𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍

 𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐔, 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐀

ELEANOR

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It was true what they say. One finds limits by pushing them, and I had forced my boundaries so far that I had ended up at the tip of the iceberg. I wanted to take that single level towards the void I had once sunk in, let blame and guilt be my anchors once again. It was a place which I assumed had no return until a glistening beacon of hope had come jostling down on me in the form of a charismatic Tony Stark, the last person I would let myself get acquainted with at that momentous occasion. It was all a game of chance. If Tony had left the dull gathering years ago, without asking the colonel about me, we would've parted as strangers. And never had I felt more grateful until that day.

It had been two days since Tony and I had our little vendetta. I had sought but in vain to confront him over the phone but apparently, he had been out of range. One of his multiple suits went missing in the garage, that's when my real distress started to awaken. I had no choice but to contact Rhodey about him going MIA, without mentioning our feud, and his suspicions rose when I brushed off his advances to visit me at the house. Apparently, he was last seen over the Mariana Trenches, both our confusion heightened as the situation spread out. 

His name was over the news by the third day, the only word accompanying his name was 'missing'. Just when I thought it was my fault this had transpired, there was more guilt weighing down on my chest. Like a hole that expanded by the second, my eyes kept traipsing to the screen with the ongoing news channel and his name echoing in my ears every time the anchor said so.

With that being said, staying in Tony's workspace was somewhat comforting in the past few days. I didn't leave the area, holing up like a lion in its den for hours till the end. I could neither eat nor sleep with the guilt whispering in my head every minute of the day, my focus trained on finding some opening - any clue - as to his sudden disappearance. 

'Your leptin levels are dropping severely, Miss Preece. May I suggest a brief rest before tracking down Mr Stark?'

So Tony's highly-sophisticated AI wasn't all bad. Sure he tattled on me to his creator and poked humour at my every situation, but he was quite observant with every aspect that concerned me. I couldn't help but smile as I scooped up a generous serving of yoghurt into my mouth.

'Not sleepy, JARVIS,' I assured, bringing up the latest files runs from the airbase from the outskirts of California. Electromagnetic capabilities and higher IQ units could keep you levelled with an AI, apparently. 'Keep streaming ATC checks and frequency diagnostics around the globe. Anything faster than a sonic pulse goes by me.'

'Indeed, ma'am. Shall I run it through the Stark Industries servers? Perhaps the Colonel and Miss Potts have some knowledge on this.'

'Let's keep this low profile,' I murmured under my breath. 'How am I doing with the recent scans, J?'

'There's been an abnormal electromagnetic spike in the last few hours. I believe your depleting lifestyle in the past week is the cause,' the AI said to my utmost disappointment. I slackened back on the master chair, rolling myself away from the desk and taking a deep breath. Out of pure dread, I let my hands rake through my frizzy ruff and give out an enraged grumble of withdrawal. 

'If I may interrupt, ma'am. James Rhodes is at the door.'

'I'm not in,' I answered immediately, looking up to the glass wall like a deer caught in the headlights. When I heard clacking footsteps nearing, I pulled my messy mane into a loose topknot, a frustrated scowl decorating my scraggly features. I scrambled to set up my disordered workstation with a prompt surge of my hands. 'No, no, no—'

'Allow me to rephrase. James Rhodes has already arrived in the basement.'

It took me a while to let the surprise register into my system. I never did well with the particular emotion, my wide eyes going to the dark figure who emerged from the automated door with a sheepish glance. The tall, casually-dressed commander swaggered in with his lips set to a grim line as he took in my appearance and the environment I had settled in. Like I was held under a gunpoint, I raised my hands in surrender. He took a deep breath as if readying himself for giving the longest address ever.

'What the hell is going on here?'

I was supposed to be cowering at his intimidating tone. For perhaps a brief second, my grief and guilt were delayed when I saw Rhodey. As if all my duly built walls had disintegrated to dust, I collapsed back to the chair with a faint exhale. He saw this motion as one of physical exhaustion, sprinting to my side to seize my shoulders. He had a beady-eyed look when he searched my weathered appearance with underlying sympathy.

'Jesus, Elle,' he murmured into my ears. 'And you said you were okay.'

'I am,' I said, a sudden cough betraying me of my condition. He raised his brows. 'A bit snowed under. Been occupied and all, heh.'

'Understatement of the century,' he mused, letting me go as I settled back into the chair and rearranging my tried expression into a normal look. I failed terribly. 

Disappointment flooded his face as he stroked his chin in deep thought. I felt small under his gaze, my eyes finding something else - anything - to focus on. I found a picture of Tony on a fibreglass screen, an immediate flush of iciness curling around my spine. 

'I'm worried about you, Elle.'

My voice was eerily soft when I spoke. 'I did this.'

His features contorted to confusion, his tone turning staticky. 'What?'

'We said some things to each other,' I snivelled out, brushing my wrist to my nose. 'I took it too far. I'm so stupid, Rhodey, I don't even want this—' I miss him, I wanted to say. It felt too damn hard to say it out loud.

Rhodey, out of sympathy, wrapped an arm around my shoulders to pull me close and rub my arm. It was warm and light, making me sink into his side with a sigh falling from my lips. I felt his hand brush the side of my cheek in hopes of comforting me.

'Tony wouldn't want this too,' he said, obviously awkward to be put in between a lover's spat. I almost smiled. 'Wherever he is, I mean. The authorities are handling it but... god, I don't know.'

My gaze fell on his frantically after he uttered his sentence. Through his perfect teeth came falsifications that I caught too soon, which were deemed inconsequential. Rhodey's eyes were like an open book, even with the hard eyes I could see the lie. He knew something I didn't, the faithful colonel, and I ought to find out. The minute rolled out for what felt like aeons until I spoke up.

'He told you.'

He cracked with the pressure, sputtering out, 'Elle, I would never—'

'Where is he?' I didn't waste any time with a man who couldn't hold his tongue and pinned him down with a murderous stare.

'I can't.'

My mouth pressed into a hard line. 'I am obliged to know.'

'It's for official purposes,' he muttered, put on the spot. 'It doesn't concern you.'

My heart sank. He saw my eyes lower in let-down frustration, a deep sigh drawing out my lips. I had given up and Tony just had to pour acid on the burn. I understood that we had boundaries established now, but this felt like a hit at my self-esteem.

'It's not like that,' he groaned out, acknowledging my distress. 'It's complicated.'

'Uncomplicate it,' my tone was banal, grim to find answers.

He let out a resigned sigh. 'Osborn tried to access the superhuman registry when Tony went in for the exit interview,' my eyes lifted expectantly when he said this, 'but Tony hacked into HAMMER and corrupted the database. Made it inaccessible but...'

'What?' I rose from my seat, eager to know and the pause feeding my anxiety. Did he hurt himself? Of course, he did. Rhodey wouldn't have stopped otherwise. 'What did he do?'

'It's so dumb,' he hissed under his breath. 'I can't believe—'

'Rhodey!'

'He became the database, Elle. It's all in his head - the files, the names. Everything.'

∞

[ gosh, a Stark being a Stark, amirite? ]

[ updates (21.01.2020) : edited! *sings All in my Head by Fifth Harmony* ]