Chapter 10 – Fear
Thank you to those who left a review, the general consensus being to continue this story. Like I mentioned before, it will be heading in a slightly different direction than I had originally planned when I first started writing it about 4 years ago now. Some of this due to MCU movies and shows that have come out since and some due to me just being in a different space mentally/emotionally. I hope it lives up to what you are wanting.
So, here we go, back into the fray. I will be marking chapters, or parts of chapters, that contain a more mature content with **** so that readers are aware. Not all content will be the same level of "mature", sometimes it may act more as a trigger warning rather than a warning of any adult/intimate content. Read at your own risk.
"Peter? What's wrong?" May reached down to pick up his phone. "Hello? Who is this?"
"May? This is Tony Stark. Is Peter ok?"
Peter barely heard them as he lowered himself to the floor, back against the side of his bed and knees up by his chin. He knew being an Avenger or being associated with them came with underlying danger. But Tony was so careful with her. Hell, the only reason Tony wasn't as careful with Peter was probably because Peter didn't live near the compound. Wasn't as easy to control someone when they weren't in immediate access.
May and Tony kept talking. Tony was keeping the info light, obviously. May still had no idea about Peter being Spider-Man, but she did know about Aqua. She liked the young girl. She found Aqua to be a source of confidence for Peter, one he's needed, and it was all thanks to Peter's internship at Stark Industries. Tony gave her short versions of what happened: Aqua had gone out for a walk in the wooded area near the compound and disappeared, and her communicator wasn't active, leaving them nowhere to look.
May looked down at Peter, who was still silently staring ahead with a few tears streaming down his face. What May didn't know was that while Peter was upset, he was also running multiple layers of thoughts through his mind. Thinking of places that she may escape to should she have the opportunity or reasons someone would have to kidnap her. It actually wasn't well known that Aqua was someone close to Tony or the Avengers. She may have been with them for the past five years, but Tony and S.H.I.E.L.D. made sure to keep it under wraps since she was so young. Even at 15, they still hadn't announced her relationship to the team. So anyone after her would have to have the inside information that she was even there.
With so many things running through his brain, Peter didn't even realize that he hadn't heard the full story yet. He wiped his eyes and stood up reaching for the phone, silently asking May to have it back. She gave her regards to Tony and handed the phone to Peter.
"I'll be in the kitchen if you need me," May gave him a hug and a quick peck of a kiss on the top of his head before closing the door behind when she left. Peter made sure she was away from the door before starting back into a conversation with Tony.
"Ok, what actually happened?"
"Like I said, the two of you were texting, she said someone, rather something, had said something weird in your texts, which we will be discussing by the way, and that she needed some air. I told her to be back in time for dinner. She wasn't out there for more than an hour and a half when I got an alert from Friday that someone not recognized was on the compound grounds. I immediately took off, scanners running. One minute I saw their two outlines and the next they were both gone. Into thin air." Tony took a moment to breathe, releasing a sigh, disappointment settling itself back into his being. Disappointment in himself for not being fast enough to help Aqua.
Peter took the opportunity of silence to jump in.
"What about further scans? I mean, she's still on Earth, right? Not like she could have just portaled herself somewhere else, not by herself."
"Exactly, not by herself. I've been trying to get a hold of Thor in case he landed or one of his people landed here and she went to Asgard with them, but he can be difficult to reach. But why would someone arrive, not announce themselves to us, and Aqua leave without saying a word?"
Tony had a point. Aqua would have told him if she were leaving.
"And yes, I still have Friday running scans. At this point, all of us are under the assumption that she was taken off-world. As soon as her communicator is back in range, we will know and we'll be right there."
Peter sighed. He knew this was Tony telling him there's nothing he can do right now. To just wait it out and be ready when the notification hits. He knew he would need to keep busy though. He wouldn't be able to just sit and wait.
"Can I come over this weekend? I might have an idea for a web shooter upgrade that wouldn't require suit activation to use them."
"Sure. Pick you up after school."
"Thanks, Mr. Stark. I'll let May know."
**Warning**
Aqua's head felt foggy. Slowly, she was remembering what had happened, but it was overtaken by her realizing she was currently strapped in a hard, reclining chair that reminded her of the chairs at a dental office. She tried struggling against the restraints on her arms and legs, but knew there was no way out. She still felt too affected by whatever drug they gave her to try her full strength. Getting that through her mind, she took the time to look around her as best she could.
The entire room seemed to be made from some sort of metal. It gleamed with that charcoal black color that had a mix of matte and glossy texture. The few lights that surrounded the room were far too bright for her liking given she was tilted back to look almost directly at the ceiling. It didn't really look like there was much else in the room, though she couldn't exactly see what was behind her to know for sure.
She tried her restraints again, even tried expanding ice between them and her wrists to make space, but it didn't work. There was zero give in the material. She gave one last exasperated sigh before a pair of doors she didn't even know existed opened, revealing the purple giant and an old-looking, wrinkly creature right behind him. Their body language screamed relaxed and casual, as if holding someone captive was normal, yet Aqua could only feel an aura of dominance and power from them. They were idly talking while Aqua sat there helplessly.
"With utmost respect, Sire, are you sure this is wise? She is much older than any of your adoptive children were at the time of their revelation, which is most likely causing our current complications."
"That simply means we must work quicker and harder to ensure she is ours and she finds her path with us. For that, Maw, I require you. We will need full access to her memories and mind. I do not yet have the mind stone, so this will be your task."
"Of course, sire. I will begin preparations immediately." And he set to his task. Aqua watched fearfully, hoping her expressions were not betraying her. Her mind was the type to think up the worst case scenarios first, so it was already running wild thinking of wire and tubes being connected to her, all while wishing the images going through her mind were just that; images and fearful thinking.
Her wish was not granted as "wrinkly" walked somewhere behind her and the chair reclined even further so that she was almost laying flat. Her emotions must have broken through her façade because as her chair stopped, the purple giant came over to her.
"Do not be afraid, little one. Once you have come to see our ways, your mind will be clearer and you shall feel no pain."
As he was speaking, she could hear Wrinkly hitting buttons and she saw a flurry of movement above her as her worst fears were coming true. Wires and tubes were coming towards her at all angles while a bright light shone directly into her eyes. Several of these wires attached themselves to her temples, sliding into her skin and reaching out around her skull. Aqua tried not to cry, but the feeling of those tendrils were too foreign and her fear too much for her to contain. Pain wracked her body as tubes connected themselves to her legs and arms. A burning spread through her chest as wires pushed their way through and laid themselves across her vital organs. Every little spasm from the pain only sent renewed sparks through her, keeping her in a locked position, barely even breathing so as to not move and send more sparks.
"As I have said before, if you do not wish to be in this pain, you must relax," Wrinkly said from above/behind her. But she couldn't listen. Her ears were ringing from all of the metallic material being forced into her body. Her mind went back and forth from fear to acceptance. Fear of losing and leaving those she loved, fear of becoming a puppet of these creatures, but acceptance in death and wanting the pain to end. She would rather die than be used to cause chaos and destruction, which she only guessed was their purpose.
She thought of Tony and Pepper. Of Nat, and Steve, and Wanda. Of Rhodey and Bruce. Even Nick Fury. And, of course, Peter. Dorky, adorable Peter. Too kind to hurt even criminals he apprehends as Spider-Man. Tears flowed more freely as her family ran through her mind.
"Our systems say she is healthy and ready for revelation. Though, I do expect it to take more time given her age."
"It has already been this long, so whatever time it takes will be worth it to have her with us. She will be useful in our conquest, I can feel it."
His phrasing made Aqua's brain pause. It has already been this long? What does he mean? How long have I been here? How far away from earth are we? What's been happening to me that I don't remember?
Before she could think any further, she feels a burst of electricity explode through her body, focusing on her skull. Her body convulses and constricts as a burning electrical current races to her mind. All at once, she sees images of her memories racing in front of her eyes, each hitting her with a new blast of pain. So far, they seem to be surface memories, images of her everyday life yet none containing her family. Through the pain and fear, she hopes it stays that way. She hopes those memories never surface to be used against her or them. Lock them up and throw away the key.
The images and pain continue for what feels like hours, never relenting. Finally, her body gives up and no amount of electrical current brings her back to consciousness. Laying there, limp and sheen with sweat, the purple giant pats her head as Wrinkly taps buttons and recalls the wires and tubes. Without Thanos seeing, Maw shakes his head, knowing they had accomplished no more than the last three sessions they had tried. Yet Thanos still looked hopeful.
He wanted her. She would be his. She may not be a perfect replacement for his favorite of his daughters, but with steady work and training, she could be the next best. He would make sure of it.