The White Room
Iris’ POV
Iris opened her eyes only to be greeted with a bright light. She quickly shut them again. A few seconds later she reopened them, blinking a few times as she adjusted to the bright room. Where am I? Iris thought. Her mind felt dulled and slow. The rest of her body felt like it was weighing her down.
The windowless walls were painted a pale white which spread down to the tile floors of a similar shade. The unforgiving, florescent lights showed that everything was perfectly clean, not so much as a spot anywhere. A single white door sat closed on the other side of the room.
She reached her hands up to her eyes to rub away the sleep but her left hand was pulled back by a thin metal band attached to the side of the bed. Fucking handcuffs? What the hell? Iris felt her heart beat a bit faster but her mind was still lagging behind.
Iris noticed a small cord attached to a plastic bag entering her arm through a thin needle. She was no stranger to needles but this one felt wrong. Everything around the area it was pushed in was especially numb. She knew it was keeping her from feeling whatever pain it was covering up but for now she just wanted to be able to function normally. Iris pulled the needle out of her arm and dropping it to the floor. Only the plastic insert remained but Iris decided to leave it in, not wanting to open the vessel. Within a minute she felt the hazy feeling disappear but a numb pain appear.
Now about these handcuffs. Iris’ eyes flitted around the room before she looked back down at the needle she had dropped to the ground. She leaned over the side of the hospital style bed, reaching towards the IV cable until her boney fingers closed around it. She dragged the cable towards her until she had the needle in her hand.
Iris bent the needle a few times into a crude lock pick. Then she began working on the basic design of the handcuffs. Within twenty seconds she was free. Iris rubbed her sore wrists which were still dotted with hand shaped bruises.
There wasn’t anything in the room but the white bed and the silver IV stand. Iris slipped the think covers off of her legs and looked down at her scrawny body. It was clad in nothing but a pale blue hospital gown. Damn it, where are my clothes? Never mind, there isn’t time for that.
Iris swung her legs over the side of the bed and placed her bare feet on to the icy tile floor. She shivered, realizing how cold the entire room was. Everything was just so sterile.
Iris padded as quietly as she could to the white door at the far end of the room. A silver metal handle protruded from the edge. She grabbed it and pushed.
It swung open with ease into an equally white hallway with rows of identical doors. After turning her head both directions she saw the hallway was clear. Iris tiptoed barefoot through the deathly silence. Every squeak on the tile floors made her cringe.
On the far right of the hallway it turned into another hallway. It looked the exact same as the last one except for the elevator at the end of it.
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Tony’s POV
“The patient has awoken Mr. Stark.” The artificial intelligence voiced to the man hunched over a large piece of metal. Tony continued working on his project.
“Mr. Stark, you told me to notify you when the patient….” She continued.
“FRIDAY, give me a minute. She’s not going anywhere.” Tony continued fiddling with his scrap metal. A few seconds later a flurry of sparks flew a few inches away from the scientist’s face, He jumped back in surprise. He looked down at his now smoking project with a giddy smile.
“FRIDAY, write that down.”
“Yes sir. Your findings are now recorded in my database.” Tony wiped off his grease covered hands on a small, grimy towel that lay on the counter.
“So this girl, she’s awake?”
“Yes Mr. Stark.”
“Then bring me to her.”
“Right this way Mr. Stark.” A glass door on the left of the lab popped open. Tony strolled through it into a long hallway.
---
After a bit of walking Tony reached the hospital sector of the building. One of the white doors was wide open. Something’s not right. Tony thought to himself.
“FRIDAY, is that her room?” He asked to the AI.
“Yes Mr. Stark, but it seems to be unoccupied.” She responded.
“Shit.” He ran to the open door to confirm FRIDAY’s message. The room was empty. The handcuffs were still attached to the bed with an IV needle sticking in it.
“Shit, shit, shit.” Tony ran his hand through his hair. “FRIDAY, find her, now.”
“Yes sir.”
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Iris’ POV
The second she saw the elevator down the hallway she forgot about stealth. Iris sprinted towards the metal box, tripping over her own exhausted, pained feet, before slamming the buttons on the side. Even though she knew it wouldn’t help she pressed them 10, 20, 30, times.
The doors slid open but the box wasn’t empty. The man with a metal arm stood directly in front of her. His cobalt eyes staring into hers once more.
Iris turned on her heels and began sprinting back the way she came but her upper arm had been locked in a vice-like grip. She whipped around to look at his face.
“We really need to stop meeting like this.” Bucky announced, staring down at Iris’ thin body.