Chapter 45
Rosie's life flashed before her eyes for the third time that year. She tried to scream but her mouth was held shut. Rosie closed her eyes and waited to hit the ground, there was no hope of Tony catching her this time. Last time she was thrown from the tower by Loki as Mello wouldn't do it during the Battle of New York Tony caught her when she was about to hit the ground. But it never came; instead there was an unusual heat all over her body. Slowly she opened her eyes and squeaked in surprise because carrying her to the ground was the Human Torch.
"Hey kiddo!" Johnny winked before melting the metal enough to get it off her mouth.
"Johnny?" she choked.
"Yeah?" he looked down at her.
"You're kind of BURNING ME!" she screamed. Johnny laughed in reply making her even angrier. He dumped her on the ground in front of the other Fanatic Four members. Susan ran over to her and started to pat out the burning parts of her clothes.
"Are you ok? We got your distress call, looked like we got here just in time," Susan asked looking Rosie over as she started to cough.
"Yeah… I'm fine… It's Magneto… he's… inside," she said between coughs before her eyebrows shot up, "Oh no… Mello and Coulson are still inside!" She ran to the tower door but Mr Fantastic wrapped his arms around her and pulled her away from the burning building.
"Johnny go!" he ordered.
On it," Johnny winked, "FLAME ON!" With that he shot up and towards the flaming tower.
"Sue do you think you can control the flames, stop them spreading?" Reed looked over to her.
"I'll do my best sweetie," she smiled.
"Ben help me protect the crowd things are going to start falling," he told the Thing.
"Right, let's move it people," Thing started to move people away before going to stop the falling debris. Rosie stood there shaking like a leaf as she watched the tower burn in front of her. Her home was burning and there's nothing she can do to stop it. To make matters even worse her one of best friends was still in there and her handler, the man she believed to be dead. He can't die again. She'd just got him back. He can't leave them all again, not this soon after he returned. None of them could go through that again Once again his life was falling away in front of her and there was nothing she could do and now Mello was in the equation as well. Her eyes never left the tower's main floor, looking for any sign showing that they were alive but there was nothing. No Johnny, no Mello, no Magneto nothing. Forcing herself not to start crying she stared up at the tower. They can't die, they can't die, they can't-
BOOM!
Rosie froze as she watched the floor explode. Fire shot out the window causing part of the building to fall off. Beside her Invisible Woman struggled to contain the blast.
"NNOO!" she screamed as it suddenly clicked. She rushed forward towards the door.
"SUE STOP HER!" she heard Reed cry from behind her. Suddenly she ran into what felt like a wall but there was nothing there. Sue'd put a force field in front of her. Desperately she started to punch the force field screaming, tears rushing down her face. As another explosion emerged from the tower she collapsed to the floor. That was it. They must be gone. There was no way they could have survive two blasts. Once again her handler has died and there's nothing she could have done. When she started to scream hysterically she felt two hands grab her turning her around. She came face to face with Susan who pulled her into a hug before pulling her away from the flaming building.
"Hey, it's ok, it's all going to be ok," she whispered soothingly trying to keep the worry out of her voice; her brother was in there as well. When it started to rain they both looked up only to see the X-Men's jet - the Blackhawk above them with Storm flying beside it. The jet quickly landed and the X-Men ran out. Cyclopes, Beast, Wolverine and Emma Frost ran over to Mr Fantastic to learn about the situation whilst Hope, Kitty and Rogue ran straight for Rosie. Storm flew into the flaming tower still making it rain.
"Rosie are you ok?" Hope cried.
"Mello and Coulson are in there, there dead I just know it… not again I can't go through that again," Rosie collapsed to the ground and out of Susan's arms. Susan smiled weakly at the three girls before walking over to her team still maintaining the force field around the tower. Hope sat down beside her best friend and put her arms around her.
"Everything'll be all right, they'll be alive," Hope looked up to her other two friends before looking over to the tower. Once again Rosie broke down into a coughing fit that left her struggling to breath. The three mutants felt helpless, their newest friend was trapped in the tower and there was no way in hell Cyclopes would let them go in. Once her coughing fit had finished Rosie stood up with the help of Hope before looking to the main floor of the tower in hope someone may come out.
"Oh sweet mother of God…" Rosie whispered as she saw the Human Torch and Storm flying out of the tower with two limp bodies in their arms. Rosie ran over to where they landed.
"Are they alive?" she coughed again.
"Just I think… Hank! We need your help, you too Dr Richards!" Storm cried as she put Coulson's body on the ground. Johnny put Mello's body on the ground and moved back to make way for the two doctors. Rosie ran a hand through her hair as she watched Coulson be given CPR by Reed.
"They'll be all right Rosie," Emma came up behind her. Rosie coughed dryly again before turning round to face the White Queen.
"Magneto… did he get away?" she asked. Emma slowly nodded.
"I'd been in communication with the Human Torch whilst he was in the tower, they got away not long after he went in," Emma put her hand on Rosie's shoulder. Rosie watched as the fire engines and firemen that had showed up minutes before try to put out the blaze whilst Storms rain carried on. It was soon joined by the familiar clap of thunder. Rosie span round and ran towards Thor as best she could.
"Thor, it's burning, it's all burning," she coughed before throwing her arms around him.
"I know young Rosie, our team sent me to check on you, they have been forced to stay on the Helicarrier," Thor explained, "Where is young Mello?"
"She's over there I- I don't even know if she's alive…" Rosie whispered. Thor lead her over to where Coulson and Mello were laying. It was then Mello shot up coughing like hell. Thor smiled and Rosie breathed a sigh of relief, at least one of them was still alive. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the X-Men apart from Beast pile onto the jet. Thor dropped Mjolnir and ran to Mello's side; she leant against him and cried her face covered in soot.
"Do you want a lift back to the Helicarrier?" Susan came up behind her.
"Yeah, I think Coulson'll need medical attention, Mello's an Asgardian she can cope better with this sort of stuff," Rosie nodded, "Beast can you stay with us until we get back to the Helicarrier?"
"Yes Rosie, I will," Beast nodded.
They arrived on the Helicarrier around ten minutes later. Coulson and Mello were rushed to medical with Beast going with them, the Fantastic Four were called to talk to Fury and Thor led Rosie to the other Avengers. They were outside (apart from Hawkeye who was inside) Natasha's hospital room.
"Rosie are you ok?" Tony pulled Rosie into a hug.
"Yeah I'm ok, just inhaled a bit of smoke," Rosie smiled, "How's Natasha?"
"Spider good." Hulk growled.
"Thanks Jolly Green," Rosie turned round in Tony's arms so her back was against his chest, "How's Clint?"
"He's not left her side since you left," Steve explained. Rosie sighed and looked through the door.
"What about his French bird? He heard from her?" she growled.
"He's talked to her occasionally but said he's caught up with work," Steve smirked. Rosie nodded before the one of the most important things popped into her head.
"The towers burning back there, we can't live in it. Where are we going to go? We can't live on the Helicarrier that'll drive everyone up the wall," Rosie looked from her team mates and then up to Tony. Tony smirked at them all.
"I know where and I think your all going to love it," Tony smirked, "Let's get moving people."
"I think Clint should get out of medical," Rosie sorted out her slightly burned hoody, "Steve you get his arms, I'll get his feet then we'll give him to Hulk to carry since Hulk can't actually fit through the doors…"
