Speedy Eagle

Experimenting

"Wake Wanda up. We'll need her," I tell him. He wakes her up and explains what's happening. They sit next to me as I lie down. Pietro gently places the discs on the sides of my head and darkness surrounds me. For a moment, I can't think, then everything becomes clear in my mind once again. I open my eyes and see Pietro and Wanda looking down at me. I sit up quickly and my head spins. I feel arms grip me and lay me back down.

"Whoa there, Anastasia. Slow down. You've been out for a few hours. Take it easy." I nod and blink a few times. Pietro runs his hand through my hair and Wanda holds my hand. I sit up, slowly this time, with Pietro helping me. He helps me to stand and I look around. Everything shows up before me in moveable schematics with measurements and materials. I see stability statistics. I can see the smallest details and fibers.

"This is amazing," I say. I can see every detail and statistic on practically everything. I turn to them and notes pop up around them. "It'll give me information on everything I look at including you! It's like a filter for my sight. It works!" I scream.

Guards start to come in, closely followed by scientists. I start to get information on them. "Well, dear. It looks like you have managed to make it work. Tell us how."

"I won't tell you," I say. I feel the sides of my head heating up and I think Wanda knows what I'm thinking. "Leave me alone."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I need the information."

Intense pain starts to pound through my head. Wanda sees this and uses her powers to make everyone get out. I fall to my knees and Pietro catches me. "What's happening? What's wrong?"

Smoke starts from the head pieces and the pain starts to overwhelm me. "I-It hurt-ts!" I grab my head, trying to massage the pain away but it doesn't work. I start to shake and Wanda holds me still. "Take them off. Get them off. They're hurting me!"

Pietro reaches up and removes the discs as quickly and as gently as possible. I collapse back into his arms, dazed and weak. I think he tries to talk to me but I can't hear him. I sit there, staring off into space before my eyes close and I feel nothing.

When I open my eyes, I'm tucked into my bed with Pietro next to me. He pets my hair as I stare up at him. "I knew you shouldn't have done that. I didn't want to see you hurt and here you are."

"You couldn't have stopped me. I would have done it anyway. Thanks for helping me," I tell him.

He smiles at me. "So, what went wrong?"

"I think the circuits overloaded. It fried through the wires in the discs and started to attack my brain through the discs and the chip in my head. All I could think was how painful it was."

He kisses my forehead and pulls the blankets up to my chin. "Get some rest. You need it."

"Sleep next to me?" I ask.

He smiles and move into the blankets next to me. "Of course." I snuggle into his warm body and fall asleep.

We are all woken up by alarms blaring. I turn to the door and see guards rush into the room. Arrows are shot through the guards in front of us and I scream. Pietro hides me behind him. Clint shows up at the door and unlocks it.

"Anna?" he asks.

"Clint!" I cheer. I run over and hug him, which he gladly returns.

"Oh, thank goodness you're alright. I was so worried. No one could find you until a few days ago. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Can you give me a minute to say goodbye?" I ask. He looks around and nods.

"One. Then we get you out of here and to a doctor to make sure you're alright." He leaves the cell and I turn back to Wanda and Pietro.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go," I tell them.

"We understand. And we'll see each other again one day, don't worry. We'll see you soon." Wanda hugs me and tears come to my eyes.

Pietro looks at me like a lost puppy. I walk up to him and take a deep breath. "You don't know how long I've wanted to do this." I grab the back of his neck and crash our lips together, kissing him. He is startled at first but kisses back just as passionately. We break apart after a few moments, taking deep breaths. "Don't forget that you're mine."

He smiles and as I leave I hear the three words I've wanted to hear since I was seven. "I love you."