You Want It Darker? (OC x Loki x Winter Soldier)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Trying to stay as quiet as possible I make my way out of the office and into the hallway, making sure with a confident stride I looked like I was in a hurry to get somewhere. Surprisingly, the floor I was on had little to no activity, making my investigations only easier.

The maps I'd stared at in Strucker's folder scatter through my mind, and I vaguely remember that Stark's office should be around this floor, and that'd probably be the best place to start my info gathering. Passing by a few unfamiliar corridors, I push on a few closed doors to see if any of them are unlocked. Most of them were used as utility closets or empty conference rooms in similar fashion to the office Happy showed me. What was surprising though was the amount of unused space. Waste of facilities to be honest.

Finally, at the end of another hallway a set of double doors piques my interest, the design of them standing out from the rest of the architecture. It was a set of heavy wooden doors, beautifully crafted. Next to them on the wall was an electronic pad visible, similar to the one in front of my own office. I reach into my pocket and fish out the card I'd swiped from Happy and hover it over the pad.

The small red blinking dot turns to green and a lock falling open is heard from behind the door handles.

"Too easy," I mutter with a wide grin.

I slowly walk into the space and see a large, state-of-the-art desk sitting at the center of the office, meticulously organised with high-tech gadgets and holographic displays. Surrounding the desk are comfortable yet stylish chairs for guests, arranged in a semi-circle. On one wall, there is a series of sleek display screens showcasing real-time data, project updates, and news feeds. In the corner of the office, there's a sophisticated wet bar stocked with an impressive selection of fine spirits and beverages.

"Well, fuck me and call me king Stark," I breathe out in awe. "For a creator of mass murder weapons, I gotta admit, the man's got taste."

I walk over to the desk and let my fingers slide over the luxurious furniture, tracing the delicate designs and details. I pull out the heavy office chair and slowly lower myself into it.

"Now where would we hide top secret documents, Mr Stark," I scan the documents and blueprints scattered on the desk, seeing drawn out designs of the Stark Tower. One of the blueprints shows a few floors of the building with planned out bedroom suits. Each suit has a particular type of logo on it, almost as if categorising it. Other blueprints on the desk show designs of hyper complex devices, with notes and scribbles doodled all over them. None of them are what I'm looking for though.

I run my finger along the sides of the desk. "If he's really a super villain, there better be secret compartments," I whisper to myself as I feel along the bottom and sides, searching for any type of button or hidden drawers. I'm about to give up when my finger glides over something that feels like a button.

"He can't be serious," I chuckle at myself in disbelief and slowly press the button and squint my eyes bracing for impact. "Please don't be a bomb, please don't be a bomb," I whisper.

As I press the button, I can hear a faint compression of air being released and a small thin drawer glides open on the side of the desk. The drawer contains a large quantity of small neatly organised hard drives, each labelled with a specific word. I run my finger over them, looking for anything familiar.

Arc Reactor ... Jericho ... Asgard ... Proton ... Friday ... CleanEnergy ... Obadiah ... B.A.R.F. ...

Barf? Really?

"What the hell are these..." I look confused at the random titles. I feel as though I've already taken too long, and rush through the rest of them.

Vibranium, nope ... Palladium, don't know what that is ... Pepper, cute but, nope ... Ichor ... Ichor?

"Black Ichor," I whisper the words Strucker had said to me.

I grasp the small electronic drive and gingerly extract it from its slot, handling it with care as I hold it up to examine it closely. The device appears as a sleek, rectangular piece of metal, adorned with intricate engravings and metallic plating. Etched into the side of the drive is the word "Ichor". I rotate it in my hand, searching for any sign of an electronic port or interface to access its contents, but find none. I'm sure the Winter Soldier will know what to do with this.

I carefully tuck the drive into the band of my bra, ensuring it's securely concealed. As I lean back, I press the button beneath the desk, causing the drawer to smoothly retract into its original position, leaving no trace of my presence. I push myself out of the office chair and make sure everything is right back where I found it. Just as I'm about to make way to the exit of the office, I hear loud footsteps echoing in the hall behind the doors.

"Fuck," I whisper to myself.

Frantically scanning my surroundings, I search for a hiding spot, but the open floor plan of the room offers little in the way of concealment. With a sense of urgency, I turn my attention to the desk and notice a stack of paperwork piled neatly in the corner. Without hesitation, I rush over and grab the topmost papers, clutching them tightly under my arm as a makeshift cover.

As the sound of the door unlocking echoes through the room, I feel a surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins. With swift precision, I straighten my posture and adopt a neutral facial expression, steeling myself for the confrontation. The doors slowly swing open, revealing the figure on the other side.