Stark's Shadow

Chapter 17 - It's Days like These I'd like to Vanish Again

I open my eyes and see a small home. I don't recognize it. I walk up to the door, throwing it open. The inside was huge. Far larger than the outside was. There were people all over the floor. At least a hundred of them. After a moment, I realized they weren't moving. They weren't people, but bodies.

I look down, blood covering me. I wear black, but my clothes look soaked. I don't think my hands will ever come clean.

"Olive," A voice cries out, but not in joy, "Why? Why did you do this to us? To me?" I look up and see a girl in a wheelchair. I don't respond.

She rolls closer, grabbing my shirt tight, making blood drip down her arms. She's shaking. She looks right into my eyes, and all I see is pain.

"Olive. Olive wakes up," A voice says from somewhere.

She shakes me, "You'll never be free! Never!" She screams.

All around me, bodies start moving, "Never," They moan, "Never free."

I wake up, screaming.

"Olive!" Tony explains, rushing over to me, "You're awake."

"N-no shit," I stutter.

"What happened?"

"Just a bad dream," I tell him, images of Heather still playing in my mind, "I'm totally good, man."

Tony looks worried but says nothing.

"Before I fell asleep, you were saying something. About Olive,"

"Right," Tony takes a deep breath, "She's gone missing."

I stop for a moment, panicked, "This isn't funny, Anthony,"

"I'm not trying to be funny,"

"How long?"

"Two days ago," Tony says, "Leo was worried when she didn't come home for dinner. The police didn't seem bothered to do anything until last night."

"Well, are we going to do anything?"

"What could we do?"

"Help, we both know they won't find her," I tell him, he gives a nod.

"You have three broken ribs. You're not allowed to help,"

"Bite me,"

"Sir, sorry to bother you, but you've been sent a message," Jarvis interrupts

"From who?"

"I can't seem to figure that out, sir,"

"Scan for anything suspicious," Tony tells the AI.

"I already have, there is nothing but a video message,"

"Save the message, put it somewhere secure,"

"Why, Tony?"

"Something seems weird," He tells me, "If it's a view-once type of message, then I'd like to make sure I have it somewhere else."

I nod. Tony asks Jarvis to play the video.

"Hello, Starks," A familiar voice says on the black screen of the video, saying our name like it was something gross she found in the shower drain, "I'm sure you two have figured it out already, but we have the girl."

There's a pause, and a sound like something being drug, then a light turns on. It's Olive, half-conscious and tied to a chair, the light shines directly on her face. Someone walks over to her, grabbing her head and stabbing a needle into it, "Since you decided to leave us, Olive, we had to find a replacement," The familiar voice says, walking to stand behind Olive. The light doesn't quite reach her, "We may not get your specific set of skills, but I'm sure we can manage something else."