The Stark Chronicles: Book 1 The Decoy

Chapter 14 Rooftops and Vents

Finally I got to Chicago and roughly landed on a rooftop. I lost my balance and fell to the ground with a crash.

"You have arrived."

I groaned. "Thanks Jarvis. Eject!"

Suddenly i was thrown backwards and I hit the ground again, this time skinning my arms against the pavement.

"Ugh your eject procedure sucks!"

"Sorry ma'am. Should I tell Mr. Stark?"

"Please do."

Then I started looking around for the uprising Nat was talking about. There was smoke coming from a couple blocks away and I ran to the door that led inside the building. I made my way down and out of the building and jogged towards the smoke. I put my SOS earpiece in.

"Jarvis, status of Chicago uprisings?"

"It appears as if a bunch of criminal spies are trying to steal some scientific elements ma'am."

I weaves my way through crowds of people. "Let me guess, radioactive?"

"Very. That includes nuclear weapons as well."

I sighed. "Great?"

"There is something else you should know, Miss Tori."

"Go on."

"This criminal band is also the people that are after you."

I came a stop, irritating people behind me.

"These people want the key," I rephrased.

"Yes."

"Okay uniform upgrade." I turned into the nearest store I could find. I purchased some athletic pants and an athletic jacket and hid the key in one of the seams, stitching it back up neatly with a needle. Then I slipped into some running shoes and bought a baseball cap and glasses to hide behind.

"How do I look Jarvis?" I asked once outside again.

"Undetectable."

"Good. Find Agent Romanoffs location."

"Turn right at the next block and then take a left at the end of the alley."

I was getting closer to the smoke as I did so and bounced my way down the alley in the shadows. To keep hidden I leaped up to a nearby fire escape and pulled myself up to watch as I reached the corner.

The smoke was coming from several trucks that were on fire. There were police holding people back behind yellow caution tapes. People were sobbing and looking towards a building ahead that seemed empty.

"What's going on?" I asked more to myself but Jarvis answered.

"It appears they have hostages."

"Let me guess. Clint, Steve, and Nat went in to get them."

"That's right."

"And they haven't come back yet."

"That's right."

With a deep breath, I climbed all the way up the fire escape and jumped onto the roof of the building beside the hostage filled building. I ducked to avoid being seen by the crowd who would give away my position. Then I took a breath before leaping across open air and rolling on to the roof of the building.

"Ugh I hate rooftops!" I growled and crawled to a latch that led inside.

I fell down and gracefully landed in a crouch on a tiled floor. It was an empty hall with many doors. It looked to me like an office building.

"Where are the hostages?" I whispered.

"They are two halls down on the top floor in a conference room."

"Where is Steve?"

"He and the others are still searching on the fourth floor."

"Okay."

I padded down the hall looking for any attackers. That's when I remembered that I had no weapons or any means to defend myself. So I consulted a janitors closet and stole some items that could be useful.

There were guards on the next hall I was about to turn on, guarding a room labeled as CONFERENCE ROOM D.

I breathed out in frustration and looked for a solution to my problem. I couldn't take them out by myself. My lack of training was thanks to that. But I did spot a air vent.

When the guard weren't looking, I rolled past the intersection and bounced over the air vent. I used a screwdriver from the janitors closest to unscrew the thing from the wall and set it down softly before climbing up in the air. I had to heave myself up into the main air vent. Then I began to crawl towards where I thought the hostages were being held.

"Tori Stark."

My name echoed throughout the vent. I stiffened. The voice was distant so I definitely hadn't been spotted. But, someone was talking about me.

"She's a priority to SHIELD. They wouldn't bring her here."

I crawled toward where the sound was coming from and peered down a small vent to see two men sitting at a desk. They were watching the security feed. I tried not to gasp as I saw live video of Steve fighting some attackers, Nat and Clint behind him.

"Then why is she here?" The man behind the desk threw down a picture. It was a picture of me, waking down the street a few minutes before prior to me changing clothes. "This was taken thirty minutes ago."

"She's a rebel. A typical teenager. She doesn't listen to her superiors," the other man said. "She's dangerous."

"That's why we need her. She could be a great Hydra agent." I froze in confusion. Hydra.... Wasn't that who Steve fought back in the 40s. I though they died out. "Between her and the Winter Soldier, we would be unstoppable!"

"I think you have forgotten the true reason we need Tori Stark. She has the Key that unlocks everything. We will get nothing out of New Mexico if we don't get it from her."

I backed away from the vent to the main tunnel before letting out a shaky breath. Nat was right. I shouldn't have come.