Prologue

The pain was unbearable. Everything seemed to be different. The walls were darker, the sun wasn’t shining like it used to and the whole house was colder. The silence spreading around was aching. A long loud sigh was heard in the wide, empty living room. The last time everything was that dark was the day when his parents died. He felt it again – the killing pain in his soul, the emptiness in the heart. It was hurting him, slowly choking and making the tears run into his big brown eyes. He took a glass to his hand and drank the liquor on one shot. The whole bottle was once again empty just like his life.

~Sir, you have a very important call, ~ a voice said from somewhere, trying to get the man’s attention.

He didn’t say anything, only remained on the sofa, staring into space and trying not to think. He was like this for several weeks. When he wasn’t at home, he went back to that same place and tried to look for her. He could remember every detail of that moment. She was falling down from the sky into the deep, dark ocean. She would have survived if that motherfucker didn’t fire a missile at her. He had to close his eyes for a moment and take a deep breath just to get rid of the memory.

~Sir, the telephone. It is very urgent.~

“Is she calling?” those were his first words after a very long time.

~I’m afraid no, sir.~

“Then I don’t want to talk to anybody,” he hissed and stood up from the couch just to find him another bottle of whiskey. Getting drunk all over again was another thing he did for the whole time, ever since the tragedy. His home was empty. He missed her voice, her presence, and her touch. The smile and the mocking – it was all gone. Who would have known that everything would end up tragically…?

-Stark! It’s agent Coulson. I need to speak with you; - a different voice was heard from somewhere. -We know what happened a few weeks ago and that’s why I’m calling you right now.-

“I don’t need your condolences,” he replied angrily, already pouring himself another glass of whiskey. Before he could drink and mute the call, the agent said a sentence that changed his mind completely.

-Stark!- his voice was louder. - We found a body in the ocean.-

Tony stopped and put the glass back on the table as his eyes widened. His hands started to shake and he felt an unidentifiable thing pressing up against his chest. Was it the ARC reactor or those fragments? He didn’t know. The man gulped dryly. Was it possible that they found her? The thought of her cold body lying on a table was scaring him but at least he could hold her for the last time and properly bury her somewhere nice. She deserved it.

“Where can I find you?”

…

Traveling through the whole country in the Iron Man suit wasn’t anything unusual. In fact, it was faster and better than a plane or any other transport. But why was the S.H.I.E.L.D. situated in the Atlantic Ocean, he didn’t know. Tony was surprised when he saw a gigantic ship on the water. After all, the only thing that mattered to him was the body they found and nothing else. He didn’t care about the S.H.I.E.L.D. or their innovations. He wanted to see her.

“I’m glad you came, Mr. Stark,” agent Coulson welcomed him by shaking his hand. He was smiling a little bit. Tony was already out from the suit, wearing his casual clothes. He had circles under the eyes and he looked very tired.

“I just came for the body,” he said strictly, not even looking into the man’s eyes. “I’m taking her to the Stark tower and then I’ll bury her somewhere. Maybe a park would be a great idea.”

“For the body? Why would you want to bury her?” the agent was confused and so was Tony when he heard the question. They both stopped in the middle of a narrow corridor. The billionaire opened his mouth and took a breath but, once again, the agent started to talk. “We called you for a reason, Tony. We knew who she was and that you worked together.” He made a move forward and Tony followed him.

“Straight to the point, Phil,” Tony ordered him.

Together they came to the room C 43. The door was closed but not for long. Agent Coulson took a white card from his suit and attached it on a small screen. When the door opened, both of the men stepped inside. They were in a room where a massive transparent glass was. What Tony saw took his breath. He had his mouth fully open and the palms were touching the glass. His soul was alive after those weeks. The chocolate eyes were looking at the object behind the glass. There she was, the woman he lost not long ago. Something was different and he could perfectly see it.

“She’s not dead, Stark,” Coulson said calmly. “We found her like this in the Pacific Ocean when we were testing the Helicarrier.“

The brunette was in the middle of an empty room, surrounded by her beautiful powerful shield and she was levitating inside of it. Tony didn’t know about this function of the ability she had. She could create it, protect herself and some people but something like this never happened before. His almost dead heart was once again fully beating and working. He felt happiness inside of him. It was a miracle. Her ability saved her! She was back.

“I have to take her…”

“You can’t, Stark.”

“Why?” he looked at the agent and frowned at him. Those words almost made his heart crack. “I know her, she’s…” he was stuttering. “She just has to go with me. I can take care of her. I can do whatever it takes to check her functions and…”

“We already did that, Mr. Stark,” Phil gave him a little smile. He could see that Tony was caring and he liked that woman. “Don’t worry. She’s in good hands. You are free to visit her. However, you can’t take her – not now, not then. We don’t know what that thing,” the agent pointed at the magical shield, “could do. It took us some time to put her into this room. It is very powerful. We haven’t seen anything like this before. It is protecting her. What if she’s really dangerous?”

“She is not,” Tony rolled his eyes. “I have to take her from this place.”

“I’m sorry, Tony. You can’t.”

“What if she wakes up?”

“We will inform you, Tony. But remember, we would like to speak with her, just to make sure she is not dangerous or a threat…”

“She’s not a thread,” he interrupted him with a louder voice. Those words about her being dangerous made him angry. “I‘ve known her for several months,” he was once again looking at her through the glass, scanning her body and the shield. “I… uh… I’m just so glad she’s alive.”

…

For another two weeks, the woman remained unconscious. For the whole time, the shield was protecting her body. Whoever went into the room and seen her was automatically amazed by the purplish ball. She was safe even when the war with the aliens started. Tony kept an eye on her while a crazy God attacked New York and the Helicarrier. They would appreciate her help because she would be able to protect the people. Unfortunately, she didn’t wake up.

There was a moment when Tony thought he would die. An atomic bomb was fired at New York as a last chance to stop the alien invasion. He, the Iron Man, grabbed it and flew right into the magical portal from which the creatures were coming. The rest of the team, the Avengers were looking at him from the ground, praying that his plan would work. They saw a massive light. The bomb flew right into an enormous spaceship and the world was safe. The aliens on Earth went dead and the war was over. But Tony didn’t return.

“Close the portal,” said a tall blonde guy.

Before the portal was fully closed, a body in a suit was falling down from the sky. He made it. The war was officially over. The people were safe and the God was defeated.

And just when the war ended, the woman opened her eyes.

Notes