"You," I hissed. I wished to be free of the chair and ram Seth into the wall. "You're...you're HYDRA."

He nodded. "He recruited me after he recognized my talent with the army." He tossed a look to Pierce.

"Even if it was a failure," Pierce commented lightly, clapping Seth's shoulder. "We saw potential in you. And look where it's gotten us!"

I glared at Seth. "So, you weren't HYDRA when we met?"

"Nope," said Seth. "Just an independent party who wanted to take down S.H.I.E.L.D."

"No wonder you joined; you two have so much in common." My mind was reeling. I was sitting on a goldmine of information that S.H.I.E.L.D.—the real agents, not HYDRA—needed to get their hands on and use to their advantage. HYDRA's leader, Alexander Pierce, was practically spilling his guts to me, and I wasn't even in a position to interrogate him. But he's only revealed what he plans to do to me, not what he plans to do against S.H.I.E.L.D. or the world.

All this time, HYDRA had been right under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s nose. What I would have given to tell S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers about this discovery. What I would've given in this moment to have my powers back, just long enough to communicate this to someone reliable.

"So you know your attempt failed," I stated, shooting daggers at Seth. "I don't understand why you need me. He couldn't pull my power from me."

"Actually, if you remember, I did. It just wasn't stable."

"Then what do you need me for? More blood samples?"

"I could always use more." He shrugged.

"That isn't why she's here," said Pierce.

"You know I won't side with you, so you might as well kill me," I said. "Since I refuse to go with your insanity, I'm of no use to you."

"How wrong you are, my dear." Pierce's soft voice sent awful shivers up my spine. "We need stronger people like you. Unfortunately, if we want you to be like the Winter Soldier, it'll take some time to condition you. And I want you out in the field alongside him on future assignments. Since we already knew going into this that you weren't willing to work with us, this is our only way to persuade you."

Out of nowhere, two guards unstrapped me from the chair. I fought against them, but they seemed to overpower me as they dragged me roughly out of the room. Pierce and Seth followed my handlers to another room.

I took in the scientists, and the technology in the room. I balked at seeing the contraption ahead. I knew that was where I was going to sit soon enough. I screeched in outrage, not caring who I accidentally hit and what I knocked over in the process.

I frowned as the men forced me down into the seat. They made quick work on my arms so they could be shackled.

"What is this?!" I hissed. The man on my left put something in front of my face, something to bite down on. "Bite me, asshole."

"We probably should've doped you up some more," Seth said absently.

"You can go to Hell! All of you can!"

"It's a good thing no one can hear her." I swore that's what I heard Pierce say to Seth.

I refused the mouth piece dangling in front of my face, and then the two men ganged up on me, pulling my mouth open so that I ended up with the thing in my mouth. Both of them pushed me down by my shoulders. Footsteps told me Pierce was coming to me, his eyes met mine.

"Don't resist it, Ms. Rivers, it will only hurt worse," he murmured. "Eventually, you have to comply." He backed away, and the contraption as it started to tilt backwards, bringing me back with it. "Go ahead and start. I want a report as soon as it's done. Don't let up on her."

I struggled against my bonds and contraptions started to circle my head. Both sides were starting to get blinded. My heart spiked in fear. Steve! Tasha! Todd! Thor! Tony! Clint! Bruce! Hill! Fury! Someone, anyone!

I received no answers. What little hope I had about my fluke being just a fluke diminished.

The humming of the device started up, and I soon realized why all the necessary precautions were taken. If I was at my full strength, I would have surely blown the room up, killing everyone.

The pain was unlike anything I had never experienced before. This was bigger than my powers malfunctioning. Bigger than that burning sensation I'd felt inside of my chest. It was like someone tiny was inside my skull, stabbing my brain with multiple tiny knives.

I started to cry out, the cries were muffled by the thing in my mouth. The pain intensified, and so did my screaming. I wanted to spit that thing out. I wanted my voice to be heard. I wanted it to be heard from Earth to Asgard, to the bloody moon. I wanted someone to hear me and know that I was in trouble.

I convulsed, understanding what was going on. Funny, how in the most stressful of times, things could come clear to a person. Whatever this was, was trying to swipe my brain clean of all my memories. Pierce had ordered a total memory wipe. The pain was so sensitive I could almost feel the electric shocks zapping away my memories, blasting them into oblivion.

While the invaders attacked my brain, I focused on good things. Pierce challenged an Asgardian who had once fought mind control of an alien type. This couldn't be worse than that. I had beaten the mind control. This I could easily beat.

Steve. S.H.I.E.L.D. Todd. My parents. Asgard and all its beauty. The Avengers. My friends. Loki, before jealousy and a thirst for power had consumed him.

I screamed as I fought the memory wipe with the most powerful memories possible. I knew how I could counter this: I had plenty to fight, plenty of people to fight for. I had a lot to fight for. The world needed Cynder.

Pierce underestimated me. I doubted he assumed I would admit defeat in the first round.

The convulsions ranged from minimal to intense as my brain was continuously attacked. Make it stop. Make it stop. I should be unconscious. I want to be unconscious. But I had to hold out. What if that was what HYDRA was waiting for, for me to knock out? What if that would be their advantage over me?

It was going to be a long game of strength and the will to fight.

"You heard the boss, don't let her get a second's rest," I heard someone say over the shocks registering loud in my ears.

HYDRA gave me no physical way possible to avoid this. I couldn't run away. I couldn't break the restraints. I couldn't break the bloody machine.

I was powerless.