Anyway the Wind Blows (Avengers Fanfiction)

அ Chapter Seventeen அ

Nikolas reached forward and softly pressed his fingertips against the glass of the monitor, his eyes falling shut as he prompted the compute to comply. It was another one of his gifts that he particularly loved, the moment his fingertips touched the glass the computer code filled his mind.

"What are you up to Obadiah?" Nikolas spoke without meaning to, the code freezing as he found something that was not meant to be there.

When Nikolas opened his eyes it was to his own face on the screen.

Or more specifically, both his and his dads face.

It was blurry and over-pixelated, an issue Nikolas fixed with a brief passing thought though he had quickly wished he had not.

It was from before the cave.

Throughout Nikolas' entire time in the cave he had never seen the damage to his face from the explosion. But seeing it now, months later, he was rather happy that he had not seen it at the moment. His eye was nearly swollen shut, and all visible skin had some sort of bruise or bloodied mark on it. His dad looked just as bad.

It was the ransom video, though Nikolas was not sure if that was the right word for it. Nikolas could not remember it being filmed. The past version of him had his head hung low, blood covering his legs as he leaned heavily into his dad. And beside him stood Raza, holding a gun to his temple and speaking Dari.

Nikolas' mind automatically provided a translation.

"You did not tell us that the target you paid us to kill was the great Tony Stark." In the video Raza nudged Nikolas' head with the end of his gun, unconsciously the doctor lifted his head to the spot. "As you can see Obadiah Stane-"

The confirmation that Obadiah had been behind the events in Afghanistan was not as shocking as it should of been.

Nikolas frowned as the video continued.

"Your deception and lies will cost you dearly. The price to kill the Stark's has gone-"

The doctor closed the video, waving his hand and willing the information he was searching for to appear without much issue.

"Sector Sixteen." The name threw Nikolas off, as it was not a known section of Stark International and until this moment he had not known it to ever be used. He put the thumb drive into the side of the computer, lifting his hand and motioning it in the direction of the drive. The data finished copying the moment his hand stopped moving.

Pepper Potts entered his mind and Nikolas smiled in success.

He stood deciding almost instantly to ignore the pain that rose in his leg at the simple movement. Nikolas left the office in a flourish, skipping down the stairs as if he were a child once again and no longer the amputee that he currently is, his mind on high alert as he attempted to keep everyone from seeing him.

"Nikolas." Pepper's voice was soft as she called out the boys name, and Nikolas nearly sprinted to reach her.

"You will take this to dad." Nikolas said it in a sure voice, pressing the thumb drive into her palm and forcing a smile at the skin to skin contact that lasted for barely a second. "I will follow after, if I am not home in an hour, you will send people to find me."

He did not believe there was anything to be concerned about, but he said the addition nonetheless, his voice feeling uncompliant as he watched Pepper frown. Nikolas turned away to continue on to his workspace.

"No wait," She shook her head, gripping his bicep and turning him around. Nikolas pulled away, he flinched but still looked at her closely. "Shit sorry." She dropped his arm, looking genuinely apologetic in a way that the Doctor found himself capable of recognizing. "I thought you were coming with me?"

Nikolas shook his head, taking a step back and frowning at the balding man appearing over her shoulder. "No. But he is." He motioned to the agent. "He wants to see me, but he will speak to you. He is here to discuss the cave."

When Pepper turned, Nikolas moved away.

It was just as painful for him to walk to his lab as it was to leave the office, though he could not distinguish whether it was a physical pain or an emotion pain.

For safety reasons Nikolas, alongside his dad, is the only one with a key to the lab. And so when he found the door to his lab unlocked he felt an uncomfortable feeling begin to rise in his chest. He pressed his left hand to the door, his right coming to rest just over his heart in a way to release the pressure. He willed his mind to search the room for any form of consciousness, and in a reluctant way all he could find was Jarvis.

Nikolas frowned as he pushed the door open, his voice uncompliant as he attempted to stay calm at the appearance of the room.

Every book and paper was strewn across the floor in such a way that Nikolas knew  they were looking for something specific. The panic in his chest rose the longer he considered and the further he stepped into the workspace.

Almost instantly the thought hit him. "God no-" Nikolas nearly fell as he scrambled through the debris of his life, his hands shuffling through the book shelf as he willed the other to move on its own accord. His gifts complying in the search for the one thing he has always regretted creating.

Nikolas bent at the waist, sending another telepathic wave to his left as he searched through the books at the base of the shelf and cursed his ability to forget where he put something when it did not sit in a visible spot.

When Nikolas stood a hand wrapped around his wrist, cool silver sliding under the unknown fingertips, the books around him stopped moving as the entire world fell dull.

The doctor felt immediately sick, a headache forming at his temple as he slipped to the ground, all energy leaving his body at the appearance of the metal. He could barely even register the feeling of someone touching him.

"No-" Nikolas could feel himself shaking, his right hand reaching for his left as he attempted to pull the metal free, though he knew clear and well that it would not move.

"I always had a feeling you were one of those freaks."