Hey Everyone! Thanks so much for all the favorites and follows! I'm sorry the chapters aren't longer, I have a lot of homework and unfortunately, only a few 30 minute time periods in which I can write. But anyway, happy holidays and here's a new chapter!
Ugh. I released the air from my chest, my ribs burning. My jaw felt like it was on fire; my head pounded with every beat of my heart. My back seared with pain. Out of all the times I've ever woken up after using my powers, this was probably the worst. I squinted, barely able to see through the blur and bright lights.
There were dark figures in the room with me. I snapped my eyes open, trying to sit up against the straps that were holding me down. Terror flooded my senses, making all the pain subside for about thirty seconds. As I looked around, my breath came in short gasps. There was no detail in what I saw; there was only blurry shapes and voices. "Whoa, hey, calm down, kid." I shook my head, trying to clear my mind. I felt a hand on my shoulder, lightly pressing me back into the bed I was on. "Hey, don't worry. You're okay." I tried to focus on the man who was talking to me. He was tall, and super big. Was it that freak from last night?! No, this dude had kind eyes, and looked concerned. And he wasn't on fire. I swallowed, and relaxed against the pillows. He nodded, a small smile on his face. It was then that I noticed the woman next to him. She was also new, with brown hair and a lab coat on. She also had on a flowery shirt and black pants; not either of the women from last night. It seemed she was a doctor, as she had a bunch of instruments and medical supplies on a cart. She smiled nervously at me, prepping something I couldn't see.
"Hello, Miss Harker. My name is Jemma Simmons, and this is Alphonso Mackenzie. You're in a medical facility run by the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division, or SHIELD. We are currently cleaning up your many injuries obtained when you fought our agents a few nights ago." I narrowed my eyes. SHIELD. Those losers who attacked me. This is the last place I want to be right now. I think over her sentence again, resting my alarm on the last bit. "Wait, a few nights ago? It was last night you idiots attacked me!" Mackenzie shook his head. "Sorry, kid, you've been out for three days now. We had to keep you sedated in order to help you heal." I looked away, appalled. "No freaking way…" I muttered, anger flying through my system. While I was preoccupied, though, Simmons pierced my skin with some needle that let out a puff of condensed air.
"Ow! What the hell are you doing?" I yelled, jerking away as much as could be expected; I was still strapped to the damn bed. "Keep your voice down." Another person joined the conversation. I looked over to see both women from last night, standing in the corner. I glared at the one who had spoken; she wasn't the one who had powers. She stared right back at me, her eyes narrowed. "Why don't you come over here and make me? I'm tied to the freaking bed; it'll be a fair fight this time." She scowled and started to walk over, anger darkening her face. The other chick- Johnson- beat her to it.
"Hey. We saved your life. The last thing you should be doing is starting fights." I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I get it. You just feel bad because I beat you. Cuz you aren't strong enough to beat me." She lifted up a hand and the sraps went flying off. I jumped up, coming face to face with her. She clenched her jaw, glaring down at me. "You wanna bet I'm not strong enough to beat you? I destroyed this compound once. What makes you think I can't destroy you?" I smirked. "Oooh, big strong Daisy cracked the cement on the walls and brought the roof down. I can level a freaking city." She scoffed, and the room began to shake. "Why don't you prove it?" "I already did, but if you want me to destroy you again then I will." She narrowed her eyes, and I grinned. I felt the energy flow through my body again, before feeling a scorching pain fly behind my eyes. I grabbed my head and screamed, falling down to my knees. I vaguely heard the agents above me, yelling something.
I could barely think. I clenched my eyes shut, images playing across my eyelids. The lab. The testing room. My bedroom. Daddy. The house… I tried to block them out, tried to get away from the red haze coating all the images. I forced myself to ignore the pain and shakily stood, holding tight to the desk next to me. I glared at Daisy, and she stared bewildered back at me. "You freaking- you used your powers on my head!" Her jaw dropped, and she closed it before letting it fall again. "I did not! How dare you accuse me of- you're ridiculous, you know that? This is ridiculous, I didn't- I'm leaving, I can't believe you actually thing I would do that." She turned angrily and stalked out of the room, along with the woman she had been standing with. "Good riddance." I muttered, before feeling a wave of dizziness and sitting down on the bed.
"Easy, Red. You can't be crashing around after blood is taken from you." Mackenzie put a steadying hand on my shoulder, calming me down. I shook my head, trying to clear the cobwebs around my memory of the previous night. "So… I've seriously been out for three days?" I asked, deciding to skip over the nickname Mackenzie had just given me. He nodded, marking some things down on a clipboard. Simmons frowned while trying to look over his shoulder; she wasn't tall enough, and settled for looking around his elbow. "What do you remember from your first encounter with SHIELD?" She asked, examining the bruise that I could feel on my face. "Um, not much. I was in the library, studying, and then an alarm went off. I left, and then that stupid chick Daisy Johnson blew me off my feet and after that, it's kind of hazy." I felt the easy lies roll off my tongue, and fought the urge to smile as Simmons bought it. "Has anything like that ever happened to you before?" I frowned inwardly, keeping a bewildered look on my face. "Yeah, once or twice. But I can never remember what happens afterwards, and I always wake up in bed a few hours later." That one was only a half- lie… I usually wake up three hours after I blow the crap out of some people, and I can barely remember what I actually do to them. Simmons frowned, but nodded. "Well, this bruise will take time to heal, and you have a concussion. You need to stay in bed with the lights dim." I nodded, and took the change of clothes she handed me. As Simmons left, I turned to Mackenzie. He was staring at me, a frown on his face. "What?" I asked, trying to conceal the urge I felt to fight or run. He stepped up next to me, and for the first time I realized how huge he actually was. "Look, I don't know what you remember or what you don't, but you know what you are doing when you are using your powers. In the videos, it's pretty obvious you're making decisions to either fight, destroy, or leave something alone. And you definitely set off the alarm in the library. Keep your answers straight, Red." With that, he headed towards the door. I turned and called out to him, "Why Red?" He smiled over his shoulder before exiting. "It reminds me of your fiery temper. And your red hair."