𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃 she emerged from her prison, Crystal had manipulated the molecular space surrounding her wings to mask them as if they had never been present in the first place. She wasn't exactly ashamed of her wings, but they certainly drew unwanted attention that she just didn't feel like dealing with at the moment.

One of her enhanced abilities included her IQ level. She was more than just bright, but never liked to show off what she was really capable of doing. She'd rather melt into the shadows and disappear, which is exactly why she developed the formulaic equation to manipulate the atomic material surrounding an object less than a year ago. The technology she used to perform the manipulation was still in its development stages which explained the few kinks she hadn't been able to solve just yet, but it did the job for now. Fury's test mission provided the opportunity to see how stable her tech was. If it surpassed her expectations, she might finally enact her plan to disappear off the grid.

It was difficult to discreetly gather the necessary tools with the arrogant genius breathing down her neck. She'd only answered his questions to make some space for herself; however, the longer the conversation continued, the more curious Tony Stark became. She didn't hesitate to sneak away the second he'd become distracted by his own functioning technology.

Now, she stood overlooking the city from the deck of the helicarrier. The air was certainly thinner at the elevated height, but her lungs had adapted. The wings might have been an attention grabber, but they came with a few other perks. Fury's team of lab rats had tried to figure out the extent of how the mutation in her genes had given her special abilities, but the answer had remained elusive. So, she'd performed a few tests behind their back to find out for herself. The answers didn't come easily, nor were they ever complete, but she did know that her physiological make-up included enhanced senses, adaptability to air pressure, enhanced intelligence and reflexes, limited enhanced regeneration, and obviously the thirteen foot wingspan attached to her back.

The strong, ever-increasing winds blew her hair in front of her face in thin wisps. She took a deep breath, looking down at the watch around her wrist. However, rather than the time, a series of computations ran across the screen. She modified the last sequence recorded in the history of the device and it wasn't just her wings that were suddenly invisible. She cheered with glee as she looked over her now unseen form since she'd never before successfully manipulated so much matter. Once she knew the equation had stabilized, she would remain unseen until she input the reversal.

She extended her wings. The wind ruffled through her feathers and soothed her aching muscles. Concealing her wings by keeping them pulled tight against her back had its consequences, which was another reason to develop the equation to provide an alternate method of concealing them.

She closed her eyes and took another deep breath before diving off the deck of the helicarrier. In just five minutes, she'd left the company of Stark and leapt off the helicarrier. She'd received the rendezvous coordinates in her debriefing, so all that remained now was extracting the captain from the chapel. It seemed simple really, so simple that she forgot her distrust of appearances.

The wind propelled her forward, that is until it changed directions with the sudden storm that developed in the sky. The clouds were the same color as her eyes, only growing darker as the rain fell from above. She fought against the current that threatened to tear her away from her mission. Her wet hair clung to her face making it even more difficult to see; consequently, she almost missed her target by running into the steeple of the chapel. The wind was briefly knocked from her lungs forcing her to lean against the roof to catch her breath. The rain only pounded harder, drowning out the sound of screeching tires as a pair of sleek black vans pulled into the parking lot beside the chapel.

She allowed the rain to pound against her face just a minute longer before pulling herself to her feet. She stepped off the roof and allowed her wings to keep her suspended in the air. While catching her breath, she'd devised her plan and the method by which she would execute it. The debriefing gave her the location of the chapel, but it did not inform her where exactly the captain would be hiding. So, she was left to check each room of the building. She'd start with the rooms that had windows then make her way inside. She hadn't expected to find him in the first room that she checked, and she couldn't help but feel a tad disappointed with how poorly he'd concealed himself.

She tried to knock first, but remained unaware that the sound couldn't be heard over the competing sound of knocking from the other side of the door. With no success of reaching the captain, she elected to try something else. She lowered herself to the ground, but the second she stepped in the chapel, she froze seeing that it was swamped with HYDRA agents. Even though she remained unseen, she realized there wasn't a way to sneak through the mass of agents. She backed out the door and was only able to come up with one last solution; however, she would need a running start.

She extended her wings once more and flew up to the window of the third floor. At a reasonable distance from the building, she propelled herself toward the building, tucking her wings around her body at the last second. She smashed through the glass and collided with the coat rack, pulling it away from the wall. She groaned at the aches that her muscles screamed and the sting of the cuts across her arms and legs. She glanced up from underneath the pile of coats and noticed the stunned look upon the captain's face. She lifted her watch and inputted the equation to reveal her presence, with the exception of her wings. The captain's eyes widened and she could only offer a sheepish smile as she stood while trying to catch her breath.

She dusted herself off and tried to wring out the soaked S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform. Her effort was futile as a puddle formed around her feet. She gathered the end of her ponytail into her hands and added the water to the puddle on the ground as she wrung out her thick, blonde hair. The captain gently cleared his throat, calling her attention away from drying off. His eyebrows knit together in confusion and his head tilted as he looked her over. He glanced toward the window then back at her.

"Who are you?"

She lifted a single finger, then pointed toward the door where the sound of marching feet returned. She took the time to lean against the wall and catch her breath. Between the flight, the blow to her gut, and the crash through the window, she was winded. She took one last deep breath before approaching the window while brushing away the hair that clung to her face. The annoyed look on her face remained as she spotted yet another van pulling up beside the others. Tired of the rain, she stepped away from the window so that she might eventually dry.

"I'm Crystal." She introduced herself then gestured to the patch sewn to the sleeve of her uniform. "Fury sent me."

"Fury sent you?"

"Yes, that's what I just said." Crystal rolled her eyes, but her frown deepened when she saw the state of her backpack. She removed the soaked sack from her back and leaned it up against the wall. She muttered under her breath, "This is gonna take forever to dry."

"Fury sent you?" the captain asked again.

"Yes," she replied, growing irritated, "Fury sent me to extract you. If you have a problem with that, take it up with him, but I really don't have time to explain my life's story right now."

As if to prove her point, pounding resounded from the other side of the door. Crystal and Steve both jumped in surprise then pressed their backs to the wall. The howling wind and rain that entered the room from the window were of little help either. She looked down at the watch on her wrist and a look of determined concentration crossed her face. She quickly input the molecular equation and vanished; however, without a warning, her disappearance alarmed the captain. He pressed his back further against the wall while frantically looking around.

"Calm down," Crystal tried to reassure him, "I'm still here."

"Interesting powers you've got, kid," the captain looked around, trying to find the source of her voice.

"Again, it's Crystal, Captain Rogers." Her voice echoed with annoyance. "But my invisibility is achieved through the use of technology, not supernatural powers. I don't have time to explain the complexities of the process, so you just need to trust me while I calibrate the technology to accommodate your molecular structure."

"Beg your pardon?"

"I just said I don't have time to explain," Crystal insisted as she continued her calculations. "Has your hearing started to go with your age or something?"

"No, I—"

"Then stay quiet so I can work." Crystal interrupted in a harsh whisper. "You might not agree, but this is the only way you're getting out of here without being seen. So some quiet would be appreciated."

The requested silence didn't really matter though as the pounding against the door continued. The HYDRA agents were resilient and refused to leave. The pounding grew louder, but was aided by the additional sound of gunfire. Bullet holes formed in the walls and both individuals within the room dropped to the ground to avoid getting shot.

"Anytime now!"

The captain shouted, but Crystal tried to block out all the distractions. She squeezed her eyes shut, calculating quicker under her breath. The captain only grew more uneasy from across the room. Her ears twitched at the sound of shuffling from across the room. Her eyes flashed open just as the captain rose to his feet, preparing to fight his way out. Panic welled up in her chest and she moved forward to stop him. Her equation didn't account for quick movement and the slightest miscalculation could be fatal. However, she inadvertently placed herself in front of the door just as HYDRA blew it down. She released a cry of pain as the wood splintered and embedded itself in her skin. She was thrown against the wall. The agent that entered the room looked in her direction, but found nothing as her technology continued to work.

Her vision blurred and the room spun, only making the pounding in her head grow worse. Her eyes drifted to her watch. She wasn't able to check if the molecular reconstruction had been successful and there was nothing she could do to prevent the light receding from her vision as she blacked out, falling unconscious.

There was another story about a creature with wings that she'd once heard. A myth to many, but Crystal found herself living through the tale. So far, she'd escaped from the prison of her captors, flown toward freedom, but it seemed that her wings had grazed the sun. She was falling faster than she knew and the cold plunge of her memories' waters were next to come.

That Greek myth was only the beginning of the flood to come. Nefarious creatures were moving in the shadows. Creatures that Crystal had thought she left behind a long time ago. Creatures and demons that she thought she had escaped; however, her nightmares were coming back to haunt her. There was nothing that could be done to prepare for the hell rising from the pits of the underworld.