Prodigy 9 (An Avengers novel)

Seven: Hanging by a Thread

We barely make it. Seven passes out momentarily above me just before we reach the jet, collapsing my right wing painfully into my side, and dragging the both of us downward before I can shift her and regain my balance.

Natasha rushes over to help me pull her farther into the jet, away from the open bay doors. She then crouches down next to me, attempting to find the source of Seven's wounds, but I have a sinking suspicion that she will find nothing. While Natasha does this, I pay careful attention to Seven's breathing, making sure she doesn't pass out again.

 When she discovers no physical wounds, her lips purse together worriedly. "It's internal bleeding then.  A punctured lung would make the most sense, but I don't know how that could have happened without a visible wound on her somewhere."

Tony, Steve, and Thor show up then, without Loki, I notice. My attention quickly shifts back to Seven though, still lying on her back and breathing in shallow gasps of air.

"What happened?" I hear one of them ask, but both Natasha and I ignore them.

Natasha takes her seat back up at the front of the plane, taking us back to the helicarrier, while I carefully push Seven on her side, pulling the hem of her shirt up slightly.  Natasha had already done so when looking for a wound, but now I'm looking for scarring, thinking maybe she was cut and it had already healed itself.  It's a long shot, but I have no other ideas and I need to do something.

"What has he done to you?" I mutter to myself, feeling gently along Seven's back for a raised scar mark.

I do find a scar, but not on her back. It's positioned horizontally on her side, puckering out like an extra rib.  Prodding at it gently, I narrow my eyes.  The skin around the scar is slightly discolored, but not like bruising; the color of whatever is below the skin is showing through. It's a dark greyish color, leading me to believe it's some sort of metal implant or shrapnel.

"There's something just under the skin here, right under the ribs.  I'm not sure how deep in it goes; I think her body is rejecting its presence."

"There's a medical team on standby waiting for our arrival." Natasha assures me, her voice steady.

I nod even though she can't see me, my eyes not leaving Seven for a moment as she struggles for breath.

"Come on," I whisper to her, "you're so strong, stronger than the rest of us. I know you can do this. Just a little bit longer."

By the time we make it back to the helicarrier, I've had to start CPR on Seven.  The medics take over as soon as the doors of the jet open, carting her off to the infirmary. I follow after them like a lost child, the coil of fear inside my stomach squeezing tighter with every breath.

I can't lose Seven.

So what's been implanted inside Seven? What's going to happen to her? Do you think she'll live?  Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and vote if you think this chapter was worth it!

xxEl