Malen'kaya Zemlya [2] [P. Parker]

3.23 Wounded

When I came to, it was dark.

I wasn't sure if that was because I was buried, or because it was dark, or because I hadn't really even opened my eyes, since I didn't really know what was going on.

I took a sharp intake of air, coughing as dust floated into my lungs, and tried to move.

I couldn't.

I didn't know what else to do, so I focussed on each part of my body.

I felt my toes and wriggled them. That was a good sign.

Then I tried to bend my knees, but something was pressing down on them. That wasn't so good.

My fingers clenched. I took another short breath, trying to save air in case no one could help me.

Then my arms. My left arm could move, but my right was held down by something cold - maybe metal.

I moved my head slowly, from side to side, and tried to figure out whether I had my eyes open. It wouldn't have mattered anyway. Darkness was all around me.

I breathed out slowly. "Okay. I can do this. I've done this before. Well, sort of. Good enough. Come on, Ash. You got thi-"

"Hello?"

My voice was cut off by a new, desperate one.

I had never heard Peter sound so desperate. His throat sounded raw and his voice was teary.

"Hello! Please." he was near sobbing. "Hey, hey, please. I'm down here. I'm down here. I'm stuck. I'm stuck. I can't move. I can't..."

"Peter?" I called.

"Ash?" He called back. "Ash, are you- Are you okay? Where are you?"

"I don't know, but I'm buried." I held back tears. "I can't- I can't see anything. It's so dark."

"Ash-"

"Hang on, Pete. I'll be right there. I'll get us out of this right? I'm back-up. I'm gonna do my damn job."

In took in another wavering breath and raised my left arm.

It wasn't my strongest arm, but I could make do.

The rocks around me rumbled as the began to roll away.

"Ash! Ash, stop!" Peter screamed again.

"What?" I asked, my arm lowering and the rocks stopping moving.

"It's- It's pressing on me- I can't-"

"Oh, god, Peter! I'm sorry!"

"It's okay- I-" he paused. "I'll try now."

"Come on, Peter," he muttered to himself, just loud enough for me to hear him. "Come on, Spider-Man. Come on, Spider-Man. Come on, Spider-Man. Come on, Spider-Man!"

I heard the rocks moving and then felt something dig into my right arm.

I held back a scream. Peter had to get out.

There was the sound of heavy breathing, and then Peter called out to me. "Ash, where are you?"

"I'm here!" my arm was throbbing.

I heard his footsteps stumbling towards my position under the rubble.

"Ash?"

My throat closed up and tears blurred my vision even more. "I'm here, down here! Help m-" the rocks shifted and I screamed. My right arm crunched under the rubble. "Stop! Stop!"

"Ash, oh my god, I'm gonna get you out, just-"

"No! I can- I can get myself out. Peter, you need to stop Toomes." I swallowed the harsh lump in my rasping throat. "Peter, you need to leave me."

"No, I can't le-"

"You have to! Go, Peter! I'll be okay!" I was more reassuring myself by that point. "I'll be okay."

"Okay-" he began to leave, then he paused. "Ash? I'm sorry."

"I know, Pete, but you need to save the day for me, okay?" A tear slipped from my eye and rolled sideways into my hair.

"Okay. Okay. I'll- I'll come back. I promise." then his footsteps rushed away, and shot a web. Then he was gone.

I stayed silent for a while. I didn't know how long it was.

Then I left out a sob, my body shaking as I did.

God, it hurt so much.

My mind was flooded with agony, but I knew I could stay here.

"J-Jane?" I asked shakily. "Injury summary, please."

"Miss, you seem to have broken your right arm in at least two places and have a large gash where the metal was digging into you. You also have a minor concussion and two broken ribs on your right side. You have many small and large cuts all over your body, but the largest one is on the back right side of your head. This was the cause of the concussion." Jane replied helpfully.

"Thanks, Jane. How- How much stuff's on top of me?"

"You are approximately seven feet below the surface of the pile of rubble."

I sighed, wincing as my ribs ached. "Not quite what I wanted but good enough," I muttered, lifting my left arm as high as I could. "Come on, I've got this. I gotta- I gotta get to Peter. He'll need back-up. Do your damn job, Ashley Valentinez. You're Gaia, for god and hell's sake. You got this."

As I pep talked myself, the rocks and metal were starting to shift above me. The pressure lessened on my knees and arm, and a thin crack of light shone through into my squinted eyes. Dust rained down on me and I winced as some fell in my eye.

Then, the rubble was no longer on top of me.

I dropped it, feet away and lay there, sobs racking my body and everything aching.

Against my will, I stood up. "Jane? Where's Peter?"

"Peter Parker is currently on Coney Island." the A.I replied promptly.

I breathed out slowly. "Call me a cab."

(A/N)

Just so you know, I nearly cried writing this chapter. If you didn't, you're fake.

-lost_in_a_book__