ZAP!
I jolt awake as if electrocuted. Colleen is hugging me tight, her raven hair tickling my face. Gently, I move her strands away and notice my left hand still tingling slightly.
My watch flashes red, signaling an emergency. My eyebrows raise in alarm recognizing the urgency of the situation!
Carefully, I pry Colleen's hands off me. Despite the sticky state of my body, I rise to my feet and locate my pants. Retrieving my mobile phone from its pocket, I press it to my ear.
"What's the emergency, D.A.I.S.Y.?" I ask.
"Toni's convoy has been attacked in Afghanistan, and she has gone missing," D.A.I.S.Y.'s urgent voice informs me.
My expression darkens, seriousness flooding my thoughts as I grip the phone tightly.
"Is everything alright, Luke?" Colleen's voice breaks through as she comes up behind me, her hand resting gently on my shoulder.
I glance back at her, offering a strained smile, before turning my attention back to the matter at hand. "Locate Toni using the GPS and send the team. I will be heading to Watson Tower shortly," I reply swiftly.
"Luke, we can't locate Toni," D.A.I.S.Y. responds seriously.
"What?" Disbelief fills my voice.
"The GPS in the Personal Forcefield Generator has been disabled," D.A.I.S.Y. explains.
"How?" Shock registers in my voice, and I realize what's happening. "D.A.I.S.Y., check the data from the tracker. What was the last submitted location and its time?"
"It was one day ago at the Stark residence," she reports.
"Shit, it must be Toni!" I mutter, frustration boiling up. "She must have found the tracker and deactivated it." I conclude, feeling a sense of urgency.
Taking a deep breath, I ask, "Did you try finding them with our satellites?"
"It's complicated, Luke," D.A.I.S.Y. says after a moment. "Skye is asking you to come to Watson Tower and see for yourself."
"Alright, I will be there. And don't stop searching for her in the meantime," I instruct, my tone firm.
I glance back at Colleen, noticing the worry etched on her face, her body glistening with sweat, it looks like her body has gone through a transformation too.
But right now, Toni's fate consumes my thoughts. "Sorry, Sensei, I have to go. Toni has most likely been kidnapped," I explain anxiously.
"Alright," Colleen replies with an understanding smile. "Do you need my help? I can accompany you," she offers.
"No, Sensei, you should rest. If possible, come by Watson Tower tomorrow," I suggest absentmindedly.
"You should stop calling me Sensei now, just call me by my name," she says with a small smile.
I lean in and give her a quick peck on the lips. "Okay, Colleen," I reply before hastily dressing and leaving the dojo. Colleen watches me go with a sweet smile.
Rushing to my car, I head toward Watson Tower, my mind racing with worry for Toni.
Arriving at Watson Tower's basement, another car pulls up behind me. I step out of my vehicle, waiting for the other person to emerge from theirs.
"Did you know about this?" a voice demands.
It's Pepper Potts.
"Pepper," I sigh, already weary.
"Did you know that Toni was going to be attacked in Afghanistan? Is that why you asked me to convince her to cancel her trip?" Pepper confronts me, finger pointed accusingly at my chest.
I gently grasp her hand. "I will explain everything, but right now, I need answers too," I say, leading her towards the elevator.
Pepper looks at my back as we walk, no longer seeing a boy, but a man. She follows behind me with a million questions in her head.
The elevator takes us to the second-highest floor by itself, D.A.I.S.Y. already aware of where I want to go.
As we exit, we find ourselves in a spacious area filled with gym equipment, a pool table, and various amenities. Ignoring all of this, I head straight inside, passing by various closed rooms until we reach the large door at the end. Pepper closely following behind me.
The door opens automatically as we approach, and we step into the room.
It's filled with monitors displaying different locations. One screen even shows my own bedroom.
I spot Bobbi standing in front of some monitors displaying vast mountains, while Skye, my childhood friend, is typing away on a keyboard in front of a giant curved screen.
Skye has been like a lucky star in my life. Without meeting her, I wouldn't have reached this position so easily.
In my previous world, she was the main character in 'Agents of Shield'. Her real name, unknown to her, is Daisy Johnson, and after getting her powers, she will be known as Quake.
She was supposed to be a genius level hacker, who will join Shield and then will get her powers.
But meeting me changed her life significantly. Now, calling her a genius-level hacker is an understatement. I can hardly name one or two names on earth who are better than her at hacking especially with D.A.I.S.Y. by her side.
"Why can't our satellites find her?" I ask urgently.
"Bobbi, could you explain?" Skye responds, still focused on her work.
"Skye, please, this isn't the time to be angry. Toni hass been kidnapped," I plead.
"I'm not mad at you, dork! I'm working," Skye retorts, still engrossed in her task.
"She's trying to hack multiple satellites and adjust their routes to cover this area," Bobbi explains, gesturing toward the monitors.
"What area is this?" I ask, observing the vast mountain range.
"Afghanistan's Spin Ghar Range," Bobbi replies.
"Is that where they took Toni?" Pepper asks, stepping up beside me.
"This is the last image we received from our satellites of the convoy that took Toni," Bobbi informs, pointing to a monitor displaying a convoy of at least 20 jeeps traveling through a valley.
"They entered these mountainous ranges and vanished," Bobbi finishes, her tone bitter.
"So how many hours will it take to find them with the additional satellites? We can get our teams ready for extraction until then," I say, feeling the tension rise as I see armed individuals in the convoy.
"Hours?" Skye rises from her chair and approaches me. "This mountain range is remote, with no civilization in sight for days. There are dense forests, deep valleys, and steep cliffs. There are so many places to hide that it's not even funny, and the range is about 100 miles long," she explains, sighing deeply.
Skye holds my shoulder with both hands, her expression grave. "According to D.A.I.S.Y., even with all these satellites and her computing power, it will take months to find them in these ranges. Our only hope is that they come out of hiding soon for supplies, and we catch them that way."
"No, that can't be," Pepper exclaims tearfully beside me.
My face drains of colour as the gravity of the situation sinks in. I recall from the movies that they had stocked up for months, and even the government couldn't find Tony until he made a big blast and emerged on his own—three months later. Taking a deep breath, I start considering our options.
"What about Obadiah Stane? Did we find anything on his computer? Could he have a way to contact them?" I ask, my voice trembling.
"Obadiah? The COO of Stark Industries? The one you warned Toni about? Is he behind this?" Pepper demands angrily, tears brimming in her eyes.
"We have been monitoring him as you suggested. D.A.I.S.Y. and I tracked a video transmission to Stane, but it was too short, and the signal was erratic. Before we could pinpoint it, the transmission vanished," Skye admits, looking frustrated.
"Anything else from his computer?" I ask, hoping for something.
"Nothing. Stane contacted them through a broker who has long since died, and there's no other point of contact. The accounts where the money was transferred are Swiss accounts with no traceable information," Bobbi adds.
"Show me the video," I say, my voice weakening.
On one of the monitors, a video begins to play, showing dirty and menacing individuals armed with multiple guns, looking quite threatening.
In front of them, bound to a chair and unconscious, is Toni.
"Oh, Toni," Pepper sobs, clutching my chest.
I take a deep breath, patting her back gently while studying Toni closely. Despite the situation, Toni appears just as graceful and beautiful as ever. Thankfully, there's no device attached to her chest.
Upon closer inspection, her appearance doesn't seem roughed up at all, and even her clothes are tidy. But she's unconscious, so appearances could be deceiving.
The translated video unfolds exactly as I remember from the movies. The captors express dissatisfaction with the money they were given and demand more. I know they're lying—they intend to keep Toni to build Jericho.
"You have to save her, Luke," Pepper pleads tearfully, still clinging to me.
"We can send drones to scan those mountains," I murmur, searching for any shred of hope while comforting Pepper.
"It will still take months if we're lucky,"Skye says sympathetically, gazing at me.
"WE CAN'T JUST DO NOTHING!" I yell out in frustration. Pepper recoils in fear. Seeing this, I take a breath and calm down.
Skye hugs my arm, speaking soothingly. "We are doing everything we can, Luke. And maybe with the next transmission, we will track them. They need the money, so they will keep her safe. And the satellites will definitely find them in a few months.", She is trying her best to cheer you up.
"We can't wait that long, Skye," I say grimly. "Who knows what they will do to her! She's not a man in this..." I trail off, unable to continue. "I can't bear the thought of something happening to her," I admit teary eyed.
Skye steps forward and embraces me. "We will find her. We'll find a way," she assures you.
"Yes, a way," I mutter, a spark igniting in my mind. "She must know the way. She can guide us," I declare, feeling a renewed sense of determination.
"Thank you, Skye, for everything," I say, kissing her forehead. She blushes and quickly steps back like a scared rabbit.
"I am going to find her now," I say, heading toward the elevator.
"Who are you going to find, Luke?" Pepper asks anxiously.
"Cassandra Webb," I reply as I step into the elevator. I point to Bobbi and Skye. "They will explain everything."
As the elevator descends, doubt creeps in. Maybe even Cass won't be able to help this time.