chrysalism. n.
the amniotic tranquility of being indoors during a thunderstorm, listening to waves of rain pattering against the roof like an argument upstairs, whose muffled words are unintelligible but whose crackling release of built-up tension...
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New York, New York. June 8th, 2017. 2:48 AM. Security Office.
Bucky sat back in the uncomfortable office chair, sighing. His eyes scanned the screens of various locations in the compound. Most rooms were dark, all except the 5th floor. His eyes landed on the lit screen, registering the image as Malone. She was sitting on the couch alone, guitar in her lap and pen in her hand. She looked focused, and possibly had headphones in, Bucky couldn't tell with the grainy image. He missed her, even though it had only been a few hours since last seeing her. He watched her every move, admiring how graceful she was. Kenny entered the living room and set his hand on her shoulder, saying something to Malone. She removed her headphones and looked up at him solemnly. She stood, following him out onto the balcony. As soon as they exited the living room and out of view of the camera, all of the screens went black. Bucky blinked, hoping his eyes were deceiving him. When the screens came back on, Malone and Kenny were nowhere to be seen. It was like they had disappeared into thin air. "FRIDAY, lock down the property!" He ordered, springing from his chair. "Wake up Stark and Thor," he ran out of the security room and down the hallway towards the elevator. He jammed the button for the band's floor, and FRIDAY's voice echoed over the speakers.
"Unauthorized access," she bellowed.
"Override, James Barnes."
"Access denied."
He groaned in frantic frustration and ran out of the elevator, coming face to face with Thor. "What's going on?" The god asked.
"Malone's gone. She just disappeared. I think it was him disguised as Kenny," he spoke frantically as Thor processed Bucky's words.
"Show me," Thor's face hardened. They ran back into the security office, and Bucky ran to the computer to rewind the tape. He showed Thor the footage he saw, but when the screens went black, they didn't come back on.
"What happened?" Tony ran into the room in his pajamas, visibly out of breath. Thor explained the situation to him, Bucky too terrified to speak. He didn't have very much experience with Loki but knew he was bad news. To him, Loki was on the same level of evil as HYDRA, and he was terrified what Loki would do to Malone. She didn't have any combat training, no way to defend herself. She was supposed to be safely locked on her floor, but Loki had found a way in. Tony walked briskly out of the room, motioning for Bucky to follow him.
"I'm going back to Asgard to see if Heimdall can see them. Hopefully, I will return with Loki in handcuffs and Malone will be unharmed, but we have to move quickly," Thor spoke with authority, enraged that his brother had returned to do more despicable things to the realm Thor loved so much. The group parted, and Bucky followed Tony into the elevator. He pressed the button that Bucky had jammed minutes earlier, and FRIDAY came over the speakers again.
"Override, Anthony Stark."
"Access granted," FRIDAY chimed. Bucky rolled his eyes, not believing that Tony was the only person with access to the band. The elevator moved with a whirring noise before stopping abruptly. The elevator was stuck between two floors, it had to have been shut off by somebody in the control room.
