"Ugh, I feel like I've been hit by a horse tranquilizer." Keira groaned as soon as she opened her eyes. A stone ceiling met her vision, but it wasn't the one she was used to. This one didn't have the grooves or cracks in the right places.
The chilly air hit her like a slap in the face, and goosebumps erupted on her naked arms. Normally, she had no problem with the cold, but after being in a tropical climate for so long, it felt like she was being doused in icy water. "Hold up... Cold?" Her voice was slightly hoarse, and she rubbed her eyes sleepily.
It took a while before her mind caught up with her senses, but then it clicked. Alexandra had been talking about relocation in order to help her with her struggles. However, Keira had no idea how traveling to another location would be able to help her in the quest to expand her field of diamond. Racking her brain, she realized that she had no recollection of getting on a plane at all, and considering the daze that lingered over her brain, she guessed that she had been sedated for the whole journey.
That was a relief, to be honest. Without Tony's Equalizers or something to distract herself with, the journey would've been torture.
As her hands fell limply to the side, having rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, one of her hands hit the cold stone floor, causing a shiver to run down her spine. She quickly retracted it, warming it in her armpit. Clearly, her body needed to acclimate to the cold, or she would be an icicle in no time.
"Okay, can't stay in bed all day." Keira groaned as she rolled out of bed. Her body hit the stone floor with a thud and a painful grunt escaped her lips before she got up to her hands and knees. "Well, that's one way to do it, I guess." She still wasn't completely awake, but the cold floor had done one thing right, and that was to drag her out of her drowsiness.
The familiar sound of a cell door swinging open caused her to look up.
To her surprise, it wasn't a guard, but rather Alexandra herself. "Well, good. You're finally awake. About time as well. I think the guards got a little bit carried away and went a little overboard with the sleeping drug. But judging from your state, it seems like you're able to feel and control all your limbs, so I'd say that's a win."
Keira raised an eyebrow and shot her a skeptical look before getting up on her feet. "A little overboard? You're kidding, right? More like they were trying to kill me. I feel like I have the hangover of a century." She huffed, scratching her neck before diving for the tray by the door.
It didn't contain much, just some moldy old bread, but she was starving. She could eat a whole horse if it was offered to her right now.
"Now, now. Manners, Topaz." Alexandra reprimanded lightly, waving a finger at her. "But yes, I noticed that they were a bit too enthusiastic. For a moment there, I fear they had succeeded in killing you as well. But since you're up and running again, why don't you follow me?" She said curtly. It was more of an order than a suggestion really, and they both knew it.
The scientist strolled out of the cell without so much as a backwards glance, and Keira obligingly followed her, munching on her slice of bread.
As they walked through the corridors, Keira couldn't help but strain her neck every time they passed a window. Call it an old habit, but she liked to know where she was. And gratefully, unlike the old facility, this one held lots more windows.
The rain gently tapped against them, and Keira followed the progress of the droplets as they raced each other down the glass. Unlike the surrounding she had grown used to, the mountains outside weren't covered in light green trees and colorful flowers.
No, these were covered in tall pines and spruces, spreading across the land as far as her eyes could see. Snow decorated the highest mountain tops, and she guessed it wouldn't be long before the snow lay heavy on the trees as well. Keira couldn't help the stab of recognition that surged through her at the sight of them. She was certain that she had seen these very forests before.
Alexandra, who had noticed that Keira had fallen behind, clapped her hands together in order to gain her attention. "Come, Topaz. Don't make me repeat myself." She warned, quickening her pace and leading them deeper into the fortress.
"I'm sorry." Keira apologized, her head bowed. She lengthened her steps so she could keep up with the scientist, because getting punished was something she wished to avoid at all costs. When she had finished her slice of bread, she let one of her hands trail along the wall as they turned corner after corner.
It was a bloody maze. While one part of herself couldn't help the feeling of foreboding, not knowing what horrors would be awaiting her, the other part of her was stuck trying to figure out where she had seen the forests before.
Eventually, the scientist stopped dead in front of a metal door, engraved with the HYDRA symbol. They really didn't do subtle, did they? "Here we are." Alexandra said with a satisfied smirk playing on her lips as she pushed the heavy door open.
Keira followed her somewhat warily, since she was unsure what would be awaiting her this time. On top of that, she was still hungry. The moldy piece of bread had done nothing to satisfy her hunger, but there was no way that she would ask for more.
To her surprise, the room didn't seem out of the ordinary. Like always, fluorescent lights hung in the ceiling, which bathed the room in a sterile light, and the shadows lingered in the corners. What was odd about the room, however, was the big machine that was placed at the end of the room. Or maybe machine wasn't exactly the right word.
It was more like a big cylinder, wired with cables and big enough for a person to stand in.
As the doctor stayed by the door, Keira stepped over the threshold and neared the big machine with careful steps. "What is this?" She questioned as she laid her hand on the cold surface of the glass. Surely, this couldn't be too bad? Right?
"This, my darling Topaz, will be our solution to your little metamorphosis problem." Meta-what's it? "You'll be submerged in an alum chromium monohydrate solution, which will, if I have done my calculations correctly, trigger your DNA to expand beyond the limitations of your own body. Once it's been absorbed by your molecules, the transformation should be easy to accomplish." She explained, gesturing towards the giant cylinder. "So, easy enough to understand."
Hah, well the chemical solution surely was a mouthful, that much Keira could agree on. To be honest, she didn't really understand much of it, more than she would be drowned in a mysterious chemical mixture. And that sounded safe enough, or not. "Shall I be in my normal state or not?" She asked monotonously, rolling her shoulders.
"Transformed state. Otherwise, the solution will be pointless." Alexandra answered absentmindedly, eagerly tapping on the keys of the computer beside the cylinder. She was excited to see if her hypothesis was right, although she would have to wait a while for the results.
"Alrighty, boss." Keira sighed, letting her hand fall to her side before transforming. "How long will I be staying in there?" She couldn't help but feel the doubt bubbling in her stomach regarding this plan. How would this possibly help with her powers? For surely, it was more of a mental problem since the diamond had proved itself capable of expanding beyond her own body.
Alexandra lifted her head to look at her. "Oh, let's just say you'll be in there for as long as it's necessary for your molecules to... evolve." She answered vaguely with a sly gleam in her eyes.
Keira just nodded and stepped inside the tube without another word. She couldn't let her own hesitation show, so instead, she focused on the mask that hung from the top of the cylinder. With slow movements, she put it on, making sure it was airtight against her hardened skin. The last thing she wanted was to drown inside a tube because of a simple mistake.
As she stood there, with the mask over her face and waiting for it all to hit, she couldn't help but think. Think about her future, her past, and her friends. She hadn't gotten enough time to redeem herself from her first time with HYDRA, and now, she would be stuck with them again for who knew how long?
And without any outside help, she wouldn't be able to escape. She knew that, felt it in her bones. And considering that the last base hadn't suffered any attacks, it seemed unlikely that this one would be attacked too.
So, maybe she was just doomed to die within the walls of HYDRA. Alone and friendless.
"It'll be like you're drifting off to sleep. Nothing to worry about. There's no pain involved this time, Topaz. I guarantee it." Alexandra said consolingly while closing the cylinder shut. She hadn't missed the conflicting feelings fighting behind the steel-grey eyes. The mutant really needed to work on her poker face.
Feeling liquid emerging from the bottom of the tube, Keira's gaze shot down. It was a shimmery pink color, and had it been presented to her in a fancy glass, it would've made for a very pretty drink. She didn't get much time to admire it, however. It quickly submerged her completely, drenching her clothes and hair. Thanks to the mask, she had no trouble breathing though.
The cold took over so quickly that she had no chance to understand what was happening. One second, she was watching Alexandra through the pink liquid, and the next, it all turned black.
❆
Keira blinked hard a couple of times to get rid of the pink hue that seemed to have settled itself over her vision. Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion, trying to put the pieces back together. It took a while, but with every passing second, her memories seemed to fall into place and the feeling in her body returned. As the liquid around her evaporated into a pink mist before being sucked out through the top of the cylinder, she glanced down at her own body.
Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight.
Not only was she still transformed, but it seemed like the doctor's hypothesis had been right, as branches of crystals emerged from different places of her body. How was it possible? Her transformed state had always relied solely on her focus, but now, she had stayed transformed even while being unconscious.
"Welcome back, Topaz." The happy voice of Alexandra reached her ears, although it was a bit muffled, due to the glass separating them. It slid open just as the doctor finished her sentence, and Keira stumbled out of it.
She still wore the mask, so she was yanked backwards as she had staggered too far from it. "Блядь." She muttered angrily, clawing at the mask to get it off quickly, but she only managed to tangle herself in the cables protruding from it.
"Hey, hey. No need for that." Alexandra cooed, stepping closer to the mutant to help her remove her mask. She made sure to keep her movements slow and gentle, so as to not startle Topaz, and she made sure to not touch her skin. Cryosleep could sometimes make the subject a bit unstable before all the pieces fell into place. And the last thing she wanted was to be encased in crystal, like the unfortunate guards before her.
"How long?" Keira asked, her voice hoarse due to the lack of use. Her body still felt strange, like parts of it were still numb, and she was shivering slightly in the chilly air. Her clothes and hair were still drenched, and the stone underneath her feet quickly gained a much darker hue.
Alexandra slowly walked over to the window, expecting the mutant to follow, which she did. The sunlight was fighting to penetrate the grimy glass, and she needed Topaz to focus on something on the outside, something that could ground her. "A month was all that was needed, so you haven't been sleeping that long." She said soothingly.
Keira carefully draped her arms on the windowsill, the best she could anyway. Judging from the few extra extremities she was able to see herself, she probably looked like some bizarre, crystal tree. And some of them had inconveniently grown from her arms.
Her eyes followed the progress of a bird flying across the cloudless sky, or at least it looked cloudless through the dirty window. Snow now decorated the very tops of the highest trees, and it glittered like a thousand diamonds in the sunlight. Keira couldn't help the heavy sigh that escaped her lips, and she wanted nothing more than to breathe the fresh outside air.
She nodded absentmindedly in answer to the doctor's words, mulling them over. A month wasn't bad. At least her whole life hadn't passed her by without her knowledge. She quickly whipped her head around to meet the doctor's gaze that she had felt lingering on her. "Why are you being so kind to me all of a sudden?" She questioned, her eyes slightly narrowed. It had bugged her for a while, even before she went into cryo, but she hadn't cared enough to ask.
But it was unnerving to see how quickly the scientist was able to switch her masks. One second, she was ruthless. Cutting Keira open to see how quickly her body would heal depending on how deep the wound was, or depending on what tool had been used. One thing that was extremely effective against her was fire, that little detail had they discovered the first time she was in their grasp. But at that time it had been used as a punishment, and it would stay as a punishment.
The other, the doctor was caring, gentle. Giving her extra rations of food when needed. Of course, changing your behavior depending on the situation was a smart move, but still. It was confusing.
The scientist looked a bit taken aback by the question, but she recovered quickly. "I've told you that since the first day you got back to us, Topaz. You were my favorite, and always have been. When you first arrived, have you forgotten who used to accompany you through the days and nights? Who was there for you the days you had your doubts about where you had ended up?" She said gently, tilting her head slightly. "And I wanted to reward you for your compliant behavior."
Keira closed her eyes, leaning her head down on her arms. It was an amusing answer, really. Of course, she hadn't forgotten. Those days would forever be etched in her mind.
It had been a very clever tactic of HYDRA, to use the young scientist to comfort her. A little more than ten years separated them in age, which made Alexandra the perfect stand-in for a big sister. To convince Keira that the situation wasn't as bad as it looked.
On the days when she had woken up with tears streaming down her face, the distant shadows of her parents giving her away flashing across her mind every time she closed her eyes, Alexandra had been there to calm her down. To tell her that HYDRA would take care of her and that they would never give her away.
It had been the perfect tactic into manipulating her into believing that HYDRA were the good guys. And sure enough, Keira had believed it for years. Believed that she trained and fought for the right side, but eventually, the truth caught up with her, and she started to question her own reality. If the things she had been taught really were true.
"Forgotten? No..." Keira mumbled, barely audible. She opened her eyes again and lifted her head up, to watch as the sunrays reflected off her diamond skin, bathing the walls in rainbow colors. "Am I allowed to change back?" She asked, wanting to move on from the depressing subject.
Alexandra clasped her hands together in front of her stomach and gave a half-smile. "I'd very much like it if you stayed like this, just for a little while longer. As you've noticed, the solution has caused the crystals to expand from you. And I'd very much like it if you tried to expand... the branches you have right now." She said gently, her head tilted slightly.
Keira dropped her gaze to her hands and shook her head slowly. "I- I'm not sure I'll be able to." She said quietly, tapping her fingers one by one on the windowsill.
"Just try it." This time, Alexandra did not succeed in keeping her voice soft and gentle. Her impatience shone through loud and clear, making it sound more like an order rather than an encouraging nudge.
Keira drew a shuddering breath before straightening her back and pushing herself from the window. If it hadn't worked before, why would it now? She had an extremity, in need of a better word, sticking out from her lower forearm. It wasn't exactly big, running vertically along her skin and continuing past her hand, ending in a sharp point.
She rolled her shoulders before lifting her hand and focusing her gaze on the branch, willing it to elongate, to grow. It was a different kind of focus than was required while transforming, which now seemed to be happening on autopilot.
Or maybe she was focusing on holding her transforming state subconsciously. Slowly, very slowly, the diamond grew. Just a few inches and a gasp left Keira's lips as it did so. It worked. It actually worked.
"Yes! I knew... Finally... HYDRA... Not just a pretty face..."
Keira shook her head and let her hand fall to her side. It seemed like her surprise had broken the mental barrier she had been keeping on the foliage of tendrils, letting one slip through her defenses. Because that voice hadn't been her own.
She glanced towards the scientist, her head tilted to the side slightly. It couldn't be, could it?
But what else could it have been? Even if her mouth had been closed, it had still sounded like her. And it would explain why the voice she had first heard after her exposure to the gem had sounded so familiar. "What do you mean by 'not just a pretty face'? She questioned silently, wondering if her suspicions were correct.
"What? I didn't say anything." Alexandra's eyes grew big, and she backed away from the mutant. She had thought it, yes, but she hadn't voiced her bitter feelings about HYDRA. Just because she was a woman, they didn't give her the recognition she deserved.
It was a miracle that they had granted her the honor to be the lead operative when it came to handling Topaz. Even though her superior had talked highly of her, telling her that she was a 'scientific protégé', he had still been unwilling to let her take the reins. And if it hadn't been for his retirement, Alexandra was sure that she never would've gotten the spot. It would've been passed to one of her manly colleagues instead.
Keira's eyebrows knotted together, and she let her skin transform back to normal, despite not having been given a vocal cue to do so. But she kept the very tips of her fingers crystallized, not completely done with testing out her new powers.
"Didn't you? Something about..." Keira chewed on her lip, trying to recall the words that had echoed inside her head. "Something about you knowing it would work, and perhaps proving to someone that you're more than just a pretty face?" She continued, averting her eyes to her hands. She wasn't sure about her theory, but she couldn't think of what else it could be.
Gazing at her crystallized fingertips, she willed the diamond to grow, which it did obligingly. A smile twitched in the corners of her lips as she twirled her hand around once before transforming it back to normal. It was satisfying to watch the crystals grow at the jib of her will. She looked back at the scientist, whose face had turned blank.
"I did not say that. However..." Alexandra began, her mind working furiously to figure out what was going on. This had happened before though. Right after Topaz had been exposed to the gem, she had been acting strange as well. Answering voices that weren't really there. Was this one of these times? "The stone might've juiced you up a bit. It helped you with your crystallization for sure, and now you seem to have better control of your metamorphosis. I would like to try something, if that's alright with you?" Again, a more careful approach seemed advisable, rather than a demanding one.
Keira wasn't sure where this was going, but nodded, nevertheless. It's not like she would have a say in the matter in the end anyway. To her surprise however, Alexandra grasped her hands in her own, holding them tightly.
It seemed like the scientist either had forgotten her own safety measures, or she trusted Topaz enough with her new powers. "Okay, I have a theory, but I need more. So, we're gonna test it out, okay?" Alexandra asked, her face beaming with excitement. "I'm not sure what it feels like for you when you hear the voices in your head, but I'd like you to try and recite to me what you're hearing, okay?"
Keira's eyebrows furrowed together, and she glanced down at their joined hands before meeting the intense gaze of the doctor. "Eh, alright, I'll try." She said uncertainly before closing her eyes. Not really sure what she was doing, she tried to visualize her defenses crumbling, not everything at once, but just enough so she could get a better feel of the foliage above. Multiple tendrils stretched down towards her, begging her to connect with them. But only one of them interested her.
The closest one.
With a deep sigh, her eyes still closed and face scrunched up in concentration, she allowed the vine to connect with her. Her head twitched slightly as multiple scenarios flashed past her mind, none of them making any sense. Maybe the connection went too deep? Because she didn't need imagery, she needed words. So, without letting the connection die out completely, she carefully backed away from the flashing images.
It began as a whisper, like the ripples on a lake, the words disconnected from one another. "Box... key... inside is hid..."
Keira bit her lip, concentrating harder on the words, willing them to become clearer. She just needed to open up enough for the words to flow clearly, but not so that the imagery overwhelmed her. It was a delicate tipping point, like the edge of a knife.
Either it was too much, or it was too little.
She just needed to open her mind a bit more. She was still too detached. Carefully, she reached out for the tendril, letting it connect more to her. Slowly, but surely, just like her growing diamond, the voice grew in volume.
"Box... hinges... lid... golden treasure..."
Just a little bit more.
"A box without hinges, key, or lid, yet golden treasure inside is hid."
There it was.
Keira breathed out deeply and opened her eyes. Her head was pulsating slightly, and she felt something trickling down her cheeks. It wasn't tears, that much she knew.
She pulled one of her hands free and brushed her fingers across her skin. Watching her fingertips, she saw to her surprise that they glistened with blood.
Alexandra grabbed her hand, careful not to get any of the maroon liquid on her. "What did you hear? Did you hear something?" She breathed, her eyes shining with excitement. Following Keira's gaze, which was still stuck on her red fingertips, she dismissively said, "It's nothing to worry about. You just overextended yourself."
Keira took a deep breath, ripping her eyes from her fingers to meet the hazel eyes of the scientist. "It was a riddle. And the answer to that riddle is; an egg." She said, watching as something lit up behind Alexandra's eyes.
"Indeed, it was. You did it, Topaz. You actually did it..." Alexandra mumbled, turning away from the mutant, and running her hands through her hair. This was huge. There was no way that HYDRA could deny her progress now.
Keira watched the back of the doctor, slightly confused as she didn't fully grasp her excitement. "And since when have you read the Hobbit, by the way?" She questioned, continuing to try and brush the blood away from her cheeks.
Alexandra spun around, unable to keep the smile off her face. "Do you realize what this means, Topaz?" She breathed, her eyes shining. This was almost too good to be true. When Keira only nodded half-heartedly, she continued, "Don't you see? You can read minds."
Now, the only question was if the stone was able to grant powers even to those without abilities. Judging from SHIELD's research, it seemed like humans couldn't survive the exposure of the stone, but what if there were people who could? They just needed to figure out the variables. This, they needed to explore immediately.
Alexandra could only imagine what an army HYDRA could develop if they managed to crack the secrets of the stone. The world would be theirs for the taking.
Keira didn't know what to say. Of course, it made sense if she could read minds, since the voices in her head weren't her own anymore. But it felt too surreal. This was stuff that only happened in movies, right? But on the other hand, she was a living example of something that should be pure fiction, so it wasn't too crazy, was it?
And if it really was true, had the gem only magnified something that had been lying dormant, or had it created something new?
~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Welllll, we might get to meet a certain Sokovian witch in the next character, so bear with me hahaha!
And I've been sick with corona for around two weeks now, and let me tell you, it freaking sucks. Made it through the whole pandemic without catching it despite working nose to nose with people who had an active infection. But who gets it now that it's basically over? Yes, me. And I'm sick and tired of it.