My life… Rather dull and boring in the scheme of things, after all, I am just one twenty-something female with a slighter build than I find comfortable. These, however, are just facts that I have learned over time. I am unsure of my real age, or even if I have a birthday, not that that matters. Back to my life; while I have no hesitations in writing it down as I do now, I have never spoken of it to anyone. That bit comes in later…
I remember pain, so much pain. There was a white room, men in lab coats and so many needles. Everything before that is blank, rather grey. Someone was screaming, it may have been me… Upon closer analysis of the situation, I am actually quite sure it was me. There was shattered glass and people clamped their hands over my mouth. Another needle and everything went dark. I awoke with a large, metal contraption secured around my face. I screamed against it and I could almost hear the metal groan in protest, but it stayed. The men in lab coats, I think they may have been doctors or scientists, knocked me out once more.
My eyes were heavy and there was a terrible, searing pain in my throat. The men in lab coats were out to lunch at the time, expecting me to remain unconscious. The two lab-coated gentlemen remaining were not quick enough as I struggled, freeing a single hand from its bindings and raised it to my throat, not that there was a throat anymore. My throat lay open, I could reach inside and feel my spine and the table either side of it through the blood-slicked folds of skin and pipes at the bottom of the opening, leading into my torso. I shuddered and felt it ripple down my spine, making me scream louder than I had before. The two doctors had made it to my side, restraining me once more. Pinpricks of light appeared in my vision, opening up to a tunnel of light. I walked to the end of the tunnel the darkness at the end engulfing me and I gasped awake.
I was in a room, a new, unstrained gag was cold against the skin of my face, my hands and arms were bound by my sides in a straight jacket. A tube was fed directly into my stomach and it hurt when I squirmed. The next few days all blurred into one, I believe them to be days, I had no concept of time in that room for there was no windows, nor doors, nor any source of light besides brightly shining fluorescent bulb that refused to switch off despite my furious screams.
People would come and people would go, I would slip from consciousness and awake again only to remember that I am trapped here. I remember crying, litres and litres it seemed, things get a bit fuzzy after that. I remember one day, a man came to see me. He greeted me in his suit and tie, telling me that I had a great destiny. I must have looked a mess, eyes red, metal gag, arms strapped to my sides, he didn't make fun, however, and that's how I learned to trust him.
This man would visit me every day, tell me what had happened to me, experimentally, that is… I tried to follow, but he spoke using long words I couldn't work out. By the time I thought I may have a grasp on the meaning, he had been rambling for five minutes more. I have little recollection of this time, I only remember that his name was Agent Coulson. Day by day, I screamed less when he visited me, he told me that if I promised not to scream, the doctors would take off the gag. One day, around a month after my imprisonment, Agent Coulson was joined by a man in a lab coat who was holding a bowl of food. I could smell the food from where I lay though I can't recall what exactly it was.
Agent Coulson told me to be very quiet and he unlocked the gag, taking it off my face. I remember trying to bite him as he cleaned my face before giving me careful spoonfuls of food. I vomited most of it up before trying to speak, but when I started to make sound, Coulson and the man in the lab coat covered their ears and the gag was placed firmly over my mouth.
It was a few days longer before Coulson returned, this time carrying a whiteboard and a marker. He told me that they will allow my hands to be free if I don't struggle. I allowed them to unbind me and he handed me the whiteboard. It had been… I wasn't sure how long, since I had used my hands.
"You may ask me anything you like." Coulson told me as I ran my fingers over the metal mouthguard.
Who am I?
Coulson frowned for a moment before choosing his words carefully, (this is the one thing that remains clear as crystal in my memory) "The first successful experiment I have seen in a long time." I frowned before tapping the board again. He sighed slightly, "You don't have a name, not yet anyway. Despite my protests, the others have nicknamed you Avery. I suppose that's as close as you've got." I scribbled furiously on my board before thrusting it into his field of vision.
Why? What's so bad about Avery?
In hindsight, I should have left it at that, picked my own name, ask sensible questions, however, at this point in time, I was curious, I knew what many things were but there were no memories attached, which both frightened and intrigued me.
There was that sigh again, and he looked at the only spot of black in my white prison - a security camera. I was sure they had more that I couldn't see. "I suppose I should tell you, in terms you understand, what you've gone through." He took in a deep breath before giving a slight smile. "Officially, you're known as E197, your vocal cords have been severely altered, making your voice super sonic. You can no longer be heard, however, your new… super power," the word seemed bitter as he said it, "is based off of an mutant by the name of Sean Cassidy." The name ticked through your brain but you could find no connections. "Not only that, but your DNA has been mixed with a that of another creatures, a forced mutation if you will. A red-necked buzzard, to be precise. Tests are still being run as to how that affected you and your abilities are yet to be tested, but I dare say, you'll be relatively powerful."
I get it.
He smiles at the board before asking me how I felt about all of this.
How do you think I would feel? "forced mutation" What kind of crap is that? Why didn't I get a say?
"Maybe that wasn't the right wording. I'll go tell the others to stop calling you Avery." He stood to leave, but I held onto his arm, he turned around, frowning ever so slightly. "What?"
No, Avery's good. I like it. A bird's cage.
He chuckled uncertainly before nodding. "OK, Avery." With that, he left. I've been Avery ever since.