3. Experiments

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"PUT THIS ON," ONE OF THE GUARDS told Cece, throwing the flimsy material at her carelessly. Upon further inspection, Cece discovered that it was a smoky gray colored gown decorated with little white swirls all over it. It reminded her of the type of gowns that old women would wear in movies and despite her best efforts, her face cringed in response.

Cece wanted to tell the man to go "fuck off" or to go "suck a dick" and spit in his face, but the sight of the AK-47 and the scowl present on the man's face had her hesitating. Being a Stark - the youngest Stark at that, sarcasm and mouthing off was typically a go to move for her in any situation. But in most situations she wasn't usually trapped in a strange place with a bunch of gun-carrying, never-smiling soldiers around every corner that could end her life with the simple twitch of a finger.

So with that thought in mind and the constant hope that Tony was on his way to save her, she nodded her head with a small gulp before the door slammed shut behind the man. The brunette released a breath she didn't know she was holding, throwing the dress to the side and slipping out of her clothes. She had noticed the blinking light of the camera in the room and was glad that they had forced her into the bathroom to change. At least, they had a decent amount of respect for her privacy.

She pulled the gown on over her head, attempting to ignore her trembling fingers as she released a shaky breath. Fear. That's what Cece felt as she looked up at herself in the mirror. She could feel it bubbling up inside her veins, fighting its way to the surface but she pushed the feeling back down. She might've had privacy now but Cece knew the second that she stepped out that door - willingly or not - it would disappear. And she'd be damned if she let her dignity disappear along with it. She wasn't going to let them see her fear. Conceal it, don't feel it. Don't let it show.

Cece might've planned to hide her fear but as the man from earlier reentered the room to drag her somewhere else she knew deep, deep down her bravery would not last and the fear would escape.

And she had every right to be fearful because today was the day that everything would change. Today was the day her life would be flipped up, down, and all around.

But whether she would live to see another day, well... not even Strucker knew.

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HOSPITALS HAD ALWAYS BEEN A terrifying prospect to Cecelia. Giant buildings with dozens of floors dedicated to all different types of things with an unspoken promise to save lives. And yet, almost over a dozen lives were lost on a daily basis and the remaining family members, the next of kin, they were left with over thousands of dollars in bills. Debt - the other unspoken promise of hospitals that was almost always kept.

As if those weren't terrifying enough reasons for her to hate hospitals (though the debt honestly wouldn't bother her family), there were hospital rooms. Those four cream colored walls formed together to form a decent sized room completely devoid of any form of beauty. There were no paintings, no pictures of anything, not even a tv on the wall. Just four walls and a ceiling to stare at while being forced to lay in bed all day.

That was much more appealing than the current room Cece was stuck in. Cameras littered all four corners so she could be seen from every angle, a metal cabinet stood pressed up against the wall in the far corner of the room, there was a metal table in another corner of the room with a computer resting on top along with several other technological devices and glass bottles of all shapes and sizes. Not to mention the giant two way mirror showcasing her form strapped down on another metal table.

"Good to see you're all prepped and ready, Cecelia," Strucker appeared in front of the mirror, speaking through an intercom, a devilish smile on his face, his eyes flashing dangerously as he stared at her. "Doctor List will be with you shortly and then the fun can begin."

Turns out, Strucker had no idea what fun was. His idea of fun centered around something Cece considered terrifying. Something even more terrifying than hospitals.

Needles.

Just the mere mention of a needle and Cece would completely shut down. Her body will freeze, her face will go blank, and her eyes... they were the most concerning part. Her eyes would fade from their usual warm chocolate, brown color into a lighter shade of brown - dirt brown, to be exact - almost like the life was leaving her body. But it wasn't. She was still alive; she was still there, her labored breathing was a constant reminder of that. She just wasn't there mentally. She was dissociating.

But with her nerves on edge and her mind on high alert, she couldn't dissociate no matter how hard she tried. So when Doctor List approached her, a needle in hand, poised and ready to strike, she freaked.

She thrashed against her bonds in a futile attempt to break free and keep that needle from entering into her skin and sending her to a possible death. "Get the hell away from me! No, don't touch me! Get off!"

"Hold still!" Doctor List exclaimed trying to prick the needle into her struggling arm.

"No! Let me go! Let me g-"

"Shut up!" Strucker yelled, clamping his hands over her mouth. Cece's eyes snapped up to meet Strucker's icy blue eyes, his annoyance clear as she continued to fight against both him and Doctor List. "Just... relax and this'll go so much smoother for all of us."

No it won't, Cece thought as the needle plunged into her skin, her screams muffled by Strucker's cloth clad hands as the blue liquid entered her system, swimming through her bloodstream, penetrating her veins. A searing pain began to course its way through her body almost like she was being burned from the inside out; like her blood was boiling in a desperate attempt to get to the surface and escape its confinement. Her body tensed, her hands curled into fists, and her back arched off the table as she released a blood-curdling scream into Strucker's gloves.

"Her vitals are spiking!" One of List's assistants exclaimed. "So's her heart rate! We need to stop this now!"

"Ow!" Strucker yelled, removing his hands allowing her scream to echo through the room. "The little bitch bit me. I'll-"

Before Strucker could finish his sentence, a shockwave erupted from Cecelia throwing everyone away from the table and slamming Strucker into the wall. He groaned, his vision littered with black spots and blood dripping from his nose. "Doctor," he called, lifting his head to check on his right hand man only to see a meteor sized crater and a luminescent blue glow fading into the center.

And right into Cecelia.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Chapter three? Done!
Cecelia? Possibly dead!
Tony? Probably having a mental breakdown over his sister!

Cece has woken up and the experiments have started but they didn't go the way either Strucker or List was expecting them to go. Anyways, did you guys catch the references I threw in there? One is for one of my favorite movies and the other is for my favorite tv show that just recently ended, and I'm still not over the series finale.

I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it.

Feedback is much appreciated and I hope to see you in the next chapter.

Hugs, kisses, and all that good stuff.

~ąʂɧ