The Art of the Tattoo- Marvel Soulmate story

Chapter 20

THE SCREAM THAT ERUPTED FROM ELIZABETH'S mouth hurt her throat. It was raw, a high- pitched note out of pain. Pain from needles and scalpels. They'd numbed certain areas of her body, but they hadn't put her under. Apparently they couldn't put her under until later. Something about a process.

She'd been afraid to shake Mr. Auctor's hand. Afraid to do anything that might result in a bad choice. But she had done it.

He had stood after that, and asked her to follow him. She assumed he was taking her to the killing chambers, or something like that. Except that he'd said he wanted to talk so then she was unsure.

He had explained, as they'd walked, about his studies on powers. She had assumed it was because she was going to die anyways, so he didn't mind spilling his secrets. Although, he didn't talk about the process, just the ideas behind it. They were mostly focused on elemental powers.

The idea of controlling fire was what enticed them the most, though Elizabeth felt a severe aversion to the idea. It brought on the imagine of burning trees or crops and she thought if she had to have an element, she would want Earth. The idea of being able to connect to her farm on such a new level was tempting.

But she did not say so.

He'd brought her to the room she was in now. Like the cells- and the rest of the building- there was a heavy influence on the metal. The steel beams and iron walls or whatever the walls were made of. Machines with a thousand wires connected to them and a doctors tray filled with at least thirty syringes, probably more.

That was when two of the guards had grabbed her, pinning her to the bed, sticking two needles in almost immediately, numbing her leg and arm. Cuffs had been placed on her wrists, ankles, and one on her neck.

She kept her eyes closed as she finally cut off the scream. At that moment, she was thinking of something stupid. How mad she'd be if they cut her hair off. It was the stupidest thing to worry about, but thinking like that was almost mundane and it was something to cling to.

"Initiation process, complete. Subject 108158 status; alive. Ready for phase two in three. . . two. . . one. . . initiating phase two." A male voice said nearby. She reckoned he was speaking into some sort of recording device.

She felt another needle in her neck, this one almost soothing and her eyelids started to drop and soon, she was gone.

ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ

"MR. AUCTOR, SUBJECT 108158 MADE IT through initiation. It seems that she has fully immersed the powers inside of her. She is the first to survive all of the transfusions. We can move her back to the cell or cold storage-"

"No." Virtus said, interrupting the speaking man. "No, I want her let go."

"What? But sir-!"

"You heard me Doctor." He said quietly. "I want to see her powers at work and what better way than the send her back to the Avengers? She has suppressed emotions about them, emotions she only admitted when she thought she was going to die. I think deep down she hates them. And that will be the key to our success."

"Is there a certain way you want her sent back?" The man asked skeptically.

"I will need a tracker put on her." Virtus replied. "You'll have to insert it somewhere deep, don't you dare put it near any vital organs. I'm thinking on one of the soulmate tattoos, one of the ones that aren't coloured. Perhaps the one on the back. Let them feel her pain for a moment. Let them have a warning of what is coming after them."

The man smiled and nodded. "Anything else?"

"We cannot afford them getting ahold of you or anyone else working here. I want her dropped off near the Avengers tower, not directly at it. She'll be unconscious till the moment you put her on the sidewalk, understood?"