My apologies. There is a 2-chapter-day coming up soon. I promise. My glasses just broke, though, so I'm practically blind at the moment (my nose is 2 inches from the screen as I slowly type this out...). They should be fixed by Monday, and I can stop walking into doors.

DISCLAIMER: I only own the idea and my OC's. I do not own any quotes or Ultimate Spider-Man.

Chapter 17: Unknown

"There are moments that mark your life,

moments when you realize nothing will ever be the same.

And time is divided into two parts,

before and after this."

-Unknown

Ava's POV

At first, nobody thought much of it when Emma didn't show up for dinner. She had probably just eaten before the rest of us, I thought to myself. Besides, Danny wasn't worried, so the rest of us decided that he knew what was going on, and was just fine with it. The trouble is, Danny usually appears calm even when he isn't, when he shouldn't be calm at all- I should have thought of that then. Maybe we would have found her sooner.

By the next morning, I still wasn't worried, assuming that she had something going on, and had just gotten up early and eaten before me. After all, this wasn't the first time she had done something like this; it was fairly common to only see Emma at meals, or not at all if she hurried. That girl had a knack for avoiding people when she wanted to, the same way she always seemed to know what we were thinking. Danny was the only one who understood her, really- I was just a friend, somebody to hang out with when she felt like having some fun, but it was Danny that she was really close to.

Danny was worried, though, I think. He didn't say anything, but he doesn't exactly talk a lot. At dinner, he voiced his concerns, and Fury got really mad at all of us. He said that we should have realized she had disappeared earlier. I asked him about her com and trackers, but Fury shook his head and said that she had refused any trackers, and her com was in her bedroom- so he had naturally assumed that she, too, was in her room, thinking.

We searched everywhere. Anywhere that Emma had some kind of connection with, we searched. She's traveled her fair share, as it turns out. Danny told me from day one that this strategy wouldn't work. He said that Emma knew everyone because of her mutation- but no one had bothered to know her. That hit home with me, but I still wanted to believe that we would find her. If Danny was being negative, though, I knew we had about zip chance of finding her like this.

Fury had people looking everywhere for her, combing the world. He didn't find any more than we did. In our spare time, we were supposed to look through the lists of criminals for anyone who might have taken her. The list spanned on and on. S.H.I.E.L.D. had lost track of most of the prime suspects, though, so it's not like that helped. It was more to make us feel like we were doing something.

Now, four months later, I've given up. You're not supposed to give up on friends and family, I know, but this is different. There's tons of people who would love Emmaline dead, so the chances of her being alive anymore are close enough to zero that I'm out of excuses to continue looking, hoping that we'll find her. Maybe Fury will find the body.

Danny's the only one who still thinks that she's alive, that there's some chance of finding her. I don't even know if he truly believes that anymore- he's probably just grasping for straws when there are none to be found.

S.H.I.E.L.D. found some tapes yesterday, and say they know who took her. That's it, though, and I don't bother going to watch the videos. I've got tests to study for. I'm tired of trying to find someone that's dead.

Fury wants us all to come and see them. More like he wants us there to support Danny, who's starting to lose it. I haven't seen Danny in a long time, except for brief glances. So I change my mind last minute and rush to the meeting room, sliding into a chair just as Fury walks in.

The tapes turn out to be documentaries from Doc Ock's lab. Of Emma being... tested. I don't know what he's doing, but it's horrifying. He's injecting her with medicines, electrocuting, and other things I don't recognize. The most terrible part is that she's just laying there, strapped to a table, but she doesn't scream or cry. She just talks, like somebody can hear her.

"Danny, Danny, when are you coming? Danny, can you please hurry up? Danny, Danny, it hurts, Danny I'm sorry..." Emma just goes on like that, quietly talking to 'Danny' the whole time. I glance at Danny, and his face is pale and stoney. At the end of the last video, he stands and leaves.

I start to follow him, but Fury stops me. "No, White Tiger, he just needs-" An officer rushes in, interrupting him.

"Director Fury, sir! Iron Fist punched a hole in the floor and left!"

Fury sighs. "Don't bother following him. Let him be. He's got to come to terms with this."

"Is she alive?"

He looks at me. "Didn't you hear the dates? The most recent one is from last week. I'd say it's safe to assume that she is... alive. We don't know her location. Just... sit tight, kid."

I sigh. It's easy for him to say something like that, but I don't feel like arguing with Fury right now, so I sink back into my chair.

Emma's POV

More pain. More, everywhere, all the time. I can hardly think straight anymore. I don't care what he's doing to me, as long as it's quick. Hurry, please hurry, Danny. Danny's coming soon. He will be here soon.

That's what you've been telling yourself for months.

He is coming! Danny, Danny can you hear me? Danny, you're coming soon, aren't you? You'll bring everybody, right? Danny, I'm ready to go, go anywhere but here. I'm ready to die, Danny, just kiss me goodbye first. It's like you say, every end is a new beginning, Danny, and this is going to end soon. The pain will stop, Danny, right? Nothing's forever, it will stop.

As you've been saying ever since you got here.

That's okay, Danny is looking for me, he's probably already found me. Danny, could you please, please hurry? It hurts, Danny, and I want it to stop, please make it stop, Danny, please hurry.

Danny, I want to sleep. I'm tired, I haven't truly slept since I came here, Danny, come kiss me goodbye, I'm ready to go. Anywhere but here, Danny- I have to leave.

I'm going to die, Danny, but not here. Danny, once you rescue me, could you kiss me goodbye, because I'm ready for death?

He's never coming.

Yes he is, I've been keeping track of the days, Danny, and it's only been four months- Danny, you're coming when it's been six months, right?

Oh, Danny, he's stopping, and I have an hour to sleep. I close my eyes, relieved for the moment of the pain; though there are still throbs of agony wracking my body, it has ceased enough for sleep to carry me away.

Blissful quiet. I'm asleep. I sigh... it's been so long since I've escaped into a dream- a week, I think.

You are alive!

Danny? Danny! He turns around, shrouded by mists.

Where are you? I am coming!

Danny, Danny, it's been so long! I want to hug him, wrap my arms around him and never let go, but it's only a dream. Danny, I'm in a lab with Doc Ock somewhere in New York City. It has lots of equipment. I sink down to the sidewalk, slumping against a brick wall. I want to cry, but I'm not crying. That madman doesn't deserve my tears. Danny is getting farther and farther away, or maybe I am...

Wait! Where are you going? I-

More pain, more needles, more medicine.

Please hurry, Danny, please.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))))))))))))))))))))

Someone is shaking me, undoing the ties. How long has it been? It's February, I know that much. About two months since the Dream.

"Emma? Emmaline?"

I can't open my eyes, they are too heavy, but I can recognize the voice.

"Danny," I whisper hoarsely, my dry lips cracking.

"Emma, it is all right. It is all right." Oh, that voice. Strong, gentle arms lift me up, and I want to cling to him, but I am too weak to lift my arms up. I rest my head against his chest, and his words blend together.

"Danny, kiss me goodbye." I drag open my eyes, and I can see the blurred image of blonde hair, and a face, green eyes, then the head shakes, and I fall into darkness.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((()))) )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))))))))))))))))))))

"She's nearly gone," a deep voice says.

"Have her ready within the next month. I need her soon." Mr. Osborn's voice is cold, and I flinch.

Voices flicker in and out of reach, in and out. It doesn't seem like any time at all, but the days pass by, and the time spent in darkness versus awake blends together into one enormous mound of pain, pain, pain, until I don't care what's happening anymore.

"She is stable enough, sir."

"Good. Try her on subject A2."

"Yes sir."

More darkness. So much of my time is spent this way, when will it end?

Oh, no. They want me to transfer energy to this man that I am touching. No, no, I won't do it!

I WON'T!

Blackness.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( ((((((())))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))))))))))))))))))))

They found her lying amongst the ruins of Osborn's Laboratories. She was almost dead, but not quite. They couldn't bring her to the Tricarrier, because the Tricarrier had exploded, and now they were staying with Peter again. So they brought her to the hospital, where Danny already was. They didn't know if she would live, but at least they had found her. At least they had found Danny. And they were both alive, even if it was only for now.

El fin of the chapter! :-) [EDIT: I got my glasses fixed now, so hopefully the next chapter will be up soon, and I think that you will enjoy that one a lot, especially TheOnyxDragon12 and leggo lover 99! ;-)]

-FFS