The Monster Within - Avengers

Chapter 18

Blood. The first thing I registered was the smell of blood. The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was the trickle of blood from my wrists. A drop fell every few seconds to join the puddles on the floor at my feet. The only sound my ear could register was a loud ringing which dimmed to allow the opening of a door. I looked up.
Tony's lab looked different from the last time I set foot in it, a mere three weeks ago. Chemicals and machines were carelessly strewn across the tables and blueprints flickered on every screen. Cuffs held to a chain kept my hands to my sides, rubbing against the bare skin of my wrists. The blood continued to drip.
"Echo?" Tony peeked his head through the door, gun in hand. "Are you Echo or her?"
"Tony?" My mouth formed his name instead of the question on the tip of my tongue. It came out in pieces. "Did." I coughed, swallowing blood. "Did I hurt-" Another cough. More blood. "anyone?"
He didn't answer me. Turning to the blueprints, he picked up a syringe and stuck it into a blood-red liquid. The next words came out louder than I expected. "Did I hurt anyone, Tony!"
"Yes, Echo." He muttered. "But it wasn't . . . you. It's not your fault."
"What did I do?" I shook the cuffs, trying to get them to loosen. They didn't.
"Tony!" Someone called from the hall. Two identical pairs of footsteps bolted down the hall, coming to a stop at the doorway. Bucky had a black eye and several bruises littered down his arm. His metal arm had a fairly large dent in it. Steve had five parallel cuts down his cheek, and I looked down at the fresh blood under my nails. My hands instinctively covered my mouth. I did that. If I had dented Bucky's arm, what did I do to the rest of them?
"You need our help?" Bucky asked. Tony nodded, nodding his head in my direction. "If she comes back out, hold her down."
He turned around with a key and unlocked the cuffs. I couldn't move my hand. It was broken. That explains the dent.
   I rubbed the bandages on my wrists. It was the following day, the rooftop was silent so early in the morning. The sun has yet to rise, and the backpack slung over my shoulder grew heavier every second. I stood on the concrete, relishing in the quiet. A pair of wings interrupted my thoughts. "Echo?"
   "I have to go El." I muttered, turning to face her. I couldn't bear to look at the stitched tears in her wings, her face. "I need to find myself."
   "How do I contact you?" She asked, stepping closer. Reaching into the pocket of my coat, I pulled out a piece of folded paper.
   "Nothin' but letters, you hear me? And don't let anyone else know." I pushed the address into her hand and she closed her fingers around it.
   "You don't have to leave Echo. We can help you, Tony-" 
   "I know, El. But I don't think even Tony can figure this out." I pulled the strap of my bag further up my shoulder and adjusted my necklace. "I have to do this alone."
   Elytra was silent as she reached up to give me a hug. I wrapped my arms around her, and her small hands slipped something into my coat pocket. She stepped back, gave me a hopeful smile, and jumped onto the ledge. El sat down and stared out into the sky. "See you soon, Echo."
"See you soon."