Avengers Generations

Chapter 17

Charity was slowly aware of a faint sound steadily beeping to a slow beat. Her mind filled in the music as she listened, exploring new notes and melodies in her half-conscious thoughts. The beeping got louder, and her head began pounding to the same beat... pain...

"Uhn..." Charity muttered, slowly blinking her eyes open to see the small, white, overly-lit room she lay in. "Wha-?" She uttered, trying to remember where she was.

"You're awake!" Came a relieved whisper from beside her bed. She tried to turn her head to see where the voice had come from, but it wouldn't move. "It's alright," her dad continued, standing up and putting a gentle hand on her shoulder "You're in a neck brace, nothing too serious."

"Dad? What... happened...?" She stammered in a croaky voice "We were... Portland, and you were hit and Mom's ring and then..." She tried to put her hand to her head, but it felt heavy... She tried the other one, but she could barely move either of them.

"Charity, you-" Coulson started, he tried to find the words, but they didn't come. "You saved mom's ring." he managed, pulling the crushed metal circle out of his pocket. That wasn't what he needed to tell her, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. Instead, someone opened the door and walked into the small room.

"Oh, thank heavens." Sharon said with a quiet, slightly shaky voice "You're conscious."

"I guess you could say that..." Charity managed, still trying to figure out her surroundings. Sharon came to stand next to the bed, opposite Coulson, and tapped her ear to tell somebody that Charity was up.

The girl tried not to close her eyes, afraid she'd fall asleep. She was slowly becoming aware of what she was hearing, seeing, and feeling. "Dad?" she asked, still groggy "Can you push the hair off my face? I can't move my arms..."

Sharon and Coulson looked at each other with pained eyes for a moment before Phil responded. "They, um, they had to cut your hair, Charity." He said "You're feeling the oxygen tube."

As her dad was finishing the sentence, Charity heard the door open again, and someone else walk in with heavy footsteps. Director Fury came and stood where Charity could see him - apparently he knew what it was like to have limited vision.

"Good to see you alive, Ms. Coulson." He said. Charity could have been imagining things, but he sounded almost remorseful as he said it, like he really wasn't too glad to see her. "How do you... feel?" He looked toward her dad, who shook his head with tight lips.

"A little tired..." Charity said warily, wondering what everyone was so on-edge about.

"Do you feel up to visitors?" Sharon broke the tension, forcing a light-hearted tone "There are a few people here who have been very worried about you."

"Sure," Charity said with a faint smile. The first guess who came to her mind was Peter, but she quickly pushed that back before it depressed her more than it already had.

Peggy, Einmryria, William, and Fenrir all filed quickly into the room and rushed to Charity's side. They looked at her with relieved faces, but there was the same sadness that she had seen in the agents' eyes.

"Gosh, I'm so glad your okay!" Peggy said with sigh - she looked like she wanted to hug Charity, but didn't.

"Thanks, Peggy," said Charity with a small smile "Thanks everyone, really. Where's Jake and the Starks?"

Fury cleared his throat. "Anthony, regrettably, was killed during the battle." He said, and paused as the beeping of Charity's cardiac monitor quickened. "Jake and Victoria are missing in action."

The room was silent, apart from the incessant beeps. No one tried to say anything for a while, but Charity barely noticed. How could that have happened? Hadn't there been a plan of action? Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden peal of thunder, and a metallic crunch as the whole room tilted slightly.

Nick Fury was the first to react, but only by a hair. He put a finger instinctively to ear and turned toward the door. "Report!" He shouted as he left the room, followed by the agents.

"Stay here." Phil told Charity, which he really hadn't needed to say.

At the sound of thunder, Einmyria had perked up and she began to listen intently. Fenrir seemed to be on the same wave link, and William caught on quickly, because the three of them stood silently staring into space as they strained their ears.

Charity met eyes with Peggy and tried to shrug, but was constrained by the neck brace. The other girl looked like she almost was wanted to laugh, and almost wanted to hide - obviously neither of them had a clue as to what was going on.

"Come," Fenrir said suddenly, grabbing Einmyria's arm "It must be him."

"Must be who?" Charity asked, baffled by the two.

The two left, tailed by William, who was babbling excitedly in Hindi - obviously forgetting that no one else spoke that language.

Charity blew out an exasperated breath and looked up at Peggy.

"Well that's swell." The girl said in an old-fashioned way that made Charity almost smile.

"You, uh," Charity said "You don't have to stay here with me. You can go if you want."

Peggy shook here head almost violently. "No thank you!" She said "I'm staying right here where it's safe." She grabbed her arms and smiled faintly - Charity hadn't seen her smile except when Jake was talking to her, it must be so hard for her now that he was gone.

"Safe. Right." Said Charity "Don't worry, I'll protect you if anyone tries to... I don't know... poke you. Oh, except I can't see anything unless it's directly in front of me, and my arms are too heavy to move."

Peggy's smile diminished quickly, and a shadow pulled itself over her face. She breathed in uncomfortably and looked intently at her feet.

Charity made an exasperated sound and looked at the girl, who was pretending she didn't notice. "Peggy." She said seriously "What's wrong? What are you - what is everyone - not telling me?"

"Charity your..." Peggy started with tears playing at the corners of her eyes "It's a miracle you're alive at all - everyone thought you were dead..." She tugged at her jumpsuit uncomfortably as she spoke.

"There's more." Charity said, searching the girl's eyes "Why can't I move my arms?"

"Because of the casts." Peggy said quietly.

"What casts? Did I break my hands?"

"N- no, you..." Peggy said in a whisper "you lost them..."

A deafening crack. That was all Charity could comprehend for a few, eternal moments. It wasn't the sound of thunder, or of anything earthly, it was the crack of her soul as the reality of Peggy's words sank in. She had lost her hands...?

"You... Still have a few fingers." Peggy said, trying to comfort Charity - but she realized there was nothing that could make the situation better. She was an artist and a musician, her hands were her everything. She could have lost anything, why did it have to be her hands...? "Charity...." Peggy sobbed "I'm so sorry..."

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