NINE

Mirrormask.

"Will you stay?"

Soft words. Warm hearth. Black hair illuminated against the pale moon and even paler skin. Green. Vibrant, full of life. They stared into her.

"If you'll let me..."

Smiles. Strong fingers. Quiet laughs. Cold rough walls. A place just for them.

"Why can't we just stay here?"

Stay. Stay. Stay.She wants to stay. Stay. Stay.

"I'll be here."

Green lights flashed. Metal clang. Gentle touches. Black feathers soared overhead.

Stay.

Aerith gasped awake. Her chest heaved tightly. Lungs begged for breath. Skin slicked with sweat. Strands of hair caught. She tried to control her heartbeat — frantic as a drum in its own solo. Hands shook and she brought it up to cover her face. Back hunched forwards, Aerith released a sob.

It was another one of those dreams. She couldn't remember it — couldn't grasp it with her hands. Intangible as air, unattainable. She didn't understand why she couldn't remember it. Any image or phrase it might have held were erased with no hope for recollection. Yet when it left, the emotions remained. For a moment, she felt safe. For a moment, she felt loved. For a moment she felt happy. True and genuine; warm in ecstatic impossibility yet still a shadow in her mind.

Removing her hands from her face, Aerith leaned back. Back against the cold walls of her cell. Hands slumped against her side. The stinging chill was of no consequence against her damp skin. She needed to breathe. Slow with deep breaths, she needed to...she needed to—

Aerith didn't know what she needed.

A laugh bubbled in her throat and released itself. It wasn't like the laughs she displayed before. This was weary, bitter, and sad. An old relic trapped in the wandering between. Aerith felt like a paradox. Both new and old — a feeling she didn't quite understand. Fragile bones, no energy raced within her veins. Remembering to breathe was a chore in itself.

The more dreams she had, the more tired she felt. Not for the first time since they started to occur, she wondered if she even wanted to remember.

Aerith sighed, bumping the back of her head lightly against the wall. If only a single hit on the head could solve her problems. At the thought, she doubted it would be that easy. Beside her was a small clock that Wang was kind enough to give her. It ticked beside her. Half-past three in the morning. Not too bad. She held her hands in front of her, cupping them together. From within its hollow, a brilliant light took shape, bursting in a mix of colour. Amongst the startling gold, the vermillion red, and the unadulterated white — one colour stood out from the rest.

Green.

The light vanished and within her laid within was a red rose. One such that shined with crystalized visage, it could have been carved from gems. Red petals were darker in shade — trapped light within the core. The green of its leaves was glossier. Yet the stem of its branch was a brilliant gold, liquified and then formed into its structure. Crystalized, it was as soft and supple as an actual rose. There was something about this that moved her. Unsure of what it was or whether to examine it further, Aerith pressed it between the pages of her most recent book — Kafka On the Shore.

"That's a pretty thing."

Aerith didn't turn as she placed the book back in its place beside her clock. Red glittering in the dark. She had grown used to Sera's sudden appearances.

"You are getting better." her friend continued to comment, "I guess it helps that you got the Doctor wrapped around your finger,"

"No one is wrapped around anyone's finger," Aerith affirmed, looking at her.

Sera scoffed, "You think he's doing it out of the kindness of his own heart?"

"Yes" was her quick and resolute reply.

Her eyes met Sera's own. She knew how naive and silly it was to hear. Aerith was stuck in a place where trust could not — should not easily be placed. A fool's gamble, it was, but there was something within her that knew she could place it in Wang. There was a strange emotion that flashed across Sera's eyes — hardening for a moment before disappearing. Quick in speed that Aerith almost missed it.

"You believe in him?"

Sera's next words made her shoulders tense. Her instincts awoke from its long slumber, flashing and twisting in defence. Still, Aerith kept calm. Her words were less of a question and more of a statement. It felt as if she proved something to her — something wrong.

"Yes, I do."

There was something in there that made her nerves thrum — hackles raised and muscles tense. A pregnant moment ready to pop….until it didn't. It was gone a second after it began. Sera hummed, calm and collected, and Aerith stayed tense and uneasy.

It was like this the entire morning before breakfast arrived.

WANG

There was something wrong. He could feel it — felt it the moment he woke up. His neck was drenched in sweat. Limbs ached and his head pounded. It wasn't a hangover. Wang didn't drink, but it felt like something drifted past him and he felt cold. Moments wherein waking felt almost like something watched over you and not in a good way. Still, he pushed it off. If he was sick, then he would know it. The morning after that was a little better — at least what can be constituted as a better morning in snow-buried Sokovia. There was a decent amount of hot water in the shower, he wore his favourite blue turtleneck, and his glasses only fogged once due to the cold thus far. Morning nerves were unjustified nerves. However, opening the door to Aerith's cell, he was greeted with a sight he never thought to see.

Wang hated it when his nerves were right.

"What happened?" he demanded, walking determinedly in front of Aerith; ignoring the guard past him.

The redhead was crouched on the ground. Splattered food on the floor. Her hair seemed lifeless and her pallor paler than before. Eyes with sicken dark bags as she trembled in the arms of some HYDRA soldier. Surprisingly, List was inside and Wang cast him a dark look.

"Did something happen?"

List raised a brow at his tone — almost angry and fully agitated — and casually remarked,

"That is what I was about to find out."

He turned away from his protégé and looked towards the soldier who cradled their patient.

"Continue, Officer Bonifacio." List ordered, waving a hand.

The guard — Bonifacio, jaw clenched — nodded.

"I came in with her breakfast just as always and came back out. When I went in to take the tray back, she vomited out the corner."

Wang gritted his teeth and clenched his teeth, "Was it something in the food?"

Bonifacio shook his head.

"No. I checked. No poison. Nothing rotten. It was all fine."

"Maybe you missed something."

The guard's face tightened — into an emotion Wang could not identify.

"Are you questioning my capabilities, Doctor?"

Like a beast chained within him, Wang lashed out sternly, "When it comes to that girl in your arms, I will question everything. Now, are you sure?"

If it weren't for the scolding look on List's face, perhaps Wang would have been glaring straight into the soldier's eye. Maybe even thrown a punch or two. Still, he was a scientist but, most importantly, he was List's protégé. There was an expectation on how to conduct himself; no matter how loose those expectations were by this point. Remaining firm, he saw the guard clench his jaw. Before he could retort (whatever it might have been), Aerith intervened, sitting back onto the floor where her bed lay. She looked a little better — still pale and in a state of vulnerability, but better.

"Don't blame him…" she croaked out.

Immediately, the soldier moved and handed a glass of water. His charge nodded gratefully, taking the glass with shaky fingers and managing to drink a fair amount of water. Placing the glass on the floor, Aerith wiped the excess water from her mouth with the back of her hand and continued,

"It just hasn't been a good morning."

"Any particular reason?" List was the one who spoke up, beating Wang to his flurry of questions.

He had thrown his Mentor a look but the older man signalled him to stand down. For now, Wang was temporarily benched.

"Any adverse physical pains or any such like?" List continued, picking up his tablet to list possible concerns.

Aerith shook her head, "If you are asking about my powers, it has nothing to do with that."

It was an answer she readily and firmly gave. One they knew they could trust. However, there was a hesitancy in her stance. While it may not have anything to do with her powers, there was a possible cause. Wang shared a look with his mentor. List gave him a nod.

"I will check her blood work later just in case." he informed before turning to the soldier and instructed, "Mealtimes and portions will be adjusted. I will talk with Corbin about her meals later and have him relay you new instructions."

The soldier saluted before cleaning up the tray. Before he left, List looked at the mess Aerith left.

"I'll send a cleanup crew to—"

"No need." Aerith interrupted, raising her hand and swishing in a particular pattern.

The ground rumbled but only in a specific place. It molted and bubbled like quicksand as it swallowed the mess whole. Sunk beneath the surface before it stabilized itself again. Solid and straight as it had been. As extraordinary as it was, Aerith groaned. Her hand flipped back down to her lap as she exhaled deep breaths.

Another look towards List was a sign that Wang would need to note and explain that phenomenon later in his office. However, there were more pressing matters to attend to. The moment both the soldier and his mentor left — the door of the cell closed and locked, Wang moved and sat himself down opposite to his patient. She looked worse for wear but still managed to give him a weak smile.

"That was new." he decided to comment first, breaking the ice.

Aerith huffed; a soft gasp resembled a laugh.

"I learned it in my garden. It's a lot harder to concentrate on one small area, though. Too much concentration; too much power." she groaned, "It weakens me."

Wang smiled at her, trying to be positive.

"After enough practice, you'll be able to do it effortlessly."

Which was true. Thus far she had shown extraordinary results in her powers. Creating and growing plants seemed to flow naturally to her. While they have made no sense of it yet, Aerith produced a kind of energy that enables her to do so. Of course, the very prospect of creating life — even with flora — was an intriguing prospect with endless possibilities. As of now, she could create, control, and communicate with Flora and — to an extent — fauna. The majority of her powers seemed to focus on nature and its many connections, which included the healing aspects. How far her reach goes is part of the fascination. Yet, that was a discussion Wang needed with his mentor later.

Focusing on Aerith, he decided to breach the topic that needed to be addressed.

"It may not be comfortable saying it, but I need to know the reason why you were sick. It may not seem much but, to be safe, we need to understand why it happened."

"Why do you need to know?" she asked softly, her fingers picking at the threads of her blanket.

"It's important, Aerith. Your health and safety are very important to us." he soothed, reaching out to grasp a comforting hold on her hand.

"Can I trust you, David?"

The question blindsided him. It made him almost unleash his hold on her arm. Still, he gave a moment to think about it. If they weren't stuck in the situation they were in, Wang wouldn't hesitate to answer. Yes. Truthfully, at this point, there was no denying anymore how much he had grown attached to his patient; how much he had grown to care. Yet, knowing where they were and what the nature of this all was placed a stone in his gut. Even answering Yes — no matter how true it was personally — would have been an outright lie. As long as Wang worked alongside Hydra, it was never the smartest option to trust him.

Maybe that's why he answered the way he did.

"No. You really shouldn't."

Aerith looked at him. Her eyes searched for something. Deceit? Sincerity? Guilt? Wang didn't know. He didn't even know what she would have been able to find. Nevertheless, whatever it was that she found, it made her speak.

"I had a dream…" she started and Wang placed his hand back but leaned closer to listen, "I'd never remember them but it always left me with...some feelings."

Nodding, Wang took a notepad from his coat pocket and began listing them down.

"Was it a nightmare?" he asked.

"No...it was…" Aerith struggled to describe it, "just sad and happy. That probably doesn't make sense."

She slumped down on the ground.

Wang reassured her, "No, no, no. It does. Don't worry."

"When did these dreams start?" he questioned, "After the tests?"

Aerith shook her head.

"I've had them since I woke up."

"Woke up when?"

"In the woods when I first came here."

This made Wang pause in consideration. Her answer meant that the dreams weren't some form of psychic manifestation of her powers. Nothing quite like the nightmares Wanda Maximoff would experience.

"Do you think it has something to do with your amnesia?"

The topic of that particular detail was always a source of contention for Aerith and scientists outside of List and himself. How could it not be? Aerith had mentioned her previous living situation briefly in different talks before. Of course, peculiar stories like that tended to travel fast amongst the scientists on the project. Theories were made on her identity, on the reason, and the possibility of it slowly coming back to her. There was a betting pool which Wang found was made in poor distaste.

Brushing that thought away, he patiently waited for her to answer.

"...Maybe?"

The answer was as uncertain as to the past's obscurity. Perhaps, it was. Perhaps, it wasn't. Either way, it was enough to shake and stress Aerith to the core. Closing his notebook, Wang thought over the possible course of action. The effects of the experiences and her powers were crossed out. Possible psychic powers were also scrapped. Her past could reappear in her mind in a state of dreams. Officially, he and List agreed that Aerith's amnesia of her past wasn't like its typical kind. She was still able to retain information, recall them, and create new memories. In this instance, Aerith was capable of dreaming too. Already, it concurred with the conclusion he and his mentor concluded was most likely. Her hippocampus was not damaged and hence no particular injury or event occurred to cause it. However, the possibility of conditional and psychological action of removing selective memories had become more likely. After all, it was possible. Red Room was able to do it in small doses to some of its personnel and most famously in its famed Black Widow Program. Hydra was even successful in their endeavours with the Winter Soldier as flawed as the methods were. Though likely, the question of why someone would do such a thing to Aerith — a seemingly normal civilian — had become the most integral question that needed to be answered. This was the reason why neither he nor List ever told Strucker about this.

Needing to talk to List but wanting to take care of Aerith, Wang reached a decision.

"I'll take you to your garden."

"Now?" Aerith looked at him in surprise.

Standing up from his seat, Wang nodded with more energy.

"Yes, now! You always feel better when you are around your plants and not...well this." he gestured to the clean and small cell.

Although, she seemed eager to go. She still hesitated.

"Is...Is it okay to go?"

His chest ached. He stood up and held his hand out for her to grab. Her hand slipped into his and he hauled her up to her feet, helping her steady herself.

"Come on. I bet your guard dog is waiting by your door." Wang mostly meant it as a joke.

Aerith huffed out a little laugh but said nothing. The moment Wang opened the cell, the guard was waiting with a tense look on his face. He narrowed his eyes at the way the man's eyes stayed on his ward. Wang could physically see his body relax — and NO! He was not going to have some Hydra all over his sis—ward. Patient. Charge. Whatever.

Maybe he did hold Aerith a little firmer. Parental instincts coming out. He suddenly wanted to place a buzzing alert on every soldier in her vicinity.

Wow, was this what Leia felt when her kid got a boyfriend?

Jesus.

"Are you okay?" the guard asked; accented tone.

Shit. Every girl he ever met was always putty with a husky Spanish accent.

Aerith smiled, "I am. Thank you, Elias."

The guard smiled back and a little bit of Wang shuddered. No, no, no, NO! Wang coughed, interrupting whatever it was that was happening. He was not having it — not at all; never in a million years.

"Okay!" Wang interrupted loudly and cheerily, stepping between their line of sight, "We will just head straight to the Greenhouse. Shall we, Aerith?"

He nudged and moved Aerith along the corridor quickly. His charge didn't get a chance to do anything more than wave goodbye. Briskly, they moved. The hurried scramble of the guards following from behind. Wang would get hell for this from Strucker later but honestly? He'd rather face the bald bastard than watch Aerith's descent into...into—whatever the fuck that was.

"I wish you weren't like those other girls." Wang found himself uttering out loud.

"What?" Aerith turned to him, confused.

"Nothing."

They arrived at the Greenhouse with Aerith still confused. It didn't last long, though. Soon she was sprouting new flowers and experimenting with botanical structures to even puzzle over his accidental statement. At least, she doesn't. Everything turned and replayed in his head again and again. It was a never-ending Rick Roll of his anxious mind.

"This doesn't make sense," he murmured, frantically tapping his pen against his thumb between his fingers.

Wang stood behind the glass that encased the room. Second level. Westside. The private observation deck, only to be inhabited by List and himself. He watched beyond as her hands moved. It was something he had always taken note of since her powers appeared. There was something fluid and practised about it — like she had done it before. Which was impossible, wasn't it?

The tapping of his pen increased.

Yet, he had seen Wanda Maximoff — another person that similarly relied on movement as Aerith. It was rough and stiff at the first stages. Inexperienced. Curious. Apprehensive. Maximoff took time — took months — to figure out the right movement to direct her energy.

Aerith created a full-grown flower in one day.

His pen stalled on top of his thumb. Shifted until it began to roll between the pads of his fingers. Twist, turn, and roll.

It was like playing the violin. Practice made fingers feel more accustomed to the position of strings. What pressure to play with the bow or the vibration on the string. Where each note plays and how the notes are delivered. Stiffness relaxes in time. With Aerith, it felt like a violinist that hadn't picked up a violin for so long but still remembers it with muscle memory. Rough around the edges but the knowledge instilled within her mind.

Again, wasn't that impossible?

Wang flipped the pen in his hand and pushed the back with his thumb. Click! It lightly snapped the tip into the open.

Aerith didn't remember her past. They didn't know anything conclusive about her. Who to say this was her first time?

"Fuck."

"I hope whatever you have for me it's not bad news, David."

He snapped out of his thoughts, turning to see his mentor enter the room. The door was locked with a code. No one would enter without List's permission.

"Define bad news," Wang responded cautiously with a smile, twiddling with his pen again.

List stood beside him, only casting him an unimpressed look before watching Aerith.

"Out with it."

Wang turned, joining him in his watch. Currently, the redhead had settled on lying on the soft-looking grass. Sunlight was able to enter the greenhouse and she soaked it all in. A flower basking in the rare moment of warmth — and rare was nice sunlight in Sokovia.

"Her getting sick wasn't from her powers." Wang reiterated.

List hummed, "I'm starting to believe that with how much better Miss Jude looks now."

"I think it's more of a psychological response." he continued, "She told me...She told me she had dreams."

Again, his mentor hummed.

"Plausible. Her situation doesn't merit much good psychological condition. Perhaps, she is starting to feel the effects of her isolation."

While Wang knew he should correct his mentor, he couldn't bring himself to. He knew it wasn't because of the isolation or anything like that. He knew what it was. Still, words could not be released. How could they? Her wide, trusting green eyes were on his. How could he betray that?

"Do you think…" Wang cleared his throat, trying to brush away his jitters, "...all three subjects should be allowed to interact?"

"Maybe it's time."

"You think Strucker would agree on that?"

"If it meant training them to be ready for combat? He will."

It left a bitter taste in his mouth but he swallowed begrudgingly like most things in this job.

"They can't stay in separate cells anymore." Wang stated, "The older Maximoff had almost thrown Junior Scientist Walker across the glass in demand for his sister."

While seeing him writhe in pain was a delight, it was still a safety issue with how erratic and irritable the speedy Maximoff was becoming.

"Older siblings have always been protective." List mused, "God knows your sister was."

"Yeah." he responded awkwardly, "She still is."

He knew his mentor brought her up to lighten and connect. Yet any mention of his sister — from himself — felt too much like rock salt on an open wound. If she knew where he was and what she was doing, then she would have put a bullet in his head. Leia had always been stubborn like that. How a guy like Cameron Klein got his sister to settle down and have kids was a mystery to him.

"We shall draft a new cell for the three of them later this afternoon." List ordered, starting to retreat from the window, "I need a written report of what happened this morning. Everything you learned or know you write it down."

"Yes, sir," Wang responded stiffly, watching as he left the observation deck.

Well, he knew he was not going to write everything in the report. Wang turned back to the glass and laid it against its cool surface.

"Shit."

Taking another breath, he took a moment to relax. Eyes closed. Deep and out. In and out. In and—Wang's body stiffened as his pores opened across his arm. The hair stood behind his neck.

He was being watched.

Slowly, Wang stepped away from the glass, opening his eyes. There was nothing at first. Just a reflection of the desk and himself. Yet at the corner of his eye, something moved. He turned quickly. His hand on his pen and his phone on the other. An alert was always on the speed dial just in case. Still, there was nothing.

Cautiously, Wang moved quickly to the door and got himself out. It was a tense walk back down and into the open air of the Greenhouse. Immediately, he calmed down at the scent of lavender, rich grass, and honey. A hive of bees peacefully resided in one of Aerith's trees. Yet as he walked towards her, smiled, and laughed — there was a feeling lingering at the back of his mind, thrumming under his skin. Half of his life was with someone watching his every move. It felt almost like this — assessing and dangerous.

Blondie better step aside and into the backstage because Wang had a stalker.

"Just my fucking luck."

"What?"

"Nothing."

A/N: Hello, again! I know it's been a long while. A lot of things have happened in my life that just got in the way of writing. I'm almost done with my first year of college, so that's nice. Not so much as the fact that my country is currently in tensed shambles because the son of a dictator is winning by a landslide and it has been a depressing few days.

...At least, I got chapter 9 ready!

Thank you again for those who gave this story a chance and I hope you guys have a great day!