The older man called in two guards to help transfer y/n to a wheelchair. She cringed as they guided her off the bed, her body still sore. They sat y/n down, handcuffing her to the arm of the wheelchair. Y/n looked annoyedly at them, the man looking at her almost apologetically.
"I apologize. It's a necessary safety procedure, I'm sure you'll understand," he said, signaling to the two guards to walk behind him as he began to push y/n out of the room.
"Thanks for the confidence, but I think you're slightly overestimating what I'm capable of doing in my current condition. You practically had to drag me out of bed," y/n retorted, making the man laugh out boisterously from behind her. The sound of his laughter was too loud to her. She started to feel a horrible migraine developing.
"Ah, you're a funny one! Glad to see that you still have a sense of humor, what with everything that's happened," he replied. He wheeled her along a hallway. Several people walked up and down the hallway into different rooms and directions, all of them wearing what looked like lab coats.
"I'm lucky I still have that, I think you fried everything else I have back earlier," y/n replied half-heartedly, interested in the sights she's seeing. Though she was dizzy, she took note of the layout of the place, just in case she has a fighting chance to escape. She had to have hope. She needs to get back to her family.
The man laughed aloud at what y/n said, catching her off-guard again. They went in an elevator, one of the guards pressing a button. She couldn't quite make out what level it was, her vision getting blurrier by the minute. Y/n shut her eyes, hoping it'll help tone down the throbbing in her head.
"Good one! Though I think it might be the drugs talking. It should be wearing off by now so be ready for some pain," he patted y/n's shoulder lightly. "I like you kid, you have a certain resoluteness to you. We need more people like you around here. You will certainly be a great asset to us; I cannot wait to see the limits of what you can achieve with us."
The elevator door opened, the four of them exiting and headed into a large room with various computers and machineries set up. At the center of the room was another smaller but heavily enforced room, the walls and glass windows thick and reinforced. Y/n saw the room, her heart dropping as she realized what might be the next step that the man mentioned earlier. She struggled in the wheelchair, the guards quickly moving to hold her arms down.
"No, no please! Let me go, you already have what you want. You took my blood, right? Now you can figure out whatever you wanted to know! So, you don't need me anymore, huh?" y/n tried to bargain. "Please, I need to get back to my family. My mother and Louie, they must be so worried about me. I—Please, please, please," she begged, on the verge of breaking down as one the guards pushed her through the heavy doors.
The man looked at y/n with a confused look. "You really don't remember... oh you poor child. I really hope I didn't damage anything too much earlier," he said, following them into the room. Y/n turned her head, trying to look the man in his eyes.
"What do you mean? What don't I remember? I remember everything! I remember how I was tortured, the serum, all of it! I remember my family. Mom, Louie. They're looking for me, I know it. They're at-- they're at... home? They're..." y/n rambled, trying to recall where her mother and brother were.
The man waved the guards off, instructing them to wait by the door. He kneeled next to y/n, brushing her hair away from her face. "I-- Your mother and brother are, safe. I promise you will get to see them. But you need to do one last thing for us. For me, okay?" He held y/n's face in his hands, forcing her to look into his eyes.
"Y/n? Listen closely if you want to see them again, alright? You have one more thing to do. It's very easy! No more pain, I promise. Do you see that object over there?" the man asked, directing y/n's face and attention to something at the other end of the room. Whatever it was, it was contained in a thick glass casing.
"Do you see it? Now, pay attention y/n. There will be a nice, glowing object in there. When I give you the green light, I want you to touch it. Maybe even grab it, if you can," he said as he watched y/n's face, gauging her reaction. "You do that, and I'll let you go. You can go see your, family, whoever you want," he smiled at her.
"What's in there? Will it hurt me?" y/n asked, considering the man's offer.
"No! Not at all! Even if there was a possibility," he said, standing up facing away from y/n, "you have the serum in you now. You're much stronger than before. It won't hurt you as much as you think it would."
"So, will you do it for me? Or rather, for yourself and your beloved family? Just one last thing. What do you say, young lady?" he persuaded y/n, turning back to her to wait for her answer.
Y/n thought of all possibilities. If she didn't do this, there's no saying what else they would do to her. If she did, she'd have a chance to return to her family. Even if it might be a lie, it was not a chance she can let go of. There's nothing else she can do to help herself anyway. She closed her eyes, her tears rolling down her cheeks as she slowly nodded.
"Great! Well, here we go y/n. Remember; one last step. We'll be waiting right outside the doors for you. Now I'm going to get the guards to uncuff you. You promise you will behave, y/n?" the man asked, already walking back to the door. Y/n could only nod again in response. The guards proceeded to uncuff her, quickly heading through the door and locking it.
Y/n heard a large mechanism moving behind her, trapping her in the room as she opened her eyes to look at direction of the glass casing again. She heard the man's voice through a speaker.
"We will unlock it soon. You may make your way to it when I tell you so, alright y/n?" he said, not waiting to see y/n's response. Y/n can see the older man typing something into a computer through the glass window, whispering towards other scientists around him as they looked back at her, shaking their heads slowly. Somehow, they had a look of pity in their eyes. Y/n wondered why.
Not long after, the glass casing opened slowly, drawing y/n's attention back to it. What is this thing, she thought. Y/n heard the man giving her the green light. She considered her options one last time, finally standing up when she made up her mind. She ambled to the glass casing, still sore all over. But y'/n kept going. She was determined now. Curious, even.
When she finally reached within arm's reach of the glass casing, y/n noticed the body language of the scientists change. She turned to look at them, all of them looking apprehensive. Even the older man seems to be holding his breath. What is this thing and why are they reacting that way? Did they trick me?
"Alright y/n. Go ahead. Remember what I told you," the old man said. He tried his best to hide his excitement, but it was obvious to y/n that this was something important enough to him. She wondered what this could be.
Y/n looked back at the glass casing. What is this? Was it a weapon? It sure looked important to them, it's scary enough that they've built a literal shield around this thing. Could I use this against them? Y/n considered retaliating but thought about the repercussions. She decided that she will do what they want first, and she'll get back at them later. For once, she hoped that the serum in her will do what it's supposed to do.
She looked at the object inside it. it looked like a stone, except that it was somehow glowing. It looked intimidating enough, y/n pushing her fears down as she thought of her loved ones. Suddenly she heard voices. Was that... mom? And Louie? Dad? But how? It seemed to come from the stone. I don't know what they drugged me with earlier but that shit is strong. She mostly heard mumblings until she heard a voice. It spoke clearly to her, promising her answers, but it said that the truth will be painful.
Y/n was shocked by what she had heard. It's as if someone was whispering to her, but in her mind. She considered if she wanted to know. Suddenly the stone floated upwards, inching closer to her. It called to y/n, as if to ask her again. Warning her, but also promising her the very thing she wanted. The truth. Y/n slowly reached out to the stone. It glowed brightly and stayed in place, as if giving her permission. Y/n carefully moved her hands around, it, slowly holding it in her grasp. She closed her eyes in suspense.
At first there was nothing. Suddenly, y/n felt small waves of energy flowing through her from the stone. How is it doing this, y/n thought until she heard voices. It came from the direction of the scientists. They were excited, that someone had finally been able to touch the stone. But underneath those happy voices were one that was more apprehensive.
She did it! It actually worked, yes! Okay, calm down, let's focus on the next step. All I have to do is find a way for her to forget her family. Will shock therapy work? If she finds out that they're dead...
Y/n froze. Her blood ran cold. What did she just hear? That voice sounded familiar. Y/n opened her eyes, turning to the man. When she saw his expression, she knew exactly what he meant. She remembers now. The stone showed her what she had asked for. The man saw the look in y/n's eyes, understanding right away that she knew. He excused himself in a hurry, asking the other scientists to continue. Y/n could only watch as he disappeared into the hallway. He lied to me. Why did he give me hope?
Her mother had been dead for little over a year now. How could she forget? She held her own mother in her arms just as her mother held her father years ago, pleading for their loved one not to leave. Watching, feeling them let go.
Louie? He died protecting her when the bad people finally found them. The two of them were still learning to live without their mother when they came. Louie was brave as always, protective of his sister. He wasn't going to lose y/n after they lost their mother. But his bravery costed him his life. Y/n remembers watching the bad people, HYDRA, shoot him mercilessly as the both of them tried to fight them off to no avail. There were too many of them, and Louis and y/n knew nothing about fighting.
Y/n remembered screaming for her brother as they left his body on the ground, dragging a battered y/n into a vehicle and leaving Louis behind. He was barely alive when they closed the door, but he still tried to reach out for y/n. To protect her to the very end. Sweet Louie. I'm so sorry.
The stone glowed brighter in y/n's hand, its energy filling her body just as her grief and anger had begun to take over. She felt the stone speaking to her, things she both understood and didn't. She spoke back to it in her mind, letting it see the story of her life though it somehow already knew. Without realizing it, she tightened her grip around the stone.
Y/n felt her body start to feel feverish again like it did before. She watched her veins start to glow a light blue, the light pulsing and flowing through her. The heat and the blue light moved together within her, setting her body on fire from the inside. It then spread to y/n's palms and her eyes in a split second as her chest felt like it was about to burst. The energy she felt, along with the entirety of her feelings were trying to claw its way out of her. Am I going to die here?
The stone glowed brighter and brighter until it released a wave of energy, hitting y/n and forcing her to let go of the stone in shock as it moved away from her. She stumbled back as her pain and the energy grew to be too much to bear. She fell to her knees, screaming in agony as she fell forward, her arms barely able to hold her own weight up.
It felt like her insides could melt, the way the heat was accumulating. Y/n had thought that she couldn't possibly go through any physical pain that was worse than what she went through before under the doctor's 'care'. She realized now just how wrong she was.
Y/n fully accepted that she could die here. She screamed her heart out, her hands forming fists as she tried to let go of her pain so she could at least exit this cruel existence in some form of peacefulness. The blue light intensified within her, swirling faster, charged by its own momentum.
The scientists watching from outside were now moving around hurriedly, trying to figure out what had happened and what to do. Y/n could feel their panic. Their fear for their own lives. Y/n breathed in then out, letting go of it all.
A wave of blue light escaped y/n first, entrancing and blinding the scientists. Before they could recover their vision, a large burst of energy rippled through the lab. Glass shrapnel and large pieces of reinforced walls flew towards the scientists. They never saw it heading their way. The lab walls cracked before giving way, holes forming as the ceiling threatened to cave in.
Y/n felt a temporary sense of relief before her body was overcome with extreme fatigue. She couldn't care less what will happen to her. She was ready to give up. She closed her eyes, this time to rest.
After for what seemed like some time, y/n opened her eyes again. All she could see was blaring lights and fire. The lab was destroyed. She turned her head towards the exit, her head still dizzy from fatigue. She watched as a few people dressed in all black ran towards her. She waited patiently for them to punish her. For more pain. Instead, she watched as an older man from the group approached her.
"I've finally found you, kid," he said, looking relieved. "I hope we're not too late. We've got you now, don't worry". He gently picked y/n up and carried her in his arms, several people guarding them as they left. Y/n shut her eyes, letting fate decide what happened to her next, tired of fighting anymore.