Hollow Scars

Scarlett didn’t waste any time getting the hell out of dodge once she’d snuck out of the hotel and away from Tony and the agent who had come for her from S.H.I.E.L.D. Having become sentimental somewhere along the line, the first few times that Scarlett had left Tony alone in the morning she’d made the mistake of lingering around the area out of guilt only to be cornered again by the man and having to suffer through a second goodbye.

Even without his high tech gadgets to assist him, Tony was a cunning and formidable opponent. Not that the two were actually on opposing sides in their situation, Scarlett just couldn’t think of how else to refer to him at this point. If she started thinking of Tony as her partner or her lover then that’s how she’d start treating him and the fact of the matter was that she wasn’t yet prepared to do that. There was still too much at stake and too many unknown variables for Scarlett to involve Tony so intensely.

Having lingered around the airport and purchased a last minute one way ticket to South Africa, Scarlett walked through the bustling terminal, her duffel bag slung over her shoulder and the S.H.I.E.L.D. folders she’d stolen held securely in her arms hidden inside a three ring binder she’d picked up at an airport shop after having gotten through security. It was a long flight to her destination so she’d have plenty of time to go over what she’d taken once she was in her seat on the plane and had a moment to relax. Her nerves were shot and though she’d tried to glance over the files while seated in the terminal, she hadn’t been able to properly concentrate.

While waiting to board the airplane her thoughts returned to Tony and how she’d left him handcuffed to the bed frame in the room after a passionate night spent together and all he’d had to say to her was how much he loved her in spite of her actions. She knew it was inevitable that he’d catch up to her again but she still felt guilty for leaving him in such a state time after time when he’d done nothing but show her affection.

That wasn’t entirely true; Tony always had ulterior motives when it came to women. Most of the things he said were incredibly sexist, perverted, and border lined on sexual harassment, and half the time they were arguing over something ridiculous. But still, there was something endearing even about that part of Tony. He was only trying to help her after all, and he shouldn’t be punished for following his heart.

Scarlett took a seat near the far window so she could watch the planes taxiing across the runway but perked up only seconds later when they called for boarding onto the jet. Hurrying, she handed her ticket to the flight attendant and made her way onto the plane where she took a seat near the front of it and quickly stowed her bag beneath the seat in front of her. Still holding onto the files, Scarlett didn’t wait for the plane to even taxi away from the gate before she started to go through the papers she’d taken. Now that she was away from the busy crowd of the airport, it was far easier to concentrate.

It was no surprise to Scarlett to find that out that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been following MedCo’s activity for the past decade somewhat vaguely. The company was as clever and sneaky as they were devious so even the counter terrorism unit had very limited information on them. Most of what was included in the files was information which Scarlett was already well aware of and didn’t need to revisit.

Curiously, Scarlett found there was a rather well padded file on her activity for the past few years. Wondering what S.H.I.E.L.D. could possibly want to know about what she’d done, she flipped carefully through the pages to see what it was about her behavior that had jumped onto S.H.I.E.L.D.’s radar in the first place. Not surprisingly, Scarlett discovered that S.H.I.E.L.D. knew very little about her personal history and had only started following her activity around the globe about eight years prior. Scarlett was proud of the fact that she’d kept her personal life a mystery to the company, even though that had been by design. When she’d first gotten involved in the underground scene she hadn’t taken the proper precautions to disguise her identity and it had made her vulnerable on more than one occasion.

Quickly, Scarlett had adjusted and adapted to her new career and excelled at becoming the enigma she’d pretended to be so that her employers couldn’t attack her personally if she didn’t conduct business the way that they had hoped she would, which had happened on more than one occasion on a job.

Scarlett, by nature, wasn’t dastardly or wicked, she was simply bored with regular work. Still, she couldn’t think of anything she had done that warranted S.H.I.E.L.D. intervention. In fact, if Scarlett hadn’t run into a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent on one of her missions eight years ago then they likely would’ve never known she existed. At least they wouldn’t have known until everything blew up with MedCo considering what a debacle that had turned out to be.

While on a job for some scum bag in China to commit corporate espionage and help prevent one business from becoming a monopoly, Scarlett had run into the notorious Black Widow. Scarlett had heard of the Russian super spy long before they’d met and had always admired her skill and cunning. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the occasion for Scarlett to tell the woman just how enamored she’d been by her skills since it seemed that someone had hired the spy, Natasha Romanoff to do exactly the opposite of what Scarlett had been hired to do.

Natasha had walked in on Scarlett while she’d been inside the corporate headquarters and the two had gotten into quite the heated battle. Natasha was definitely more skilled at physical combat than Scarlett could have ever wished to be, but Scarlett was far more familiar around technology and resourceful with her surroundings than Natasha had been. It had been a pretty explosive battle but the two had eventually decided that they were evenly matched and stopped physically assaulting the other. Neither one of them had thought their payment had been enough to go through the sort of trouble the other was causing.

When Scarlett had stopped fighting and convinced Black Widow to do the same she asked Natasha why she’d come and who had hired her. She was surprised to find out that they had the same employer. Natasha seemed equally confused and instead of continuing on opposite sides the women had gone out for a drink so they could compare notes. One drink had turned into many and the women spent most of their night swapping stories before coming to the realization that sooner or later they were going to have to deal with the sticky situation they’d found themselves in.

Glancing out the window of the jet with a smile at the fond memory, Scarlett watched the plane take off and recalled the adventure that had followed. Having the sneaking suspicion that their employer had far more immoral motives than he’d implied, they’d decided to do some sneaking of their own. Teaming up, the women gathered information against the companies in question and then blackmailed them both into reaching an agreement so that neither party would destroy the other or benefit from the arrangement. They collected a hefty financial settlement in the end.

It had been a whirlwind adventure but Scarlett had gained a powerful ally in Black Widow after that night. They hadn’t kept in touch or anything quite like that, but Scarlett knew that if she needed help, she could contact her and get her assistance. She knew this because if Black Widow called her for help, Scarlett would do the same.

A cling in the back of Scarlett’s throat broke her train of thought so she summoned the flight attendant to get her a glass of water. After draining the whole glass in nearly one go, she leaned her head back against the uncomfortable coach seat of the airplane and listened to the hum of the machines that kept the plane pressurized so the passengers could breathe comfortably at cruising altitude. Exhaustion clung to her body and weighed her down. She could’ve fallen asleep then and there on the plane but knew she still had too much to do before she could get any proper rest.

Not that she would rest even if she somehow managed to actually fall asleep. Nightmares she thought would fade once she was alleviated of the guilt she felt for having been responsible for Scott’s death had only increased in violence and occurrence. There had been multiple occasions where Scarlett had woken up sick to her stomach and feeling feverish thanks to the severity of the night terrors that plagued her.

Even when she did sleep without having a vicious nightmare she never felt rested and spent hours tossing and turning unless she was in Tony’s arms and forced to stay still. Something about being with Tony at least allowed her to avoid the tossing and turning bit. Perhaps it was her subconscious trying to avoid disturbing his slumber, or maybe it was the comfort of having someone next to her in bed. Either way, Scarlett was exhausted.

Coughing again into her hand, Scarlett discarded the cup for her water and then flipped once more through the files that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been keeping on her. It seemed that Black Widow had been an agent for them at the time they’d collaborated on their mission so many years prior and had informed them of her existence and skill set.

Ever since then, S.H.I.E.L.D. had been keeping a neat little file of the jobs that they suspected her involvement in. It was remarkable to see just how many of the jobs they’d discovered had been her even though she’d done everything in her power to stay anonymous. But it was equally amusing to find out just how many jobs they’d missed out on at the same time and how many times she’d been listed as missing in action within the files. There had even been a period of a year or so in the file where they had no idea where Scarlett disappeared to. They hadn’t rediscovered her until she’d been found at the Stark Mansion in Malibu.

If she ever got the chance to sit down with a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to discuss what had occurred she’d make sure they knew just how far off from the truth they were about her history. Black Widow had listed Scarlett as a potential threat after meeting her and quite frankly, Scarlett was flattered. The more she considered her history, the more she realized how closely she walked the line between villain and hero in the eyes of the law. She wondered if anything had gone any differently in the past few months if she’d be out to destroy the world rather than doing some good in it. It was amazing how her perspective was altered by something as small as matters of the heart. Scarlett assumed that if Tony hadn’t come to her aid in that jail cell the day she’d confessed the truth to him that something horrible would’ve happened to her and her whole life would’ve been altered.

A villain is something Scarlett had never wanted to be, but it didn’t mean she didn’t have the capability within her somewhere.

Instead, she had been granted a second chance at redemption and planned to make proper use of it while she had the opportunity. Putting her file aside, since she knew what she’d find in the remainder of it, Scarlett went through the next few files that were more specifically on MedCo’s behavior over the past three years. A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent was reportedly placed under cover after the explosion and intense destruction Scarlett had been a part of a few months prior. Grimacing, Scarlett continued to look over what had been reported from the agent that had infiltrated the company as one of the security operatives that she’d had more than enough experience with.

For a fleeting moment, Scarlett considered Sergei and hoped that he and his family hadn’t suffered at the hands of MedCo because she’d given him a heads up to what she planned to do. He’d saved her life in more than one way and she hoped that maybe someday, even anonymously, she could offer him the gratitude he so deserved. It was crazy to think of just how much had transpired in the last few months. Scarlett’s life had turned completely upside down. She’d gone from being practically a spy to trying to set her life straight, to head over heels in love with one of the most celebrated men on the planet. Now she was back out in the field, searching for a way to clear her conscience and unsure if she would actually manage to.

Flipping through the paperwork, Scarlett was surprised to see just how much S.H.I.E.L.D. had been able to dig up on MedCo thanks to their man or woman on the inside. Wondering who could be the agent that had infiltrated the corporation, Scarlett considered it could very well be Black Widow. Then again, if MedCo had been aware of Scarlett’s dealings in the underground then it was likely Natasha was known to them as well.

Scarlett knew MedCo had dabbled in the weapons manufacturing industry and had something to do with terrorism considering the things they had done in order to try and stop her escape, including crashing a charity event filled with debutants and celebrities as well as attacking many innocent civilians.

The extent of their malevolent activities, however, was beyond her knowledge. She’d thought that they were a legitimate medical development corporation when she’d been approached by them for a job. Scarlett was very rarely fooled by an employer but MedCo had put up such a good front that she hadn’t thought twice about their motives until she was already in way too deep.

Resting her head in her hands, Scarlett attempted to will away the dull ache that had grown in the back of her mind ever since she’d woken up in the hotel room next to Tony. No matter how she tried, the cough and the headache weren’t fading but she was guessing it was a result of her not sleeping properly and the constant travel wearing down her immune system. There was no cause for concern; she’d merely have to remember to pick up something to ease the symptoms when she got the chance. Scarlett wasn’t a fan of drugs and preferred to use natural remedies for her ailments. Unfortunately sometimes there weren’t any other options than pharmaceutical drugs.

Closing her eyes for a few seconds, Scarlett began to drift off into sleep without realizing it. The plane jolted through the clouds and woke her up only a few minutes later but it had been enough of a rest to dull the headache so she could focus on the task at hand. Attention back on the paperwork in front of her, Scarlett made a point to get better acquainted with MedCo’s history and their inner workings. The more she knew about her enemy the easier it would be to handle them when she came face to face with them.

It was very likely Scarlett would wind up with blood on her hands if she continued down the road she was on, but she didn’t see any other way out of it. Then again, if she left bread crumbs for S.H.I.E.L.D. to follow then maybe in the long run her adversaries could be apprehended and held prisoner to stand trial for their crimes. It was better than ending up in prison for years for murder if she slipped up. Not that Scarlett had slipped up many times in the past, but she’d discovered in the last few months that she wasn’t quite the woman she used to be.

Apparently having feelings and emotions made her vulnerable and sloppy. Not to mention now that she had taken the time to try to feel something, emotions she’d stifled for years were wearing on her and catching up with her at the most inopportune moments. The signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder had manifested early on when she’d woken up in Tony’s mansion but thankfully had faded quickly. She couldn’t help but wonder when it would come to bite her in the ass and throw off her game. After all, Scarlett had been through many traumatizing things in the last year but hadn’t taken the time to truly absorb them.

The good thing about living the sort of adventurous life Scarlett led was that she didn’t have much time to reflect on the past so there wasn’t any chance of it haunting her other than in her sleep. Judging by the frequency and severity of her nightmares, there was far more going on in her mind than she was willing to deal with.

Her shoulders felt suddenly heavy again with burden. How could she possibly repair the damage that had been done to her psyche over the years? There were too many scattered pieces of her life lying at her feet for her to put together. Perhaps she’d been broken beyond repair and by her own hands at that. It was silly for her to think that she could patch things up just because she’d fallen in love with someone. She felt even sillier to think that she was in love at all. It was something she’d never believed in and yet there she was, head over heels in love with Tony Stark of all people.

“God, I’ve been spending way too much time with Tony.” Scarlett muttered, placing her fingers on her temples and rubbing in a circular motion in hopes of easing the tension from her headache. “Focus.” Staring back at the files in front of her, Scarlett flipped through the paperwork and found reports sent back to S.H.I.E.L.D. from an anonymous contact, presumably the one that they had placed under cover.

MedCo had masked as a medical company so that on face value they would be thought of with benevolence. They’d made minor contributions to the countries they infiltrated to avoid detection, funding hospitals and clinics in several low income sections of over populated areas, mostly in Africa but there were also locations listed in Turkey, Russia, Germany and Spain. Behind the thin veil of kindness and philanthropy it looked like one of the heads of MedCo, and Scarlett was betting on it being Mikhail after having dealt with them first hand, had been bargaining with various munitions manufacturing companies throughout the United States to illegally ship weapons. From there the weapons were distributed to terrorist organizations and various other black market dealers who either paid obscene prices for them or locked in partnerships with MedCo so they could provide a service in return at a later time.

Once Stark Industries had pulled away from the weapons game, just as Tony had said he’d done, the suppliers of weaponry to MedCo dropped like flies. The demand was far higher than the supply so instead of bellying under like many companies in MedCo’s position would’ve done they made a bold change and became the manufacturer. Having a supply of Stark technology and having developed contacts that had worked for Tony’s company in the past, they were able to replicate and distribute similar weapons accordingly.

Upon realizing how profitable illegal weapons manufacturing could be, the company had decided to branch out further into acts of terrorism. Scarlett closed the manila folder as the flight attendant walked by and glanced out the window at the desert landscape far below. It made sense that MedCo had moved on to manufacturing weapons and why they’d tried to rope Scarlett into working for them but she wondered why they were still pursuing her after she’d caused them so much trouble. There was nothing that Scarlett could build them that could possibly make her worth the trouble they were going through to catch her.

On top of that, how had MedCo heard of her in the first place? Granted she had a reputation in the underground but not as an engineer. If MedCo had been looking for someone to steal blueprints or to take down a company from the inside, then they might have heard of Scarlett. But it was her engineering skills that had gotten her the job at MedCo not her skills in covert operations.

Then again, she had started searching for a more stable job after she’d gotten home from the botched mission that had gone so horribly in the Middle East that it had nearly killed her and MedCo had offered her a job. It hadn’t seemed suspicious at the time, given she’d contacted some of her former employers from when she’d first tried to hold down a normal job many years prior. They had assured her that they would look around for her to see if they could find an opening worthy of her skills. She’d gotten multiple calls from several reputable companies looking for her assistance and MedCo had won the bid by being the most tempting financially and by being located in one of her favorite places. She could stay in an apartment in Cape Town and still do her job. Perfect was the word she and Scott had used to describe the opportunity. Just what she needed.

None of that had seemed suspect at the time, but now looking back, Scarlett wondered how long MedCo had been looking into her and searching for an opportunity to hire her and take advantage of her situation. If they had been aware of the job that had left her in such disarray beforehand then perhaps they were waiting to pounce on her when she got back on the market, whether it been for a legitimate job or in the underground.

After having learned more from S.H.I.E.L.D. about MedCo’s situation it suddenly clicked as to why there had been so much Stark technology lying around at the facility in South Africa. Even if it had been dated, Stark Weapons Technology was some of the most advanced on the planet and it was likely they were trying to develop replicas of Tony’s brilliance now that his partner was no longer around to do dirty dealings with them under the table.

Guilt made Scarlett’s stomach sick while she reflected on how she’d blamed Tony for Obadiah Stane’s faults. To be fair, she hadn’t known better either. What had happened with Stane wasn’t overly publicized. Granted, Tony had turned a blind eye to the behavior for years so that he could live a life of frivolity and sexual promiscuity.

After having gotten to know him better, Scarlett realized that Tony had been used just as horribly as she had been. Having blamed him for what had happened to her and Scott, as well as many others who she was sure were just like her but weren’t able to escape, Scarlett felt partially responsible for putting Tony through the ringer. Now she knew that he’d had nothing to do with any of what MedCo had been up to. There weren’t enough apologies in the world that could make her feel better about the way she’d treated him.

What puzzled Scarlett about the claims that Stark Industries was no longer involved in MedCo’s dealings was the fact that newer Stark technology unrelated to munitions had been lying around at the facility. There had been several newer models of Stark energy enhancements as well as a few prototypes that had been put out after the Stark Expo had funded multiple independent projects for smaller companies the year before.

Scarlett was considering that maybe someone else working for Stark Industries was making dirty deals with MedCo right under Tony’s nose because she knew now, after having raided Tony’s files, that he wasn’t involved in any way, shape, or form. In fact, Tony had only ever tried to stop MedCo and had never once tried to defend them or regain their business. The man may have been flawed but there was something to be said for taking responsibility for one’s actions, even if that action had only been to ignore and neglect what his company had been doing around the world while he partied like a college boy.

Needing a break from the flood of information Scarlett had absorbed from the files within the folders she’d stolen from the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Scarlett pulled out her cell phone that she had altered after she’d bought it. It was one of the first things she’d done after purchasing it in Los Angeles the morning she’d told Tony she’d loved him.

On her flight to the east coast where she’d caught a connecting flight to London, Scarlett had dismantled her cell phone and drastically altered the way that it functioned. She had been inspired to do so after seeing the kinds of things that Tony had built in his lab for his own personal use. There had been a phone he’d planned on giving to her but things had gone off track for them and he’d never gotten to give it to her before they’d started on their emotional roller coaster. But now she had her own incredibly efficient phone that was doubling as a personal computer. After landing at JFK airport in New York she’d contacted an internet storage company where she’d purchased a private server where she could remotely store data she collected without worry of a third company intervening and seeing what she was up to.

Scanning her phone slowly over each piece of paper in the files that S.H.I.E.L.D. had collected on her and the ones she’d already gone over from MedCo, Scarlett made sure that each piece of information was stored on her phone where it would be uploaded once she had service to the server she’d purchased. It was good for her to have the files on hand, but having spent so many years involved in espionage and conspiracies had taught Scarlett that while having a backup was a good plan, having a backup of a backup was even handier in sticky situations.

Once she’d scanned the remaining, Scarlett pocketed her phone and then continued on through the paperwork that remained in the S.H.I.E.L.D. folders. It was a good thing that she had taken a breather before she’d continued on considering what she read next. The feeling in the pit of her stomach hadn’t steered her wrong. Somewhere in the depths of her mind Scarlett had the sneaking suspicion that something more nefarious was happening behind MedCo’s already sinister front. When they’d drugged her in the prison cell and tried to take her away to god knows where, she’d started to wonder what other poisons they had access to. Considering their business proceedings often ended in making deals with people who couldn’t afford their wares, MedCo had a great many friends in low places that would help them accomplish even the vilest of deeds.

Once they had discovered how profitable weapons supplying was to those who were desperate to get it, they had branched out into other types of warfare. There was a project highlighted on the pages that seemed to be the group’s main focus and it was referred to as the Alpha and Omega Project but there was little else written about it. It seemed as though even the long arm of S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn’t infiltrate all of MedCo’s secrets.

Scarlett had the distinct feeling that whatever this secret project was, it was something biological and far more terrifying than anything she could’ve built in that dark room she’d been trapped in for weeks. Unfortunately, there was little else listed after that in the S.H.I.E.L.D. files. It seemed as though the most recent transmissions had been involving this biological threat and there had only been a limited amount of information on it to begin with.

Keeping that thought fresh in her mind, Scarlett considered investing in a gas mask and made a mental note not to forget that now MedCo was dealing with something far more dangerous than metal and machine guns. She wondered why they bothered to continue pursuing her once again. Of course, she knew enough about the biological and chemical sciences to be of some assistance but her expertise was in mechanics and engineering. Technology had always been her forte; there was little she could do to assist the company with some sort of killer virus or contagion.

To be honest, she wasn’t truly sure that MedCo was after her to make her work for them at all anymore. Maybe they wanted revenge after she’d killed Erick. Perhaps they wanted to teach her a lesson. Or maybe she’d just pissed them off enough while she’d been held captive that they wanted to eradicate her. But there were alarm bells ringing in her mind as she considered that this was a grudge match. There were things that Mikhail had said to her during his attempts to intimidate her that were resonating in her mind.

She was too strong an asset to simply destroy and move on with. They wanted something from her and the only way Scarlett would find out was if she handed herself over to them and that wasn’t something she was willing to do, at least not without a means of escape or a backup plan. It was entirely probable that Scarlett would have to sacrifice her freedom for a short time to get to MedCo, but she was trying to avoid going back into captivity for as long as she possibly could.

Stowing away the file folders again in her bag, Scarlett slipped her phone away as well after turning it back off. Closing her eyes, she hoped to get some rest, considering that her headache didn’t seem to want to leave her be. With any luck, the boredom of the flight to the south end of the continent would give her the chance to really rest, though she didn’t think that was very likely. Sleep hadn’t been coming easy to her lately and it was taking its toll on her physically.

According to the files she’d gone through, S.H.I.E.L.D. had already been through what remained of the facility in South Africa and had found little of note. In fact, there hadn’t been any bodies recovered from the sight which puzzled Scarlett. Sure, she’d known that Scott had survived once Tony had finally confessed he’d known about it, but there should have still at least been Erick’s body considering she’d double checked to see if he was dead after she’d killed him. Maybe MedCo had returned to the scene of the crime to cover any traces left behind. That seemed to be the most likely option available. It was impossible that no one had been injured or killed in the battle that had taken place with Iron Man and the explosions that had riddled the facility.

Scarlett had originally planned to travel to South Africa so that she could go to the hospital where Scott had been admitted after the incident. Even if she was no longer interested in the confusing relationship she’d shared with him for years, Scarlett wanted Scott to know that she was alive. They may not have been the most compatible couple and she was sure she was never what Scott wanted in a relationship and vice versa, but she didn’t wish any ill will upon him either.

If nothing else, Scarlett wanted to let Scott know that she was alive and well and that he bore none of the responsibility for what had befallen her at the hands of MedCo. Really, it was Scarlett who shouldered most of the guilt for what had happened. If it weren’t for her and her thirst for danger and excitement then he never would’ve gotten dragged into her mess. When Scarlett had first met Scott he lived a boring ordinary life. She’d been the one who was into adventure and deadly excursions. Slowly he’d gotten sucked into the danger that followed her and couldn’t get out. That was partly why their relationship had gone on for so long. Scarlett had never felt the tug with Scott that she had nearly immediately felt for Tony despite her extreme distaste for his chauvinist behavior.

Scarlett had stayed with Scott out of duty and responsibility. Then of course, after she tried to finally settle down and attempt to give Scott the life that he’d been fighting for through the many years they’d been together, things had gotten out of control by someone else’s hand. And as Scott had always told her, she had been asking for it. It was pure luck that something like what had happened in Afghanistan and what had happened with MedCo hadn’t happened a thousand times over the last decade.

Unfortunately Scott had been right about many things in Scarlett’s life and she hadn’t been willing to hear them until after she’d thought he’d died by her hand. Once she’d landed in London Scarlett had contacted the hospital where Tony had located Scott. By the time she’d managed to get in touch with his doctors she found out that Scott had already been released but at least she knew he was healthy.

It’d be much harder to find him without him being kept in a safe room at a hospital, but she knew that after all was said and done with MedCo she would go and find him and let him know that she was still alive and well. Then she could return to Tony and close the chapter of her past that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Maybe if she could right just a few wrongs, she would be able to find some sleep and give Tony the love that he deserved.

But first Scarlett would have to try and locate MedCo so she could try and get the advantage over them and that was what was proving to be the hardest part. MedCo was a ghost company. The best thing Scarlett could compare them to were matryoshka dolls. Every time she opened one door and thought she’d found the end, another one appeared with the same dilemma. It was a never ending series of nesting dolls. Every time Scarlett found the opening of the next doll, she’d find a new one waiting just beneath it and equally as puzzling as the one that it had been hidden behind.

So instead of wandering around Europe in hopes of being able to stumble upon a clue, Scarlett decided to return to the last place she’d had contact with MedCo.

The rubble in South Africa that was left over from the facility where she’d been held and forced to build the robots that had caused her such grief was as good a place to start as any. S.H.I.E.L.D. may not have been able to find anything of note within the destroyed building, but they also hadn’t been held there. Scarlett had spent every waking moment for weeks trying to devise a way out of the building without compromising her life or Scott’s in the process.

If anyone could find anything left over in the wreckage it would be her. Scarlett’s stomach turned once again and she considered at last that it wasn’t from the lack of sleep or the guilt she was riddled with. The plane shuddered from the wind outside, only increasing the feeling of illness in the back of her throat.

So reaching for the bag conveniently placed in the pocket of the seat back in front of her, Scarlett spent the remainder of her flight sick to her stomach and wishing she could find a moment to rest since clearly her body and mind had other plans.