Chapter Text
The muscles on the back of her legs burned from exertion, even as she stood perfectly still.
The air is painful. Cold and sharp.
Fog engulfs her vision.
Her palms rubbed tender thighs with force, hoping to both calm and warm them. Neither happens.
Whatever room she had found herself in was freezing; beyond the normal chilly temperature of these underground levels.
The thin fog from her breath hung steadily in the air, just inches from her face before gently dissipating.
Seconds passed as she quietly settled into a low crouch, tucking the edges of her overly large sweater tight across her chest.
Darcy had to wait as her glasses cleared, counting slowly to keep the unease from settling in the pit of her stomach.
The space was darkly lit, ominous in it’s very existence, with towering machines she couldn’t quite see.
Something about this room screamed foreboding.
It was initially why she chose here to hide from her pursuer.
The loud hammering of her heart was the only other sound save for a soft far off beeping coming from one of the mysterious machines in the center of the chilly room.
But it was the heavy steel door that drew her attention as she hunkered low, hugging her body against the far wall.
No shadows could be seen under or around the frame, not with the massive security panels ensuring no visibility. Her pursuer could be out there right now, stalking his prey.
And here she hid, in a room that wasn’t supposed to be here yet was.
Schrodinger’s ice box. Darcy smiled softly.
The soft beeping continued, muted by her breathing but still loud enough to be noticed.
The tight knot in her stomach loosened only when several minutes passed.
Each beep became a lifeline. Her heart slowed and steadied, keeping in time with the slow rhythm.
And after more time, she breathed deeply and settled into the calm.
He couldn’t find her.
Darcy’s grin was lopsided but genuine as she stood on aching feet. The thick knit sweater, one of her favorites, helped keep her body warm against the frigid chamber but did nothing for her toes. She’d gotten the warning of imminent danger while in her apartment, some 20 floors up. She hadn’t bothered finding shoes.
There hadn’t been time for shoes.
Her feet hurt like hell as she paced the concrete floor, but that also meant they weren’t in danger of frost bite.
Not yet, anyway.
The muted beep was closer now as Darcy held out her cell phone to use as a makeshift flashlight; it’s odd blue glow illuminating the surprisingly modern machines.
Instead of fifty-year-old rusted computers, she was shocked to see top of the line equipment, all placed neatly in the center of the icy room. No cords ran along the floor making her wonder about the power source, but before she could even examine it, her attention was caught on the glass… thing.
A massive cylinder, tube even, lay mostly upright in the center of the room. It’s tall rounded walls were clear, though its contents were shrouded in heavy shadows. Everything seemed to be placed specifically around the bizarre structure.
It looked like something out a science fiction movie.
Her heart danced wildly as her mind raced with hundreds of terrifying speculations. Considering who her boss was and the other, less than pleasant creations of his, she began to feel dizzy.
Shadows fluttered across the room. The hand that held her light source was shaking; the only outward sign of her uneasiness.
But she was Darcy Lewis, after all. Bravery in the face of fear, and all.
A deep breath, followed by fog. And then she raised her phone, chasing away the shadows from inside the container.
“What the fuck?”
The expletive echoed through the small chamber and she barely registered her own voice.
The soft blue light of her phone cast an eerie glow on the contents.
Or rather, the man.
Only his face was visible, though she was sure she could see more if she wanted to.
But she did not want to see more.
She didn’t even want to see his face, no matter how strangely familiar it was. Or how handsome, in its frozen state.
And she was positive that he was indeed frozen.
The heart monitors soft beeps, the readouts of brain activity. Cryo-tech was something she had assumed was yet to be founded, but in the wake of finding this man, it was obvious that someone figured out how to do it.
And of course she worked for him…
“What the hell is this-,” She started to whisper to no one, but was interrupted by the loud buzzing from her phone. She jumped back in shock, almost dropping the small device.
Several second of calming breaths passed, though she didn’t dare take her eyes off the darkened tube. She’d seen enough horror movies to know better.
Finally, she glanced at her phone, still shaking but not as jumpy.
A text.
‘Can’t find you. You win. Coffee for a month.’
Normally Darcy would be elated, gloating all the way back to the towers main floor, but if felt like her whole life had tilted a little to the side with the discovery of a frozen man, hidden beneath Stark towers.
The sound of her departure was as quiet as her entrance, though her mind was now filled with a million questions and a million more ideas as to how to get answers without giving away her knowledge.
‘We agreed on coffee AND bagels for a month. Darcy 5. Barton 1. I’m on a roll ;)’ She hurriedly replied with cold stiff fingers.
One last worried glance over her shoulder, and she left with no sign that she’d ever been there, save for the tiny spike in the machines readouts. An anomaly so minute it was easy to overlook.