I watched as the scientists bring in a lot of the locals, volunteers I was told, and put them into small cells across from my very large one. Strucker stood in a small box they'd placed in my cell for visitors so I couldn't use my powers on them.

"And they all volunteered for this madness?" I asked him.

"They want to help their country, I offered them the means to do so Victoria." He answered.

"So you didn't tell them what they were getting themselves into. Not really." I said watching them argue with two people about being in separate cells. They looked very much alike so I assumed they were siblings. Probably used to being together through everything.

"I told them what they wanted to know. But you know how that goes." He told me and I gave him a dark look. He took me from my family years ago shortly after my older brother had married the most wonderful woman he'd met. They'd told me if I cooperated with them I'd be able to go home to my family. It's been years since then.

"What's next?" I asked knowing any other questions would be useless. We'd been through this questioning and answering before and it got me nowhere.

"The doctors will check their health before the initial experiments begin. After that, you will be needed." He told me.

"What? Your magic scepter won't give them abilities on its own?" I asked sarcastically. He gave me a stern look and I smirked out the window of my cell. The siblings were finally in their cells trying to stare their way through the wall separating them. "When will you need me?"

"I'll come for you. Armed." He told me before leaving the small room. He always came armed when they tried to experiment on me. The scientists and doctors checked the volunteers quickly in the cells before I moved to the bookshelf and picked up a book before sitting in an armchair they'd given me and opening to the page I'd left off on. I looked up when I felt eyes on me and saw one of the siblings staring at me, his dark hair falling into his eyes. His brown eyes looked confused into my blue-gray ones before I lowered my gaze once more.

"Miss Barton." I looked to see Dr. List in the small room Strucker was in before. "Are you ready for your tests?" he asked me and I sighed before putting my book down once more.

"Do I really have a choice?" I asked sarcastically before getting up and putting the book away and walking to him. The guards outside my room escorted us out to the lab and I laid on the table they'd run their experiments on. "What will it be today? Operation while doing 20 questions or just operation?" I asked the doctor.

"Neither. I just wanted to run a few tests on your compatibility with the scepter." He told me as he placed the wires on my body.

"What?" I asked confused. I followed the wires to see a scepter I'd never seen before. "What is that?" I asked starting to pull at the restraints on me. I'd gotten used to the pain of him playing operation on my body, but I didn't know what this scepter would do to me or what small abilities I had. I could control a small amount of fire and water, create things in the air with them but not much else.

"Don't worry. All this should do is increase your powers. It will hurt." Dr. List told me and I tried to prepare myself for what was to come but I still screamed until my lungs burned before passing out completely hours later.

When I woke again I was in my cell on the crappy bed they'd provided me. When I tried to move I found it very difficult to do so. I groaned in pain as I rolled to my side and sat up. I found food on the ground close to the door. I knew Strucker and Dr. List were watching me but I could feel more than just their eyes. I looked out of the corner of my eyes to see the volunteers who could see me watching me curiously and fearfully. I knew they knew now what to expect from these experiments. I looked away from them and stood up slowly feeling ice creep up my legs to support me as I walked to the try of food they'd left for me. I knew I'd have to learn if I could do anything with my powers soon, but I wanted to regain what strength I'd lost by sleeping. I reached for the food only for it to burn to a crisp in front of me, the silver tray blackened. I looked at my hand shocked, I'd never burned anything before, not like this anyway. I sat back on the bed and let the ice melt away from my legs while I thought about what happened. Ice had never helped me walk like that before. I'd never burned anything like that before. What did they do to me? What did the scepter do to my powers? I turned and looked at the few locals who were still staring at me in shock. I turned to the one way mirror I knew Strucker and Dr. List were looking through. They were always watching somehow.

"What did you do to me?" I asked angrily to the mirror. I glared at the mirror before covering it with ice. Let them look through that.