"First off, tomorrow I will be going to join Schmidt at one of the other bases. He left this morning with most of the men; this is the only time we will have without him supervising. Most of our other operations have already been destroyed. There are only a few left, they will be my lab there tomorrow. It was my guess, based on the path your Captain has been taking, this fortress will most likely be next, that is why they are evacuated above our heads." Zola was speaking quickly whilst preparing her for the operation.

Lucy's mind spun. All of the information he was giving her was going in one ear and out the other. Steeling herself she replied, "Where does that leave me?" she dreaded the answer.

"I am supposed to dispose of you." He answered sincerely. "But I cannot do that. A mind like yours is too precious to destroy. I will help you escape." He smiled at her, "It was an honor to work with you Miss Barnes. You must do the operation now, before the guards come and take you away. It is the only way you will survive when you get out of the base. The weather out there is harsh and I will not be able to help you."

Lucy took a deep breath and lay back against the cool metal contraption as Doctor Zola injected her with penicillin. He then took out another syringe and gave her another shot this one was an almost shimmering green. "What was the second one?" she inquired puzzled.

"A modified form of my butterfly antifreeze protein. We cannot have you dying out there in the cold now can we?" he patted her hand reassuringly. "Here we go."

Placing the metal supports on her chest and arms, the vials of blue liquid were slowly injected into her veins. Lucy grit her teeth against the pain. Next the contraption came down from above and the pod closed around her. Her heart fluttered in her chest and her hands trembled against her sides. I wonder if this is how Steve felt, she thought. She breathed deeply trying to calm herself.

"Miss Barnes." Zola called, "Are you alright?"

"Lovely." She replied clearing her throat, "Just peachy, carry on. Its interesting being on the other side of the experiment." She joked.

"A scientist's worst nightmare." Zola agreed sympathetically. "Here we go." And he started to turn the wheel.

The vita rays turned on blinding her. The energy pulsed through out her body, vibrating every nerve from head to toe. Everything seemed to be squished and yet pulled at the same time. All of the growing pains of adolescence were intensified and boiled down to a few seconds. Every cell in her body was permanently altered; the serum was rewriting all of her DNA. There was also the curious sensation of coolness running up and down her back; perhaps it was the antifreeze protein because the chilliness that continuously lingered in the lab wasn't there anymore.

"We're at 40% Miss Barnes."

"60%"

"80%"

"100%"

Lucy let out a high-pitched scream. Every pore of her body was pouring out sweat. Her hair was stuck to the back of her neck. She could feel her spine and limbs lengthening more every second that passed. She could feel her bones strengthening and her muscles bulking up. Every part of her body clenched at once and then it was finally over. Her dress clung to her soaked form as she staggered from the machine. Zola jumped up and handed her a chair to sit down in.

"Are you alright Miss Barnes?" he questioned worriedly as he helped her down.

Lucy breathed deeply looking around the room. It was like opening her eyes for the first time. Everything was clearer, brighter, and more colorful. She was also taller; she had gained around four to five inches of height. And even though she was breathing heavily, she felt energized, well rested, and strong.

Suddenly from down the hall footsteps could be heard marching toward them.

"They've come for you." Zola announced panicked. "Hurry! Over here." He towed her to the back of the lab. "There's an emergency exit that goes out back. It leads down to the base of the mountain. Be careful, there's a blizzard going on outside."

"Thank you." She grasped the Doctor's trembling hand tightly, "for everything."

Zola nodded, "Now I need you to punch me."

Lucy paused flabbergast, "Excuse me?"

"To make it seem like you over powered me and escaped." He continued, "Quickly!"

"I'm sorry." Lucy whispered before swinging her arm at Zola's face. The Doctor fell back against the wall, "Sorry!" Lucy squealed, "I tried not to do it so hard."

"It is ok. It makes it seem more believable." Zola reassured her trying to stem the flow of blood from his broken nose. "Take this." He shoved a tiny revolver into her hand. It was barely the size of her palm and glowing blue. "It's the least I can do."

Then before she could say anything in response, he shoved her into a crack between the walls. There she found a rudimentary stone staircase that lead down into a pitch black. The door to the lab slammed open and Hydra soldiers spilled into the room yelling in German too quickly for her to understand. She spun around and ran for her life, down into the deep dark abyss.

Doctor Zola spared one last glance behind him, "Run my little butterfly. Be free."

-permafrost-

She didn't know how long she had been running for. Her body almost did not feel fatigue anymore, so that was not a good indicator. Hundreds of steps passed beneath her feet before she finally saw a pin prick of light in the distance. She let out a sigh of relief. There it was, the glorious sky. Zola was right, they were right in the middle of an intense snowstorm. The wind whipped her hair into her eyes blocking her vision even more. Raising her hand against the gale she tried to establish her surroundings. In the distance she could hear an alarm sounding. Probably notifying the remaining soldiers of her escape.

It was impossible to know where she was heading but she ran. Ran as far as she could away from the alarm and the masked warriors undoubtedly coming after her. The frigid air pierced through her lungs, tearing at her throat and coming out in ragged puffs. Her feet were stumbling in the deep snow trying and failing to regain her balance.

Vroom. The sound of a distant engine was coming up behind her. Someone was gaining on her and it sent her into a panic. While she was looking behind her she tripped over a tree branch that pulled her to the floor and sent her rolling down in to some sort of hole. A hole that would never see found unless you knew where it was. Perhaps it was an abandoned den of a long forgotten animal. Whatever its purpose, there was just enough room for one or two small people. The walls were made of a soil, which in this part of the country, looked like it would never unfreeze. Something that somewhat reminded Lucy, of a permafrost.