Release

"There, the surgery is done," Contagion told me. He walked over to a piece of paper hanging on the wall and checked off a few items. He left the room.

With my new heightened senses, I could see the paper from across the room. What an improvement. It was a list of all the powers they wanted to give me. Tons of them. There were only a few left to implant, and they were the least important ones. By then my insides were constantly shifting, trying to adjust to the newfound abilities. My body was used to my atom powers, nothing more. Unable to control myself, I retched onto the fairly clean floor. I decided to take a nap, since there was not much to do other than think, and I had done plenty of that since my abduction. My eyelids drooped, and I fell into a sleep-like state.

o8o

My eyelids open after a long break from reality. Sleeping is the only way I can escape, and even then… Cough cough. I stare in horror at the floor where my excretions land. Still, after all this time, my insides are all screwed up. Excess blood dribbles down my chin, staining my already bloody costume. Maybe Doom plans on finishing the DNA transplants today. At least then this torture will stop. Then Doom walks in carrying a tray holding a needle and the powerful drugs, dashing my hopes. Doom seems to move in slow motion, filling the needle with the drugs and wiping a spot blood-free on my arm. With the powerful drugs in my body, there is nothing left to do but think. I decide that after Contagion is done with the transplants, I will try to send out a call for help. I've been saving my energy for a while now for this purpose, as well as communicating telepathically with the other patients. They want out just as bad as I do. The pain dims the effects of the drugs, so maybe I can fight past the lingering effects.

"Nikki, after this surgery, there is only one more to live through," my surgeon informs me. He unstraps the bindings and carries me over to the lab table once again. He begins the operation by making an injection.

By now I am accustomed to the pain, so I don't scream as loud as I did the first few times. Scary, how one can become used to pain. Remembering the chart, Contagion is giving me faster reflexes and higher physical endurance. Each operation lasts a little longer than the last, because Contagion has to keep giving me blood transfusions. Where he gets the blood, I have no idea. After a couple of hours, the henchman carries me back to the upright chair. After hooking me back in, he leaves the room.

I quickly seize the opportunity and flex my fingers. I haven't used my powers since my abduction, which was more than a few weeks ago, so using them will most likely drain me more than usual. I glance at the door and listen for footsteps. Nothing fills the silence. Not even screams. Contagion must be on his break. I create a camcorder. The person in the room closest to me uses his wavelength abilities to carry the message to the nearest stream. I only have enough strength to broadcast for a few minutes at most, so I kept the prepared speech short and to the point. I just hope it reaches somebody who can help us. If not for me, then for one of the others. Nobody deserves this torture. Everybody will be watching the playoffs, so that channel will be the best choice. I hit the on button and begin my announcement.

"Listen, if anybody knows anybody that can help, please let them know. This is Reality," I start, already out of breath. I can imagine what the witnesses are seeing. My appearance must surprise them. My face, hair, and arms are coated in blood. My mask and costume are torn and are also covered with my body fluids. The midnight blue of my top and the blood red of my cape turn even darker. The trauma of the surgery and my hazy mind make my voice sound cracked. My bloodshot eyes practically shout, "I'm freaking out! Save me!" I force myself to continue, "Tell them they're hiding us in a shack near the New York border. They're giving us other hero's powers to try to make the killing machine. They say they want a person with a strong enough mind, and they're experimenting with a bunch of different people. I have no idea what he does to the others here. They give me drugs and almost bleed me to death. I'm scared! Please, save me! Save us! Please, help-" I cut off before I finish. The strain becomes too much, and I faint.

Sounds of a fight make me wake up. The walls shake and the cart of tools falls over. Then the door is blasted off its hinges, crashing into the opposite wall. My brother, seeing me alive, rushes over to unbind my arms and legs. "Hey, Johnny," I whisper, feeling weaker by the minute.

Johnny wrestles with the bindings for a few seconds. "Don't worry, Nikki, we brought the Avengers. We called them after receiving a message from somebody who saw your message. Smart move, going live," he explains. "Hey, you!" Johnny suddenly calls out to Contagion, who is trying to sneak out of the shack. "Undo these straps!"

Contagion falters. "Torch, she must remain here. If you transport her, she will die," he wavers.

"Stop lying and do what I say!" Johnny commands, his eyes beginning to water. He forms a fireball with one hand and aims it at my operator. With the other he tightly grasps my bloody hand.

"Fine, fine!" he shouts, giving in. He yanks off the metal latches and bolts out the room. For once in his life Johnny actually was threatening. If I weren't so tired I would be laughing.

"Don't worry about him. Right now we need to get you home." Johnny carefully picks me up and walks out the door.

I lay my head against his warm chest. After weeks of constantly feeling cold, his warm temperature feels nice. I struggle to keep my eyes open. I know that if I close them, I will leave this existence-permanently. But I'm so tired…

The Avengers create a pathway outside for us. Some members I don't even know are there, carrying captives and looking concerned. Touching. Johnny carries me to a fancy black car parked nearby. He opens the back door and lays me down gently on the seat. "Just hold on, kiddo. Everything will be fine. Before you know it, you'll be back with your friends," he says while shutting the door.

Looking out the window, I see him burst into flames and fly above the car, protecting it from the Doombots. Whoever is driving the vehicle quickly jams the gas pedal, speeding away. I hope the rest made it out alive. I feel my head move, and I notice Wasp sitting on the other side of the seat. She rests my head on her lap, ignoring the fairly large bump created by her baby. She smiles at me and strokes my hair. "Jan, I …apologize. I should have been… more careful," I whimper.

"Shh, it's okay. You have nothing to apologize for. What Doom wants, he gets. We're taking you to the Mansion. Don't worry, you can make it," she assures me, though she sounds worried.

My vision turns fuzzy, and I squint to make out Jan's face. My brain turns completely numb. I struggle to form my last words. "What… about… the others?" I manage to get out.

"They got out. They're fine," Janet whispers, tears pooling in her eyes.

"Jan…tell everyone I'll…miss them. I'm…truly sorry." My heartbeat slows. The last thing I see is a tear falling out of my motherly teammate's eyes.

"Please, Nikki, you can't die, not now. A kid like you should live longer. Come on, Nikki, you're a fighter, you can make it. Don't die, Nikki, don't die," she cries.

Shortly after my eyes close the noises start to fade. The last thing I hear is Janet sobbing, her tears cascading onto my face. She feels for my pulse and discovers it is rapidly disappearing.

"Nikki, don't! Come on, Nikki! You can make it! Dammit, Nikki, LIVE!" she screams, her heart-wrenching sobs becoming louder with each passing second.

My heart finally beats for the last time. I'm sorry, everybody, I think with the last of my strength. I've fought as long and as hard as I can. I'm giving in. All at once, everything stops, and the world becomes deathly quiet. I draw my last shaky breath. Funny. I didn't expect it to be peaceful. Going against everything Johnny and Sue taught me, I give in to the pain and move on.