Echo - Jason Walker.
"The family is the first essential cell of human society." - Pope John XXlll.
**Potential triggers mentioned in note below.
All Katie felt these days was pain.
Whether it was a dull pain or a pain that made every fibre of her being feel like it was on fire. She felt it. She always felt the pain. There was no way to get rid of it.
She would go to sleep in pain and wake up in pain. That is, if she was actually able to sleep. It was no trouble for Katie to find herself going unconscious. Either because of all the drugs Strucker and his team pumped into her body, or because the pain got so bad she passed out. It was nothing for Katie to let the darkness take over. But actually feeling rested was another story.
Though, someone had been nice enough to give her a bed. If you could call it that. It was just as hard, if not harder, then the floor. Plus her feet hung off the end and there was no pillow or blanket. It was hardly used anyways. Katie spent her time - when she wasn't lying on the operation table - in the dark corner of her cell. She would sit in the darkness and pray for a miracle.
But she never got one.
It sure as hell seemed like Strucker and List had some, however. The more they poked and studied Katie, the more they would go on and on about some miracles.
Then the pain would start again. And Katie would scream so loud her throat was now raw. In fact, Katie couldn't remember the last time she opened her mouth and words came out. The only sound she made lately were screams and cries.
You would think, that because Strucker, or List, or Pierce, or HYDRA, whoever, had an actual Super-Human to study, they would keep that person in the best heath and comfort. That way, everything they took and studied would be in the best condition. But no. That wasn't the case at all.
Strucker loved to push Katie. List was almost always off studying whatever his most recent sample was and Pierce was hardly around. That left Strucker to have Katie all to himself. And he loved it.
He tested her. She knew it because she knew what he was up to. It took her a few times of being experimented on to realize it, but she did. Katie always thought people were most interested in how strong her body was. How much she could lift or the fastest she could run. But Strucker, he was trying to find out how weak she could be. The most pain she could endure. And then how long it took for her to heal.
That seemed like the thing Strucker and List were the most interested in. How she healed so quickly. That, and her aging. Whenever List was present for the experiments, he was always taking scans of her brain, trying to find out what made her age slowly.
Katie liked it when List was present, because that meant the torture would be less painful. Not painless. Just less painful.
Every day, the pain and torture got worse and worse. The sessions would last longer. The cuts got deeper. The screams got louder. And Katie's faith in miracles started to fade more and more each day.
Katie bit back a groan and a cry as she was thrown back into her cell. She waited until she heard the metal door at the end of the hall slam shut before letting a whimper cross her lips.
Today's test was seeing how much force had to be applied until a bone would break. Now, Katie's leg was broken in two places and the bone was sticking out at an odd angle She had to crawl over to the corner, soft cries leaving her lips every time she dragged her broken leg across the rough ground.
She made it to the corner and leaned her head against the wall, tears rolling down her face. She hugged her knees. She tried to keep warm and protect herself from the hurt and pain. But it didn't work.
Because all Katie felt these days was pain.
Pierce suddenly stopped showing up.
He didn't show up every day. Or to session. Really, Katie hardly saw the man she hated with a passion. But just when she would forget about him, he would show up out of now where. Until one day.
As HYDRA's number one prisoner, Katie had been on a routine. Experimented on for hours, thrown back in cell, given some mosh that was supposed to be a meal, rest for a few hours, repeat. Or somedays, she would just sit in her cell for hours on end. It was either one or the other. It was hardly ever interrupted. Any and all conversations between List, Strucker and/or Pierce were left until Katie was in the cell.
Which is why, when List came into the examination room one day, Katie could tell something wasn't right.
Katie could feel the blackness starting to come. Normally, she welcomed it with open arms. But today was different. Struker looked up abruptly as List walked through the door. With confused eyes, Strucker walked over to List and they started to talk in hushed tones.
Warm and sticky blood ran down Katie's left arm and stomach as she titled her head towards the door. It was hard to fight the darkness and keep her heavy eyes open between the drugs and loss of blood. But Katie tried to hardest as she listened in on Strucker and List.
In was no good. Her eyes kept falling shut. She was able to catch the words 'HYDRA', 'Pierce', 'killed', 'Winter Soldier', and 'Captain America', before her eyes fell shut once more, and this time, never opened.
The next time the door sprung open, Katie was back in her cell. She was lying on her back in the middle of her cell. Slowly, she made her way over to the back wall and sat against it before she went over today's injuries. There was a long jagged cut from her elbow to her wrist and dried up blood covered her arm. She looked down at her stomach and found a blood stain on the old, ragged hospital gown they always threw back on her. And when she pulled up the gown, she found another jagged cut from her ribcage to her belly button.
Katie closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the cool wall. She always thought she couldn't get headaches. But now, as she felt every beat of her heart in her head, she knew she was wrong.
She tried to ignore the pain in her head and all over. Instead, she thought about what Strucker and List were talking about before she passed out. But she couldn't make any sense out of it. Pierce and the Winter Soldier where part of HYDRA, so it wasn't uncommon to hear these words together. What worried her was the words 'killed' and 'Captain America'.
If there was one thing that was killing Katie more than well, the torture, it was knowing nothing about what happened to her father. Strucker and List never spoke about her father around her. In fact, they never talked about the outside world around her. Today was the first time they actually namedropped 'Captain America'.
But at the same time, knowing nothing about her father was the only thing that kept her going. If she knew he was… dead… then she would have given up long ago. But because there was a chance he was still out there, somewhere, fighting, Katie had to keep going.
Even on days like these when fighting and holding on seemed almost impossible.
After that day, however, things went back to their normal routine. There were no more interruptions. List didn't stop by the examination room unless he needed more samples to study. Struker never mentioned the name 'Captain America' around her again. Everything seemed to go back to… normal. But Katie knew, she knew something was up.
Because Pierce suddenly stopped showing up.
Katie was lost.
She didn't know how to measure time anymore. She completely lost the ability to tell if it was day or night. But this was nothing new. She was lost it time the moment she was brought to this place. And really, Katie could care less if it was day or night. Not knowing how much time had passed was what was driving her insane.
She wouldn't be able to tell you how long she was in HYDRAs hands. Weeks, months maybe. Maybe it was only days. Maybe a year even. She didn't know. The one thing she could tell you was that it felt like forever. Which was saying something, because Katie knew what forever felt like.
She also had no idea how long she would be here. Once List had everything he needed to recreate the serum, would they kill her? Would they keep her locked in the cell and let her rot? Maybe they would try and make her fight for HYDRA. Like hell that would happen.
Katie had no fucking idea what time even was anymore. And it was pushing her towards insanity.
The only thing about being locked in this small cell was that it gave her time to think. And she thought about a lot of stuff. She had to, it was the only way to keep her from thinking about the pain. Or about how lonely she was. What she mainly thought about was what she wished she said to everyone back when she had the chance.
She wished she thanked Thor for everything he did for this world, a world he wasn't even a part of. She wished she told Bruce that not only he was an amazing scientist, he was also an amazing person. But most importantly, she wished she thanked them both for being such great friends.
She wished she hung around with Clint more. She wished she'd taken him up on his offer to teach her how to use a bow and arrow. She wished she laughed up at his jokes and listened to his stories more.
She wished she'd told Tony more about his father. Stories about what a great man he was. And about his mother, and how beautiful she was inside and out. She wished she'd told Tony how much she wanted to be there for him when he was growing up. She wished she'd took up his offers on dinner at the tower more. And she wished she'd told him that she loved him like a brother.
She wished she'd spent more time with just Natasha. It was always her, Natasha, plus someone else. She wished they'd had more girl time. She wished she'd told her how much she appreciated having her around and how much she inspired her. She wished she'd told Natasha how much she loved having her as her best friend.
But most of all, she wished she'd told Steve everything. She wished she'd opened up more to him. She wished she was a better daughter. She wished she didn't close herself off or run away. She wished she'd called him dad at least once. She wished she'd told him that she loved him so much.
And Katie hoped, more than anything, that she would see the day when she got to tell them all these things.
But as Katie lied on the board of a bed, facing the wall, she honestly didn't know if that day would come. She didn't know if she'd make it that far. She didn't even know how far away that day was.
Because Katie was lost.
Apparently, Katie could scar.
She always thought she couldn't. She always thought it was impossible. Which, now that Katie thought about it, that was stupid of her. Because she of all people should know, anything was possible.
To be fair, she didn't scar with just a little cut. It did take a lot to get her to even just to start to scar. She healed too fast. But over these past few days, she had nothing better to do than to watch herself start to scar.
She fast noticed it after a torture session with Strucker. She was back in her cell, trying as hard as she could to clean up the blood on her stomach with a shaking hand. It was at this point that Katie normally had tears running down her face. But it seemed she cried out all her tears over the past few months. That's when she saw it. An ugly, jagged scar from her left rib down to her right hip bone. It was only faint. But it was still there.
Really, it didn't surprise Katie that she had a scar there of all places. Struker's favourite form of torture was to see how fast she could heal after a cut. Katie still remembered the look on his face the first time he brought the metal blade down on her stomach and drew blood. He only used a very light hand. The cut didn't even draw a scream from Katie, it just stung like a bitch. But as he watched the skin basically stitch itself together, an awful smile curled on his lips. His eyes shinned with evil and mischief. Now, he brought that same blade down on Katie's stomach every other day. And each time he pressed harder and harder, tracing the same pattern. So of course she would eventually scar there.
Then, a far days later, she started to notice little scars up and down her arms. Needle points in her elbows and hips. A giant bruise starting to form on her hand from the IV always being shoved in roughly. Her stomach and legs where still pealing and scarred from the burns. She could basically still see the broken bone in her leg where it wasn't healed properly.
Katie never thought her body was capable of looking like this. She was so used to her body always being perfect. Not to sound vain, but that's just who she was. Her DNA made her perfect in every way. Now, her body looked anything but perfect. It looked broken.
She sat in the corner the whole night. She gave up on sleep weeks ago. It was pointless. She was tired, but she couldn't get any rest. Instead, she stayed up and carefully traced and counted her scars over and over again, commiting them to memory.
Then, the metal door at the end of the hall opened. Katie never took her eyes off the scars on her right arm. She counted to five in her head, then her cell opened.
Months ago, she would have fought it. She would have fought against the agents. She would have tried to punch and kick her way out. But now, she didn't. She didn't have the energy anymore. She was too weak. She had too many injuries. She was in too much mental and physical pain to do anything.
She didn't even look up from her arm as the two HYDRA agents walked over and roughly lifted her up. They all but dragged her out of the cell and brought Katie to Strucker. So she could collect even more scars.
Because apparently, Katie could scar.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Five seconds. That's all it took to get from the door at the end of the hallway to Katie's cell. She counted every time. At this point, it was more of a reflex then anything.
The heavy metal rails to her cell where pulled opened. But Katie didn't even bother to look up. She stayed curled up in the corner, her head resting on her knees and her hands on the back of her head. She heard heavy feet walking towards her. Then, cold hands grabbed her by the forearms and lifted her up.
They left the cell and walked towards the door at the end of the hall. Katie knew the path to the examination room just as well as the scars on her arms. She knew where every left and right turn was. Where every camera was. Hell, she even knew how many steps it took it get to the room from her cell.
And she also knew something was going on the moment they entered the 'torture chamber'. Because Strucker wasn't there. And he was always there when Katie was brought in. But today, the two HYDRA agents dragged her into the room and strapped her down to the examination table like they always did. Then they left. And for the very first time since these torture sessions started, Katie was left alone in the room.
Normally, this would have been the best chance to try and escape. But Katie couldn't. Not only was she strapped down, but the agents had stuck the IV in her hand. The strong drugs were already making her feeler weaker then she already was. There was no way she could get out of the restraints. Not in this state.
Katie was scared. Months ago, she would've never admitted that. Not to anyone, and not to herself. She would have played it cool. Acted tough. Like nothing could defeat her. But now, Katie admitted to herself that she was scared.
She was scared, lonely, cold, and shaking.
She had learned to overcome her fear of being tortured every other day. She knew what was to come and what to expect. She knew the routine. But this was a chance. And an interruption. This was something that never happened, and she was scared to see what Strucker had planned for her.
If only she had some energy. If only she could actually think straight. Then maybe she'd be able to think of a way out of this mess. Then she may be able to break the straps and get out of here. Then maybe-
The heavy door to the room was suddenly pulled open. Katie took a deep breath through her nose before slowly turning her head. Her eyebrows narrowed ever so slightly as Strucker walked into the room, with List right behind him.
So she was going to be poked with needles or have another brain scan done today. At least it would be a less painful day.
"We have good news, Miss Rogers." Strucker gave her an evil smile. Katie felt a shiver run down her body as he walked around the table to stand on her left.
"Good news indeed," List stood on Katie's right. He shared a look with Strucker before looking done at Katie with piercing eyes. "I have figured out your DNA."
Katie felt her heart stop. Her stomach dropped and her breathing became swallow. No. This couldn't be happening. List couldn't have the serum worked out. Not yet. And what did this mean for her? Katie wished more than once while she was in that cell that List would figure out the serum just so she could be killed already. But now… Katie felt more helpless than ever. List had the serum now. And God only knows what he was going to do with it.
"Do not get to excited," List smiled at the panic in Katie's eyes. "I do not have the whole serum worked out. But I do know now what makes you heal so quickly."
Katie wanted to give a little sigh of relief. This was still bad. Still very bad. List could now make an army of soldiers who could be almost indestructible. But this wasn't as bad as List having the whole serum worked out. Right?
"Next," Strucker spoke up. Katie turned away from List and glanced to her left. She found Strucker with a blood bag in his hand, only it contained a clear liquid. "Is to find out how you age so slowly."
"But first," List spoke up once more as he crossed his arms. "We're going to go on a little trip."
Panic started to set in again. One of the only things that helped Katie remain calm after all these weeks and months was that she stayed in one place. If her father was out there, Katie was confident that he would be looking for her. And having her stay in one place was making it easier for him to find her.
But now, if Katie was moved, Steve may never track her down. What if he was literally staying outside the door? With if him and the rest of the Avengers had a plan of attack and were planning to go through with it tomorrow? It would be too late then. Katie would be gone, and maybe never found.
"Do not worry, Miss Rogers." Strucker let out a cool laugh. Katie looked over at them, only to see him hook the blood bag in his hands up to an IV. Then, he looked down at her with mischievous eyes. "You're in good hands."
Katie's breathing started to pick up. Strucker dug the IV into Katie's other hand, causing her to flinch slightly. She didn't know what was being pumped into her body this time, but it was strong. She could already feel her eyes getting heavy. Darkness started to cloud the edge of her vision. Katie watched with closing eyes as Strucker and List headed towards the door once more. The last thing she remembered was hearing the word 'Sokovia' before her eyes feel shut.
But what felt like just moments later, Katie wake with a start. It felt like no time had passed at all. She felt like she had just closed her eyes and she was already opening them again. In fact, if it wasn't for the change of scenery, Katie would have guessed she was still on the examination table.
Well, really she was.
She was in another cell of a room. Only this one was much cleaner. The walls were painted a light beige. The table she was lying on was like a hospital bed, though it was still hard and very uncomfortable. Once again, her wrists and legs were strapped down. Katie tired lifting her head to get a better look around the room. Medical equipment surrounded her once more. But what took her off guard was the wall in front of her. It was all mirror. And Katie knew, that meant that on the other side was all glass. A one way window. But what took her back was the women looking back at her.
Could Katie lose weight? Cause it sure as hell looked like she had. Her face was sunken in. She was way paler then she was before. Her lips where pale, cracked, and dry. Her normally yellow-blonde hair was now lifeless and hung just past her shoulders. She had dark circles under her eyes that made it look like she either had a broken nose or hadn't slept in months. Well, one of those were true.
This was the fast time Katie had seen herself since HYDRA got their hands on her. And the only thing she could think of was how sick she looked. And how it scared her even more. How much longer would she last? Sure, she could heal faster than normal, but even her body had to reach a limit at some point. Hell, she could hardly walk by herself or lift her hand. She couldn't go on much longer like this.
"Ahh, you are awake."
Katie eye's shifted from her face in the mirror to Strucker's. She didn't hear the door - that was apparently behind her - open. She was so taken aback by how she looked she didn't even notice Strucker enter the room.
"I trust you enjoyed the trip."
Katie just continued to stare at Strucker. She could feel herself starting to shake. From range and from holding her head up for so long. Because she really did have no energy anymore.
"I bet you are wondering why we brought you here, yes?" Strucker had his hands behind his back as he walked to stand in front of the giant mirror. Katie never took her eyes off him.
Katie expected Strucker to start going on and on about what he had in store for her next. Because if there was one thing Strucker loved more than actually causing Katie pain, it was explaining how he was going to do it.
But he never did. Instead, his eyes shifted from Katie to the door behind her.
"Doctor," Strucker smiled. "Welcome."
Katie watched as List walked into the room. She then allowed her head to fall back down. Partly because she was tired and couldn't hold it up anymore. Partly because it was List. That were the only people Katie ever saw. Strucker and List. Aside from her two guards, Katie never saw anyone else.
"Miss Rogers," Katie's eyes glanced up at List as he stood at her side. He clicked a button on the side of her bed and Katie was shifted into an upright position. "I have someone I want you to meet."
With curious eyes, Katie listened as a set of footsteps could be heard stepping into the room. She the watched as the newcomer walked over and stood in between Strucker and List.
Katie looked from Strucker and List before back at the the newcomers. A girl. She wasn't doctor, Katie could tell by the way she was dressed in rags and the expressions on her face. It was a mixed between scared and on guard. But, she also looked younger then Katie. Twenty maybe? Give or take a few years. The young girl had long, dark brown hair and haunting, dark eyes. Aside from this however, she looked almost as bad as Katie.
"You have extraordinary powers," Strucker spoke to the newcomer. "However, you have not had the chance to use them to their full abilities, Wanda."
Katie was lost. And scared. She could already tell that this was going to be bad for her. Why else would Strucker and List bring her here? Why else would they be so obsessed with her healing factor?
"Sir…" The girl - Wanda - spoke in a dry voice. She had an accent that Katie couldn't quite place.
"This is Katie," List placed a hand on Katie's shoulder. She wanted nothing more than to slap it away. "She has the ability to physically heal faster than a normal being."
"And from our research," Strucker added. "She may also heal faster mentally."
Wanda turned towards Katie. She felt her heart rate starting to go up. She didn't like all this talk about mentally and physically healing faster. Especially the mentally part.
"We would like you to try your power on Miss Rogers here, Wanda." Strucker said to the young women. "You are our miracle, after all."
Miracle. Katie's eyes flicked up to the young girl. Was she the miracle Strucker and List were always talking about? Did that mean - if Katie followed them correctly - this was who they wanted to use the serum on? For some reason, Strucker and List wanted this young and scared looking girl to heal fast and stay young longer? Why? Why would they do that to this poor kid?
"Sir," Wanda spoke. She was hesitating. Her eyes shifting from Katie to Strucker. "I… She is just…"
"I understand you hesitation, Wanda." Striker walked from his spot next to the mirror to Katie's left. "She seems harmless, does she not. However, you of all people should know, looks can be deceiving."
Strucker paused for a moment and Katie held her breath. Her eyes never left Wanda's. And she did not expect these next words to leave Strucker's lips.
"She works with Stark."
Katie's breathing started to quicken. She watched as Wanda's eyes flicked to Strucker before she looked at the ground. She looked like his was giving and inner battle. Then suddenly, her eyes turned a shade darker as they turned back to Katie. This meant something to her. She was obviously affected by the fact that her and Tony worked together. And the way that her expression turned to hatred made Katie realize this wasn't good. She felt like her heart was about to jump out of her chest as Wanda started to walk towards her.
"Very good, Wanda." List praised her.
Wanda walked around the bed and stopped right above Katie's head. List clicked a button and the bed lowered again, so Katie was now lying flat on her back.
"Now Wanda," Strucker spoke up. "Concentrate."
Katie wasn't really sure what was happening. She waited for pain. She waited for a scream to escape her lips, for tears to start rolling down her face. But it never happened.
Instead, she started to feel light-headed. Her vision started to blur. And the darkness took her under once more.
Why hello there Wanda. I'm so excited to bring the twins into this story (and yes, Pietro will be coming in very soon also!). Also, hugs going out to Tospringe for being an awesome beta!
Just a quick warning: physical and psychological abuse, mental breakdown, and torture for upcoming chapters.
I'm so so excited for the next chapter! However, because of personal plans for me and for my beta, there'll be no update next week. We'll be back on track July 29th.
Wanna follow me on tumblr? Links in my profile!
Thank you so much for all the reviews on last chapter! You guys rock! Think we can get to 300 reviews by next chapter? :)