I stood at one wall separating me from the person who'd been hitting it, again and again, these past few weeks. I took a deep breath and placed both hands on it and closed my eyes. I'd been practicing with my powers creating little thing in my cell. This was going to be the most massive thing I'd done with my ice. I focused on the wall and ignored the air around me cooling. I'd learned I was immune to both extreme temperatures as I used my abilities. It seemed like my different abilities kept my core temperature either high or low enough to protect me from being hurt by its opposite element. I heated my body as I froze the inside of the wall. My goal was to freeze the inside then all I had to do was either wait for my neighbor to hit it again or change the temperature so quickly that it breaks the wall. Well, that was the goal. I didn't know if it'd work. I focused, unaware of the dark eyes on me, before heating the wall and room as quickly as I could. I felt cracks and looked up to see the wall cracking around my hands. I smiled a little before trying again.
After a good few hours, the wall had large cracks all over it, but it hadn't fallen. I sighed before screaming at the wall. I panted before collapsing back on the bed behind me. How long will I have to do this? Suddenly, the wall busted, and I immediately brought my arms and legs up to protect my body. I felt the impact of a body fall on me and grunted in pain.
"Will you get off me?" I asked pushing him off me. He got up and was almost instantly on his bed."How did you...?"
"How is the wall gone?" he asked me. I didn't say anything as we stared at each other. "Tell me."
"You were across from my cell, and you're asking me how I brought down the wall?" I asked him. "Seriously?"
"You have powers?" he asked me without really asking. "You're a volunteer." I scoffed.
"No," I answered. "I was taken from my family after my big brother's wedding." I thought back to before I'd been kidnapped. Clint was so happy. We all were back then. "His family is probably so big now. I hope he's forgotten about me."
"Why would you want that?" he asked me.
"Because then I know he's living his life to the fullest without me bringing him down," I said. "At least I'd know that he's happy."
"No brother wants to be away from his sister," he said looking at the wall opposite me. He looked back at me, his eyes hopeful. "Could you bring it down?" I looked at his hopeful blue eyes. His hair had changed from brown to silver due to his new ability. Whatever it was.
"I can try," I said honestly. I got up and went to the wall to try and bring it down.
It took about half the time to bring down the barrier between the twins. Either these abilities were getting stronger, or I was just a quick study. The girl I'd seen before turned quickly to us and her eyes immediately met her brothers. She got up and ran to his side leaving behind blocks and shards of wood where she'd been kneeling. I turned and looked back at the twins. What abilities did the scepter give them?
"Thank you," she said turning to me, her dark eyes filling with tears.
"I'm Victoria Barton," I said holding my hand out for one of them to shake.
"I'm Pietro. This is my sister, Wanda." He took my hand in his and shook it.
Weeks seemed to fly by after that. We each helped each other with our abilities: Pietro's speed, Wanda's energy manipulation, and my elements. I brought down more walls so we'd have more room, especially with Pietro's need to run. Neither Wanda nor I wanted to become ping pong balls. I'd laugh when they'd pick on each other and they even included me. We became the family we needed to survive in this place. I'd tried bringing down the other walls, but something internally was preventing me from doing so. I knew they were watching us, and I'd told the twins so they'd know. We talked about our families; my brother and his wife, my parents, the death of theirs. Pietro even showed me the picture he kept of the four of them in his pocket.
"Do you have something to remember your family by?" Wanda asked me one day and I just smiled at her.
"When I was taken I was still in my maid of honor dress," I said. "All I had on me was taken by them. The necklace my new sister-in-law had given me. My charm bracelet my parents gave me when I was 16, filled with all sorts of charms. My locket with the only picture of my family inside."
"Why did they take you?" Pietro asked sitting next to me on the cot I was on.
"Because of what I can do," I said. "Back then it was just enough to warm me up on a cold day or light a candle. Or maybe cool off a hot cup of tea so I could drink it immediately. Nothing like what that scepter did to me. I'd never have been able to bring down the walls with how limited my powers were back then." Pietro placed his hand on my clasped one and I looked up at him. He was sitting close enough I could see the specks of brown in his eyes. The same shade as Wanda's.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"Shouldn't I be saying that?" I nearly whispered. "Without me, they wouldn't have been able to experiment on you."
"We volunteered," Wanda reminded me.
"I know, but..."
"We wanted to help our country," she told me. "And now we can."
"They'll use you to do what they want you to do," I told them. "They'll make promise after promise and never keep them."
"Then we'll escape," Pietro whispered loud enough so only the three of us could hear. "And we'll find our way home."
"Together," I said holding his hand tightly in mine.
I stood in front of a wall, preparing to bring it down so we could expand our living area again. Maybe this time it could be the end of the cells and we'd finally be free. It'd gotten quicker at taking them down and it wasn't nearly as draining.
"Think this is the last one?" Pietro asked coming up behind me. I jumped, startled by his voice before turning and swatting his arm lightly. He just laughed at me.
"You scared me."
"I noticed," he grinned which made me smile. I turned back to the wall in was standing in front of and sighed.
"I really hope this is the last one." I didn't notice him coming up behind me until he wrapped his arms lightly around my neck and leaned his head on top of mine. He'd gotten to do this every once in a while when it seemed like I needed comfort the most. How he knew I needed it was still a mystery to me.
"If it's not we'll try the other way in a few days," he suggested and I nodded lightly. He pulled me closer to him so my back was flush against his chest.
"You know, it's kind of hard to knock this thing down with you hanging on my shoulders," I told him.
"Knock it down tomorrow." He moved his head and I looked up into his eyes. He started moving his head closer to mine before an alarm started going off. Pietro moved his arms off my shoulders as his sister joined the two of us.
"What's happening?" One of the doors opened and Strucker walked inside the cell.
"Time to defend your country."
