Baby, you're the highlight of my lowlife
Take a shitty day and make it alright, yeah, alright
Oh, in every circumstance
Yeah, you make the difference
Baby, you're the highlight of my lowlife, lowlife

-Lowlife; by Poppy

In Netta's time at H.Y.D.R.A., she never uttered a single word to the guards. She made it her goal to not even look their way. That was how much power and intimidation they held over her. And it was to Netta's understanding that, in H.Y.D.R.A., the guards handled all kinds of problems that arose. An unruly subject or operative? A guard would come in and straighten them out. A spy was discovered within H.Y.D.R.A.'s ranks? The guards would handle that problem with ease. Netta came to fear them. The entire time she'd been under H.Y.D.R.A.'s supervision, she'd done everything in her power to be the submissive, little test subject. She wouldn't draw attention to herself, she wouldn't talk unless given permission — Netta was going to ensure her safety was her number one priority. She wanted to preserve herself by any means necessary. But she could go only so far before it started to wear her down. Netta had done everything she could think of to keep herself alive. Obedience, silence, handing over her life to a bunch of sociopaths. She'd had it. So, when that alarm went off, she saw her opportunity to escape. And it seemed threatening to kill a security guard would give her that opportunity. All she had to do was avoid any gunfire, and she'd be scot free.

And the guard? The one Netta threatened to kill? She did hear those words escape the Inhuman's mouth. It left the subject feeling both empowered and terrified. She had finally used her voice against the people who'd left her petrified. She did have some power over them, which was so amazing. Netta Macfarland would show she was more than some lowly H.Y.D.R.A. science experiment; she was a living, breathing person. She had the potential to be the person she was supposed to be.

Once the guard was close enough to the door, Netta took a step back, her nails extended about as far as they could go. She'd do anything in her power to ensure her survival. And for about a split second, a thought flashed through Netta's mind — why not use the scales? They could help her in case the guard decided to shoot. But the idea was scratched. Netta didn't have enough control over that power quite yet. She needed a certain level of concentration to use that ability, and she only just got it to cover one hand. There was no way in hell Netta was going to use that ability so soon. She didn't have enough time to prepare, and she definitely didn't think she'd get herself covered enough by the time the guard chose to use her guns. So by the time her cell door was unlocked, Netta took a defensive stance. Or as defensive as she could get. She wasn't a skilled fighter. She had no experience with weapons or hand-to-hand combat. At no point in Netta's life did she think she'd have to face off with someone who probably had years of practice and experience. That thought didn't even flutter through her mind for a second before she made that comment to the guard.

When her door started opening, Netta swallowed thickly. She had to keep herself ready for anything. Would the guard shoot on sight? Hopefully not. Would she try and engage in some kind of combat? Netta certainly hoped so. Once the door was completely open, and the Inhuman could see the guard's enraged face, her blood ran cold. She'd never seen a look like that on anyone's face before, and it made her feel even more anxious. Netta knew that if she allowed herself to linger more on how she felt than on surviving her current situation, then she'd be in big trouble. The idea of being killed was one that fluttered through her mind more than once, but the thought of being severely injured and taken to the H.Y.D.R.A. upperclass made her shiver. Neither of those options were ones Netta wanted to deal with. But when the guard started to slowly walk forward, Netta found herself taking small steps back. She knew the guard was probably looking for any means of intimidation, trying to look for the upperhand in some way. As if she had to really try in that regard. The guard's hands were firmly on her machine gun, her shoulders tense, ready to fire at any given moment. Her blue eyes glittered angrily, regarding Netta with disgust and aggravation.

"Did you just threaten me?" The sound of utter entitlement and distaste in the guard's voice made Netta swallow thickly. "Let me ask you again: Did you just threaten me?"

"Yes. I did." Netta's fingers curled and extended, her emotions becoming a whirlwind of a mess. "What're you gonna do about it?"

The guard's eyes flashed with rage. Her machine gun was aimed at the Inhuman in no time, a finger restlessly sitting on the trigger. "I can kill you right now," she hissed. "Right where you stand. You think you're so special? There're millions of other Inhumans out there. Millions of other subjects who have potential. Poison extraction, toxin immunity — I don't get why that makes you better than our other subjects."

"Are you really going to kill me?" Netta replied, her voice low. "How would you explain that to Eckhardt? I'm his precious little experiment. I'm sure he'd have your head for even considering my murder."

"Trust me, he'd have the footage." The guard's eyes went to the camera in the corner. "You're not as sweet and obedient as you've been letting on. Maybe your powers really do suit you — a sneaky, little snake."

A smile came across Netta's face, albeit a forced one. If the guard wanted to continue with some banter, then she'd go along with it. The longer it kept her alive, the better. All she had to do was get the guard closer, and she'd have finished her mission. "You know, the one thing that makes me better than you are my powers," Netta said. "I don't have to rely on guns or other weapons. My body is all I need." The guard's face scrunched up, her body tensing even more. "You're just a human. What makes you think you're better than me? I have the potential to be so much more."

"That's enough!" The guard took a step forward, her eyes blazing. "Not another word out of you."

"Are you gonna shoot me?" Netta's brows shot up. "Just think of what Eckhardt would say. He'd be pissed, wouldn't he?" The guard's breathing started to labor, her lips pursing and jaw setting. "What would happen to you if Eckhardt found out what you did? You'd be terminated. Either you live or you die, isn't that how it works with H.Y.D.R.A.?"

"Shut up."

"Why don't you tell me something," Netta continued, "are you really willing to risk your own life because of me?" The guard closed her eyes for a moment, squeezing them for a split second. Using that chance to slowly inch forward, Netta tried to find an opportunity to surprise the guard. "Why don't you let me out and I won't let anything happen?"

"No." The guard took her own defensive stance, her blue eyes shining with defiance, with still a hint of anger behind them, her gun still aimed firmly at Netta. "You're not getting through me."

Stopping, Netta eyes narrowed slightly. "You're obviously of importance to H.Y.D.R.A.," she commented. "You can go figure out what's caused these godforsaken alarms to go off and let me go. I won't do anything. Do you understand me?" Movement over the guard's shoulder caused Netta to flicker over to where it was. It was a young woman, not dressed in security uniform. She had glasses — thick looking ones, at that — and an all black outfit. Black jeans, long-sleeved black shirt, black jacket, and a dark-grey purse. The other woman's eyes were wide with what looked like disbelief. Immediately, Netta's eyes went back to the guard.

"Do you think I'm that stupid?" the guard barked. "I'm not letting you out! I'm going to take care of you..."

Before she had the chance to finish what she was saying, there was a loud thud. The guard looked startled for a second, maybe even disoriented, but caught herself and turned. The woman in the hallway was standing just inches behind the guard, and Netta could see the woman's eyes looking mortified, as if she couldn't believe what she'd just done. Right as the guard lifted her gun at the other woman, Netta let out a silent curse and lunged towards the guard. Just enough skin on the enemy's neck was exposed for a, hopefully, lethal blow.* In that moment, Netta came to realize her plan did not go at all like she'd planned.

(A/N):

Let me know what you guys think! If you think certain areas need improvement, PM me or leave a review. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

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Tillie Blue