𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐃

08. 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀

     With a swipe of her hand, Eszter pushes up the darkness from the pool beneath her; the enhanced's eyes flared a brighter violet as she the darkness danced up, snagging the blocks along the way as the dark smoke hits the ceiling. The lights flickered under the pressure of the intense energy that surges through the room, struggling to stay online. Eszter couldn't look away from the space where the blocks once were, the enhanced moves her hands and the darkness followed her; circling back, the darkness slung back like a slingshot, resting in Eszter's hand, swirling around the fingertips.

     Playing with powers is not as easy as it seems in the movies; they understood how their powers worked without much training. Eszter didn't know how to control the darkness as well as she had thought; it was difficult and sometimes scary, but Eszter let it happen in a heartbeat. Retracting the power back into her wasn't the easiest thing, and sometimes, Eszter would be stuck in this frame as her powers surrounded her. Strucker used to have to intervene, sending in a dose of anesthesia that would knock the enhanced out, but Eszter didn't want to fall unconscious to save herself.

     Pressing her eyes shut, Eszter inhales deeply, and like she was pulling in the darkness, the enhanced could feel it like a fishing pole; her eyes suddenly clench tightly as she crinkles her nose in discomfort, but slowly, the dark pool curled back into Eszter's person.

     Never has Eszter felt something so dark and dangerous, yet beautiful and divine; Eszter opens her eyes and lowers her gaze, the enhanced opens her fingers when a violet orb bubbled to life, humming in her grasp. Eszter's lips twitched slightly at sight, entranced by the energy surging through her veins; then, her lips curled into a grin that resembled one of a maniac. The swirling of her powers circling in her hands mimicked in her eyes, Eszter tilts her head.

     "Thank you, Miss Maximoff," Strucker's voice announces, distracting the enhanced until the orb dispersed.

     Clicking the speaker's button, Strucker lets go until they were no longer connected to Eszter's room. Still, the Hydra man continues to watch the enhanced-beings as they explored their powers--one running into the walls, the other levitating the blocks in her room, and the last one was conjuring orbs in her hands. Strucker had a feeling something was special with the little family. After seeing them in the protest, there was a fire in their bellies that sparked Strucker's interest.

     The Avengers was nothing compared to what he's cooked up. The enhanced-beings have something more unimaginable than the world has ever seen. It will catch them by surprise, and Strucker couldn't wait until the world witnesses the true power of Hydra.

     "Doctor, have you seen enough of their power?"

     Doctor List curls his lips inward, lightly sliding the pad of his pointer and thumb against the skin beneath his lip. "They're quite magnificent, Strucker," Doctor List watched each Maximoff in awe, impressed that their test surpassed their expectations. "Who knows what they've manifested from the Stone. I'm intrigued. These two, what exactly have we encountered of their powers?"

     A Hydra scientist walked forward and flips through his clipboard, flipping the pages to the two girls. "The female twin had shown telekinetic abilities, as well as the little one; they look like they may be connected with some energy source," the man notes, flipping between the two different sheets, confused. "My only question is: what that is exactly."

     Strucker hums at the mental note, he glances at the scientist. "How so?"

     "Well, the twin has a red energy source, but the little one has a purple energy source. Where and why are they different?"

     Thinking about the question, Doctor List wiggles his finger at the thought. "Yes, I see. The little one does appear to have the ability to control something different," he had wondered what and how the younger Maximoff managed to do what she does--controlling the darkness, he assumes. "I believe they're capable of something more."

     Out of nowhere, a dark smoke formed in front of the Hydra men, so they slowly backed up in caution. No one knew what was happening, but it dispersed when the dark smoke spewed out a couple of blocks. Sitting on the table in front of them, the blocks had come back shredded nearly to pieces. Doctor List waves his hand, and the scientist rushes forward with pliers, he hands the tool to the head science division of Hydra; carefully, Doctor List lifts the block as it flickers with the same violet energy.

     "What is it?"

     Doctor List slowly brings the block closer, examining it. "It is the block from the girl's room," the old man furrows his bushy brows, baffled. "Has she always done this?"

     The Hydra scientist shook his head. "No, sir," his notes never pinned the fact that Eszter could teleport objects. This was new. "We had been examining her, and not once had she displayed the capabilities."

     "Doctor, what could this mean?"

     "If she can teleport objects, who knows what else she can teleport."

     In Eszter's room, the darkness had completely consumed the bedroom and void of light. Strucker immediately panics at the sight. Walking away from the small group, Strucker glares at the room next to the other two, but the third enhanced is missing.

     "Where is she? Make sure she is in there," Strucker demands, walking towards the screens, the man looks down and reads the vitals. Shifting his gaze up to the glass, Strucker stood there as he waits for Eszter to appear.

     The technician quickly clicks a few buttons until they turn on their thermal camera, finding a heat signature. "She's still in there."

     "Good," Strucker chirps, relieved.

     Letting the darkness lift from the room, allowing light to flicker in the lights above as the television flashed on, a new episode of Malcolm in the Middle plays. Eszter was still in her bed, sitting with her back straight and her eyes trained on the TV.

     New opportunities were presenting themselves the longer Strucker found new paths to take, and if Eszter can truly teleport, all of the possibilities were endless.

     "Have the practice room ready. We will need it shortly."

     Nodding at his commands, the soldier turned away.

     Suddenly, another Hydra man walks forward and consults with Doctor List, alarming the man with the news. Then, Doctor List dismisses the man before making his way back to Strucker's side, concerned.

     "It's over," Doctor List starts. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has released everything to the public."

     "Everything he knows about," Strucker responds, unfazed.

     "Herr, Strucker, if they get word of our work here--if they find out we serve Hydra . . ."

     "Hydra . . . S.H.I.E.L.D. . . . two sides of a coin that's no longer currency," Strucker pauses, moving away from the Maximoffs as his gaze fell onto the Scepter. Then, Strucker shifts his attention back onto the enhanced siblings. "What we have is worth more than any of them ever knew. We've only scratched the surface, and already, other facilities are doing Hydra's good work around the world." Doctor List furrows his brows. "We'll feed them to Captain America and his colorful friends. Keep them off our scent."

     "What about the volunteers?"

     "The dead will be buried so deep, their ghosts won't be able to find them."

     "And the survivors?"

     Pietro speeds inhumanly into the corner of the room, crashing to the ground as the boy struggled to slow down. The room was too small for him. He needed to stretch his legs. Wanda uses her telekinesis to levitate the blocks, entranced with a manic look in her eyes. And lastly, Eszter was twirling a violet tendril through her fingertips.

     "Sooner or later, they will meet the twins and the little one," Strucker promises. "It's not a world of spies anymore, not even a world of heroes. This is the age of miracles, Doctor. There's nothing more horrifying than a miracle."