Author's Notes: Meh. Haven't really been feeling this story, but...here ya go, Happy D and TheImmortalWeapon. Thanks, guys.
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 25 - Morning
Opening his eyes had never felt like such a relief. Or so surreal. Danny didn't wake in a bed of silk surrounded by posh pillows and tapestries along the walls. He awoke to a metallic ceiling with bright lights that harmed his brain, as well as a mattress that felt firmer than the ground. The air wasn't fresh and cool; it was stale and thick. Not to mention the stench.
But what more could be expected from home?
"Danny!" Ava croaked his name and before the blonde could face her, a pair of arms slid beneath his sore back, pulling him into a hug. Her tense frame shook with a hick against his chest as she tried hard not to cry. Even so, the dampness of her tears fell onto his neck when she pulled him closer.
"Hey," he said, surprised at how raspy his voice sounded.
"Danny, Dude." Peter. He stood at the foot of the bed, leaning against the footrest with the widest grin on his face Danny had ever seen. His blue eyes were bloodshot and darkened by sleeplessness. Yet they were wide, like he didn't believe what he was seeing. "Uh…what's shakin' bacon?"
Danny let out strangled laugh that lead into a heavy cough. Ava released him, and helped him sit up enough to accept a glass of water Luke offered. He chugged as much possible with such a tight, sore throat. Then, he gave the glass back, smiling into the face of his best friend.
"A journey of sleep always feels the longest," he noted.
Luke only shook his head, incapable of words.
"What...time is it?"
"Early Saturday morning," Ava answered.
"We stayed at my place over night and just got here a few minutes ago," Peter added with a dying grin. "Aunt May thought it was weird…not having you and Sam around. But after watching you go through that last night…"
"Is—is Sam still—"
"Z should probably tell you about that," Luke interjected evenly. Danny turned to him. Had he used her nickname?
"Where is Z?" the blonde questioned. Fury wasn't around either. Or Doctor Strange, who he distinctly remembered fighting alongside in the Void.
"She's resting," said Ava.
"We thought you all were dying last night." Peter dumped his words out with a heavy breath that stooped his shoulder. The stirring Chi around him pushed against the atmosphere, but soon it slowed into its natural pace.
Ava blinked at him, though, when he paled. "Peter?"
"I think I'm gunna hurl."
"Oh, Dude, not again," Luke about yelled. "Find a trashcan this time!"
Danny couldn't help smiling as Ava and Luke scrambled for a trashcan while Peter failed to keep himself from gagging. It was strange finding such a thing funny, yes. But being awake meant a fog no longer disoriented his mind and he realized how valuable times likes these were to him—threat of puke and all. Luckily, Peter only needed to belch. By the time a trashcan was shoved towards him, he shoved it back with a 'No, thanks' that earned him a sock to the gut.
"Don't make me go through all that trouble for nothing!" Ava exclaimed with a low growl.
"It was just in the corner," Peter wheezed.
Luke chuckled softly and smirked at Danny. "You see what I've had to put up with all alone?"
Alone; the word caused Danny to flinch. "I am sorry I wasn't strong enough to awaken sooner."
"Don't start that." Ava folded her arms.
"Dude," Peter said, still holding the trashcan, "You held on for, like, twelve days. When most people usually last for—how long was it?"
Luke clicked his tongue. "Barely twenty-four hours."
"See? You did great."
"So did Zeelan." Danny spoke quick, without much thought. His eyes drifted around the long ward and when he spotted a figure in the bed across from his, he began pulling his feet towards the floor.
"No, you don't," Luke said firmly. He pushed Danny back and sent a small glare, which the blonde met.
"I wish to speak with her."
"You can do that later."
"But—"
"Thank her later, Danny. You can't be moving yet."
"How can I rest? I've been in bed for days."
"In bed? Yes. Resting? Not so much. So deal." With a pointed look, Luke eased from Danny's bed, nodding towards Ava and Peter. "We have some people we gotta find now, and I'm going to get you food from the cafeteria. So"—the powerhouse's dark eyes landed on him again—"stay in bed."
Slowly, very slowly, the trio left the ward with reluctant partings, and Danny sighed when the door slid shut. Respect for his friends' wishes was valued. It was. Even so, they hadn't endured what he had. They hadn't survived days of Swilla Iku's deception. They didn't know what it felt like waking up from such a deep entrapment or how grateful he was that Zeelan hadn't given up with Doctor Strange. No, they didn't understand; he had to see her in person, in the real world.
So, ignoring the aches in his joints and a lack of decent clothes, Danny slid from bed. Yes, his journey across the Ward's frigid floor was less than graceful. Catheter and intervenes lines aside, he pushed over a medical cart in an attempt to keep upright halfway through and once he reached Zeelan's bed beyond a white curtain, he practically clung to its thin sheets like a lifeline. He stumbled into a seat beside the mutant then tucked his hospital gown under his thighs so the back wouldn't fly open again. Again.
With a great loss of breath, the blonde braced his upper-torso as he leaned over Zeelan—one hand on each side of her pillow to keep himself balanced. His long legs hung over the bed's ledge and his matted hair fanned around his head in utter discord when he forced his vision to focus on the sleeping teen.
Perhaps it was the lighting or something entirely different. Either way, Zeelan's freckled face practically glowed with something Danny couldn't quite place. Confidence? Life? Hope? Maybe. He remembered when they first met, when her semi-tan skin was dulled from stress and helplessness. It looked ashy, weathered, whereas it now looked warm, refreshed and contrasted her hair more than before. Its freckles could no longer be mistaken as dirt smudges and for the first time Danny noticed an old scar that ran from under her narrow chin to the corner of her moist lips.
'I wonder…if her mother gave this to her,' he thought—tempted to lift a hand towards it. He felt softness when his thumb traced its bubbled length. He almost reached the corner of her mouth, but a slight shake of his head brought his hand back to its starting position.
Right. Focus.
"Zeelan," he called in a dry voice. The curly-haired mutant twitched beneath the sheets, yet her eyes remained closed. "Zeelan. You're alright, aren't you?"
Slowly, a small grin worked its way across her mouth—like remnants of a ghost. "Dan..ny."
"Yes." Danny mirrored her grin and fought the strange urge to brush some unruly curls from her face. "We made it out of the void. We have you to thank for that."
"Dan…ny," she said a little louder than before. Her grin faltered when her head turned towards him and her nose scrunched. "You smell."
Danny laughed so strongly it startled Zeelan out of sleep. Manners? What manners? At this point, neither teen had them. He woke her, and she blinked slowly at him, probably unaware of the truth she revealed.
"Danny?" she asked, Midwestern voice laden with sleep. "You're…up already?"
"Well, it is Saturday," the blonde answered.
"We…were out all night?"
Danny nodded. "Understandably. We did fight a powerful inter-dimensional poison of ancient decent."
In an instant Zeelan froze. "What?"
"If I had known that blade contained Swilla Iku—"
"Wait it. Back up. Stop." With black eyes wide, accent clear, Zeelan studied Danny with great suspicion. "The poison is from another dimension?"
"Master Strange didn't tell you?"
"Uh, no!"
As quick as her arms rose towards his face, Danny pushed them back down, gentle in their grip. "The poison has been used in wars across many worlds. Last known in K'un-Lun, it was being contained within a hidden kingdom deep in Africa. Wakanda was supposed to keep it safe. I can't imagine…how it ended up in Smokescreen's hands."
"So…it's more like a surrogate assassin that broke out of prison."
"In a way. Yes."
"I—Is that how it could have"—she struggled for the word—"memories?"
"That's unknown, honestly. Master Strange had fought it once before and hardly gained any history at the near-cost of his life."
"Strange never told me he fought it before."
"If he had, would it have affected the choices you made?"
The mutant twitched against her pillow. That was a yes, obviously. And the answer must've been against his favor, since she chose not to voice it.
"Thought so. Master Strange is wise in sensing such things."
"Yeah, well…" Z's dark eyes fell to the side then quickly found his gaze again as a pinkish taint crossed her face. She kept silent a moment, staring, then the pink grew more prominent. "C—can I sit up now?"
Danny blinked. What had she meant? He followed her gaze to his hands. At some point, they had gripped tightly around her slender wrists beside her head—like she would run away or refuse to speak with him—and it took a whole three seconds before he realized how close his face had drifted forward. He fought back a slight blush at the nearness, retracting his hands to his lap when he sat upright. Then, he sent an apologetic grin.
"Should you be moving?" Zeelan questioned as she slid higher against the pillows.
"No," Luke interjected, caustic. And unlike Z, he didn't appreciate the apologetic grin sent at him and the full tray he carried was quickly dumped on a nearby table. "What did I tell you?"
Danny's grin only grew as his teammates and Fury crowded around Zeelan's bed.
"How are you, Rand?" Fury asked. If he didn't know any better, Danny would say the Director sounded stressed. More so than usual.
"I'm…alive," Danny answered with a slight tremble in his breath. "I wouldn't be waking up this morning if it wasn't for Master Strange. Or Zeelan."
"I barely did anything," the mutant countered. It was probably an instinct from humility, and even if it wasn't, Danny found it pointless to hide his intense stare.
"Barely? Z, you helped saved my life. You can't deny that."
Still, she blinked, a distant glaze over her eyes. "It just feels…surreal. Besides, Strange was the one fighting Swilla Iku most of the time."
"And you were the one who regained my consciousness. If you hadn't done that…"
"From what Strange as told me," Fury started, "you helped greatly in defeating the poison back to its larva stage."
"Larva?" Z questioned.
"Strange's words; not mine."
"Oh. He's awake too?"
"Yes. I just finished speaking with him."
"That's good. And what about the poison?"
"We have Swilla Iku contained now. And you played no small part in its capture, by the way."
"Oh, I was just, uh…fumbling through."
Danny shook his head as Z turned away and his fingers slightly brushed hers on the bed. "That is far from the truth, Zeelan. The Tonatiuh Ichcati Belt had given you a new way to use your powers, and that gave us an advantage."
"You got an upgrade?" asked Peter like the term was normal.
"Was my fight with Strange and Danny against a personified poison a game?"
"Uh"—Peter's eyes shifted—"no?"
"Z," Danny said towards the glaring mutant. Her riled Chi faltered in seconds, replaced by a tired ease when she rubbed her face.
"Would you like to share your new skill with the class or should I?" questioned Fury with a slight tinge of amusement in his words. Zeelan wouldn't be capable of detecting them. As expected, she sent him a mild look.
"Sorry, story time is going to have to wait, kids."
Coulson was known for interruptions, so by now the group took them in stride. They all met the serious-faced agent when he approached Fury, and an uneasy air about Coulson's Chi kept Danny from smiling at the quick nod he received.
"You have an update about Collier," Fury said. It wasn't a question, but an expectation.
Coulson raised his chin. "Yes. She finally slipped."
"Go on."
"Naturally, Collier's been keeping her illegal dealings off the books, away from her company name. But her latest buy from an off-shore company in Asia has Collier Labs written on the check."
"What did she buy?" Power Man asked.
"An extensive amount of drugs," the agent replied. "Most of which require a special license or were banned by the FDA. To bury herself further, she also exceeded the legal bulk buy four times over."
"She's growing desperate," Zeelan grumbled so low only Danny heard.
"You know where it was shipped to then?" Ava added with a tremor.
Coulson nodded, meeting her desperate stare.
"Well," Peter started impatiently, "where is she hiding?"
Everything was falling into place that morning. Doctor Jessica Collier could hardly believe it. After all the blunders, all the hang-ups, all the men telling her how wrong she was, after Stark—she stood before a successful test. Her cool gaze eyed a ripple of scales that appeared, disappeared, and slid across the skin on the back of her dainty hands. This was done on command. And no, it wasn't natural for a non-mutant.
Not until today.
'Thera Moore has been my easiest subject yet,' she thought with a wide smile. 'Previous DNA had been hard to work with, and resulted in a lot of failures. Yet the properties in her fish markers are so diverse. And the carriers help stabilize it. Perhaps I can use this formula as a base to integrate the others' markers as well. That is, if they ever calm down.'
Yes. Slowing the mutant's bodies with sedatives polluted the bloodstream. It made work more difficult; however, the thrashing bird and biting mouse left her with little choice. The moth cooperated far better. Still, his mutation was all superficial; he had no hidden talent like she had hoped.
'Maybe I'll harness him like my lovely Trackers. Their powers didn't interest me either. At least not the eligible ones I could replicate within me…'
The woman chuckled at the thought. Nearly four hours later and she still felt giddy. The transplant was a success!
"Have Anemone...Aster...Rhododendron. Need Freesia...Hydrangea...and Star of Bethlehem."
Ugh. Jessica's high mood was shot down by a brittle voice from behind. Her eyes rolled before she twisted to an operating table behind her. Strapped upright, a pale blonde lolled her head from one side to the other. Muttering, always muttering.
"Speaking of flowers again, Espello?" she questioned.
Alice Espello or sometimes Aileas Adarsa—a highly-coveted and dangerous mutant. Jessica had hired Ghost personally for her capture because her displays of animal integration during the Enderlin Uprising had been sublime. Unfortunately, the mutant's secrets remained just that. Every chance Jessica got for a closer look of the girl, Alice would snap violently, speaking in third person until more drugs were administered. But no matter how many sedatives were pumped through her veins, the girl never slept.
If only Jessica had that power for herself…
"Have to help the shop," Alice grumbled. Her head tossed again, bringing with it locks of her straight hair. "Mom's overworked. Need...arms." With little strength she tugged at the restraints.
"Your arms are not yours, but mine," Jessica countered while approaching the table. Gingerly, her fingers pushed back the fallen locks of Alice's hair from the girl's distance expression and she smiled as dull, blue eyes snapped sideways.
"Don't understand," Alice said, ever soft. "Broke Lilac base. He's making it worse...Not allowed back." Then she paused before saying in a quite mutter, "Nirav."
Jessica frowned. "Nirav? What a despicable waste of talent. He can convince others of impossible feats, yet before I found him he used his powers only for juvenile pranks. Count yourself lucky you no longer have to deal with him."
Alice's head shook in an uncoordinated manner. "Found? Missing. Nirav is missing. His mother took? Maybe...Don't know."
Figures. It didn't surprise Jessica when a few tears slid down Alice's pasty cheek. It just fueled the reason why Nirav always avoided the room. Or found a way around attending Alice. And sometimes, when he was being particularly rebellious, he would suggest giving up the tests on the girl.
Ridiculous.
"What is with kids and love?" the blonde woman asked. An answer wasn't something she really wanted, though. And so she headed for her workstation, saying, "Kids have no real goals nowadays. Frankly, I tire of you fretting over one another—like that Hispanic with the fish girl. I swear their pep talks make me nauseous…But I guess that won't last much longer."
With a happy hum and a little dance, Jessica gathered the material on her workstation into a plastic cooler. "I start work on the carriers soon. The older ones will be first…But, it's not like you'll remember that. Right?"
Exactly. Alice had already returned to muttering, and Jessica smirked.