2. Taken

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CECELIA HAD A BAD FEELING IN HER gut. All throughout the school day Cece couldn't help but feel that something bad was going to happen. All she could think about was her brother and that stupid press conference when he announced that he was Iron Man and suddenly the military was trying to get him to share his technology with them. Like he would ever do that. Tony was the only one capable of handling the suit. Albeit, he was a bit childish with it sometimes, but the safest hands were still his own. It was safe to say that Cece was terrified for her brother.

The brunette released a sigh as her booted feet padded down the sidewalk. She was overreacting. Tony was fine. He had Natalie with him and Natalie was... well, Cece didn't know quite the word to use to describe her. Terrifying seemed to be too strong a word and intimidating didn't seem quite strong enough. Either way she had his back and wouldn't let anything happen to him. She just - she needed to relax for a second.

With that thought in mind she strayed from her route home and headed to her favorite diner that she discovered a few weeks ago, Carpe Diem. It was a quaint little diner with a friendly atmosphere and the air always smelled of freshly baked cookies. Everyone there was friendly and always asked about her day, making sure to throw a kind smile her way as they listened to her ramble. It was nice and sometimes Cece wished that she worked there.

The bell chimed through the air and the brunette gave a small smile as she locked eyes with Scarlett. She approached the bar where short haired girl was, slipping into the seat in front of her.

"Hey, Cece! I haven't seen you in forever," Scarlett greeted the younger girl with a smile. "You want your usual?"

"Please."

"Coming right up," the girl said sliding her glasses back up off her nose before going to fix her order.

"Now, what's a fine young lady doing here all by herself?" A British accent asked from beside her.

Cece kept her head down as she stared at the counter worry still coursing through her body but she couldn't help the slight twitch of her lips as the boy continued to flirt with her. She tilted her head in his direction just enough for her to see him push his mop of blonde hair out of his face revealing his bright blue eyes that sparkled as the two locked eyes and he threw a smile her way. "Like what you see?" He teased.

"Barry, question," she said turning to face him and ignoring his teasing. "Why do you always flirt with me even though you know that I'm gay?"

Barry just chuckled in response, his smile growing in size. "It's our thing," he responded simply. "I flirt, you reject, and we both have a good laugh about it. It helps put you in a good mood and I think you needed it."

"Thanks, Barry. It really did help. I don't know what I'd do without you, Peter, and Scarlett."

"But?" Barry pressed on, noticing the look of apprehension and hesitation on her face.

"I just," the girl released a sigh just as Scarlett returned placing a mug of hot chocolate and a plate of three blueberry muffins in front of her for them to share. "It's nice having the three of you outside the tower. I just wish that I had someone other than my brother inside the tower; someone my own age."

"I'm sure you will soon. Who knows? Maybe Tony will form a team of some sort one day and you'll find a friend."

Cecelia knew that the likelihood of that actually happening was slim to none. Tony was a very smart person, yes, but he was also pretty self absorbed. He didn't like to share nor did he play well with others (apart from her and Pepper but even then his self-absorbed-ness kicked in, always drawing the focus back to him). Despite all that, she still managed to give Barry a weak smile that she prayed he couldn't tell was forced. "Yeah, maybe..."

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THE FEELING RETURNED ONCE again when Cece left the diner about an hour or so later but she couldn't go back no matter how much she wanted to. Scarlett had gotten a call about her mother being in the hospital and had closed up as soon as she could leaving Cece no choice but to deal with the feeling as she made her way back to the tower.

It usually only took the younger Stark around ten minutes to get back to the tower from the diner but due to the paparazzi discovering that route home she had to find another way in order to avoid the flashing cameras. So she ended up walking along a back route that wouldn't get her home for at least another forty-five minutes and Tony was probably already having a meltdown due to her not being home on time. If she hadn't sent him a message after school she was positive that he would've had Natalie show up at the diner and drag her ass back to the tower.

Speaking of Natalie, Cece really wished that either her, Happy, or even Tony was with her right now. Somebody to calm her nerves about this man that had been following her for the past ten minutes. It's not like Cece had a problem with people walking down the streets because everyone had places to be and sometimes strangers would seem like they were going the same way until they reached a corner and parted ways. These things happened, it was a coincidence really. But even Cece could see that this was anything but a coincidence. Walking in the same direction that was a coincidence; changing their pace when she changed hers was not.

"Excuse me," the man finally spoke causing Cece to turn around and face the man. At least this gave her the chance to study him and memorize his face just in case anything went down later. "Could you help me find my son? We were heading to get ice cream when he just... vanished."

Was this man really playing the lost kid card? Cece thought to herself and had to fight the urge to raise her eyebrow. Just by the way this man looked, she was pretty sure he didn't actually have a son but she didn't want to seem like a horrible person and just say no. No, she had a better idea.

"How old is your son?"

"He just recently turned seven," the man replied quickly.

"What color is his hair?"

"Blonde."

"What was the last thing you saw him in?"

"He had on light blue jeans that are ripped at the knee, a white T-shirt with the words Blessed in big bold letters, and a pair of low top checkered vans. He had a Lakers basketball cap on and a blue varsity jacket that his Mom got him for his birthday."

So it appeared that the man did know how to play the question game. Maybe he really did have a missing son. Maybe he planned far enough head so she'd go along with it or maybe he was just saying the first thing that popped into his head. The brunette had a feeling it was most likely the last option but she had to be sure. But there was always one question that stumped anyone who didn't have a kid.

"What's his name?"

Cece watched as the man's eyes widened and his face paled in just the slightest. His lips opened to speak but no words came out and Cece knew she had him beat. That was all she needed, that one moment of hesitation to confirm her thoughts.

She bolted, her shoes padding along the sidewalk and her book bag bouncing on her shoulders as the man ran after her. She rounded corners, knocked over trash cans, and went through dark alleyways. She knew this route like the back of her hand and she intended to use it to her advantage. And yet, every time she lost the man he somehow managed to find her just when she started to take a breath.

Home free, she thought as she rounded another corner and saw the usual crowded sidewalks of New York. Just as she was about to step onto the main sidewalk, she was yanked into an alley and a chloroform soaked cloth was clamped over her mouth. The last thing she thought before she blacked out was I love you, Tony.

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CECELIA AWOKE WITH A POUNDING headache that only seemed to get worse with every breath that she took and the constant bumps wasn't helping either. Her first thought was to request Happy find a different route with less potholes or no potholes at all. She slowly opened her eyes, her brows furrowing in confusion when she was met with pitch black darkness. It couldn't be nighttime already, could it? Where the hell were the stars, if it was? Panic suddenly began to set in as she remembered what happened.

Her heart started to pound and her breathing became erratic as her eyes bounced around the small, dark area in fear. Her mind started to swirl with different terrifying scenarios that could happen. She could be cut apart and sent to a bunch of different people as a symbol of love or worse she could be forced to solve puzzles in order to fight for her life. She was going to die and she was never going to see Tony again.

Calm down, Cecelia! This isn't helping. Her conscience was right. Freaking out would only make things worse for her, probably in the form of a blackout. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, willing herself to calm down. She tried to move her hands and feel how big the area was in an effort to determine what she was in, but realized her hands were bound in front of her with coarse rope. She tugged at the ropes a few times trying to undo the knot with her teeth but whoever had tied the rope had done their job well and Cece gave up after a several attempts.

"Damnit," the girl muttered in annoyance, wishing she had one of Tony's suits - for light - and to burn this rope. With no other choice but to sit back for the ride, Cece began to assess her surroundings. The carpeted ground beneath her and the low thrum of an engine (that she was just now hearing, how did she miss that?) already informed her she was in a car trunk. A quick search of her person informed her that her book bag was gone, along with her Stark glasses, watch, and phone. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious for or if she was even still in New York at the moment. She just prayed Tony had discovered she was missing by now and was doing everything in his power to find her.

Soon after she regained consciousness, the car came to a stop and the engine turned off. She listened closely to the sound of several car doors opening and then slamming shut. Her heart beat against her chest as the sound of footsteps crunching on gravel grew closer.

She heard a set of keys jingle before the trunk popped open and she was met with the bright light of the sun beating down on her before she was roughly yanked out of the trunk, her back hitting the ground with a hard thud. A low groan fell from her lips as she slowly opened her eyes to be met with a pair of blue eyes and a monocle looking down at her. "Hello, Ms. Stark," the owner of those crazed blue eyes said with a smile that made Cece's stomach churn in fear. "I'm Wolfgang Von Strucker. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Before Cece had a chance to respond the man looked away from her and two of his minions (that's what she was assuming anyways) grabbed her by her shoulders and hoisted her up. They held her tightly in place, forcing her to watch as the man was handed a briefcase with at least $1 million dollars in it and threw a grateful smile Strucker's way before he was shot straight through his forehead. His body hit the ground and Strucker's associate collected the briefcase while another disposed of the body and car.

The last thing Cece remembered before she passed out from fear was being thrown into a small, dark room and Strucker's chilling voice. "Welcome to HYDRA, Cecelia."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

And here we have the second chapter where the fun really begins. Cece's been kidnapped and "sold" to Strucker so now he has a new little lab rat to experiment on and turn into his weapon.

Scarlett, from the diner scene, is actually based off of my real life friend who goes by the same name and had requested that I place her into my book as a side character so I did that. But she actually plays a big role in Cece's life as well as Barry and Peter. Outside of the tower, the three of them mean everything to Cece.

I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it.

Feedback is much appreciated and I hope to see you in the next chapter.

Hugs, kisses, and all that good stuff.

~ąʂɧ