One Vial

My hand is shaking. Fortunately I don’t think Stark would care if that inch of scotch ended up on the floor. He seems far too amused for anything to annoy him – that and his house has seen much worse.

“So, you’ve gone into shock, right?” he asks, smirking like this is just fucking hilarious. I take a sip of my drink before responding.

“I was shocked when my hands were on fire. I’m just…mad. And confused.”

“Being attacked by ninjas and finding out your boss wants you tested would probably do that.”

“Probably?”

“Well, you could’ve just run home to write in your diary like your inner twelve year old self wants.”

“I don’t have a diary.”

“I’m glad we’ve got that cleared up,” he says before downing the rest of his drink. He then folds his hands neatly on his lap.

Even his gestures are sarcastic.

I groan and scrunch my eyes shut.

“Look, can’t you just tell me what this all means? You’re the genius here,” I add mockingly.

He sits back in his chair and takes a sip, eyes scanning me up and down.

“You want my theory?”

“Was that not clear?”

“You know, all of you agents are just a bit rude. I’m not sure I like that.”

I don’t dignify that with a response, knowing his ego will give me what I want anyway. That tell-tale smirk confirms it just seconds before he starts to speak.

“I think that those what, ninjas? Yeah, ninjas, were the test. Set by your good old pals over at S.H.I.E.L.D. You passed because you got here. Now your boss, Mr what’s-his-name, wants me to run tests on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s latest asset. I just don’t know what he wanted from me that they couldn’t do, despite my good looks and star quality of course, so the next bet is-”

“They’re recruiting me,” I breathe. “You’re supposed to help turn me into an Avenger.”

He smirks again, raising his glass to me.

“Congratulations, Agent.”

There’s one thing I can’t put my finger on though.

“Why would you do something for S.H.I.E.L.D. unless the world is about to end?” I accuse.

“Because I don’t think that’s the whole story. You need answers, and I like having dirt on your beloved bosses. Which reminds me, why are you so quick to trust a secret organisation? Doesn’t the ‘secret’ part give it away?”

“Not when you’re in on the secrets,” I retort and he chuckles, telling me that I’ve missed some crucial point of course.

“Yes, which is why they entrust every single detail to a low-ranking agent such as yourself, so much so that you knew that you’d be fighting for your life today. Oh wait.”

“I’m leaving,” I announce, finishing my scotch and tossing the tumbler at him.

Stark just tells me, “Then you’re as big an idiot as they think you are.”

“Why? I’m an agent. If this is all true, they’ll tell me.” The lies taste sour on my tongue.

“They don’t want you going back yet. You won’t get back no matter how hard you try. So let’s figure this out on our own, okay? Oh and feel free not to bite my head off every time you open your mouth. It’s getting annoying already.”

He then gets up and starts wandering away, gesturing for me to follow just before he moves out of view.

And I follow. Because he’s right. There’s something just off about this whole thing and I want answers. I need them and Tony’s the only one who can give them to me.

*

“Do you get fevers along with your powers?” Stark asks, as he taps a bunch of clear screens.

I swivel in his chair and look round at his more than impressive car collection.

“No. I get really bad migraines though.”

“I’m just gonna check your vitals,” he informs me before taking my hand and pricking my finger with a needle sticking out of one of his screens.

I flinch at the small pain, more from the shock. The last time I had my vitals checked, my blood wasn’t needed.

“Your temperature is in the fever range,” Tony notes. “Otherwise, you’re normal.”

I nod.

“So how much control do you have over this power?”

I roll my eyes and remind him, “I only discovered it today.”

“None then?” he offers and I frown at him, before turning my attention to my hands.

They were covered in that beautiful, moving, orange-red glow just hours ago. Surely I don’t need a near-death-experience or whatever to bring it on, right? I close my eyes and try to recall the feeling – that slight tingling and that warmth.

Then it’s right there. It’s like a gentle tug on a rope, nudging at my control. I smile as it becomes stronger. It’s so close to the surface now. Everything beneath my skin is a lazy river of fire, just waiting for that block to be removed so it can flow to the sea. And I let it.

My eyes fly open.

And my hands are aflame again.

“How much control again?” I ask a wide-eyed Tony smugly.

“Awesome,” he says. “I think I have marshmallows somewhere. Do you want smores to celebrate?”

“Hey, don’t downplay this!” I tell him with a grin, mesmerized by my hands.

“Well how much further can you push it? Is it just your hands?”

I shake my head.

“No. It was up my arms too. At the warehouse.”

I take his silence as the go-ahead to explore my new powers. I shut my eyes again and reach for the river again. It’s streaming along steadily, but I can still feel that block. I push against it and the river expands over my skin again. There’s still so much more to budge though, and I want this. I want this control. I want to see what happens when the dam breaks. This is mine.

I shove against the block, and I am alive.

Suddenly I’m being sprayed with a carbon-dioxide extinguisher. I open my eyes, panicked that the fire is gone, but the glow is still there. The chair beneath me is charred and there are ashes on the ground. I get to my feet, startled, and look at Tony.

“I didn’t mean to,” I tell him and he just points behind me.

One of the screens has turned into a mirror and I can see myself. And the flames are everywhere.