The Shock of Sudden Silence

Gone Missing

Darcy wasn't sure what woke her up first - the pounding in her head or the violent shivering. As she looked around her, taking in the bed she was currently tied to and the windowless cell she seemed to be occupying, she shoved down the tendrils of fear creeping up her spine. "Well, fuck," she muttered, tugging hopelessly at her cuffs. It wasn't the first time she had been kidnapped, but what was worrying was that she couldn't recall exactly what had happened to land her where she currently was. She took a deep breath and tried to recall her training with Natasha. Once it had become clear to both Jane and the other avengers that HYDRA and other organizations viewed Darcy as a weakness to exploit, they had insisted she learn how to handle a situation just like this one. This was probably the fifth time she had been kidnapped in the past year or so.

Closing her eyes, she tried to focus as much of her concentration as she could on what she could hear. No traffic, wind, or wildlife. Either she was deep in a building or, the more likely scenario, she was underground. She couldn't hear anyone walking around or talking, so the walls were probably thick. Darcy opened her eyes and focused now on herself. "Okay Darcy. Pull it together. No room for freaking out here." On a second sweep of the room, she now noticed a small metal bucket in the corner, a dirty plastic water bottle sitting next to it. She grimaced. From an unfortunate amount of experience and training, she knew no one provided a bathroom and water if they intended to only keep her for a few hours. She also noticed a small camera in the corner by the door, it's blinking red light seeming to almost mock her. Resisting the urge to flip her captors off, she now looked down at herself. Thankfully she was still wearing the clothes she remembered putting on last, an oversized sweater and a ratty pair of jeans. Seeing no obvious rips or tears, she let herself take a moment to bathe in the relief of not having been raped.

Her wrists appeared to be bound by handcuffs, attached to the headrest of the bed. They did allow her some mobility, which she was grateful for. They were, however, tight enough around her wrists that they were digging into her skin. Even if she had managed to learn how to dislocate her thumb (she couldn't help it, the sound alone made her want to throw up) the cuffs were too tight to squeeze through. Her head was also in a lot more pain than seemed normal from being knocked out, and she carefully ran her fingers over her scalp. She winced, finding the dried blood in her hair before the large bump. Sighing again, she tried to recall exactly how she had ended up here.

***

"Jane, do you want anything from Morning Goat Cafe? I'm grabbing some pastries and coffee." Darcy paused in the doorway to the lab, Jane's head barely visible over the mountain of papers that covered her desk. Not even bothering to look up, Jane simply waved her hand, clearly dismissing her. With a shrug, Darcy spun on her heel, plugging in her headphones as she walked to the elevator. She hadn't been to Morning Goat Coffee before, but both the yelp reviews and the name had convinced her. The fact that it was only a fifteen minute walk from the tower was an added bonus. She hummed along to her iPod as the elevator counted down the floors, doors finally opening to the main lobby. As she walked towards the doors,she waved to the security guards, all of whom she knew by now. She caught a brief glance of some members of the STRIKE team, but averted her eyes quickly. They were one of the best teams the Avengers had, but something about them made her unsettled. She shrugged it off as she pushed open the doors, breathing in the fresh air.

She took a moment to send a quick thanks to Thor that it was a nice day out. She wasn't sure whether or not he could control that sort of thing, but she figured it couldn't hurt. It also made her feel like she knew something more than everyone else around her. Which, to be fair, she did. But she reveled in the fact that she was probably the only person in New York who thanked Thor for the weather. She knew it was silly, but figured in a world of aliens and gods, it wasn't too far out there.

Darcy was only a few blocks from the tower when she got an uncomfortable feeling between her shoulder blades, one that made her hair stand on end. Recalling Natasha's advice for if she was ever being followed, she subtly sped up, pausing her music so she could focus better on the people around her. She debated pressing her panic button, but decided it wasn't worth the false alarm for a feeling. By the time she reached the cafe, the itch had disappeared and she dismissed her feelings as paranoia. She hadn't ever actually seen someone following her, and decided it was more likely her suffering caffeine withdrawals than anything else. She nodded at the man holding the door open for her, and stepped inside the cafe.

Looking around, she took in the latest addition to the New York coffee scene. It had a nice homey vibe to it, couches and plush chairs separated by coffee tables where hard chairs usually were. Art covered the walls, big close ups of nature. Not many people were there, but enough that the air was filled with the quiet sound of chatter. Ordering her coffee, she claimed a chair in the corner as her's. Deciding that Jane didn't seem like she was going to need her anytime soon, Darcy figured she could kill some time. She made it through a few emails before giving up entirely and playing candy crush instead. She and Steve had an unspoken competition going on between them, and she was determined to reach level 3,000 before him.

After about an hour, she reckoned she should head back. Although she mostly helped Jane, she was technically in charge of managing Tony and Bruce as well. Carefully unfolding herself from the incredibly comfortable chair, she winced as pins and needles raced up her legs. With a groan, she waited as she slowly regained feeling in her legs. Waving goodbye to the friendly barista, she slipped out the door and started back towards the tower. As soon as she was outside, the feeling returned. Darcy froze, unsure how to react. Natasha, Steve, and Clint were away on mission, radio silence. She could call Bruce or Tony, but chances were good they would either miss the call or way overreact. She didn't want to be responsible for Iron Man suddenly flying in, blasters ready. She briefly considered Bucky, but as friendly as she was with the guy he still hadn't spoken a word to her. She wasn't one to judge, but figured it was his way of letting her know he wasn't ready to be better friends yet.

She hadn't even actually seen anyone, but she couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched. She did a slow 360, eyes darting to every nook and cranny she could spot. All she saw were busy New Yorkers, all in a rush to get wherever they needed to be. There weren't even any suspicious vehicles, no vans or maintenance trucks. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes, laughing quietly under her breath as she thought about how stupid she must look right now. She kept her headphones off though, unable to ignore the somersaults her stomach was currently doing.

***

"That's her." Across the street from where Darcy stood, hidden behind the curtain of the third floor window, sat a man with a sniper rifle pointed at her. He tilted his head, listening to the orders coming through his earpiece. "Copy that sir. Engaging at will."

***

Taking in one last cursory sweep, Darcy continued down the street. As she stepped in front of a narrow alley, her hand instinctively going to the slightly illegal taser in her bag, she felt a sudden pinprick. Reaching up, feeling as though she was in slow motion, Darcy plucked a small clear dart from her neck. "What the fuggh..." she said, words slurring. She stumbled, leaning against the building nearest to her as she tried to grab the base of her taser. A hand suddenly halted her motion, and she looked up into the eyes of Brock Rumlow. Fuck. Her eyes widened, mouth opening to scream, but she blacked out before she could make any sound.

***

"Target retrieval successful, sir. Rumlow has made contact and is currently escorting her to the car." Standing up, the man in the apartment quickly disassembled his rifle, placing it in the empty bag next to him, his movements quick and precise. He scanned the room, ensuring every trace of evidence that could hint at his presence was gone. Pulling out a baseball cap, he swung his duffel bag over his shoulder and left the apartment. His posture shifted, now slumped and relaxed, no trace of the military training present moments ago. After exiting the apartment building, he hailed a taxi, careful to not look up and be caught on camera.

***

As soon as Darcy collapsed, Brock picked her up bridal style. Her purse and taser fell from her hand, and he considered them for a moment before kicking them under a nearby dumpster. While New Yorkers were used to seeing some odd things, he didn't want to push his luck. He quickly walked down the alley, uncaring as Darcy's head lolled to the side and hit the wall. Knocking on a door that looked as though it had been rusted shut, he double checked the entrance of the alley. It had been over quickly, not even a minute had passed since the shot had been fired. The tranquilizer dart had been destroyed, and the cameras would have already been wiped. The door swung open, and Brock stepped inside quickly. From there, they loaded Darcy into the trunk of a nondescript SUV, and Brock left to get back to the tower.

An hour had passed since she had left the coffee shop. Darcy was now speeding down the interstate, unconscious and handcuffed in the back of a car. Her taser, purse, and phone lay abandoned under a dumpster, attracting only the attention of a lone rat. The shooter and Brock were back in the tower, having rejoined the rest of the STRIKE team as though nothing had happened. Jane was still buried deep in her paperwork, unaware that any time had even passed since Darcy had left. An hour had passed, and no one knew Darcy was missing.