[ COMPLETED ]
German Translations Provided By @vanessanats
BOOK 1 of the ORPHIC series
ZEITGEIST
/ˈtsītˌɡīst,ˈzītˌɡīst/
the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time.
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"Fall seven times, stand up eight."
Camp Lehigh, New Jersey June, 1943
ABRAHAM'S HANDS WERE REMARKABLY STEADY as he carefully snipped her stitches, prying the string from her skin with care. Lucy was vaguely aware of his presence, a thousand-yard stare glued to the wall across from her. She'd slept without a single dream, which did nothing to settle the thoughts bouncing around in her head. HYDRA knew where she lived, and the police would assume there was a serial killer on the loose- it would be on the front cover of every newspaper there was. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed to leave- traveling across the country would be unfortunate and inconvenient, but the easiest way to confuse HYDRA and get them off her tail.
Abraham pulled the last piece of string from her skin and placed his tweezers in the kitchen sink. Lucy breathed deeply as she stood up from the couch, inspecting the bullet wound that was nothing more than a faint scar. She pulled her shirt down and glanced at him as Abraham disappeared down the hall. She frowned, watching and listening, until he returned in work attire, a small briefcase in hand.
She tilted her head curiously, and he looked back at her.
"I'm driving up to Camp Lehigh for Project: Rebirth." He said and Lucy pursed her lips. "You can stay here, and I could return tonight- make sure you're alright. Or, you can come with me and stay there for a few days. It's your choice."
Lucy was relieved he clarified it was her choice, because she was currently having a disastrous time separating herself from the Soldier, which she embodied whenever she was overwhelmed. She pushed her hands into her pant pockets, wondering if travelling with Abraham was worth it. Chances are Schmidt or Dr. Schaffer had sent out spies all across the country, which would unfortunately include New Jersey. But, it would probably take them a longer time to find her, and they would have a much more difficult time retrieving her from an army base, or a guarded area.
"There's plenty of food in the refrigerator-" Abraham started, interrupting her thoughts.
She blinked, and shook her head.
"I'll go. I was just. . .calculating the option which benefited the-" she winced and snapped her head to the side, "-me and um. . .you."
And by "calculating the options", she meant "risking his death or capture." Abraham seemed to understand and he stepped forwards, gently placing one hand on her shoulder. She flinched at first, but reminded herself the warmth from his hand was comforting, not violent, and his smile was just as happy as ever.
