Lieutenant - Daughter of the Captain

Chapter 14.0 - Fear...?

She felt her chest tighten until she couldn't breathe. Sobs wracked her body and made her throat ache, but for a split second she felt relief.

But it would all come back in an instant. Each wave worse than the last. Each wave stronger and more intense than anything she had ever experienced.

But the strongest ones came from the room she was in.

Two people. Two waves.

She could focus on those, and become almost present. The other millions of waves would become slightly weaker when she did that. It did not lessen the pain, but made it more bearable.

When she dared open her eyes, the waves that flooded into her were visible. They bent the air when the got close to her, and she tensed in anticipation.

She closed her eyes and focused on the two closest sources once more. She knew who they were, but she couldn't focus enough to pinpoint their names. She wasn't sure what the distinction was between them, but she could tell the difference.

One suddenly faded into the mass of background noise. It distanced itself from her, that much she could tell.

She opened her eyes, clinging to the emotions of the one remaining source. It was only then that she felt the intensity of that being, and she nearly gasped at the onslaught of pain and intensity that gripped her.

She attempted to fight the pain, to block it out and allow the other waves back to her, but it was too strong. It overwhelmed her senses, so much so that she nearly passed out.

Her eyes had shut, but she forced them open again. She spotted the source, feeling the familiarity, but not recognizing them. She spoke without thinking, the words forming on their own.

"You are afraid..." She said, her voice was hoarse and small. She felt his emotions change, and she could read them, distinguish them from each other. She could recognize them.

"You mask your fear with anger, and arrogance. You seek to control everything and everyone, but it is you who is controlled..." Her thoughts spilled from her mind, but as quickly as the clarity had come, it slipped from her grasp. She felt the second source once more, the strength of having another so close ripped her from her focus and overwhelmed ber senses. The distinction was gone, the recognition was gone, and she succumbed to the indistinguishable waves that bore into her once more.

The waves flooding into her varied. Some she knew were good, some she knew were bad. They came at a random pace, some resembling one another. Some were weak and some were strong. She felt them all.

But she couldn't tell the difference, not like she could when she focused on the one source. She didn't know what they meant. She couldn't read them.

As she lay there, the waves began repeating- becoming less and less varied. It was familiar, she could tell that much. In quick succession, each and every source sent the same wave.

She pried her eyes open once more, attempting to recognize and recall what this wave meant. She had read it through the single source, she had recognized it. But with so many, and not a single one to focus on, she was overwhelmed with the feeling.

When she felt the varying waves, it was suffocating and overloaded her physical senses. But as the other waves transitioned into this distinct feeling, her physical reaction changed.

She could feel herself become aware of her physical surroundings.

Her sobs halted. Her fists relaxed from their clenched state, leaving bloody crescents in her palms. She felt her heart rate increase, her palms began to sweat, and her breathing became erratic.

The world around her became hyper-focussed, from the sleek black leather pressed against her skin, to the glittering shards of glass scattered around the room.

She recognized her surroundings as Stark Tower. But she felt no one around her. She was alone.

Well, almost alone.

She could feel pure adrenaline pumping through her veins, and her muscles itched. Still weak, she slowly and shakily pushed herself into a sitting position.

The waves came stronger now, almost strong enough to render the girl unconscious. She paused, attempting to grow used to the feeling, but the gaps she had between the varying waves didn't come. This was neverending, chasing her consciousness despite every attempt to push it away.

She had to get away.

"J.A.R.V.I.S.?" She managed to speak, reaching out to the tower's artificial intelligence.

"Your vital signs are normal, though you seem to be in a state of panic," The A.I. informed the girl, scanning her form.

Panic...

The word echoed in her brain. She could feel it now, it was fear. The waves that hit her did not intensify the feeling, instead they seemed to fuel it.

She was not the source.

"J.A.R.V.I.S.-" she started again, but the A.I. interrupted her.

"I reccomend taking shelter until Mr. Stark can attend to you, miss," He supplied, adding "Perhaps resting would do you some good,"

This confused her, however. Rest seemed futile, and impossible. She ignored the A.I. and stood from the leather couch. She was unsteady, and her legs threatened to collapse with every wave that flooded into her.

But she knew she did not feel the fear, she received it. Where it came from was a mystery she intended to solve. She had to know why. Who was afraid, and why was she feeling it?

"Miss, I sincerely recommend taking cover," J.A.R.V.I.S cautioned her as she made her way towards the window.

She stepped on the shattered glass, and pain shot through her foot, causing her to stumble. She landed amidst the glass, feeling it dig into her skin. She looks up from her position, and spots something shooting past the tower.

"J.A.R.V.I.S...." She whispers, dragging herself to her feet and ignoring the glass cutting into her skin she makes her way onto the balcony.

Hundreds, if not thousands of these crafts attack the streets below. Creatures the size of buildings with metal armor crash through the streets of Manhattan.

The fear, the panic, the life-threatening danger...

She senses it all in that very moment. She can hear the screams of the people, aligning with and intensifying the waves that continue to flood into her.

But now she feels it too. She becomes a source, and her own fear floods her system.

She stumbles back into the penthouse, slipping on broken glass as her already erratic breathing turns to hyperventilation. She finds herself darting behind the bar, taking cover and trying her best to block out the screams that echo in her head.

"...J.A.R.V.I.S....?" She calls breathily, her eyes screwed shut as tears flow from them and down her face.

"I will inform Mr. Stark of your whereabouts, miss," He pauses, resuming a few moments later, "Mr. Stark says to sit tight, he'll be back as soon as he can. I reccomend resting, your heart rate is extremely high..."

J.A.R.V.I.S's voice begins to fade. She can no longer distinguish his words as her vision floods with darkness. Her breaths are shallow and swift, and she feels herself collapse onto the cold floor, drifting in and out of consciousness as the fear threatens to consume her.

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EEEEK! I spent this entire morning writing this and oml, I can't wait for us to get into the swing of things. I know I'm skipping a lot of The Avengers in favor of her point of view, I just like seeing the movies from alternative perspectives.

I hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to Comment and Vote if you feel like it lol!

Sincerely,
C.B.K.