𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐂 ☁︎ 𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘀

0.

PROLOGUE

IF YOU WERE TO GO into an art museum, you'd find an Annika. An Annika will be the piece of work that is forgotten by everyone. The piece of work that is skipped over by the other amounts of art around her. She sits in her frame or spot, forever stuck in place, and waits. She will always be waiting for one person to see her, always be waiting for the one person to notice and embrace her. But an Annika would never get noticed or embraced until it is time to tear her down, for a better newer masterpiece.

So an Annika will always wait.

The waiting is what drains her. She waits in her cell, for any sign of life, any chance of human contact to come into her prison.

She was never hungry, never thirsty, and never tired. She would be endlessly awake in her prison, awake in the dark abyss of plastic and glass. She could feel her mind slip slowly, like an ice cream melting in a hot sun.

It's hard to describe what could happen when you live in darkness. She could feel every blink, hear her heart thumping, and touch the canyon wrinkles that had grown on her over the years.

She knew people had forgotten of her.
She knew no one was coming to get her. It was hard to think that the love of your life wouldn't come to your rescue, that he was simply fighting every battle imaginable to get to her.

As time took its course on her, her hair began to thin, her skin droopy and drying, and her body not working as it used to be, she knew that she would die here; it was either of old age or suicide.

However, like a flip of a switch, her prison lit up its white walls. The next thing she knew, the old woman was restrained in a chair, in her plastic and glass prison, staring at the ceiling.

Maybe mercy was graced upon her and death could take her, however, once she heard the sound of the clicking of high heels, Annika knew it was going to be game over for her.

When she turned to the door, Annika couldn't help but smile to see The Handler walk in, quite angry. Her face had a patch on her near her jaw, it seemed that she was using her whole might to walk straight.

Annika had never seen the Handler like this. She was unkept, a mess, clearly something got to her so badly that she would show herself in this state.

"Your boy-toy was here," The Handler states, "I almost had him, but you know him, always has to be one step ahead."

Annika's face contorted, as the Handler made her way over, looking down at her. "Five... he was——"

"Yes, right over you. Don't be too thrilled, he's gone and he didn't stop to look for you. Didn't even give it a thought."

The old woman prevails, "If he's the reason for that," referring to the scar, "I couldn't be happier for him."

"Don't be too sure of that."

The Handler snaps her fingers and a crew comes in, surrounding Annika. She should've known that the Hander wasn't going to make her death easy.
"You want me to scream to boost your ego?"

"Trust me, if I wanted you dead, I would've done it a long time ago," The woman claims, "You are a nuisance, sure, but valuable to me. It would be assured to have someone with your talent working for the Commission."

"Torture and deaths seem more enlightening to me."

"Aren't you such a masochist," the Handler explains, "You, old bat, are no good to me at this age. You're no good with that head of yours." She taps on Annika's forehead. "I'm quite heartbroken you won't get to see what you'll become now."

"What does that mean?"

But the Handler never elaborated.
She just smiled and waved, cockily, while the lab staff began to close on her. She felt something strapped to her head, and immediately, she began to freak out. "No, no, no. No!"

Annika screamed out, shouting for them to get off of her. The Handler just walked away and closed the door behind her.

   .❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。

"IS there a reason you called me in here?"

"A great reason," The Handler tells the head of the Commission's Board of Directors, "I have found a new purpose for our little caged birdie."

"Annika Hargreeves?"
"Unless you have another person locked underground."

"The Board agreed that Hargreeves remains locked and untouched," AJ reminds, "for the protection of the Commission."

"I'll do you one better."

The Handler whistles lowly and the door opens. AJ turned and audibly gasped at seeing Annika Hargreeves walk in, standing right beside the Handler.

She wasn't the old 60-something-year-old woman that lived underneath the base. She was younger, very young. A teenager with dead eyes and a glaring expression. Annika didn't say a word to any of them, she just stood there.

"What did you do?" AJ questioned, his body standing up, still looking at the now-girl.

"I created a weapon for us," The woman smiles, proudly, "AJ meet Annika 'Ferro' Dolores."

The girl didn't correct her. She just stared right at AJ, like a guard dog to the Handler. It felt unnatural even for AJ.

"Oh no, no, no," The director board gasped, "W-W-What did you do?!"

"I made a Commission soldier. A controlled being that can manipulate metal by the mere thought. She is controlled by us, has a kill mode to protect us."

"E-Excuse me?" He questioned.

The Handler rolled her eyes at his slow nature, calling, "Ferro, he would like a demonstration."

The girl didn't hesitate to summon an old collector's knife from the room. The director flinches at the sight of seeing the girl, levitating the knife in her hand.

The Handler had just created what could be the world's most powerful weapon. A weapon that seemed too perfect to exist, too easily broken if pushed too hard. If anything went down, the Commission could turn to ruin by this one girl.
This was when AJ began to panic.
"Do you realize what you've done?"

"I do." The Handler plays with the girl's, cut brown hair. "I just made us one step ahead."