Author's Notes: *cackles*
Disclaimer: Ultimate Spider-Man is not mine. Nor are any of its characters. That's Marvel's job. Any Original Characters and art you note, however, are all me. No. I'm not making money. Don't rub it in.

Chapter 15 - Poison

Danny is dying. The words rung, deafening, in Ava's mind—even after two days. They left an enormous pressure on her shoulders and kept air from her lungs. And no matter how hard she attempted to focus on SHIELD tasks and school, she found her mind slipping into 'what if' situations.

What if Danny can't be saved? What if he died? What if her remaining teammates were targeted next? What if she was? What if Sam never returned? What if she lost the new family she had found?

No. She couldn't bear that. She had lost everything once before. If it happened again…

'Stop, it, Ava,' she scolded herself with a firm shake of her head. 'What would Danny say? Probably something about despair in losing hope. Or the disadvantage of negative Chi. I must stay positive. Positive. Positive. Positive…'

The heroine paused in a wide hall of the Tricarrier, two turns before reaching her bedroom. School always came early. The late hour meant little to her now, though. So she turned and headed for the ward Danny now had a special place in.

'I just want to check on him,' she thought when she arrived minutes later. She sought a clean breath then opened the door.

Inside, the lights were dimmed to the lowest setting, and it felt darker once the door cut off the brightness of the hall. Only the rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor echoed as she headed for the west corner, which was surrounded by a white curtain. The fabric left enough gap between its hem and the floor for the Central-American to notice a chair already pulled up by the bedside. Her brows furrowed slightly as she reached the area, but once the curtain was pushed back, they eased.

"Hey," she said quietly to the white-haired figure in the chair.

"Hey," Zeelan answered in a raspy accent. She clung tighter to the knees she kept tucked under her chin and didn't glance up.

"How is he?" Ava added as she sought another seat.

"Worse." The mutant's whisper cut through Ava's heart, weakening her legs worse than the waft of Danny's body odor ever could. She literally fell into her chair.

"How is that possible?" the heroine all but growled.

Zeelan sighed. "Oh, his fever keeps returning. He's not responding to anti-biotics. And the one time he did wake up, he mumbled delusional gibberish before experiencing a seizure."

"Wait"—Ava's dark eyes narrowed—"He woke up?"

"His body did. But…not his mind."

"Fury didn't tell us that."

"I know."

"Does that mean he's identified this poison as well?" The words were snide, and if Fury had been present, she would have glared down the Director. It wasn't the right thing to do as a subordinate. Even so, Danny's health meant more. So at the thought of Fury's face, her clawed hands curled around the plush arms of her chair.

"He hasn't told me, if he does," the mutant responded weakly. "It's still being processed through SHIELD data banks. But I don't think it'll show. Do you?"

"If there's no hit yet, then no," Ava answered with a tense jaw.

"He told me not to tell you," added Zeelan after a small pause.

"About Danny?"

The mutant nodded then turned her gaze on the heroine's stern face. "I know because, despite Fury's insistence, I won't leave Danny's side. He told me you guys should be partially-involved to keep stress off of you over something you can't control."

"He's my teammate"—the claws ripped into the coarse fabric of the chair arms—"I deserve to know."

"That's why I said something, White Tiger." Smiling sadly, Z rested her chin against her knees. "He threatened to put me back in solitary."

"He's still hanging that over your head."

"If Fury has leverage, he'll use it."

"Yet you don't seem fazed by it at all."

The mutant shrugged. "It's only logical. He's bluffing…I think."

"Oh?" Ava arched a brow. "How can you tell?"

"His aura; it had indigo in it."

"And that means?

"My Radiesthesia isn't perfect, I know. Mainly because I'm ignorant in how to use it. And, frankly, it relies on too much gut feeling for comfort. However"—Zeelan's dark eyes drifted to the sleeping blonde then her knee-high boots—"I know one color for sure. Indigo means a lie. The clearer the color, the deeper the emotion is set in someone—from what I can tell. Fury's indigo was clear."

"Why would he lie about that, though?" questioned Ava while crossing her arms. The Director's name didn't rouse as much anger in her as it had before, but when her eyes fell on Danny's face—which contorted in sweat-inducing pain—a new kind of anger filled her.

"I—I think it's because…he believes I can save Danny," the mutant answered as Ava inwardly fought back a violent surge from her amulet.

"How can you save Danny?" the heroine managed, regaining control.

Zeelan sighed. "Because after he woke today, the doctor's realized this poison targets the psyche. It's not fighting his internal organs or blood. His fever and, consequently, delirium all stem from his sick mind."

"Danny has the strongest psyche of us all," noted Ava with a frown. "When a demon called Nightmare enslaved the minds of everyone in the city, he was the one to wake himself and Spider-Man from the spell."

"A…demon?" The mutant blinked, light brows knit together.

"I don't remember any of it, but trust them—well, Danny—to tell the truth. They defeated the demon in the Dream Dimension with help from Doctor Strange."

"Doctor Strange? Dream Dimension?"

"Look"—the heroine's hand rose as Zeelan's voice cracked—"he can tell you about that later. My point is his mind can fight this too."

"Fury isn't sure."

"Say he doesn't. How can you help? If it's a poison of his psyche, only his mind can fight it."

Biting her lip, Zeelan glanced down, fidgeting in her chair. All were tell-tale signs someone was hiding something they didn't wish to speak about. Even if Ava hadn't been trained by SHIELD or enhanced with her White Tiger Amulet, she could tell the mutant had something on her mind. Only, instead of keeping it inside, the white-haired teen spoke up.

"There's another part of my powers that…you may not know about."

"What's that?" asked Ava instinctually. She caught Zeelan's gaze and gave an encouraging nod in genuine curiosity.

"My Radiesthesia is a passive ability," the mutant started, low. "And generally useless at this point. My force-fields won't cooperate. Yet I still have another that's worse than that. Astral Projection."

"Really?"

"Fury says it falls into a sub-category of my mutant class."

"Which is?"

"Psychic. Though I don't like the term; it's too…mystical."

"I see…" Then, the thought stuck Ava like an enlightening bolt of electricity. "He wants you to project into Danny's mind."

"He thinks I can help bring him back," Zeelan replied—Midwestern tone tinged with a great amount of misery and apprehension.

"It would make sense."

Suddenly, Zeelan whirled towards Ava, standing from her chair with her fists clenched tight beside her hips. "It does?" she questioned in a loud whisper. "How can that possibly make sense? Let's send in the inexperienced mutant—who's only projected by accident since discovering her abilities two months ago—into the iron-clad mind of a Chi Master. Sure, Danny doesn't have enough problems. We should send someone else in to scramble his brains more!" The mutant's voice cracked near the end and she drew heavy breaths that deflated the half-formed force-fields floating around the trio.

Ava frowned as one glowing orb by her face faded into darkness. "I meant the idea made sense," she whispered, blunt. "Though it would probably work best if someone like Charles Xavier was at the head."

"See? Now that would make more sense."

"You know who Xavier is?"

Zeelan sent a curt nod. "We heard about him in our travels. From other mutants. He, uh, he's the reason we're in New York in the first place."

"You were running to his school."

The mutant nodded again, silent.

"But you didn't want to lead The Trackers there, so you lingered in this city because…?"

"We hoped we could lose them in the dense population," grumbled Zeelan.

"Two months with them on your tail," Ava added distantly. "Honestly, I'm surprised your powers aren't further developed."

"I try not to use them, alright?" the mutant snapped. There was a tremble to her tone, a hitch in her breath. "You know what happened with Miss Reyes. All because I chose to use them. I—I can't..."

"But your powers will always be part of you," replied Ava while standing to met Z's dark eyes.

"They're a poison to my rational thinking."

"And still a part of you."

"I didn't ask for them."

"Very few of us ask for the power we're given; we still have to be responsible enough to accept the burden."

"Even if it hurts others?"

"Especially then!"

In wake of Ava's exclamation, the whole room fell silent. Hot anger from the White Tiger Amulet twitched in the heroine's muscles, begging for an outlet. She tempered its frustration with years of practice then straightened her toned form, reminded of how vital sleep was to her control.

"I'll tell you a secret," she said lowly, carefully. The mutant begrudgingly met her even gaze. "My White Tiger Amulet was handed down by my father. I didn't…I didn't want it because it would mean my father's reign as White Tiger had truly ended with his death. But I took it anyway and immediately realized how difficult bearing his mantel was. I'm at risk every day with it because if I allow myself one slip then I could wind up harming the people I love. Do you know how I keep peace with it?"

Zeelan's head shook.

"I accept it," Ava added while the white-haired teen sighed.

"Oh, if you bring up belief—"

"Discipline, focus, and admittance are how I maintain a hold over the amulet. I recognize the power in me—respect it—yet don't let it define me. You need to find your own peace with your abilities, Zeelan. If you do that…then maybe you can help Danny after all."

"Yeah, but"—Zeelan timidly glanced at Danny when he moaned—"what if I just hurt him instead?"

"What if you don't?

"What if I do?"

"What if it works?"

"But—"

"How can you know if you aren't willing to try?" The mutant's boot slipped against the hard floor with a loud click and Ava shook her head.

"Th—the risk is too great," muttered Z. "Fury would be better off asking Xavier, like you mentioned."

"Yeah, I mentioned it. Doesn't mean it's a good idea."

"Why?"

Ava's lips pursed. "Let's just say the Director and Xavier stand on shaky ground."

"Are you saying he wouldn't push his troubles aside for Danny?"

"Did he mention you by name in his musings?"

"…Yes."

"Then no."

"Oh, how logical is that?" Violently, the semi-tan mutant slammed a palm against her face, running it down slowly to reveal a grimace.

"This could be a good sign, though," added Ava with refrained optimism.

"How so?"

"This means Fury is starting to believe in you."

"Great."

"No, it is. Trust me; being on Fury's good side is far better than being on his bad."

"I don't wish to be on any of his sides."

"What about Danny's side?"

Zeelan froze.

"Thought so. He's done nothing but try to help you in any way he can. Why won't you return his kindness?"

"You already know. Because I can't—"

"'Can't' and 'won't' are two separate things!" In one swift move, Ava's finger pointed at Zeelan's wide-eyed face and she took a step forward. "If I told myself stuff like that, I would've transformed into a beast long ago. You have to believe in yourself, believe you can do it."

"Belief again…"

"A hero needs belief."

"I'm no hero." With a sigh, the mutant's vision fell.

Ava regained it by huffing. "Not a hero? What is the definition of a hero? Someone who saves, serves and protects. You've gone two months protecting your group, and I've witnessed firsthand how your powers saved two lives. How is that not heroic?"

"The save was…instinctual."

"All the more proof of how heroic you can be."

"When I can't even form a force-field on purpose?"

The heroine frowned at Zeelan's mild glare. "You formed one—a strong one—in battle."

"Again, that was instinctual."

"Then…maybe your powers require that."

"Require what?"

"Instinct." Obviously, the mutant felt unconvinced, so Ava added, "Think about it. Every time you try, the force-fields either explode or don't form at all, right?" She waited for Zeelan to confirm. "And when you didn't think at all, let your impulse take over, you created one just fine."

"That—" The semi-tan mutant grew rigid under Ava's intense stare. "If I did that, I'd be going against my very nature."

"We all have sacrifices we must make," Ava noted solemnly. "Mine is my freedom. This is yours. The only question is…can you withstand it, your 'poison', for Danny's sake?"

War. Ava knew the look of inner debate well, and she waited patiently for Zeelan's mind to settle. The seconds passed, accompanied only by the heart monitor's call. Beep. Beep. Beep. Zeelan turned and rested a gentle hand on Danny's leg that was hidden beneath layers of blankets. She frowned—the freckles on her diamond-shaped face nearly hidden by the shadow cast from a long LED light on the steel wall.

"He said he would convert me into a believer," she whispered with a brief, bitter tinge. "Maybe I could do it. If I had years of practice."

Ava had to fight off an eager smile. "Start small. With a change of view, read his aura. Tell me what you feel from it."

Zeelan stepped closer to the bed. Both the mutant's hands hovered over his body as if she were sensing the feverish heat radiating beyond the sheets. As her hands neared his chest, spreading to each side of his pasty face, she halted, squinting.

"It's…heavy," she panted. And Ava frowned. Why did Zeelan begin to sweat as well? "Everyone has a unique aura," Zeelan continued when Ava didn't reply. "Like a signature. Spider-Man was wrong to—to call it 'mood ring detection'." She wheezed. "People are more complicated…than a single color. Danny's is supposed to be…greens and browns. Sometimes with blue. Solid colors. Yet now—"

"Z—Zeelan?" Ava questioned as the white-haired teen swayed. Instinct glided the heroine across the floor to Zeelan's side. Her clawed hands reached for Zeelan's wrists, but when she tried to pull them back, she found that she couldn't. "What the hell?"

"There's so much black," the mutant muttered, unfocused. Her dark eyes were wide with a fear that dripped sweat faster down her paled skin. "It's choking the color. It's—It's—"

"Zeelan!"

Ava tugged Zeelan's wrists again. The result was the same, and a wave of hairs rose over the heroine's body during her third attempt. As the hands were brought together, a great trembling then coursed through the tight contact before it grew utterly still. The hairs prickled like small warnings when Ava's head whirled towards Zeelan's face. Not a moment later, the mutant's frame began to shake violently and her eyes rolled into the back of her head while her legs gave way.

Author's Note: Aren't I a doll? :) Hope you enjoyed that bit of girl bonding, and don't forget to review!