A Big Misunderstanding Part 2
Read part one HERE
Three days passed and I spent the entirety of the time hiding out in an abandoned warehouse in Brooklyn. I had decided it would be best to leave the city for a remote and cold location, but I had yet to actually pluck up the courage to do so. My entire life had been lived in New York and I wasn’t sure how I could leave this place. But with Peter knowing my darkest secret and with being a massive danger to the city, how could I possibly stay?
I had found the warehouse a couple hours after my disastrous encounter with Peter. I needed a place to lay low. It was run down and dirty, but it contained a fairly large walk in freezer. I spent most of my time there in the cold. My episodes seemed to be getting worse with less time in between, and the freezer was the only place I could think of that might contain the storm brewing inside me. I hadn’t frozen anymore street blocks or hurt anyone else, but I could tell my body was reacting negatively to the inability to fully use my powers. My hands had been a shade of light blue ever since I had left the subway, and the hue was slowly creeping up my arms. Despite never being cold in my entire existence, I had fallen into a constant state of shivering.
Many times I had debated calling Peter and trying to explain, but even if I wanted to my phone was long dead. The thought of calling my parents had also crossed my mind, but I decided it would be the best for everyone if I just… vanished. Disappearing without a trace and having everyone believe I was dead was better than my identity being revealed, though I wasn’t sure Peter would keep my secret. I feared Peter had gone straight to Tony Stark after our meeting. He and Iron Man had probably been hunting me down for days.
Part of me was terrified of being found, but another part wanted to march down to the Avengers’ tower and turn myself in. Even if it had been unintentional, I had caused damage around the city multiple times and injured innocent people. I knew I deserved whatever punishment they would give me. But courage was something I sorely lacked.
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The door to the freezer opened slowly and I started to curl in on myself further as I realized I had been found. I kept my hands close to my chest, not wanting to accidentally hurt the poor soul that had come across this monster.
“Stay away.”
I had meant to sound forceful, but my voice was a mere whisper overwhelmed by chattering teeth and harsh breaths. She was met by silence.
“Please,” she pleaded. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Frozen teardrops already littered her face, and though she felt hopeless enough to cry again, she had no energy left. Slowly, she turned her head, neck cracking as her stiff joints moved for the first time in hours. And she was met with the sight of Iron Man’s hand pointed in her direction.
For a moment she felt the panic rising within her, the frost in the freezer started to flurry in the air and then— she was calm. Her mind begged for rest, for an end to the pain she had caused others and the pain inside her own chest.
“Do it,” she nodded slowly at the glowing eyes. “I’m too much of a danger.”
Iron Man stood still. I waited patiently for the blow, hoping it would come but knowing the heroes never took the shot unless it was entirely necessary. In the state I was in, he must have known I couldn’t put up much of a fight. Though, I couldn’t say the same for my powers. They had a mind of their own.
After an unbearable few moments, the iron hand lowered and the suit opened to reveal Tony Stark inside. He shivered slightly in the coldness as he made his way over to me.
“No, Mr. Stark, don’t—”
But he was already lifting a needle to my neck and injecting me with whatever was inside.
My body went limp and I sagged into Mr. Stark’s arms as he lifted me from the frozen floor.
“You’re going to be alright, kid,” was all he said before my eyes fluttered shut.
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When I awoke, I was laying on a medical bed dressed in a simple white nightgown. Various needles were sticking out of my body and I couldn’t tell whether they were pumping something into my veins or taking out. There were multiple screens lining the walls showing different readings. As I looked around the room I realized one of my worst fears had come to fruition.
They were running tests on me.
I was a lab experiment.
One of the monitors started to beep incessantly as I sat up quickly, ripping wires from my skin. As I stood, my body swayed and only then did I wipe my forehead to find my skin drenched. My hair was sticking to the back of my neck and I pulled at it uncomfortably wondering why the the temperature was so high. In my disoriented and confused state, it didn’t cross my mind that they were trying to subdue my powers with high temperatures. If only that worked, I had already tried. This was only damaging my mental stability.
The door opened and before I even turned towards it, hands were gripping my arms tightly trying to lead me back to bed. I fought, swinging my fists weakly and lifting my feet ever so slightly off the ground, trying to put some force behind my kicks. It was no use.
“Get off of me!” I cried. “Please, I don’t understand!”
I was lowered back to the bed, straps placed over my wrists and ankles. My hearing was foggy but the sound of my cries were clear.
“I can’t control it! It’s not my fault, please don’t do this to me! It burns!”
Another needle was stuck into my neck and the darkness overcame me once more.
Peter’s face was all I saw.
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I startled awake the next time, my body convulsing under the restraints of the straps still holding me down to the bed. The first thing I noticed was it was significantly cooler in the room than last time. My mind was less clouded as I looked around the room and then down at my body.
The blue was spreading. There was no warmth to the skin on my arms and now my chest. Blue tendrils reached out towards my neck and I knew it was only a matter of time before I would reach the point of no return. The door opened and I quickly averted my watery gaze to the ceiling.
“You seem to be better.”
I only slightly recognized the voice.
“I’m sorry about these,” the voice continued before I felt the weight on my limbs disappear. The straps were gone.
“I don’t remember how much you remember from the last time you woke,” the person continued. “I think we frightened you and I apologize for that. It was never our intention.”
“Why am I here?”
Through my blurry vision I could make out the face of Mr. Stark now standing over me.
“We want to help you.”
“There’s no helping me. There’s no controlling this.”
“I have yet to face a problem I can’t solve.”
Peter always said he was a little cocky.
“And I have yet to be anything but the monster they all fear I am.”
“You’re not a monster,” Mr. Stark interjected.
“You’re wrong. Even my boyfriend--” I cut myself off, remembering my last encounter with Peter. He didn’t want me anymore. “Even Peter knows it.”
I don’t trust you and I will never trust you. Ned was right, you are a monster.
Peter’s words echoed in her head.
“He didn’t mean that,” Mr. Stark said.
“You weren’t there, you didn’t see the look in his eyes. He meant every word.”
Mr. Stark glanced to the door, but it hadn’t opened after him. Only his reflection in the one way mirror met his gaze.
“So,” I started. “Medically speaking, do you think we can get rid of it?”
“I don’t think so, kid. This isn’t going away.”
My chest tightened and I looked towards the ceiling once more.
“Am I going to be locked away?”
“What?”
“Am I going to be locked away somewhere I can’t hurt anybody?”
“No,” Mr. Stark sounded shocked. “I’m not going to let you be locked away.”
I laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “That’s a mistake.”
“I’m not letting you throw your life away,” Mr. Stark crossed his arms. “It’s going to take time and it’s going to take a lot of work. You’re going to have to train and fight to control your abilities. You are your own worst enemy right now.”
“Is there at least a place I can go? Somewhere outside the city?”
Mr. Stark didn’t hesitate.
“We’re going upstate.”
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A/N: Peter Parker will be more in part three!
