Metallic Lights {Metallic Charms Book #3}

Chapter 33: Harder Than Tracking Loki

Chapter 33: Harder Than Tracking Loki

~~~~~~~~~~~{Noel’s Point of View}~~~~~~~~~~~

The day after my visit to Malibu to retrieve Tony Stark for the Avengers Initiative for the second time in my S.H.I.E.L.D career, the four of us got to work.
And by the four of us, I mean Bruce, Tony, Danielle and myself. How Bruce got me roped into this entire tracking thing, I had no idea. I vaguely remembered some pouting and begging, but that was about it. Bruce Banner definitely knew how to manipulate people; I wondered where that trait came from.

“So what are we looking for exactly?” I asked Danielle, “While you were with this guy what kind of places were you staying in? Underground tunnels, hotels, middle of nowhere?”
Danielle thought about it for a moment. She was cool and calm, calculating even, trying to figure out what her next move was. For some reason, I kept waiting for her to turn on us and for HQ to suddenly go up in smoke, but so far that hadn’t happened. Hopefully it never would. “Mostly we kept to big cities. Hiding in plain sight in crime hotspots so people wouldn’t take notice of us.”

“Great, that narrows it down.” Tony rolled his eyes sarcastically.
“Cut it out, Stark.” I shot at him, sighing, “She’s doing the best she can. Stop being so negative.”
“Somebody has to be the realist here.” He frowned, swinging back around in his chair and returning to his algorithm work. Bruce, instead of going back to work with Tony on the algorithm, encouraged Danielle to go on about the certain places she had gone to and hidden in whilst running around with a possible-fugitive.

I tuned out and went back to listening to Imagine Dragons in my earphones on full blast. Unlike Tony and Bruce, I’d been set on the task of going through the image Natasha, Clint and Starlie had collected and trying to figure out any more clues from them. There was no doubt that these had gone through the agency’s top analysts and probably wouldn’t give me anything to work with, but I had to admit, if looking over these images a hundred time was going to keep my away from Tony for a little while longer, I’d do it.

I found myself running my fingers along the smooth jade of the necklace that had been returned to me a few days ago. It still felt a little heavy, just like it had the first time I’d ever put it on, but I was gradually getting used to it again. It used to be a reminder of my parents –Clint’s parents, too. Now it was a reminder of Tony Stark. How he’d been kind enough to keep it for me, dedicated and worried enough to keep looking for me even after everyone else –including my brother- had given up.
I wondered what would motivate somebody like Tony Stark to do that. We had a complex history, yes –I possibly, well, definitely, still had feelings for him. But was it possible he still held some kind of care for me, too? Did he still have feelings for me?

Impossible, I frowned, scolding myself. He has Pepper. As much as you don’t like her, you know she’s perfect for him. She’s the only one who’s able to keep him in line.

But you can too! Another voice in the back of my mind shouted, but it was drowned out by Bruce calling out and asking if anybody wanted coffee.

I declined and shoved my head back into work mode, ignoring the banter between Tony and Danielle going on around me that I could hear over my music –which probably meant they were yelling.

I pulled my headphones out, ignoring them wasn’t an option anymore apparently. “Look, can you guys just sit down, shut up and work? The faster we work out where this creep is, the faster we arrest him put him behind bars for eternity –providing he can live for eternity?” I looked at Danielle for an answer.
“Nope. He’s not a mutant like his followers, but he desires the world to be perfect through mutations.” Danielle replied.