Familiarity

Chapter 7

"Allen," Riz hissed trying to grab Madi's attention.

"What?" she asked just wanting to leave the office.

"This joke is not funny anymore, I need Emilia to run these test," he explained almost begging Madi for the doctors location.

"I don't know where she went," Madi said through gritted teeth, "I just want to go home." It was hard for her to not know where her best friend was. She went on a date with a man she barely knew and just disappeared, and Madi hated it. She contacted the cops and yet nothing had come up, whoever was hiding her was doing a damn good job.

A man ran into the building bumping into Madi's shoulder. He looked back at the woman and stopped abruptly, "Mrs. Allen!"

"Look, I do not want to talk to you. Just because the police don't have any proof you are guilty, doesn't mean jack. Don't talk to me."

"I told the cops what happened, give me the chance to tell you," Doctor Loren explained not taking his eyes off of her.

"Fine."

"She was captured by HYDRA," he said shortly, "along with Captain America, the Falcon, and Black Widow. We were attacked by the Winter Soldier and she froze in his presence, wouldn't move. I'm sorry it's all my fault. I should have forced her to move, I shouldn't have left her there, I was just thinking about myself and saving my own skin," Loren said sadly, tears forming in his eyes as the guilt overwhelmed him.

"So it was your fault she disappeared?"

"Yes, but I didn't kidnap her. I want to find her just as much as you do, have a second chance."

"Ha! Like Emilia would give you a second chance after leaving her for dead," Madi scoffed exiting the building. "Hey watch it!" she yelled behind her as someone ran into her.

"Sorry, I have stuff I need to do," Emilia answered barrelling into the building.

"Em?" Madi asked watching her friend run past her. "Don't even go near her," Madi hissed jogging after Emilia, pushing Loren out of the way. She made it inside the building to see the elevator doors shut and sprinted toward the stairs, not giving anyone any time to react to what was happening. "Em!" Madi called out chasing the woman down the hall past all the testing rooms that have been on hold since her disappearance.

"I don't have time to talk Madi, you would never understand," she yelled over her shoulder locking herself in her office.

"What is going on Emilia?"

"I had help, I know what I did wrong," she said taking out the file on serum three point seven. "It's going to work this time."

Emilia stayed in her office for hours as rearranging the formula of three point seven, and finished well past the usual time she left the building. She rushed out of her office calling out for Madi, "I need to start testing on serum three point seven one."

"What?" Madi asked exiting a room.

"I fixed it, I know what we did wrong. The numbers all lined up but the hydroxide needed to be the base of the chemical, not manganese. It all makes so much more sense."

"I don't understand, Emilia what makes you so sure?" she asked.

"Bruce Banner," she answered shortly entering a testing room. "I need a table prepped, bring me  testing subject one two four."