No one told you to intrude on an active case."
Spider-man sighed again. He rubbed the back of his neck and sulked, "No one told you to kill the mood. I was just having my superhero moment here."
"Hands up, menace," the older man huffed, pointing his gun higher. The masked man raised his red hands up, sighing again.
"You've been reading too much tabloids, Chief," he grumbled, "I just saved a whole squadron of your troops from getting mutated two months ago, and I helped catch a bank robber last week, and I just saved this girl and you guys treat me this way? I feel the love, guys, I feel it."
"That girl you just saved is the French Ambassador's daughter, so I suggest you move away before I pull this trigger, Spidey," the man hissed. Jeanne sensed the masked guy inch away in to the darkness then a familiar voice shouted for her.
"Jeanne?! Cherie?!" a deep voice boomed. Jeanne looked around to search for the voice then a lanky man shoved his way in between the officers in front of her. His iron-grey hair seemed more ashen than usual, unruly. His blue eyes quivered as he kneeled down in front of her. Tears rolled down Jeanne's face. She has never been so happy to see his face. "Papa!" she shouted, throwing her body towards her father. Soft, comfortable arms wound around her, clutching her close to carry her. Jeanne cried and cried as the man held her head tenderly, soothing her. The Ambassador stood up, and started carrying her towards the Coast Guards' boats, where Jeanne's mother waited patiently. The fair-haired woman made her way out of the boat as fast she could to get her daughter.
"Mon amour, Jeanne! Oh my god, you're here. You're okay," the mother whimpered as she grabbed her from the Ambassador. She embraced her tightly, shedding her own tears, "My sweet baby… my sweet, sweet Jeanne. I love you."
"Thank you, officers. If it weren't for all of you, my daughter wouldn't be saved," the Ambassador turned around to shake hands with the police, "All for this for the Hope Diamond..."
"We have received a call that 13-year old girl has been kidnapped to here. If my partner hasn't come across to your missing person report, we wouldn't have been able to know that it was your daughter, Mr. Ambassador. Not to mention the ransom that was just sent out." the old man nodded.
"Who called it in?" he asked.
"Colonel Rhodes. He's a great man. Met him once on a weapons conference. I don't know how he knew though but it doesn't matter now. Your daughter is safe." The man replied, "We also had an accident on the way to LaGuardia Airport where a limousine has been devastatingly crashed. Security camera and witnesses have reported seeing your daughter go in this car. The chauffeur was badly hurt but stable but there were no passengers found."
"Hey, thanks for taking the credit, Chief," a voice interjected. It came from the top of one of the containers. Spider-man sat on the edged, his shoulders slumped. The police officers pointed all their guns up to him but the Chief waved them off. "I thought you left already."
"It's a beautiful Friday night, Chief. I thought you and I can have a little dinner later," Spider-man joked, "Just kidding. I wouldn't have dinner with you. You'll eat all the food."
"Why, you little bas-
"Spider-man!" Jeanne suddenly yelled, breaking away from her mother's embrace to run towards the container he perched on, "You have to go back!"
Jeanne wanted to hit herself again. She almost forgot. She got too caught up with all the happiness that she forgot. How could she have forgotten?
"Does everybody want me to leave that badly?" the man dropped his head playfully. Jeanne shook her head.
"Darcy…" she swallowed, going closer, "You have to save her!"
All of the heads turned towards her, all shocked.
"There's another one?!" Spider-man yelled back, standing up.
"You have to go back and save her. Please!" she cried, "She's unconscious a-and—
"I'll go." The masked hero stated as he inserted new web fluid in his web shooters.
"Wait!" Jeanne yelled, stopping him from jumping off back to the darkness. The man waited for her as she stepped closer to the container he perched on. Everyone watched her pulling up her sleeve to take off a watch. She raised her hand up high, and yelled loudly.
"T-this watch. It's Darcy's! She gave it to me so I can escape." Then she got a glance of a white, sticky, stringy substance shooting towards her. She closed her eyes in defense, but soon opened it as she felt the object that she was holding was recoiling back to him. Spider-man examined that watch for a moment then put slid the watch around his wrist and prepared a stance.
Slowly walking backwards, he waved goodbye to everyone before setting off.
"I'll find your friend and give this to her, and maybe we can share some how-to-escape-your-kidnapper tactics. Don't worry, I won't be long, Chief. Don't miss me."
At that moment, Chief took out his walkie-talkie and began sputtering codes. "This is Chief Vitalis. There has been another report of a possible victim. I repeat, there is another victim. Requesting back up and Medivac, ASAP"
Sir, we only have been ordered for an extraction. It has been strictly advised that we get the girl and leave, a voice replied.
"The situation has changed, boy. Take everyone there and get all your asses here." He grumbled as he wiggled his fingers. All the men behind him began to close around him, armed with rifles. "Are we clear, over?" No response transmitted back.
"Officer Dale, do you copy, over?" he asked. Someone replied but it was a different voice.
Chief Vitalis, this is Colonel James Rhodes of the Weapons Department of the US Army. I only ordered an extraction, Chief. Why are you sending troops out?
The man gasped. He didn't expect the Colonel to be there. What the hell was happening on the other side of river?
"Our victim here has reported that her friend is back there, unconscious. We need to—
Hey! Wait, hold a minute. Aargh. Son of a bitch, you need to calm yourself.
"Excuse me?" the Chief asked incredulously. Everyone was watching him talk, listening.
I'm sorry, Chief, that wasn't meant for you. It's just that—No, you cannot have the phone. I have this under control. I can talk to them. No, it's okay. Stop worrying. They just found her friend. Stop—TONY!
Everyone waited as the sound of the walkie-talkie getting thrashed around. Crashing, and static sounds escaped through the Chief's speakers. Shouts of a woman yelling joined then too. Then it stopped.
Where's the girl?
The voice changed again, confusing everyone. It was deep and a streak of grave seriousness laced the voice's tone. It oozed an overwhelming aura of authority, even if it was just a voice from the walkie-talkie. The Chief couldn't help but stutter back.
"Who is this?"
I asked first. Where's the girl?
The man didn't answer back and just helplessly looked around. The voice was just so heavy and serious that it brought a tinge of fear to everyone's system. Slightly shaking, he stepped slowly towards Jeanne and held out the device. She gulped loudly, also scared by the deep voice, and took it.
"H-hello?" she whimpered.
Silence.
Jeanne coughed then spoke again with more clarity, "Hello?"
You're not Darcy.
Jeanne's eyes widened. The person on the other end knows Darcy. She didn't know if he was her Dad or a relative but the tone in his voice indicated that he knew her. He also knew that Darcy wasn't the one saved. Her hands gripped the walkie-talkie tightly. How can she tell the man that Darcy has been left alone with the kidnappers, unconscious?
Where's Darcy?
Jeanne's eyebrows contracted again, knitting together in guilt. Her knees felt weak again.
"I—She- plan- escape- I- went—and—she—" she stuttered.
A string of curses escaped through the speakers. Everyone winced as each death threat was mixed with venomous promise. Jeanne flinched as how a chain of words could be so violent. It was like when Darcy started cursing out the Black Fox. Then it stopped after a woman's voice began to talk to him. With a cautious sigh, the voice spoke again.
Where's the watch?
Jeanne gulped. The person knew of the watch. The watch that helped her escape. The watch that should've helped Darcy escape, not her.
I know you have it. Where is the watch?
"I-I don't have it," she croaked out, trembling, "I gave it to Spider-man…"
Who? Who the hell is Spider-man?
"H-he went—" she stammered, "He went to save Darcy."
Another sequence of curses rang out wildly through the phone's speakers. Jeanne gave the device back to the Chief, frightened of the violent threats coming out. If words could kill, she would've have exploded by now.
But it doesn't matter now. Jeanne stared up in the sky where her masked hero branched on. Spider-man has left. He can surely save Darcy. He can go beat up the kidnapper and catch them. She can breathe a little easier now. Darcy can be saved.
At that point, a flicker of thought jumped into her mind. Darcy has given her the watch so she could escape. She gave her the headphones to protect herself. She threw dirt on her face so that the kidnappers wouldn't recognize her. She took her place, all for Jeanne's safety. Her lips flattened. Nothing would ever make her forget this night. Not time, not anyone. Tonight, Darcy was the real hero.
"Today was her birthday, Papa…" she whispered as she felt her parents walked behind hers. She felt two warm hands drop on her shoulders. Her father pulled her close while her mother held her hand endearingly. She didn't look at them, and merely enjoyed the sensation. The feeling of warmth and security flooded her system. She hoped Darcy would feel the same. "I didn't even get her a present."
"Hearing you apologize was a good enough birthday present from you."
Jeanne didn't even get her anything. She never gave anything nice to Darcy.
"Ivy made it. She gave it to me for today."
Even the hat… Darcy even gave her birthday present to Jeanne.
"I know it's not your taste but you know how it is. It's going to be cold outside…"
She felt a cool breeze fly through her hair as she pulled Darcy's hat from her head. Her fingertips felt the soft fabric. It was truly an example of true craftsmanship. The design was flawless and it matched Darcy's personality well. She regretted ridiculing it. She clutched the hat tightly.
…Fate was such a cruel thing.
A moist, wet sensation came through her palm. Confused, she raised her hand to look at it.
…Today was supposed to be a happy day.
Upon her pale, shivering hand was such an egregious color. So ominous… Jeanne whimpered as she stared at the red fluid staining her palm. Frantic, she touched the other parts of hat. More red tainted her skin.
She touched the crown of her head, expecting more blood to come but she felt nothing but her hair. She wasn't hurt. She wasn't hurt. Looking at her tainted hands again, she sobbed.
"This is not my blood…"
…People say that life is full of roses and thorns.
But this time, Jeanne had the roses, and Darcy took all of the thorns.
Longest... chapter... ever... I'm sorry if it's so long, I didn't where to stop. Please don't hate me.
Also, I'm really bad at describing things so if some things are kinda iffy, please pay no mind to it.
I had to throw in a little bit of the Seven Deadly Sins in there (if no one have noticed already) because i was having writers block. Jeanne possessed pride for her wealth, avarice or greed for attention and material possessions, the lust for power, envy of people's happiness, glutton/over-indulgence for more things (notice how she -just- had to have all those luggage in her car), sloth because she failed to do what she was supposed to do (entirely helpless on her own), wrath for Darcy and Ivy.
Darcy was there to show her selflessness, the power of knowledge, the sense of justice, benevolence and sacrifice, persistence and effort, mercy, kindness and integrity, bravery and humility.
A little theme of dark and light, the good and the bad, happiness and sadness, fear and courage and redemption.
I know it's kind of cliche, but as I have mentioned before... damned writer's block.
And the OTP poll. It seems that people would like to see more of Steve/Darcy so I will be writing that. After I write that, I will also write about Clint/Darcy and Loki/Darcy as kind of alternate endings to avoid disappointments.
Another thing... I found a timeline about how all the Marvel should play out leading to the Avengers. Apparently, Thor, Iron Man 2, and Incredible Hulk happened on the same freaking week Nick Fury had one hell of a week, realizing that. This is completely different from my story timeline a bit, but I will be sticking to it, regardless of Marvel's timeline. So expect Iron Man to come out after the next two chapters...
And thank you for the reviews. They mean a lot... glad to know I'm not writing 17k worded chapters to an invisible audience.