April 22nd, 1961
"One of the brightest minds in our country." "Kate Alden makes record-breaking discoveries." "The biggest woman innovator America has ever seen." "Kate Alden and Howard Stark build a new future."
There were only a few corrections hidden between the lines of the paper. A few dates were off. Kate graduated in February, not March, and moved in the winter, not the fall. Other than that, the headlines and the stories were accurate. Every single one of them.
"Kate Alden -MISSING-." "Government investigation approved for the missing student and graduate, Kate Alden." "Former biochemist and engineer Kate Alden was found missing after Government Exposition in the spring of 1961." "I make it my personal responsibility to find my friend. -Howard Stark"
Despite how much she wanted to, Kate couldn't bear to rip the newspapers to shreds. It was the only thing they gave her. The only thing that kept her from sinking into the concrete walls. The one thing that could constantly remind her of what she was.
Instead, Kate carefully folded the frayed pages, stacking them neatly next to her. She stood and covered the few feet to the pathetic excuse for a bed. Not more than two inches of foam on a metal frame. She was just glad it was off the ground. She sighed as she lay down.
It'd only been five days since Kate was somewhere else entirely, presenting studies and plans for decades to come with Howard Stark at her side. Five days could never have felt longer.
Kate should be grateful she wasn't dead but had a feeling that the reason for keeping her alive would be a lot worse. Kate knew that she was valuable. Howard said so himself. He said that once people found out how powerful a single mind could be, the wrong type of people would find any way to use it for their benefit. So far, it's only ever been dirty offerings and contract attempts. But she didn't really think it'd get as far as her being locked in a bunker.
It was disturbingly quiet at every hour. Though, there wasn't really a way to know what day it was. The newspapers provided the only indication that days had passed. The walls around Kate were thick concrete, nothing but rough stone except the steel door on one wall.
Kate had never seen it open, not even when she got here, only watching a hatch at the base slide things inside the cell. The only light came from a dim light bulb above the door that cast just enough glow to illuminate the room and the pages she'd memorized.
From the complex breakdown of Kate's cell, she knew she had very little. A decent-sized toilet that occupied a corner of the cell had, at this point, numbed Kate's senses. The entire room smelt of mold, courtesy of the wall leaking and dripping in several parts of the room. The only thing that gave her some sense of indifference was a steel hatch at the base of the door, occasionally giving her her meals. She decided it was best not to risk her fingers in an attempt at escape.
It had been unbearably cold, and the thin blanket and layer of foam for a bed did nothing to stop the goosebumps that constantly occupied her skin. Kate was still in what she'd been taken in a loose black t-shirt and soft pants.
Despite her best attempts at deduction and perception, Kate heard nothing as the minutes and hours passed by. No machinery, no footsteps, no voices. She was likely deep underground.
Kate was given a hard, stale piece of bread with a bruised apple. Giving up on wondering if the food was poisoned after realizing that was the only thing she'd receive. She didn't know when she received them but was grateful nonetheless. She had lost sense of time within the concrete walls, and sleep hours and meal times became nonexistent. One thing she did know: the meals weren't enough, and she could feel her health deteriorating fast. But it was better to eat what they gave her than stupidly starve herself.
Kate saw the newspapers as a gift. A form of intimidation, maybe, and it worked. She was last in New York on April 17th, and with the most recent paper from April 21st, she knew it had been at least four days. It didn't feel like she was reading about herself, but rather headlines in some other state. That her name on the pages, her friend openly looking for, was some joke meant to mess with her head.
It worked, though, Kate knew.
Kate knew that whatever manipulation was being used, or what would be used, would work on her. She felt that she was emotionally defenseless, unable to even bargain for her life if the time came.
Howard Stark had warned her. After working with him and within the infamous SHIELD operation, he'd known all the cautions they should take. "You have to realize, with the resources, and more importantly, our knowledge, there's people that will go incredibly extensive lengths to get you to work for them." He'd say, educating her like the child she was. "You have to be careful who you trust, and especially who you give your work to. Working with me, you'll have all the resources and protection you need, but it's impossible to avoid."
"Because working with you would give me infinite advantages," Kate said as he introduced her to his facility.
"That's not far from the truth." Remembering her friend's words left a bitter taste in her mouth. This was true, and she had every tool and advantage at her disposal while working with Howard Stark since she was twenty. Even after two years, with everything she'd learned, she couldn't have avoided what she was in now.
Kate could have guessed the number of people who wanted her skill and knowledge but didn't bother with the headache. Whoever had the nerve to kidnap her from a SHIELD airport clearly didn't care about locking her in a bunker.
That night, or morning technically, was still very vivid in Kate's mind. She could still feel the exhaustion after a long day's work at an engineering Exposition, and all she had wanted was to sleep. Unfortunately for her, she had to leave for Florida by seven am, in which she was driving towards a private airport in Long Island, New York.
Find my assistant, Kate. Get to the jet on time, Kate. Take the back gate; you'll meet the pilot there, Kate.
Howard's voice was still a persistent noise in her head until she reached the gate. She waited for the assistant and the pilot, and she even called Howard after waiting for twenty minutes.
But she kept waiting. No calls, no one there, no noise. Kate was left there waiting, and waiting and waiting. That was until someone finally showed up, and she got out of her car. The biggest mistake was because the man had impossible strength. He'd tackled her, and before she knew it, she woke up in a cell with a concussion.
Kate was still waiting. Still waiting for whoever was outside that door to either kill her or do something likely worse.
Surprisingly, Kate wasn't scared; despite having her life thrown into a tangle of issues, she couldn't really get out herself. She knew that whoever wanted her wanted her for her brain. They wanted her skill. After all, after being publicly announced as 'one of the brightest minds in our country,' she figured someone would test their limits. Kate was smart, and she knew that even comparing herself to Howard Stark himself, hence the collaboration.
If she could think her way out of the problem, she could move on. She could use what she had, use her resources, and figure a way out of the mess she was in. The severity of the situation didn't hit Kate as much as she expected but knew it would come later, wrecking her life like a freight train.
But all she could do was wait. Either wait for death or something undoubtedly worse.
YOU ARE READING
Eclipse (Born at Dusk - Book 1)
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