"What are strong men like yourselves doing?" A voice sounded through the dark alley. A woman appeared. Her voice held a slight British accent.
"Teaching some punks a lesson," the largest of the five bullies said gruffly. He eyed the woman hungrily...
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《《 ☆ 》》
"All agents, Stark's been grabbed. He's in a police car heading west."
Marlene could practically feel her heart stop. Her face drained of color, and she looked as though she was steps away from vomiting. She was ready to scream, to throw something, to do something to express how she felt.
But she didn't do anything. She was struggling, but she kept her composure. She wanted nothing more than to cry, but she knew that if she gave up now, there was no way to save Howard.
She last time she felt like this, was when Steve's death finally settled in. It was when the reality she would never see her brother again had struck.
But Howard was there to pick Marlene off the floor after she collapsed out of grief. He was there when she needed him most. He was even there when James died. While he didn't know what to say or do, he still tried.
Howard has always been there for Marlene. He would always encourage her to be herself; fierce, tough, and determined. He was always off to the side, cheering her on while she finally reacted to the many men who didn't take no for an answer.
"That's my best friend!" he would always cheer. "You tell them who's boss, blondie! I'm rooting for you! I'll bet my entire salary on you! You've got this!"
Howard was always there when Marlene needed to talk.
"Yeah! You tell them, Rogers!" he would always cheer while both very clearly drunk and complaining about everything under the sun. "Stupid, stupid men! God, why are they so stupid?"
Howard Stark was one of the few people Marlene Rogers would sacrifice the world for. She would virtually do anything for him.
"They've been planning this whole thing since the beginning," Thompson exclaimed, following Peggy down the street.
"No, they couldn't have. Could they?" the brunette shook her head. "Kidnapping Howard couldn't have been part of their original plan. They didn't know he was here until the press conference."
"So if they don't want him dead, what do they want?"
"Howard said Fennhoff wants to punish him," Marlene stated, not sparing either a glance as she strolled beside them. "Whatever they've planned, it must be a fate worse than death. We need to determine what his next target is."
"The movie house was a test," Thompson looked at Marlene for confirmation as they stopped. "So they got to be planning something bigger. Statue of Liberty? Empire State?"
Marlene looked out at the many residences. She watched as they bustled about, chatting excitedly. She found many soldiers dressed in uniforms and others carrying flags.
