Hello! I think that leggo lover 99 and TheOnyxDragon12 will 3 this chapter, I hope I did okay with it and that it lives up to your expectations. Thanks for the reviews:
Hamster1000: I'm trying sis! Hold your horses.
TheOnyxDragon12: Yup. I'm not telling. You'll just have to read on and see! XD
BowTies23: It was meant to be that way at the end. :-) I didn't feel like giving you a cliffhanger again, so I just left a lot of loose ends to be tied up in the next chapter. :-)
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Ultimate Spider-Man. I however, do own this idea, and my OC's, thank you very much.
WARNING: Yeah, this is a chapter involving torture that is described in brief, minor detail for those of you who have been waiting to see a certain character suffer. If you don't like torture scenes, then I suppose you could just skim over that part or not read at all. Yeah... the torture part was foreshadowed in the previous chapter, so I'm sure you've all been expecting this...
Chapter 18: Trying
"The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision."
-Helen Keller
Danny's POV
He had found her in a dream. She had told him where she was, and he had found her. When Danny quietly broke into the lab, he knew that he would have to hurry. Emma was right there, though. She was hardly recognizable; she was practically skin and bones, she was so weak and helpless. So hopeless.
He whispered her name, his heart pounding in his chest. What if she was... gone? "Emma? Emmaline?"
She hardly could manage to reply, her lips cracked and bleeding as they parted, forming his name. "Danny."
Danny felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He could remember the monks' words of warning to not allow emotions overwhelm him, but Danny payed them no heed. "Emma, it is all right. It is all right." The words were as much a comfort to him as to Emma, and Danny slowly lifted her, hugging Emma gently to his chest.
She dragged open her eyes, then hoarsely said, "Danny, kiss me goodbye." Then she become utterly, completely limp and still.
"No, no Emma!" Danny's arms were quivering as he shook his head, his voice echoing throughout the dismal lab. He couldn't stop the tears from falling slowly down his face. Emma's shallow breathing could still be heard, ragged and uneven, as she struggled on each inhale and exhale.
"Who would this be?"
No. Doc Ock. Those were the last things that ran through Danny's mind before he felt something hit him on the back of the head, and blackness swallowed him.
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Danny's head throbbed. Rough bindings cut into his skin, trapping him against a metal board.
"Ah, you are waking," Doctor Octopus laughed coldly.
His eyes shot open. He was in the lab that he had found Emma in, but Emma was gone. "What did you do with her?" he growled.
Doc Ock's eyes flashed. "He grew impatient with me. He came and took her. She isn't ready, I told him that- she's too unstable! I still haven't found what made her tick. But," he turned to Danny, "I will find out what gives you that fist of yours." He cackled insanely.
No! Danny fought against the bindings, but they were tied too tightly, and his wrists stung as they began to bleed. "You will never find the answer, for magic is beyond your comprehension!"
"Magic?!" he scoffed. "As if! Science is the one and only sure thing in this world. Now, to begin."
He lowered the table, and pulled Danny's right hand closer with his mechanical arm. From another one of the doctor's arms came a buzzing saw, and he brought it closer and closer until it shredded the skin of Danny's hand. Pain roared, and it felt as though his hand was on fire. Blood sprouted everywhere from the wounds, trickling off of the edge of the table.
Danny squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the pain. He attempted to breath in and out steadily, but he couldn't calm himself. The agony was overwhelming, consuming him, until more darkness consumed him.
When Danny awoke, his hand still burned so badly he could hardly think, though the pain had dulled slightly. The sickening scent of his own blood made him nauseous, but at least the 'doctor' was done with him for the moment. Danny knew he had only one hope.
He wriggled his left hand, loosening the ropes just enough that he could bang his communicator against the table so that it turned on. Ava's face flickered across the screen, and although Danny could not hold the device close enough to his face that she could see him, he turned it so that she could see where he was. "Help," he whispered hoarsely, and he could hear Ava exclaiming something, but the pain overwhelmed him again.
"Stupid, stupid hero," Doc Ock hissed. Danny blinked, awakened by the villain's voice. "You brought them here! You contacted them! You will pay for that, boy!"
A horrible, sizzling sensation spread throughout Danny's body. His muscles tensed, and he couldn't move, he was frozen in place, pain roaring in his skull. It was as if boiling water was pulsing beneath his skin, and his heart began to beat faster. Every bone ached, every muscle tensed in agony. Then it was over.
His whole body tingled, and his fingertips felt numb. Danny could hear Doc Ock clambering about the lab, then approaching him again. "This will make you-"
He was interrupted by a loud crashing noise from behind him, and Doc Ock began to panic. "No! Not so soon!"
Danny's body still buzzed and tingled. If this was what Emma felt like all the time, then he didn't know how she could bear simply living. Far away, he could hear voices yelling, familiar voices, and Doc Ock hastily began pouring some sort of liquid into a vial. Suddenly, the entire lab shook, and the doctor dropped the vial, spilling it all over Danny's face.
His eyes stung, and he shut them. The liquid was boiling, and sizzled on Danny's skin as it cooled. Then he was in agony, his eyes felt like they were on fire, burning underneath his eyelids, and the madman was screaming at the people in the distance.
"GET BACK OR I WILL INJECT THIS CYANIDE IN YOUR FRIEND HERE!"
Far away, Ava yelled, "NO!" as a needle plunged into his arm. Danny couldn't breath, every breathe rattled his skull. What was happening? He felt like he was spinning, air rushing at him. Then, silence.
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Emma's POV
Where am I? I can feel soft sheets rubbing against my bare legs. Weakly, I try opening my eyes, blinking. White walls surround me, as well as numerous large machines connected to... me. My head spins, and the world shakes. Slowly, I try sitting up, but the small tremors become an earthquake, and I collapse back onto the bed, exhausted.
Nurses come in, delicately checking my vitals. I can tell that they are nervous about what I might do; apparently they know I'm not your average girl. Eventually, I fall back asleep, only to be wakened by the sound of voices.
"No, Web Head, be quiet, she's asleep!"
"Who's asleep?" I mutter thickly, my words slurred with sleep.
"You're awake!" Ava sounds surprised. Wait, Ava's here? I try pushing myself up again, but even when I drag my eyelids open, I can't see much; everything is blurry. "Oh, for Pete's sake, Peter, where'd you put her glasses?!"
Somebody roughly shoves a pair of glasses on my face, and I blink, the world readjusting itself. "Is- is Danny okay?" Those are the first words that come to mind.
Sam glances at Luke, who shrugs. Ava glares at them both, then says, "He's... asleep right now. You can see him... later."
Weakly, I nod, then manage a half-smile, my eyes drooping again. I can hear the boys talking, and their words float around me as I drift back into sleep.
I stay that way for awhile, passing in and out of sleep. When the room comes into focus again, I find Nick sitting in the waiting chair. If I didn't feel so drained, I might be surprised.
"That was some stunt you pulled back there," he says gruffly. I don't reply, so he continues, "That was a lot of energy. Lot of force. You're lucky that the lab was at the bottom of a river- you only flooded the area right beside the riverbank, and the river just got a whole lot deeper, kid. You've... certainly been holding back on us."
"It's... not like I had... much of a choice... really," I say softly. Just speaking those words make me tired, with the amount of thought and effort required to do so.
Nick simply looks at me. "I have no idea what happened back there, Carlson- you owe me an explanation."
"Carlson?" I grin.
"Kid, you've got some explaining to do." At that, Nick rises to his feet, and walks to the door. As he leaves, he tosses a few final words over his shoulder. "Rest, now, so you can do it."
It's funny- all I want is peace and quiet to sleep. I feel like I haven't slept well in years. That's what the next few days end up being; sleep, talk with someone, sleep, start over again. They start letting me eat the (nasty) hospital food.
The day that I wake up to see Danny sitting beside my bed, though, is the day that I truly feel alive again. Like I want to feel better and do something. His beautiful, kind green eyes look past me, towards the wall, and he smiles, squeezing my hand with his unbandaged arm.
"You're... okay," I whisper. He grins back at me.
"You are okay."
I sit there, just staring back at him, until Danny clumsily leans in and kisses me, tangling us both in the tubes and wires. My heart leaps up, and I feel laughter tumble from my mouth.
"Hello," he murmurs in my ear.
"Why didn't you kiss me goodbye?" I ask afterward.
"I waited to kiss you hello again. The end is just a new beginning."
I can't stop myself from breaking into a smile, then I notice that Danny's not looking me in the eyes like he normally does when we talk. Instead, he is still staring at the wall, his eyes cloudy and empty. "Danny... what's wrong?" I ask, my voice ridden with concern.
"Nothing is wrong anymore."
"No, Danny... why aren't you looking at me?" My voice is quivering slightly, and my mind produces only one explanation, which I do not understand.
"My eyes do not see you, but my heart still does," he says softly.
I can't stop the tears from gathering in my eyes, and I blink them away as quickly as I can. Sorrow is still mingled unmistakably in my words, though. "I'm... I'm sorry Danny. This is my fault."
"No," Danny says firmly, "It is no more your fault than anyone else's. Emma, it is fine. You and I are okay now. We are alive."
Once he's gone, I still smash my face into my pillow and sob for Danny, my heart sinking horribly, because it is my fault, and no amount of apologies can fix this.
Danny and I go home on a Thursday night, after I have been in the hospital for exactly one month. It takes all day getting out of the hospital. A S.H.I.E.L.D. officer drives us home. Danny tells me that we're staying at Peter's for now, and I don't ask why; I just want things to be the way they were before.
I must have fallen asleep on the way there, because all of the sudden I feel Danny gently shaking me, then lifting me into my wheelchair and covering me with a warm, fuzzy blanket. The early spring air is chilly and jolts me awake. Fear builds up in my stomach, fear at facing my friends. It was different when they saw me, sick, in the hospital; now I have to face what happened, and I really don't want to.
Danny slowly pushes me up the driveway, unwavering in his steps despite that he cannot see where he is going. Once we reach the doorway, we don't even have to knock- it opens right away to reveal a warm, smiling woman with short gray hair. Peter's Aunt May. The house is bright and inviting. She welcomes us enthusiastically. "Why, you must be Peter's friends! Come in, come in!"
I can feel her uncertainty. She knows that something bad happened to me. Still, though, I have to admire her for her politeness and ability to hide her concerns. I manage an almost-smile, but pull the blanket closer around me. Ava, Sam, Peter, and Luke are waiting inside. Their welcomes overwhelm me, and I find myself simply half-nodding at everyone, dazed.
Mrs. Parker ushers Danny and I toward the stairs, telling us that I will be staying in the guest bedroom with Ava while Danny will share Peter's room, when she realizes that I can't exactly walk up the stairs. Danny doesn't hesitate, scooping me up and starting up the stairs, a smile dancing playfully across his lips as he deposits me on the bed. I collapse onto the pillows, sleepily waving good night, then fall asleep.
The next morning, I wake early. Ava is asleep in the twin bed beside me. I try lift myself out of bed and stand, but my legs wobble unsteadily, and I fall to my knees. I don't like being so weak, unable to do the things I could before. Danny says I can't blame myself, but I do anyways.
In the end, I manage to get dressed and brush my teeth. Then I have to face the stairs, which I end up scooting down slowly, step by step. The wheelchair is still there, at the foot of the stairs from last night, and I gradually ease myself into it.
Maybe I can't do the things I could before, but I will be able to do them again at some point. I just have to keep trying, keep living. That's what I tell myself as I struggle with the simplest things all day. My friends continuously help me, but I detest not being able to do them myself. Then I realize that Danny can't do all the things he could before either. Even though he doesn't ask for help or complain, he loses his way around the rooms, feeling pieces of furniture to find his way (unintentionally knocking Mrs. Parker's decorations down, which he apologetically picks up and tries replacing to their former positions without much success). For me, this weakness is temporary; I will build up the strength to do everything I could before. Danny, though, won't ever see again.
I hate this new start. By the end of the day, I find myself of in a corner of the guest room, silently crying. I hate my weakness already. Danny, of course, finds me, and turns me around, about to say something wise, but I kiss him instead, burying myself in his strong arms. "Never let me go."
"I won't," he whispers, and we sit there the rest of the evening, staring at what was and what is. I don't like picking up these broken pieces, and either laboriously gluing them together again, bit by bit, or throwing them and starting anew, but I'm not letting go of my family now. Never again.
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