A Glimpse of Fire

7

You weren't sure what to expect when you and Tony arrived at the hospital upstate. But the guards let you both pass, Tony's dress shoes clicking across the floor as you walked toward the man's room. A sense of dread began to fill you, you knew once you opened this door there would be no going back. Then again, that door had been forced open the moment you had that nightmare.
You stepped timidly into the room behind Tony, he picked up the chart as you looked over toward the bed. Every inch of the man, besides his severely burned lips, was covered in white bandages. Tubes and wires went into those bandages, the constant beeping from the machine next to him. You swallowed the lump that had formed in the back of your throat.
"Male, fifty three, no known family, organ donor, extreme burns." Tony clipped off as your rounded the opposite side of the bed, glancing up at him.
"Tony, the only skin I can see is his lips, I don't think it will work on the bandages." You breathed, your heart hammering in your chest.
"Well, then you'll have to touch his lips." Tony shrugged, before leaning toward you, placing his knuckles on the bed side. "If you don't want to do this, just say the word and we can leave."
"No, I can do this." You breathed in one last time, looking the man over over before gently letting your fingers brush his lips.
You looked over at the child as you pumped liquids into the thin arm. This one was different, this girl, she was already special, but with right stuff she could extraordinary. Highly intelligent, with a gift, she could see and sense things but all you need to do was pull it out even stronger.
     You played the video through the virtual reality glasses that the company had provided you. The one the old woman had come up with, the one the girl called gran. Some stupid bs about a farm, you really didn't care, if the experiment was a success or failed the child would be terminated either way.
    Which was quite sad actually the powers this child could have, it wasn't like the others. But orders were orders, she would be termed like the two before her and the boy. They just needed the results, and to retry the serums to see if they get the same results. The first two mutated, becoming something other then human all together.
     "Doctor, the boy, he's becoming unstable." The nurse said as she rushed in, her eyes wide in horror.
    "How do you mean, unstable?" The voice was deep as it reverberated in your chest, your head snapping the petite blonde.
    "He's, well, he's on fire." She stated, her face knotting up.
    "What do you mean he's one fire?" You strode quickly toward the nurse. "He was showing signs pyrokensis sure, but physically on fire?"
     "How long?" Bucky asked startling Tony.
     "A couple minutes, you came to stop her?" Tony asked, already starting to move to get between the two of you.
    "Against my better judgement, no. She's going to be my wife and our child is with her, I came because I support her, and her reckless decisions." Bucky sighed, his eyes never leaving you. "It's cute though."
    "What is?" Tony asked him, glancing over his should at you, your face completely serene.
     "That if I wanted to stop her, you could stop me by putting yourself between us." Bucky smirked.
      "Ah, ah, ah, Sargent Ice Capades." Tony held up his wrist pointing to the red metal that encircled it. "Never leaving home with out."
     "Getting smarter." Bucky's eyes flickered back you. "What happens if she starts to heat up again?"
    "She is wearing one as well, Friday is keeping track of her vitals, if she does start to turn into a torch she'll be doused in fire repellent." Tony stated, walking back his original spot.
    Bucky walked up beside him, his own heart doing double time as you looked into the man's past.
     You looked up, alarms were blaring. It was the fire alarm, suddenly the fire sprinkler went off and then stopped. You sprang out of your seat, and threw open the door to your lab, smoke billowed in.
     You rushed down the hall toward the emergency exit, and that's when you saw him. He walked out of the fire, thick black smoke curling against the ceiling. It was the boy who had escaped that you were told was dead, the boy who was supposed have been taken out years go by an assassin.
     He wasn't so much of boy anymore, he was tall, his black hair hung loose to his piercing emerald eyes. Stubble clung to his square jaw, and that smirk that used to haunt your nightmares. He drug his fingertips across the wall line, fire danced from the tips of  his fingers. He cocked his head back, the fire behind him began to intensify behind him.
     "So, if the old woman was gran, does that that make you pa?" He asked, bring his hands together quickly, the ball of fire igniting quickly between his palms.
     "Aidan?" The deep voice came out shaky, followed by a hoarse cough. The smoke was becoming thick, and sweat began to drip from your brow.
     "Awe, you do remember me. I was beginning to worry, especially after you sent that soldier to kill me." He hissed, pulling his hands back, you turned and rushed down the hall.
    Suddenly you were ripped from the memory as your face was doused with white powder. You coughed hard in response, trying to block the on slot of white, failing to do so as it was fire retardant was coming from the iron bracelet.
     "See, nothing to worry about." Tony said all to gleefully, gesturing to you, his eyes on the brooding man across from you.
     You wiped the white powder from your face, glaring over Tony. You let out one more good cough before looking at your fiancé. His eyes were dark and stormy, and his face was tense. You held your head up, you weren't going to feel guilty about this.
     "So... what did you see?" Bucky asked, blinking slowly.
     "I saw me, as a child and I saw Aidan, our fire starter." You stated, trying to hold your resolve, even though it felt as if your entire foundation was beginning to crumble under you. "I want to go home."
     You walked out of the room, not waiting for Tony or Bucky. When you meant home, you didn't mean the compound, you meant where it all started. Trailing your fingers across the wall absentmindedly as you went. Tony and Bucky stopped just outside the door to the hospital room, they both slowly looked at each other.
    They saw the scorch marks your fingertips left in their wake. Thick black streaks, tiny grey wisps of smoke.
     "You're seeing what I'm seeing, right Buckaroo?"