Tic... tok...
Tic... tok...
Tic... tok...
My eyes flared open to the loud chime of the clock, and I immediately felt the floor underneath me disappear. I would be free-falling for a few seconds before I painfully crashed into concrete, able to cry out in pain for only a moment before the process happened again.
Tic... tok...
Tic... tok...
Tic... tok...
"Figure this out, Seven!" I gasped for air as the helmet was ripped off my head, struggling against the chair I had been strapped in. A younger version of the adult Hawkes was standing in front of me, a furious expression on his face as he examined the wires inside the helmet sending electric shocks to my brain. "Or should I tell your agent that you failed again?"
"I didn't fail last time," I protested, the metallic taste of blood slowly filling my mouth. I knew from the moment he offered to be my tester that he would use every tool in his power to torture me. "You changed the settings!"
"Say all you want, but your Soldier can't get you out of this one," he spat, slamming the helmet back on my head.
Tic... tok...
Tic... tok...
Tic... tok...
Again, I fell, but this time I slammed into glass flooring so clean I could see my reflection staring back at me. I didn't look the way I did in HYDRA, but it was similar to how I looked before I took the name Atlantis. Something was telling me that this wasn't a normal flashback.
"They're going to die because of you," she whispered as the ticking would occasionally interrupt, her voice breaking in horror and her eyes wide. "Don't you understand that? Zane, Thomas, Amy, everyone. Your mistakes will be their downfall."
"No," I shook my head as my breathing hitched in panic. "No, I won't let that happen. He won't hurt them!"
"That's where you're wrong, and you know it." I looked away from my reflection as the endless void around me turned into glass walls, encaging me with a roof on top to match. "He's done something horrible already." The sound of water filled my ears, and I glanced back down as the small room started to fill rapidly. "Every second is a second of your life under Hawkes's control, and he is relishing in it."
The water level was already above my waist, and I realized frantically that I wasn't going to be able to breathe. My powers were gone. I started to pound my fists against the glass walls, grimacing at the growing pain rising through my arms. "If you continue this, you're going to die with them," she continued. "Or worse, it'll just be you... alone." The walls stayed strong, and the water was lifting me up against the ceiling.
Tic... tok...
Tic... tok...
Tic... tok...
"Isabel Galina Stark. Not a hero, but merely a martyr. A pawn." I took one final breath before I was completely submerged. For the first time, I understood what it meant to drown. "Tic.... tok," the voice echoed as my lungs burned and I kicked the walls with weakening strength. My mouth opened as I screamed, the sound mutated due to my surroundings. "Tic... tok... tic..."
"Stark!" My screams were cut short when a small paw slapped my face. I blinked a few times, my throat raw as my eyes took in the worried raccoon standing by my side. "Sorry, I didn't have much of a choice," Rocket explained sheepishly. "We could hear you from outside the ship."
"We landed?" I asked him. "When?"
"Not even a few hours ago. Kid... what happened to you?" I sat up in my bunk, pulling the covers off my legs and swinging them off the side. Rocket joined next to me, looking up at me in concern. I noticed there were newer grey hairs on his snout. "After Ego, I thought we could tell each other anything. That hasn't changed, right?"
"No, of course not," I shook my head, rubbing my palms as my screams from the dream echoed in my head. "It's just... everyone back home is screwed because of me. If I hadn't lost control... maybe I never would've killed Hawkes's son. He still would've hunted me down, but it would've only been my life in danger."
"And we have to find out you died without saying goodbye? Fat chance," Rocket scoffed. "I get protecting them, but you sound more and more suicidal every time we speak. You Avengers all are; everything you've told me suggests the entire team would give their lives up for anyone."
"Earth isn't in a place right now where we can consider the lives of our teammates anymore. If it's my life in place of everyone else's, that's the route I'm taking." I froze when I felt the raccoon slide his paw between my hands, stopping my fingernails from continuing to dig into my skin. I closed my eyes shut, feeling tears start to well in my eyes. "All I wanted was to see you guys and... and I'm ruining everything because I can't get my fucking emotions together."
"You're not ruining anything, Stark," Rocket disagreed. "If anything, we're scared for you. I'd love to go all animal on his ass so I could see you smile again." I couldn't help but chuckle at his words. "Small smiles don't count, but it's an effort. Now, go fix that bedhead of yours and get the my jacket on your shoulders. It's Funustini and we're gonna have a hell of a time."
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"See that pathway right there?" Quill pointed excitedly to an overpass above one of the several rectangular fountains. The group of us stood out awkwardly against the native inhabitants, but it had a sense of home to it. Funustini seemed similar to Christmas back on Earth with the decorations and gift-giving celebrations, but this was a world where Santa didn't exist and elves were replaced with tamed Orloni. Rocket stayed close to me, giving me encouraging smiles once an a while. "That's where Gamora threw a knife at my hand to steal the orb from me. A few feet over is where I tackled her to steal it back."
"How do you even remember all of this?" Gamora rolled her eyes, but I could tell from her tone that she was both amused and honored he remembered the encounter. "How long ago was that?"
"Two years and five months ago, if you believe it," he smiled. "It was such a fun day. Was almost killed twice, got admitted into one of the toughest prisons in the galaxy and escaped, and we all became the Guardians. Most of us, anyways."
"Take out that last part; the other things were fun?" I asked him in surprise. Rocket chuckled.
"Stardork's always been a screw loose; I didn't think that wouldn't be common knowledge."
"Oh, come on!" Quill groaned, and I couldn't help but chuckle. I missed their banter. I missed a lot of things... but I still didn't feel safe. No... the world didn't feel safe for my friends. At this point, I was just hiding from Hawkes. For now, I just wanted to enjoy my time with the people I loved.
I had a right to scared. Fear was what separated me from him. Fear made me human; I had everything to lose while he had nothing left, meaning he could do whatever he pleased. However, I wasn't going to let my fear control me... not anymore.
Like I said, there was a bit of writer's block, BUT WE'RE OUT OF THAT SECTION!!! I will be coming back to fix this at some point but for now my focus is to continue on while my streak is still going strong.