"Are you Emma Stark?" The woman asks the second she shuts the car door.
Emma looks at the woman, "Yeah. I'm her." She says, "And who are you?"
"Monica Rambeau," Monica says, "I'm from S.W.O.R.D,"
Emma nods with a small smile, "Ah, so they sent someone. You guys must really want me for whatever this is." She says, "But I'm sorry, Monica, I'm busy."
Emma knelt back down to her toolbox and was reaching for something, anything, just to appear to be busy.
Monica ignores Emma's actions and steps forward. She walks all the way to Emma's motorcycle and even stood behind Emma.
"Look I'm here hoping you'd have some information for me." Monica says.
Emma lifts her head from the tool box to Monica, "Ever since agencies like yours found out about my identity as Static, that's all you guys want from me." She says, "Information to fuel whatever war you're plotting our race towards."
Monica shakes her head, "It has nothing to do with the space program or the future Avenger program." Monica says, "Please, this has to do with a missing person."
Emma's eyebrows furrow, "You come all the way out here for a missing person?" She asks.
Monica says nothing.
"Must be some important person," Emma says.
Monica pulled out her cellphone and seemed to pull up her camera roll. She turns her phone to Emma and its then Emma looks at the screen.
The photos were of a brunette woman, and then the same women with red hair. The photos were someone Emma knows, or rather knew.
Emma rose to her feet stunned.
"I need to know everything you know about Wanda Maximoff," Monica says.
Emma stared at the screen in utter shock and then slowly moved to meet Monica's gaze. Emma could tell Monica was waiting for Emma to say something, anything.
However, just then the door opened revealing little Morgan.
"Emmy!" Morgan calls out and then her smile fell, "Uh- um is this a friend?"
Emma quickly turned to Morgan with a big smile, "Oh yeah. An old friend." She says, "How about you head back inside and I'll be in shortly."
Morgan nods a bit hesitate and did exactly as Emma instructed. Emma slowly turns away from the cabin door to Monica.
"Why do you want information on Wanda? Why is it your business if she's off the grid?" Emma asks.
Monica frowns, "Wanda Maximoff was wanted for going against the accords, the very same accords our new Captain America was against to help your bestie the former Winter Soldier." She says.
Emma shot daggers at Monica.
Monica sighs, "I- I just thought if I knew more about her, maybe I could find her and bring her home."
Emma frowns.
Emma crossed her arms on her chest.
"Her home hasn't been around since- well, since everything that's happened." Emma admit, "Plenty of people lost a lot during the Blip, but Wanda- Wanda lost her whole world."
Monica frowns.
Emma looks at Monica, "Where was she last seen?" She asks.
Monica shakes her head, "I- I can't reveal that information to a civilian."
Emma scoffs, "Civilian? Me?" She laughs, "Where have you been, Rambeau? I revealed my identity as Static to the whole world, if anything I'm not a civilian."
Monica narrows her eyes on Emma.
"Westview, New Jersey." Monica tells her.
Emma tilts her head, "What is Wanda doing in New Jersey of all places?" She asks herself.
Monica shakes her head, "I'm not sure. I was heading there now to meet with an FBI agent who is working the case."
Emma nods.
"I see," She says, "If that's all you need from me-,"
Monica then adds, "You- You could come as a consultant." Monica says, "You are after all one of the last few Avengers around. And also personal ties to Wanda."
Emma looks at Monica a bit shocked, "You want me to tag team on this missing person mission?" She asks, "What happened to me being some civilian?"
Monica grins, "Well you said it yourself, Stark, you're not a civilian. And besides, maybe we might need your superhero powers."
Emma had a small smile on her lips.
The sound of the door opening gained her attention. She turned as did Monica. This time standing at the door was not Morgan but instead Pepper.
Pepper looked a little sadden to see Emma speaking to Monica, even without knowing, Pepper knew that Monica was an agent of some agency and she was seeking Emma out. Emma had just stepped out of that life for a brief moment to get normality, to get peace.
"Pep," Emma began.
Pepper leans against the door frame and crossed her arms across her chest. She looked at her adopted daughter with ease.
"What now?" Pepper asks, "What is going on now that you have to leave again?"
Emma frowns, "It's Wanda," She says, "She's missing."
Pepper wanted to be angry. She wanted to tell Emma to stay and not to go. This wasn't Emma's job. She wasn't an agent. She wasn't an adult. She was just a teenager again, just a teenager getting to be young again.
"And you're going to find her?" Pepper asks.
Emma nods, "Yeah."
Pepper sighs, "I- I was just hoping this last mission would be it for a while."
Emma gives a sad smile, "Rain check?" She asks, "I promise after this one I'll stay a while longer."
Pepper shakes her head, "Don't make promises you can't keep."
.
..
...
Morgan sat on Emma's bed as Emma was packing some stuff to go with Monica. It was some clothes, she wasn't sure how long she'd be gone. Some hygiene products. Her phone charger. Her knives. And then she glanced at the briefcase that had her suit in it, she reached for it.
"So Wanda is missing?" Morgan asks.
Emma looks away from the briefcase.
"Yes." Emma says.
Morgan nods, "And you and your friend are gonna find her?"
Emma smiles sadly, "I hope so,"
Morgan nods again.
Emma moves from the floor and kneels in front of Morgan. Emma reaches out and holds her sister's hands. Emma gives them a small squeeze and kept her eyes on Morgan.
"Look, I know I said I was going to stay after helping Sam and Buck, but- but Wanda might be in trouble. I want to help her." Emma says, "You get it? I want to help my friends."
Morgan nods.
Emma let go of Morgan's hand to then reach for Morgan's chin to lift her head to make eye contact with Emma.
"Kid, I'm coming back." Emma says, "And until I come back, I want you to hold onto something for me."
Morgan smiles sadly, "It can't be a knife. Mom will be angry." She says.
The two girls share a sad laugh.
Emma shakes her head, "No. No knife." She says.
Emma moved from Morgan and then to her nightstand. She opened a drawer.
"I was given this from Pepper after dad-," Emma choked on the next word, "Passed away. He wore these all the time and Pepper figured I'd get a lot of use from them."
Emma pulled out Tony Stark's old sunglasses. Now these were regular sunglasses. No A.I. connected to them. These were the pair he wore before his last pair. And Emma wasn't sure where that pair was at.
Morgan looked at them.
"Sunglasses?" Morgan asks.
Emma smiles at her sister, "They're dad's." She says, "I've kept them in this drawer. I've been afraid to wear them."
Emma holds onto the sunglasses and stares at them. She walked next to Morgan and sat on her bed. She offers the sunglasses to Morgan.
"Can I trust you to keep them safe for me while I'm gone?" Emma asks.
Morgan holds onto the sunglasses, "Yes you can." She looks at Emma and smiles.
Emma messes with Morgan's hair.
"Good." Emma says.
Emma kisses the top of Morgan's head and pulls her sister into a hug.
"Please be safe," Morgan says.
Emma holds her sister tight.
"I will," Emma says.
.
..
...
Monica pulled up to Westview, New Jersey. Outside of the town lines there are some cop cars and some officials standing there.
Emma steps out of the car the same time Monica does.
Monica walks first and Emma trails behind.
An FBI agent seems to notice them, so he walks in their direction. He does a simple magic trick to make a business card appear in his hands.
"James E. Woo," Jimmy says, "FBI."
Monica grins as she takes the card, "Monica Rambeau, S.W.O.R.D."
Jimmy glanced from Monica to Emma.
Emma looks at him, "Emma Stark-,"
Jimmy smiles, "Oh I know who you are, Miss Stark." He says, "It's nice to meet you."
Jimmy extends his hand out to Emma. Emma sees the friendly smile on Jimmy's face, so smiling back, Emma shakes his head. The handshake was brief.
"What's the story here, Agent Woo?" Monica asks.
Jimmy looks at Monica, "I've got a witness set up down the road in Westview, and this morning, it looked like he flew the coop." He says.
"Your missing person is in the Witness Protection Program?" Monica asks.
Jimmy glanced at Emma and then to Monica.
"You can say anything in front of her," Monica says.
"I have contacted known associates, relatives-," Jimmy says.
Emma looks at him, "And let me guess, none of them have seen him either?" She spoke.
"No." He shifts his gaze between the two, "None of them have ever heard of him. Something seemed hanky to me, so I took the first flight out of Oakland to interface with local law enforcement, which is when I encountered a new wrinkle."
Emma glanced at the city, she pulled herself away from the conversation between Jimmy and Monica. She wandered over to the city line and noticed something off.
Emma takes a cautious step and eyes the city in front of her. She stopped when she heard the sound of electricity buzzing.
Emma slowly felt herself lifting her hand up and touching what seemed like air, but actually was some sort of field of energy keeping them out.
"What is that?" Emma hears Monica asks.
Jimmy and Monica walk over.
"Some sort of energy field," Jimmy says, "Uh- Ah- Emma, please be careful."
Emma glanced back at them.
"Electricity is my specialty." She tells them.
Emma kept her hand on the field but then brought her other hand up. She focused on trying to break through.
Monica and Jimmy watch as electricity surrounded her hands. Emma's electricity went from yellow to quickly white. Her eyes had a white glow with it.
She felt her hand being grabbed and then she quickly pulled back. She stopped her powers for a second.
"Emma?" Monica asks.
Emma had a confused expression on her face.
"What- What's going on?" Jimmy asks.
Emma looks at her hand and then forward at the energy field.
"I- I feel something," She tries to explain.
Monica stands next to her.
"Feel what?" Monica asks.
Emma shakes her head, "Sadness." She shuttered, "Pain."
Monica furrows her brows.
Emma looks back at the field, "I can't explain it, but whoever built it must've used some powerful energy. It's generating electric fields that somehow- I- I can feel." She glanced at Monica, "I'm sorry this is new for me. I've never been able to feel feelings through electricity before."
Monica, "It's okay."
Emma glanced back at the field, "I think I can create an opening. Maybe when I get the opening we can get inside and get to the bottom of this."
Jimmy looks worried, "You sure that's safe?"
Emma shrugs, "I've faced worst. This can't be too bad."
Emma held her hands up and began using her powers again. It didn't start yellow, but rather her white electricity was sparking.
Monica watched as Emma's piercing blue eyes had white glowing sparks near them. Monica took a step back for her safety, but glanced at the field.
Emma saw a small opening in the field, she pushes again.
Gritting her teeth and screaming as she forces this powerful energy field open. As Emma made a little larger hole in the field, suddenly it began to grab Emma.
"Emma-!" Monica yells.
The energy field was pulling her in, and Monica quickly grabbed a hold of Emma's waist to try and pull her out.
"Captain Rambeau-!" Jimmy yells.
Monica glanced back, "Stay back Agent Woo!" She yells.
Emma screams as she is being pulled further and further in. She tries to pull back but nothing works. Suddenly her whole body is sucked in, followed by Monica.
Jimmy is left standing in awe.
"Miss Stark-!" Jimmy calls, "Captain Rambeau-!"
.
..
...
Emma opens her eyes. She is laying on a couch. She sits up slowly and noticed her surroundings were black and white, as if she was in an old television series from the 50s.
She was wearing a dress, a dress fitted for a different era. She rubs her head, she had a massive headache.
She was trying to remember how she ended up here.
She was something before. She was with someone, she believes.
She blinks a couple of times before opening her eyes and focusing on her surroundings. It looked like a family home. A well loved family home.
Emma stands up.
"So where did you and the Parker boy end up last night?" A familiar male voice said.
Emma turns around in shock.
"Dad-?" Emma spoke.
Standing in the doorway that separates the living room and the kitchen was Tony Stark. He looked like a classy man from the 1950s.
Tony grins, "The one and only,"
Emma didn't know why but she was so emotional. She just ran directly to him and hugged her father. She held onto him tightly. She was sobbing a little.
"Woah, woah-!" Tony says, "What's the matter, Sparks?"
Emma looks up at him, "I- I think I just had an awful dream."
Tony looks at her with worry.
"Th- That there was a war and a lot of people died. Good people, dad. Friends. And- And you died-." Emma says with fear in her eyes.
Tony pulls her close and kisses the top of her head.
"Me, dead? Ha, funny, Sparks." He rubs her back, "I'm not going anywhere."
Emma hugs him tight, "Good." She says, "Never leave, dad."
(published on: 11/21/21)