Running Out » Quicksilver

chapter eight

Wait.

Where'd his friend-?

"Whoa . . ." I breathed, eyes widening. It wasn't out of terror, though - no, I was excited. Because Metal-Man's friend had just turned into a giant dragon. Now, don't get me wrong, the fact that said dragon probably wanted to eat me was a bit of a downer, but you've got to understand my excitement at the fact that there was a dragon.

Except then the dragon blew fire and crap now I gotta do damage control-

The wall of fire closed me in, and I did my duty maintaining a telekinetic wall to keep the fire away from the still running civilians.

Even though it closed me in with the dragon.

"Oh I can absolutely handle the dragon," I said under my breath, words laced with sarcasm. "Hey, Magnet dude!" I shouted.

When he turned toward me, I gave him a forceful telekinetic shove, sending him flying - quite literally, he went airborne - into a wall. I barely paused to watch him crumble; there was no way he was still conscious after that. Now I could give my full attention to the dragon.

The fricking dragon.

I turned toward it, hands clenched to fists. I could feel the light flooding my system, and with the slightest jump, I was flying, bringing myself to a more level position with the dragon. It roared obnoxiously loud, smoke billowing at me, before it lunged at me. I barely avoided the ginormous teeth, whizzing out of the way and up a little higher.

"MEGAN?" I heard Wanda shout from somewhere below. I didn't have a chance to try and pinpoint her location below me, though; I was a little occupied trying to avoid the fire breathing dragon.

"BUSY," I shouted back. "DRAGON! DO YOU SEE THE DRAGON?"

"IT IS VERY HARD NOT TO!"

I thought a saw a glimpse of her - or rather, the same red energy that I had recognized in her eyes - beneath me, but I didn't pause to confirm. Instead I let my hands heat up, urging them to get hotter, before I let loose a blast of light straight at his scaly head.

I was surprised when it actually hit home, and more surprised when I witnessed the dragon gradually morph back into the man it had originally been. I didn't have long to celebrate my victory, though, because no sooner had the dragon returned to a man, than did I realize my light was still vamped.

I yelped, dropping some in the air as I focused a little too much on trying to withdraw the light. "Not again, please not again . . ." I whispered.

Jerking, I managed to lower myself to the ground, not even bothering with flight once I was only a few feet up. I landed hard, still glowing intensely, and it was as I tried to focus that I heard other familiar voices around me.

"We really can't leave the Tower without having a problem, can we?" That was Sam.

"Where's Megan?" Steve asked.

"She was . . ." I heard Wanda say, before her words were too quiet- or was the ringing in my ears too loud?

I could feel presences approaching me, and that terrified me more than trying to handle this problem on my own. "Don't-don't, don't . . . don't. Please . . ." I breathed. I didn't want to hurt anyone.

"She's not-"

Voices cut in and out as I dropped to my knees, holding my fists to my chest.

" . . . doesn't . . ."

" . . . how we found her."

And then a quieter voice, close to me, actually broke through. "You are fine."

"No!" I shuddered as a wave of fear hit me, "No, no no, don't-"

"Shh," he hushed me. "I know. Lucky for me, I have fast metabolism."

Before I could protest again, strong arms wrapped around me, and though I heard a grunt of pain, they didn't let up. Slowly, oh so slowly, I began to relax. Eventually I could feel his body heat, my own light fading away faster now that I wasn't panicking. My senses returned to me, and I could feel a chin on my head, I could hear a steady heart beat, and I could feel the strength of the body against me; steady, solid . . . there.

"Pietro . . ." Wanda's voice was quiet, barely registering.

"I am fine," Pietro said, his voice rumbling in his chest. "She needs rest."

"No," I tried to protest, though when I struggled against Pietro he strengthened his hold.

"Still," he said in a hushed voice. "Just be calm." Then his voice rose slightly, "Captain, I need-"

"I know," Steve said. "Go. We'll catch up."

The next thing I knew Pietro's grip on me changed, and suddenly anything I could see of the world was a blur around me.

When things slowed down to normal, we were in the Tower. I felt dizzy still, dizzier than I would admit, so when Pietro sat down and sat me next to him, I was more than relieved. "Pietro?" I asked quietly.

"Mmm?"

"Thank you."