CHAPTER THREE:
A DIFFERENT COLOR

SHE SAT IN THE CORNER of her cell, the same one she's been in for. . . how long had she been there? A month? Seven? She was shivering, her body covered in a short-sleeved ratty shirt and ripped jeans. Her suit had been taken from her once it became so destroyed and these were the clothes they thought best suited her. Her cell was freezing, if not frozen. She felt like she was going to get frostbite on her fingers at any given moment.

Her hair wasn't as healthy as it was, being curled up into a dry mess that made her cringe. She got a cold shower once a week, one that lasted for a maximum of five minutes and a minimum of three. The experiments were slowly starting to make her become numb. She was used to the amount of fire and ice that would burn in her veins, she was used to sitting in the cold and below freezing cell, but she wasn't used to not being with her sister.

She frowned at this, remembering the conversation that took place between the two before she had left. She was supposed to be back in a few days, a week and a half tops. But now, it's been a month. She wondered what her sister was doing at the moment. She wondered if she was okay, if Fitz was keeping her worries away, knowing how worried Jemma got when it came to her.

So far, nothing has happened to her. The experiments haven't done anything, and everyday a new vial of serum was pressed into her bloodstream in hopes of a new creation to be successful. It was always blue, she realized. It was an icy-white blue, or an almost silver color with swirls of blue within it. The developments of the serum continued, a nonstop situation.

Her hands immediately laid flat on the floor when she heard the door start to open, almost as if she was going to push herself away even though she couldn't go any further. Her back was placed firmly against the freezing wall, a scowl falling on her lips when the same man that always managed to drag her out of her cell appeared. Her eyes narrowed into slits, trying to push down the fear that was desperately trying to bubble up inside of her.

The man came closer to her and grabbed her forearm, jerking her up roughly from the ground. After three weeks of being inside the cell, she found herself too weak to fight back. He dragged her to the room that the experiments took place and he placed her on the chair, placing her arms and legs in restraints. She let out heavy breaths, trying to prepare herself for the pain that was sure to rush through her body at any minute. The scientists entered, smiling at her like he always did before he picked up today's serum.

To her surprise, the serum was white. Plain, crystal white. She frowned at the sudden change in color, watching as he filled the syringe with it. He flicked the needle before turning to her. "How are you this evening, darling?" Sapphire cringed at the pet name. "We have a new one, today. This is the only sample, and we're hoping at least something will happen."

"Sorry that I can't be one of your successes, but I think I'd much rather be on your failure list." Sapphire muttered through clenched teeth. The man smiled in amusement at this.

"You never fail to bring me amusement, agent."

"It's a guilty pleasure of mine." Sapphire retorted, rolling her eyes. "Just get this over with." She nodded towards her arm before laying her head back and closing her eyes, preparing for the pain. And once it came, it was a worse pain than the pain she has felt for the past few months. She let out horrified screams as she felt like her blood was freezing over until she finally stopped screaming, her back arching as she let out a gasp, and for a split millisecond, her eyes glowed a gorgeous white-blue color before it faded and she saw black.

დ︎დ︎დ︎დ︎

Jemma held a frustrated look, pacing the lab as she thought about her sister and where her possible whereabouts could be. Agent Maria Hill herself, and a few other agents were on a rescue mission for the girl and now Jemma was waiting for them to come back. And she could not concentrate on her work, at all.

Fitz watched his best friend walk back and forth in the lab, her hands on the sides of her face as she anxiously waited. He frowned, wishing that there was something he could do to reassure her that Sapphire was okay. But he couldn't, because truthfully he didn't know. It wasn't like the older Simmons girl to be on a mission for so long without checking in.

It was when Phil Coulson entered the room that the girl stopped pacing. Fitz stood up from his place, taking a stand beside of Jemma and placing a hand on her shoulder in hopes of reassuring her. Jemma looked at the man, a silent pleading in her eyes.

"Did you find her?"

Coulson looked at the girl before his eyes met Fitz', sending the man a silent message that made his shoulders deflate. Phil turned his attention back towards Jemma before speaking. "The base that she was sent to was . . . it was burned to the ground." Jemma placed a hand over her mouth, a cry escaping her lips at the males words. "She's not dead, Simmons. We would know if she was. We'll find her, I promise."

"Thanks." Fitz nodded towards the man who nodded before leaving. Jemma had tears in her eyes, was her sister dead? It couldn't be, right? Fitz finally took a stand in front of the girl. "They'll find her, Jemma. This is Saph, we're talking about. She's not dead. Trust me."

"You don't know that." The girl whispered, looking up at him. A tear escaped her eye, gliding quickly down her cheek. "No one knows anything. How do I cope without knowing the whereabouts of my sister?"

"You have to." He told her, a sad smile on his face. "You have to, because you have to keep holding hope that she's still out there. That we'll find her. Hold on to that, for as long as you can."

"She's not dead." Jemma assured herself, nodding slightly. "I would know if she were. They're going to find her."

"And we're going to help." Fitz told her. She looked up at him, frowning.

"How?"

"Well, she's probably at a HYDRA base, correct?" Jemma nodded. "We start from there, see how many places we can find and give them to Coulson so that a team can scope the place out, see if she's there."

"We're merely scientists, Fitz. How do you expect we do that?"

"We'll figure it out." He assured her. "We always do." She looked at him before nodding her head, determination sparking in her eyes.

"Let's do it."