However, Back in Time...

Several guards entered the cell Megan was forced to stay in. Red Skull had been defeated only weeks prior and HYDRA didn't want to lose this fascinating test subject and potential weapon. They already knew brainwashing wouldn't work, but they could still study her powers.

One man, a scientist, threw cold water on the girl to wake her up, saying, "Time for more tests. If you can't tell us how you are able to shapeshift, we will use the chair again."

"It's not my fault your idiots" she said in a angry tone "punishing me won't make up for the brains you lack" she said holding her angry tone even though inside she was scared, but she had learned very quickly showing fear only made things worse here, she would rather feel anger then fear anyways. She had lost any hope of rescue long ago, now all she focused on was surviving

The scientist didn't look amused as he kicked her several times in the stomach. He backed off when she could no longer hold in a scream of pain. He then said, "Strap her to the chair. She wants to talk back, she will learn the price for it."

Though her body wasn't human, there was a limit to what she could handle, even when she passed out they never stopped what they were doing so she would wake right back up too it, she no longer counted the days and she was sure she would die in this place without ever knowing who or what she was, knowing all this her anger and spit grew, until she took her last breath she would never give them anything they wanted.

After nearly eight continuous hours, they stopped electrocuting her. She didn't have the strength to hold up her head, let alone fight as they dragged her back to the cell. In the distance, the sounds of a man screaming could be heard.

She just laid there, her body not her own at the moment but just some spasming pain filled useless things she was trapped in. Her mind felt more tired then her body. She wanted to die, she wanted it all to stop and she wanted to be able to stop thinking about everything, the man's screams only reminded her of her own. It took her a while but slowly she started to him, trying to drown out the man's screams. She closed her eyes and tried to hum as loud as she could ,when her voice got strong enough the humming turned into strained and horse words, them slowly they turned into song, a song she didn't know she knew or how she knew it "Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh, why can't I?"

The following day, the same scientist came in. He didn't bother with water. He dumped snow on her.

"Time for some tests, so get up," he ordered. "Everything we have says you are human, and I want to know how that's possible. You appeared out of nowhere. An alien, if you will. So how can a potential weapon like you be human?"

"How can a moron like you be a scientist?" She said in a week tone without opening her eyes

He kicked her ribs, fracturing one, before saying, "How can a freak judge me when she can barely defend herself against what we say?"

They dragged her to what appeared to be an operating room, but she knew it was just another torture chamber like the others. A series of needles and instruments were laid out.

"If she struggles," a man in a shadowed corner said, "make it hurt more."

She didn't remember what day it was she had lost the will to live, who would want to live with this kind of cruelty in pain, she didn't feel bad anymore about wanting to die, no matter what they told her, her soul was human and as such she had every right to feel the way she did. These people were human too though and she knew because of that fact alone the cruelty would only get worse. Until death came for her she would try to hold on to what little was left of her, but every day she grew more and more numb, like her soul was being killed instead of her body.

The shadowed leader asked, "Can we freeze her? Like we do with the soldiers?"

The scientist above her smiled, reminding her of a shark, and said, "Yes. Her body will react just as bears do and hibernate. I believe we can put her in a cryochamber."

"Run a few more tests, then we will put her in one." She heard him walk away.

Once back in her cell, she once more worked her way up to that song, this time it wasn't because of someone screaming but somehow she knew after today she would not be singing this song anymore, it was the only thing she had that made her feel connected to whoever she was. She felt like soon that person would be lost forever"If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?

"You know they will punish you if you keep that up," came a voice that sounded worn and broken. Neither moved to look at the other. "A songbird in a cage... I can see why you sing that song, but... just I don't want a kid to suffer more."

She stopped singing for a moment "it's just my body.... They can have, I will be leaving with what truly matters" she said in a week tone and started to hum again

"Very mature," he said. "Though, after what they have put us through, it makes sense you've grown up faster than normal kids. But don't listen to that alien stuff. You're more human than they are..." She heard him move a bit, but not much. "Than I am..."

"That's your choice" she said in between hums "part of free will is being whatever we choose to be, I choose to be me until the end"

"I'd do that if they didn't take my free will away," he said. "I just started remembering. Still testing on me. Right now, I can't even remember my own name."

"So give yourself a new one, a name doesn't make a person, your heart does, your actions and deeds, how you choose to live, names are meaningless, they are just markers for other people, a label to put on you in that point in time, a friend will call you a friend and many other names, so will a enemy, no one has one true name"

"Well, songbird, how about you give me a name since I gave you one?" he said with a chuckle.

There was silence for a moment, minutes passed and he thought she had passed out "drifter" her small weak voice said "your lost and they are turning you into something else and will give you yet another name, but I'll name you drifter so that maybe that path will be one you can leave and find a new one to walk"

There was silence for a moment before he said, "I'll take it. I feel like I'm drifting right now anyway. Everything hurts and I don't want to move."

"Every bone in my body is broken yet I'm singing" she said in a tired voice "don't let them see your pain, your pain is yours, pain is life, welcome it, accept it ,other wise it will break your mind" she said coughing, sending a ripple of pain all throughout her body "pain ...what a joke, they are suppose to be smart, a broken bone is nothing compared to a broken heart, the mind would break to protect itself, the heart will not. Protect your heart and you will die the person you want to be"

"Yeah," he said, groaning as he laid down. "Go to sleep, songbird. It's going to be another night in Hell, and I at least want to try to get eight hours in first."

"From what I heard we both will be sleeping longer then that, they plan to put us to sleep, freeze us, I wish you the luck of either not waking up or you wake up on a path you choose, goodbye Mr drifter"

"Goodnight, little songbird," he said.

-------

20 Year Later

The chamber opened up and two men caught Megan as she came out of cryo. They dragged her to a cell and left her. They came back not long after with something, throwing it in the cell next to her. From the groaning sound, it was Drifter.

She didn't move or speak, no one could have prepared her for the torture of the cryo chamber. For twenty years she had been conscious but her body frozen and cold, the pain from the cold and her frozen limbs were enough to make her pass out in the beginning but it was also enough to wake her up. It was a never ending cycle of torture. For twenty years she went through this and during that time her mind broke and reshaped itself, she felt more numb inside now then she did outside anymore. Whatever strength she had before going in there was gone now and she would do whatever it took to never get frozen again.

After a few hours, some unfamiliar scientists came in and dragged her from the cell. They ran some tests. The pain was less, not just because she was growing used to it but because her not fighting back meant no punishment. A man looked at her as the straps were removed.

"Chamelion," he said. "That's your name now. You work for HYDRA."

She met his eyes, they held no emotion"what's with the change of heart?" She asked in a emotionless tone

"I've read your file," he said. "I see the life, the purpose, has been drained from you. HYDRA can give you purpose, life. No longer a defeated shell of a being, but a weapon to take down evil."

"You insult me already, feeling nothing doesn't mean I'm stupid, I know what you and hydra are and whose side I would be taking, lucky for you though I don't care anymore but things are going to change" she said never leaving his gaze "you want something from me well I want many things from you" she said "first you and your scientists have been on the wrong path and I bet I can finger out how I work better then any of you, second I want to train, my way, I have specific things I want to learn now since your the bad guys I'm sure you have extremest in your employee books, I want your best to teach me and I want a large range, from snipping to explosives" she said "also I'm starving "

The man leaned back and said, "Then explain extremists. Also, what you learn we decide. You are ours. And we only want the best weapons at our disposal. You get food when you earn it."

She smiled but it was empty "then good luck, if it's not my way then you don't get me at all, the only way I'll be a weapon of it's the one I choose to be, think I was difficult before? I don't even feel fear anymore, you will get nothing from me, why don't you think about that while I go rest in my cozy cell" she said in a dark tone

"Hand to hand, long range, short range, we want all of it in your arsenal," he said. "We can't have that, then we can easily put you back in the cryochamber." He stood and started to leave but seemed to change his mind. "A test. If you can do it, then, by all means, we let you join as our weapon with the conditions you want. If not, you return to the cryochamber and the hard tests begin again, and we get you anyway but our way. Deal, Chameleon?"

"Sure but I don't have faith your the kind of people to keep your end of deals...now where can I get food? And none of that grey shit, after I eat you can point me in the direction of your test"

A man came in half an hour later, carrying a tray with some fruit, meatloaf, potatoes, and water and setting it in front of her. The other man said, "There. Food. Now, eat and I'll tell you of the target."

5 hours later

The target, a politician's wife that worked for SHIELD, sat at her desk. She was working on some top secret documents that the head of HYDRA, Alexander Pierce, wanted. She was four months pregnant and working from home. She didn't see the figure on the balcony, all in black, waiting for her moment.

She didn't know how to use her powers yet but she didn't need to to kill someone. Though the real target was the documents and they never told her to kill the women specifically so the choice was hers. But she didn't want to stay here long, she would do it the quickest and the most proficient way possible. The women dropped her pen and she took that as her opening, the moment the women bent down she struck her hard over her head, instantly knocking her unconscious. She caught her so she didn't make a sound and the positioned her like she had fallen asleep. She grabbed the documents and left without a sound or trace

At the rendezvous point, Pierce was waiting. He looked at the documents and said, "So, you got the documents. And quietly. Go to the safe house and wait for your next mission. Food is waiting for you and a bed, along with your new handler."

Her eyes turned eyes cold a clear dislike of his choice of words, but she turned and walked away, heading towards the safe house