Chosen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen: The Victim

"Tell me what it takes to let you go. Tell me how the pain's supposed to go." -Aerosmith: What It Takes.

-

 I lay on the laboratory table in my garage. I look over to my right and see Tony and Doctor Banner discussing something. They keep their voices hushed to where I cannot hear exactly what they are speaking about. They nod before Bruce stands up and walks over to my cabinets. Tony walks over to me and swings the computer on his way.

 "Are the fastenings really necessary?" I complain as I am strapped down to the metal table.

 "If you weren't tied down would you go after Natasha?"

 "Yes."

 "Then there's your answer," Tony crosses his arms.

 "What exactly are you going to do to me?" I question.

 "Nothing extensive, we are just going to take your blood, fluids, and a few other minor things. Jarvis will examine you for anything that we cannot get from our testing," Tony answers as Bruce comes over to me with a needle and vacuum. "I hope you're not afraid of needles."

 "Not at all," I reply as Bruce swabs my arm.     

 Tony feels for a vein and easily finds it. I do not flinch when he pushes the needle in my arm. The dial fills up with my blood; Bruce puts another tube on. This process is repeated multiple times. After multiple dials are full, Bruce turns off the machine and Tony pulls the needle out from my arm. Tony puts on a Band-Aid on where the needle was. Bruce takes the case of dials over to the table of microscopes.

 Tony pulls out a flashlight from him pajamas' pocket. He shines it in my eye and in my ears as a doctor would during a routine checkup. He tells me to open up and stick out my tongue. I begrudgingly do so. "You know I really have no idea what I'm looking for," Tony states as he looks down my throat, "I don't see anything that's glaringly alarming, so I think you're all good."

 "I am fine!" I exasperate, "I don't know why you think anything is wrong with me."

 "Maybe because you tried to kill your teammate," Tony responds.

 "It is something I should have done sooner."

 "Monica, I need you to tell me what happened," Tony sits down on the stool next to me. I begin to say that I've already told them what occurred but he cuts me off, "Tell me every detail from the moment you woke up. It did start after you were awake, right?"

 "Yes."

 "Then start from the moment you woke up."

 "I woke up from a nightmare-"

 "Was the nightmare anything unusual? Did the nightmare include the man you think the voice belonged to?"

 "No, I mean the nightmare itself was different, but just in what was happening."

 "Continue, please."      

 "I was freaked out as I always am following a nightmare. I was trying to calm myself down when an anxiety attack hit."

 "Anxiety attack?" Tony looks alarmed. He looks back at Bruce who is unfazed by my confession. "Is this the first occurrence or are they regular?"

 "This is only the second one."

 Tony takes a deep breath, "Go on."

 "I was going through the anxiety attack when I heard the voice. It told me that Natasha will be the defeat of me, that she shouldn't be on our side and that I needed to kill her. It makes so much sense to me now. Ever since that voice said that, I can't deny that I have to kill her."