Never Ending | Marvel Black!OC | [in rewriting]

CHAPTER SIXTEEN | PART A • Phosphorus.

Howard's point of view.

• DAYS LATER AT THE SSR BASE : 5 PM •

The atmosphere is duller than ever today. Dr Erskine is still kind of evolving on his own, while Ms. West is here and there, going from the lab to the board every 20 minutes since she arrived this morning.

When she arrived, she smiled and nodded to me as a greeting and went straight to putting her white coat. I don't even know what part she's working on exactly, it's been like that all week weirdly, as if she's staying on a sort of... concentration bubble, let's say. I mean, I barely had a talk with her this week, yes, but it's even hard to have a talk about that project that's supposed to be a group project.

I did sense a sense of a soloist person ever since she arrived here. At first, I just thought that she was a closed person, but I can't help myself thinking I'm wrong, I mean, I did try to break that shell, just in a casual way. It's always more pleasant to feel comfortable with a person we're supposed to have time with, even a professional time like our situation here.

I'm not sure right now is the moment to tempt that again, though, she's dove in her work, drowning again the board in some unfinishable calculus. I mean, she's dove in the work we're supposed to be doing together, so you know what, let's give it a shot.

I come closer to her and lean against the desk next to her, looking up to the board. I don't think she's even seen me from upthere.

"Care to explain what you're doing?"

Ms. West flinches at the sound of my voice and turns to me while putting her hand on her heart, as if I almost gave her a heart attack here.

"My God, you scared me."

"I can see that."

She sighs and rolls her eyes, turning back to the board, still climbed on her ladder.

"I'm just trying some elements simulations and variations for the last formula we had, focusing on the toxins and pathogens resistance. I did progress, but I also have some issues here and there that I'm stuck on."

The board is literally drowned into calculus and schemes. Anybody in this room would just get lost and wouldn't understand a thing of what's written here, but I get it quite efficiently.

"And you, what were you on?", she asks, turning her eyes back to me.

"Focusing on rays."

A slight tilt of her head to the side at my words, completed with a frown of hers.

"Would you mind being a tad clearer?"

"It would be crystal clear if you'd get down to read it."

"Mind you, I can listen as well as I can read, Mr. Stark." replies Ms. West as she turns her back eyes at me, still up on that ladder with a fine smile on her face.

"What was that? I didn't hear you from upthere."

"Fine, if you insist.", she says before carefully getting down of that ladder. Let me offer my hand to help. Just as any gentleman will do, nothing crazy nor unusual.

She turns her eyes at my hand and stops going down when seeing it, raising her eyes to me.

"Thank you, but I don't need help."