Playing with Fire

1. The Escape

Y/N's POV

I sat on my bed in a cell which they called my room. It was a small room with no windows; just four metal walls and a high-tech door that could only be opened with a key card. I was moved to this fireproof room after one of my earlier escape attempts almost set the whole facility ablaze.

My knees were pulled up to my chest and I let a small flame dance across my fingers... My power; I've had it as long as I have been here. I don't know whether I would call it a blessing or a curse. Hydra has kept me alive all this time so they can use my power as an asset in their plans. I have literally fueled their fires. Many times I have attempted to escape, many times I did not even make it out the door. They would always make me regret it, usually with some form of torture, and with each attempt I made, I had even worse consequences. I heal fast due to the amount of energy my powers internally produce, widening the variety of different methods of torture Hydra can use to make me submissive again. Eventually, I stopped trying to get away. At the time, I believed there was nowhere to even run to. They told me my family was dead but then again they told me a lot of lies. All I know is that after years of being compliant, and learning the system here, I finally feel like I am ready to try again.

Along with the training Hydra provides for their agents, I practiced using my powers in my room when I could. I would make pictures and animals in the air out of fire to make it look like I was just bored playing with myself on the security cameras. Little did they know, I was practicing the length of time I could keep the flames going, adjust the force, speed, brightness, and heat, along with other variables that would help keep my powers controlled. Hydra taught me to destroy with my flames but never how to control them.

They brought "vitamins" with my food on days I did not have missions, as a way to "replenish my energy and support my immune system". When I took the vitamins, I would usually feel more lethargic and not like myself. I realized they were just used to block my full powers from me so the past week, I started hiding the pills, making them believe I was still on them all while building up my strength for tonight...the night I am finally gonna get out of this hellhole.

---Swipe------------------CLICK

In protective gear, an armed guard walks in. He has the usually flame retardant fabric along with a helmet equipped with a face shield. I have to admit, over the years I have created quite a reputation for burning guards. I mean they didn't give me the nick-name Firebird for anything.

"Dr. Malcolm needs to see you," the guard finally spoke up.

"Oh what a shocker, I thought I had a hot date," the flames on my fingers rising at the word 'hot' then disappearing altogether, "I'll be there in a second just let me put on my shirt." I was currently barefoot in black leggings and a black sports bra. They didn't give me shoes unless I was training or on missions, that way if I escaped they had better chances of reaching me without my feet getting ripped up by the polluted streets of New York. I slid on my black tank-top that laid on my bed and met the guard at the door.

The walk was quiet. I followed right behind the guard in silence, as I did for my checkup every week. Dr. Malcolm does these checkups to measure my radiation levels as well as keeping an overall tab on how my body's changing. When they strap me onto the table, he will surely find out that I am not taking my vitamins and will see a difference in my powers since last week, considering the amount I have been secretly practicing. I have to make my move before I get over to the lab.

As we turn the corner, I spot the control room up ahead on our right. With all my force I ram into the guard's left side hard enough to knock us both into the door of the control room. Slowly, he slides down the door to the floor unconscious. As I reach for his keycard, the door slides open to reveal two more guards looking back and forth from me to the unconscious guard on the ground. Quickly, I raise my hands at them while they raise their guns, but before they could fire any rounds, pressurized flames erupt from the palms of my hands and knock them both back onto the ground. Luckily my practice paid off and they were out in one blow.

I walked over to the rows and columns of buttons and switches as if I knew what I was doing. I cracked my knuckles and looked at what laid in front of me. Then I decided to rip the circuit board up and melted all the wires with my hands.

Everything went black. I had successfully knocked out the power systems. I lifted my pointer finger to let a small flame escape so that I could be granted some light. I only had three minutes to get to the elevator.

Luckily I only needed to turn two corners until I made it to one of the service elevators. This facility was built in the sublevels of a secret base underground a warehouse near Queens. Up was my only way out. I let my flame go out as the faint emergency lights were activated giving me just enough vision to make my way out. I turned the last corner to be met with four guards.

"Firebird, wheres your designated advising officer," one of them asked.

I lifted one of my hands and gave him the middle finger. "Right here," I smirked as I flicked my wrist. Four, individual streams of fire blasted from my hand hitting each of them square in the face and knocked them down, long enough for me to pry open the elevator doors and crawl through the inside onto the top of the elevator. Standing in the elevator shaft, I grab a hold of one of the cables and sever the bottom with a strong, hot, consistent flame from my finger like a blow torch. As I heard the guards start to stir, I put even more power into cutting the cable. Through the opening of the elevator hatch, I make eye contact with a guard as the cable finally snaps and I am catapulted up to the top floor as the elevator plummets to the bottom.

After prying the doors open, I dart through an uncomfortably silent, run-down warehouse, a complete contrast from the high-tech down below. When I burst through the doors to the outside world, I was temporarily frozen in awe of the city's skyline. I wasn't exactly sure where I was going but I knew my new life started there.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Uploaded: 4/7/2020