"Lucy!" Tony's voice echoed off the walls as I was pulled along after the soldiers.
"Tony! Tony help!" I screamed back, my voice breaking with the strain. I tried uselessly to get away from the soldiers. Their grips on my arms were like iron and nothing that I did seemed to loosen them at all, "Help me!" I screamed again.
"Quit screaming," the soldier demanded from beside me. I ignored his demands and continued to scream for help and for Tony. We reached the elevator and the soldier yanked me around to face him. My back slammed against the wall next to the elevator and pressed his elbow to my throat. The impact made me dizzy and the pressure choked out a gasp from my throat. The remaining soldiers made a semicircle wall around us, standing still and silent around me and the soldier. He leaned close to my face, his mouth pulled in a tight line, "I told you to quit screaming. I don't know what you've done, but you don't wanna test me" the soldier threatened. I swallowed hard as I looked up into his cold, emotionless eyes. Off down the hall I heard an explosion of shouting. Tony's voice floated down the hall toward me. I couldn't make out any of his words except my name but I could tell he was anything but happy. The elevator dinged behind me and I was shoved backward into it. I stumbled back into the back of the elevator, trying to keep from falling on my butt. The rest of the soldiers filed into the elevator after. The number for the 84th floor light up and the doors started to slide closed again. From the end of the hallway the sight of Tony sprinting toward the elevator was the last thing I saw before the doors closed. My throat tightened and tears raised up from my chest, into my throat, and threatened to pour down my face. I pushed them back, determined not to cry in front of all these soldiers. The numbers ticked by agonizingly slow. It felt like a million years before the doors started to slide open. They were only open about a foot when they jerked to a stop. The soldier gripping my arm looked around.
"Stark must have shut down the elevators," he said. He pushed me up through the opening quickly and followed close behind. Two more soldiers made it through the elevator before it dropped a few feet.
"Sorry sirs but I have orders," JARVIS's voice broke through the speakers in the elevator.
"Keep going Ace, we're fine here!" one of the soldiers called out from the elevator. Ace-the solider holding onto my arm-looked at the other two soldiers.
"Charlie, Sal, on my six," Ace said and yanked my after him. He made his way down the hall quickly, me tripping after. The two other men with us followed close behind with their guns drawn and aimed at everything and anything that moved. A glass door at the end of the hallway lead out to a landing pad. Resting on the lading pad with rotors still spinning was a helicopter. The fear in my chest swelled again. I stopped walking and tried to pull myself away from Ace.
"Please, please don't do this," I begged, the tears were flooding my eyes. Ace's fingers bit into my skin as he yanked me after him. We got to the glass door but instead of pushing open like most of the doors here, the lock engaged and the door wouldn't budge.
"I am unable to let you leave," JARVIS's voice came back again. Ace swore.
"Charlie get the door," Ace demanded. A man pushed by me and brought his leg up to kick through the glass. As soon as the glass shattered, a deafening alarm tore through the air. A flashing red light over took the hallway as the alarm continued to blare through the building, "Come on, hurry!" Ace yelled back as he pulled me toward the helicopter. I was thrown into the back of the helicopter and followed closely by Charlie and Sal. Ace quickly buckled himself into the pilot's chair and started messing with the controls. The two other each grabbed an arm and tried to wrestle me into the seat. I struggled against the soldiers pointlessly. They fought against me, trying to secure me into the seat. I wouldn't let them get my arms into the restrains on the seat, I'd pull my arm out of their grasp just before.
"Goddamn it! Sit still!" the one cursed under his breath. I was about to yank my arm away from the solider again when the helicopter jerked up off the landing pad. I fell into the back of the seat and that allowed the soldiers enough time to lock my arms into the restrains on the chair. I tried to pull my arms free but it was no use. My gaze landed on the door leading back into the tower. There was a burst of color through the door. Red, white, blue, gold, black, and purple. The Avengers all stood on the landing pad watching the helicopter raise higher and higher into the sky. I took a deep breath to scream out for help again when I was gagged by a thick piece of cloth. I bit down and tried to scream but all that came out where muffles.
"Get us out of here Ace!" the soldier on my left called up. Shots were fired at the helicopter rocking it back and forth. I tried to call out for Tony but it was muffled. Steve threw his shield at the helicopter which just missed it. The helicopter rose quickly into the air and started off in the direction of the bay. I saw a flash of red from behind the helicopter trailing behind us. I wrenched myself around to look out the window and watch Tony try to keep up. I watched helplessly as Tony fell further and further behind us. I clenched my jaw and tried to keep my lip from trembling. There was nothing they could do. I was going to whatever the Raft was and I knew nothing good was going to come of it. As we reached the edge of the city, Tony disappeared from view behind us. I closed my eyes against the new onslaught of tears. With force, I managed to look out the window. The helicopter was lost over the bay, the city falling away behind us. This was the second time I was being taken over the ocean by strangers. Within minutes, we were swallowed up by the infinite stretch of blue. Dots of white waves broke up the vast expanse of blue. We flew for a long time over the ocean. It was almost like we'd stopped, all he blue bleeding in to a single color. Suddenly, after what felt like hours, the helicopter jerked to start a decent.
"Chopper to Raft, come in Raft," Ace called into his headset. There was a pause where I assumed there was a response, "We're incoming with a new prisoner," Ace said. But that didn't make any sense. There was nothing around and no land in sight.
"Copy that, standing by," Ace replied. The helicopter came to a halt over the water. A vibrating sound broke over the sound of the helicopter. A huge circle in the water started churning, almost like someone had pulled the plug on a full bathtub. Suddenly a bright metal building erupted out of the water and rose over the water. My blood ran cold. A prison under water. No one would ever find me here...
The water poured off every side of the prison as the helicopter started forward again. A hatch opened in the center of the roof to allow the helicopter entrance. The helicopter touched down. The two soldiers next to me yanked my arms free and prepared me to fight back but all my rebellion had left me. What was the point of fighting when there was no possible means of escape. I couldn't fly a helicopter and even if I made it to the water, I couldn't swim that far. I let the soldiers pull me up and out of my seat. They pushed me toward the door and I tumbled out of the helicopter and down to the landing pad. Every part of my left side that struck the ground ached. I made to try and push myself up on shaky arms. Charlie and Sal's hands appeared on my arms and roughly yanked me up. Ace appeared in front of me.
"Are you going to keep quiet?" he asked. My jaw flexed and I glared back at him. He reached up and pulled the gag out of my mouth. I kept my mouth closed but continued to glare at him. A crooked, cruel smile spread across his mouth, "That's a good girl," he brought his hand up to caress my cheek. I jerked my head away from him, disgusted. Ace laughed, his fingers tangling in my hair and yanking my head back violently. I yelped out in pain and leaned back to try and lessen the pain, "Listen here, you better behave. You don't want me angry," Ace threatened. I clenched my jaw to keep from trembling. He broke another cold smile and a small snicker escaped his throat. I suppressed a shiver. Ace turned from me and led us down the short walk off the landing pad.
"Staff Sergeant," a man appeared seemingly out of no where, greeted Ace in front of us.
"Warden," Ace greeted the man with a reverent nod.
"So what have we here?" the warden asked, leveling his harsh eyes at me. He was an older man. Ace turned stiffly to face me.
"A recluse sent here by Fury. Apparently she's a threat to national security," Ace explained.
Threat to national security! How! I can't even throw a solid punch, let alone plot against a nation!
"Threat to national security?" the warden sized me up. He seemed just as skeptical as me.
"Oh yeah, apparently she's allied with the Winter Soldier and the Black Widow. She's got knowledge prudent to national security," this seemed to sway the warden. The warden eyed me again, more cautiously this time.
Black Widow and Winter Soldier? Who the hell were they?
My mind wandered to anyone I'd ever met. For some reason, Thor's words from the party kept coming back to me.
"The Solider of Winter" ... but James had said that Tony was "Man of Iron"... So based on that, Thor must have been talking about the Winter Soldier.
James? They were talking about me being friends with James? None of this made any sense.
"Well then, she'll be right at home here," the warden said. A tight smile spread across his face. It was an unnatural thing that seemed more like a tear across his face than a smile. I swallowed hard, the fear collecting in my throat. Ace walked over to face me again, the awful smile on his face again.
"Now be a good girl. Don't make me come back here," Ace warned. He winked at me before passing me to go back to the helicopter. Charlier and Sal handed me over to the guards next to the warden. Their grasp on my arms were much harder than the soldiers'. I watched bitterly as the rotors started and the helicopter started to lift off.
"Come along," the warden's voice broke over the sound of the helicopter. The guards wrenched me around to follow the warden down a brightly lit hallway. About halfway down the hallway, I felt a shutter go through the entire building. It was so violent that it knocked my feet. The guards were unfazed and continued on, dragging me along between them. The sound of water rushing over head drown out every other sound. We reached a door, the warden pushed it open and entered; followed closely by the guards and me. I was thrust into the room, tumbling to the ground and settling painfully in the center. I lay there for a moment, the ache in my body transforming into a constant pulse of pain. The only thing that made me move was the sound of guns being raised and cocked into position. I froze on the ground. Were they going to kill me right here? What if I never left this place? Was this going to be the last thing I ever saw?
"Stand up," the warden demanded. I glanced up slowly, at the warden. He stood, arms crossed, face harsh. I pushed myself up quickly, trying to hide the painful trembling in arms. I stood in the center, facing the warden; the two guards aiming their huge assault rifles at my head, "What's your name?" he asked.
"Lu-Lucy Scaffer," I stutter.
"Hmm. Alright Lucy. Strip," I was entirely caught off guard by the demand.
"W-what?" I stuttered again, unsure what he meant, but feeling a growing feeling of dread in my stomach.
"I can't have you smuggling in weapons into my prison, now can I?" the warden feigned a smile. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. The only person I'd even undress in front of was Tony and that was only once. At the thought of Tony, my heart ached, "Do not make me do it for you," the warden warned. I swallowed my shame and averted my eyes to the floor. I slowly leaned down and pushed my socks off my legs. The guns clicked above me as they watched me closer. As my bare feet hit the tiled floor, a chill shot through my body. It took everything in my not to visibly shiver. I slowly continued to push my jeans down my legs until they pooled around my ankles. The jeans slid across the floor when I stepped out of them. My fingers went to the hem of Tony's shirt. As it passed over my head, I took a deep breath. His cologne still clung to the fabric. The fear in my chest tightened but another, tingling sensation of comfort lodged itself in the center of my chest. I dropped the shirt to the floor and crossed my arms over my chest uncomfortably. One of the guards leaned down and snatched the shirt off the ground. The other guard grabbed the other end of the shirt and they began to violently search over the shirt.
"Hey! Be careful with that, it's not mine," I trailed off at the end. The guards looked up at me then back at each other. A violent rip rang out in the room as they split the shirt in half. I swallowed hard, trying not to let them see my annoyance. The guard looked over at me again.
"Excuse me, what was that?" he mocked. The other guard snickered. I clenched my jaw to keep my lips from trembling.
"Enough," the warden clipped. The guards snapped back to attention, "Alright, follow me," the warden turned to walk out another door, different from the one we entered in.
"But wait! What about clothes?" I asked, my arms crossing tighter across my chest. The warden stopped dead in his tracks. A blinding blow collided collided with the back of my head, knocking me down to my hands and knees. I gasped out in pain and stars flashed out in my eyes. Tears forced themselves down my face, the pain compounding with my aching body and became fully overwhelming.
"Did I stutter?" the warden turned to face me. The heel of a gun came down against my temple. I cried out in pain, "Did I make it sound like a request?" the warden leaned down and wrenched my chin up to look at him. Tears flowed down my face and I tried hard to stop my gasping. Blood trickled down from my temple, a dull pulsing ache radiating from the injury, "You are not in any place to be asking questions. I am not as hospitable as Fury. You better leaned that quickly, if you wanna last," the warden growled. I kept my mouth shut and nodded slowly. The warden stood and turned toward the doorway again. I scrambled to pull myself up and follow after him. As I scrambled after the warden, the heel of a gun rammed into the base of my spine. I winced and stumbled forward, saying nothing in pain. This hallway was shorter and soon enough we emerged into a hallway lined with barred, glass doors. Each door was numbered, getting higher as the hallway commenced. As the warden entered the hall, every occupant of the cells appeared at the doors; hands either around the bars or pressed to the glass. I covered my chest again with my crossed arms, feeling hundreds of hungry eyes on me. The warden started forward again. The gun pressed into my shoulder and forced me forward. I shuffled after the warden quickly, trying to get out of eyesight. We marched down the entire hallway until we reached another doorway. This one had a a keypad next to him. The warden stepped in front of it and typed a long string of numbers. The pad beeped and doors slid open quickly. I was shoved into a cud-de-sac of cells. Only one of the cells was empty, the barred door pushed open. The prisoners in the cell around me all jeered. Catcalls, violent and vulgar, were thrown at me. The warden turned and gripped my shoulder; nails digging into my skin. He drug me over to the cell, up the stairs, and dumped me over the threshold unceremoniously. I tripped and tumbled to the concrete. Scraps appeared all along my skin from the fall. I suppressed my cry of pain. The metal bars slammed shut, dozens of locks sliding into place. I rolled over onto my back and looked up at the warden.
"Welcome to the Raft Miss. Enjoy your stay," the warden smirked. He turned on his heels and descended down the hallway again. I sat up on my arms and looked around the cell. It was simple, only necessities here. A small metal bed with a pillow and blanket folded neatly in the corner took almost the entire wall. Opposite that was a toilet and sink, no mirror. Next to that was a small metal stool secured to the floor and a small table. On the table was a folded mass of blue. I pulled myself up, hissing in pain. The jeers continued from all the cells around me as I padded over to the table. A dark blue jumpsuit with grey under armor was folded neatly on the table. I quickly scooped them up and pulled the grey shirt over my head. A chorus of boos erupted around me. I threaded my legs through the pants and turned to the shirt. When I pulled it up, two black sock-like flats fell to the ground. I pulled the shirt over my head before bending down to place the shoes on my feet. I stood awkwardly in the center of the room, trying to figure out what to do next. The tears I'd shoved down for so long ached in my throat. A few tears fell from my eyes as the reality settled on me. I trudged over to the bed and curled up on the unforgiving metal. The men around me cheered and the cacophony of vulgarity continuing. They seemed energized by the defeat pressing down on everything about me. I curled my knees to my chest and let the sobs shake my body.
"Go on, cry doll face!" a voice called.
"Cry louder sweetheart, don't deny us our show!" another called out. At the nickname, my mind went back to Tony; no matter how hard I tried not to let it. His beautiful eyes, his sleepy voice, his cheshire cat grin. Everything in me ached. What if they never got me out? What if I was here for the rest of my life? Rest of my life... how long would that even be? Images of Tony flashed in my mind. But all I could see was him disappearing behind the helicopter as we flew out over the bay. My entire being was overwhelmed by dread and pain. A sob broke through my throat like a scream. Triumphant cheers and laughter erupted around the cell. I closed my eyes, covered my head with my arms, and cried into them until I passed out.