Invisible, Not Invincible

Chapter 27: Screams of the past

But she wasn't. I knew that, deep down, I knew. I knew she was dead. I could feel it, the coldness. Like the one piece of warmth in a freezing room, being extinguished.

I wanted to believe my father, when he said she was in the next room, god, a part of me still hoped that there was a sliver of a decent human being inside of him.

Pathetic, to keep hoping someone is good, no matter how bad they show you they are.

The story being told to Bucky, still in projected illustrations:

I turned and looked at Bucky, giving him a weak smile, holding my breath for this next part.

Since I was so young, I wasn't restrained unless my father was "taking samples." I guess I wasn't considered a flight risk, at first. I couldn't use my powers because of how weak I was, but I could wander around the facility.

I remember they brought the first group of American Soldiers they captured in.

I felt Bucky's confusion, without even turning to see his face.

I remember hearing the screams of pain, from one man echoing through the halls.

I would sit in a corner and cry, covering my ears. Trying my hardest to block out the blood-curdling screams he would cry.

Then one day, I remember hearing a sudden commotion. Someone broke in and let the captured American soldiers out. They started fighting their way out of the facility.

Then I kept hearing other workers repeating the name that was only ever whispered amongst them, that he was here.

'Captain America'

And that's when I first saw him, Steve. He was frantically running through the halls, looking for something. For someone.

I had peaked my head around a corner and made eye-contact with him, he looked just as scared to see a little girl as I was of seeing him.

Before he could ask me anything, a surge of bravery made me weakly point to a door.

The door. The door that the screams of that man came from. I don't know how I knew that is what Steve was looking for, but I knew.

Steve hesitantly nodded at me, rushing into the room.

Before I realized it, my father was grabbing me. Rushing me along with him, in the opposite direction.

The next thing I knew, I was in a helicopter with 'Mr. Shmidt' (Red Skull) and my father. Everything was in flames, people screaming.

The next few months were a blur, we kept having to move to different facilities. It was so cold in the mountains, and my body was growing weaker because my father wanted, needed, to figure out what gave me my powers.

Then, one night.

I heard those screams again.

I felt brave enough to investigate.

I followed the sound of the screaming, opening a door. Finding my father standing over someone.

When my father turned to push me out of the room, he was covered in blood. When my father moved out of the way, I saw a man laying on the table, his arm was gone. At that moment, god I was so scared. I'd never seen anything so awful.

Until my eyes trailed up, making eye contact with the man on the table.

He was awake.

I had tears running down my cheeks, I looked over at Bucky sitting beside me, his face filled with horror.

You, were awake.

The entire time, you could feel everything my father was doing to you.

I returned my gaze to just a full picture of my father, finally showing who he was.

As I stared at the door that was slammed in my face, listening to Bucky resume screaming, I vowed to myself that, that man. He wasn't my father. He was a monster.

"Zola... Zola was your father...?" I heard Bucky say quietly beside me.

I hung my head down in shame, "Yes."