Footsteps echoed against metal, ringing through the cement hallway. The fluorescent lights flickered, and thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance. Hank Pym, a distinguished man in his suit and tie, didn't expect to be lead into the underground prison quadrant of the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Howard Stark led the way down the silent hallway, his white hair slicked back by gel and rainwater, while Hank's graying hair was tousled by the wind.
Keeping his eyes on the hallway ahead of him, Hank didn't expect the journey to be over so quickly. The pair of scientists had passed several metal doors, labeled with numbers and letters Hank couldn't comprehend. One door had been soundproofed, and even then Hank and Howard could still hear the shrieks loud enough to rival that of a banshee. Another had consisted of a blue glow emanating from a darkened window, while the final was silent except for the humming of insects, making Hank feel a pang of grief hit his chest.
"We're here." Howard stopped abruptly, and Hank almost walked into the taller man's shoulder blades. "Remember, you're here to observe. I trust few with this secret, and they are sworn to silence on the matter. Understood, Hank?"
"Yes, Howard." Hank responded, his voice grim. His eyes flicked to the metal door, and was surprised to find no reinforcements the door. Howard pressed a series of numbered buttons, before the door locks opened, and the door slid to the side. Howard strut forward, and Hank hurried to follow.
The room was hardly lit, a dim glow from light bulbs installed against the ceiling in all four corners of the room. In the center, a cylinder machine stood, wires running against the floors and up to the metal machine. Only until he took a better look could Hank see that it was a tank, and there was a still person.
Upon further investigation, Hank determined that the person in the tank was female, about 13 years old. Her skin was paler than the moon, and her breathing was slow. Every few beats, the glass in front of her suspended body would fog up. Her eyes were shut, and Hank could see the blue veins on her eyelids. Her body was covered in a black spandex outfit, cutting off at her wrists, ankles and her neckline.
"Cecelia Howell." Howard told Hank, his voice lowered to a hush. "She's our most successful enhanced test, however our tests were inconclusive. We've been unsuccessful to identify her abilities. She's been in this suspended tank for a year now."
"Why is this important?" Hank asked, stepping forward to press a hand to the glass. The surface was cold like ice, and smooth like steel. "You seem to have everything under control."
Howard sighed, running a hand through his hair. "One day, S.H.I.E.L.D. will want to kill all the experiments. It's important that she stays alive." Howard's voice was grim, and Hank was surprised to see worry in Howard's eyes. "She might not realize anything, or remember anything, but she has to stay alive."
"Alright." Hank nodded. "I'll make sure she stays alive."
"Thank you Hank." Howard sighed, turning towards the door. "And if anyone asks what I showed you, don't tell them."
Hank's eyes flew open, and the old scientist felt beads of sweat trailing down his face. He was in his armchair, the newspaper gently clutched between his fingers. His glasses had slid down to the tip of his nose. Sunlight peeked in through the blinds. Taking a deep breath, Hank stood, placing the the newspaper on the coffee table, heading to the basement door. His feet thundered on the steps, and he soon was absentmindedly pressing his thumb to the lock. He pushed the door open, before heading down to the lab.
Sliding into the chair, his fingers pressed on the keys, and the screens flickered and changed. The satellite view of Earth came into view on all of the screens, and Hank continued to type quickly. The view changed again, and the camera feed was that of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s prison quadrant. Instead of taking it down after the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., the government decided to keep it for high security enhanced beings.
His eyes scanned each screen for the specific cell he had been in so many years before. Guards paced up and down the corridors, some stationed in front of cell doors. The blue glow from under the door had dimmed since Hank had last seen it, and the screeches had long since died out, while the insect noise had stopped all together. And then there was the last cell door.
As on cue, the door burst open, and the guards who had been in front of it had slumped to the ground, their chins resting on their chests. White fog poured out of the door, and Hank inhaled sharply as a figure stepped over the fallen door, bare, pale feet touching the metal ground.
Cecelia had woken up.
Her hair, which had been pure black when Hank had first saw her, was now iridescent. Her roots had remained black, but the hair had gradually turned white as it went down past her shoulders. Her skin had the same pale complexion, but her eyes, which Hank had only seen in her files, had grown a sharp gray.
The cameras all showed Cecelia as she marched down the hall, white fog following her as it dwindled the farther she went from the cell. Hank had grown rigid as the cameras followed Cecelia as she made her way to the air hanger. Hank groaned inwardly, before hastily typing code into the locks on the doorways, but Cecelia beat him to it.
Suddenly, the screens flickered off one by one. Hank attempted to activate the cameras, but it was no good; Cecelia had turned them all off somehow.
"Shit." Hank growled, leaning back in the chair. He had kept his promise, but in his attempt to keep the promise, he had just awoken an untamable beast.