Damaged - Chapter Four

Warmth. A sea of fire, debris and dust. With her arms wrapped around her torso, the brunette feasted her eyes on the wreckage of the Californian landmark. Dust settled from the pillars. Bodies lay covered - charred and singed beyond recognition. Lifting a hand to shield her eyes, Anna stared as the navy-clad men and women slipped beyond yellow and black cautionary tapes.

What was going on?

The last thing the analyst remembered was tugging at her friend's arm, trying to pull him away from the right. She remembered the heat on her skin - how fire had touched ice - and then nothing. She had found herself on the other side of the city, miles away from the blast. One word slipped from her lips as she looked across the street, searching for some kind of communication. "Happy," she muttered, stalking forward. "Tony." She needed to find him.

Searching… Searching… Searching…

Location: Unknown

Anna made her way across the city. She caught sight of a news report blaring from an old electrical store on the far side of the boulevard: Tony Stark's "Iron Man" visits friend at Cedars Sinai…

Searching… Searching… Searching…

Location: Unknown

The hospital was littered with news and television reporters. Anna pushed her way through the gaggle of journalists, ignoring their remarks regarding her charred clothing. She reached the doors and stepped inside, ushered forward to the desk by a portly male nurse. Anna shot the receptionist a quick, false smile. "I need to see a patient. I heard he's here. His name is Hap-," at this, she shook her head and corrected herself. "Harold Hogan."

The raven-haired woman behind the desk glanced up at the analyst. "And you are? Are you a relative?"

Turning to stare back at the crowd of reporters, Anna knew that Tony had to be inside the confines of the hospital - why else would so many reporters be there? She offered the woman a brighter smile, willing her voice to sound more convincing. She had never been a very good liar. "I'm his daughter," she lied, still smiling. Her lips felt strained. When was the last time she had smiled so much?

"OK," said the woman, her voice a little softer - more kind. "What's your name?"

"Annie Hogan," continued Anna, biting her lip.

"Do you have any identification on you, Miss Hogan?"

"No," said Anna, shaking her head. She ran her hand over her face. "No. I rushed straight from the cab. I didn't think-" She paused for effect. "Is Tony here? He can vouch for me. He'll know that I'm coming here. He'll be expecting me-"

"Tony Stark?" echoed the woman, shaking her head.

"He's an old family friend. He wouldn't be in your hospital if my Dad didn't mean anything to him. Please-"

The woman clucked her tongue. "One moment, please. Doctor Walsh," called the receptionist, gesturing to a tall man across the lobby. "Can you confirm with a visitor that a Miss Annie Hogan is here to visit her father? Thanks, Doctor Walsh."

"No problem. I'll just be a few minutes."

Anna smiled her thanks at the woman, before turning to sit on one of the hard plastic chairs at the entrance of the hospital. She tapped her foot against the floor, biting her lip to keep her emotions in check. What had happened? Why had she disappeared?

What was going on?

She sat in silence for what seemed like hours, her fingers gripping the arms of the chair. She let out the breath she had been holding and closed her eyes. Had it been hours? Days?

And it was just one word that slipped from her right, one word that made it all come crashing down - one word that allowed the spell to break. The tears leaked from her eyes and she collapsed in her friend's arms, clutching at his shirt.

"Annie?"

The brunette continued to cry harder as his words tore down the walls she had built.

Stark rested his hands on the analyst's shaking form - one behind her head and the other on the small of her back. "You're OK," he breathed, holding her close. "You're safe."