From The Dark | Peter Parker x OC ✔️

Chapter Fifty-Four

A/N: A very short chapter but it's here to set up the next few chapters so bear with me :)

So I've caught a small cold which is making me procrastinate big time because suddenly 'I don't feel like it' is a valid excuse. Anyway, I'm really falling behind on writing these chapters cause I've been super busy (and lazy) lately, but I'm gonna try and see if I can catch up this weekend *fingers crossed*

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"Even if the whole world is

telling you to move...it is your duty to

plant yourself like a tree,

look them in they eye and say

'No, you move.'"
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There were two days until the UN conference in Vienna. Tony, Rhodey, Nat, and Vision had already signed the accords. Adelaide would have too if she could. She hoped that Steve and the others would come around eventually. She didn't want to think about what would happen if they didn't. Retirement? What would the Avengers be without Steve?

However, at the moment, while Tony was gone conducting business with Ross, Adelaide was at the compound with Vision and Wanda. She had decided to use a particular resource to help her locate Lukov. Even after all these months since Graves had induced a fear into her, she hadn't been able to rest. With Tony gone and FRIDAY alone, she thought she could use the AI to do a little digging and maybe even get her mind off of the accords.

"Anything?" she asked, coming to stand beside the hologram.

"Moscow," FRIDAY finally said, "I found a plane ticket. He was there a few weeks ago but..."

Adelaide's breath hitched in her throat. That was a real place. She finally had a location on him.

"But?" she asked, not sure if she wanted to know.

"That was a few weeks ago," she said, "Now, I don't where he could be."

She let out a breath, slamming the table with her hand. Of course. Every time they were closing in, something always happened. It was as if not only did Lukov want to keep information from her, but so did the universe.

"But..." FRIDAY started. Adelaide looked up, frowning.

"More bad news?" she asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Actually," she said, changing her form again.  An image of Lukov appeared, along with information that she already knew. "Lukov was Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, correct?"

"Yeah..." she said, not sure where she was going with this, "But he's retired and no one's seen him since."

"Even retired ministers have expectations," she said and Adelaide could somehow hear a smile in her voice. She looked at the AI's hologram, studying the face of the man on there that had seemingly ruined her life. "And as the minister of foreign affairs, he will be expected to make an appearance at the conference."

"I don't think that Lukov cares about what's expected of him," she scoffed. If he did, then he would have never bothered with her in the first place.

"What can you lose?" she said and the image of Lukov disappeared. Adelaide stared at the floor, biting the inside of her cheek.

The words echoed in her head. FRIDAY was right. She had nothing to lose. So she went to Vienna and if he wasn't there, then it would be no big deal. She would just come right back home, not having moved backwards or forwards.