Yo. This is my second story, but since my first story is on indefinite standby, this is kinda my first-and-a-half story. Now that that's sorted out, I can tell you readers that this is kind of a weird story. This prologue kind of freaked me out when I wrote it because I normally don't write stories like this. Anyway, just go with it and enjoy it if you can!

Disclaimer: I don't own Indiana Jones or any of the other characters. Just so you know...

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Prologue: Pain and Solitude

Pain. Unendurable agony. Bolts of lightning ripping through her, threatening to tear her apart. She screamed and screamed to no avail, they only stood and watched her torment. Gradually the sound of her own screams faded, but the pain did not end. Not until everything was gone: sight, sound, speech, everything. She faded into a void of solitude. She could feel nothing, but that was almost worse than the agony of before. Quite suddenly, feeling was restored. It seemed to be the only thing that existed, and for a while she treasured it. But then more pain came, of a different kind. Someone touching her, hurting her... She tried to fight, but she was too weak. She tried to call for help, but she wasn't even sure if she was making a sound. No one answered her pleas, anyway. All she could do was try to endure this new torture as she had the old ones. After a time this torture went away, and it was replaced by a new one. She began to hear strange things, horrible things. She heard not with her ears, but with her mind. She realized she was hearing the thoughts of others. She fought to block them out, but for a seemingly unending time made no progress. In this time, a true gift came: hearing. She could hear the words that people spoke, though somehow she knew that she heard once again with her mind, not her ears. She listened to the voices of the people around her, and heard the voice of the one who had done this to her. The voice was saying,

"You are not to use her to satisfy your desire. She has a much higher purpose, and you will not use her in this way."

Another voice responded, one she did not recognize.

"I thought you would not mind. You have said yourself many times that you do not care for her."

There was a pause, then the first voice said,

"I do not. But I also do not want such things done to her. Under other circumstances I could care less, but right now I want her to gain strength. Your treatment of her is sure to sap that strength. You will not do it again, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, perfectly," the second voice said, and she heard no more for a time.

She slept, and her dreams were filled with the thoughts of the evil people around her. In the dreams she screamed and screamed, but she knew that she made no noise. When she woke, she found that a sight of sorts had been returned to her. She found that she was in a tent, lying on a cot. The seeing was not quite like the old kind of seeing, but it was better than nothing. Still she could not speak. She tried and tried, but no sound left her mouth. Finally she realized that she would have to try to speak with her mind, putting her words directly into someone's mind. She had just figured out how to block other's thoughts, and the thought of exposing herself to them again frightened and repulsed her. But she had to try. She opened her mind and sought another. She found one. It was the mind of the one who had done this to her. She spoke into the person's mind,

"Can you hear me?"

The person seemed to stiffen. Then it said, in it's own mind, "Yes. So, you have grown stronger."

"Yes."

"What else can you do besides speak in my mind?"

"I can read your thoughts."

The person seemed to stiffen again, then said,

"Anything else?"

"I can read anyone's thoughts. I'm sure I could speak to them, as well. I can see and hear with my mind."

"Anything else?"

"Not that I know of."

"We shall see." This last sentence was said aloud, she knew. Somehow she could tell the difference, even though she heard both with her mind. The distinction might also have come from the fact that the person had just entered her tent.

"What else can you do?" the person asked.

"I don't know."

The next period of time was another torture. The person made her do all sorts of things she couldn't have imagined. In the process, she and the person both learned that she was stronger than before. She could also make strange shields that could withstand incredible amounts of force, even a bullet fired at point-blank range. She knew this because the person tried it. When all of this had been learned, the person leaned in close to her.

"There is one other thing that I have found out about you. You cannot lie now. That is a weakness, but it can also be a strength. You can get information for me from peoples minds. And then you can tell me everything that you've learned. Everything that you have learned."

"What makes you think I would do such a thing?"

"I have ways to persuade you."

"No. I will never serve you, ... sister."

"Don't be so sure."

And with that, Dr. Irina Spalkow left the tent, and Natalia Spalkow was left to ponder this newest pain, feeling more alone than she ever had in her life.

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The reason this prologue was written in this strange format is for dramatic emphasis. I know that thoughts are normally done in italics with no parenthesis, but these are supposed to be spoken thoughts, if you follow me.

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