The Shadow (Book 1)

Chapter 13

Truths

''Good,'' Scarlet frowned as Tony rolled a dice across a makeshift game Yisen had taught him. ''Good roll. Good roll,'' Yisen repeated, folding his arm to lean slightly across the table.

''I still don't understand this game,'' Scarlet mumbled, turning her head back and forth between the two men. Tony was now staring intently at Yisen as he made his move. The two men made their moves in silence until Tony broke into conversation.

''You still haven't told me where you're from,'' he asked, rolling the dice across the board again.

''I'm from a small town called Gulmira,'' Yisen responded, taking his turn, ''It's actually a nice place,'' a small smile filtered across his lips. However, it only lasted a moment before disappearing again. Scarlets' eyes drifted over his posture, noticing his muscles starting to relax. Yisen, much like she and Tony, had been rigid for most of the game. Now, he seemed more at ease. Tony had that effect on people.

''Got a family?'' Tony's questioned next.

Scarlet's eyebrows rose. His sudden interest in Yisen and his personal life intrigued her, especially since he'd never once asked about where she'd come from or her family. Not that she would have been able to answer him truthfully anyway; she didn't know if she had any family left anywhere in the world.

''Yes, and I will see them when I leave here,'' he was determined; Scarlet could sense it in his voice. Yisen had faith he'd leave this place he'd been trapped in. Scarlet prayed he did. '' And you, Stark?'' He returned the question, removing his glasses to wipe away specks of sand and dust that had settled on the glass.

''No,'' Yisen sounded surprised as Tony shrugged his answer off.

''No? So you're a man who has everything and nothing,'' a lump formed in Tonys through, he gulped it down thickly before resuming to take up his turn in the game, ''what about you? Doctor,'' Yisen tilted his head to the right, his gaze landing on the one-armed brunette.

''None that I know of,'' she didn't meet his eye, neither did she look up at Tony either. Her attention was on the small scrape of paper she transferred between fingers; it had measurements they needed for a part of the suit.

''So you're all alone in the world too. How old are you?'' Yisen pressed.

Scarlet swallowed; her throat suddenly felt dry. Her stomach twisted itself into a knot, and her blood started to drain from her cheeks. Thankfully, the light-emitting from the single flamed fire wasn't enough to show how pale she had grown, but she still felt the colour drain from her face. Scarlet knew the longer she took to answer, the more concerned the men before her would grow, so she settled for the truth.

''I don't know,'' the phrase came out as a whisper. For a moment, Scarlet had thought she'd spoken too quietly, but the calloused hand that crept forward to take her left one reassured her she'd been heard. Scarlet lifted her head, making eye contact with the grim face of Tony Stark.

''Hey, hey,'' Tony's thumb stroked across her fingers; a tear had emerged in the corner of her eye, just one, but that was enough for the overwhelming feeling of non-existence to overcome her.

''I don't know who I am. Not really. I've been alone a long time. I think.'' Tony had slid from his seat to kneel down in front of her. Resting both hands on each of her shoulders, he looked at her.

''You're not alone anymore, I promise you that,'' she managed a small smile, but it didn't close the hole she felt inside. She felt something was missing. A part of her had been lost for so long she wasn't sure even the great Tony Stark could help.

''But you're not alone, you have me,'' Shadows voice was feather-light as it echoed through her head, ''I'm not going anywhere.''

Empathy. A new emotion The Shadow had never felt before, but nevertheless, she felt it. She had felt just as alone all those years.

⫸⫸⫸

Scarlet had been examining what screws weren't broken and could be used. When her ears picked up a commotion going on from outside of their cave. Loud shouting and quickly spoken conversation flooded into where the trio were spending their captivity. Quickly she stood up from her seat position to join Yisen and Tony. Glancing between each other, they slowly lifted their hands to the backs of their heads. Scarlets' stump just about touching the bun she'd tied her hair in.

''Relax,'' the man before them spoke English; very, good English.

He was not the same one who'd made the initial deal with Tony all those days ago. Was it days ago? Scarlet wasn't exactly sure how long they'd spent working away. However, he was the same man, who'd spoken to Scarlet in the tent on the first day of her capture. Signalling for them to lower their hands, he walked forward, his beady eyes landing on the arc reactor taking residence inside Tony's chest.

''The bow and arrow once was the pinnacle of weapons technology,'' he spoke, his boats hitting the cave floor in heavy thuds as he peered at each of them in turn. ''It allowed the great Genghis Khan to rule from the Pacific to Ukraine. An empire twice the size of Alexander the Great; and four times the size of the Roman Empire. But today, whoever holds the latest Stark weapons rules these lands. And soon, it will be my turn,'' he laughed, a smirk rising across his lips. It fell as quickly as it had come.

Scarlet watched as he turned back to Tony, staring him down. Urdu, a language she did not speak, spilt from his lips, leaving both her and Tony to look towards Yisen for translation. However, he did not translate, merely replied. Tony tried to mouth over to her. But she was forced to step out of his eye line as Yisen was forced to his knees.

''What are you doing. Stop,'' Scarlet moved forward but was quickly held back. An unknown man's arm snaked around her waist, pulling her away from Yisen and Tony too. She watched helplessly along with Tony as Yisen was forced down on the table, a hot, burning piece of coal inching closer to his face.

''What does he want?'' Tony desperately cried out to Yisen. Neither of them could help if Yisen didn't translate for them. He just continued to respond in Urdu to the man, his tone becoming more frantic as the hot coal got closer and closer to him.

''What do you want? A delivery date?'' Scarlet tensed as the second Tony moved; a dozen firearms were immediately trained on him. The man holding her tightened his grip, his other hand resting on the hilt of his gun stashed in his belt.

''I need him,'' that got his attention. Tony let out a long breath, ''Good assistant,'' he nodded in the direction of Yisen.

The man took a moment, but he eventually let Yisen up. Wordlessly he made his way towards where Scarlet was being held. She grimaced, moving her head as far back as she possibly could. His hands clamped down around her chin pulling, her towards him. She whimpered; his grip was harsh, his fingers pinched at her skin.

''I had thought? He would have found you by now. Perhaps you're not as valuable as I'd first thought,'' Scarlet frowned. He released his grip on her, turning back to the other two, ''you have till tomorrow to assemble my missile.''

Scarlet was let go. Her legs gave way underneath her, causing her to land hard on her knees. Her mind was swimming; who had he been referring to. Not even The Shadow knew the answer.