ADITI
"I have an idea." I bit my lip. I could still see the weird colours swirling around, as though I was looking through coloured plastic.
Alina groaned and fell back, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.
"Hey!" I slapped her round the face. "Don't do that, stay with me."
"Since when did you get so aggressive." She mumbled. "You sound like my uncle."
"I sound like both of our uncles, now stay awake. Please." My voice cracked. I had to hold it together. I had to. Steve was getting the shit beaten out of him, he was no help right now.
She fixed me with a glare. "So long as you don't slap me again." Her hand flew up on instinct, making a bright dome around us as the blast from Wheel's staff came towards us. It bounced off Alina's shield harmlessly, blowing a hole into the wall opposite. She grunted as she fought to keep the forcefield up. "What's your idea."
"You have my powers right?"
"It doesn't work like that." Sweat was dripping from her, her skin was going horribly pale, nothing like her usual glowing mahogany colour.
"I know, I know, but what if it did? What if we shared power in a way?"
"This is your great idea? Neither of us are Roara." Her hand dropped and the forcefield slipped away. "Fuck." She muttered in a tired voice.
"I know, trust me, look, I just..." I groaned. "Let me try, you'll have to help."
"Try what?" She wiped the blood from her mouth with a shaking hand.
"Go into medical vision." I said. "Just," I looked around desperately, "just do it now."
She shook her head, but she rolled her eyes back into her head anyway. Her body next to me seemed to fade, and I could barely feel her beside me. She was like mist. I closed my eyes tightly. I had only done this once before, and that was earlier today. It had nearly taken everything out of me already. What if this didn't work and I became blind, like, forever? I didn't have the option to think about that right now.
I let my consciousness slip out of my body, and like before, I felt like I was falling backwards into the floor. As I began to float, I pushed myself down, forcing myself to stay in the same position as my body. My jaw clenched as I used all my strength to reach out. I pressed my hands to Alina's head. It would be just like affecting emotions, I figured, like feeling them. Absorbing them.
I leant forwards and pressed my forehead into hers. It burned. It burned like my entire face was being pressed into hot coals. If I could have screamed, I would have. Suddenly it was like I was being dragged back into my body. As though something didn't want this to happen. I shook it off, holding tightly to her. Normally I couldn't interact with physical things, but I didn't have time to think about how this was even possible. I just had to do what I needed to do.
And then I was seeing things how Alina was seeing them. It was strange, as though all colours had been inverted, turned black and white, moved inside out. I looked down at Alina and I thought I might throw up. I could see her insides, her skeleton, her muscles and her organs and her veins. Whatever this was I was glad I didn't see it often. I could see where her wound was. I pressed a hand to it, my fingers moving into her body with little resistance. I heard Alina gasp, still only the whites of her eyes showing.
It was weird, like suddenly being able to speak a new language. Somehow I knew what to do. I stitched together the organs, the skin, the flesh, forcing the body to speed up the healing process.
I slammed back into my body, gasping for breath, just as Alina's eyes rolled back into place.
"That," she panted, "was horrible."
"Tell me about it." I shuddered. I never wanted to be a medical doctor. Ever. That was disgusting.
Cap's shield flew towards us and on instinct I grabbed it, flinging it towards Wheel, hitting him in the chest and forcing him to stumble backwards.
"Good shot." Steve said, catching his breath. "Now get out, we can handle it from here."
"But Alina-"
"Get out!" He ordered, pointing at the door behind him. "Find a way out, and leave, now."
"Why?" I pulled Alina to her feet. Her colour was already coming back to her.
Wheel was laughing on the ground, his hand on his stomach as he cackled. "Because of the bomb." He grinned, his eyes like a tiger, getting ready to pounce.
"The... the..." I looked at Cap, who gritted his teeth and nodded towards the wall at the end of the room. Sure enough there was a device leaned up against the wall, a counter on it. Just over three minutes to go.
Wheel got to his feet, twirling his staff in his gloved hands. "I set it up while you two were busy over there and your Captain was down for a few seconds."
"Why the FUCK is there a bomb?" Alina seethed. "You've already stabbed me with whatever that is," she pointed at the staff, "and this day has been absolutely awful." She looked up at the ceiling. "God, please tell me you're joking right now."
Wheel smiled. "I go down, you go down with me. And so does she." He pointed at me with a gloved finger. My mouth went dry. He didn't care about winning, he just wanted me to pay for what I'd done, and he knew that Alina and Steve wouldn't go down without a fight. He knew they'd protect me until the very end. And of course, he didn't know if he could defeat both of them.
Wheel charged, aiming his staff at me. Alina stepped in front of me, throwing an orb of darkness in front of her. It hit the energy Wheel was blasting out of his staff with an explosion, and crackling electricity filled the room, making my hairs stand on end. Steve also came to stand in front of me, the both of them protecting me.
"Go Aditi." Alina said, shoving a gun smeared with blood into my hands. "Get out of here."
"But-"
"GO!" She yelled, pushing me backwards.
"She'll never make it." Wheel said coldly. "This place is like a maze. It's designed like that."
As I backed away I saw the explosion had only two and a half minutes left. My back hit the cold wall behind me.
"I don't want to leave you." I croaked.
Alina didn't look around. "Go Aditi. If you die in here my ghost will never forgive you and I'll haunt you for eternity in the afterlife."
I ducked as a blast of energy hit the wall, smashing the concrete above my head.
"We'll be okay." Steve glanced over his shoulder at me. "Go. Now."
With those final words I turned on my heels and ran, the heat of another energy blast following me as I made a mad dash towards the end of the corridor, skidding around the corner as the energy hit the wall, charring it.
I ran, my heart in my mouth, my legs burning with tiredness. I was exhausted. It felt like I'd been exhausted for months. I thought about the homework I hadn't done. It was stupid, but it felt like my algebra was the only thing my mind could keep a steady hold on. It was even more stupid it wouldn't even go towards grades! For most people it was the summer holidays, but because Peter's school was such a high level academy we had optional school even in the summer. Peter... I had to get out. Because I had to see Peter again. I had to see my best friend again.
I skidded down corridors, opening doors of cell rooms, work rooms, backing out of dead ends. My lungs were burning. I could hear noises. I rounded a corner and saw Alina and Steve fighting bitterly against Wheel, their arms moving in perfect synchronisation, Alina's powers exploding all through the room.
I was back to where I started. I turned around, still running. I didn't know where the hell I was going. I came to a stop, trying to get my head right. I looked at the dried blood on my palms, turning them over to look at the backs of them. And that was when I had an idea.
I dropped to the floor, pulling the small knife out of my boot that we all carried for emergencies. I bit my lip, hard. I didn't want to make a noise. I breathed in and out deeply a few times, preparing myself. I slashed across my palm. It was so painful I thought I was going to cry out, but I didn't.
I looked up and nodded to myself. I could do this. I placed my hand against the wall and ran, not letting my hand leave the concrete, the trail of my blood staining red onto the grey stone. I was Hansel and Grettling this shit. Like Theseus and the string in the minotaur maze. I was leaving a trail.
I ran down another corridor and saw my blood trail on the wall opposite. Not that way. I backtracked and took a right, only taking my palm off the wall to go down a new hallway, putting my hand back against the concrete as soon as I could. My hand was stinging, the grainy concrete grazing the skin of my palm, making it peel. I ignored it, blinked the tears of pain out of my eyes, and kept running. I turned another corner. Blood on the wall. I turned the opposite way and ran.
I swung open a door and saw another door across from me. The first room that had another door. I jumped over tables and chairs, nearly falling but just managing to keep my balance. I jumped to the ground and pulled the door open. I didn't have long. I didn't have long at all.
I didn't know how much time had passed, but I was running out of it. I could see an hourglass in my mind, black sand moving through the hole in the middle. Tick tock. Tick tock. I ran into a door. I took a couple of shaky steps back. There was no handle. I looked to my left. There was a keypad.
I looked at it, squinting. It was brand new. None of the numbers had been worn down from use yet. Shit. Peter knew how to hack computers, hell practically everyone else but me did! Even Roara knew rudimentary hacking. I drew a blank.
Blood was dripping down my fingers now as I inspected the pad. I closed my eyes, squeezing my fists. I heard my blood dripping onto the floor. I was not going to die here. I had come too far. I was not going to die here.
Well, I decided, only one thing for it. I pulled down the fabric covering my nose and mouth, making breathing slightly easier. I grabbed the gun Alina had given me from my belt as it was the only one I had. My others had been lost when Wheel had grabbed me, along with my bow and arrows. I took a few steps back. I pulled the top back, hearing the satisfying click of the gun being ready to fire. I squeezed my finger on the trigger. Once. Twice. Three times.
The keypad hung off the wall limply, connected by only a couple of wires. I turned to the door expectantly. Nothing happened.
I screamed and kicked the door. I kicked it again. I punched it, feeling my knuckles grazing. I punched it again, with both hands, pummelling the concrete as I screamed. I fell to my knees, sobbing, still lamely punching the door.
I was going to die here, unless Alina and Steve had diffused the bomb. If they had I was sure they'd let me know somehow.
I was going to die in a prison. Mama and Papa would be so disappointed. They might not even have a body to cremate, I'd be in bits and pieces. My room at home would stay empty. I'd never graduate, never go to university, never become a therapist. I'd never have my first kiss, never get married, never have children. I'd failed Fiona. I hadn't taken care of her animals.
"Peter." I whispered, my hands pressed to the cold door. "Peter, I'm so sorry. Tell Mama I love her. And tell Papa I'm sorry."
And then I was falling forward into darkness, tumbling onto my face.
The wind was knocked out of me and I couldn't see. Was this it? Was I... dead? I hadn't heard any explosion, hadn't seen any lights. What the hell had happened? Was this what death felt like? Dark and painful?
I grabbed my body, pulling at my clothes. I could feel them. I pinched myself. Not dead then?
I got up shakily and looked around. It was pitch black. I blinked, again and again, trying to become accustomed to the lack of light. As my eyes grew used to the dark I could see the door behind me. It had opened, and clearly closed again. I had got through. The lights just weren't on in this part. I had got through! I had... got through. Oh sh-
I began running again, almost stumbling forwards, my legs so tired now I thought I might collapse. I couldn't collapse. I had to keep going. I had to. I didn't have a choice.
I saw a door at the end of the hallway. I staggered towards it, my body felt like it was about to shut down.
A low rumbling began behind me. I looked back as I felt the floor shaking. I didn't even have the thought to scream. Somehow I felt a spurt of energy urging me onwards, and I sprint towards the door, wrenching it open as I felt the entire building begin to erupt. I could feel the heat coming towards me, so intense I thought I would burn alive from the inside out. I ran outside as the orange light burst all around me, throwing me off my feet and into the air.
And then I was flying through the air, a strong arm wrapped around my middle.
We fell onto the grass and Peter wrapped his arms around me, burying his face in my hair.
"I've got you." He said, his voice thick with emotion. "I've got you."
I flung my arms around his shoulders and sobbed. At this rate of crying I must have been seriously dehydrated, but I didn't care.
"I've got you." Peter said again, holding me tighter. "I'll always be here to catch you. I've got you. You're safe now."
"S-steve, Steve and Alina." I croaked. "They were in the building when it blew, Wheel did it, they were, t-they're gone Peter, they're gone and it's all my fault."
"ALINA!" I heard Tony shout, his suit flying above the burning wreckage of the prison.
"Hey," Peter stroked my hair as I cried, "hey it's not your fault, it's okay, I've got you now."
We lay there in the grass for some time until I felt up to standing, while the battle raged on behind us.
"They've put Gunn into play now." Peter told me, checking me over for injuries. "You can see?"
I nodded. "Alina." It was all I could manage without crying.
He nodded. "Come on, where's your bow?" He looked around the field. We both saw it at the same time, along with my quiver. They were lying in the middle of where the battle was happening, next to Roara who had created a tornado out of wind and water, moving across the battle field, forcing Wanda to fly in zigzags to avoid it.
"Shit." He muttered. "We can't get to that."
I wiped my nose. "Yes. We can."
We began to run, Peter shooting webbing at soldiers dressed in black as we went, dodging bullets and energy blasts. I jumped over bodies lying in the grass, forcing myself to keep the emotions of everyone else out. I couldn't deal with that right now.
"ROARA!" I screamed.
With one hand she continued guiding the tornado, but she turned her head to look at me, her eyes glowing green.
She tilted her head. "Hello Aditi Savant. Come to join the fight finally."
"Roara." I walked up to her, my legs feeling like wood. "Stop this."
"Why should I?"
"Because it's pointless." I had a stitch in my side from all the running. "It's all pointless. Alina and Steve, they're dead, does that mean nothing to you?"
"They never meant anything to me." She replied, turning her attention back to Wanda and casually flicking her wrist. A vine exploded out of the earth and grabbed me by the feet, dragging me towards her.
"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" I shrieked. "I FELT IT, I FELT HOW MUCH YOU CARED!"
"Well I don't care now." She spat, dragging me closer, flicking me upwards. I saw my bow and quiver on the ground as I was dragged past them.
I was at her feet now. With her right hand still on the tornado, she drew her sword, the blade hovering over my neck.
"Do you want me to kill you slowly? Or do you want me to be merciful?" She asked.
"Neither." I replied. "I want you to listen."
"You've got ten seconds." She shrugged.
"Release my feet."
"No."
"Kill me then." If there was one thing I knew about Roara it was that she was curious. She read all those books over all those years, spent hours reading things on the internet, things other people wouldn't think twice about looking at. I just hoped that this part of her remained. That she'd want to know what I had to say more than she'd want to kill me.
She rolled her eyes. "Fine." She sliced the vines holding my ankles. "Speak."
I smiled. "Steady on."
I saw Roara's glowing green eyes widen as she realised what was happening. I waved to her as Peter's webbing latched onto me and I was pulled backwards at an alarming speed.
She screamed in anger and threw a ball of fire at me. Before it could reach me a wall of red appeared and Wanda landed in front of me.
"Don't you touch her." She said, tilting her head. Roara copied her, tilting her head to the side.
Peter pulled me to my feet and handed me my bow and arrows.
"These have webs on them." I complained.
"It was your idea. It'll dissolve in an hour." I could hear him smile under the mask. "Next time say the go words slightly louder, just so I can hear."
I punched him playfully on the arm. "It looked pretty cool though. You said we needed a distraction."
He nodded. "We did."
And then I heard it. Simon Bridges voice, shouting across the field.
"BRING OUT BANNER!"
A great big green mass dropped to the ground, roaring so loudly I thought my ear drums might rupture. I'd only seen the Hulk once before, and that was when he was on my team, even if he might have been the one to nearly kill us all. This was a different situation entirely. He looked around and began to run towards Peter and I.
I swallowed. "Peter." I said quietly.
"RUN!" He shouted, grabbing my hand.