Chapter 7
The Head of the Intensive Care Department in the hospital, Doctor Abraham Johnson, stood up to greet the guest who stepped into his office.
His guest was a solemn, calm, elegant man in a doctor’s coat. He had white hair and brown eyes and was fairly short.
“Doctor Hansen Kowalski, from SHIELD.” The guest introduced himself as he shook Dr. Johnson’s hand respectfully.
“Hello, Dr. Kowalski, I was actually expecting one of you will come eventually.” Dr. Johnson greeted him with a tired smile. “Especially after Mr. Lehnsherr came with the same case as Captain Rogers’ and since they are both from the Aven-“
“What did you find out about their condition so far?” Dr. Kowalski interrupted in a rude way that didn’t match his respectful, elegant demeanor.
Dr. Johnson frowned at the rude interruption but recovered fast as he answered. “It’s very confusing, Dr. Kowalski. The burns on their bodies, even though they are a lot, they aren’t anything dangerous. Yet, that mysterious coma is taking over them completely, while their brain waves are perfectly fine and active as if they are awake.”
“There must be an explanation for this.” Dr. Kowalski commented solemnly.
“Of course! We are analyzing all kinds of samples to figure out anything that could help! Their clothes, their hair, their nails, and skin samples. Even from the body parts that didn’t have any burns.”
“Why all that?” Kowalski frowned, looking displeased for some reason.
“We have a theory that these burns didn’t come from a direct hit from flames!” Johnson didn’t seem to notice Kowalski’s displeasure as he continued eagerly. “Especially that they are just first-degree burns. But actually, it might be burns caused by some kind of chemicals!”
“Chemicals?” Kowalski's frown deepened as he repeated the word slowly.
“Yes, chemicals!” Johnson nodded in confirmation, getting even more excited. “The spread of the burns like that, suggests that it was caused by an explosion of a body filled with burning chemicals at a close range to the victims. This is the theory we are currently working with and trying to prove. To find out the secret of that mysterious chemical, that penetrates the skin surface and causes this kind of coma.”
Kowalski stared at him silently for a few seconds before asking curiously. “Who thought of that?”
Doctor Johnson straightened up and pointed at himself proudly. “Me, of course!” then he sobered and smiled sheepishly. “Well, it was a team effort, actually. One of our youngest doctors suggested that first, but her idea was interesting enough to pursue with the rest of the team.”
“I can understand that.” Kowalski nodded in disinterest, before straightened up and announced firmly. “Now, let’s take a look at the victims.”
“Of course!” Johnson looked way too excited about that, as he stood up and guided Kowalski through the hospital corridors towards the private section, where Steve and Erik were being kept under full supervision.
They entered Steve’s room first, where he was still lying silently on the bed, unmoving. Kowalski gave him a long silent look before he turned to Johnson and ordered. “Leave us alone.”
“Us? You mean you and Captain Rogers?” Johnson asked in confusion, not understanding the order. “But why? Are you-“
He cut himself off after he saw the stern look on Kowalski’s face and cleared his throat nervously. “Ah! It must be classified things! I understand! I will leave you to it then, and I will make sure you won’t be interrupted no matter what, until you are done, sir.”
“That would be appreciated,” Kowalski muttered coldly, looking at him impatiently.
Johnson left the room and closed the door behind him quietly. The moment he left, Kowalski turned towards Steve, still lying motionlessly, and leaned down towards his ear.
“Hello, Captain Rogers.” Kowalski greeted in a mocking voice, a smirk on his face. “I know you can hear me just fine and understand my words. Everyone thinks you are in a deep mysterious coma. They are not aware that you only have a full body paralysis, that’s all, and all your special senses are just fine and working perfectly.”
His smirk got even wider as he reached inside his bag to pull out something.
“Until now, of course.”
Then calmly, he started pulling out some tools, as his victorious, mocking smirk got wider and wider by the second.
***
The moment Castiel saw the Fireball a very morbid and scary question jumped to his head.
Who is its next victim?
Is it him? or Tony? Or-
Shit, what if it’s Dean? It can’t be Dean! He would rather if he was the target instead!
Dean seemed to be getting the same morbid thoughts because he was speeding with the car at a frightening speed, as he drove through the empty Westchester Road they are currently driving through.
The Fireball increased its speed as well, its color changing from green to blue and starting to become violet.
“It’s getting ready to attack!” Tony shouted frantically, already memorized its color pattern after seeing it three times so far.
“It’s time we defend ourselves,” Dean announced in nervous frustration as he pulled out his gun from his pocket, a hand still on the steering wheel. “Cas, switch with me.”
With that, he moved to push himself out of the window, as Castiel jumped forward frantically to take control of the abandoned steering wheel.
“Are you out of your mind?!” Castiel yelled at him, as he struggled to control the car. “You’ll fall out of the car at this speed! Get back inside!”
“I will be fine!” Dean yelled back as he tried to shoot the Fireball, focusing on it as it closed in on them.
“I said, get back inside!!” Castiel growled pulling Dean back inside by his clothes, forcing him back to the seat. Dean cursed loudly and took back control of the wheel as they swerved harshly. Tony is in the back seat struggling not to throw up.
Dean made a sharp turn down the road. The ball followed them with a very sharp swerve to keep chasing them, its violet color retreating slowly back to blue and then returning to violet as it turned behind them.
Castiel caught that phenomenon with his eyes, even though it happened in a split second.
As Dean speeded through the roads with the car, Castiel’s mind worked just as fast to analyze the situation they were in.
The fireball’s violet color retreated, when the space between it and the car increased for a second, then returned when it accelerated its speed.
There was something that tied it with the car.
Or one of its occupants.
Something that cause it to change colors, just as Tony had described.
The colors change from blue to green, then to violet, then finally to red.
Then the attack happens followed by an explosion as the victim was reached.
The ball was getting closer and closer now, its color starting to change to red.
Then Dean reached a bridge that trailed over the Hudson River and doubled the speed of the car as he drove over the bridge, determined to get them across it, and as far away from the Ball as possible.
Yet, the space between them and the ball remained the same, almost unchanging.
Its color keeps alternating from violet to red every time the space between them increases or decreases. And every time Dean increased the speed of the car, the Ball also increased its speed.
“If-if it can reach this speed, why didn’t it catch us from the start?” Tony muttered from the backseat, as he gripped his seat tightly, a look of pure panic on his face. Castiel wasn’t sure if he was panicking from the speed of the car or the Fireball. Most likely from both.
“It must be getting its energy and speed from us.” Castiel frowned as he kept eyeing the ball, willing it to disappear. No such luck. “Something in it makes it attracted to us. In a way that makes separation impossible.”
“Unless we pulverize it first,” Dean growled, clinching his gun again. “Cas, take the wheel again. Don’t stop me this time!”
With that he pushed himself through the ceiling window this time, Castiel took over the wheel and didn’t try to stop him again. He’ll accept the chance if it means Dean might actually manage to stop it.
The car was moving at a frightening speed over the bridge, yet Dean managed to keep his balance as he pointed his gun at the Fireball that was almost five feet away from them now.
“Shoot it, Dean! Shoot it!” Tony encouraged loudly from the car, watching with frayed nerves what was happening outside.
Dean aimed at the Fireball, focusing solely on it, ignoring everything around him.
And he took his shot.
Dean heard the bullet hit the Fireball, which was now bloody red.
Which was very weird. If he was shooting a ball made of flames, why did he hear the bullet make a sound like it hit a thick glass?
He shot it again and again. Same sound. Nothing happened. The ball remained unharmed.
It actually got even faster.
It accelerated suddenly, moving forward at an alarming speed.
Directedly towards Dean.
In one second, Castiel, Tony, and Dean knew who was the target this time.
“Dammit!” Dean managed to yell in frustration and panic, just as the ball was at his face. He felt Castiel and Tony frantically trying to pull him inside the car again, but it was too late.
The ball exploded.
A bright red glow blinded all of them at the same time, just as Dean felt a liquid being sprayed on him violently, flaming his entire body.
“No! No! Not Dean!” Tony screamed in pure panic, as he struggled to see throw the sharp glow.
Meanwhile, Castiel was gripping the steering wheel in a steel grip, frantically trying to keep the car steady and pressing the brakes to slow it down a little, as he blindly drove it through the glow, heart beating violently as he felt Dean falling back inside the car beside him, unmoving, and heard Tony’s screams of Dean’s name.
Then, suddenly. The glow disappeared and Castiel could see again.
And his eyes widened in pure terror.
Because they were driving with alarming speed towards the edge of the bridge.
And before anyone could react, they hit the border.
Their car crashed through the border of the bride and was now falling from 65 feet high toward the river underneath them.