Ayda thought it would be a good day. Completely out of the blue the night before, Bernard had asked if she wanted to come to work with him. This offer immediately piqued her interest. Bernard never really talked about his job. Ayda wasn't even entirely sure what he did at all, except that he worked for the government, which she'd already guessed, otherwise he never would've even known she existed.

So, naturally, she jumped at the chance to accompany him, but it'd be a lie to say curiosity alone contributed to the decision. It was a weekday, Friday. Going with Bernard meant skipping classes. Now, Ayda harbored no ill will toward her teacher, but all children naturally resented school. Those who claimed otherwise were liars. The chance to get off the hook, even for one day—weekends excluded—was an opportunity Ayda simply couldn't pass up.

She now stood in Bernard's office, a place where what had started as a good day turned bitterly south. They were not alone in the room. A scientist, as denoted by his lab coat, stood in the corner northwest from the entrance next to a fake potted tree, partially obscured by it as if trying to hide. For a wonder, Colonel Hammond also shared the space, although his presence demanded slightly less attention. He leaned against the south wall, nestled between the door and a cozy landscape painting. Bernard stood behind his mahogany desk by the east wall, while Ayda occupied the dead center of the room. Her stance was buttoned-up and tense, face contorted in rage.

"NO!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. The scientist behind the plant winced and took a small step further behind the foliage. He was probably the smartest person in the room at the moment.

"Ayda, calm down," Bernard began with a poor choice of words. "The tests we want to run are perfectly safe, and—"

"Are you serious? No! I can't believe you would even ask!" Ayda stood firm. From where he stood, Colonel Hammond audibly facepalmed.

"I knew we should've waited more than six months." He dropped his hand. "Honestly, what did you think would happen, Bernard?"

"I thought we could maybe reach an understanding," Bernard said.

"There's nothing to understand," yelled Ayda. "I won't be a plaything for a bunch of scientists, not again. End of story."

"You're not a plaything," Bernard said it with palpable disdain. "Everything we do will be under close supervision and with—"

"I don't care if Jesus fucking Christ is watching!" Ayda's voice reverberated off the plaster walls. A stunned silence gripped the room. Hammond smirked to himself. In her native language of Persian, Ayda cursed them all. She let out a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. "This conversation is over. I'm leaving."

Ayda made her way over to the door, but her path was suddenly blocked. Arms crossed, the Colonel stepped in front of the exit. He gave her a stern glare. Ayda cocked her stance to one side, completely unimpressed.

"Do you really think you can stop me, Colonel?" She challenged. Hammond did not respond. "What are you even doing here?"

"Since your case is still technically a military matter, someone needs to oversee the operations," he explained. "As the highest ranking officer closest to you, I was volunteered."

"Volunteered?" Ayda parroted. She rounded on the scientists. "And what about you, Bernard? Were you volunteered, or did you only take me in so you could run your sick experiments? You never really cared about me at all, did you?"

Another silence stretched in the office, this one more uncomfortable than anything else. Bernard looked as if he'd just seen a ghost. The man hiding behind the tree held down one of the leaves with a finger, eyes darting between the father and daughter. Hammond still stood in front of the door, but he too wore a softened expression.

"Ayda..." Bernard breathed. He moved out from behind his desk and started toward the girl. At the same time, Hammond walked to the other side of the room. Bernard got down on one knee. Again, she was just slightly taller than him from here. He tried to put a gentle hand on her shoulder, but Ayda violently shook him off. Instead, he braced both palms on his knee. He breathed in.

"I will admit, we weren't the only family approached about your situation. If I'm being perfectly honest, we weren't even the first, although things did move along quite fast. My instincts as a father were what drew me to you, not as a scientist. I didn't care about the research or the money, I just saw an innocent little girl who never got the chance to have a childhood, to have friends, to play outside or be free. I couldn't just leave you there, especially when you reminded me so much of my own daughter. I want to help you, Ayda, but the only way I can do that is if I understand you first."

"How do I know you're not just telling me what I want to hear?" Ayda responded immediately. She broke eye contact with him. "The last scientist I knew was pretty good at that."

"That's not fair, Ayda, you know it's not." Bernard leaned back, genuinely offended. Then, without warning, he grabbed her up in his arms. He took a long, shuddering breath. "Please don't compare me to him. You'll break my heart."

They separated. The room fell eerily still. Even the air seemed to cease circulation. Bernard had nothing to say, Ayda had far too much going through her head to speak, and no one else dared open their mouths. This moment was between the two of them, and nobody else.

The quiet did give Ayda some uninterrupted time to think, though. On the one hand, she knew comparing Bernard to Vahlen was a low blow. The two were so different, it was hard to believe they even belonged to the same species. On the other, the fact that Bernard would consider conducting tests on her even in his faintest fantasies both amazed and appalled her. Hammond was right to question him. Did he honestly think Ayda would just accept his offer, especially after everything she'd been through? A thousand years would not have been enough time. However, though all that, something he said stood out. One specific word, actually. Something she'd seldom been offered in earnest.

"You really want to help me?" She said, still not meeting his gaze.

"Yes, Ayda, I really do." Again, Bernard put a hand on her shoulder. This time, she allowed it. "I don't know what you've been through. I'm sure I could never even begin to understand. But, I know you never wanted these powers. I truly believe we can help you get rid of them once and for all, but I need to understand them first, and the only way to do that is to see them in action."

"I... I don't know, Bernard." She glanced up at him, and then back at the ground. "I want to trust you, I really do, but it's just hard after everything I've been through."

She could be convinced, however. Her mind was not completely closed off to the idea. Dr. Vahlen wasn't overly concerned with explaining her abilities, since he already knew all about them. This was an opportunity to do some learning herself. To that end, and for the first time, the scientist who had been so intent on hiding stepped forward to give his own opinion on the matter.

"What about a tour of the facility?" He offered. "Maybe if you see how safe and controlled everything is, it'll help ease your mind."

"That's a great idea, Elliot," commended Bernard. He turned to Ayda. "How about it? Wanna take a little walk?"

He held out his hand to her. Tentatively, Ayda nodded and accepted his offer. She didn't really like the idea of becoming a test subject, but the thought of changing the entire face of modern medicine, the chance for greatness, spurred her on. Maybe, as Elliot had said, a tour would prove there was nothing to be afraid of. Besides, she should at least have all the information before coming to a decision.

Hand in hand, Bernard and Ayda departed from his office. Elliot was the next to leave, looking just slightly smug at being the first one to truly get through to the girl of the hour. Hammond brought up the rear, flipping the light off before closing the door. Within the wooden entrance was a fancy pane of frosted glass. Black lettering upon it spelled out "Dr. Bernard Belmont, CEO."

Despite her doubtful, temporary acceptance, Ayda kept her eyes wide open. She had the power to level this entire facility, and all it would take was a single step out of line. Technically, such a step had already occurred, but Ayda had at least half a mind to humor them. If something went wrong in any way, no one in this entire city could stop her.

Far from the visitor's center or any sort of tourist reception area, these hallways were barren and boring, sheets of plain metal bolted over concrete to hold up the ceiling. The cold, unfeeling nature was in sharp contrast to Bernard's office. The place could probably survive a bomb with minimal damage. While on the way to the office earlier it hadn't really connected with her, but now Ayda realized it was designed like that on purpose. What kind of research was going on here, that such precautions had to be taken?

The walk to the testing area proved rather uneventful for a time. The most interesting thing was the environment, which pretty much said everything one would need to know about the transit. Between the nervous Elliot, focused Bernard, still somewhat seething Ayda, and the naturally quiet Hammond, no one spoke a word.

Ayda took no comfort in the quiet. She would have welcomed a little conversation to distract her from the insanity of what she'd just agreed to. Nothing was permanent yet, but by opening herself up to the possibility of willing experimentation, she made the whole concept seem exponentially more real. In Bernard's office, it was just a pretentious suggestion, but now that she accompanied him through the facility, it felt absolutely dire.

Perhaps he could read minds, or Bernard had just required a moment to collect his thoughts, but he decided to speak up after they were about halfway to their destination. From his tone, he sounded like a salesman giving a pitch to some important and powerful investor. In a way, he kind of was.

"When my father founded Belmont Technologies in 1956, he had a dream of bettering the world through the advancement of science. He truly believed the best world was a technically proficient one. Now, more than fifty years later, his little startup has grown into Belmont International. Over the years we've developed breakthrough technologies in the medical, civilian, and military sectors. Almost every home in American contains at least one of our products, and many have more. Through revolutions in both the communication and medicinal sectors, we connect the world as well as keep it healthy."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Ayda said after a pause.

"So you can know where I'm coming from. Everything I've ever done was for the betterment of humankind. You just need to look at the phone in your pocket for proof of that."

Now, Ayda could've said Bernard wasn't the first person to ever sell her that line. She also could've pointed out that anyone could change at any time. But, both points seemed kind of moot. They were both beginning to talk in circles, where Bernard tried to convince her he wanted to help, while Ayda declared she didn't need help from a scientist. Both arguments had been made before, if not directly, and restating them would not progress the conversation. She decided to remain silent for the time being.

Eventually, the party reached the end of the line, or at least what Bernard claimed was their destination. All Ayda saw before her was a dead end, a wall of metal which terminated the hallway. How could this possibly be their goal? It wasn't much of a testing chamber.

Bernard let go of her hand and walked over to the wall. Once at the end, he turned to the partition on his right and slid up a hidden panel in the metal sheeting. Behind it lay concealed a nine digit number pad. With dextrous fingers, he entered seven characters. Ayda wished she'd been channeling her powers just then, for she missed exactly what sequence he used. She swiftly found herself distracted, though.

Machinery roared to life. Ayda couldn't pinpoint the exact location of all the noise, but it seemed to be coming from somewhere within the structure itself. Then, something she never expected happened. The dead end wall before her parted, receding into the surrounding ramparts. The motion passed reasonably quick, not too fast to see, but it wouldn't prohibit progress, either.

The circular room beyond the new opening was pure white. Padding like little square pillows covered the walls and ceiling. Not an inch was left unprotected. A thin layer of soft foam coated the floor. It provided minimal protection without making it difficult to walk. A fall would still hurt, but likely no serious damage would result. Other than that, the space sat completely empty.

Not one to stand on ceremony, Colonel Hammond was the first to enter, followed closely by Elliot. Ayda stayed put, though, unsure if she should go before or after Bernard.

"Go on," he said with a gesture into the room. "I need to close it behind us. Don't worry, I'll be right there."

That made sense. At his behest, Ayda entered the chamber. The Colonel and Elliot had gathered in the almost exact center of the circle. The desolate interior left little to focus on, so Ayda figured this was as good a destination as any. Inside the room, the white was almost blinding, although this probably had something to do with the fluorescent lights poking through the pillows in the ceiling. Ayda looked around, but there wasn't much to see, just an ocean of white.

The mechanics in the walls came alive again. Ayda looked behind her to see Bernard messing with a number pad on the inside of the room. He pulled down a metal cover to conceal it, and then let the padding fall into place for protection. No one would ever know it was there, which was probably the point. He joined them in the middle.

"This is the primary testing area for our R&D department." He made a broad gesture to encompass the space. "There's nothing in here right now, but it's where we test all of our technologies which don't fit on a table or in a pocket."

Bernard put his hand between Ayda's shoulder blades and pointed up to the east. Ayda followed his indication. She saw five panes of clear glass set into the wall high above her. From this angle, though, all she could see was the metal roof. Bernard continued his tour.

"Up there is the observation room. That's where we monitor everything that goes on inside here from electrical and mechanical readings, to atmospheric pressure."

"I can see through the glass," Ayda commented. Although just an offhand remark, it took Bernard completely by surprise.

"What do you mean?" He said with a blank expression.

"Before, I couldn't see where the scientists monitored me, monitored us. It was a two-way mirror." Ayda explained with a certain breathy tone, almost as if reminiscent.

"Well, that's not the way we do things here." Bernard changed the subject. "Did you see the double doors on the way here? That's the equipment closet. Normally the only thing we put in there is safety gear, but now we have a lot of things specifically designed to measure your abilities from accelerometers, to force gauges, and even a slow-motion camera."

"What's an accelerometer?" Ayda pronounced the new word slowly, wrestling with her tongue to get it out properly.

"Nothing bad," Bernard waved his hand. "It's just a device which measures changes in acceleration, kind of like the scientific version of the speedometer in a car."

"Do you want me to go get one of the punching bags?" Elliot offered. "Just as an example."

"I was actually about to suggest that," Bernard agreed. "Go ahead."

Elliot jogged back to the entrance. The closet wasn't far away. He would not be gone long. In the mean time, Ayda asked a question which had been bugging her since she first saw the chamber.

"Why are the walls padded?" She began. "I mean, no offense, but you guys don't seem like the most active bunch. Are your products really so dangerous?"

"No," answered Bernard. "It wasn't always like this. It used to be just metal. We installed all this protection for you. Testing your blasts will be a little bit hazardous, and we don't want you or anyone else getting hurt."

Ayda looked down. While Bernard provided no proof this was true, he needn't have. Scientists testing domestic products didn't warrant the use of a padded room. Anything more unsafe was likely tested outside or in a different facility. The people at Belmont International really put a lot of effort in preparing for Ayda's arrival. How could so much caution possibly be nefarious?

After a few minuets, Elliot returned. He opened the wall and sauntered in, bear hugging a large purple sandbag, but did not close it again. A thick black band ran along it's center, containing all sorts of scientific baubles. Ayda could only guess at what purpose any of them served.

"I'm back," Elliot called into the room as if it weren't obvious. He peered awkwardly around the bag as he walked.

"You brought the lightest one," Hammond remarked.

"Well yeah." Elliot stopped just short of everyone else. "How strong do you think I am?"

"Ayda," Bernard got everyone back on task, "this is just one of the many things we'll be using to conduct our tests. It's fitted with all the devices we just went over to measure the force of your energy blasts. Give it a try"

Ayda considered the bag for a moment. It certainly looked official enough, but a warrior of her caliber could not be bothered to work with substandard equipment. Also, she really wanted to hit something, and had never had the chance to use a heavy bag before. Most of her training involved beating other people. Ayda stepped in front of it, putting up her dukes.

"Whoa, whoa, hey now," Elliot took a cautious step back. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"Relax," she said. "I'm just gonna punch it."

Although not sure he could believe her, Elliot realized he had little choice in the matter. Anything in the name of science, right? He squared his stance and clutched the bag as tightly as he could. Ayda threw a punch. Elliot winced in anticipation. Her fist made solid contact with the bag. Elliot swayed at the impact, but remained rooted on the ground. Ayda smiled.

"Alright, that's kinda fun," she admitted.

"Says the one throwing the punches," remarked Elliot. Ayda directed three more quick jabs into the bag, which he barely braced himself for. "Alright, I think you've made your point."

Ayda shuffled back a step. She got her balance before raising her knee to level a forceful side kick into the bag. Elliot's lungs emptied in an audible wheeze. He stumbled a few steps before falling flat on his rump. He sat there for a second, stunned, before toppling backward. He lay spread eagle on the ground. The bag rolled lazily off him. Ayda snickered.

"See? That's not so bad, right?" Bernard said. Ayda turned to him and shook her head, beaming.

"Is no one gonna help me?" Elliot interjected from his place on the floor. "I think I broke my tailbone."

"Oh, cowboy up," snarked Hammond as he made his way over. "You big baby."

"As you can see," Bernard continued, ignoring the two of them entirely. "Everything here is designed to be perfectly safe. Even the striking instruments are low impact. No one is in any danger."

"I beg to differ," Elliot joked as Hammond helped him to his feet. Bernard shot him a brief, icy glare.

"So, what do you think" Bernard asked of Ayda. "Will you help us help you?"

"I don't know." Ayda looked away, somber. "I mean, that was really fun, but it still doesn't feel right, ya know?"

"Tell you what, why don't we do a test run," suggested the older scientist. "We'll run a few light tests, nothing too dramatic, just so you can see what kind of things we'll be doing. Then, if you still don't like it, we'll call it quits."

That certainly sweetened the deal, but still Ayda hesitated. No matter how she looked at it, or what spin Bernard tried to apply, she simply didn't feel comfortable letting herself be a lab rat.

"I'll let you knock Elliot around some more," Bernard joked, interrupting her train of thought.

"Say what now?" Elliot piped up as he and the Colonel rejoined them. Ayda laughed at him.

As Ayda took more time to consider the offer, She was struck with how much different the current situation was from her past, as if the people involved actually cared about her. It made her feel oddly human. She wasn't just a doll to them. She had merit and value. It was comforting.

"Alright," she said. "The only way I'll do it is if the tests are one-hundred percent on my terms. If I don't like something, it ends. Period." This was her cost, the circumstances to be fulfilled if she were to agree to anything. They were nonnegotiable.

"That's the way it was always gonna be from the very beginning," Bernard said. "Nothing happens without your approval. There will be no surgeries, no electricity, no fighting, none of it. I promise."

"Don't worry, kid," added Hammond. "I'll beat him into shape if he steps out of line."

"Thanks, Colonel," Ayda said. Not that she needed anyone to fight her battles for her, but the sentiment was appreciated.

"Do we have a deal?" Persisted Bernard, searching for the definitive answer which he pined.

"Yeah, we have a deal," Ayda nodded.

"Ayda, you have no idea how happy that makes me."

Elliot stumbled over to them, walking as if drunk.

"Don't I get a say in this?" He said. "Ya know, if I'm gonna be the meat puppet, and all?"

"Don't worry, Elliot, I'll go easy on you." Ayda grinned maliciously.

"Come on, I think we all could use a little lunch break," Bernard said, heading for the exit.

"That's the smartest thing you've said all day," Hammond agreed, following. Ayda fell in behind him. Elliot, however, remained behind for a moment.

"Gee, thanks," he called after them. "I feel sooooo much better." His shoulders sagged. He went after them, dragging his feet. "I'd better be getting a raise for this."