Agent Einstein

Chapter Thirteen: The Great Sacrifice

The first thing I feel when I come around is a throbbing pain throughout my body. I slowly blink my eyes open but the pounding in my head only gets worse. When the pain somewhat subsides, I look around the metal box we are stuck in.

"You passed out because you had re-opened a cut that had scabbed over. Blood loss, crashing from the adrenaline, the jolt of the med pod falling knocked you out cold and shattered your ankle. I was able to stitch you up, but you have lost a lot of blood." Jemma tells me as I look around the med pod trying to piece together an already solved puzzle. As my eyes travel the room I notice Leo tinkering with a couple of oxygen tanks.

"Now, this is near empty, but I've rigged it to let out a burst of very high pressure, should force a breath into both of your lungs, but you have to hold on to it, okay? Hold on tight." I process what Leo is saying but I can't allow him to sacrifice himself for me when I'm going to pass out due to blood loss. So, as he tries to convince Jemma, I move towards the defibrillator, blocking Leo's access to the button. "Let me show you." Leo says before I decide to step in and tell him he's wrong.

"No, you two are both living and having that happy ending. I already have a slim chance of surviving, with the endless torture Ward put me through and the blood loss. My body is already too weak, I'm not going to make it. Just... don't leave my body down here, take me to my parents. Tell them that I love them and tell my father that I don't blame him for the last conversation we had. Also, there is a student at Midtown Academy in New York, his name is Peter Parker. You need to tell him that he will always be my C3-PO and that I'm sorry. I love you both so much. Finish my blueprints." I speak softly, as the pair both turn to face me, releasing each other from their hug.

"No. You can't, I won't-"

"No, no, no!"

They both begin to speak at the same time. I shove their masks on and press the button before either can stop me. The last thing I see are the faces of my two best friends before the darkness takes over.

☆

I slowly open my eyes only to slam them shut due to the brightness of the lights hanging over me. When I re-open my eyes I notice the blurry shapes of people, standing and sitting throughout the room. As the faces start to focus, I notice their lips moving but I can't seem to make out the words. All I can hear is a vague scramble of random words.

"Hey! Why can't I hear anything? What are you saying? What's wrong with me? Why can't I hear?" I speak what I think is a normal level, but I must have been shouting because everyone else seems to startle at my words. Mom is the first to act, she moves towards me as Skye leaves the room to let someone know that I'm awake.

"Jemma. I want Jemma. I trust Jemma." I don't miss the look of guilt I receive from Mom during the chaos. In the middle of everything, I look around the room trying to notice everyone that's in the room. I notice Leo in the bed beside me, trying to move closer than the space allotted. "Leo, stop moving. You're hurt, please be careful." The stubborn scientist doesn't listen as he only moves closer. When his bed is touching mine, Leo begins to speak.

"You're an idiot. A selfless idiot. Why would you do that? You have p-p-partial hearing loss because you are an amazingly selfless person." Leo takes a deep breath before continuing, "You are my little sister, I care about you more than my own safety. Don't you ever do that again. Now, you need to tell me all about this Peter Parker, and give him your message yourself." His rant finishes as Skye re-enters the room with an unfamiliar doctor, who is holding a plastic box. When Skye begins to speak, I notice the only people missing are my dad and Jemma.

"Logan, the doctor here is going to explain everything that happened, okay?" Her words sound like they are coming from a broken speaker. I nod at her before the doctor begins speaking.

"Hello, Logan, my name is Doctor Frederick. Since you are still young, when you blew out the pressure in the med pod, your ear drums burst. Not enough to make you completely deaf. Nothing a hearing aid can't help you with. Now before the med pod was launched you had a slight concussion. Your dislocated shoulder that  seems to re-appear. You shattered your ankle when the med pod made contact with the water. Your concussion has healed nicely, and the surgery on your ankle went well, but you will be in a cast and a sling. Physical therapy will be required to make a full recovery. Now, on to other matters, in this container I have a pair of hearing aids that are the same design as the ones Barton uses. From the information I have gathered, you are the one who designed these, so you should know how they work, right?" The doctor rambles about my conditions and all the details. I nod answering his question, as he hands me the container with the hearing aids.

After I receive the container he continues the rest of the check-up. Checking all my vitals and that the medicines are at the right doses. I zone out after a bit trying to wrap my mind around the concept of being alive. In those final moments I truly thought I was sacrificing myself. I was ready to sacrifice myself for my two best friends. I now realize how wrong I was, I could never leave Peter like that. I need to speak with him. First Step, put these hearing aids in.As I was putting on the "Behind the ear style" aids, I noticed how badly my hearing was affected. When I managed to get both at a normal volume everything sounds clearer. Almost back to normal, but everyone sounds like computers talking. The talking stops as I begin to ramble.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I shouldn't have sacrificed myself. I didn't think things through, I should have thought through the stupid idea. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." my mom cuts me off as she pulls me into a hug.

"Baby, Piggy, sweet heart, it is okay. What you did was very brave, and I couldn't be more, proud of you. Just, promise me you won't ever do that again. If I lost you, I don't know what I would have done with myself. I want you to know that everything Ward said was a lie. I would never complain about the reason I continue to wake up every morning. I love you to the moon and back, baby. You are so grown up, please be careful. I want grandchildren." Mom had pulled away to look me in the eyes while she talked to me. Her words cause me to tear up, and I pull her into a tighter hug. We sit there for a little bit, reveling in the comfort.

"I love you all so much. Thank you for being here for me when I woke up. Um... I was wondering where are Jemma and my dad?" I ask when I finally pull away.

"Jemma left us, Logan. She s-stayed long enough to see me wake up, but as soon as I regained uh, um, conscious-consciousness, she was gone. She didn't even say goodbye." Leo spits out with such a broken tone that it breaks my heart. when I look at my mother for an explanation, all I see is the confirmation that what Leo said is true.

"Leo, it's okay I'm here. We don't need Jemma, it can be us against everything. I'm not leaving you, not ever." I whisper as I grab his hand giving it a squeeze, while trying to hold back my tears. I can't help but hate Jemma only a little for leaving us. Silence takes control of the room as I reflect on my actions of the past weeks.