Rivals ➢ Iron Man [ON HOLD]

1.4

CHAPTER FOUR

Atlas

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APOLLO HEADQUARTERS

Thea was confused.

First, she was approached by the Director of an organisation called the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. They were a secret counterterrorism and law enforcement agency that were looking into the disappearance of Tony Stark. Phil had greeted her personally after she met Nick Fury on the steps of her building, and asked her if they could speak in private. Thea had guided them to her office on the top floor, and watched as the agents accompanying Fury and Coulson stood outside of her door, on guard. Lara had to be left out of the meeting, an action that put Thea on edge. She had never heard of such an agency before in her life, and all of a sudden, they pop out of nowhere and ask to speak with her away from prying ears and eyes. Thea was convinced there was more than meets the eye with the agency that just so happened to be an acronym for S.H.I.E.L.D.

Second, the fact that they were looking into Tony's kidnapping, as they came to presume, made her sceptical. Normally, the Department of Defence would handle with the search and apprehension of missing Americans. She had many questions she wanted answered, as she eyed Nick who sat in the chair opposite her desk. He was leaning back into the comfortable chair, one leg crossed over the other in a casual position. Phil sat next to him, hands clasped together against his stomach.

Thea was still in her grey jumpsuit, necklace exposed as she somehow managed to free it from underneath the material. She had relieved her hair from the ponytail, and brushed her fingers through the short brown strands, a gesture that made Nick raise his brow.

"You're nervous. There's no need to be, especially around us." Nick spoke up for the first time since he greeted her.

Phil smiled. "We're sorry for catching you off guard. But in my defence, I tried to book an appointment."

"The books are full until after the next six months." Thea responded, edging forward in her seat so she could rest her elbows on her desk. "You've caught me after hours." She picked up a loose pen and placed it in a cup that was next to a picture of her with her parents. Her eyes held onto their smiles for a few seconds, before movement from the corner of her eye distracted her. Nick had leaned forward and picked up the gold frame, something that made her heart clench. She wanted to reach forward and take it back, but refrained from doing so. The photo frame had always been in the same position on the desk, since after all, it was where her father spent most of his time at. Samuel had gotten the picture developed after Thea's sixteenth birthday and set it on the right side of the desk.

"My condolences for your loss. I know how hard it must be to live up to their expectations. But if it means anything, I think you're doing great. Maybe even better than your old man." Nick said, setting the photo back in it's place.

"I doubt that. He used to handle the press a lot better than I do. He was practically born to be in front of a camera." Thea replied.

"Oh, I don't know, I used to catch him doing breathing exercises before he had to face a crowd." Nick added.

Thea narrowed her eyes at him. She had never heard of them before from Samuel. It made her wonder what else her father kept from her. Before she left for college, they would talk everyday about everything and nothing, though during her studies, they barely had any time to see each other. When the holidays came around, Thea would sit with her mother and father in silence. "You knew my father?" She breathed out.