Chapter 10
“Rumlow was right.”
Maria announced grimly as she entered Fury’s office while waving a test tube in her hand in frustration.
“Even with using the most advanced analyzing equipment, the results still came up with two unknown elements, in this weird chemical compound, which makes us unable to figure out its features. As for the glass shards, that’s even more confusing.”
“How’s that?” Fury frowned in confusion.
“Well, it’s a pure crystal, that can’t be manufactured except in very high heat. About six to seven thousand Celsius.”
“So what? I am pretty sure we have technology enough to reach way more than these degrees.” Fury shrugged, not seeing the big deal.
“Yes, we do. Here in SHIELD, we can reach to forty thousand degrees sometimes in very specific experiments.” Maria confirmed, but still, her frown was in place. “But even us can’t make crystal so thin like that.”
Fury looked at her silently for a few seconds, before frowning and asking slowly, like he was stressing each word.
“By that you mean we can’t here in SHIELD or did you mean in general?”
“Uhm, well..” Maria hesitated, shrugging as she tried to find a good answer.
“Well, what?” Fury grimaced impatiently, not liking her hesitation.
“Economically speaking, there is no actual need for a crystal so pure and thin like that. That will need a very delicate technique to manufacture and very high costs, and in the end, its use will be limited. Yet, certain kinds of chemicals need clear and very delicate but firm vessels. So, we made some experiments in that area and managed to manufacture the needed vessels, but we still have yet to use it and see if it works or not.”
“And what chemicals need that kind of special vessel?” Fury demanded, already suspecting the answer.
Maria was silent for a few seconds, before sighing and answering shortly in frustration. “Neurochemicals.”
“Are we still making that?” Fury growled, looking at her accusingly.
“Everyone needs a secret weapon! We are not the only ones who choose Neurochemicals as a way to weaponize ourselves if needed!” Maria defended in increasing frustration.
Fury didn’t answer, he just stood up and started to pace the room with a deep frown on his face, getting more and more nervous as he thought about everything.
“Pure crystal. A mysterious chemical compound. Two unknown elements, that don’t belong in the periodic table. What could this all mean?” he muttered as he summarized everything confusing them in one sentence.
“I don’t know, sir. Everything is just so confusing and complicated.” Maria shrugged looking as much lost as him.
“You don’t know. Everyone doesn’t know. It became a common thing around here.” Fury sighed with a shake of his head, looking out of the window, eyes seemed to be very far away. “That just confirms that we made a mistake. A very big mistake.”
“What kind of mistake?” Maria asked in bewilderment, looking at him in confusion.
Fury didn’t answer her, he just kept staring at the window with a faraway look on his face, seeming to be deciding something that he wasn’t willing to share yet.
***
It was 9:30 p.m., when Dr. Johnson threw himself on his chair in his office, letting out a tired exhale.
“That is very weird.” He started with a shake of his head, looking confused and bewildered. “That impersonator who came here had injected your friends with Sodium Pentothal, also known as, Truth Serum. Like he was trying to get information from them, which is very strange, considering that they are in a coma.”
Castiel frowned but didn’t comment, while Tony looked very irritated.
“How? Who would interrogate a coma patient?” Tony exclaimed in frustration, hating how confusing everything was and the fact that he understood nothing. He absolutely hated feeling stupid and confused.
“We can’t be so sure about that.” Castiel finally pointed out, looking grim and serious.
“What are you saying, Mr. Winchester?” Dr. Johnson looked at him indignantly. “Everyone knows that a coma patient is completely unable to-“
“That applies to the common comas, not the condition we have here.” Castiel cut him off, looking at him pointedly.
The answer made the doctor fall silent as he stared at Castiel like he didn’t like the fact that the angel figured that out before him.
“From the start, everything looked confusing.” Castiel continued, unaware of Dr. Johnson’s reaction, as he focused on Tony. “Because the brain waves of Steve and Erik were perfectly active and fine, despite their unmoving and unresponsive bodies.”
“I think that’s the goal of that chemical substance they were subjected to,” Tony seemed to catch on to Castiel’s line of thought and added to it. “It made them fall into a coma that doesn’t reach their minds. The mind remained active and aware, ready to reveal everything in it, by using the right method. Don’t forget that the Sodium Pentothal is not the only chemical compound they had been injected with.”
“Yes, there is another substance,” Johnson confirmed with a displeased look on his face. Not liking at all how they are trying to outsmart him in his territory. “The lab still didn’t figure out what it was, and that doesn’t include the other mysterious substance that caused that coma. However, all that doesn’t mean you two are right. Your theory is scientifically flawed and inaccurate. If the brain remains active and aware, ready to reveal its secrets by any outside stimulation, then the body’s vitals can’t drop like that, because the brain is the main controller of the systems of the body, besides the heart. It’s activeness or not, affects directly the entire body.”
“Then what do you call what we are dealing with right now?” Castiel raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for another more logical explanation.
The doctor was about to say something, but one of the young doctors that were standing silently in the room rushed out an answer without thinking; “Disconnection!”
Everyone turned towards her in surprise, while her boss’ face reddened in anger as he reprimanded her firmly “Who gave you permission to speak, young lady?”
The young female doctor, who was way shorter than all the doctors around her, maybe five feet tall, yet managed to make herself noticeable, had short wavy brown hair, honey-colored eyes, and soft features, maybe in her early twenties from how young she looked, got embarrassed and nervous as she waved her hand helplessly, face reddening in embarrassment, while Castiel and Tony looked at her in interest.
“Wait, what did you just say?” Tony asked her curiously, looking at her in deep interest, ignoring the enraged Head Doctor.
“Uhm, I-uh.” The young doctor’s face paled as she trailed her eyes between Tony and Castiel, who were staring at her unflinchingly, probably starting to panic at the fact that she got the attention of two Avengers and that was too much pressure on her poor young heart. “It-it is just an expression, I didn’t mean a medical diagnosis-“
“But you described that situation as Disconnection, right?” Castiel reminded her carefully, trying not to spook her.
Dr. Johnson cleared his throat. “As you heard, sir, it is just an expression, she didn’t mean-“
“Maybe it is just an expression, not a medical diagnosis, but she described the situation in a very logical way.” Tony cut him off excitedly, looking like he was elated to find something to focus on. “I want to hear her point of view. Come on, kid, tell us.”
“We-well,” The young doctor glanced nervously at her boss. “In the presence of my superior, it is disrespectful for me to-“
“It is not time for such things,” Castiel stated firmly, getting impatient. “The lives of very important people to us are at stake here, so don’t focus on such trivialities right now, tell us what you want to say, Doctor.”
The young doctor glanced again at her superior, who just looked away with a huff and a frown.
“Come on, kid, no one will bite you.” Tony gave her an encouraging smile, urging her to speak her mind.
The young doctor hesitated for one more second, before her scientific nature and excitement took over and started to speak enthusiastically. “My theory is; that there is something that prevents the brain waves from reaching the limbs and the vital systems. Something may be in the spinal cord. The point is, it is preventing that activeness in the brain from reaching the rest of the body!”
Surprise itched on Dr. Johnson’s face as he stared at the young woman’s face as she continued excitedly, waving her hands as she explained everything. “In that case, we need to measure the brain waves that travel through the Nerve fibers, and by following these waves, we can find the point of defect and lead us to how to fix it!”
“What about that mysterious substance that was injected with the Sodium Pentothal, then?” Tony asked her, looking interested and focused on her words.
“It’s an antidote that removes the effect of the main substance that caused the coma!” The young doctor answered immediately in increased excitement at Tony’s attention to her words. “A temporary one! That it allows your friends to say anything under the influence of the Truth Serum!”
“What kind of an explanation is that?” Dr. Johnson exclaimed indignantly, finding her entire theory absurd.
“The only logical explanation we heard all day actually,” Castiel stated firmly, looking at the young doctor with an impressed look. She was very young, probably a fresh graduate or something, but she was extremely smart and perspective.
Tony stood up and walked over to the young doctor and extended a hand. “Let me shake your hand, kid. You truly are a genius in the making!” he exclaimed with a proud grin on his face as he shook the wide-eyed doctor’s hand. “Come on, tell me your name!”
“Alexandra, sir! Alexandra Rousseau!” Alexandera’s face brightened up, as she shook Tony’s hand excitedly. “I am a big fan of your work, sir! You have always been my role model! It is an honor to finally be able to meet you!”
“Great! you’ll have a chance then to watch that work closely!” Tony smiled at her meaningfully.
“What-what do you mean, sir?” Alexandra looked at him in wide-eyed confusion.
“Because, from this moment, you will be working for the Avengers,” Tony announced with a smile to the shocked girl.
“Me?!” Alexandra choked out, looking about to pass out.
“Yes, you. From this moment you will be the one in charge of tracking the brain waves and their transfer through the Nerve fibers, in our three unconscious team members. Also, you will personally check the results of that mysterious substance in the lab. They are now your patients, Dr. Rousseau.”
“Check this too when you get in the lab,” Castiel added as he placed the plastic bag that contained the glass shard he found in the mansion in Alexandra’s hand.
Alexandra stood there staring at them both with wide eyes, before answering in pure excitement. “How can I give you the results, sir?!”
“You won’t need to.”
Everyone turned to the owner of that voice in surprise, as he stood in the doorway of the room solemnly, eyeing them all.
Tony and Castiel were the ones who were shocked the most since they were not expecting him to show up at all.
Because the man standing in front of them now, was none other than Nick Fury himself.