I woke up to blackness, pain and cold. My entire body felt like it was in a vice grip, with restraints pressing in on my wrists, neck, waist and any other part of my body that might have been able to move. My mouth was dry and my head pounded as if a cinderblock were purposefully dropped on it. I could hear electrical equipment whirring around me and indistinct chatter beyond the dark walls that held me captive.

As I struggled fruitlessly against my restraints, the sound of heavy moving equipment evolved from a far off hum to a deafeningly close clamour. Everything around me started to shake and rattle before a blinding crack of light appeared horizontally in front of me. I heard the hissing of pressurised air being released into the void of light that obscured my vision. The sounds of chatter and electrical equipment became louder as my eyes adjusted to the widening gap of light.

I could see that I was in the center of a large room, elevated above the few people that populated the chamber. The room was circular and filled with flashing lights, crossed wires and television screens. I was encased in a solid metal box, with large cords extending from the sides to the ceiling and various computers around the room. There were about 15 people in the room, all dressed in white lab coats and staring at me indiscreetly. I angled my head upward as best I could with the metal restraint around my neck. I could see the top of the box that had been lifted off of me, exposing my face to the new environment.

An impossibly large television screen that filled the wall in front of me flickered to life and a familiar face greeted me.

"Hans" I gasped. "What's going on here?"

The televised image of my mentor just smiled at me and looked at me as if I were still a child. I could feel his condescending thoughts through the screen and across whatever distance he was speaking to me from.

"Hello Elsa, I hope you're comfortable." Hans replied, knowing full well that I was not.

"What is going on here?" I repeated, my frustration threatening to boil over.

"Elsa, you know what's going on here." Hans smirked, "You're being imprisoned as punishment for the damage you've caused the city."

An indescribable sense of confusion washed over me at Hans' accusation until the screen changed to a news report. Through a blizzard of white snow, the roof of a skyscraper became visible. A figure stood on the edge of the rooftop, arms outstretched towards the city below. As unclear as the picture was, I knew who the figure was.

That's me

Hans had always said that if I didn't learn the full extent of my powers, I would eventually lose control of them. This must have been what happened...I had no memory of the scene playing out before me. The last thing I remembered was walking home with Violet after the incident at Nicholas' house. Had I lost control that easily?

"Elsa," Hans addressed me when his face returned to the screen, "I know you didn't mean to cause this amount of destruction. You simply lost control. I am not disappointed with you...I am disappointed with myself."

"Hans please..." I pleaded. Something about Hans' tone of voice made me extremely uncomfortable. His voice had morphed from its usual sternness to the softness of an upset parent.

"I have failed. I failed myself in my quest to help you control your own power. I have failed my mission to protect you and the innocent civilians that are inevitably put in harm's way around you. But more importantly, I have failed you Elsa."

I could feel tears well up in my eyes listening to my mentor tell me all this. I would rather take a lecture or a whipping than hear the sound of his disappointment. This speech was leading to an unpleasant place.

It had gone unnoticed before, but by now I had expected frost to spread from my fingertips and throughout the box that contained me. My powers were void here...The machine that encompassed me prevented the storm inside me from escaping. I had tried for years to accomplish the machine's effect, but in the present situation, something felt incredibly wrong about the sensation.

"Elsa, I realize now that teaching you was a mistake." I could barely stand to look at Hans as he continued. "This machine that surrounds you was created with one purpose"

No...Please no

"It is going to take your powers away."

"NO!" I screamed at the television screen. "I can learn restraint! I can fix this, I promise! Please Hans!" I continued pleading until my throat was hoarse but it accomplished nothing. The image of Hans just shook his head and continued speaking. I screamed over him, blocking out every word that he uttered.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the scientists pull a lever and I heard the whirring of electricity. I screamed even louder when I felt needles press into my arms and legs. As much as the stinging hurt, the emotional distraught was unbearable.

"Hans please!" I begged when his televised eyes met mine.

"I'm sorry Elsa, but this needs to be done. For everyone's betterment" Hans replied in an emotionless tone.

"Where will I go after this? You're the only family I have Hans. Please don't abandon me!" Before I came to understand my own thoughts, they had stumbled past my lips and out into the open air. Stunned at what I had just said, I dissolved into silence. Hans just looked at me and I could swear I saw the sadness in his eyes.

"I'm sorry Elsa, but after this...there won't be anything left of you."

My mouth opened in horror. This was it...the only fitting punishment for me: Death. I hung my head and sobbed, tears falling down my cheeks and dripping into the machine that surrounded me. Suddenly the pain of the needles and the uncomfortable restraints became more bearable. A loud beep resounded through the room and I could hear hushed whispering amongst the people below me.

The last sound I'll ever hear

Then the sound of the door opening interrupted my thoughts. I glanced up to see two masked guards miming carrying a body between themselves. They entered the room without invitation and addressed the screen.

"Admiral, we have had an intruder. She wishes to speak with the Ice Queen." One of the guards was grasping a metal rod in his hands and he thrust the object in between the two of them. The sound of electrical shock cut the tense air and a figure flickered into visibility between the guards.

Violet!

I gasped for air as she fell to her knees in front of the massive screen. She was wearing a skin tight red suit with small holes in it revealing bloodied and bruised skin. I wanted to shout her name, but I couldn't bring my throat to carry the sound.

"I have no use for her, kill her." Hans said emotionlessly before the screen went black. Too stunned to do anything, I watched in astonishment as one of the guards radioed for assistance and four similarly dressed men entered the room wielding automatic weapons. They formed a circle around the helpless girl and awaited further instruction with their fingers on the respective gun triggers.

I closed my eyes when the first shot was fired.

A/N: Sorry about the slow updates guys. I'll try to get them closer together but with school starting soon I can't make any promises. Thanks for reading and sticking with the story! Things are about to get more interesting I swear.

-Chris