Chapter Two – Where Did All the Normal Go?

It had been a tough eleven months for Gen. After narrowly escaping Hammer and his men, she'd decided to lay low, get a simple cash earning job, and blend in with the crowd.

After running from the laboratory, Gen found 'civilization'. The base had been situated in the township of Jackson, New Jersey, so Gen decided to use her location as an advantage. She needed to hide, to get away from Hammer, and what better way to remain undetected than to do the unexpected? She walked five or so miles before convincing a bus driver to take her as far as possible. In all honesty, it wasn't that hard. She was a poor, unclean-looking girl; all she had to do was plead a little and there, she was on the road and awaiting her final destination; Manhattan. The journey was long and strenuous. She had to catch three different busses and walk and additional three miles, but as the sun sank behind the long stretch of skyscrapers, she found herself wandering into her final destination.

Since that day, Gen had 'cleaned up' her act. She's gotten a job, working in a small garage, repairing cars and motorbikes. She'd learned how to fix engines and the like from a young age; her father believed they were life skills, essential in order to prevent getting ripped off by dodgy mechanics, and thus, she channeled her knowledge into a new career. In terms of finding a home, it wasn't all that hard. Whilst she stayed at a homeless shelter on the first few nights, her job offered her a new housing opportunity. Her boss, Tyler, had a spare room on offer; in return she split the bills with him, and shared the cooking. The mutualistic relationship that the two initiated soon grew into a strong friendship, but no matter how strong the friendship, Gen promised herself that Tyler wouldn't find out the truth about her unless it was absolutely necessary.

She was cooking that night, her dishes were never culinary masterpieces, but they were edible, and quite enjoyable should she say so herself. As she was grilling the steak she heard the front door swing open, before laughter chimed up the hallway and into the kitchen. Tyler was home, and from the sounds of it, his friend, Darren, was over too.

"Mm, smells scrumptious, doll," Darren said as he sauntered into the kitchen. Gen rolled her eyes as Tyler walking in behind him, shaking his head.

"Leave Genny alone you tool". Tyler always called Gen, Genny. He only did it to get Gen's attention, to get her to see him in a different light, but it never really worked. Gen always viewed Tyler as a friend. He was tall, with dark hair and eyes, and most definitely attractive, but never had Gen considered him to be anything more.

She took the steak off the grill staring apprehensively at the small quantity; there wasn't enough there for the three of them, nor were there enough veggies to make a side-salad.

"Ty", Gen started, "can you just grill the rest of them? I have to go to the store to pick up some veggies". She heard a muffled agreement and chuckled as she walked into the living room to grab her coat, confronted by the scene of Darren straddling Tyler during one of their 'mock wrestling matches'.

Gen slung her coat over her shoulders as she walked out of the small apartment, jogging down the stairs before heading out of the complex and onto the footpath. She'd gotten used to the hustle and bustle of the city. It was different to the small suburb she was raised in, but it had grown on her. During her first few weeks in Manhattan, she'd struggled to sleep; the noises at night irked her, and the sheer density of the population during the day was enough to drive her mad, but she'd eventually settled, eventually preferring the noise over the deafening silence of night; the silence she'd become accustomed to during those three weeks in Jackson.

Tyler's apartment was located in downtown Manhattan, and the walk to her favorite fruit market was about a mile, which led Gen to break into a run. The sidewalks were slightly clearing as the day neared its end, although the smoggy air made breathing uncomfortable. Regardless, she was used to it. Gen was accustomed to running every day; it had become a routine since escaping, in case the worst should happen again. As she turned the sharp corner, Gen collided with a man, bouncing backwards and landing ass first on the concrete. She looked up at the bewildered man before quickly averting her eyes and attempting to stand, however her coordination failed her, leading to a swift descent back onto the pavement.

A wave of dizziness overcame her as a chuckle reached her ears – she'd never handled abrupt movements very well – forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut and 'recalibrate' for the moment. When she opened her eyes, she jumped back at the proximity of the man who had crouched in front of her.

"Hey, are you ok?"

His voice was smooth, yet deep, complimenting his appearance completely. He had olive skin and a well-trimmed beard. He looked familiar.

"Well, I wouldn't expect you to be totally fine, I mean you ran into my cast-iron chest; it's pretty defined don't you think?" There was a certain air about him, and Gen was unsure whether it was arrogance or self-confidence, but that was what gave his identity away.

"You're Anthony Stark". It wasn't a question, rather a statement. Her father had practically idolized the man. Her father would rave about how self-less Stark was, and how inspirational his headstrong behavior was, simply because he refused to buckle against governmental pressures.

A smirk made its way onto Stark's face as he stood up from the crouching position in front of her, offering her a hand to help her up. She accepted his hand, allowing him to pull her up, taking a step back and slightly blushing as she found herself chest to chest with the man.

"So, you know who I am…would you like a picture? Autograph, maybe? You're cute, what about a kiss?"

She'd decided. The man was definitely arrogant. She was sure that her father's opinion would have been vastly different had he ever met the real Anthony Stark.

"My father was a fan, me, not so much". She shrugged her shoulders as she shoved her hands in her pockets. She had to get going, she was running late and she didn't want Tyler to worry. She sidestepped Stark, slightly brushing his shoulder as she went around him and proceeded towards the shop.

"Wait!" She slowed to a stop, turning slightly to look over her shoulder only to see him run up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Uh, it's Tony. Your name?". He ran a hand through his hair as Gen shook his other arm off her shoulder.

She took a deep breath. There was no harm in telling the savior of the world her name was there?

"Gen". He smiled, as he stepped beside her.

"Gen…" he trailed off, linking arms with her and advancing towards the store. "Where are you headed this fine afternoon?" She jerked her chin forward as a gesture; she wasn't in the mood for a conversation with this man. He was unfamiliar, and from what she'd gathered, overtly obnoxious.

He chuckled at her cold response, before widening his eyes in what could only be described as panic. She felt something hard press against her waist along with the hard ragged breathing in her ear. The body behind her soon pressed against her, as she was jolted back into him.

"Hey sweetheart, what do you say you follow me, dump this sorry sonofabitch and we have some fun?" The voice was grimy, and the stench wafting from the man smelled like a combination of urine, alcohol and sweat. Tony was pushed away by two of the man's friends, struggling against them as he tried to reach Gen. The knife on her side began to press through her coat, pinching the skin and threatening to break it as the man shook her in an attempt of getting an answer out of her.

Gen took a deep, trembling breath as she closed her eyes. The street they stood in was empty otherwise, with all the pedestrian traffic lining the two framing main roads; there was no one to help. When Gen opened her eyes she was oddly calm, but she knew what she had to do. If she yelled, the man would probably pierce the knife deep into her skin before running off, but she was scared to use her powers, she couldn't risk being discovered. Her actions were almost subconscious. Whilst debating the pros and cons of forcing the man away from her, she closed her eyes and opened her palm behind her causing the man to let out a loud yelp before hurtling away from her and hitting the brick wall with a sickening thwack. She opened her eyes, only to see the men that we holding Tony release him, staring at her in fear. They took a few tentative steps back, before turning tail and running away, leaving their friend behind.

It was Tony's reaction that got her though. His eyes were wider than before, but more so in curiosity. He'd never seen anything like it. Telekinesis was a myth as far as he'd known; not humanly possible, but he'd seen it. He just couldn't believe it. It was then Gen's turn to run. She had to leave. Her cover was blown.

As she turned, and prepared herself for the run ahead, she felt a soft hand wrap around her wrist.

"Gen, how did you do that?" She was silent. She didn't want to tell anyone, particularly not a perfect stranger, Iron Man or not.

"None of your business."

"No Gen this is serious. We need to get you to a safe location, you don't know what some people would do to get your kind of power".

Gen let out a bitter chuckle. She didn't know? She may have been naïve in a lot of ways, but she most definitely was not an idiot. She knew that there were a lot of evil people. She knew what they were capable of. She knew not to underestimate what people would do for their personal gain.

"How do I know that you're not just like them?" It was a simple question, but she was keen to hear his answer; how he'd respond.

"You can't, not really. But I was once where you are now, and I know what it's like, to have something that someone would do anything to get". His response confused her, but his expression was earnest. In that moment, the egotistical façade dropped, and the sensitive man behind the mask was exposed.

"Where will you take me then?"

"I suggest you spend the night at mine, then tomorrow morning we'll report back to S.H.I.E.L.D.".

She'd heard of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Her father would rave about how 'awesome' it was; how it was S.H.I.E.L.D. that brought together the Avengers and how it thanks to them that the world was saved.
"I have to go back to my roommate though, him and his friend are waiting for me".

Tony stopped, scratching his goatee before pulling out his phone and handing it to me.

"Give them a call, tell them you've just run into some family and you'll be home in a few days. We'll go from there". Gen nodded apprehensively. She didn't particularly like Stark's plan, but she wasn't about to bite the hand that fed her.

After calling a very worried Tyler and convincing him she was fine, she walked with Stark to a very sporty, very expensive looking convertible before hopping in and staring at the passing city as they made their way to the newly built tower. Throughout the drive, Tony sat there reciting facts about his building, explaining how it had to be redesigned after Loki's attack on New York, and how he'd decided to upgrade some of his gadgets while he was at it. She smiled as he explained the need for a name change: 'Stark and Potts'. He smiled as he spoke of Pepper, explaining that he wanted to surprise her, naming the building after the two of them. Gen was confused however when Toney spoke of percentages giggling as he spoke before clearing his throat and merely staring out the windshield with a stupid grin on his face.

Gen's afternoon had been crazy; all she wanted to do was wind back time as she was adamant that life would have been easier had she never left Tyler's apartment. She never would have met Mr Stark nor would she have exposed herself. Rather, she would be curled up on the couch, laughing along with the boys as they watched the football, and that's what she craved. Normalcy.

HEY GUYS! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's pretty much just getting started really! Please review and let me know what you think :) x