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Chapter 5:

The Silence of Time

There was a chill in the room and the thin fugly sweater Toni was wearing wasn't keeping her warm. Her hair was standing up on her arms and she had the goose bumps up and down her body. She had tried to adjust the sweater, but she couldn't with a broken arm and the other handcuffed to table. She couldn't move her chair either as it was bolted to the ground, which annoyed her, but it didn't annoy her as much as them, the Colonel and company, their stupid tactics Sure, she was their prisoner, but they couldn't- wouldn't get under her skin. She was tougher than some cold room.

Toni glanced around the room, looking for something that could help her, but she knew there wouldn't be anything. They had underestimated her the first time and she knew they weren't taking any chances now. They had locked her into a 10 by 8 ft. room and made sure that there was nothing in her arm's reach or even in the room that she could use. Across from her was a police style window, where she couldn't see through but they could see her. That pissed her off. She had been sitting in this freezing room with dim lights for hours, or what seemed like days, as they watched her. She knew they were waiting to see if they could break her, which was impossible. She wouldn't say anything.

The chair was the most uncomfortable chair on the planet and no matter which way she moved, Toni could not find a comfortable position. I wish I could put my feet up, she thought as she couldn't t kick her feet up like she wanted. The pain, which was controlled by medication, was still present, and it was still bothersome, making it hard to think. She needed to have a clear mind if she wanted to beat those asshats. Toni glanced around the room, trying to clear to her mind from the pain.

There was no window besides the police style window, which made it hard to tell how much time had passed. There was a chair in the corner of the room, and it didn't appear to be bolted like hers, which wasn't fair. Why does the interviewer get the free chair? "Hello," she yelled, getting annoyed at the silence. She had enough of it; she wanted to talk to someone and make them cry, which was her specialty. She was known for getting under people's skin; just ask her team. She had gotten into fights with the other Avengers over her mouth. "Did you forget about me?"

There was no answer, and it pissed her off even more. She hated sitting in dead silence not doing anything, because there was so much she could be doing. She had to work on her device or she would never get home, though there was no real chance she could get home. She had no idea of how she got to the past, but she needed to figure it out so she could get home before anyone realized who she was. It would be bad if they did. She would hate to see what her father would do if he learned the truth.

Toni glared at the window as if she could burn a hole into it. "Asshats!" she muttered. There was still no movement for a few more additional hours, and it started to get to her, which annoyed her. They would not take her at her best, and they had to weaken her before they went at her. How manly was that?

Leaning back the best she could, Toni wiggled in her chair. Maybe, she could sing something, because that would surely send them running. Her singing sucked ass so bad that it could shatter glass, though she would defend it if someone else tried to insult it. "I'm on the highway to hell-" she started but she cut herself off after a few seconds. She couldn't sing that song or any song as they didn't exist yet and she couldn't sing a song that didn't exist yet. Closing her eyes and shaking her head, she went through her memory banks. She couldn't think of any song from the 1940's and that annoyed her. How can Toni annoy them if she couldn't sing a song?

She guessed she could always make up a song, which could be worse. "Bored, Bored, Bored. What's a girl to do when she is cold and bored!" she sung at the top of her lungs. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard. "They leave me alone for what seems like days, and I think I could freeze to death, but boredom would be my death!" She could feel her throat start to dry, but she knew if they were listening, they would be in soon. They wouldn't be able to take much more of her horrible singing. "Silence of Death is almost upon us!" she let it go. "Bored leads-"

The door to the room started to open, silencing the loud genius. Mr. Salty walked in with an expression that someone just farted in his face, which made Toni chuckle. "Sound something smelly?" she asked with an annoying smile on her face. "Or that could be just your normal face!"

Colonel Phillips narrowed his eyes at Toni as he picked up the chair in the corner and placed it in front of the table across from her. "It could just be your horrible singing."

Again, she knew her singing sucked, but no one else was allowed to say. "I tried," Toni teased, as she studied him. Though she was unsure of the time-lapse since she last saw Salty, he looked older. "Did something happen, Salty?"

He looked at her. "My mother had always taught me to be respectful to ladies, and you make that difficult." He placed the thick folder he was carrying on the table. "Did your mother ever teach you manners?"

Toni's expression turned hard, as she heard him ask that. Though it wasn't a serious question or even a question about her identity, it cut her to the core. Her relationship with her mother was cut short by Maria's death, and it still hurt, knowing she wasn't able to learn from her. There were points where Toni wondered what her life would have been like if she had a mother and wasn't alone with her father. "My mother died when I was young."

The look on the Colonel's face changed a little. "I'm sorry."

Toni tried to wave it off, but she was only able to move her hand a few inches off the table. "I'm not going to tell you anything, because I didn't do anything," she stated, changing the subject. She didn't want his pity and if she could move, she would throw something at him.

"You did attack a nurse and stole her clothes," he responded, eyeing her clothes.

She almost forgot that she was wearing the ugly nurse's outfit. "I'm being held prisoner without just cause," she stated, glancing toward the window. She wondered who was behind it, but she was sure it was her annoying father and Dr. Erskine.

"I wouldn't say it was without cause," he stated as he opened the folder and revealed photos of her device, which was taken apart. There were wires connected to the device, trying to power it up.

"I've done nothing wrong, so give me back my items and let me go," she demanded. She tried to cross her arms but couldn't thanks to the handcuff. "I've a right to design and invent advance technology." She forced her thoughts away from the Arc Reactor that Phillips was staring at. "They're my property."

"Ever heard of Eminent domain?" he asked.

Toni narrowed her eyes. "Yes, as only a complete idiot wouldn't know what it is. It's the power to take private property for public use by the government following the payment of just compensation to the owner of that property," she stated, annoyed. "However, I did not get paid nor are you using my device, which you had no idea what it is, for public use. Besides it's not the same kind of property; it's not land. Eminent Domain applies to land." She so needed to get out of here with her device, but she needed to find an escape, which would be hard. Maybe when they moved her again, she would be able to escape from that cell.

"Your device could help the public."

"You just want to use it for your military, which I will not condone. I do not create weapons," Toni stated. She was retired from the weapons business and she refused to return, even if the unnamed device could be used as a weapon (if it worked like it was supposed to) and she upgraded/designed better weapons for the Avengers. She would not create massive weapons anymore; Stark Industries was no longer making weapons. Howard Stark be damned.

"That's strange for a Spy to say."

Toni was sick and tired of being called a Spy; that was Romanoff and Barton's job. "How many times do I need to say it? I am not a spy," she snapped. She took a deep breath as she told herself to calm down. Her anger would get her nowhere. "Just let me go."

Salty looked at her. "Let's talk about this device and that thing in your chest. No one can figure out anything about them, not even Mr. Stark and he's our head weapons expert." The colonel spread the photos apart.

"As they are not a weapon, it would make sense a weapons expert would not know anything about them," Toni stated, narrowing her eyes at him.

The Colonel stared at the Arc reactor, which didn't sit well with Toni. "It would be wise to cooperate with us. I do not wish to hurt a woman." He picked up a photo and stared at it. "I just need to know how this works and what exactly it does. When we found you, it appears as if the device exploded, which we all it didn't. You would be dead if it did."

Toni didn't remember much about the device's explosion or what happened in the field. Her memories were shakily at best and she really had no idea of the power behind the device. If she had to judge by her broken arm and swore body, it wasn't fun. "Afraid to hurt a woman?" she asked annoyed.

"Afraid No. I simply do not wish to. I don't believe like most that women belong only in the kitchen, and I do not agree with that simply because Agent Carter would shoot me," he stated. "But I do believe there are certain things that should never be done to a lady. They deserve respect."

It had always annoyed her that she was treated differently than men. "Let me tell you, I hate when people treat me with kid gloves. I'm just as good as any guy." She fought the urge to hit him, which she couldn't do any ways.

Phillips put down the photo. "I have no doubt you could talk circles around most man and could outsmart almost anyone, but there are few areas that you cannot beat a man in." He leaned back and studied her.

Toni was petite, barely weighting 100 pounds, and was only about 5 foot 2 inches. In a physical fight with a man who was twice her size, she would most likely lose; however, her brain could even the playing field. "Don't count me out just yet," Toni replied. Careful, Toni, she warned herself. You don't have the Iron Man Suit. "I can take care of myself."

He took a deep breath. "As you are here, I believe you have failed. Please, just cooperate. It would make things simpler." Colonel Salt stood up and stepped to the glass window. He stared through it as if he could see the person on the other side. "If you aren't a spy, what are you trying to hide?"

"I'm an inventor, just like your weapons expert. Would you ask him to tell you all of his secrets?" Toni asked. The questions that he was asking, Toni couldn't answer anyways. She knew what the device was supposed to do, but she had no idea of what it really did. It took her back in time, but she had no idea of how. What else did it do? Could it send her back to the future? She wouldn't know until she got it back. "If you did, I bet he wouldn't say anything as well." She knew her father well, and he would go to his grave before he revealed his secrets.

The Colonel laughed. "You're correct."

"Will you still ask me to reveal my inventions, Salty?" she asked, eyeing the man. He had turned back to her.

Phillips cut back to the table in a sharp turn. "My name in Colonel Phillips. Please refrain from calling me Salty." He took a deep breath to calm himself. "I trust Stark for the most part. I do not trust someone with no record. I cannot locate any record of you existing."

Toni fought back her chuckle at finally annoying him, knowing it would be a bad idea. "Technology is not as good as it should be. Is it really hard to believe that you cannot find record of me?"

"No, but that's a warning sign." He walked to the door, leaving the photos on the tables. "We'll talk later," he said with a smile as he walked out of the room.

"See ya, Salty!" Toni yelled.

*O*O*

The colonel had left a few hours ago and Toni hadn't seen anyone since, which pissed her off even more. Her back was starting hurt from the hard metal death trap, and she needed more pain medication. The pain had come back full force, and she was ready to snap. Plus, it was freezing in this room.

Her mind drifted to the conversion she had with the colonel and it had her worried. What would he really do to her? Would he really torture her? There weren't a lot of things that scared her, but the idea of being tortured scared her. She had suffered from water boarding and other torture techniques before, and she didn't want to go back there, because she wasn't sure she could come back from that again. Just thinking about it got her heart racing. "Calm down," she whispered to herself. If she let him get to her, it wouldn't help and they would win, which she couldn't allow. She couldn't let them get to her, because if they got power over her, it wouldn't be good. The more power they got over her the more they could break her. She needed to put distance between them so she could protect her secrets.

Toni thought she handled the Colonel well, and she knew she had annoyed him, which she smiled about. She didn't know if he would come back or if he would send someone else in. If Howard walked through the door and she had to speak to him, she didn't know if she could handle it without turning to violence. She didn't know if she would be angry or spineless, which was normal for her. He had a presence that could tear anyone one down. He wasn't always like that, she thought. It was a long time ago and it was hard to remember, but he was a nice loving father. She blamed the change on Maria's death.

She knew some of it had to do with Rogers as well. It was selfish to blame Rogers for it, but she did. He was part of the reason, because Howard couldn't get over his disappearance. If she had to judge by the endless rambling of her father, they had been close, which she was semi jealous of…Okay she was completely jealous of Rogers, because he had a relationship with her father that she wished she had. He had seen a side of her father that she never saw. She wished she had a close friendship with someone, which she didn't have. Sure, she was close to Pepper and Rhodey, but there were parts of her that she hadn't and wouldn't share with them. She was too ashamed to let them.

After Roger had disappeared, Howard had put everything into finding the Captain and he kept looking when everyone else, even Peggy, had given up. Searching for countless years had drained him of everything and he didn't have anything else to give to Maria or her later on. Toni knew he loved them both, but he didn't show it. He was too busy.

When Maria had dead, Toni could see the sudden change, and it hit her hard. Before her mother died, Howard, though distance, had let her in the lab at least, but after, he wouldn't let her in at all. He became a total asshole, or rather a bigger asshole than before. It almost broke her before she realized that she didn't need him or his love. She could and would make it on her own, because she was strong and she wasn't the weak girl her father thought she was. She was going to show everyone that she was someone. She wouldn't let anyone think she was worthless. She was Toni Stark.

Toni leaned back and stared at her broken arm. Why did she care what others thought of her? It didn't change who she was or what she was able to do. She was still Toni Stark, one of the greatest minds on the planet and she would be damn if she let others define her….But you do! She argued with herself. There were a select few people could make herself feel like an idiot.

The door to the room opened again revealing the Famous Dr. Erskine, who wearing a white lab coat and glasses. In his hand, he had a clipboard with a collection of papers on it. She couldn't read anything from her location, but she knew it had to be about her. Who else could it be on? "Hello, Doctor," Toni smiled as he sat down across from her. He looked just like she remembered from the photos she had seen in her father's office.

Dr. Erskine sat the clip board down on the table and shifted through the papers. "How are you feeling? Any pain?" he asked as he reached in his pocket. "Should be time for another dose."

There was no doubt the pain medication had worn off as Toni was in some serious pain, but she got to thinking. Would it be a good idea to take meds from these people, who thought she was a spy? They could make her loopy and there was no telling what they could get out of her if that happened. "No, I'm good," she stated, eyeing him. "I won't tell you anything."

He looked at her. "You speak as if there's something to tell."

He had an accent, which Toni of course knew of, but it caught her off guard. It made her feel like she could trust him…What was it about accents that drew people in? "I don't have anything to tell."

"Then what's with the nerves?" he asked as he sit the pill bottle on the table. "I'm not here to interrogate you. I'm simply here to check up on you." He smiled as he opened the bottle and slid it to Toni. "It'll not hurt you."

Toni wasn't sure of that. "I'm fine. You can leave." She rested her broken arm on her lap while her right arm rested uncomfortably on the table as she was unable to move it.

Without a word, Dr. Erskine stood up and turned to the door.

"Wait, you're really leaving?" Toni asked surprised. She wasn't expecting him to leave so easy, and she kind of didn't want him to leave. She had been sitting in a room alone enough and she wanted something to do even if it was just staring at someone.

"I respect a lady's wishes," he stated as he turned back to her. He held the clip behind his back. "You did ask me to leave. I will not impose myself on you."

Toni took a deep breath, knowing she should let him leave. The Colonel, who knew what he was doing, probably sent him in to get her to speak, because Erskine had a friendly face. Though it wasn't often, the Captain in her time had only good thing to say about the Doctor. "Then you should let me go?" she asked.

The good Doctor walked back to the table, taking a deep breath. "You have to understand the situation that you're in." He retook the seat. "You were found trespassing in an empty lot, which looked like a bomb went off."

Toni narrowed her eyes. "If was a bomb, I wouldn't just have got a broken arm." Though her memory of that night was hazy, she wouldn't describe it as an explosion. There wasn't a hole in the ground. There wasn't anything in pieces besides the pieces from her time. Everything just looked like it fell from a great height. Either way, how was she even alive? "And it wasn't like I did it on purpose," she stated. She didn't even know how she did it.

"There's also the fact that you were found with two unknown devices," Dr. Erskine stated. "Very interesting devices I must say." He was staring at the glow under her shirt, which Toni noticed. "It's fascinating that you would intergrade the device into your chest."

"It wasn't a choice," Toni muttered. Though she was thankful to the device which saved her life, the device had caused her so much pain. It had almost killed her. He stared into her eyes and she knew he could see the pain in her eyes. "Without it, I will die," she muttered again.

Erskine looked at her. "What does it do?" he asked.

"It protects my heart," she answered, slowly. It was silent for a few minutes as no one spoke. Toni didn't want to say anything and Erskine was giving her time to think in case she did.

"It's cold in here, isn't it?" he asked, looking down to the opened pill bottle that hadn't been touched by Toni. "You should take one. I can see you are in pain."

He was correct; she was in pain, but she wasn't going to take them. She had experience worse pain before and this time was nothing like that. She had experience waterboarding, which was something she didn't want to relive. However, her mind liked to drift to that feeling of drowning, to that feeling of no control. She shook her head. This pain was just annoying and she could deal with. "I'm good," she grumbled.

He looked at her. "You've faced a lot in your life, haven't you?"

Toni could feel her eye twitch as he saw right through her. "I have, but that doesn't matter here." She looked pass Erskine's head and at the glass, wondering who was watching now.

"So are you going to tell me how it protects your heart?"

Something in her mind snapped as Toni realized who she was talking to. He wasn't her friend; he was friends with Colonel Salty, who wanted her secrets. "Nice try, but I won't tell you anything," she responded, knowing it was already too late. She stated too much.

"I wasn't trying to get anything out of you, Toni. I was making sure you're okay."

Toni narrowed her eyes. She hated when people checked up on her, and it just made her want to punch something. "I'm fine. You can go tell Colonel Salty that."

Erskine picked up the pill bottle and put the cap back on. "Against popular belief, I do not hold the same ideals of Colonel Phillips." He stood up and picked up the clip board. "I don't believe you're a spy." He walked toward the door and stared back at her before leaving.

Again, she was alone and this time she wondered how long it would be this time. She didn't know how much longer she would last in this painful cold room.

*O*O*

For the last three hours, Toni had been pulling at the handcuffs to the point that her wrist was bleeding, but she didn't stop. She kept pulling, knowing this was her chance to escape. If they had been watching her, they would've come running. You know you're being stupid, right? She told herself. Even if she was able to escape the room, there was no way she could make it out without anyone noticing. She was being held by the military not by some Joe. Sure they weren't as advanced as they were in her time, but they still weren't a force to be messed with. However, Toni loved to take stupid risks, and she didn't care if it got her in trouble. She didn't care if it put her in hot water with her team or not. She didn't care if she got yelled at by Rogers. It just meant she did her job.

Maybe, I can slip my hand out of if I dislocate my thump, she thought, but she disregarded that thought. If she did that, she would have two worthless hands, and she needed at least one working hand. Maybe, I should just stay still and wait to see what will happen. She knew if she tried to escape it would make her look guilty, and that wouldn't help her. If she wanted to get out of here and back to her device, she would need them to let her go.

Toni laid her forehead on the cold table and closed her eyes. It was stupid to fall asleep in a cold room, but it was easier to think. As soon as she got out of here, she would hack into Stark and the military computers to look for her device, which shouldn't be an issue for her. Granted, she didn't know what kind of computers they had back in these days, but she was a genius. She could hack into anything.

It was freaken freezing in the room, which made Toni want to beat someone. Did they really think they could get her to talk when she was frozen to the death? She didn't think so. They could just send the Doctor in, who seemed to be able to get through her defenses. I wonder who they would send in next. If they sent in her father, it wouldn't be pretty. She would find some way to hit him with a chair or something. She knew she couldn't kill or maim him, because that would miss up the timeline and stuff, and she would like to be born.

"Are you awake?"

Toni jumped, not hearing that someone had entered the room. She looked up to see Agent Carter walk toward the table and sat something down. She didn't say anything as she reached over Toni and unlocked the handcuffs. "Do you want medical attention for that?" Peggy asked as handcuff fell from Toni's bleedy wrist.

"No, I'm good." Toni eyed Peggy as she stepped away. "What's going on? Where are we going?" she asked.

Peggy slid a bag toward Toni. "You are free to go. Here're your things."

"What?" Toni asked shocked. She reached for the bag to find her muddy and holy clothes that she had been wearing when she first arrived. Her cell phone, to her surprise, was also in the bag. I wasn't expecting to see this again, she thought. Her unnamed device was not in the bag, which pissed her off. "Why are you letting me go? And where is my device?"

Turning her back on Toni, Peggy walked to the door. "Come with me. I will show you out."

"Where's my device?" Toni snapped, shooting to her feet. It felt good to stand after being force to sit for countless hours, and she had no desire to sit again for a while.

"Stark has it, and you're not getting it back."

"Why is that?" she hissed as she gripped her smart phone in her hand. They had given her everything back except the thing she wanted and needed. "Why give me back everything else but that?"

Peggy turned back to her. "We have deemed the two items safe. We cannot do that with the other device."

Idiots, she thought. They were wasting their time on a device that only she could fix, and it almost made her laugh, because right now, her Arc Reactor posed more danger to them than a broken device, which they couldn't even began to power. "You deemed an unknown communication device that I could be using to transmit secrets safe, but yet, a broken device, which Stark can't even turn on, unsafe. Wow, you guys are stupid," Toni stated, picking up the bag and walking out the door. She didn't even wait for Peggy, when she had other things to do. She would get her device back because Howard Stark had nothing on her hacking skills.

"You should watch what you say," Agent Carter warned as she walked out of the room. "And the exit is this way." She turned to the left and waved Toni to follow her.

"You just ruined my 'walk away,'" she whined. Peggy was correct: Toni needed to be careful with what she said as she was being watched. She could land herself in trouble, which she had to avoid; however, she sucked at that. She couldn't keep her mouth shut to save her life. "Why are you letting me go?" she asked, curiously. "Did Colonel Salty change his mind? He thought I was a spy, a danger."

Peggy glanced back at the use of the word Salty. "He still does, but Dr. Erskine doesn't think so. He believes you are no threat."

Toni wondered for a second if they would've yet her go if she was male, but that didn't matter. She didn't have time to think about shit like that, when she had to get home. "What do you think?" she asked.

"It's not my place. I'm following orders," she said.

That was why Toni could never join the military or any government agency; she couldn't blindly follow orders or remain silent when she had something to say. It was a wonder that she worked so well with the Avengers…well it depended on who was asked. Captain America might disagree with that, as they were always fighting over something.

"Here, we go," Peggy stated as they walked out onto the streets.

"Where are we?" Tony asked as she didn't recognize anything.

Peggy looked at her as if she was crazy. "Do you not recognize the streets of New York?"

That took Toni's breath away because there were no bright colors or no flashes ads like in her time. She felt so out of place in this city, because it looked nothing like her New York. Was this how Rogers felt when he realized that he wasn't in his New York and he was asleep for 70 years? Did he feel alone and that he didn't belong? Was he still feeling that? Toni never really thought about what he was feeling or how it was like to lose everything that she ever cared about. She knew Peggy was still alive in her time, but he wasn't going to contact her. He was too much of a gentleman and he was going to allow her to die in peace.

"I-" Toni started as she turned around. Peggy was gone and the doors were seal shut, leaving Toni all alone in the old fashioned New York. She wasn't scared, but this was a whole different world than what she was used to.

With the bag in her hand, Toni, still in the fugly nurse Uniform, walked down the streets heading toward the location of Stark Industries. She did her best to ignore the cold that was nipping at her and the fact that after she stole her device back there was nowhere she could go. She had no money or resources; what was she supposed to do? Toni wasn't sure, but she knew what the first thing she had to do: she had to get the device. After that, she wasn't sure.

I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! :) Until next time. Updated