Miss America: The Daughter of Steve Rogers

Chapter 14 (Flashback)

Year: 1950. Location: Unknown.

I'm awake.

It's cold, dark, and dirty. I look around and I seem to be in a cell. I don't know how I got here, I don't know what happened, and I don't even know who I am.

"Hello?" I call out, my voice shaking out of fear. No answer. I try to stand up, but I'm chained to a wall.

There's a small beam of light coming from underneath the door and I can see footsteps walking around.

"Hello!" I say louder, still utterly terrified. This time, I see a pair of footsteps stop in front of my door. Hearing the doorknob unlock, I begin to pant. I have no idea what's going on, but I have a feeling I'm about to find out.

A guard walks in and just stares at me. Completely motionless. His arms are crossed, tattoos are peaking through his uniform, and I see a gun in a holster on his right hip.

"You're awake." Another voice says calmly. A short, round man with glasses steps into my view. "Welcome."

"Who are you?" I ask.

"My name is Dr. Arnim Zola. And you, will be my next experiment."

My eyes widen at his statement. Experiment? What does he mean 'experiment'? I have a feeling I'm about to find out.

"Why me?" I ask, "Who am I? What's so special about me?"

"It doesn't matter who you were in your past life. The only thing that matters now, is who you will become." He gestured for the guard to unlock the chains holding me against the wall.

"What are you going to do to me?" I ask as I'm forced to stand up. The guards grasp is firm as he leads me out the door.

"Just enhance your abilities and put you fully under HYDRAs control."

That doesn't sound good.

I stay silent as we make our way to a bright room. A bed is sitting in the center, with different machines around it. I'm pushed to the bed and immediately hooked up to everything.

Dr. Zola injects me with a serum, some kind of blue liquid. As soon as it hits my blood stream I feel a burning sensation. Like my skin is on fire, with no hope in putting it out.

I scream out in pain. Then he injects me with more.

It feels like a thousand knives are all stabbing me at once, piercing through my skin. My screams intensify.

"One last injection should do the trick." Zola says with a smirk on his face.

"Sir, she's only 5, maybe we should lighten up the first-" before the guard can finish his sentence, he's shot from behind. If I wasn't already screaming, I would be now.

"Thank you, Soldat." Zola says and a large man with a metal arm enters through the door. Something about him triggers something inside me. Like I recognize him, but I don't know why. For some reason his presence calms me, even though he just shot a man in cold blood.

The last dose starts running through my veins. For a minute, it feels like I'm about to die. Every inch of my body is searing with pain, until it's suddenly not. The pain is over, but there are still tears streaming down my face.

"Sit up." Zola instructs. I don't move. My body is sore and I feel an alarming weight on my chest even though nothing is there. Then the doctor looks to the other man.

He reaches out his metal arm and pulls me up in a sitting position. I gasp for air, feeling like I was just underwater for way too long. The soldier then takes a large brick that was sitting off to the side. He raises my hand, opens my fist and places the brick in my clutches.

"Crush it." Zola tells me. I look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You're kidding." I say, out of breathe.

"I'm not one for joking. You will learn that." He says, then glares. "Now crush it."

I close my eyes and ever so slightly squeeze my fist. The brick shatters, leaving dust on my palm. I open my eyes, blinking a few times in disbelief.

"Brilliant." Zola states, then looks to the soldier. "You may begin straining." And with that, he exists the room.

"Follow me." The soldier says in monotone. Seeing what he la capable of with my own eyes only just moments ago, I don't disobey.

He leads me to a large room, what looks to be a gym. He walks over to a few cinder blocks stacked up in a column.

"Punch it." He demands. I look at him with wide eyes. "Do as I say."

I raise my arm up and ball my fist. Closing my eyes once again, I gather up as much force and momentum as I can and bring my hand down. The cement blocks break instantly, leaving cracked pieces in piles around our feet.

"Very good."

"What's your name?" I ask, not know what to call him.

"I don't have a name." He says, walking off to grab a punching bag and setting it up in front of me.

"Everyone has a name." I tell him as he hands me a pair of boxing gloves.

"Then what's yours?" He asks, knowing he wouldn't get an answer.

"I don't know. That's what I would like to figure out." I say and he gestures for me to punch the bag. I start throwing my fists towards the bag, hitting harder and harder every time. "Are you like me?"

"You mean, am I enhanced? What do you think?" He picks up a metal pipe and begins bending it into a U shape. I watch in amazement.

"No, I mean, did you show up here one day, with no memory of who you are or how you got here?" I question as I continue to box.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"So, you are like me." I say as the last punch I throw sends the bag flying back a few yards.

"Nice work." He states, looking at me with wide eyes.

"Thanks, Soldier."

"Anytime, kid."