"You were possessed?" Steve asked, raising one eyebrow. That was kind of above his pay grade.
"It stole their voices," Zosia nodded, nestled with his arm around her, holding a mug of steaming hot chocolate Tony had made. "It made them repeat what it was saying, made the others on the vehicle think they were the monsters."
McKenzie frowned, glancing up. "It did?"
Zoë blinked. "You don't remember that?"
The Doctor shook his head. "Couldn't feel a thing from outside. Couldn't see, couldn't hear. All there was was that thing inside our heads."
"It felt like it was severing into every neural connection we had with a really blunt hacksaw," McKenzie elaborated, shivering. "It was like having the vortex in my head, all over again."
Clint frowned. "Wait, that killed you last time, both of you." She nodded. "Well, either of you feeling... tingly?"
"We're fine. Ish," the Doctor assured him. "It didn't have the power of the vortex. It just... it felt like every memory I ever had was burning to ashes..."
"And we couldn't do a thing to stop it," McKenzie finished for him.
"Man, sounds like you guys need a break," Sam suggested.
"I swear to God, if you throw a KitKat at me like you did last time, I'll break your wings," the brunette muttered.
Sam hastily hid the bar behind his back. "Would I do such a thing?" he asked, playing innocent.
She laughed. Just a snort at first, but then it developed into a giggle, and then she was laughing, tears rolling down her cheeks. The others were pretty confused, but they couldn't help laughing too. Her smile was infectious.
"You all right?" the Doctor asked her, snickering.
"I don't even know why I'm laughing," she admitted. "I just - this is nice! Earth's Mightiest Heroes, drinking hot chocolate and recounting near-death experiences. Is this what home feels like?"
Zosia smiled, glancing up at Steve, who looked amused. "I think so, yeah."
~~~
I don't know if you noticed but I really ship Stosia right now :).
Next up is the beginning of the end, with "Turn Left".
YOU ARE READING
We Will Rise |2| The Ascension
Science Fiction✅ approx. 205,000 words. The Doctor and McKenzie started out small but now they're famous for saving New York alongside the Avengers. How will a new companion or two affect their hero status? What will McKenzie do about the horrible nightmares she...
