Empty Gold

I: Eye of the Storm

"River go!" Daryl's voice echoed through the empty corridor. The vibrations came from all directions, confusing the woman as she was trying to locate him. "River! You need to get out!"

"Not without you!" she yelled back, frantically. The lights dimmed and a figure stood at the end of the hallway. River froze in place, her eyes widening. The figure began sprinting toward her.

She ran.

River raced as fast as her legs could take her until a gunshot stopped her movements. Turning on her heel, the woman found Daryl's body lying by her feet, his eyes wide and still. She screamed, falling to her knees.

River awoke, shooting up straight with a yelp. Her breathing was heavy and quick as she realized it was just a dream. She was safe. Where exactly was she safe? That was another question.

After almost getting run over by Tony Stark's limo, the man invited her along to his private jet where they traveled to Malibu. Any normal person would listen to the voice in the back of their head, saying to take a step back and think about their actions. All River saw was an escape from her prison with Tony or having the potential to be caught while out in the world by herself. She chose the former in hopes of officially escaping being a lab rat to Global-1 and finding a sense of peace in a mysterious world.

Living with one of the world's richest men wasn't exactly what River had planned for the rest of her life - but it was kind of nice to be able to wake up to a gorgeous view outside her window instead of a cold white wall and a steel door.

Getting to her feet, the woman moved to the window, smiling as birds soared over the raging sea. The view was beautiful and it took a moment before River could pull herself away. When she finally did, the woman straightened her white t-shirt and ventured out to the hall, finding the stairs.

She was hungry and on a mission.

Three bedrooms and two bathrooms later, River eventually found the kitchen and immediately went for the sink. Grabbing a glass cup, she filled it with water, chugging it as if her life depended on it. The cold water felt heavenly. At Global-1, prisoners - depending on their status - were given water at select times during the day. River was one of the fortunate ones who received water more times than the others. Why? She wasn't sure.

She leaned against the island, arms folding across her chest. The house was quiet apart from a low, muffled bass. River frowned as she took careful steps to investigate. She found herself walking down another set of stairs, leading her to a glass door. On the other side, Tony was sitting in front of multiple computer screens. He noticed her almost immediately, pressing a button to open the door. Just as she walked through the threshold, the woman jumped from a sudden loud electrical sound.

"I swear to God, I'll dismantle you. I'll soak your motherboard and turn you into a wine rack," the man scolded his machine after it unsuccessfully worked the blender.

"What's a wine rack?" River asked, nearing his workstation.

Tony explained the best he could, grabbing River's wrist from touching a screen. "Please don't break that."

"Relax, it doesn't work unless I will it to," she promised, snatching her arm from him to then fold both across her chest. Tony straightened his back, giving her a look. River recognized it and knew exactly what he was waiting for.

"So what is it that you can do, exactly?"

River responded with a smirk. Her hand touched the computer screen - shutting it off. Without warning, Tony's entire lab was swallowed in darkness and every piece of machinery plugged into an outlet switched off. Tony desperately tried to adjust to the darkness, waiting for the generators to kick in. A tech genius like him - Tony had a few hooked up and yet, nothing.