song: high enough - K.Flay

The last couple of days have been tough but Wanda has been there for her, somebody she's never had.

A friend

The truth is Athena was the weakest one on the force, she would get her ass kicked with every opponent, she got lucky with the other guy. It was a change she had to get used to but everything was going a lot better for her here than back home, it was a good change.

"Get up!" Athena heard a loud echo in her ear.

"Get the fuck up" A man was screaming on the other side of the room. Athena forgot she was in a fighting match before she could move a muscle, she felt a hot stream of a tear falling slowly on her face. She just stared at the man not moving, not feeling her body.

"Time out." The man yelled out loud as he waved his hands up.

Athena felt her weak body growing weaker by the second, Something was hurting her body, everything felt grim.

The man picked her up from the ground and rushed her into the med bay.

It was Devon

Athena was weaker than everyone, she may seem tough but she's the most in pain. She felt like actually found herself but the truth is she's just lost herself even more. This is the lowest she's gotten, failure. She was choosing death over life.

She failed hydra but Devon never failed her. He saw something in her that nobody else saw in her, not even herself. Somebody else was over watching her, it was a woman.

~

"What are you talking about?" Devon yelled at Baron Strucker. Athena was unconscious on the hospital bed, her face looked broken and bruised, her whole body looked crushed and purple.

"She's too weak. The realistic solution is we let her go. She's too slow, too weak compared to other qualified rats," he hissed, Strucker turned to Devon. "what makes this one special?"

Devon scuffed, "The weakest opponent is the most gullible, she is not important but I see something in her. I see her ending the avenger, the most powerful beans living on this earth," he smirked, "she may be young but she has time to perfect the main abilities, she's stronger than she looks. She has no family meaning if she dies in this simulation it won't matter. She is just a tester, but we need to try before the Avengers find us." Devon shrugged his shoulders.

"We could perfect her, brother, make her stronger than the twins" he continued, "have I ever done you wrong?"

"Many times that is why I don't believe this is a good idea, we should use somebody stronger." He moves closer towards the teenager's body.

"That is exactly my point, Remember the twins, they needed shelter and strength, and in return, we experiment on them but look at them now. Imagine if could combine all of their powers into her and give her the ability she craves for. We have to try to put that power into somebody, we need to try on the weak. Why are we going to risk or the best warriors we have? This is the smartest way, we use the weak and see if it works..." he babbled as he pointed to the teen.

"To see if the experiment works so we could use it on somebody more valuable," he added

"All right, get her ready," he scoffed, "you win," he walks away, "I can't believe we're doing this on an American. No wonder she's so weak." Strucker mumbled under his breath.

~

Athena came with a thudding headache, eyes closed against the dull pain. The back of her skull throbbed like a broken heart; she bit out a curse and moved her hand to inspect the damage, except that it didn't move. Something was restraining her arms. Her legs were immobilized, as she noticed when he tried to get up.

To get up... so she was lying prone. The violent hum of electricity streaking through the air assaulted her battered head, calling forth a grimace of agony. A steady dripping echoed all around her, but it seemed to come from a single source.

footsteps

How long had she been out cold? Her lips were parched and hunger growled in her stomach. She cracked open her eyes to better perceive what could be going on. Blackness continued to suffocate her. A tremor of panic vibrated in her core.

She was weak, blinded, motionless, restrained. She was better off dead, hesitantly breathing death awaits. That slight tremor increased in intensity until she physically shook in time with it.

"What is going on..." she had fear in her voice, the fear lingered into exotic pain.

"Good, you're up." He smirked, "You failed your assignment," she heard a voice but she couldn't move her neck down.

"You're weak," he scoffed, "but it will all go away today." The distinct sound of swishing cloth reached her ears. It was coming closer. Closer, closer.

The man faced her revealing it was the head of the institute, Strucker. Strucker puts a leather belt between her teeth, "This may hurt...a lot." He taps a button showing no emotion, the button causes serval needles to rip into her bare skin.

Athena tried to wrench her arms free and felt narrow straps dig into her flesh. She cried out in pain and kept battering at the straps with her forearms. They sawed in deeper and drew blood, but she was too far gone to notice it. Athena's every instinct forced her to fight this issue of death alone, to escape these bonds, to run free once again.

She tried to cry for help, but her throat was raw from shouting and her lips were shut tight due to the belt.

She snapped her head back, the impact dizzying her for a moment. She hit the metallic table again and again with the back of her head, pounding away at her restraints. Slowly the General anesthesia kicked in making her lose all control of her body and eyes, allowing her to drift softly to sleep.

~

9 hours before

"Hey Wanda" Athena approached Wanda who was seated alone in the cafeteria.

"hey." She had a joyful yet downwards smile, she seemed down and less happy than usual.

"Where's Pietro?"

"Being a suck up." Wanda rolled her eyes causing Athena to let out a chuckle. Athena sat on the other side of the table, the two females were quiet but Wanda enjoyed having her around. It reminded Wanda what it would be like having a sister.

Wanda was planning on taking her under her wing especially how young she was, It freaked her out that she enrolled with Hydra at such a young age. She wanted the best for the young girl, she can see right through her pain and guilt but she didn't want to ask why or what happened it'll probably scare her off. She wants to teach her how to fight for defense purposes, how to control emotions, how to grow up. She seemed dull for a 14-year-old.

"Hey, do you want to go somewhere cool?" Wanda said with excitement, she grabs Athena's arm and runs off.

"Where are we?" Wanda quickly ran off into the darkness leaving Athen in the dark alone.

"When I joined Hydra, ugh" She grunted, "My brother and I have been in an effort to help purge our country of strife, to get stronger, and fast-" She grew quiet.

"Well, why did you join Hydra in the first place?" Athena cleared the silence,

" Same reason you did. A fresh start from a tragedy or someone." She heard on the other side of the room.

Athena stood still looking for Wanda, she took a couple of steps in hindsight. She heard shoes click behind her, "Well, what kind of tragedy? or person? or people? I don't know" Athena couldn't figure out, she was strange.

"Do you know where I'm from?" Wanda's accent was thick somewhere from Europe, but there was no use to try to guess.

"I don't know" she said firmly showing no fear, in the distinct sound of swishing cloth reaching her ears. It was coming closer. Closer, closer, and then past her, the faint footsteps receding into the other direction.

"I'm from Sokovia, do you know what happened to that place?" Her voice sounded deadly, she enraged.

"no."

"When I was ten, one day we were watching television with my family, a mortar shell hit my apartment building... It killed my parents." Athena could hear the hatred in her voice but she didn't let a word slip into the open. "The building started to crumble, trapping me, and Pietro inside as we hid under a bed."She paused. "A second shell then hit."

 "It landed three feet in front of us but it did not go off, we were left trapped in the rubble, staring at the unexploded shell reading the name on it, every single fucking minute for two whole days."

"We feared the shell would detonate before rescue efforts could free us. We were stuck. " Athena stood in the darkness not knowing what to do or what to say. She was too shocked to move, Wanda trusted her.

"what was the name of the shell?"

There was a silence almost drowning the room of fear, A light hit the middle of the room. Athena walks towards the light for comfort and security from fear.

Athena waited for responses but there was no sound almost like she completely just left the room.

"Stark Industries." Wanda appeared into the light with a remote control in her hand and knives on the other hand.

"oh, Woah woahhh, you trying to kill me? Why does this involve me?" Wanda's eyes were glowing like a burning fire, She quickly turned around to see the room filled with fighting equipment.

"It is your turn to fight back, you're weak. But I can feel your rage, you want him dead, tortured, buried. I'll teach you." She grinned.

"What is in for you, why do all of this?"

"Nothing, I know what you're feeling, and you're not alone. I'm here as a friend or someone you want to cry to." Wanda handed her a knife, "But you need to learn how to fight, Don't hold back to kill." She turns her back to Athena, with all her might she throws a knife to a dummy head.

"Alright. I'm in."

Wanda challenged Athena to a duel, "You fight Pietro, I wanna see what you got."

Athena grumbled in slight curiosity, "Why Pietro, no offense and all but he is kind of a prick." Wanda simply laughed.

"Good, now use that frustration as fuel to fight." Athena nodded and climbed into the ring as quickly as she got in Pietro flashed in.

"Can't you be normal? You give me a headache." Athena argued.

"I'm just here to kick arse." Pietro got into a fighting stance, as did she.

And it began, the fighting started off weak as usual until Wanda called time.

"What is this? He's kicking your arse. Literally. What happened to you when I saw you kick Max's arse?"

Athena sighed, she remembered what she felt. Anger. That's what fueled her, "Now fight." Wanda again started off, and a feeling of red rage boiled through Athena. She remembered everything, what it is like to be weak and helpless.

The torment, and how it hurt.

She kicked him, replaced his face with that wicked father of hers. Screaming at him, a fiery roar of pain erupting. She punched his jaw. He left in a few good kicks and punches.

But she was worn out, and he was also. His lip cut and bleeding. His cheek more so going to bruise, Wanda once again called it time.

"Now that was wicked. What changed-" Wanda questioned by Athena couldn't answer this time. She saw his face, and as much as she adores the hurt she caused. She cared about Pietro even though he was a piece of shit, he was a tolerable piece of shit that took her in. The Maximoff twins, her Hydra family.

"Athena? Hey- it's okay. I'll heal, fast healing is part of this stupid power." Pietro commented seeing the pure disbelief on Athena's face.

Athena lived in the agony, loved the rage it brought on an endorphin she couldn't describe. A sort of rush.

"I'm sorry. I can't." Athena croaked out, she wanted to run out of the room. Escape the awkwardness she caused, but Pietro had grabbed her shoulders. Wanda is now standing by her side.

"Look Kid, you wanna be in Hydra. You gotta learn to break a few bones and crush a few hearts. Don't apologize." Pietro's voice was soothing,

"He's right. Hydra won't take flakes, you can't be soft in the battle. You are soft, you die. Game over, there aren't any do-overs." Wanda clarified,

They were right. She couldn't be so pathetic, "You're right."

But in the distance, Devon watching. Eyeing at his accomplishment, she'd be his champion.

A few hours later. Felt like days, how long was she here? Did Wanda look for her? Is Pietro wondering?

But then who was she kidding, this was Hydra. No one gave a shit. Not about her. Her clothes were in different Attire, she doesn't remember when she put them on. How long has she been out?

She felt her body or whatever sense she had of it. Which was very little. Pins and needles, jabbing into her arms, and the restless wanderers around her.

"Are you sure about this, Devon once you do this there is no going back." Another voice boomed, it seemed weary and unsure.

She remembered their faces, Devon had her. Once again she was an experimental lab rat, pricked and prodded with.

Athena felt a warm substance in her bloodstream. Her lungs felt like they were collapsing,

"I'm sure." Devon replied. Athena could see his evil smile even with her eyes drooped closed.

"She'll be our new victorian. The new face of Hydra." Devon stated, but Athena could feel her heart burning, crumbling to its ash.

~

2 hours later

Her bones are seizing and cramping.

"Her heart rate is up 120BPM. Devon she's going to flatline." A female voice stated, it seemed worried.

"Shut up, Heather, it is going to work. Give her time." Devon snapped back,

"160, she will die. And then what will you have left-" Heather spat,

But it was too late. Her mind drew a blank, Athena let her last breath. The heart monitor making an endless sound.

Meanwhile, the Maximoff twins awaiting their friend at the dinner table. Not starting to eat, "Where is she?" Wanda wondered her eyes surveying the cafeteria for her friend.

A friend that wouldn't come.

"Time of death, 5:36" Heather called.

But it wasn't her death. It was Athena's new beginning.

~

Okay I am back on track with my work, so I'm posting this a little bit early, but again I had a little help from 

@TingTing_17 !

Go check out her book now! "oh Dear, Odeya"

Also Thank you for reading and I am extending the time for meeting one specific character ;) trust me it's worth it.