Today had been a quiet day. Tension still remained, however it was not as prominent in their minds. In their side of the cell, Pietro, Wanda and Bea sat in a small circle. The two girls had previously been playing a hand game that Pietro eventually got wrangled into. After a while however, they ceased their games, instead sitting in their circle with the fingers loosely entwined as they quietly told each other stories. Fear had been forgotten until footsteps were heard outside the cell and Strucker appeared. As he opened the cell door, the three tightened their grip on each others hands, flinching slightly when he laid his gaze on them.
"Miss Braedon, might you accompany me on a walk?" He smiled at Bea.
Pietro's grip on her hand tightened even further.
"Why?" She asked in a small voice.
"You have nothing to fear, my dear." He assured her. "I simply wish to talk with you."
Looking between her friends, the three of them silently debated what should be done. Despite all things, they knew she had to go with him, for he was in control of their fates and any refusal they made that ruined his plans for them would be disregarded. However, there were still 3 other subjects in the cell with them waiting to be experimented on, so hopefully, that meant he really did want to talk.
With a final squeeze of their hands, Bea let go and stood up, facing Strucker. "Okay." She nodded.
Looking at his prized twins as they glared at him, Strucker let out a laugh. "Don't worry, I promise your friend will come back to you. She will be safe."
Everyone was surprised when Pietro continued to stare at him long and hard. "She better."
Looking down at him, Beatrix gave him a small smile and ran her fingers through his hair soothingly, making him look up at her to smile. Reaching up, he took her hand from his shaggy hair to clasp it in his own, and keeping eye contact, pressed a butterfly kiss to her knuckles, making her blush in the low light before she pulled away.
"Come along." Strucker encouraged as she slowly walked out of the cell and joined his side.
When she was finally close enough, he held out his arm around her shoulders and lead her down the hall. As they walked away from the cell, before she was out of sight, Bea turned her head to look back, locking gazes with Pietro until she was pulled out of sight. "I am going back, right?" She asked quietly, looking at the ground as they walked through the castle.
"Yes, Beatrice." He reassured her. "Yet for some reason I think you don't believe me."
"Nobody else ever came back." She whispered.
"Nobody else was strong enough to survive the process." He returned.
"What makes you think Pietro, Wanda, and I will be strong enough?" Her voice was a little louder this time.
"The twins, I hope that due to their similar genetic makeup, the experiment will unlock something." Strucker smiled, a smile Bea found to be slightly menacing.
"And me?"
"Tell me, Miss Braedon; does the name Jarvis mean anything to you?" He suddenly stopped in the corridor to face her.
Instantly her brow furrowed in confusion, her stomach beginning to knot. "Yes… it was my paternal Grandmother's maiden name."
"Yes, I am aware." Strucker nodded before turning away, pacing across the hall in front of her. "Did you know that it was also the name of Tony Stark's former family butler? Your Grandmother's brother?"
"What does Uncle Edwin have to do with any of this?" Her breaths were coming in short now.
"Well my dear, your dear Great Uncle Edwin was very important to Tony Stark; and if we're going to break Stark and the rest of the Avengers, what better way than to make it personal by sending out someone related so close to the source of the problem?" If his smile had been unsettling before, it was nothing compared to the terrifying grin he wore now as he towered over her.
There were no words spoken when Strucker escorted a silent Bea back to the cell. As the approached the door, Pietro was instantly on his feet and running to the cell door, enveloping his friend in his embrace as she shuffled in.
"As I said, Pietro. No harm has come to her." He dimly heard Strucker say from the other side of the bars. He ignored the man however as he buried his face in the woman's black curls, inhaling the smell of the cheap soap they were provided with to use on the days they were allowed to bathe. Around him, her arms clutched to him tightly, as though she feared falling apart and he was the only thing keeping her together.
"Did he hurt you, Printessa?" He murmured, running a hand soothingly through her hair. "Did he touch you?"
"No." She sagged against him slightly.
"What's wrong?" He pulled her closer.
"I know why they chose me." She nuzzled her face into his neck.
"Why?"
Shaking her head, she looked up at him with wide eyes, the blue orbs full of fear. "Personal revenge."