Ghost - An Avengers Fanfiction

Chapter 22

1, 2, 3.

Turn.

Breathe.

Over and over again, Sophie followed this pattern, her arms slicing through the tepid water with each stroke. Feeling the solid tiling of the pool wall under her fingertips, Sophie flipped herself around and began to swim back to the other end of the pool.

1, 2, 3.

Turn.

Breathe.

Sophie had always liked swimming. The calming, safe feeling the water gave her, the repetitive action of each stroke, the careful and controlled placement of each breath. Reaching the other end of the pool, Sophie gave herself a moment to rest, her feet slipping slightly as they tried to find a place on the tiled floor of the pool.

It was two in the morning when Sophie had jumped out of bed, the terror of another nightmare lingering as she wrapped her clammy arms around her shaking frame. With ghosts still echoing through her head, Sophie found herself grabbing a swimsuit from a drawer and throwing it on, before skipping to the gym she had seen earlier that day. Ducking past row upon row of empty exercise machines, Sophie passed through a doorway at the back of the silent gym to find herself in a room with an Olympic-sized pool. Quickly checking that no one was around, Sophie dove in and began to furiously swim laps. Each stroke came like a knife, slashing through the water as she tried desperately to ignore the faces she had dreamt of. Slowly, but surely, her strokes became calmer, as she lulled herself into a routine.

1, 2, 3.

Turn.

Breathe.

Time passed, but Sophie was not aware of it. She continued to swim until she could feel the burning in her lungs, and the slight tremble in her legs. She stopped when her breaths were coming out in rough gasps, her throat feeling raw as she gulped down the cool, chlorine-scented air. She slowly lowered herself into the water, lifting her legs up so that she could float on her back. She watched idly as the lights in the pool made the water reflect onto the ceiling, each ripple dancing across the darkened room in a beam of light. The terror of her nightmare was not forgotten, but simply moved to the back of her mind, a constant presence that she tried to ignore. Instead, Sophie allowed herself to reflect on the past couple of days that she had spent with Tony and Doctor Banner.

It started routinely enough. Blood samples were taken, various limbs were prodded, multiple scans were done, and questions were asked. Having grown up as human experiment turned weapon, Sophie was used to sitting in laboratories. It all felt so familiar to Sophie, so natural. That's when the familiarity ended though.

"So what music do you like Casper?" Tony asked as Doctor Banner gently inserted another syringe into her arm. Sophie's eyebrows drew together in confusion at his question, her silence only highlighting her lack of understanding. Tony raised an eyebrow, concerned. "Alright, I'm going to ask that again, and hopefully this time you'll respond in a way that confirms you are actually a person who has lived on this planet for any amount of time and is aware of the concept of music. What music do you like to listen to? You know, for fun?" He probed again, his nonchalant tone not matching the confusion in his brown eyes.

Sophie hesitated. "I am certainly aware of the concept of music, Tony, but.... I didn't listen to music for fun. Herr Koenig would play the music by German composers in his office, and I would hear that sometimes, but music was considered a waste and a distraction." She admitted carefully. Doctor Banner's face morphed into a similarly confused expression as the one Tony was exhibiting.