Time moves differently here. I don't know if it's day or night, if it's summer or winter. All I know is I am completely alone, at least I think I am. After the incident at the Sokovia base, Strucker thought it would be better to separate me from my siblings. All I can remember after the fight is waking up here. I don't know where here is or how much time has passed. But I do know it is my own personal hell. As I lie strapped to a gurney by my wrists and ankles, I crane my neck to look around me. A small table sits to my right with a single lamp that faintly illuminates the room. The light it produces is weak and often flickers but it is better than the darkness. I open my hand and a slither of blue energy flares from my fingers. It hits the bulb causing the filament to intensify and brighten. At the end of the room stands a reinforced steel door with a peep hole. Although I can't see who is on the other side, I feel them watching me. They know what's about to happen. So, do I. I don't have a clock in my room but I have become attuned to the routines. I know the soldiers will be coming for me soon. The only time they restrain me now is when they move me to and from my cell.
A modest piano is pushed against the righthand-side wall. It was put there after List decided it would be useful to offer me some form of incentive for my cooperation or, rather, for my lack of resistance. It worked. The only time I feel at peace, the only time I don't simply wish for this painful existence to end, is when my fingers are touching the keys. I can close my eyes and play, transporting myself anywhere I choose. Perhaps I am on the city streets in spring, playing for pennies under the midday sun. Perhaps I am centre-stage of a grand concert hall, an audience of hundreds hanging off every note. Or, perhaps, I am in my family home, playing for my mother and brother as my father stokes the fire and my sister prepares dinner. That final fantasy is my favourite and is the one that I visit most often. Tears sting my eyes at the thought of a life that would never come to be. As I inhale, the cold damp air burns my nostrils and as I exhale, my breath creates a baby cloud of vapour. Winter.
I hear the HYDRA agents before I see them. Their heavy boots pound the corridor, growing louder and louder, until they stop outside my door. The door clunks and whirrs before finally opening up towards me and Doctor List approaches the bed followed by two guards.
"Today will be more successful, won't it, meine Liebste?" he asks as he pats my head affectionately. I shrug him off and gaze to my left as I am wheeled out of my room. I make sure to take mental notes of the layout of the facility whenever I am outside my cell, in case the opportunity for escape arises. The building is definitely somewhat abandoned, with lighting fixtures hanging tenuously from the ceiling and large rooms boarded up with metal bars. It is through a gap in one of these bars that I catch a glimpse of him. Fastened to a stretcher like mine, sits a man I have never seen before. He is surrounded by computers and machines displaying images that I can't quite make out. As he is pushed back into his seat, his shoulder-length hair parts in the middle, revealing harsh, brooding features. His downturned lips and furrowed brow present as a permanent frown and his sharp jawline is stippled with dark stubble. Where did you come from? My gaze is drawn to something on his left reflecting the harsh, artificial light from the room. I look across and see what appears to be a metal arm, attached to his upper torso at his shoulder with a nasty-looking scar. I lift my eyes back to his face, which now seems more sad than broody. What happened to you? For a second, his eyes meet mine and the electric-blue hue pleads with me for help. My ears are piqued as the HYDRA operative next to him begins to recite some words in Russian.
"Longing...seventeen...homecoming...freight car," are the only words I am able to translate and, in an instant, the mystery man's eyes cloud over and he drops his head in submission.
Author's note: thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this short chapter! Please let me know your thoughts in the comments and vote/share as much as possible. Who is the mystery man that Ava is seeing?👀
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When I Lose Control
FanfictionA result of HYDRA's experiments, Ava Maximoff knows she's powerful, strong, special. But she can't control that power and it costs people their lives. Now, she has the opportunity to use her power for good - by joining the Avengers. Follow her on he...
