8:01am
Thursday
May 17, 2015
New York City, New York
Avengers Tower
Medical Bay
"Soooo...what's wrong with him?" Clint asked from his perch on a vacant table. All of the Avengers, plus Peter and Dr. Helen Cho, were all in the med bay, trying to figure out what's wrong with Death Angel.
Dr. Helen Cho and Bruce Banner were checking Anderson's (who actually turned out to be Death Angel) vitals.
"We don't know." Helen answers absentmindedly, tapping on the Stark tablet.
"Yet." Bruce interjected, noticing the upset look Tony gave. "We don't know yet."
"Why are the Angel of Death's eyes open if he's not awake?" Thor asked, blond head cocked to the side, bewildered at Anderson's vacant staring up at the ceiling.
"I've heard about this. This is Catatonia or Catatonic stupor." Peter pipes up. "It's a condition in which a person lacks critical cognitive functioning and is unresponsive to stimulation other than pain. Its symptoms are staring, withdrawal, rigidity, echolalia and echopraxia. Echolalia is basically repeating a person's speech and echopraxia is repeating other's movements."
"So, basically he's just a soulless puppet without strings." Clint comments. Natasha smacks him upside the head and he yelps.
"What do we do to wake him up?" Tony questions urgently, silently pleading there is a way to help Angel.
"Based on what Peter explained, I don't think we can." Helen says sympathetically. Tony's felt his heart drop to his stomach. "Anderson did this to himself. He can undo this himself."
"In the meantime, we can only be here for him until he's ready to wake up." Bruce stated quietly, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"And we will have a mighty celebration when he does." Thor joyfully said after a beat of an uneasy silence. Steve uneasily nodded, not knowing what to say.
Tony shuffles to the comatose body on the bed and places a hand on the bed railing. He looks into his Angel's eyes and he sees no emotion.
8:04am
Thursday
May 17, 2015
New York City, New York
Avengers Tower
Medical Bay
What's happening?
Anderson couldn't move or speak. He could hear everything that was going on around him but can't do anything.
"Freaky, huh?" It was her again.
Tori.
Victoria Ruiz.
The one person he would expect to meet at his deathbed.
"You're not dead, Andy." Tori giggled from her post next to Tony, who was sadly staring into his eyes.
That surprised him. How did she know that?
"Because I'm in your head. Everyone out here can't see me but you."
Why can't he move?
"Because I can't let you go just yet." Tori simply said. "I need you to come home."
But he doesn't want to go back. Go back to the one place that started the chain of events that lead up to him being Death Angel.
"Don't you want to know the truth?" Tori asks. "To know what happened to Papi and Mama?"
Wh-what did she mean by that?
"Not everything was as it seems back then, hermano."
Let me go.
"I can't."
Let me go.
"Not until I'm sure that you'll go back home in California."
Just...let me go.
4:42pm
Thursday
November 12, 2015
New York City, New York
Six months.
Six months since Josephine's death.
Six freaking months since Anderson became catatonic.
Six months since Liz broke up with Peter.
That was a blow to his heart when she did.
"I'm sorry, Peter. I just can't do this. This city is not safe and people are dying without reason."
For a month, Peter moped and sulked about it. He became Spider-Man more often and took out anger and sadness out on the bad guys.
He missed them. Both Anderson Ruiz and Death Angel.
Sure, he found out who Death Angel was but it didn't mean he doesn't miss his crime-fighting partner.
Peter was sure he wasn't the only one missing Death Angel.
Steve's taken to drawing next to Anderson's bedside and telling him stories of his time in the 1900s.
Bruce always makes sure that he is properly fed and constantly tries to get him to say something that's not repeated.
Thor, when he is around, would babble about the joys of pop-tarts and how he can draw a turkey with just his hand.
Natasha would tell him about their latest missions when she's not busy being in her own undercover missions.
Clint would walk throughout the tower with him and play subtle pranks on unsuspecting team members.
Peter played Anderson's favorite music and movies. He also shows him the photos he's taken throughout the day.
Tony...well, he was the worst of all. He stayed by his side 24/7. Only time he wasn't by his side is when they're called to help the city. He would work on his inventions in there and watch the movies Peter put on.
Peter knew about Tony's feelings for Death Angel but doesn't know about his feelings for Anderson. Tony is in love with Anderson's alter-ego, not really Anderson himself.
Peter can only hope that he falls in love with both.
4:50pm
Thursday
November 12, 2015
New York City, New York
Avengers Tower
Medical Bay
"Okay, let's do this again." Bruce spoke, sitting in a stool across from Anderson and holding a clipboard in the cradle of his arm.
"...let's do this again." Anderson mumbled, echoing Bruce.
Bruce glanced at Tony, who was sitting at a table, tinkering with a jet boot of his Iron Man suit.
"Anderson, answer this question." Bruce started. "Do you know where you are?"
"Do you know where you are?"
Bruce held in a frustrated groan and ran a hand through his messy hair. He looks at his notes on his clipboard. They were mainly about the attempts he made to try to bring Anderson, all failed trials.
"Here, let me try." Tony nodded, striding over and sat down next to Bruce. "Anderson, what's my name?"
There was no echo or answer.
Then Anderson whispered so quietly that the other two couldn't hear.
"What did you say?" Bruce inquired, hoping that it wasn't an echo. Tony leaned forward in anticipation.
The medical bay's doors opened and in walked the whole Avengers team, plus Peter.
"Any news?" Steve asked upon seeing the expectant looks on the two's faces.
Tony shushed them and turned back to Anderson. "Do you know who I am?"
The room was deathly silent as they waited for the answer.
"...To...To..." Anderson muttered, saying something different for once. "...Tori..."
"Who's Tori?" Clint tilted his head slightly.
"...Tori...please...let me go..." Anderson said. Everyone gave him confused looks.
"I don't think he's talking to us. He's actually talking to this Tori person." Bruce marveled in slight fascination. He turned to Peter. "Did Anderson ever mention a 'Tori' to you before, Peter?"
Peter shook his head. "No, but come to think of it, I don't really know that much about his past."
Anderson stood up suddenly, startling everyone. "Tori...let me go...I promise...I'll go...if you'll just let me go..."
"Go where?" Steve asked, eyebrows furrowed. Anderson looked at the supersoldier with a very alert look in his eyes that Tony hasn't in a long time.
"Home." With that said, Anderson started to walk towards the doors. Peter rushed forward and grabbed his shoulders, stopping him. "Whoa whoa whoa! Anderson, are you awake? Like, right now?"
Anderson turned to face him and slowly nodded. "Yes but I need to go...and you can't stop me."
He reeled in his hands and launched them forward, screaming very loudly as he does. Peter was sent flying to the other side of the room and everyone surrounding covered their ears.
The screaming stopped and they all looked at Anderson in shock.
But he was gone from sight.
3:20am
Friday
November 13, 2015
Big Bear Lake, Caifornia
Deep in the forest
"You've arrived at your destination, sir." An automatic voice said from a speaker next to Anderson's head, waking him up.
After Anderson escaped from the Avengers' medical bay, he had gone to the roof and miraculously found a Quinjet. That was a lucky break.
He gave the ship coordinates to his old home in California and he had fallen asleep mid-flight.
Anderson stretched and yawned, rubbing his eyes. He unbuckled his seatbelt and the rear door opened. He exited to see the night sky and lots of trees around. It struck a familiarity chord in him and it fills him with nostalgia.
A twig snapped and he flinched, turning to where the sound came from.
A fox trotted out her cubs following her. She noticed him and swishes her tail, warning him not to get closer. He holds up his hands and walks in the opposite direction.
"Well, it was about time you came to your senses." Victoria said from his right. Anderson jumped and turns to her in surprise. He gives her an offended look.
"Oh, sorry. Wrong choice of words." Victoria apologized.
"Mmm-hmm. So what's going to happen now?"
"Nothing. We're just visiting the past." Tori said.
"Actually, I am visiting the past. You're just my illusion."
"Am I?" Tori quips. "Am I, really?"
Anderson rolls his eyes and he realizes he's at the edge of the forest, the two story house a few feet away.
He looks at Tori, who's smiling brightly at the sight of their old home. She cheers, "Home sweet home!"
She stops cheering when Anderson didn't move. She noted that his eyes were tightly shut and he was gritting his teeth together, as if he was in pain.
"Andy? What's wrong?"
Everything was blurring together and he couldn't see clearly anymore.
He gasps...
12:06pm
Friday
November 13, 1999
Big Bear Lake, California
Memorial Hospital
5th floor, South Wing, Room 207
The hall was silent as the Ruiz siblings traveled to room 207 at the end of the hall, the officer behind them.
"Well, this is the room, children. Go on in. She's happy to see you." Sanchez gently said. Victoria nodded and held onto her younger brother's hand as they enter the dimly lit room.
There was one bed, an old television set, and curtain. On the bed, there laid a beautiful woman. She had black hair, an astonishing combination of green and gray eyes, pale skin and she had an tattoo on her uncovered shoulder of a silhouetted fox.
"Mama?" Victoria called to her quietly. The woman turned head at the sound of her voice. Her face broke out into a smile.
"Victoria, Anderson. Come here and give mama a hug." She opened her arms. Victoria ran into them and squeezes her tightly. Mama reaches a hand out for Anderson to take. " Ven aquí, mi hijo."
"Murió papi, mama." Anderson cried out.
"I know, my son. But he's not gone. He's looking over us in Cielo now." Mama sadly says. "Now, come here. Take my hand."
Anderson hesitantly take a tiny step forward but stops himself.
"Anderson, por favor. Take my hand and don't let go." Mama pleads. Victoria looks at him and they lock eyes. She knows what he's going to do before it happens.
Anderson backs away and runs out of the room, crying quietly. Sanchez gave a yelp of surprise when he came out of nowhere.
"Andy." Victoria mutters. She turns to her mama, and saw her tearfully looking at where her son was standing.
"Tell him I loved him and that Papa and I are sorry we never told him for me. Please, Victoria." Mama begs. "Promise that you will."
"I promise, mama."
3:59am
Friday
November 13, 2015
Big Bear Lake, California
Two story House
"Andy?"
Tori's voice broke through his memory and he blinked.
"I just remembered mama." Anderson said.
"Hello?" A voice cried out from the house. Anderson snapped his head up in shock at the house. He was about to go back into the woods but a light spotted him before he could.
"Who are you? You're trespassing on private property!" The young man called to him in a Spanish accent. Anderson refrained from saying it's nobody's property. "I demand to know who you are!"
"Anderson Ruiz! My name is Anderson Ruiz!" He called back. The man got closer but Anderson couldn't make out what he looked like.
"Ruiz? I never heard that name around these parts before. Where ya from?"
"Here. I used to live here seventeen years ago." Anderson answer, the man a few feet away now.
"Really? Because last I heard, no one lived in this house for thirty years before I moved in."
Now a feet away, Anderson could see what he looked like and his jaw dropped. "What the hell?"
The young man had light brown hair, dark brown eyes, a bit taller than Anderson and tanned skin. It was like he was looking into a mirror.
The other guy gasped in shock when he got a good look at Anderson's face. "Why do you look exactly like me?"
"Why do you look like me?"
"Well, isn't it nice to have a lost family reunion?" Tori cooes. Anderson slowly turns to her, dumbfounded before turning back to his lookalike.
"Are we twins?" He asks quietly.
"Seems so." The other man returned in a neutral tone, still reeling from the fact he either might have a doppelganger or more horrifying, a long-lost twin brother.