Avengers: Liberation

Chapter 9- The Stars And The Moon

I walked into the hallway to see a dim light pouring out from a door way. I slowly walked towards it, the cold wooden floor painfully touching my sole with each step. I knocked on the doorway, as I looked it. I was welcomed warmly with a large white grin.

“Hello Liberty.” I smiled at Hank and gave a small wave. He got up from his love seat facing the doorway, and carefully closed the book he was reading.

“Hi Hank.” He smiled again and pulled his glasses off his nose, and gently slipped them onto the edge of his dress shirt.

“I didn’t think you would be waking any time soon. You worried us for a while, but Ruth reassured us that you would be ok.” He nodded to himself as if he was still trying to make sense of it. I nodded to and smiled gently up at him. He reminded me so much of Bruce, except that Hank was constantly the beast, while Bruce could choose between himself and the Hulk. Hank’s dark blue fur was slightly unusual as it tufted up between the gaps between his shirt buttons, and out of his cuffs.

“What happened to me outside of Ruth’s mind Hank?” he scratched the back of his head and sighed. Obviously something awful happened. Great.

“Everyone heard you screaming, and by the time I saw you, your nose was bleeding and so where your ears. We got you to the infirmary, where Charles said you were suffering vast amounts of brain damage.” I could feel my knees grow weak for feeling it, and I think the ill feeling was evident on my face.

“Do you want to sit down Liberty?” hank asked with a worried tone. I nodded and saw a second love seat facing Hank’s. Hank nodded and settled down in his own love seat.

“What next?” my throat felt dry, as the nauseous feeling began to grow in the pit of my stomach. I looked down at my body to see the dry flakey blood from my nose and ears around the collar and shoulders of my shirt.

“We monitored you, many of us were skeptical about your recovery, I’m not even sure Logan could come back from something like that.” I nodded as Hank nodded to himself. I was very thankful of Loki. I gave myself a small smile, and then smiled at Hank.

“Please carry on Hank.” He nodded and smiled at me; he shifted in his seat, and laced his hands together on his lap.

“Myself, Logan, Eric and Charles and of course Ruth, didn’t give up hope. She kept reassuring us that you would eventually wake up.” Eventually wake up? How long had I been lying there?

 “How long was I lying there for Hank?” he gave me a sympathetic look. This means it was definitely more than two days. He scratched the back of his head, and then sighed.

“You were in a coma for just over seven days.” I groaned and slouched in my chair. I brought my hands up to my face and groaned into them. I dragged them down my face and sighed. That was much longer than I had anticipated. I sighed and looked up into Hank’s sympathetic eyes.

“Are you feeling ok Liberty?” I nodded. I kinda wanted to say, I just needed some sleep was that was the exact opposite I what I needed, even though my body felt physically exhausted. I gave Hank a small smiled and nodded.

“I’m fine Hank; I thinks it’s best If I get some fresh air.” Hank nodded and grabbed his book, and opened it carefully on his last page. He pulled his glasses of the edge of his shirt and pushed them onto the bridge on his nose. I stood up from my seat and smiled at Hank, as his yellow eyes flickered up to me.

“Thank you for talking to me Hank.” He gave a deep chuckle and gave me a big sharp toothed grin.

“It was my pleasure Liberty, have a good night.” I nodded and exited the warm yellow glow of his room and into the dark corridors of the academy.

I pushed open one of the large mahogany doors, to welcome the chill of the night air. My skin quickly pricked up with the temperature drop. I gently brushed my hands over my arms causing the silver and gold mist to surround my body. A floor length black dress surrounded my body, and a silk kimono with gold embroidery covered my arms. I folded my arms just underneath my chest as I walked towards the garden. The flower beds were filled with a multitude of different flowers, the colour ranging from the deepest red of the grand prix roses, to the bright white of the white amaryllis flowers. I sat of the edge of the stone walled flower bed and gently brushed my fingers tips of the plush petals of the grand prix roses before me. I leaned forward and inhaled deeply, the scent of romance. Suddenly a sharp pain stabbed through my hand, I pulled away slowly to see small dots of blood quickly welling up, from the skin in the on the palm of my hand. I looked at the thorns of the rose to see the few that had pricked me glistening with dew and my blood.

I stood up from the stone wall of the flower bed and continued to look at my blood glistening on the beautiful plant. I took a step back, as I finally dragged my eyes away from the crimson staining a new part of the plant. Only to hand my face collide with a fabric covered chest. My face ricocheted of the chest, as my nose felt like it was crushed by the stone like muscle beneath the shirt.

I slammed my hands into his chest, and pushed myself away. Jesus that hurt. I knew my nose wasn’t broken, but it sure as hell felt like it was. I sighed and looked at the man in front of me. He held in his left hand neatly folded up, the blanket I had thrown over him, and his right hand was dug into his front jean pocket. His light grey hair tinted with white was a mess, yet strangely looked handsome on him. I shook myself mentally.

“It would have been nice to wake me, once you had woken up.” He raised an eye brown waiting for an answer that wasn’t needed. I sighed and took a step forward; it was strange looking at him, his eyes held old age, but his skin held youth. Physically he hadn’t caught up to his actual age.

“You looked tired, I thought it would be rude if I woke you.” It was true, and also hank was awake so I didn’t to wake him to find out my answers. He nodded and quickly hand his free hand through his shock of hair, and sighed.

“I take it this is yours?” he held out the asgardien blanket which was embroiders with golden string and scenes of Norse mythology. I pulled it gently from his grasp, I pulled the fabric to my chest and watched as it faded into the either, as the threads began to unwind into stands of silver and gold mist.

“It was.” I said simply. I didn’t like it out here with him. It was already tense enough, from what I had learned. That kiss I saw and felt, was meaningful and passionate, which caused my heart to stammer in my chest. I dusted my hands of the material I once held in them, and stepped around Eric Lehnsherr. Suddenly he grabbed my wrist; I twisted around and looked up into his bright blue eyes. I was stunned as his eyes searched my silver and emerald eyes.

“What did you see when you went into Ruth’s mind?” I tugged my wrist roughly out of his grip and looked up at him. I didn’t know what he wanted me to say. That I had seen, one of the most bloody battles mutant kind will ever face, or that we kissed and that it meant more than I thought it would.

“I saw everything Eric.” And with that cryptic sentence, I left Eric Lehnsherr with only the stars and the moon to keep company with.