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"STATE YOUR NAME, please."
". . . vina."
"Louder, please."
"Le . . . vina."
It barely passed her lips. It was a desperate, tugging word in her throat. Broken beyond belief.
"Good. Do you know what we're doing today, Levina?"
She shook her head.
"Use your words."
It hurt. "N-no."
Behind the one-sided glass, the sound of men murmuring filled the space in front of her. She knew there were people behind there. There always were. But right now all she could see was herself, pale, skinny, and drowning in white cloth, bruises all over her arms.
"You don't know?" The voice came again. She shook her head and thankfully, they didn't prod her to speak.
"We're moving you today, Levina. You are leaving this facility and headed to another one. There, you will be safe, and will continue your enlightenment."
Enlightenment. The tests.
However numb her mind was, she still heard what they whispered about her these past few weeks. We have to move her. She's unusual. If we aren't careful, she could give us away. Send her somewhere far, somewhere lonely.
Last week she'd shut down the power. The week before lightning struck the compound. The week before that, the Avengers ransacked one of their other bases. They were getting close, and this little girl was a liability. Too young, too stupid, and too unpredictable to be in the middle of their biggest operation.
It was naive to think they were moving her because they cared for their other subjects; Levina knew this, but she couldn't help imagining it anyways. The Maximoff twins were far more valuable to them than she was. They were strong, older, and carried their bruises with pride. Levina wished she could do that. Wished the needles and the shackles would feel like they were supposed to—fulfilling, courageous. Look how much you suffer for your great country, they said. Look how proud you should be that we chose you.
This was Levina's country now. She forgot her old one. She forgot her parents. It was hard to know how she got here, and even harder to know where her other life had gone. She was only twelve. (Or was it thirteen? Eleven?) Did she even have a life before this? Had this ever not been her country?
