Crash and burn
Recap chapter 2:
While all Howard saw was his wife, all Peggy saw were her godchildren. Something wasn’t right with the video. Maria was tied up by herself, and the twins were tied up against each other. Why was Katie blinking so often? What was she trying to say? Could it be… was she blinking morse code? .. .-/— .- .-. .. .-/— .- .-. .. .- What did Maria have to do with anything? Could she… be pregnant? Had she not told Howard yet?
May 24, 1979 (four hours before deadline)
In the four days since they had been kidnapped, Katie discovered that Maria Stark had cheated on her husband with board member Jacob Janes. His plan was interrupted by the presence of both Katie and Jamie. She had over heard him telling his goons to get ready to dispose of the bodies. What bodies? The twins? Katie and Jaime? It seemed that time had officially run out.
While looking for possible exits, Katie noticed the perfect one. The restroom on the other side of the warehouse had a window without bars covering it. Unfortunately it was too high for the children to climb up on their own. If Katie helped Jamie over she would be on the other side ready to catch them. This however made for a bigger chance for someone to notice they were missing.
With little less then four hours to go on, Katie took a deep breathe and called Jamie over. After all they might not get out alive, but she would make damn sure Antonella and Anthony did. They were all but her younger siblings, and she would give them a fighting chance.
Working quickly Katie picked the lock on both hers, and Jamie’s door, Tina seeing what she was doing had gotten Tony’s lock as they both made their way over. Jamie and Katie ran the kids to the restroom, sticking close to the shadows. It would have been faster cutting through the broken machines, but it wasn’t worth risking someone catching sight of them. Jamie and Katie made it without incident, and as they went to reach for the knob, it turned on its own.
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Before the video had even finished Howard was out the door calling Stark Industries. He wanted 29 million dollars in large and small bills. The tires for the airplanes were to be chipped, a camera was to be installed somewhere in the plane, and if someone found it there would be hell to pay.
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Katie had seconds before whoever was in the restroom stepped out. Seconds to disarm the person behind the door. Seconds to place Tina on the ground. If there was one thing that she mastered in caring for the twins in the last five years, it was to make seconds count. Because sometimes thats all the time the twins gave you. So when the door opened Katie wasted no time in pushing through the door, and slamming the person up against the wall.
Jamie followed Katie through the door as she took care of the person blocking their path. She quickly worked the children through the door and into the corner. Jamie locked the door behind her, as she turned to help Katie. Who she came face to face with was none other than Maria Stark. When Tony tried to run to Maria, Tina pulled him back behind her.
Maria looked like she had seen better days. Her usually flawless make-up was smeared in certain spots. The professionally pressed clothes looked like it had been iron by an amateur possibly even herself. Maria was demanding that they explain what they were doing with the twins. Katie ignored her and turned to Jamie motioning for her to move towards the window.
Jamie brought the twins over with her, and explained they were going to leave through the window. She would be going first, so that she would be able to catch them on the other side. Maria hearing this demanded to be the one going first as she was their mother; needing to make sure it was safe, and all that, when in fact the twins were the last thing on her mind. All she saw was her chance to run, and she would be damned if she didn’t take it.
Katie stepped in before Jamie could make her opinions known. She told Maria it would be safer for them if Jamie went first to make sure it was safe for them. It was decided by Maria that Jamie would go first to catch Maria if she missed stepped. Anthony would follow after her as he was Howards heir it was only right and after Antonella would be boosted over. Katie would be the last to make it through the window.
And so Katie was boosted Jamie over and through the open window. Jamie seeing the ground quickly approaching rolled forward onto her back and to her feet. Once she was standing, she made sure that no one was around and knocked three times on the wall.
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May 24, 1979 (one hour before deadline)
Howard had been on a war path after viewing the video, and even Peggy was getting concerned. It was like watching him look for Steve all those years ago when he first went missing. All the while her nerves were starting to get the better of her. Maybe it was time to start looking to a predecessor. This day couldn’t get any worse.
Unfortunately like with most things, their day did in fact get worse. S.H.E.I.L.D. had been able to intercept a police call. Maria Stark had been found, along side of one of S.H.E.I.L.D.’s agent. Dread pooled at the pit of her stomach, where were the children?
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May 24, 1979 17:47 (5:47 pm)
It had been four days since his wife had gone missing. Not that many people knew knew they were married. After all they were both S.H.E.I.L.D. agents, and while it wasn’t frowned upon they were private people. In fact the only ones present at their wedding were Katherine’s mother and Antonella Stark.
He just prayed they made it back in one piece. Once everything was said and done, he would look into retiring fromS.H.E.I.L.D. It was time to settle down and have a family of their own. It had been brought up once or twice, and Nicklaus could honestly say he was looking towards it. He was broken out of thought when his private phone rang.
The number that appeared on screen was from a payphone. Hope spread through out his whole body. The only one that had this number was Katherine. It was their emergency number. Nick wasted no time in answering, “Kat! Where are you? Are you okay?”. He grabbed his keys and headed for the door. “Tell me where you are I’ll go get you. Do the kids need any medical attention? I’ll alert…”
“N..Nicklaus”, the voice on the other line finally responded, “… Ka… Kat.. Katie’s g..gone”, and just like that he froze. His whole world ending at the words of a little girl. All he heard as the phone slipped through his fingers were cries of his name. Cries from the reason his beloved wife was dead.