Chapter 13: Toni is kidnapped!

ZAP!

You jolt awake as if you were electrocuted. Colleen was hugging you tight, her raven hair tickling your face. You gently move her strands away and notice your left hand still tingling slightly.

Your watch flashes red, signalling an emergency. Your eyebrows raise in alarm, recognising the urgency of the situation.

You gently pry Colleen's hands from your body. Despite the sticky state of your body, you rise to your feet and locate your pants. Retrieving your mobile phone from its pocket.

"What's the emergency, D.A.I.S.Y.?" you ask, pressing the phone to your ear.

"Toni's convoy has been attacked in Afghanistan, and she's gone missing," comes D.A.I.S.Y.'s urgent voice through the phone.

Your expression darkens, a wave of seriousness washing over you as you tightly grip the phone.

"Is everything alright, Luke?" Colleen's voice breaks through your conversation with D.A.I.S.Y. as she comes up behind you, her hand resting gently on your shoulder.

You glance back at her, offering a strained smile, before turning your attention back to the urgent matter at hand. "Locate Toni using the GPS and send the team. I'll be heading to Watson Tower shortly," you reply swiftly.

"Luke, we can't locate Toni," D.A.I.S.Y.'s voice responds seriously.

"What?" You question with disbelief.

"The GPS in the Personal Forcefield Generator has been disabled," D.A.I.S.Y. informs you.

"How?" Shock registers in your voice, realization dawning on you. "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," D.A.I.S.Y. reports.

"Shit, it must be Toni!" You curse under your breath, frustration evident in your tone. "She must have found the tracker and deactivated it," you conclude, feeling a sense of urgency.

"Did you try finding them with our satellites?" you inquire after taking a deep breath.

"It's complicated, Luke," D.A.I.S.Y. responds after a moment. "Skye is asking you to come to Watson Tower and see for yourself."

"Alright, I'll be there. And don't stop searching for her in the meantime," you instruct, your expression serious.

Glancing back at Colleen, you see 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 your mind is consumed with concern for Toni. "Sorry, Sensei, I have to go. Toni has most likely been kidnapped," you 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," you suggest absentmindedly.

"You should stop calling me Sensei now, just call me by my name," she says with a small smile.

You lean in and give her a peck on the lips. "Okay, Colleen," you respond before hastily dressing and leaving the dojo. Colleen watches you go with a sweet smile.

Rushing to your car, you head towards Watson Tower, your mind racing with worry for Toni.

You arrive at Watson Towers Basement as another car pulls up behind you. Stepping out of your vehicle, you wait for the other person to emerge from hers.

"Did you know about this?" The woman demands as she exits her car.

It's Pepper Potts.

"Pepper," you sigh wearily.

"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 you, her finger pointing accusingly at your chest.

You gently grasp her hand. "I'll explain everything, but right now, I need answers too," you say, leading the way towards the elevator.

Pepper looks at the back of the boy, no a man now, and follow behind him with a million questions in her head.

The Elevator takes you by itself to the second highest floor, D.A.I.S.Y. already being aware of where you want to go.

Exiting the elevator, you find yourself on a spacious floor equipped with various amenities like gym equipment and a pool table, resembling the penthouse floor above.

You ignored all of this and go straight inside the floor, passing by various closed rooms, you reach the door at the end which is bigger then the others, Pepper closely following behind you.

The door opens automatically as you approach, and you step into the room.

The room is filled with monitors, each displaying different locations. One screen even shows your own bedroom.

You see Bobbi standing in front of some monitors displaying vast mountains. And in front of a giant curved screen typing away on a keyboard is Skye.

Skye, your childhood friend, your lucky star, without meeting her you wouldn't have reached this position so easily.

In your previous world she was the main character in the series Agent 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 you had changed her life significantly, now calling her a genius level hacker would be an insult to her. You 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?" you ask, urgency in your voice.

"Bobbi, could you explain?" Skye responds, still focused on her work.

"Skye, please, this isn't the time to be angry. Toni's been kidnapped," you 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 towards the monitors.

"What area is this?" you inquire, observing the vast mountain range.

"Afghanistan's Spin Ghar Range," Bobbi responds.

"Is that where they took Toni?" Pepper interjects, joining your side.

"This is the last image we received from our satellites of the convoy that took Toni," Bobbi informs, indicating a monitor displaying a convoy of at least 20 jeeps traversing a valley.

"They entered these mountainous ranges and vanished," Bobbi concludes distastefully.

"So how many hours will it take to find it with the additional satellites? we can get our teams ready for an extraction until then" you say, feeling the tension rise at the sight of armed individuals in the convoy.

"Hours?" Skye responds, rising from her chair and approaching you. "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 your 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 from beside you.

Your own face drains of colour as the gravity of the situation sinks in. You 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, you consider your options. "What about Obadiah Stane? Did we find any information on his computer? Could he have a way to contact them?" you ask, your voice trembling.

"Obadiah? The COO of Stark Industries? The one you warned Toni about? Is he behind all of this?" Pepper demands angrily, tears brimming in her eyes.

"We've 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, her expression ashamed.

"Did you find anything else on his computer?" you inquire hopefully.

"Nothing. Stane contacted him 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 from the side.

"Show me the video," you say, your voice devoid of strength.

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, clinging to your chest.

You 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 you remember from the movies. The captors express dissatisfaction with the money they were given and demand more. You know that's a lie and they've decided to keep Toni with them to produce Jericho.

"You have to save her, Luke," Pepper pleads tearfully, still clinging to you.

"We can send drones to scan those mountains," you murmur, searching for any shred of hope while comforting Pepper.

"It will still take months if we're lucky," Skye says sadly, looking at you with sympathy.

"WE CAN'T JUST DO NOTHING!" you yell out in frustration. Pepper recoils, frightened by your outburst. Seeing her fear, you take a deep breath and calm down.

Skye hugs your arm, speaking soothingly. "We're doing everything we can, Luke. And maybe with the next transmission, we'll track them. They need the money, so they'll 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," you say grimly. "Who knows what they'll do to her! She's not a man in this..." You trail off, unable to continue. "I can't bear the thought of something happening to her," you admit teary eyed.

Skye steps forward and embraces you. "We will find her. We'll find a way," she assures you.

"Yes, a way," you say, a spark igniting in your mind. "She must know the way. She can guide us," you declare, feeling a renewed sense of determination.

"Thank you, Skye, for everything," you say, kissing her forehead. Skye blushes and gets away from you like a scared rabbit.

"I will go find her right away" You said going towards the elevator.

"Who are you going to find Luke?" Pepper asks hurriedly as you leave.

"Cassandra Webb" You speak aloud, "Ask them, they will explain everything" You point to Bobbi and Skye as you leave the room.

As you stand in the descending elevator, uncertainty gnaws at you. Maybe even Cass won't be able to help you this time!