Status: Bruce Banner: You might not like that. Tony Stark: You just might.
The Science of Monsters
White Wall Death Calls
Blinding white lights surrounded me. You’d think the harsh lights would heat the seemingly small room, but the frigid air bit straight through my skin causing my blood to be icy. I tried to sit up, jerking my arms, nothing got my back off the hard surface they chained me. The unforgiving whiteness hid anything that might be useful in the room, and the worst part of the situation I was alone.
“Stupid Shield!” I hissed. “How the hell can you expect to keep good guys around when you lock us in…what is this?”
I concentrated on my left wrist first. The ice in my veins broke as the chill faded into burning. I smiled when my wrist began to glow, but my happiness ceased before it could win. Ordinary chains should’ve melt.
“Get me off this damned table!” I screamed and trashed. The heat scorched my skin, but the chains ignored me.
I tried to close my fiery eyes, but every time I saw visions of that blade slicing my wrist. Blood splattered around the white room while my good leg separated from the rest of me falling off the table again and again. My screams of anger changed as the tears flowed.
I took a deep breath trying to calm my nerves. The screams echoed through the room. Maya didn’t come to comfort me this time. My lungs were raw and charred. Exhaustion filled me. Tears relieved the soreness in my cheeks as I caved. I shivered as I finally gave up; I knew that death lurked in the corners of the bright room and nothing would stop it.
A wall to my right slid open and shut. I kept my eyes trained forward not wanting to see whoever they decided to send. Shield probably called Killian to come get his runaway.
Someone’s face intruded my line of sight. I grimaced at the sight of the curly haired woman. Her deep blue eyes bore into me as her even deeper frown informed me of a huge mistake. The way her hair bounced and her eyes searched my face reminded me of Liz Taylor, but the redness of her hair and lips and her unemotional features couldn’t be more different.
“She’s alive.” The woman stood out of my direct view. “Unfortunately.”
I cocked my head towards her, not bothering to contain the glare that spread across my features. “Where is he,” I hissed. This woman must’ve worked with Killian. Why would he send her to come get me after he tried to kill me?
“If she’s talking about Bruce, he’s still sleeping,” the man with the arrows stated as he walked through the wall.
“Are you talking about Dr. Banner?” The woman faced me, staring into my eyes.
“No,” I hissed at the man. I turned my head back toward the ceiling jerking my hand one last time. “Where’s my creator?”
“Excuse me?” He invaded my sight as the woman tried to push him away. They argued for a moment before her angered face appeared before me.
“You can’t explode in here,” she stated. “If I let you sit up, you have to tell me what you are talking about.”
“Listen, Red,” I rolled my eyes, “I don’t want to talk to you, and I want the Robin Hood wannabe out of here now.”
“If you talk I can arrange that.”
“I wasn’t born a human torch, regardless of what you think.”
“Get out,” she hissed at the man.
“But-“
“Clint, get the hell out!” I heard the wall open and close again before her face was back.
“Is that offer to sit up still on the table?” She nodded as she pulled a card from a hidden pocket in her black leather suit. I would overheat in about 0.5 seconds in a getup like that, but too each her own. She slid the card in a slot then my hands here free.
“Thanks.” I sat up and rubbed my wrists. “The Mandarin, a man named Aldrich Killian, created me with a woman named Maya Hanson’s research.” She waited, a bit impatient, while I figured she wanted the whole story. Except for the torture, I gave her exactly what she wanted
“That’s…”
“I know.” I shrugged. “It’d be nice to…” I motioned toward my ankles.
“Oh, no. You don’t get out of those just yet.”
“Seriously?”
Before I realized, my body stopped secreting heat. The temperature dropped from a nice 70 to an icy 35 in minutes. She shivered violently as she glared. “You have to be dead.”
“I do…”
She jabbed the needle into my neck before I could say ‘not’. The room seemed to get brighter as it spun. I might have given in to Shield’s tactics, but I didn’t want to die here, like this. “Good night,” she whispered. I laid back on the table as the wall opened again.
“What happened?” The man from earlier asked.
“I had to make a call.”
“You-“
“I’m paying it forward.”
The wall closed as I faded into the blinding light and the bitter cold.
“Stupid Shield!” I hissed. “How the hell can you expect to keep good guys around when you lock us in…what is this?”
I concentrated on my left wrist first. The ice in my veins broke as the chill faded into burning. I smiled when my wrist began to glow, but my happiness ceased before it could win. Ordinary chains should’ve melt.
“Get me off this damned table!” I screamed and trashed. The heat scorched my skin, but the chains ignored me.
I tried to close my fiery eyes, but every time I saw visions of that blade slicing my wrist. Blood splattered around the white room while my good leg separated from the rest of me falling off the table again and again. My screams of anger changed as the tears flowed.
I took a deep breath trying to calm my nerves. The screams echoed through the room. Maya didn’t come to comfort me this time. My lungs were raw and charred. Exhaustion filled me. Tears relieved the soreness in my cheeks as I caved. I shivered as I finally gave up; I knew that death lurked in the corners of the bright room and nothing would stop it.
A wall to my right slid open and shut. I kept my eyes trained forward not wanting to see whoever they decided to send. Shield probably called Killian to come get his runaway.
Someone’s face intruded my line of sight. I grimaced at the sight of the curly haired woman. Her deep blue eyes bore into me as her even deeper frown informed me of a huge mistake. The way her hair bounced and her eyes searched my face reminded me of Liz Taylor, but the redness of her hair and lips and her unemotional features couldn’t be more different.
“She’s alive.” The woman stood out of my direct view. “Unfortunately.”
I cocked my head towards her, not bothering to contain the glare that spread across my features. “Where is he,” I hissed. This woman must’ve worked with Killian. Why would he send her to come get me after he tried to kill me?
“If she’s talking about Bruce, he’s still sleeping,” the man with the arrows stated as he walked through the wall.
“Are you talking about Dr. Banner?” The woman faced me, staring into my eyes.
“No,” I hissed at the man. I turned my head back toward the ceiling jerking my hand one last time. “Where’s my creator?”
“Excuse me?” He invaded my sight as the woman tried to push him away. They argued for a moment before her angered face appeared before me.
“You can’t explode in here,” she stated. “If I let you sit up, you have to tell me what you are talking about.”
“Listen, Red,” I rolled my eyes, “I don’t want to talk to you, and I want the Robin Hood wannabe out of here now.”
“If you talk I can arrange that.”
“I wasn’t born a human torch, regardless of what you think.”
“Get out,” she hissed at the man.
“But-“
“Clint, get the hell out!” I heard the wall open and close again before her face was back.
“Is that offer to sit up still on the table?” She nodded as she pulled a card from a hidden pocket in her black leather suit. I would overheat in about 0.5 seconds in a getup like that, but too each her own. She slid the card in a slot then my hands here free.
“Thanks.” I sat up and rubbed my wrists. “The Mandarin, a man named Aldrich Killian, created me with a woman named Maya Hanson’s research.” She waited, a bit impatient, while I figured she wanted the whole story. Except for the torture, I gave her exactly what she wanted
“That’s…”
“I know.” I shrugged. “It’d be nice to…” I motioned toward my ankles.
“Oh, no. You don’t get out of those just yet.”
“Seriously?”
Before I realized, my body stopped secreting heat. The temperature dropped from a nice 70 to an icy 35 in minutes. She shivered violently as she glared. “You have to be dead.”
“I do…”
She jabbed the needle into my neck before I could say ‘not’. The room seemed to get brighter as it spun. I might have given in to Shield’s tactics, but I didn’t want to die here, like this. “Good night,” she whispered. I laid back on the table as the wall opened again.
“What happened?” The man from earlier asked.
“I had to make a call.”
“You-“
“I’m paying it forward.”
The wall closed as I faded into the blinding light and the bitter cold.
♠ ♠ ♠
Before the real note here... I planned on giving you guys two chapters today, actually, but I didn't get around to writing it last night because my co-author was talking to me about our editing for ch. 2 last night... So if you guys a random chapter in the middle of the week you'll know why... okay on to the good stuff....
Hello Black Widow/Natasha Romanov fans... (PS. I like the Romanov spelling better than Romanoff so deal with it peeps.) Sorry for sounds a little bitter there, loves, I'm just worn out from this week's events. I was in a parade Sunday with the Arts Council and I have to go to a Council Meeting tonight to read. The President of it, Mrs. Virginia Lacey, told me I could ready anything from a part of my book to a short story, or whatever I wanted. No, I'm not reading this but it'd be pretty cool to present this to them.
Anyways, Happy reading to all 37 of my beautiful, incredible, and awesome subscribers. I love you guys! Almost as much as my family... speaking of :) here's a link to a pic of us from our family reunion last month.