Chapter 2: The Pain of Power
A Room of Screams
The metallic door slammed shut, sealing them inside.
The room was a cold prison of steel and glass, lined with bright white lights that buzzed overhead. There were three separate containment chambers, each one meant for a different experiment.
Alex, Wanda, and Pietro.
Three children.
Three prisoners.
The air was thick with the scent of disinfectant and blood, and Alex could hear the distant hum of machines, the mechanical whir of tools being prepared.
His body tensed. He already knew what was coming. Pain. Agony. The breaking of his body and mind.
He just didn't know how much.
"Strap them in."
The Hydra scientists moved without hesitation.
Alex felt cold, steel clamps snap around his wrists and ankles, pinning him down onto the surgical table. Thick leather straps locked around his waist, pressing him tightly against the cold surface.
To his left, Wanda's breathing turned ragged, her hands trembling as the same restraints held her down. Pietro, normally full of energy, was eerily silent.
And then—
The screaming began.
Pietro's Experiment—The Speed of Pain
The first test subject—Pietro.
The scientist in front of his chamber held up a glowing blue stone—the Mind Stone.
A surge of energy pulsed through the air as they pressed the Mind Stone to Pietro's forehead.
A burst of blue light exploded, crackling like lightning.
Pietro's body seized violently, his back arching off the table as his veins turned electric blue. His screams were raw, his muscles spasming uncontrollably.
Alex's fingers curled into fists. He couldn't look away.
It lasted for minutes—long, agonizing minutes.
When the energy finally stopped, Pietro collapsed, his body limp, his breathing erratic. His fingers twitched as if he was still feeling the electricity in his bones.
But there was no relief.
"Again."
Another surge. Another scream.
Alex felt sick.
The process repeated over and over, until finally—Pietro vanished.
A blur of silver lightning. A ripple of air pressure.
The experiment had worked.
But at what cost?
Wanda's Experiment—A Mind Set on Fire
Next was Wanda.
She was shaking, her fingers gripping the sides of the table so tightly her knuckles turned white.
The scientist moved the Mind Stone to her forehead.
She gasped sharply as the energy made contact, her eyes rolling back, her entire body convulsing.
A crimson glow flickered at her fingertips—raw chaos energy struggling to take form.
But Wanda's screams were different from Pietro's.
They weren't just pain.
They were fear.
Fear of what was happening inside her mind.
Her body fought against itself, like something was tearing her apart from the inside. Her fingers clawed at the air, the red glow surging violently, but she couldn't control it.
Tears streamed down her face, her voice breaking as she cried out, her pain deeper than just the physical torment.
Then suddenly—
The glass walls cracked.
A ripple of red energy surged out of her body, distorting the air. The machines malfunctioned, sparks flying as the chaos magic twisted the environment around her.
The scientists backed away.
Alex saw true horror in Wanda's eyes as she finally collapsed, her body trembling, her breathing shallow.
And then—
It was his turn.
Alex's Experiment—The Metal in His Veins
They approached him with something different.
Not the Mind Stone. Not the scepter.
A series of needles and metal tubes.
Alex struggled, but the restraints held him tight. He knew what was coming.
"Subject 17 has the perfect cellular composition for vibranium bonding," one of the scientists said, checking the monitors. "If this works, he may be stronger than the Winter Soldier."
His heart pounded violently.
Vibranium.
Not adamantium like Wolverine. Not a coating over his bones.
They were going to inject liquid vibranium into his bloodstream.
"Begin the process."
The first needle pierced his spine.
A blinding, soul-tearing agony erupted from his core, spreading through every nerve in his body. Fire. Ice. Lightning. Everything at once.
His body arched violently, the restraints digging into his skin as his back lifted off the table.
More needles plunged into his arms, his legs, his chest—directly into his bones.
The vibranium was liquid metal, but it didn't feel like metal.
It felt like pure, molten fire, like his blood was being boiled away and replaced with something unnatural.
"Restrain his nervous system."
They turned a dial, and suddenly—
Shock.
Electricity surged through his body, forcing the vibranium to settle, to merge, to become a part of him.
His nerves felt like they were being shredded apart.
His bones felt like they were breaking, healing, then breaking again.
Alex screamed.
He didn't even realize it was his own voice at first.
It sounded inhuman.
The agony felt endless.
But Hydra wasn't going to let him die.
Not yet.
The Mind Stone—A New Power Awakens
Just when he thought he might pass out, a new presence entered the room.
The scientist stepped aside, allowing in a new figure.
The Mind Stone.
A surge of energy pulsed again—directly into his head.
This time, the pain was not just physical. It ripped at his very consciousness.
The Mind Stone pressed into his forehead, and Alex's mind shattered.
Everything felt out of control.
His heart rate skyrocketed. His entire body burned as though on fire—but not just any fire.
His very soul was on fire.
The energy was ripping through his mind, invading every single thought, tearing down his memories, and rebuilding them into something new.
Then—he felt it.
A surge of power.
Like a hidden force, something awakened inside him. It was raw, uncontrolled, and it felt like the very elements themselves were responding to him.
Snow.
A sudden cold blast filled the room, snowflakes swirling around the laboratory. The temperature dropped impossibly low, frost coating the walls.
He gasped for breath, feeling the icy wind blow from his very fingertips. The vibranium inside him reacted to the power of the Mind Stone, surging in harmony with it, amplifying the force inside him.
His hands shot forward. Air whipped violently, and with a flick of his wrist, snow began to gather, filling the room in seconds.
Alex's chest heaved as he struggled to control it. His body shook with the effort, his vibranium bones acting as conduits for the power, his muscles straining with each motion.