Chapter Nine: Five Feet and Rising
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Ned Leeds
SLAM.
I jerk backwards as my locker slams closed barely an inch away from my nose with a loud metallic sound clanging loudly in my ears.
Swallowing, I stare wide eyed up at Michelle Jones, whose palm is pressed against my locker. MJ's eyes are narrowed into slits, her mouth curved into a frown as she peers down at me.
"Leeds," she deadpans.
Ohhhhhhhhhh shit.
I go for cheerfully oblivious. "Hey, MJ! How's it happening?"
How's it happening? I don't think I've ever said that in my life. It also doesn't make any sense.
MJ expertly arches an eyebrow. Damn, I wish I could do that. When I try to raise one eyebrow, both of mine shoot up and I just look super surprised.
"Where is he?" she asks.
"Uh, who?"
Her expression remains unimpressed. "Parker. Where is he?"
"Oh, Peter?" I clarify like there's some other Parker in this school. There's not.
MJ takes a step closer, getting into my personal bubble. I fight the urge to take a step back, trying not to seem guilty as beads of sweat begin to form on the back of my neck.
"Who else would I be talking about?"
"Well-"
"That was a rhetorical question. Don't answer it. Where is Peter Parker?"
"He didn't text you? He has like, a super bad case of the flu. Highly contagious," I nod, shifting the straps on my backpack. "I'm not even allowed over there."
"The flu."
"Yep! Nasty one. Trust me, you don't want to go anywhere near the Parker residence. That place should be, like, quarantined," I give a shudder to add to the effect.
MJ slowly crosses her arms over her chest. "He was well enough to text you, wasn't he?"
Uh-oh. Okay, gotta backtrack now. Don't want Peter coming back from space to a pissed off girlfriend, or whatever the heck those two were...are.
"Uh no."
She stares, waiting.
"Er...his aunt texted me. Yeah!" I jump on my excuse. Quick thinking, Leeds. "I was blowing up his phone. It was driving May nuts. Plus, I offered to get his makeup work for him."
I hold up the stack of papers I was getting for my locker, thankful for the solidifying proof backing up my story.
MJ's eyes narrow further, and I swear she is looking straight into my soul. It's absolutely terrifying, and yet, I can see why Peter is into her.
"Why are you sweating, Ned?" MJ asks, her voice quiet and sort of...concerned? sweet? Like a scary kind of sweet. Like she's mocking me. Like she can see through all my lies. Oh god.
"Sweating?" I squeak.
She steps closer, tilting her head and I realize I am one of those furry little animals on the Discovery Channel and she is the snake about to devour me. "You aren't nervous, are you? 'Cause if you're telling me the truth, there would be no reason for you to be nervous, would there?"
I swallow with a loud gulp. "I-I'm not nervous. Pshh. No. No, I'm just...we had P.E. just now. So...leftover sweat."
"We were in P.E. together. You spent the entire period on your phone."
"Dressing out for P.E. is very physically taxing for me right now because I strained my...deltoid. So it takes awhile and it's hard and I sweat."
I honestly don't know where deltoids are.
MJ scowls. "Fine. But if you hear from him, you text me, got it?"
I nod frantically, a probably hysterical looking smile on my face. "Got it. Yep! Can do. Will do. For sure."
I top it all off with a thumbs up and she rolls her eyes, turning to stalk down the hallway. Letting out a long breath of relief, I slump against the wall of lockers, wiping my sweat covered forehead with my sleeve.
That was way too close.
Tucking Peter's makeup work under my arm, I whip out my phone and shoot a couple texts to May.
Me: MJ cornered me by the lockers (wide-eyed emoji)
After a few minutes of staring at it, waiting for Peter's aunt to respond, I see the ellipses. She's typing back.
Aunt May: Am I supposed to know what that means? Is MJ code for something?
Oh. Oops
Me: Michelle. Jones. Peter's...gf, I guess?
Aw man, does May not know about MJ? Did I just out their relationship to his aunt? Crap, Peter is going to kill me.
Aunt May: Oh, the girl he kissed on New Year's?
I let out a sigh of relief.
Me: Yeah. She's suspicious. Told her he has the flu. (green-faced barf emoji)
Me: I think she bought it.
Aunt May: Good. Thank you.
I stare at the screen for a few moments, but it looks like she's done with the conversation.
Me: Any word yet?
Aunt May: …
Aunt May: …
Aunt May: …
Aunt May: No. Sorry, kiddo.
Me: No worries. Txt me if you hear anything
Aunt May: I will. (heart emoji)
That makes me smile. May never uses emojis.
Sighing, I put my phone into my pocket and head down the hall, trying not to think about how Peter had been kidnapped by aliens, how he's somewhere in space, maybe hurt, maybe…
I'm trying not to think about how my best friend is missing again.
And I'm failing.
Peter Parker
Bucky insists on a stealthy, silent course of action as we trek through the alien jungle. He's alert, eyes constantly scanning the trees, muscles tensing at every rustling in the bushes nearby.
It's smart, trying to be as quiet as possible while we are being hunted by maybe even hundreds of killer aliens.
But it also sucks.
I talk when I'm nervous. I talk when I'm bored. Ok, I pretty much talk all the time.
And now that I can't talk, I think. And my thoughts aren't exactly something I want to delve in too deeply. Not when panicked worries about the future nag at my brain. Not when the past is lapping at the forefront of my mind like waves on a dark lake, making sure I know that if I take even the smallest step back, I'll be submerged in its icy depths.
God. See? This is what happens when I am left to my own thoughts. I get weirdly...poetic. And moody. Maybe that's just part of being a teenager? Or hey, you know, from all the fun ptsd.
Or both.
Is this what my superhero career is going to be like? One huge disaster after another, each time wondering if I'll get to go home to my aunt and my friends, or if this will be the time that actually kills me?
If this is all it will ever be, is it worth living like this?
My eyes are on Dr. Banner's back in front of me, Bucky in the lead.
Yes. My answer is yes.
I mean, I sincerely hope that I will get better at this, that every few months I won't be kidnapped or captured or infected or hunted or whatever. That would be swell. But even if it is, if I get to save people in the process, if I can prevent a single person from losing a parent, a friend...an uncle…
I would go through any of it. All of it. I'll do this until I die or physically can't do it anymore.
Which, hey, may be in a couple of hours. But still.
I really, really hope we make it out of here. I want to go home to Aunt May, want to apologize for not coming home right away like I promised. I want to gorge myself on that meatloaf she made, (seriously, Aunt May finally makes something incredible and I get taken off world?! not cool) and I want to binge watch Netflix with Ned. I want to kiss MJ again. I want to get the hell out of this suit and lay on my bed with the air conditioning on full blast.
Hey! There is a positive to all this.
I am finally cured of my inability to handle being even slightly cold! Awesome. I would honestly give anything for even a cool breeze.
My mind drifts, coming up with a weird meshed up fantasy of all my recent thoughts into one epic vision. If I could be anywhere right now, I'd be in the swimming pool at Abe's house (since he's the only one I know who actually has a swimming pool), with Ned and May, who is making all the meatloaf I can want, 'cause meatloaf totally belongs at a pool party, and MJ is there, swimming with me, giving me a sly grin that gives me all the feels and-
"Oof!" I walk right into Dr. Banner's back, catching myself before I fall on my ass.
He raises a brow at me as he looks over his shoulder.
Ah. Bucky's fist is in the air, calling for a halt. At least, I think that's what that means. Isn't that what the soldiers in the movies do?
I tense, standing on my tiptoes to look over Dr. Banner's shoulder at Bucky. Does he see something? Are there aliens nearby?
Dr. Banner and I both wait, exchanging tense looks. Well, Dr. Banner's is tense. I suppose he can't see mine beneath my mask. My widening lenses should give him a pretty good indication though.
After a long moment, Bucky waves us forward, striding into the jungle like he owns it. I shrug as Dr. Banner looks back at me, and then we press on again.
God, it's hot.
I hope the others are ok. I wonder if Bucky's right, if Captain America and the others are heading to the mountains like we are, if we will run into them there. Gosh, I hope so. Somehow this all becomes a little less terrifying the more people are in our group.
Group is the wrong word.
Band? Club?
Nah those are dumb.
Company?
Better, but still no.
Hmm...
Fellowship!
I nearly give a cheer, but remember Bucky's rule of silence at the last minute. Instead, I pump my fist in the air.
I mean, as of right now we are a pretty small fellowship, and not quite as epic since we don't have a wizard, but if we meet up with the others, I think we could nearly fit the criteria. This sets me thinking, and I seize this line of thought with both hands, desperate to keep my mind off of more depressing things.
Cap is definitely Aragorn. The noble warrior destined for greatness, prone to occasional brooding. Bucky could be Boromir. Also a badass, but...Boromir was sort of a dick for awhile. Plus he died, so that's out.
If Cap is Aragorn, wouldn't that make Bucky Legolas by default, since they are friends? I nearly laugh out loud. Definitely not. Besides, pretty sure Clint has dibs on Legolas.
What about-
Dr. Banner stumbles over a root in front of me, cursing softly as he stumbles off to his right. My spider-senses blare with warning, and I am lunging forward just as his foot crosses a tripwire with a loud, sudden snap.
The ground opens up in front of him, and, arms pinwheeling, the scientist goes down. But I am already there, sticking my feet to the ground and seizing him by his belt as he leans over a deep pit filled with five foot long black spikes.
"Holy shit!" Dr. Banner cries as I haul him backwards, breaking the code of silence as we both fall onto our asses.
Bucky steps to the edge of the pit and peers down at the spikes with a frown. He casts me a glance beneath his hair. "Nice catch, kid."
"Thanks."
I look over to Dr. Banner, who is breathing heavily, eyes wide. Is it just me, or is he looking a little…?
"Dr. Banner?" I ask cautiously. "You ok?"
The green pallor coloring his cheeks slowly fades back to his normal skin tone as he takes a few deep breaths and shakes his head.
"I'm good. Sorry. It's a lot of...excitement the past few days. It's starting to get to me."
Bucky and I exchange looks.
That's definitely not good. If Dr. Banner loses control and becomes the Hulk, every alien hunter on this planet will zero in on our position. And without the others, I don't think we would stand a chance, even with the big guy at our side.
"I got it," Dr. Banner insists, and I help him to his feet.
"Come on," Bucky says, striding past several massive, moss covered boulders. "We're nearly at the lake."
I perk up. "A lake? How do you know?"
Bucky gives me a flat look over his shoulder as he points down the slope. Just past the copse of tall jungle trees is a wide, glistening lake.
Oh. Duh.
It's an effort not to just leap up into the trees and swing the rest of the way to the water, I am so eager. But I keep formation, Dr. Banner safely back in the middle, and follow them down to the water's edge.
I don't want to admit it, but the sight in front of me?
It's awesome.
The shore of the lake is dark, reflecting the dense canopy above it, but at its center, sunlight beams down upon its rippling surface, turning the water into an array of blues, greens, and glints of bright white.
Tall, stalky reeds grow along the perimeter, as if barring all who would enter it, and beyond the lake, at its back, is a waterfall.
White, foamy water cascades down a rocky, jagged cliff face, pouring into the lake below and sending billows of mist rolling across the surface. Mounds of green moss drape up the cliff's face, the scene picturesque, like it should be on the cover of a National Geographic, and for a brief, wonderful moment, I forget I am on an alien planet.
"Wow," breathes Dr. Banner.
Without waiting to ask Bucky, I send Droney off to test the water. I'm willing to bet with the waterfall churning up the lake that the water will be okay to drink. God, I hope so. I'm so thirsty.
Droney's report comes back with the all clear, and I practically lunge through the reeds, wading up to my knees into the blessedly cool water and tearing off my mask.
Gracefully, elegantly, I lean over and dunk my head completely into the water. I nearly moan at the wonderfully cool temperature, staying under as long as I can before jerking upright, shaking my head out like a dog, my hair plastered to my head.
Dr. Banner is just now making it through the reeds, crouching at the water's edge to cup it in his hands, splashing his face with a bit more decorum than I had and taking long drinks.
Bucky is gripping my upper arm, face grim as he draws me back to the shore. "Do not disturb the water," he says in a low voice. "We don't know what kind of creatures lurk there."
Huh. Maybe Bucky is Aragorn.
Once our thirst is finally sated, we crouch among the reeds for cover, keeping our voices quiet as we deliberate the next course of action.
"We should head straight up the cliff. Going around it to find an easier way up will take too long," Bucky says immediately.
"Veto," Dr. Banner shakes his head. "You guys may be able to scale that thing, but I certainly can't."
"Won't it leave us too exposed?" I ask, glancing back at the rocky cliff, rising up even higher than the canopy. "I mean, you might be somewhat camouflaged, Bucky, but I am basically in red and blue spandex. Might as well ring the dinner bell."
Bucky's eyes aren't on us anymore, they are on the perimeter of the lake, scanning the trees and the dense bushes beneath them, any of which could easily be concealing an alien hunter. "I have a feeling."
I go rigid at that, eyes widening. "A feeling?"
He nods. "Could be nothing. But I'd feel better if we reached the top of that cliff as soon as possible."
I am the one with the spider senses, and I trust it wholeheartedly to warn me of danger. I know I probably seem crazy whenever I get a bad feeling or let others know that hey, I got a chill, so something's bad is coming but can't tell you what. And Bucky? He might not have those senses, but he is a super soldier, and he does have a crazy amount of life experience. I'm inclined to trust in his feelings as much as my own.
"Okay," I reply. "Let's do it."
"Woah, hey," Dr. Banner waves his arms in a crisscrossing motion in front of him. "Did we not hear the part where I can't do this? I'm not a climber. The other guy could probably do that cliff in a single leap, but I don't think we want to risk that."
"I could web you up," I offer. "Bucky and I can pull you straight up the cliff."
"How much of that webbing do you have left?" Bucky's eyes narrow on me.
"Uhhh," I look down at my wrists. "Forty eight percent."
Bucky's frown deepens. "Don't waste it on Banner."
"Hey," Dr. Banner looks thoroughly insulted.
"He'll need it for the next fight," Bucky answers firmly. "I'll take the lead, test out and pick the safest route. Banner, you're behind me. Peter, you take the rear. Be ready to catch Bruce if he falls."
"Got it," I salute, casting a sympathetic glance to Dr. Banner, who paled considerably at Bucky's implication.
"We'll stay close to the waterfall," the Winter Soldier's eyes study the cliff. "It'll be slicker, but the mist and sound should provide us with some cover."
"I'm so dead," I hear him mutter.
"Are you sure you don't want me to carry you the rest of the way?" I shout up at Dr. Banner. The roar of the waterfall is so loud, I don't worry about being heard by any alien hunters. "I'm a lot stronger than I look! I'll just put you on my back!"
Several feet above me, Dr. Banner clings to a thin, rocky ledge, and I can see his muscles trembling from down here, can see the misery crumpling his face. "No."
I pause. "No, you're not sure? Or no to the piggy back ride?"
"I'm pretty sure my dignity will last me at least another fifteen feet," he yells back down to me. Reaching up with his right arm, his left foot slides on the slick rock, and his whole body goes rigid as he jerks and clings tightly to the cliff. "Or less."
I look up past him at Bucky, who is nearly to the top. The Winter Soldier casts a glance down at me, shaking his head slightly as he smirks, and a grin unfurls across my face beneath my mask.
Poor Dr. Banner.
I stick easily to the cliff face, my fingers and the toes of my boots finding purchase in the smallest of crevices. The pace is slow for Dr. Banner, which makes it almost leisurely for me.
Or it would be if I wasn't so worried about being shot down by an alien.
We're incredibly high up, so high that we've crested the jungle canopy, and if I half turn to glance behind me, I can see an ocean of green sprawling over hills and valleys.
I can hear the strain lining the groans of Dr. Banner as he hauls himself up to the next set of handholds that Bucky points out for him, and I really wish he would just let me give him a ride the rest of the way up.
The view is insane and all, but the longer we stay on this cliff, the more I feel exposed.
Bucky's reached the top, and I watch as he hauls himself over the edge, crouching on all fours to watch our ascent, his sharp gaze on Dr. Banner as he reaches up to grab another ledge.
"Not that one!" Bucky calls down. "To your right."
Dr. Banner is mumbling something through clenched teeth as he obeys, and even with my enhanced hearing, I can't make out the words. It's pretty obvious that whatever he just said, he insulted Bucky.
I am grinning again beneath my mask, when an icy shudder rips through me, my spider senses going off without warning.
Eyes and lenses widening, I let go of the cliff with my left hand, shifting all my weight to my right as I swing to the side so my back faces the rock wall just as a black, jagged knife embeds itself into the stone where I just was.
Beneath me, emerging from the waterfall in a terrifyingly epic manner, is an alien hunter.
"Shit!"
I glance up at Bucky's widening eyes, at Dr. Banner's still struggling form. "Climb! Climb faster!"
"I'm working on it!" he yells back grumpily, unaware of the threat. "Don't rush me!"
"Rushing! I am most definitely rushing you!"
The alien is climbing fast, its black and red eyes fastened on us as it scales the cliff in an almost spider-like fashion. I press back further, the sharp rocks digging into my back as a spear whizzes past me.
Except, it's shooting down, not up.
Bucky is on his feet, the second spear gripped in his hands, ready to throw another as he roars, "Move!"
Wasting no time, I scramble up the cliff, barely even looking for solid hand or foot holds, relying solely on my ability to stick to pretty much any surface.
Within seconds, I am at Dr. Banner's side, and he scowls at me, then seems to notice Bucky throwing down his second spear. His eyes follow the trajectory, and when he sees the alien hunter dodging the weapon, Dr. Banner's eyes grow huge.
"Oh my god!"
"I'm really sorry about this," I tell him before seizing the back of his shirt. Gripping a handful of the sweat soaked material, I tense my arm and back before I hurl him straight up into the air with a grunt of effort.
Dr. Banner yells, arms pinwheeling as he soars upwards, his shoulders barely passing the edge of the top of the cliff before he starts to plummet, and then Bucky is seizing him with his metal arm, gripping his forearm and bending his knees to absorb the scientist's sudden weight.
"Yes!" I cheer, scrambling up after him.
But I don't move fast enough.
The alien hunter beneath me leaps up, and suddenly its weight is pinning me to the cliff, expelling the breath from my lungs.
My spider-senses go off like fireworks in my skull, and my left arm shoots out to grip the alien's wrist as it plunges a knife towards my exposed side. My arm is shaking with the strain of holding the blow back as the alien's other arm reaches forward to wrap around my throat.
I grunt, my right hand going up automatically to pry it away.
Except now there's no one holding onto the cliff.
And then we're falling.
"PETER!" I hear Dr. Banner shout as the alien hunter and I plummet through the air, my stomach lurching violently at the terrifying freefall.
The alien's grip on me doesn't loosen, as if it doesn't care if we are falling to our deaths, as if it only cares about killing me first, even as I struggle to free myself. Its body jolts behind mine as it breaks through the canopy first, taking the brunt of the snapping branches and leaves, and somehow through it all, it is still trying to stab me.
Seconds of freefall, and then we hit the water with a loud SLAP.
I inhale sharply through my mask just before the water closes over my face, the heavy current from the waterfall forcing our bodies down, down, down beneath the surface. I buck and kick within the alien's hold to no avail, my lungs already burning, straining for air. My grip on the arm wielding the knife loosens, and it plunges straight for my ribs-
But it never makes impact.
I can't make sense of anything beneath the water, can't tell up from down, and everything has condensed to murky shadows, bursts of light, thrashing limbs and bubbles and pressure closing off my windpipe, the current or the alien tossing my body around violently in all directions and I can't breathe-
I'm free, a hand gripping my shoulder and yanking me forward through the water, shoving me hard. My body surges up, and suddenly I break through the surface, inhaling a mouthful of sopping wet mask.
Choking, sputtering, I reach up and yank it off of my head, gasping for air as I tread water. My eyes are wide as I glance all around me, my heart hammering painfully in my chest as I search for the hunter.
Where is it-where is it?!
A dark shape surges up from beneath the water, and I yell out, flailing in the water as I kick away from it.
Bucky's head emerges with a sharp gasp.
"Bucky!" I choke out, my voice hoarse. "Are-are you ok?! Is it-did-where-?!"
"It's dead," he pants. "Are you hurt?"
Shaken, still in shock that I'd just been yanked off a cliff by an alien and nearly stabbed to death and drowned, I glance down at what I can see of my body through the water. "No. No, I-I think I'm fine."
I look across at him, realizing suddenly that he must have just swan dived off the cliff after us. "Dude-"
There's red in the water.
My insides constrict as I remember that the alien's blood is black, not red, and I am looking at Bucky with wide eyes. "Are you-are you bleeding?"
The muscles in his face are tense, not with worry, not anymore, but with pain. "I'm fine," he grits out.
But I stay near him as we swim to shore, and I can't help but eye the thin trail of red wavering in the water behind him. My heart is now thundering beneath my ribs, and when we reach the shore, Bucky tries to stand, then sinks to the mossy ground on one knee, clutching at his side with a grimace.
"Oh god," I rush over to him, panic making it even harder to breathe. "Oh god, you're really hurt."
"It's not that bad. Calm down."
"Calm down?!" I nearly screech. "You're bleeding all over the jungle!"
Bucky gives me a sharp look, chastising my volume, but I couldn't care less right now. I am freaking out because he's bleeding and it's bad and he might be dying and he jumped off a cliff to save me and-
"Let me see it," I demand, reaching forward to pry his hands from the wound.
"Kid, it's fine-"
I jerk his hands away, and he grunts in pain as my eyes widen at the large gash going from the bottom of his ribs almost to his hips, gushing blood. "Holy shit, that's a lot of blood," I swallow, my limbs shaking. "Here, let me-"
I raise a trembling hand, aiming my web shooter and pressing down on the trigger, releasing a short burst of webbing that closes itself over the wound with a sicking thwack of sound. Bucky hisses through clenched teeth, nearly pitching over before I grip him by his shoulder.
"Sorry," I say, wincing. "The webs should stop the bleeding at least, keep the wound closed."
"Good thinking," he pants.
Don't freak out, don't freak out, don't freak out.
I give him a minute to breathe through the pain, give myself a minute to try and stave off the persistent panic.
"Hellooo?!" I hear Dr. Banner's distant yell, clearly just as panicked as I am, but not bothering to hide it. "Someone talk to me! Are you guys ok?!"
I consider shouting back up at him, then decide we've already caused too much of a commotion. So I move to Bucky's uninjured side, pulling his arm across my shoulder and sliding my own around his torso, careful not to press against his wound.
Then I take careful aim through the broken hole in the jungle canopy that we fell through and fire off a web. The line shoots straight up to grip the top edge of the cliff, going taught as it begins to retract.
I tighten my grip on Bucky as we shoot up through the air, his muscles tensing in pain. But he doesn't protest the use of my web.
That scares me more than anything. That means he knows he is too injured to climb, that it's worth the spending of my very limited supply. That means that his injury is that bad.
We reach the top, and Dr. Banner and I push/pull Bucky onto the wide, rocky ledge atop the cliff, the Winter Soldier collapsing onto his back the moment we move away from the edge. At my terrified look, he assures me, "Just need a minute. I'm okay."
Dr. Banner is kneeling beside him, examining the webbing covering Bucky's side, the edges of it stained with blood. "Jesus, what happened?!"
"Bucky got stabbed," I blurt before Bucky can say anything. "I webbed him up to stop the bleeding."
Dr. Banner curses under his breath, reaching for the makeshift bandages, but Bucky's hand grabs his wrist, halting his movement.
"Leave it," Bucky orders, his breath finally evening out. "We need to move, find shelter. Then you can check it out."
The scientist looks ready to argue, but Bucky's expression is firm, unrelenting. "Unless you want to get caught out in the open by more hunters?"
Dr. Banner lets out an exasperated breath, running his hand over his face. "Fine."
I can't stop staring at the webbing covering his stab wound, at the glistening, white threads crisscrossing in a tightly wound mesh, at the bright red blood seeping through the corners.
He'd saved me.
The Winter Soldier had jumped off a cliff and gotten himself stabbed to save me.
I already owe him a lifetime of debts, but this? This takes them all.
And if...if he dies on this planet...if he dies from this injury or from not being able to fight back hard enough or run fast enough…
It will be because of me.
Wanda Maximoff
Vision.
A violent jolt goes through me, as if the entire world all around is shooting past my body in streams of stretching color while I stand frozen in a moment in time. My ears are ringing, my heart halting its rapid beat as I watch, horrified, as Vision sinks to his knees, his face slack with shock.
A hole in his chest.
My hand prickles with the phantom memory of using my power to rip straight through the vibranium plates and wires that made up Ultron's chest to pull out the power source that served as his heart. I can still feel exactly what it felt like to create a hole like that, a wound that deep, that fatal.
I can still feel exactly what it felt like to have my own heart cleaved from my chest as I felt Pietro die, as I felt that bond pulling us together snap, vanishing like it was never there, leaving a dark abyss that could never be filled.
No. No, not again.
Not like this.
And like before, I feel my power, so thoroughly entwined with my emotions, surge up in a rampant, tempestuous wave, sucking in towards my body with my ragged inhale and shooting out from me as I breathe out.
It billows in a raging deluge straight for the alien hunter hiding in the trees, cresting high before devouring it in crimson light.
My eyes squeeze shut, my face crumpling, torn between impossible rage and blind terror that makes me lose my grip on everything.
Pietro, going where I cannot follow. The wind whipping my hair back as he breezes by me one last time.
The light in Ultron's eyes blinking out as I tear out his monstrous heart.
My body in freefall with the rest of Sokovia as I prepare to let myself die, to meet my brother in whatever awaited us in the next life.
Vision sweeping in out of nowhere, taking me into his arms, looking into my very soul with those impossible eyes of his. Vision following me to the ends of the earth, holding me through my nightmares, walking with me in the sun. Vision brushing back my hair, his face full of wonder and shyness as he kisses me.
Vision. Vision.
I feel the alien hunter die as my psionic power ruptures, obliterating it into nothingness.
With the release of my power, I snap back to myself, feeling lightheaded and weighed down all at once. Steve is crouched down, his arm across Vision's chest, preventing him from falling all the way forward.
"Vis," I breathe, sinking to the ground beside them, my hands going to his arms as Steve and I carefully lay him back onto the green foliage covering the ground. "No, no, no."
I'm shaking. I can't stop shaking.
Vision's breathing is ragged, shallow, his eyes on my face, his mouth slack. I place both palms firmly on the sides of his face.
"You stay with me," I say fiercely, my voice almost a growl. "Vision, do you hear me? Stay."
Slowly, jerkily, he nods.
I tear my gaze from his face to look at his wound, and my heartbeat finds its rapid pace again, hammering fiercely inside me as if it could beat for both of us.
Oh god.
The wound is larger than my hand, the edges of it glimmering faintly. Thin threads of orange light stretch across the hole like burning wires holding him together, a strange combination of circuitry and muscles visible within.
"Can you fix it?" Steve asks urgently. "Wanda? Can you heal him?"
"I-I don't-" Panic cinches off my throat. I don't know how. I've never used my powers to heal, not like this.
My trembling hand moves from his face to hover over his wound, and even though there's no time for it, I hesitate, my eyes growing wet.
I don't know what to do.
Warm fingers curl around my hand that's still touching his cheek, and I look over at Vision's face, my heart nearly shattering at the unbridled trust shining in his eyes. He squeezes my fingers.
"It...will be...alright," he rasps, wholly calm.
I can't let him die.
I won't.
Gritting my teeth, tears rolling down my cheeks, I turn to the wound, splaying my fingers above it. Power weaves around my hand, casting his body in a crimson glow as rivulets of psionic energy curl towards him. I let my fingers twist and bend as they will, guiding my power to the edges of his wound.
Heal, I urge it. Knit him back together. Fix him.
Let him live.
Time passes in an aching crawl, and at first nothing seems to happen. Then, almost imperceptibly, I can see my power drawing out more of those glowing, orange threads, coaxing them gently across the hole in his chest to connect to the other side, pulling the flesh together.
I don't dare to breathe, don't dare to hope.
My whole body is shaking as I concentrate all of myself to healing him, to closing the wound.
Minutes pass, and though the wound is growing a little smaller, it isn't healing completely. I let out an angry sob of frustration. "It's not working."
"We have to get out of here," Steve's voice is tense, anxious. "More hunters will come. Is he healed enough to be out of the woods? Once we get a safe distance away, you can try again."
I don't know. I don't-
Vision squeezes my hand. "You've...done enough."
It's not. It's not enough.
"I need help," I pant, turning my tear streaked face to Steve. "I need Stark or...or Banner. I need them to guide me through the rest. I can't-"
Steve nods, putting a hand on my shoulder. "It's ok. You did good. Let's get him up and out of here, and when we're safe, we'll find Banner."
His voice is so sure, his grip comforting, confident.
"You need to...rest," Vision adds. "Your power…"
"I'm fine," I insist, my brows knitting together with worry. "Can you stand?"
Vision nods and goes to brace his hands on the ground. He lets out a choked, rasping sound of pain, and Steve and I go to either side of him, allowing him to lean heavily on us as we slowly get to our feet.
His arms hook around our shoulders, Steve on his left, me on his right, and I place a steadying hand on his chest as his knees buckle.
"If I had...the energy," Vision breathes heavily. "I would alter my density...make myself lighter...not so much...a burden."
"You are not a burden," I answer fiercely. "Now hush."
His arm pins my ponytail to my sweat drenched shoulders, his weight making me stagger as Steve and I slowly begin leading Vision out of the clearing. I can tell Steve is bearing most of Vision's weight, and I let him, knowing how much stronger he is than me.
Vision is alive. He's alive, and even though he's still heavily wounded, there is a chance to save him. He can still make it.
Knowing that doesn't stop the repeated image of him staggering forward, the gaping wound sparking in his chest as his lips part in shock.
Stay, my raging heart pounds. Don't leave me.
Stay.
A/N: Ahhh things are not looking too good for our heroes. But let's face it, when trapped on an alien planet outnumbered by advanced alien hunters, things are probably going to get worse before they get better...IF they get better. Mwuhahaha.
Anyone see Ned's POV coming? XD Had a lot of fun writing that little snippet! Always a fun challenge to write from a new POV, and figured we could use a quick break to check back in on Earth
Special thanks as always to my beta PippinStrange, who continues to be an incredible source of inspiration and support, and who has so many incredible fics of her own that I devour every chance I get! Go check out her post Infinity War fic "Where They Go" if you need to recover from that business, or the fic that started me writing for the MCU, "Down Came the Rain". If you need a laugh, go read her Deadpool meets Spiderman fic because it is a riot and damn does she nail Deadpool.
THank you SO SO SO much to my lovely review squad. You guys truly are amazing.
sparklydog9: Of course! I love all the reviews I get! :D
EleanorGardner: *Peeks from behind cover* lol. Thank you! Well...he's not dead yet! That's something, right? lol
Shadow-Wolf78: Thanks!
cargumentluv: :D
StarStepper: No hate! Only love! I'm just a messed up writer with some serious issues. XD I feel the same! Big bro Bucky, which I didn't even plan on being in this series, it just happened, is as wonderful to me as dad Tony. And OMG thank you! Wanda is so amazing, I could write an entire book in her perspective. Hope you liked her section in this chapter as well!
Kairianna864: Ahhhh thank you! I definitely binge watch Marvel movies every chance I get, and the rest is just...practice I guess? Not sure! lol! But I'm glad you're enjoying!
AppleSpongeCake: Yeesh. Well, he's not dead...yet
JeyFeather1234: A Stan Lee cameo would be the best. XD Never thought of that, but I should try and work it in somewhere. And Instant Kill Mode Bucky is the best. lol
EmilyF.6: Thank you very much!
bgib99: Wow, thanks! I totally thought the same thing about him in Ultron! Then the trailer for Infinity War came out and I'm like, noooope. He's a goner. lol
Seawell: :D Well, at least he isn't dead? lol!
LoonyLovegood1981: THanks so much! I loved the Clint and Tony dynamic in SIlent Night, so I just had to include something in here too. And as to the cliffhanger, I can't help myself. I have a problem. lol
Guest: Thank you so much! I try to keep the characters canon to the MCU, and to what has happened in my own Paint it Black verse, so Steve definitely is lest idealistic than he was in the first Avengers movie. I'm glad you are enjoying! Splitting up the character groups has been really fun to play with and see how they might interact. I've been loving writing it as well. :D
Web-HeadSuperFan: Glad you enjoyed the chapter. I wasn't super attached to Vision until I saw his relationship with Wanda in Civil War and Infinity War, and I adore Wanda. :)
readingisapriority: LOL YES! Sherlock XD I couldn't resist. and I love babysitter Peter too!
DarylDixon'sLover: Oh yes. ;)
Luckias: Thanks very much! :D
Kirby Lane: Hello new reviewer! Thank you so much and welcome! Your review seriously made my day, like WOW, THANK YOU! I am beyond honored, and everything you listed I work so hard to achieve, so it really means a lot to me. I also never thought to put Bucky and Peter together until a scene for Paint it Black hit me out of the blue, like, you know the one person who might be able to relate to Peter in this? Bucky. And thus the big brother/protector relationship was born and I love it so much. Can't get enough. :)
screechyfangirl: he is an android, yes, and while I don't work at Marvel, nor am I an expert when it comes to Vision, I think that a big enough blast to the chest could take him out. The mind stone is great and all, but if his body is wrecked enough, it won't do him much good. When he was stabbed in Infinity War, it greatly weakened him. But that's just my personal opinion and what I'm going with lol
SummerMistedDragon: :)
Shoyzz: Me too! :D and ummm...he did it again! yay! Right? No, because he got really hurt? Oh,, yeah. lol! :D
GinaBoo: Thank you! I love big brother Bucky too! And Peter babysitting was something I just had to include. So glad you are still enjoying! THanks so much!
gammathetaalpha: Eeeee thank you so much! Great to see your name again! Glad you like it so far!
twylght: Thanks! :)
Heroes21: Lol! I will endeavor to be nicer to the characters from now on...but I make no promises. XD AND OMG I KNOW. Rereading Silent Night I was like WHOA, that is some seriously painful foreshadowing that I had no idea Marvel would be cruel enough to ACTUALLY do. Insane. lol
Shannon: Ahhhh welcome aboard! and bless you for binging! And omg thank you so so much! Wow! I definitely have a few more stories planned after this one. :)
kittymyth96: Thank you! :)
gandalf537: Right? I should get PippinStrange to do a dramatic reading of the whole thing when it's done. ;) and OMG your review! Seriously put the biggest grin on my face! I love hearing those kind of reactions, and all your thoughts about the different parts of the chapter! That was wonderful!
Chocolate369: First off, thank you SO much for taking the time to leave me such a long and wonderful review. Wow. And welcome! Seriously, thank you so so so so so much for all your amazing words. I work hard to keep the characters in character and to create the connections and relationships I've always wanted to see while building onto the ones that already exist. I also adore big brother Bucky to Peter, and having all the Avengers finally on the same side again. Civil War was sooo painful even though it was so good too. Thank you very much for all your "rambling", because it was a delight to read, and I am so glad you are enjoying this story and hope you continue to do so!
Keep leaving reviews like that guys, and I promise I will NEVER stop writing the CMFU. XD Seriously, you guys are incredible, and so many of your reviews made me feel incredible.
-Sincerely, the Queen of Cliffhangers ;)
COMING UP
Chapter Ten: Help Me Make it Through the Night
Tony's team reaches the depths of space to encounter a shock of their own, and Peter, Bucky, and Bruce find shelter to address Bucky's wound...which is only getting worse.