19. Dedication

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"Dreams and dedication are a powerful combination."

"Dr. Strange! Let me out!" Peter pounded on the dark black walls he was stuck in. The room he was unkindly teleported to was circular and all black with a short ceiling and a slippery floor. It was completely dark, and Peter had trouble reminding himself the room was not closing in on him and he would be fine and the Avengers would come and find him. He couldn't figure out why Strange had dropped him in the room, and that was what bothered him most.

Peter took a shaky breath and sagged against the cold black wall. "Dr. Strange... Mr. Stark..." He choked on his words, tears stinging the back of his eyes. For the love of stars, he was not going to cry. He wasn't alone, or lost, or in danger, he was just... in a room.

A dark, small room that smelled like desperation.

His fist hit the glass again and he screamed.

oOo

Tony flew alongside the quinjet, comms set up with everyone. "Any eyes on it yet?" The billionare asked, his own radar scanning fruitlessly. "Not yet, we must not be close enough. Any way you can use the satelite FRIDAY is hooked up to?" Clint asked, his hands steady on the controls while Natasha manned the radar with a grim expression.

"Yeah, but my suit can't handle the feedback on it's own. Rhodey, get over here." Iron Patriot flew alongside Tony seconds later. Tony connected them wirelessly and started to upload the satelite signal. "I'm relaying it through the jet, see anything?" He asked. After a second of silence, Clint called out in triumph.

"We see it! It... it's massive and it's moving very quickly!" Scott explained, leaning over Nat's chair. "I see it too." Rhodey announced before Tony could. He narrowed his eyes at the blip on his radar and shifted his trajectory slightly.

"Any bright ideas, Cap?" Tony asked, and Cap's sigh was audible through the comms. "I would say we need to send it back into space, but considering it's... substance and uses I think we need to get it so no one else can." No one needed to voice an agreement, it was as if they could each other nodding.

"So... what are we going to keep it in?" Sam asked. "Isn't it magic resistant or something?"

"That I think I can help with." Scott spoke up. "If you can get me close enough and stop it from moving quite so quickly, I can shrink it."

"Brilliant, how are we going to slow it?" That was Strange as he 'meditated' at the back of the jet. He had quite an upset expression, but none of the Avengers dared to ask.

Tony and Rhodey shared a look as they flew side by side. "We could try it." They suggested. "Wanda and I can also help." Vision added. "And the quinjet has missiles?"

"No." All the Avengers quickly shut down Clint's idea.

Natasha got up to help fashion a way for Wanda to fly with Vision when she saw Strange's expression. "Why do you look like you're holding back the Hulk?" She asked icily, leaning against the wall. Strange looked up at her and sighed.

"I think I may have made a mistake." He admitted, and Black Widow raised an eyebrow. "In order to keep Peter safe, I portaled him to a holding cell in the compound. Unfortunately, I may have underestimated your security. I can no longer reach him."

At the mention of Peter's name, Natasha sat down across from Strange. "What do you mean 'reach him'?"

"I was keeping tabs on him through a mental link. That way I would know if he was in danger even when I returned home. Now the link has been severed by whatever material the cell is made of." Natasha nodded slowly. "Alright, so what? If he's safe then you being able to feel his thoughts is no longer necessary."

"I'm worried about how he may react to the cell when I have no way to reassure him. I didn't exactly have time to explain to him what was happening." Strange shut his eyes, disappointed in himself. Natasha nodded. "When we get to the landing site Clint and I will take the jet back and make sure he's ok." She decided, and Strange nodded.

"I'll come to, I'm afraid my abilities are not of much use against the metal."

"Natasha! We figure it out!" Wanda's voice interrupted the conversation. Nat jogged in to see Scott tying Wanda's harness to Falcon. "Sam will fly me high enough to be able to stop it, without us getting in the way." Scarlet Witch seemed quite proud of the idea.

"Great. Clint, I and Strange are taking the quin jet back to the compound to check on Peter."

"Is something wrong?" Cap asked worriedly, and Nat shook her head. "Not so far."

oOo

Peter was crouched in the corner of his cell, most certainly over reacting. His breathing quickened and he was full blown crying now. He got up, paced, hit the walls, sat back down, cried and repeated. He felt his knuckles get bloody since he couldn't even see 3 inces in front of him. He felt his bones crack as he pounded over and over again on the walls with no sign of it breaking.

He searched endlessly with bloodied hands for any seams, doorways, cracks, and foud none. It was madening.

He rocked on the ground, knees hugged tightly to his chest, cheek pressed against his bloody hands and mixing blood with tears on his arms. He didn't even have his suit on, so he couldn't talk to Karen. He couldn't hear FRIDAY or communicate with her, he didn't even know if the black cyclinder was sound proof.

Calm down. A small voice in him begged on his 16th round of beating the cell wall and losing most of the feeling in his mangled hands. Dr. Strange put you in here, it must be safe. You're not in danger. He will come back for you. Peter pounded his hand against the wall and slid down it.

He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. He could only curl into a ball in the corner and hug his knees to his chest.

Welp, Peter is definitely in danger. Even keeping him safe caused a bad reaction. I'm mean to him.

Hopefully the Avengers can save him again!

~Meow

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