Second chapter's up!
I'm starting to suffocate, And soon I anticipate, I'm coming undone...
-Coming Undone; Korn
"…do you think…I don't know…she'll be alright?"
The hush whispers of two males mingled and Clarity opened her eyes with a small groan. She could feel the terrible throbbing in her head, amplified by the ringing in her ears. Her throbbing lost its intensity and she felt as if her head was stuff with cotton. Clare was grateful that she was still strapped down onto the table; any sudden movements would've made her nauseous and probable to fainting.
Still, she struggled into a comfortable position, aware of the icy prickles left on her skin. She lifted up her hand and was relieved when she found that her skin had returned to its original olive hue.
A man then came into view, holding out a cup of water. "Here," he said and lifted it to her lips. She drank greedily, her raging thirst subsiding. The man had honey blond hair, piercing blue eyes and a mild concerned look. He was garbed in clothes from a different era, but he didn't seem to mind. She nodded her head in thanks.
"W-What happened?" she croaked, voice raspy.
"The shocks shut your brain down for a while," he replied. "It's already been two days since you were out, we thought you were done for."
"More like Stevey here thought you were done for," another man appeared, his brown eyes glinting with mirth. He was shorter and stockier than Steve, but his confidence more than made up for the space he lacked. "I made a bet that you would wake up- that alien radioactive shit running in your veins is hard to put out," he gave her a quirking smile. "The names Tony Stark," he said with an amiable grin.
Clare's eyes widened. "Tony Stark as in the Ir-"
"The Ironman, yes, don't inflate his head anymore than he needs," Steve replied, giving Tony a measured look.
Tony groaned. "You took the fun out of surprising her," he grumbled.
"Wow," she breathed. "You gotta be kidding me."
Steve gave her a questioning look. "Excuse me? Why would we kid you for?"
"It's an expression Cap," Tony replied with a pointed look. He then looked at the startled girl. "You have to bear with Sleeping Beauty's lapse in modern slang; he taking it one day at a time, trying to catch up with the 70 years he was asleep"
Clare shook her head furiously. "I know," and despite her current predicament, she gave a dreamy smile. "You sacrificed yourself in saving the world before the bombs could destroyed it."
Tony chuckled. "Looks like you got yourself a fan girl, Steve."
Her face reddened. "N-No, it's just that I read your story and I thought-"
"He's just fooling around with you, Miss Davis," he said in an offhand manner.
"'Fooling around?'" Tony quipped. "Groovy choice of language, Cap."
Steve gave Tony a consternated look. "Be useful and hand Miss Davis a blanket."
The infamous man of iron rolled his eyes, but threw a blanket on her shivering form. Clare didn't realize that she was practically shivering until he wrapped the quilt around her. In fact, she seemed to be not able to feel anything.
The cool, prickling sensation had subsided but her fingers were still tingling and she realized she couldn't feel the seeping cool of the metal table. Her face showed her confusion.
"I'm sorry about your state now, but Nick Fury said it was best if we left you like this," Steve said with an apologetic expression. "He said that it was better if you remained immobile if another episode happens."
Tony snorted. "You actually listened to what that grouchy pirate says?" and for the first time since she's been here, someone actually sympathized with her condition. "You're practically nailing her to a spiky ice block."
"He's right," Clare said with a wince.
Steve gave her another one of his apologetic smiles. "Yes, but it's necessary for your safety."
Mercifully, her wits had returned and she gave him a pointed glare. "It's not as if I was going to blow up the roof," she argued.
The Captain shrugged heavily. "What Nick Fury says, we follow."
"That and you are likely to blow up the roof," Tony added. He tapped his fingers briskly against the holographic keyboard and an image of her vitals appeared before her. He tapped the screen and glowing red lights emerged on her pulse points.
"Those are the effects of the radioactivity of the Tessarect, it changes brain synapses and increased the negative charges," Tony frowned. "So now, you're basically a walking, charged foot rug."
Clare eyed the information warily. "Can it be erased?" she questioned.
Steve shook his head. "We can only subdue the effects but not truly destroy it."
She frowned and fell into a contemplative silence. "Is there anyway-" she began. "Is there any way that I'll be…I'll be able to go home?" she asked.
Even Tony was struck by her helpless question and shrugged. "Sorry Neytiri, I guess you're here to stay until Nick finds a way on how to incorporate you back to society."
An intense sadness filled her as she felt herself trembling. I will not cry, she promised herself, even if I'm terrified beyond words, I will not.
"H-How about Tia?" she asked, her brown eyes wide with apprehension. "Does she know where I am?"
Steve winced, as if the question caused him physical pain.
Tony whistled, his expression placid. "I almost feel bad for you, Clare," he admitted. "If I were in your position, I would totally flip."
She looked confused. "What? What do you mean?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D had to alter Tia's memories after the incident and she can't remember anything of that night," he said. "And to a certain extent…she can't remember you."
Clare was about to give the Captain a piece of her mind when he held up his hand, silencing her torrent of words. "Listen, the only thing she ever remembers of you is that you are her roommate and you were seen in that club two nights ago, that's it."
Her heart caved in. "B-But, she's my best friend," she blurted.
Tony gave her a pitying gaze. "Still, your friend couldn't find out about us and hey, maybe it's for the best, she won't tell your parents you've been clubbing," he offered.
That would be great, if I had parents, she thought. Clare gave him a glacial look. "Yes, and on the meantime, explain to my professors in college that I never existed."
He grimaced. "We're working on that."
Steve intervened, before things could get ugly. "Miss Davis, I'm truly sorry for what happened but we promise no permanent harm would be done to anyone. We still have to collect your D.N.A samples, administer the shot and-"
"And what?" she cut in sharply. "Erase everyone's memories? Pretend I never existed," anger coursed through her veins, making her tremble even worse.
"Take my life away? Everything that ever mattered to me?" she swore, violently throwing herself against the thick straps. "Get me use to the fact that I will never exist ever-"
A scalding hot sensation pricked her skin and she screamed. She screamed at the top of her lungs that even Tony was shocked.
"M-Make i-it st-st-stop," she said between clenched teeth.
Steve stepped back, hauling Tony along with him. "Watch out, she's having one of her episodes."
Clare wanted to tell them to get away, yell every profanity in every language she knew. Part of her was indignant that they treated this as if it were a temper tantrum and the other part was truly terrified of the what was about to happen.
Her body bowed on the table and she let out a bellow of pain. Her eyes pricked with a hot tears and she groaned. The electric shocks coursed through her body, making her fingertips spark.
"C-C-Can't control it," vaguely she caught sight of their alarm faces. "H-H-He-Help!"
Her shriek seemed to shake them into consciousness. Steve raced to the door, narrowly avoiding the sparks from her fingers.
"Tony, you stay and monitor her reactions," he commanded in an authoritive. "And if this room's going down, get out of here quick."
"Wait!" Tony shouted, unnerved. "What are you going to do?"
"Get Bruce," he grimaced. "We need to get her the shot now!"
He ran from the room before Tony could reply and the other man gave a grim look. "Alright then Sparky, it's just you and me," he mumbled, his fingers typing furiously on the keyboard.
A myriad of information flitted past him and his brown eyes scanned each of them attentively. He lightly tapped the screen and if possible, the metal table became colder.
"How's that Sparky?" he questioned, his eyes still glued to the screen.
Clare nodded, her teeth chattering, the sound unnerving. "B-B-Bet-Better," she replied and gave a facsimile of a smile.
"Hang in there, Dr. Banner is on his way," he reassured and continued adjusting the settings so that she wouldn't lose control.
There was nothing she could do but stay patient and trying to keep her powers under wraps. She almost had a hold on it when another racking wave of pain crashed onto her, dissolving whatever hold she had. Clare screamed, her fists scrapping the metal table with a spine chilling shricckk.
Tony winced but he continued adjusting. At one point she felt a huge wave of electricity running through her but she was beyond numb from the pain wracking her tired body. She gave him a baleful glare.
"S-Stop that," she scolded. He lifted his hands up in a placating gesture and continued scanning the statistics.
A crash through the door made them both turn and Clare noticed an older man rushing in, with a syringe in his hand. His hair was tousled and there were dark rings under his eyes and he had a look of distraught on his face. Steve followed, hot on his heels.
"Roger, you know I can't do this, the shot may kill her-"
"Unless her powers don't kill her themselves," Steve argued, his face set in a stubborn manner.
"But, the serum's not complete! Fury would have my head-"
"He'll have your head if you don't save her," Tony said in a hard tone.
That seemed to have made Dr. Banner realized the severity of the situation. He gave a resigned sigh.
"Alright…okay. Steve, help me hold her down- careful! Stay away from her fingers," Dr. Banner pushed the sleeves of his dress shirt up and began measuring the colorless liquid before pouring it into the syringe.
Steve placed his hands on her shoulders, his tone firm but not harsh. "Stay still, you don't want this shot moving up the wrong vein," he warned.
"Wh-"was all Clare managed before another wave of pain wracked her.
The agony would have made her leap from the table had Steve's hands not hold her down.
"Hold her firm, Steve," Bruce warned, coming to stand beside Clare.
He lifted the sleeve of her flannel shirt out of the way. He steadied her right hand, a look of pain crossing his features where the sparks fell against his bare skin. Dr. Banner aligned the shot and in one swift movement, pierced her skin with it.
Clare convulsed when she felt the cool substance entering her system. Her thrashing stopped and she fell, limp on the examining table.
Steve's hands lost their firm grip, his expression careful. He kept a hand on her shoulder, in case the shot backfired and she would lose control again.
But that never happened. Clare's eyes slip shut when she felt the pain ebbing away.
She closed her eyes warily, grateful for the loss of the excruciating agony. She closed her eyes and welcomed the cool embrace of unconsciousness.
Before she fell under its soothing waves, she gave Dr. Banner an exhausted beam. "Thank you," she whispered and lapsed into the arms of soothing respite.