The Shadow (Book 1)

Chapter 6

Stark Tower

''Why Tony Stark?'' Scarlet questioned. After Fury had determined that the Shadow was subdued and retracted to the corner of the doctors' mind somewhere, he allowed the stripes tying her down to be removed. Scarlet now sat up in the bed, scrolling through a tablet; given to her by Coulson.

"Because he needs a building assistant, and you have a PhD in engineering," Coulson replied, wringing his hands from his position in the corner. Scarlet looked over at him, raising an eyebrow.

''Really, the great Tony Stark has admitted he needs help with something. Wow,'' she breathed out, continuing to scroll through the information they had provided her on Stark, ''what exactly is the building?''

"Nuclear weapons," Fury replied bluntly; standing up from his chair next to her, he proceeded to leave. Not without looking at Coulson, who nodded in return. Scarlet watched the silent exchange with a furrowed brow.

Instead of questioning the look the two men had shared, Scarlet opted for a question she'd hopefully get an answer to, "So you going to let me out of here any time soon, or is Stark coming here?" he shook his head slightly glancing over her.

''Once our team is done with assessing your arm, then you are free to leave for the interview,'' Scarlet looked over to her at where her right arm should have been. Strangely she hadn't even really noticed that it wasn't there. She'd opened her mouth to ask how long that would be when Fury came marching back in with said arm in his grip.

"Thought you might want this," he quipped, placing it gently down next to Scarlet on the bed. Turning swiftly on his heels, he left the room once again, leaving her alone with Agent Coulson.

Scarlet picked it up, the metal instantly cold against the warm palm of her hand. With her left hand, she carefully slid the arm onto what was left of her right one (the upper arm). Once in place, she flexed her fingers, getting used to the feeling again.

"what?" Her eyes had latched onto Coulson smirking features.

"Nothing it's, just. I feeling Stark won't think twice about hiring you," he said, clearing his throat a little.

"Why are you thinking that?"

"You're a doctor for starters," he pointed out, "Plus your pretty,"

"What has me being pretty got to do with getting the job?" Scarlet raised an eyebrow in his direction, mulling over what he had just said to her.

"Stark has a bit of reputation with women," Phil replied, ducking out of the room, leaving Scarlet to process what had just been said to her.

⫸⫸⫸

A rather stern looking agent, who wasn't one for small talk, dropped Scarlet off at a small flat in the centre of New York. Fury had explicitly told her that she was to stay there whether she liked it or not. The flat; was much bigger than the one she'd been, staying in while Shadow was in control, that was for sure. It was open plan with two bedrooms, a living room on the left from the kitchen, situated by the entrance. At the moment, it was a little bland looking, no pictures of ornaments decorated the sides, something Scarlet was determined to put right when her stuff arrived from her old place.

Setting her single suitcase down on the wooden clad floor, the doctor looked down at her watch. She had about thirty minutes to make herself presentable for her interview with Stark. Some of that time, she'd used trying to figure out how to get inside the flat; the key needed a bit of strength behind it to make the lock move, strength she had been lacking in.

⫸⫸⫸

Stark tower loomed above her; it wasn't exactly the best-looking building in the world, but it was very close to being it. Stark seemed to be written on any spare space the architect could have found. It was obnoxious and told Scarlet perhaps more than it should have about the man who commissioned it.

She paused at the entrance. The doors slid open for her to walk through, but she didn't immediately walk through. Scarlet took a deep breath, knowing that this was the only chance she had to leave the past behind, leave the marks Shadow had left in the foreground. A new beginning. A new life. A normal life. She took a tentative step forward, crossing over the threshold and into Stark Towers busy lobby.

Composing herself, Scarlet steadily approached the front desk, where a woman with greying hair sat typing idly away at the computer screen in front of her. The women looked up as she approached; the name tag on her blazer read Cara Jane.

"Hello dear, how can I help you," her tone was lively and warm, enough to calm some of the nerves that racked Scarlet's body.

"I'm here for an interview with Mr Stark," Scarlet found herself replying robotically.

''Ok, what's your name?" Cara Jane asked, her hand hovering over the keyboard below her.

"Doctor Scarlet Williams," saying her name was very much she needed to get used to, it still felt foreign on her tongue.

"Ah. Yes, just wait here for a minute. Miss Potts will come and escort you up," she smiled, gesturing towards a couple sofas situated to the right of the reception desk. Scarlet nodded, leaving Cara to get back to whatever she had been typing up before.

Scarlet hadn't been sat long when the lift across the lobby opened to reveal a tall, professional-looking woman. Her;  ginger hair was pulled in a high money tail. A folder and clipboard rested in the crook of her arm. She made her way over to where Scarlet was sat, the clacking of her black heels echoing across the tiled floor. She came to an abrupt stop infant of Scarlet, her hand outstretched for a handshake.

''You must be Doctor Williams,'' Scarlet nodded, standing up to take the womans' hand, ''Pepper Potts.''

''Pleasure,'' Scarlet replied, as their hands fell away back to their sides.

''If you'd like to follow me. I'll take you up to Mr Stark,'' without leaving so much as a second for a response, Pepper was already on her way back to the lift, leaving Scarlet to trail slightly behind her.

"Up to Mr Starks office, please. Jarvis," Pepper spoke the second the doors shut.

"Of cause Miss Potts and good morning. Dr Williams," a robotic voice responded, making Scarlet jump at the unexpected response. Pepper must have noticed the bemused look that crossed the doctors face.

"That's just Jarvis Tony's AI, don't worry, I think you'll like him. He's British like you," she sent a reassuring smile in the doctors' direction. It was enough to calm her nerves down a little more, but not by much.

"I think I already like him," she smiled in response. Technology had always fascinated the doctor. The power you had to create something so unique always drew Scarlet to engineering. That and you never know what you'd create until you've started. She had a feeling she'd enjoy working with Stark if she passed the interview, that is.

''I'm going to have to leave. I'm needed elsewhere, unfortunately. Tony's office is right at the end of the corridor. You can't miss it,'' Pepper gestured for Scarlet to exit the lift.

''Thank you,'' she nodded, stepping out onto the red-carpeted corridor.

''You're welcome and good luck,'' the doors shut with a snap, Pepper Potts was whisked away to another floor. Taking another deep breath, Scarlet made her way to the end of the corridor. What could possibly go wrong?