Ivy here again. Really, I do so much narration in these things I shouldn't bother announcing myself. Whatever.

Okay, so anyhow, I don't know how long I was in that room. I do know that as I lay there, in too much pain to move, I got even more ticked off with Aldrich Killian. And considering how mad I already was, that's saying something.

Killian came in after a while.

"You survived. I'm surprised after you passed out. The last three test subjects didn't. But it you don't tell me anything, then I don't really need you anymore."

Pleasant thought.

"Are you ready to take another dose?"

Everything in me screamed to do anything I could to avoid taking another dose. But I can't just tell people the future. That's not how things work. "You know I won't tell you what you want to do."

He held the needle to my arm. "I'll count to three. One."

I bit down on my lip to keep myself from pleading with him or screaming.

"Two."

I tasted blood on my lip.

"Don't," said Pepper. "Don't you realize what you're doing?"

"Of course I do. If she tells me what I want to know, I'll be happy to stop. Will you, Ivy?"

"I just told you I won't."

The needle bit into my arm.

And then it started again.

But it wasn't Killian standing over me, grinning. It was Loki.

"Are we rethinking our decision now?"

It was a hallucination or something, I knew that.

But that brought the whole experience to an entirely new level.

I don't think I've ever screamed like that before. My veins burned, every breath hurt.

And Loki was standing above me, grinning.

Worst. Christmas. Ever.

"Oh, you will tell me," continued Loki-Killian. "It's almost Christmas morning, Ivy, and I have plans to finish. But I want your opinion on them first."

I don't know what I said, but he kicked me for it. A rib snapped.

And then everything seemed to go flying around me. Something hit the side of my head and everything went black.