cryptid
/cryp·tid/
noun
an animal that has been claimed to exist but never proven to exist
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The investigation of cryptid creatures from the general public sparked interest within SHIELD's Enh...
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"Do you recognize the stranger in the mirror?"
Dnipro Raion, Ukraine 1947
017 AWOKE WITH A throbbing back and knife-like pain stabbing at her skin. The sensation made her eyes well with tears as she stifled a cry. Her eyes darted across the walls, but it was too dark for her to see. Had they put her in the Black Room again? She didn't mean to be bad. She couldn't remember doing something bad. She'd let Uncle Kaz take her to the White Room and she'd cried but she hadn't tried to run again.
She whimpered, wiping at her nose as she felt around with her hands.
She couldn't help the confusion in her eyes as she pressed her hand against the wall in front of her. She pursed her lips, trying her best to be brave as she turned and held her hand out to her left. Her fingers pressed against cold cement. 017 stopped, the pain in her back roaring over her curiosity as she strained her spine to stand.
She collapsed to her knees, a cry escaping her lips as she leaned her hands against the walls. She padded her hands against the cement, her breaths coming out fast and panicked as she realized how small the space was around her. She must've been really, really bad if they put her in the Thinking Box.
017 really didn't like the Thinking Box– it was a tiny place that she could barely stand in, and if she did stand, the top of her head would brush against the ceiling. She didn't know what to do in the Thinking Box because there weren't a lot of things she could think about other than how long her punishment would be or how upset Uncle Kaz was going to be when he opened the door.
Did he put her in here because she'd cried? Did the bad men take her away from him? To punish her? Was it because she let Subject 56898 talk to her? Was it because she held onto him since she was really, really scared?
She didn't mean to be bad– she never meant to be bad.
"Uncle?" She whimpered. "Uncle Kaz?"
Tears streamed down her face as she struggled to ignore the pain in her back. It hurt so much, even though she knew Uncle Kaz would be so upset with her if he opened the door and found her crying. She wiped at her face quickly, trying her best to stop the tears again.
Her lips trembled.
"Please," she whispered, "please, I'll be good, Uncle Kaz. 'm sorry. Please."
She leaned her forehead against the wall in front of her, eyes fluttering shut. She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering as the cold under her feet became unbearable. She couldn't feel her wings anymore, so she had nothing to wrap around her shoulders or her waist.
