Chapter Thirty Eight

"Welcome to your new home for the next few years."

I was dreaming again. This time of an all too familiar place. I looked around frantically as I remembered where I was.

The warehouse.

This wasn't good. Kids were standing in a straight line next to me. All of them were bound by cuffs. They looked scared. Some of them were half starved and covered in old wounds. Most of their clothing looked like it hadn't been washed in weeks.

"From here on you'll listen to us, or be killed on the spot. Is there anyone here who would like to object with those rules?"

A man stood in front of us; he was tall with dark blond hair and brown eyes. He wore a black shirt along with black pants and kept most of his face hidden in a mask. But I could see clearly enough that he wasn't good. He would kill us without hesitation if given the chance.

When he asked that question a girl stepped forward. No one spoke as she raised her chin and glared at him defiantly.

"You can't control us," she snapped. "We're more powerful than you."

I flinched when the man pulled out a gun and pulled the trigger. The sound had lasted for only a second, but it felt like ages when her body hit the ground with a sickening thud. Everyone kept quiet after that. All of the kids were too terrified to speak.

"That's gonna happen to anyone who says otherwise," he sneered, glaring at us all. "Take them to their holding cells; we'll have plenty to do to keep 'em busy."

As more guards walked over and led us to our holding cells, I felt my stomach drop at the sight of the dead girl. Her fallen body reminded me of the girl I tried to save a few weeks ago. That girl had tried running from these men too. But it had killed her in the end. Now I was about to meet the same fate.

...

I woke up with a start. I wasn't even sure how long I was out. But what I did notice was that I found myself in a strange place.

For a few moments I just sat there and blinked, trying to take in my surroundings.

Someone had placed me in a rather small room that had padded walls and a soft bed to lay on. There weren't any windows to look out of. All at once I was reminded of my time in the warehouse. A shudder ran down my arms – wait, my legs. Hairy legs.

My jaw dropped open when I realized that I was still in my wolf form. I hadn't been able to change back yet. Turning around I saw a small mirror placed on one of the walls.

Staring back at me was a huge black wolf with brown eyes. My eyes. I watched the figure for a moment, and wondered if I would ever change back into a human. The memories that kept haunting me were tearing me apart.

For months I'd been trying to push them away. But now it seemed as if I would never shake them off. And to make matters worse I was in an unfamiliar place.

The wolf let out a growl until I spotted a familiar image plastered on the wall. An eagle and a shield. I realized with a start that I must be in a SHIELD facility. But I couldn't bring myself to guess where that facility was.

I let out a sigh and sat down. There wasn't any point in getting worked up. If I played my cards right than someone would come by to check on me. Maybe than I could figure out what was going on.

...

"Hold 'er down!" The guards were drunk again. They were yelling slurred curses as I struggled against their grip. Another girl had just been shot and killed for fighting back. I couldn't let that happen again. But I was weak with hunger and thirst. They knew I couldn't fight back for long.

Finally they managed to drag me to a small room where I'd seen other kids gagged, beaten and whipped. They were trying to force these kids into using whatever abilities they had. And if they didn't comply, the kids were usually punished severely. I'd already suffered several injuries because of it. But this one was by far the worst.

"Let's see you wriggle your way out of this one," one of the guards sneered as they held something in their hands. My eyes widened when I realized what it was. A branding iron. It's hot metal end was seething red. I could see the intense heat radiating off of it.

I held back a cry of pain when he pressed the iron against my arm. It was just on top of my shoulder, where the sleeve had been ripped off by the guards. The pain that followed was more intense than I could have ever imagined. Tears started forming at the edge of my vision. Their laughter filled the room as they watched me suffer.

At last the metal end had finally left my skin. By now I was struggling not to pass out as they tossed it to the ground, cursing at the fact that I didn't change or show any powers. They knew I could do something. But they couldn't figure out what that something was.

"What a brat. Take the freak away and send in the next one, we don't have all night." My teeth ground together as one of the guards pulled me by my hair. When they threw me into the holding cell I hit the ground shoulder first. It took everything I had not to cry out again and change into the wolf just to kill the bastard.

Once he was gone I felt my body begin to crack under exhaustion and lack of food or water. There wasn't any bed to sleep on. Only those who listened to the guards got a small cot they could sleep on. For those who refused, we got nothing. And I knew that they wouldn't give us anything until we gave in. I wouldn't give up. Not until I was free of this hell hole. And I wasn't going to let these bastards hurt anyone else once I was free.

...

"She's showing signs of nightmares, or perhaps traumatic memories," Fitz announced after observing the monitor for a few moments. It was strange watching her after having only learned about her powers during the short time she was at the Academy.

Back than she had seemed so carefree and happy. But now it was like she was a totally different person. Or a thing. They weren't even sure what to call her now.

"Whatever is triggering this must be the cause behind her not changing back into a human," Simmons realized.

"Is there any way to help her?" Coulson asked. The other agents had started getting curious about their newest companion on the BUS. Coulson made certain to keep Skye away, and Grant. Agent May checked in on her every now and than, along with himself. Everyone else just kept a safe distance.

"Perhaps, but as far as I am aware the only way to bring her back is by forcing her to endure all of those memories," Simmons replied. "I'm not exactly an expert in psychology."

Coulson nodded in agreement to that statement. He sighed and headed for the room that she was being held in. On the way he passed Skye, who seemed to be more curious about Casey than ever.

"You never did tell me what's going on here," she said in an accusing tone. Coulson frowned and looked at her seriously.

"I have to be honest, I'm not even sure how she'll react to seeing you," he admitted. "If she hurts you, than she'll have to be treated like any other enemy."

For a moment Skye was taken aback by Coulson's response. But she understood the warning in his tone and nodded nonetheless. More than anything she wanted to meet this girl. From what FitzSimmons had told her the girl was fun and unpredictable. She had her own secrets that she wasn't willing to share. And Skye wanted to find out what she was hiding from them.

...

I looked up in time to see Coulson entering the room. My eyes narrowed for a moment before I sat up.

"Casey," he said, greeting me in a formal tone. The moment the door closed behind him he wrapped his arms around me in a hug. I blinked in shock, not expecting this kind of greeting. For a moment I wasn't sure what to do, but the message was clear. "I need you to understand that what you're facing is something that is causing concern throughout the team. It's possible that you may not be able to change back at all into a human."

My eyes widened in alarm when he said that. I wouldn't change back? But I had to! I had to go back and…. I felt my body shake with fear. What would happen to me if I couldn't change back? They might send me to some kind of zoo, or worse a prison for SHIELD enemies.

"We're doing everything we can to help you pull through this; FitzSimmons have been working on an antidote of some sort," he went on, realizing that what he said was making things worse. "In the meantime you'll have to hang on, and face the memories. I know what those people did to you in the warehouse."

I lowered my head, glaring at the floor. He had no idea what they did to me. Or what they did to all of those other kids.

"Just remember that we're here for you, if you need us." I simply nodded in response and watched as he walked away, leaving me behind.

The last thing I wanted was to relive these memories.

AN: Ah more memories, and of course the rest of Coulson's team is sort of introduced. If you haven't watched Agents of SHIELD yet than I recommend you do. 'Cause she'll be spending quite a while with them.

Guest - Yes I know it is similar to her story. But if you would continue reading on you would know that it gets very different.

WhatIfWeWereDogs - Tell me about it :( I will continue shipping them, for they are my favorite couple. And in the comics they actually did have some kind of relationship, though it wasn't really mentioned too often. Guess the movies decided to leave that one out.

RAINBOWNEMESIS - Hehe, yep, agent May's definitely gonna have some fun with Casey in the next story. I could already picture them arguing constantly over ideals. And thanks, I'm glad you liked it so much. I know the first few chapters are similar, but mine tends to drift away and become completely different, especially towards the end :)