Shion Lee - It actually isn't! I hadn't even thought of him, actually lol. You'll see eventually, though :)))

Thanks for the review!

~Antarctic Hydra Base~

May, 2006

A scream pierced the air. No one paid it any attention. Another scream rang out, then cut short, and there was the sound of something heavy dropping.

The scientist let out an annoyed sigh. Why couldn't the subject just hold on a little longer? This was the fifth time they'd tried to complete this experiment in the past two weeks, and she kept passing out.

"Put her through more endurance training, and get her some more meat in her meals, Phaedra." The scientist listed off, pinching the bridge of his nose under his glasses.

"Of course." The handler said, inclining her head to the scientist, before exiting the observation room.

As much as she struggled, the girl couldn't get out of the restraints. She'd done so one too many times when they'd first started the treatments, and they now took every precaution to keep her in that chair. Well, technically, the treatments had started long before she was able to even try to fight against them, having started when she was born. But as she grew, and learned fine motor skills and such, she'd begun to struggle, and they'd learned how to contain her strength while they gave her the various injections.

She didn't particularly know what the many injections were for, nor did she care. All she knew was that she hated them, with every fiber of her being. The scientists were never particularly careful in sticking the needles in her arms and legs, and the injections themselves were usually painful and left her sick and dizzy for days on end. Every time she got an injection, they'd put her through various medical and physical tests, which would leave her even weaker and more light-headed.

"This would be over sooner if you would just sit still!" A scientist berated her. She just growled at him, yanking her arms and legs up against the metal restraints. No dice.

"Though it may take some time, I am perfectly willing to let you tire yourself out before we get this done." The scientist told her. She ignored him. Something dinged, and he looked away from her. "Scratch that, boss wants you in for testing in the next ten minutes. Better calm yourself, now, Asset, or this is going to be extremely painful."

She wouldn't give in. She wouldn't do what anyone in this place told her. She would rather die.

The scientist let out a mirthless laugh as she continued to struggle. They'd learned to gag her before injections and experiments ages ago, otherwise she'd be screaming at him, too.

"Let's see how this one goes, shall we, Asset?" He mused, shoving the needle none too gently into her elbow.

The gag couldn't contain the scream that ripped from her throat.

Pain. Pain like a thousand tiny spiders scuttling across her body, finding places to burrow, digging their legs into her skin as they went. Opening their jaws wide to pierce her skin with their fangs, ripping through her, injecting their foul poison into her body. And then, a drowning sensation. Hands at her throat, liquid all around her. No air, no oxygen, no breath. No breath no breath no breath-

All of a sudden, it was gone. The hands at her throat were her own. The clear green liquid was already down to a mere pool at her feet, and it dripped from her hair and her clothes and her limbs. The needles were gone from her skin, the thin tubes retracted back into the metal walls of the chamber. Beyond the glass wall in front of her, several scientists monitored various machines and jotted down notes.

When the liquid had drained completely, a fan came on, drying her off. The glass wall slid down and she stepped out of the chamber, shuddering and glad to be out of there. That one was perhaps the worst of their experiments and injections. She always felt like she would never get enough air into her lungs again when she was in there, and the feel of the tubes drifting across her skin to find their marks always left her feeling jittery, as though the crawl of the imagined spiders would never go away.

Hydra made it even worse when they threw her into a pit of real spiders, in order to test their various antivenom serums on her. Never had she been more determined to excel in her training than after that when they used some of the spiders for target practice with gunmanship.

Finally got through this chapter! This one was giving me some problems, but it's all done, now, and I've got some good ideas for the next few. Can't wait to get them out to y'all.

Hopefully you like this story, if not, drop a review and tell me what I could do better! (And if you do like it, drop a favorite/follow or a review, anything to let me know you like it and you'd like to see more!) Thanks for reading, everyone!

~Writing Desk's Raven