Energy (Dr Stone x Marvel)

П р о л о г

Kiera Stronghold— an eighteen year old girl who's known nothing but the worst life has to offer.

Abandoned by her parents, whoever they may be, she can't recall much before the age of five. She remembers struggling to survive on the streets of Milan, Italy— constantly trying to avoid whatever gangs skulked within the shadows, and running from homeless men that held wicked gleams within their eyes.

At the age of ten, that's when it all went from shitty, to shittier; Kiera discovered she wasn't normal, that her body in fact held a great deal of power.

It happened one night in some alleyway— a couple gang members had her cornered, her back against the wall, literally. Kiera's heart pounded, she knew she didn't stand a chance against two fully grown men that were hellbent on harming her in some twisted way.

In that moment, it felt like time began to slow drastically as the men closed in on her, her heart racing so fast and beating so hard, it was all she could hear— she was utterly terrified and totally helpless.

As one of the men reached a hand out towards her, that's when it happened— her whole body flooded with a sudden burst of energy; it crawled along her veins like a living flame, gnawing at every nerve until a beam of some kind of light shot forth from her palm. Kiera didn't remember even raising her hand in the first place, but she had subconsciously.

The beam of light, like a snake striking, hit its target— one moment the man had been there, and the next, he was reduced to a pile of ash upon the cobblestone.

The man's companion was frozen in fear, even wetting himself from the unexpected turn of events. Kiera will never forget when he finally turned to her, his voice a low, hoarse whisper:

"Che cazzo sei? Tu... sei un fottuto demone!"

He had accused her of being a demon before running off. After that, Kiera avoided people like the plague, no longer out of fear for her own safety, but for the safety of others.

Though, word spreads like wildfire in Milan; talk of a demonic little girl who roams the streets was making its way throughout the city, and because of that, trouble in the form of an evil organization came her way.

She'd never forget the day she found herself once again cornered, except this time it wasn't by two lowly thugs— but practically a small army of men in some intimidating uniforms, men with weapons that looked almost out of this world. At the forefront of their little army stood a man with a metal arm, displaying the coldest, deadest expression Kiera had ever seen on someone.

In that moment, she knew she was completely screwed— and she was right, because they had successfully captured her, and dragged her into a life of hell for the next seven years.

🧪⭐️

It was now the present— Kiera had been pulled out of that perpetual state of hell by a group called the 'Avengers'; a band of misfit individuals with strange abilities and powers, just like her.

Now, Kiera was beyond grateful, even more so when they allowed her to officially join their ranks— but a small part of her felt off, like even here she didn't fit in. It's possible that it's just her trauma making her feel this way, because she for sure felt loved and valued. So when that nagging feeling that something just ain't quite right reared its ugly head, she immediately pushed it down.

Currently, she's standing in the main area of Tony Starks penthouse within the Avengers Tower. Beside her is Thor, the overly boisterous and loud Norse god who's the embodiment of a golden retriever.

As the blonde god shoved Poptarts down his throat as if they were a delicacy, Tony made his way into the room.

"Hey kid—", His voice soft and tender like always whenever he spoke to her, "—I know you're unsure about this, hell I' m not even entirely comfortable with this, but I think a break is what you need right now."

Kiera's still struggling with integrating into society after several years of experiencing things most people wouldn't wish upon their worst enemy. Although she's been doing rather well as a hero, even making a name for herself as 'Vitality', there's been hiccups in her process of healing.

Thor suggested a getaway to Asgard, believing it might help alleviate some stress. Now, Kiera has been to Asgard before, but it was under dire circumstances in order to help Thor's girlfriend, Jane; a mess of a situation that was a major pain in the ass.

Kiera regarded Tony with a softer expression— she had a soft spot for him and Natasha, the Black Widow. They were the only people she allowed to get close to her, both physically and mentally. Tony was like a father to her, though she'd never admit it out loud, and Nat was a big sister.

"It's alright Tony, I'm wearing the suit, so if anything goes wrong... I'll contact you." Her tone, usually cold, was slightly warmer when speaking to him.

Stark approaches her, his deep chocolate eyes, the eyes that bring her a sense of peace, held a hint of uncertainty— he doesn't hesitate to pull her into a firm hug, resting his chin atop her head.

"Be careful kiddo." He mumbled, his tone sounding almost resigned.

Kiera hummed softly in response, and the two pulled away.

"Do not worry so much, Stark— Lady Kiera will be just fine on Asgard!" Thor reassured in his booming voice.

"Right, well if anything happens to her, I'll find a way to blow up that hammer of yours, Goldilocks."

Thor looked almost genuinely offended by Tony's words, not even sure how to respond to that. Instead, he gave the hammer a few careful strokes, whispering for it to not listen to the 'mean tin man'. Tony simply rolled his eyes at this.

"Alright, you two get going before I change my mind." He says, heading over to the large bar within the room to grab himself a glass of whiskey.

Kiera and Thor made their way out of the room and to the towers rooftop— the god still had the large box of poptarts in his hand as he called on Heimdall to send down the Bifrost.

The powerful, colorful beam of light and energy shot down and engulfed them, and they immediately flew upward with immense speed.

Thor had meant to grab ahold of Kiera beforehand— realizing his mistake, he turned to grab her, but instead ended up knocking her right out of the Bifrost like a bull in a china shop.

Kiera, for the brief moment she was still conscious, practically saw her life flash before her eyes— she couldn't help but wonder if this is what she deserved, like some sort of divine punishment for all the awful shit she'd done in the past.