Ablaze {Marvel} ||2||

10. A "Civil" Conversation

I wasn't fairly happy about my stay on the Helicarrier, and every S.H.I.E.L.D. member could see it if I didn't make it well-known to them.

I was more than happy to voice my opinion, to demand that I get off the bloody place and go back to New York, back to the apartment, where I belonged. Between the scientists and medical staff, they had to sedate me to keep me on board. It was barbaric, but I didn't fight them anymore afterwards.

As ridiculous as this sounded, they were trying to help.

My incidents grew worse the longer observation went. It started out minor, with things sparking or randomly catching fire. Things got heated really quickly when my fire had accidentally set a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent's uniform on fire. They were okay, I couldn't say the same about the uniform. I had security at arm's length since that incident. I wasn't sure how effective that was going to be against random bursts of fire.

Today was no different. Everyone on the Helicarrier knew who I was, but I didn't know who they were. I had no connection to them other than alliance. They were people trying to help. Well, their help hadn't bettered me any. I was still stuck in square one, as were they. No new developments to why my powers were malfunctioning. No new developments in a way to go about this.

I was surprised when Natasha found me. She had brought me a sense of relief. She took over as my security—another relief.

I was currently with Natasha, training, like the training I did in Stark Tower.

"I'm not sure you should be here, Nat," I said warily. "I don't want you being roasted."

"I know you won't hurt me, Kiara," she said earnestly. "I'm just here to see what you've been keeping under-wraps at Stark's."

I shrugged. "Not much."

"I still want to see. As much as your power weirds me out, it's interesting to watch." She gestured for me to start.

I blew out a breath before calling a small flame onto my palm. So far, so good. I bit down on my lip, playing catch with the fireball. I pretended that Natasha wasn't around and let myself have fun with it. I stretched out the ball into a line of fire and had it slithering about the room like a snake. I smiled.

With little gestures from me, the line of fire writhed and shaped itself to my command. I felt a smile crawl onto my face. It was only temporary. I'm back.

"Maybe it was just a glitch," Natasha mused. I kept the fire in the air moving. "You seem in control."

Loki would be proud of you.

It came out of nowhere, a random thought. My eyes fell onto the writhing fire, and I remembered Loki, pre and post-scepter. When I had been under his control, he had said he would help me expand my powers, strengthen them. If things had gone his way, if the Avengers had lost and I remained at Loki's side, the Earth would look pretty different at this point in time.

"Kiara?" Natasha's voice kept me in the present.

"Did you ask me something?"

"No, you clocked out. Something wrong?"

"No...just...thinking. I was never able to do this, I never really explored the extent of my power, you know? Since New York, I've felt the need to amp it up, so nobody else dies. So we don't have another repeat of Loki and the Chitauri, we don't lose any more good people like..." I had his name on my tongue, but it wasn't coming out.