DAY ONE - SUNDAY
I am lying on a glass table in a lab room.
I roll my eyes at the situation. After spending my teen years in a lab being experimented, I became used to it. After all, I was the one who begged Dr. Schnieder to give me powers.
It took me a while to control them, but once I did, I was unstoppable.
I murdered people. Merciless and without question.
It was part of the deal-he would give me powers and I would help him build his empire. During the course of his reign, I was at the receiving end of countless assassination and kidnapping attempts, which I thwarted with the powers of Ice and Fire.
Assassination attempts aside, life was blissful-I had way more freedom than the other volunteers had, a luxurious penthouse and a staff of my own. All I had to do was to keep out of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s sight (with the exception of battles), train everyday and kill people who refuse to be interrogated.
Like I said, bliss.
Until he came.
Clint Barton-renowned archer and Avenger. He broke into my bedroom when I was 16 (nothing happened, I swear…besides the bruise on his arm caused by me nearly freezing him all over.) and knocked me down with a tranquilizer dart. He took me to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, where Fury told me that it was HYDRA agents in S.H.I.E.L.D. suits that killed my parents.
Dr. Schneider lost his life after confirming the accusation.
I became an Avenger, vowing to destroy all of HYDRA's plans. I warmed up to the rest of the Avengers, too, especially to a certain bird-brained archer.
Clinton-Freaking-Barton.
I went ballistic when I realized that I had fallen in love with the archer-and it drove my powers out of control. I was put in a force field cage until I managed to take back the wheel.
The night of that very day, Clint visited me and fucking confessed his love to me.
I remember being frozen for at least fifteen seconds, only to respond with "What?".
I laugh at the memory.
I am pulled out of my trance when Dr. Banner enters the room. He is wearing a pair of beige trousers and a purple shirt-the one that makes him even more handsome than usual. A thick, white lab coat gives him the perfect scientist look.
"Dr. Banner," I greet him. I never call him by his first name-it just doesn't seem right.
"Amelia."
He looks down at the floor and swallows a lump in his throat. Looks at me and seems like he's about to cry.
"Banner? What's wrong?"
"The results came in, and…"
"And?"
I raise an eyebrow at him.
"Your powers are getting out of control, Amelia. They're going to consume you from the inside."
I nod. It was bound to happen-I had exactly seven incidents where my powers freaked out and I'm telling you-they were not fun.
"How long do I have to live?"
"Three days and a six hours, including this one."
I notice a tiny tear forming on his left eye. I prop myself up and hug him. He hugs back, crying softly.
I understand his pain. He was like my big brother in the squad, and I was his little sister. We don't speak a word the entire time-silence speaks louder.
DAY TWO – MONDAY
Mondays are horrible.
The other Avengers are informed of my situation, and my heart breaks at the looks on their faces. I freeze the floor out of fear. Of death, probably.
Fury locks me up in a force field cage once more, and I don't mind. It gave me time to reflect on my past life. To relate to the Maximoffs for volunteering. To understand my situation.
Nick tells me his praise and such, and I thank him for telling me the truth about my parents' death and taking me in as an Avenger. He replies by telling me a few visitors will come in shortly.
"Okay," I tell him. He nods, then leaves me alone.
My first visitor is Natasha. Like always, she is in a black jumpsuit that matches her flaming red hair perfectly and makes her look like the fiercest person in the world. After Banner, she is the person I hang out with the most-and I am grateful for our near Clint-and-Nat-level of friendship. I smile when she comes in the room, even if she has to stand a few centimeters away from me.
"Nat," I say.
"Ames."
She looks at me sympathetically.
"It's okay, Nat-I've accepted it."
"I'm going to miss you, though."
"I'm sorry."
She stares at me quizzically.
"I'm sorry I had to die."
"Ames..."
"I'm sorry I was an enemy before."
"Ames, you've changed. It's in the past."
"I know, but…I killed a lot of people." Merciless and without question.
"So have I, and the guilt catches up with me sometimes. But it's important to know that it's all in the past. Besides, you didn't know the truth back then."
I look at her softly. Nod. Reach out for a hug and instead feel the glass-like force field. It freezes to a crisp.
"Ames..."
A shadow of sadness flickers through Natasha's face for a second. She realizes this and regains her composure. I mirror her emotions.
"Thank you, Nat. For everything. Thank you so much."
"Thank you, too."
She leaves the room and I melt the ice before someone else comes in. I finish by the time Steve arrives. He is in a light blue button-down and brown trousers. A pair of loafers completes his look.
I put on a brave face and smile. "Hello, Cap'n."
"Hello, Amelia."
"How's the gang?"
"They're…okay."
His grief-stricken face betrays his words. About him, at least.
I do my best to keep my expression. "Take care of them, okay?"
"I will."
Steve looks at me sadly and I almost break. He is the kindest man I know and it kills me to see him in pain. He doesn't deserve this.
"Thank you for the friendship." I say as snowflakes begin to fall around me. I ignore it and continue to focus on Steve.
"Everyone deserves a friend, Amelia."
"Even a monster?"
"You're not a monster."
I bite my lip. "If you say so."
He gives a meek smile and waves.
"I'm sorry, but I think I have to go."
"It's okay," I reassure him.
He gives an apologetic nod and walks out.
Stark walks in next, and he is carrying a plate that holds a slice of apple pie and a fork. The usual Tony grin is gone-oh God, what have I done?
"Hello, Tony."
"Hey, sweet-cheeks."
I roll my eyes at the poor attempt to trick me into into thinking that everything is "fine".
"Thanks for the food, Stark."
"No problem."
He lets down the force field and hands me the plate. I take it and raises the barrier again.
"Good luck on your inventions."
"Thanks."
"Give Pepper my best."
"I will."
It astounds me how formal he is-not like the Stark I know. He's not even wearing a shirt and Probably because reality hit him on the face and he knows-understands, even-that I'm dying and he'll never see me again.
"Just…take care of yourself, okay? And the others, too." I tell him.
"Okay," he replies.
Fury comes in and shoos away Stark. He sends me one last sad look and mouths "Thank you" before leaving.
"What is it?" I ask in a tone harsher than I expected.
"Just a heads up that Thor is coming," he explains. He doesn't reprimand me for my lack of respect-a Death Perk, as it seems. "You know how grandiose his entrances could get."
"Thanks."
He nods and leaves the room.
Minutes later, Thor smashes into the wall in full Asgardian gear. Flames shoot out of my hands in surprise.
"Lady Amelia!" He greeted, his voice booming.
"Hey, Thor." I said.
"I am incredibly sorry for your situation," he states carefully. "Jane wishes to tell you that she will miss you."
"I'm so sorry I had to leave you guys…" I apologize once more.
I feel my eyes starting to water. I blink them away. No. I will not cry.
Thor looks at me sadly. "It's not your fault, Amelia."
I try to nod. I fail.
"I am so, so sorry. "
Later that night, I sit on the corner of the cage and think. I may be emotionless myself, but the little empathy I have left gave me an idea of how my friends would feel once I die.
After Thor's visit, Fury and I talked for the last time. He explained to me that the reason everyone only had a few minutes to talk was because my powers were getting a little too strong and out of control for their own good, and given enough force I would be able to break the cage and hit them.
He added that I probably shouldn't do the former.
Fury told me that Clint would be back soon-tomorrow, to be exact-from his mission in Minsk, Belarus. I perked up-it's been a long time since I saw my boyfriend.
Fury also gave me my file-something I burned immediately. I remember his face trying to remain neutral as the paper disintegrated into embers. However, no one can really escape my eye-even with just a glance, I saw that Fury was a little surprised and hurt by my action.
"Why, Amelia?" He asked.
"Well, if I was going to die, then why not wipe my face off the earth while I was still at it? Go big or go home," I shrugged.
Fury laughed a little at that.
"Again, thank you for everything. You're like a second father to me, Nick." I told him.
The moment I uttered those words I knew Fury was about to collapse on the spot. I don't know how I, an emotionless robot who was a part-time bitch managed to make her way into everyone's heart, but I did.
And because of that simple fact, I was unintentionally going to kill them-emotionally.
I shake my head clear of the memory and curl up into a ball before sleeping soundly into the night.
DAY THREE: TUESDAY
I wake up along with the sun-my body clock is synchronized with it. I yawn and stretch my body before standing up to see Nat outside my cage.
"Nat? What are you doing here?" I ask her.
"You need to take a bath," she says as she puts down the barrier with a press of a button.
"I know it's important to stay clean, but that is an order I never thought I'll get from an Avenger."
She giggles. "You'll see."
Even though I'm being freed, I am reluctant to step out. After nearly three whole days of confinement, the outside world seems like a forbidden place.
"Come on," Nat says.
I step out of the cage, wrapping my hands around each other. I am terrified of the fact that my powers could have a breakdown there and then.
Natasha leads me to my room without a hitch. She tells me to wear something nice, which takes me to the conclusion of Clint's arrival. I take a bath and change into my favorite outfit-an off-white dress with thin straps and a skirt that flows with the wind paired with a soft pink cardigan and brown three-inch wedges. I even take the time to style my wavy brown hair so it looks flawless-I must die in style. I add in a pair of gold earrings and a necklace to finish my outfit.
I come out of my room after a grand total of thirty minutes and Natasha leads me back to my cage. I step in, feeling the ground cover with frost.
"The twins will come in shortly," she informs me.
Save the best for last, I guess?
"Thanks," I say.
She gives one last look at me before leaving and it nearly breaks my heart.
I wonder if my situation makes the twins paranoid. They were, after all, experimented on the same way I was. We're alike and became friends because of that simple fact-and the truth that I am dying is possibly enough to set them on edge. How could they be taking this?
The twins enter and I wave at them. Wanda breaks free of Pietro's grasp and slams her hands on the cage.
"Amelia!" She cries out.
"Calm down, Wanda, I'm fine." I reassure her. Wanda and I go way back-as far as HYDRA lab rats back. When we became really close, I asked Dr. Schneider if she and her brother could come live with me in my old penthouse-which he agreed to. HYDRA couldn't bear to lose the favor of their greatest asset.
"Amelia…"
"I'm sorry that it had to be this way, Wanda. I really am."
"It's not fair! Amelia…"
Wanda breaks down to a sob. Pietro encloses her into a consoling hug and he looks at me fondly.
"Thank you, Amelia. For everything. I…I'm sorry this is happening to you."
"I'm sorry too," I tell him.
After a long exchange of goodbyes, the twins leave and I am left alone to my thoughts once again.
Knowing that I only had a few hours left to live, I am try to use my powers as much as possible, doing what is deemed impossible while I'm at it. My cage is currently in an existential crisis-my right hand is currently holding a flame enclosed by a bubble of ice, and vice versa for the other one. I am sitting on the ice-covered floor as it rains both of fire and ice.
Beautiful.
It is currently 6 in the evening, and I am waiting for Clint to arrive and bring me my last meal. He arrives thirty minutes later carrying a tray filled with two helpings of my favorite food-chicken cordon bleau with rice and a special dip matched with a glass of iced tea.
"Clint!" I exclaim when I see him. The rain of ice and fire stops and the spheres vanish into thin air.
"Amelia!"
He drops the barrier immediately and puts the tray on the floor before enveloping me in a tight hug. A tear is on the verge of forming on my eye, and I blink it away before it succeeds.
"Clint…I missed you…"
"I missed you too." He says after pulling away.
He gives me my share of the food and walks out of the cage hesitantly before putting up the barrier again. He sits down beside it and I do the same.
"I'm sorry I came back so late," he apologizes.
"No, it's okay. I still have a few hours left," I reassure him. "I have until 5 am, I believe."
"Still," he interjects.
I swallow the food in my mouth.
"It's okay, Clint-at least we're together now."
Clint looks at me sadly. "I'll never be able to see your beautiful face again…" He says as he reaches out-to tuck a lose strand of my brown hair behind my ear, I presume-only to be hindered by the cage walls.
"Dammit," he mutters, a little embarrassed.
I laugh.
"I wish I could get rid of the boundary," Clint says.
"You could, you know. By pressing that big red button over there," I point out.
"Yes, but it only opens when there's a reasonable purpose. And no one more than Fury knows that I hate the rules, so he'd keep it stricter."
"Try it anyway," I insist. "Fury must've loved once. Surely he could make an exception."
"O…okay."
Clint puts aside his food and walks over to the button. He presses it, hard, but with no avail.
"Damn," he comments.
Damn indeed.
He returns to his position and we talk. About life. My powers. His past. How he often thought that the only reason Natasha warmed up to me is because she valued his opinion and decided to trust me a little more because he, Clint Barton, her best friend and confidante, became friends with me. I tell him off a bit in reply to keep his ego from inflating too much.
Our following conversations are completely random. We debate about which sushi is the best. The worst. When Steve will get a girlfriend. How sassy Tony Stark is.
For some reason, our conversation ends up about us, like what he thought when he injected the tranquilizer dart and the course of our relationship. Every few minutes, he tells me he wants to kiss me so badly and I tell him the same.
We fall asleep at 10 pm, our heads leaning towards each other.
I look at the clock when I wake up and realize that I have seven minutes left. I feel grateful that my body woke up a little earlier today to have the chance to say goodbye.
My body weakens at the thought of leaving him.
"Clint…" I wake him.
"Yes, my dove?" He yawns. That is the last time I'll ever see him yawn.
"I have seven minutes."
"Oh, shit!"
Clint slams the button repeatedly, even though we both knew that it would never work. I bang the walls all the same-and I remember that Fury said that with enough force, I will be able to break the force field walls.
Six minutes.
I gather a giant ball of fire and throw it. The force field ripples around it, and a small crack shows.
Clint notices this and kicks the wall repeatedly, hoping that whatever impact he provided will help. It does-the crack grows by a fraction.
I hurl a gigantic ball of ice towards it and the crack spreads throughout the wall, encouraging us to do better.
Five minutes.
Tears begin to blur my vision. I let them form this time-it would be a waste of time to stop them, which I didn't have.
I continue throw fireballs at the crack, which grows bigger every second. I form a gargantuan sphere of ice and fling it to the crack, causing the force field to shimmer into thin air.
Four minutes.
He places his hand on the small of my back and pulls me close to him. The kiss is passionate enough to make my legs go weak and long enough to leave me gasping for air.
Three minutes.
I cling onto his arms, taking a deep breath before returning the kiss. I am so sorry, my brave hawk, for having to leave you alone…
We pull away and there are tears on his eyes. "I am in love you, Amelia, and that will never change…"
I catch the faintest glow from the sun at the corner of my eye. I realize that now, the rising of the sun will mark another event-The Downfall of the Girl of Ice and Fire.
He kisses me again shortly and I tell him, "J'taime beaucoup, l'amour de ma vie…"
Two minutes.
"I will never forget you, my little dove..."
Clint picks me up and runs to the glass windows, giving me the best view of the sunrise. He tells me over and over that he loves me, and I return the statements with all the energy I have.
It's incredibly comforting to be in his arms.
One minute.
I hear the faint sound of people running towards my room. I think the gang is coming to see me for the last time.
"Clint," I breathe.
"Yes? I love you."
I feel my lungs tightening. Fire is burning me as ice is freezing me. It hurts so badly.
"Thank you…for saving me…"
Tears threaten to spill over my cheeks and for once, I allow it. The rush of letting your emotions go free is relaxing, and a heavy weight is lifted from my body. I breathe, laughing a little.
"Thank you for everything too, my love," he says as he brushes my hair out of my face and wipes my tears.
I smile at him.
"I love you, Clint."
The sun rises over the horizon, and as my heartbeats grow fainter, I thank all the gods in the universe for the chance to have a new life. I make peace, declare my allegiance to the good side and the last things I hear and see are the other Avengers entering my room and dashing to my side as the sun goes up to begin a new day.