Iron Bloodlines

"We've been played."

Elise's POV:

The pale light of dawn seeped through the compound windows, casting a cold, harsh glow over the lab. I sat hunched over my laptop, the screen's relentless blue light burning my already-tired eyes. The room was quiet except for the hum of machines and the occasional clatter of my fingers against the keyboard.

It had been twelve hours since they left. Twelve hours of staring at line after line of code, each one mocking me with its complexity. Every pattern I thought I saw vanished the second I tried to chase it down. My coffee was cold, my head pounded, and my nerves were fraying, but I couldn't stop. I wouldn't stop.

I rubbed my temples, willing away the exhaustion threatening to pull me under. Every time I closed my eyes, I pictured them out there, walking straight into danger. Steve, Sam, Nat—and Bucky. The thought of them relying on me pushed me to keep going, even as the frustration built in my chest like a storm.

The door slid open, and I didn't bother looking up. The sound of footsteps approached, soft but deliberate, and I felt Wanda's presence before she spoke.

"Elise," she said gently. "You've been here all night."

I kept my eyes on the screen, scrolling through another section of code. "Yeah, I know."

"You need to take a break," she said, moving closer. "You're exhausted. You're not going to solve this if you keep pushing yourself like this."

I let out a sharp breath, shaking my head. "I don't have time to take a break, Wanda. They're counting on me."

"They need you at your best," she pressed, her tone firm but still soft. "And right now, you're running on fumes."

I finally looked at her, the frustration clear in my voice. "I can't stop. If I walk away now, I'll lose what little progress I've made. They don't have time for me to take a break."

Wanda crossed her arms, her brow furrowed as she studied me. "Elise, you've been staring at this screen for hours. Your mind needs rest, or you're going to miss something."

I turned back to my laptop, my fingers tightening on the edge of the keyboard. "I won't miss anything. I can't afford to."

"Elise," she tried again, her voice softer now.

"I said I'm fine," I snapped, harsher than I intended. "I have to keep going. If something happens to them because I didn't figure this out in time..." I trailed off, my voice catching.

Wanda sighed, her silence heavy with understanding. She stepped back, her tone gentler now. "Just... don't forget that you're human too, Elise. Even you have limits."

I didn't respond, my focus already back on the screen. I heard her footsteps retreat, the door sliding shut behind her, but I didn't look up.

The lines of code blurred for a moment before snapping back into focus. My fingers hovered over the keys, and I took a shaky breath. Wanda was wrong. I couldn't stop. Not until I found the answer.

Because they were out there, risking everything—and stopping wasn't an option.

The lines of code on my laptop blurred again, and I blinked rapidly, trying to refocus. Frustration churned in my chest, a growing weight pressing against my ribs. Every second I spent getting nowhere felt like another second closer to failure. My fingers hovered over the keys, but my brain felt stuck, like it was refusing to cooperate.

The sound of my phone buzzing beside me made me jump. I glanced down and saw Bucky's name on the screen. My heart skipped a beat, a mix of relief and guilt washing over me. It was like he knew I needed him, like he could feel my frustration from hundreds of miles away.