Stella POV:

"I've literally been on Vandal for as long as I can remember." Spinner snorted at the cliché, but I ignored him and elaborated. "The thing is, I woke up in Hatch's lab. I didn't know how I got there, and I didn't know why. I couldn't remember anything about my past, or even about myself. It was…horrible. I was so young…" I paused, a lump forming in my throat. I had never really talked about my past. I had tried to hide it in the deepest corner of my mind. It had been so long, and now all the memories, all the tests, all the pain and torture…all the despair was coming back. Zoom placed a comforting hand on my back. I smiled at him through watery eyes.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Uh, yeah." I had never had anyone to talk about my past with. I had never wanted to bring it up. But there was something about these people that made it seem so…okay. I was raised by Vandals. I learned to think of compassion as a weakness, as just another emotion that stood in the way of domination. But being around them, with their smiles, kindness, was…almost difficult for me. I felt like I didn't belong, like a jagged puzzle piece trying to wedge it's way into a bunch of smooth ones.

"Well, I woke up on the floor of his lab."

Stella Flashback (She is telling the team this, but I figured it would be easier to write. Also, (Narration) is when she is talking about the story, not what she is thinking.)

I woke up to the sounds of fighting and arguing. I blearily rubbed my eyes. Why was I on the ground? Who, or what, was in front of me? Who was I? My eyes focused on…I screamed. Both…creatures suddenly looked over at me, one with beady black insect eyes, the other a crocodile with one eye blind (Hatch and Krocomodo). They started to walk towards me. I backed away, only to find I was cornered against a wall.

"Don't be afraid, little sub-specie." The insect cackled. "Hatch will take good care of you." I shrank against the wall.

"Hatch! This meat-creature is mine! I stormed it's Homeworld and captured it, so I get to eat it!" The crocodile lectured.

"But Krocomodo! It is similar to the subspecies in Battle Force 5! I can experiment on it to find how to beat them with my black magic." Hatch, as I had learned it was called, grinned evilly. I didn't know what he meant, but I knew it wasn't good. I curled up and closed my eyes while the two argued. "It's just a dream" I repeated to myself. "When I wake up, everything will be okay". (Narration: I laughed bitterly at this memory. I was so naïve. Too naïve. Too young). I opened my eyes, and the nightmare was still there.

"Fine!" Krocomodo spat, and stomped off. Hatch walked up to me, grabbed my arm with a pincer and yanked me up.

"You are my slave now." He rubbed his pincers together awkwardly. "Disobey me, and the consequences will be very painful…" He acted unsure, as if he had never had a slave before. I was shocked to the core and didn't respond.

"Hmm…this one does not have the power of speech. Interesting." Hatch murmured, and turned his back on me. (Narration: I didn't understand him. I didn't know what was happening. I didn't speak for weeks, simply went through everything numbly. The Vandals thought I was an idiot. For awhile I was. But I learned.)

Hatch turned back around, holding a vial with a green liquid in it. "Drink this." He instructed. Against my better judgment, I took a cautious sip. Almost instantly, my stomach tightened. I doubled over in pain and curled up on the floor. Hatch stood there, watching me, recording results. A proud grin was on his face. I vomited several times and began to dry heave. After nearly an hour, it was over. I collapsed on the hard, unforgiving ground, shaking uncontrollably as I wiped saliva off my mouth.

"Too concentrated," Hatch muttered. He poured a clear liquid into the mixture, watched it churn and swirl, and handed it to me again, indicating that I should drink it. I looked at him through salty, tear-swollen eyes, and backed away. He thrust it toward me again, and when I did not take it, he grabbed my chin, tilted it so my mouth was open, and poured the mixture in. I began to choke, swallowing some of it. Instantly, the cramping began. I dry heaved for several minutes, paralyzed on the floor.

"Perfect!" Hatch announced. I lay there, sobbing, in pain, and alone.

End Flashback

Stella POV:

The team stared at me, their faces a mixture of horror, angst and…what looked like pity. I couldn't remember the last time I saw that. I reached to brush a piece of hair out of my face, trying to avoid their eyes, and found that my face was wet. I was crying.

"That's…horrible." Sherman said. "To do that to someone…how old were you?"

I stared up at his kind, strong face.

"I was seven."