[ COMPLETED ]
German Translations Provided By @vanessanats
BOOK 1 of the ORPHIC series
ZEITGEIST
/ˈtsītˌɡīst,ˈzītˌɡīst/
the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time.
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"I demolish my bridges behind me- then there is no choice but forward."
Queens, New York May, 2010
VERFALL DOUBLE CHECKED HER BAG before exiting the plane. Her phone was nestled into the side, where a thin zipper was. She pulled it open, checked for her two USB drives, then shut it. She pulled her face out of her bag, smiling at Pepper who stepped down the stairs behind her. For the first time in a while, Verfall was wearing black stilettos. It felt odd, having barely any protection over her feet. She could run in them, most-likely, but she'd rather kick them off than keep them on.
She was wearing a sleek black dress, resembling a suit that was secured to her waist with two buttons. The dress itself was all connected, and Verfall despised the immobility of it. But, well, Pepper had been insistent on giving it to her and Verfall couldn't say no. The only good thing about the dress was the fact she could hide her combat suit beneath it by rolling the bottom of her pants up to her middle calf.
They were led by Happy who guided them towards a silver car. Verfall slipped into the backseat beside Pepper as Natalia took the passenger's seat.
She stared out the window quietly.
"He doesn't even care, does he?" Pepper's voice was quiet.
Verfall turned to her.
"He does. He's had a lot on his plate-" Pepper's eyelid twitched "-not that you haven't. But I promise you, he hasn't been laying around doing nothing. He hasn't been lazy. He's-"
"He's going through things." Natalia supported. "I don't agree with him but he's going through things."
Pepper sighed, leaning her head against the back of her seat. She didn't speak again, lost in thought as she squeezed her eyes shut.
Verfall looked back to the window again, her heart thrumming against her chest. She needed access to a computer connected to Stark, anything. It would've been suspicious if she'd desperately asked Stark to let her stay in Malibu. So she might've been in a little dilemma. But that was fine. She could- she would have to figure out something.
A soft breath left her lips.
She would have to figure out something and make sure she did it right. Otherwise she would have to pay for that- Winter would have to pay, and she'd already risked their safety multiple times.
She couldn't do it again, not for the sake of anyone, not for the sake of herself.
It took an hour or so to get from the airport to the Stark Expo. The sun was gone, replaced by a black sky, clear of clouds and sparkling with stars. The weather was perfect, ominously so.
