Not too long after I got settled into my own room, I nearly lost my damn mind.

There was no natural light, all the walls were bricks. The chill I wasn't fond of. I couldn't forget my brain feeling like someone was inside and poking holes into it mercilessly.

It'd taken a lot of pain tolerance on my part to not scream. Now, my tolerance was demolished. I screamed like someone was slowly torturing me from the inside. Nothing made sense, with what I saw. I saw the face of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Bruce Banner. All kind faces, none showed a trace of hatred in them towards me. And then there was a face I couldn't place: a dark-haired, brown-eyed man that wasn't Seth. Events were scrambled together: people exploding in outbursts of fire, aliens blasting down on New York streets.

This pain had me shriveled into a ball on the floor. This pain needed to stop.

"Cynder."

I didn't acknowledge the name, my screams were too loud and the pain was growing too much. I turned into the wall, as if the coolness of the bricks would calm it down. It felt like it only made things worse.

I jerked closer to the wall when a hand grabbed my shoulder. It was only Seth, and past him, Alexander Pierce stood. I couldn't read his face. If I could, he looked annoyed. Well, he'd be screaming in pain too if someone was stabbing his brain.

"What hurts?" Seth asked me.

"Did you do this to me?!" I snarled viciously. Above, the lights sparked. "Are you the reason why my head is hurting?"

"No, it must be whatever they did to you."

"Get that thing away from me!" I noticed the big needle.

"It's a sedative, something to help with the pain."

The second Seth started moving the needle towards me, I balked. I threw an arm out, striking him on his chest. He was sent flying into the opposite wall, the needle clinking on the floor but not breaking. I screamed wildly as I saw the metal arm grab the front of my shirt and forcefully hoist me upwards.

Now, this guy, my brain recognized. The Winter Soldier, my brain told me. His blue eyes bore no soul. He hissed something under his breath, something I couldn't understand.

"I don't speak whatever the hell that is," I whimpered. "Get off!"

"Cynder, please," said Alexander Pierce. "Let Mr. Joyce give you the medication. You want the pain to stop, right?"

"I want him off me!"

The Winter Soldier held me tighter to the wall, and I watched with wild eyes as Seth came back into the picture.

"Hold her steady," he whispered.

I grunted, struggling, as the Winter Soldier prevented me from lashing out at either one of them. I winced, feeling the needle stick into my arm. The pain in my head didn't stop.

"If you'd let me do this, you wouldn't have to be like this," Seth said calmly. "That should take effect in a few minutes." He backed away, looking at Pierce. "Should anything happen with her, tell me."

"All right, you can let her breathe," Pierce said to the Winter Soldier. The Soldier backed off, and I nearly slumped against the wall. The throbbing in my head was lessening, which was a relief already. "How are you feeling now?"

"B-better," I coughed. "No need for his introduction, I-I remember him."

"That's good to hear, because he's going to be training you before you get your next assignment."

"Do we have a timeframe on that?"

"Not yet. Don't try to break him, Cynder. We need you both in top shape."

I wheezed out a chuckle. "Wouldn't dream of it." If anything, he might try and break me.

Pierce left, leaving me alone with the Winter Soldier in my room. We stared at each other, and he radiated malevolence. Like if I breathed wrong, he would snap my neck or something. Well, he understands English. Pierce got him to let me go. But did the Soldier understand the basic phrases? Whatever he'd muttered earlier hadn't been English, I knew that much.

Not much of a talker, are you? I tried timidly. With my thought communication, I could never feel if a message got through. It was just one of those hit-or-miss type things. I sighed through my nose. You're going to have to talk to me if you're going to be training me, I can't exactly train properly without verbal communication.

You seem to talk too much. The voice I got in response sounded gruff, hardened. Well, I wasn't expecting a squeaky voice to come from him.

You don't seem to talk at all. If you do, it's in a language that I don't understand.

Russian is what you heard.

Well, I don't speak Russian. I tossed my head. I'm surprised you talked back.

It's not exactly normal, but, this is the only way that I guess I'm allowed to.

My mind flashed to something: the Winter Soldier, just how he looked now, only with some sort of mask on his face. But it wasn't a full mask or cowl like Captain America or Iron Man bore. It was one that only covered his nose and his mouth, sort of like those bandanas you saw the cowboys wear in Western movies.

Why do you need to train me? I asked. Am I that bad?

No, he wants you to hone in what skills you have. Make you sharper, faster.

I nodded. So Pierce thinks I'm slow.

There's room for improvement.

"You know, at some point, that talk will have to stop," I said out loud.

For you, it will. For me, this is as good as you're going to get.

I blew out a breath. Oddly enough, having this conversation with him lessened the pain in my head. That and the medication Seth had put into my system. "I don't know what Pierce told you about me, but..." I produced a fireball in my hand. "I'm not like you."

That's why he's so interested in you. That's why you're here. Surprisingly, those blue eyes didn't widen in fear or curiosity. They looked almost robotic, dead inside. It creeped me out more than anything.

"You up for the challenge?" I raised an eyebrow.

If I wasn't, would I be here?

"For a man who doesn't speak, you've got things to say," I noted. "All right, then. Is there a proper room for us?"

I thought I almost saw the Soldier smirk. You may have your specialty, but we want you specialized where I'm skilled.

"And where would that be?"

I'll show you.

I was surprised that the two of us didn't have escorts once we stepped outside of my room. I followed in tow behind him, waiting for guards to ask us what we were doing. I made fireballs behind the Winter Soldier, tossing them around out of boredom.

We entered another room that was definitely more decorated than the room I'd just been in. It wasn't nice décor, being that it was all armor and weapons, and targets for practice. Again, no natural light was available. I frowned. This place, wherever we were, had to be underground. Or the people just had a thing for being creatures of the night and living under artificial light only.

"I've never shot one before," I said, looking at the types of guns.

This is how you're going to learn. You'll learn how to load, unload, aim, and fire. It shouldn't take you long. Hopefully. Pierce wants you as good as me before we go out on our next mission.

"Which is what?"

We won't know until we meet with him next.

Through thought, because that was the only way I could get him to speak to me, the Winter Soldier guided me through the basic process. It was certainly no Asgardian weaponry. Some of them felt clunky to hold, and others made me feel as though I was holding a spear instead of a rifle.

And Pierce wants me trained with these because...? I asked.

He'd rather you be skilled all around than just your fire...ability.

I knew he was afraid of my fire. He had a right to be. If he didn't give me reason to go after him, I had no reason to light him on fire. A win-win for us both. "You make it sound as though with my power that I'm weak," I said.

Your power can be subdued. Just in case that happens, you can still attack.

"I'll have you know I'm decent in hand-to-hand combat," I boasted, setting a small handgun down on the table. "I don't need any of this. I'm pretty invincible. Whatever we face, if they fire bullets, they just bounce off me. If anything, I should be the more valuable asset here."

Remember your place, Cynder. Pierce appointed me your trainer, and it is going to stay that way.

"Let's not forget who wields the fire here, Soldier." I showed off with a small flame. "You may be the muscle in town, but I'm a newer model."

The Winter Soldier looked as though he was about ready to tear my head off, but I could see he was restraining himself. Why do I feel like this is going to be fun, annoying him to no end? It wasn't that I wanted Top Dog position over the Winter Soldier, I just knew it was going to be fun getting under his skin. After all, what could he do to me? I was more durable than him. If I really put my thought into it, I could snap him in half without a second thought.

It looks like I'll have to make you learn your place.

I chuckled. "I look forward to it."