Project Alpha

Chapter 1- The Beginning

"Again," Natalia said. I groaned in frustration. Since about six this morning, we had been here, and now it had to be some time in the late afternoon. "I know you don't want to, but we're going to get out of here soon. Now get up, and let's go."

I have been with Hydra since I was four years old, and in a few days, all of my training will be tested. I will be going up against one more girl and be fighting her to the death, or until someone tapped out, but no one ever did. If someone did tap out, then they would be killed later on for being weak, so it was better to go out fighting, at least that's what everyone else said. This happened every year, it was what every fourteen-year-old had to go through. Hydra only wanted the best of the best, and I knew I had to be the best to survive.

After the fight, they would take whoever won into a room for their "initiation", but no one ever spoke about what that entailed. I knew that it couldn't be fun, whatever it was.

I nodded my head at Natalia and got into a ready position. "One more time, and we'll stop. So you better make it count," she said. Natalia had been training me for this fight. She was considered the best sparer in Hydra, and I could see why. Her skills were unlike any I had ever seen before, but that didn't make her completely unstoppable.

Each of us made our way towards the middle of the sparring mat and circled around waiting for the other one to make the first move. I knew her patterns; she would move her foot back before she went in for a punch, and after the punch would come a kick. I memorized them from hours and hours of constant training, and she would swing first unless I surprised her with a swing of my own.

Sure enough, she made the first move. Luckily, I noticed her foot move back and moved out of the way of the punch. However, I did not move in time to get away from the kick, so I ended up with a knee in my gut. "You've been training with me for weeks, and still don't know how I fight?" she questioned.

"I know how you fight," I said, defending myself, "I'm just focused on other things." Now I threw a punch at her, and it landed on her right cheek.

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Maybe the fact that I could die in a couple of days."

At this point, Natalia had me pinned on the ground, but my last remark had her thinking about how to respond. I used this to my advantage and flipped her on her back with her hands pinned above her.

"I don't know if that was your plan or if you came up with that on the spot, but that was a good move," Natalia smirked.

"If only I knew this was how it's going to go in a couple of days," I pouted.

"It obviously won't go exactly like this, but I think you're ready."

"What if I'm not? What if I'm the one that dies?"

"Look at me," Natalia tilted my head to look at her, but all I could do was look down. I was scared that there would be some sort of disappointment in them since I was doubting myself, and I might cry if I saw that look. "You are ready. You will win, and we will get out of here," she said. I still couldn't look up, but this time it was because I knew she was right. I knew I was ready, but couldn't help being scared.

Natalia must have sensed this because she assured me once more, "You're ready, but if it makes you feel better I can call in a last-minute favor from The Asset."

I looked up at her with wide eyes. Everyone in Hydra knew about The Asset, but he was better known as "The Winter Soldier". I had met him once, and it wasn't a pleasant experience. He was watching one of my dance classes, and each time he looked at me, it was like his eyes were shooting some kind of laser beam through me. He was one of, if not the best fighter in this place (besides Nat, of course) and he had been here longer than anyone else. If he could train me, then there is no way I could lose against my opponent.