The New Hope

Time

(Trigger warning ⚠️ torture!! Ahead)
Kamala sat against the farthest cell wall, hugging her knees close to her chest.
She didn't know how much time had passed, or even what time it was.

She laid her head on her arms and tried to think of something happier. She tried to think of Abu, Ammi, Aamir...Carol, she tried to picture them at home, waiting for her to get home from school. Smiling. Laughing.

She grit her teeth and refused to cry anymore.

The yellow lights that were off around her cell lit up and she felt a rush of fear as her cell door slammed open. Two large guards walked in, guns trained on her, "Hands behind your head,"
"All this for me?"
Kamala slowly rose to her feet, putting her hands up.
The one guard opened her cell, while the other still had his gun pointed at her. The guard slapped heavy, and thick cuffs, behind her back, shoving her out the door, causing her to stumble,"Move it!", he yelled. Both guards grasping her biceps tight making her wince. They (semi) dragged her down, a dark hallway, there where no windows or guards besides the ones holding her, and a few musty doors with numbers on them, it was only lighted by a few dingy lightbulbs, reminding her of something out of a horror film.

They arrived at the end of the hall, and opened a door, the room they entered was some sort of mix between a lab and a interrogation room,
along the walls of the room were
large screens running equations, schematics and long desks, with silver tools laying on them, in the center of the room was a sturdy looking chair, a iron table, and a....Kamala's eyes widened and she swallowed hard, it was a very uncomfortable looking chair with arm and leg restraints, she ,hesitated, but the guards yanked her forward, which caused her to drop to the hard floor, and hit her head, the guard 's grips didn't falter, they just pulled her up and drag her to the chair, one uncuffed her, then they shoved her into the chair, and strapped on the restraints, tightly.

Kamala winced, "That's gonna leave a mark."
The guards left, leaving her alone with her thoughts, while Kamala tested her restraints, the door reopened, she looked up, it was a women, wearing a business suit, she seemed middle-aged with platinum blonde hair and brown eyes, she looked straight at Kamala and smiled, she walked over and sat down,
"Hello, Kamala,"
Kamala stayed silent.
"My name is Amy Grayson, and you are a very special individual."
Grayson smiled and looked at her like she was studying the behavior of a wild animal.
"Where's my family?" Kamala croaked, her voice  still sore yesterday's encounter with Deenver.
" Oh their fine, and will continue to be so.... if you cooperate."
Something dark was in Grayson's eyes.
"I've been watching you Kamala, and you are truly fascinating," Grayson got up and started to circle Kamala, "Ever since you put on the bangle and adopted your alter ego, l've been studying you,"
" I have studied many mutants before..."
Kamala's eyes widened and she snapped up to look at Grayson.
"But you're different."
"How do you know that?"
Grayson grinned, as if she gained pleasure at Kamala's confusion , "What? That you're a mutant?" Grayson spat the word in disgust, her sickly sweet and calm demeanor fading to one of agitation as she sneered down at Kamala.
"I have my secrets," Grayson roughly grappled Kamala's chin, " Just like you have yours."
She let go of Kamala and straightened up, going back to her calm demeanor.
"You put on the suit and call yourself hero, just because you have powers, but you're not, a real hero must make the necessary sacrifices, the dirty work that no one else does, for the greater good."

" Kamala frowned, "I am a hero,"

"No! You're a fake, just like the rest of your kind!"

Grayson shouted slamming her hand on the table, causing Kamala to shrink into her seat,
Grayson took a deep breath, and reached into her pocket, pulling out a small remote.
Kamala's strong face cracked, causing Grayson to smirk.
"Please... don't,"
"Coward"
Grayson bent down to Kamala's level, "You want to save the world, I respect that,"
She slowly turned a nob on the remote.
"So do I,"
She pressed the button.
Kamala threw her head back, she felt as though her entire body was on fire. Electricity shot through her; first a slight tingle and then it became a roaring crescendo of burning within her veins. Her body shook and twitched and- and she could do nothing but scream, breathlessly and relentlessly. Until it stopped.
Grayson stood up and grinned, clasping her hand,"Now, that's over with, let's get started, shall we?"
"We tested your blood, of course your mutation came up, but something else showed up too, something not of this realm, not human,"
Kamala gulped, they found her Djjn ancestry.
"What is it?"
Kamala stayed silent, her breathing picked up in panic
"Well, I hoped we could do this the easy way,"
as she spoke to the guards that came in.
"Convince her"
Kamala wasn't prepared for the blow that came her way or the iron knuckles that were laid across it. Her head snapped back with the impact as pain bloomed across her cheek.
Because of her Djjn heritage, she could endure a lot more than others could, but that's exactly why they had used the iron knuckles. And they did their job.

The teenager let out a whimper and tugged again at her cuffs. "Stop."
Grayson leaned forward on the table, a cruel interest in her eyes and Kamala knew she didn't care about what she was doing.

"Are you going to tell me what I want to know?"

Kamala closed her eyes and took a shaky breath. "No."
Grayson nodded at the guard.

That fist came again, hitting in the same sore spot over her cheekbone, the force of it snapping her head to the side. She didn't have room to move with the cuffs on, and her wrists were tugged at painfully with each strike.
Grayson continued to ask and Kamala continued to refuse, so the hits kept coming even as she begged them to stop.
After a while, Kamala's head spun so badly she elected to just keep her eyes shut. She ignored the woman's harsh voice as much as she could while the taste of her own blood filled her mouth, split lip stinging.
"That's enough,"
"Take her to her cell,"
Kamala could barely stay conscious, as the guards unstrapped her, she would have fallen, if the guards weren't holding her, as the started to drag her out, Grayson turned and said, "I'll see you soon, Kamala."
She blacked out.