Chapter 12
At age 24, Anneliese never experienced a hungover. Never the bumbling bitting fingers, or the crashing migraine or the spontaneous burst of energy. She had never felt as if water wasn't enough to squash her thirst, or the same chant to 'never drink that much again'. Anneliese had never been addicted to a taste, to feel lost to the pleasure knowing that the consequences would make it so much worse. She had never been lifted from the floor from experience, a sense of absolute liberty. Maybe this was the appeal to Alexander's lifestyle? The necessity to drink at every call, and to sniff anything he got his hands on. He tasted as Vodka felt. So, when Howard slowly moved away, his heated breath embracing her face, she was locked. Stunned. Unsure what to do with herself. With her head still tilted up, her eyelashes droopy, and her mouth still slightly parted... she knew, just by his curved smile that he was pleased. It sent butterflies down her spine, and her cheeks grew warmer, and she knew her cheeks were a bright red; brighter than the morning sun that blinded her from outside the window. She was certain on this. Howard's fingers slowly moved to her lips, and pulled it down gently; Anneliese couldn't breathe. No that was a lie, Anneliese was breathing deeply and inconsistently. He tilted his head to his left, and continued to stare at her eyes, and then her lips, and then back to her eyes. And as quick as it all happened, Howard stepped away. The place his palm had rested only seconds before were now frost bitten from the lack of his touch. Her lips were still open, gaping. She felt silly, stupid, almost childish in her reaction. "I have a meeting now," he whispered, and even in their distance; Howard at the door and Anneliese still leaning over the desk, she could hear him clearly. "And Abraham expects you at laboratory 1A by eight thirty". He winked. His smile turning dangerously close to a smirk before he left his office, leaving Anneliese alone in his office. Silence. Looming, overwhelming silence. The giggles begun, unable to stop them from spilling from her lips. Maybe she was a child, a child at 24. Trying her best to compose herself, starting by getting as far away from the desk as possible, before she tried to pat out the winkles in her dress. But she couldn't stop herself from smiling, from giggling, and her heart was still racing far too quickly, too fast. Using the numerous mirrors Howard had in his office, because only someone as conceited as Howard would need mirrors at his immediate call. She saw the mess she was. She was more than flushed. Her lip stick a mess and her eyes still fluttering, and she couldn't help herself as she gasped. Suddenly and rigorously, she begun to go through Howard's desk for anything to help her... a spare make up kit would be nice. Going through his draws, completely forgetting due to her flustered state that he did in fact have a draw for her makeup, and as she did, she stumbled across a scrap piece of paper. Interested, Anneliese grabbed it and threw it into her dress pocket. Finally, she found her makeup bag. And she was going to be late, and her cheeks seemed to still be on fire. But at least, she looked less... red.
Abraham made no comment over her flustered state, and going straight into the chemistry about why he wanted her there. Saying he needed some assistance in what he was about to do, and he wouldn't have anyone else but Josef's daughter to help him. She was told to measure out 25mL of an unknown mixture, not one less drop or one more. Whilst she was doing this, Abraham was behind some sort of weird machine that her father had been building for the past year. In awe, she watched Abraham command her to pour the unknown mixture into the small vial in the middle of it. 'Now lower the topper from above, yes, exactly like that Anneliese', Abraham whispered as she did what she was told. The machine was strange, it had an eerie red glow to it and Abraham was pressing buttons every few seconds. It was manic, and Anneliese eyes were glazed over. She was beyond intrigued, interested in every move he made. If Howard was an addiction, science was a lifestyle. She could never keep her hands away from it. 'Now step away dearie,' he commanded, and she did, taking only a few steps to make sure she was behind the red line on the floor. 'On the count of three, I need you to observe what happens.'
One
Two
Three
A piercing blue light emitted from the machine, and she went to over her eyes from the light but something caught her interested. The red glowing light from the machine was merging with the sky blue somehow, there was bubbles forming and ice and everything else. Blue smoke was coming from above, or was it gas? Should she open the vents? The smell was beyond alluring, it tastes powerful, almost addicting. Anneliese took a step forward, unaware that Abraham was yelling at her to step back. That was when the machine collapsed. In a matter of seconds, bolts flew in every direction, the scrap metal clanking to the floor and Anneliese automatically ran towards it. Dodging the collapse of the machine, she knew it was falling a lot quicker, but within that very moment. It was cruelly slow. The silver desks were covered by a black precipitate, the floor a mess of bolts and rubber and glass smashed into the walls. Anyone within the building would have heard the explosion, that being said, Stark Industrials was used to explosions. Just never one this big, this dangerously loud. Seconds passed, and Anneliese was already covering Abraham from the sharp metal, knowing she could be fatally hurt; none of it would matter if Abraham died. The victory to winning would be lost if he died. The serum died with him, no matter how much Anneliese took notes on every step he did. It was a code she couldn't crack. Then it all stopped. The machine turned off, and Anneliese kept her body tightly around Abraham, her mouth open from shock. Her eyes remained closed, but she knew Abraham had grabbed the unknown solution. And she knew he had just accidentally splashed some of it into her mouth, the blue liquid strange on her tongue. A small fire had started in the back of the laboratory, and sirens were blasting. But Anneliese kept Abraham close, asking him if he was okay, if he was hurt. Every time she asked, he replied to inform her that he was perfectly fine. The doors to the laboratory slammed opened. Men in black suits and fire brigade uniforms followed the man in front, Howard Stark. It was only then, when Anneliese loosen her hold of Abraham. Her eyes darting away from Howard and co, and back to Abraham. Scanning his body as she pat him down, ensuring there wasn't any cuts anywhere - not a blood missing from his veins. He wasn't. The scene changed slowly, the fire brigade swiftly sorting out the fire, and the men in suit, who she quickly realised was the business men Howard had a meeting with, was watching curiously. Neither Anneliese or Abraham opened their mouth, in fact Anneliese was scared too. As security and first aid officers flooded the room, Howard started yelling to instruct what was to happen. Anneliese was dazed as a medi-nurse walked her over to an unaffected bench, Abraham followed slowly behind her. They begun to treat her, but she pushed them off. 'Treat him first', she argued back. Of course they listened to her, she was their boss after all. And Abraham was quickly checked for any injuries, and surprisingly, there was none. But his hand refused to let go of the vial... and he had somehow managed to get his hands on a stopper to seal it shut. She hadn't realised that Howard had made his way to Anneliese, yelling at the medi-nurses for not treating the injuries she had all over her body. As his fingers wrapped a small bandage around her wrist, Anneliese tilted her face down, and her eyes stared up at him through her lashes. He was too busy grabbing the bandage, and checking her arms and everything that he hadn't caught her wondering eyes. His tie was still loosely done, his buttons not completely done up and his hair immaculately gelled into a wild mess. Maybe she was going crazy, maybe the unknown solution that tasted sweet on her tongue was making her think strangely. But Howard was setting fires on the bottom of her stomach, the same reaction she had as he gently nibbled at her lips earlier. Her cheeks suddenly flushed. Howard was a curse, an illness. Perhaps a disease that infected her completely, removing all rationality from her mind. 'Are you okay Annelie-", Howard stopped, and Anneliese had no clue that he had just caught her eyes glued to his lips. She watched him bite the inside of his mouth as he licked his teeth. 'Sweetheart'. His voice could only be described as a purr, soft and breathless, and Anneliese wanted to melt on the spot. Yes, she decided, the serum was messing with her. Not even a few hours ago she was more worried about what Howard had planned for tonight, and now she was staring at his lips. 'Let's get you out of here.' Arms wrapped around Anneliese's waist as he lifted her onto her feet. Anneliese kept her eyes on his face as he begun to give instructions to everyone, as the SSR arrived on the sight. He wanted a swift clean up; the scarp metal was to be placed in the corner of the laboratory for the machine to be rebuilt. Had her eyes been anywhere but staring at Howard hopelessly, she would had seen Abraham be walked out behind them by Alexander. Instead, she stumbled her way through the laboratory and into the corridor where curious employees were watching. She would had realised that Howard walked her into the elevator with Abraham and Alexander behind her. Leaving them alone in the elevator, away from prying ears. 'What happened,' Alexander asked quickly, 'I was expecting to see Stark with soot all over his-' 'Shut up Gray-' 'I only assume because you always end up blowing something up-' '-I do not' 'The statistics says otherwise'. Their conversation was stopped very quickly as Abraham moved the serum from his pocket, and the glowing blue lit up the elevator. Anneliese was lost for words. 'It's complete.' Abraham had finished the serum, and none of them said a word, just smiled as they walked out of the elevator when Anneliese remembered the crumpled up piece of paper in her pocket. She stopped in her steps, Howard's fingers slipped from her waist before he had stopped to realise she was a few steps behind. As she unravelled the paper, her eyes widen as she read the piece of paper. Glancing up to Howard, a hint of a blush forming on his face. 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