A/N: I HAVE DONE IT!!!!! I dug deep, kept digging, found China, and got a new Chapter written! The new fanfic is coming very soon, ladies and gents. After its release, I should have a little more time for this. but for now, here is a lovely reunion with your Barriers friends. Enjoy! *Rubs hands together evilly*
Krys's POV
I drive to work with the windows down, relishing the feeling of the wind on my face, but still trying to decipher what happened at that conference. And with almost an hour of a drive from my house to the office, I have plenty of time to think. Stark didn't mean to spill the secret, that I am sure of. I could see it in his eyes. The uncertainty, the doubt, the way they flickered with fear towards Rhodes, but at the same time, relief? was he looking for attention? Or just tired of keeping secrets? I've decided to donate my morning to the cause of finding out. The only problem I face is his records are so large that finding anything meaningful will be hard. VERY hard. The man everyone knows is also one of the most hidden and mysterious. I sigh, my mind trying to flit back to my past, but I have other things to work out. I turn up the radio, shouting along the words to every song, trying to block out my own concious.
When i pull in, I see that my truck is the only vehicle in the lot. I smile. Kate and Gale won't be in for another hour. They know I had that conference and were planning on taking a little personal time to let me craft my article in peace. Being childhood best friends, we aren't the most productive when together sometimes. Especially when Gale is involved. But writing is what we love, and we encourage each other in ways that only sisters can. I don't even want to think what I'd be doing if I didn't have them. They've taught me to live, learn, and laugh. When to shut up and when to speak out. And that I am good enough, even when we all know I don't deserve them. Especially with my last year of grief, torment, haunted memories--- "No." I say aloud. " Work. Don't think. Find information on Stark. It'll take a while and you don't want them to see." They worry when I get too involved. I put in my earbuds and set to work.
I don't have as much access to hidden files as I would like, but we've earned enough credit to have some. I can easily find his full history, but I want secrets. I know they're out there. What happened in the east? Terrorists, publicity stunts, I hack through another code wall, password after password. I smirk, typing "BUFFALO" into each. I assumed the passwords were the same for every site, but never though I'd get this lucky. Suddenly, I stop dead. Pictures of the arc reactor come up, surrounded by charts and reports. but they are smaller. Much more refined, and in a larger diagram. I zoom out of the picture, a human body taking shape. a name at the top. Anthony stark.
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I fall out of my desk chair, but scramble back up, taking in the file. The arc reactor has been implanted into his chest cavity, but why? Elementary ideas fly through my reeling mind:
~ What if this is what makes him smart?
~ What if this is only for money?
~ Is this even a real file?
~ Is that even legal?
~ What if an experiment went wrong and---
The Accident.
THE ACCIDENT.
He came back, arm in a sling, bruises on his face, But gave no real explanation. Only excuses. I blew it off. His dissappearance only a stunt, or a party gone wrong.Too many drinks. But this..... THING. Is a part of him. wired near his heart, I pass another access point, and see a clip. Hand shaking, I click the file. I see stark, head in a sack, before a group of men. I cannot understand the language, but I can hear the hate and pride in thier voice. They believed they have captured the designer of thier greatest enemy: American weapons. They will probably kill him. But why didn't they? The file suddenly dissappears as the clip ends, scaring me out of my thoughts. I suddenly feel over whelmed. They injured him, and he almost died. All I really know is that this device, as strange as it is, legal or not, Is keeping him alive. And no ones know except himself and I. A small town girl with a laptop and some luck. I could sell his secret. I hold his life. A man I don't know. And it relys on me to save him.
I run out of the office, needing air. I stand on the sidewalk realzing two things,
1. I'm in the city.
2. I left my shoes in my office.
I remember the patch of woods a while down the road. I get in the truck and drive. I make myself stop thinking, or I'll cause a wreck. I make it and park behind some bushes. I walk into the trees. Breathing the clean air helps me think straight. I stretch, feeling better. I'm just walking, looking straight ahead, until I notice the dirt beneath my bare feet is soft and worn. I look down. A path is worn through the trees. I don't remeber coming through here.....
I follow the path against my better judgement, keeping my feet in the dirt, not the grass, and wonder who it could be. Homeless people? Fugitives? I finger the gun on my hip. Since last year I always have it on me, not just in the truck. I'm thinking about my past year, about Reid, when i see movement in front of me. I look up just in time to see myself crash into someone. I see a flash of dark blue material and catch the scent of alchohol and colonge before we both fall. I look over to see a suit jacket on the ground, and a man getting up beside me. he bends over to get the jacket, quickly shrugging it on, starting to button it with shaking hands. I start an apology for my clumsyness but stop short when I notice a faint blue light shine through his shirt. I drop my gun.
A/N: Oh Yes. Cliffhanger. So what will happen? Thank you all for reading and putting up with me, But I know you won't for much longer if I keep doing this. * Hides from pitchforks, llama army, and waffle catapults * Please Comment and Vote! Love you All!
Baby A/N: There was a Doctor Who reference in here..... first one to find it gets a prize!
