Chapter Thirteen

6.2K 242 47
                                    

The Compound, Sokovia, 2015

Maria

**********

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Just sit here. We need to give you some injections," Strucker replied.

I was confused. I thought I was doing training. "Why?"

"You are Hydra's greatest success to date, but you are in need of...repair." He said, holding up a full syringe of liquid.

"I don't understand. I thought Hydra was good." Now I was really scared.

He chuckled. "Oh Maria, your innocence is sickening." Then he covered my mouth with his hand and injected the needle.

**********

"I like to draw. One of the ladies taught me how to a while ago, but she is gone now. I don't know where she went."

What's going on?

"Maria, are you even listening?"

How did I get here?

"Maria...mum!"

My attention snapped to a little girl sitting on the floor with me. She was holding out a piece of paper with the most beautiful artwork on it. I studied it then studied her face. It took me a while to figure out who she was.

"Valerie?" I asked to confirm my thoughts.

She dropped her hands down in annoyance and she sighed heavily.

"You weren't even listening to me." She said, disappointment evident on her face.

"What?" I asked as I looked around the room.

I appeared to be back in my room and had obviously been there for a while as there were numerous pieces of paper and drawing pencil scattered on the floor. Some of them I had drawn on.

I looked back at Valerie with a confused expression. "How did I get here? What happened?" I asked her.

She seemed confused herself. "We've been here for ages, probably just over an hour. How do you not remember that?"

"I don't know. I feel like I just woke up," I said to her.

I felt a sudden burning sensation in my arms and brought them out in front of me to examine them. There were tonnes of little, red dots all along them. Some of them were still bleeding. Valerie came closer to me and ran her finger down each of my arms.

"Do they hurt?" She asked softly.

"They burn." I dropped my arms. "What happened to me. Do you know why I can't remember the past hour?" Come to think of it, I couldn't really remember anything before that either.

"It's probably the chemicals in you. It happened to me as well," she brought out her arms for me to see them.

"Oh my gosh Valerie," I said in shock.

Both her arms were covered in tiny, little, red scars. It looked as if she had been stabbed over and over again with a needle. It brought back an image of her sitting in her room with tubes coming our of her. I needed to know something.

"Valerie," she looked up at me. "Why are they doing this to you? What have they done to you? I need to know." She looked away.

"I can't say," she whispered.

"Please, please tell me. I want to know. You're my daughter." She sighed and continued to look away.

I grabbed her shoulders and made her look at me. "Look kid, I know that I haven't been there for you for - however long you've been in this world. Heck, I didn't even know that I was pregnant with you, I'm still trying to figure that one out!" I chuckled. "But I need you to know that I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere." A single tear ran down her cheek. "I have spent almost every day before I met you thinking about my child. I don't know what my fate is, or what is going to happen in the future, but there is no way in hell that I'm giving up on you. I don't know how to be a mother to save my life, but I want to try. Right now, and forever more, you are what I care about most."

Her face was now running with salty tears. I wiped them away then suddenly she leaped onto me and wrapped her small arms around me. A daughterly embrace. I brought her closer to my body and wrapped my own arms around her protectively. I had her in my grasp, and I was never letting her go.

"So, are you going to tell me?" I asked in a cheeky sort of 'I won' way.

She didn't let go of me, but I knew she was smiling. "Hm, maybe after you buy me my first Barbie doll - then we'll talk."

I laughed and tickled her, causing her to squeal a bit. "You're a cheeky brat."

Just like Ryan.

**********

Days went by, that turned into weeks and then months. Valerie and I had now created an unbreakable bond. Something that I never thought possible, given our certain circumstances.

Strucker continued to 'fix' me, while still finishing Valerie's procedures. And from what I knew, he was also trying to get the twins ready for whatever he wanted them to do for him. I swear, we spent most of our time strapped to bloody examination tables, becoming Hydra's prized possessions.

I had become quite friendly with the twins, even though they were still very reserved. Wanda and I would quite often have challenges with our powers, trying to see who's were most beautiful, but we seemed to never be able to beat each other. Then Valerie decided to have a go...let me tell you, her silver power was breathtaking.

By then, I had been compelled to do whatever Strucker told me to do. He would send me out on missions, where my alter-ego called Nova came out to play, and I would come back and be normal old Maria again, acting as if nothing happened, while Strucker gave me more chemicals. By then, my powers were unbeatable, with the exception of Wanda who, by far, had the strongest powers of all of us.

I was walking down a corridor with Valerie, Wanda and Pietro when it happened. We were just strolling along, talking about our enhancements and who was better of all of us. Then suddenly, as if on the drop of a dime, a battle erupted outside the walls of the compound. Bullets were flying everywhere, piercing the walls and narrowly missing us. I shielded Valerie as a shell hit the corridor wall, causing it to explode.

"What's going on!?" Valerie yelled.

"I don't know!" Another round of bullets rained on us. "Get down! Follow me, we have to get somewhere safe."

I looked at the twins. "Where are you guys going to go?"

They glanced at each other with a certain look. I knew what their intentions were. They wanted to prove themselves to Strucker, not that he would like the idea of that. I nodded at them, it was time they had their glory, and Pietro picked Wanda up and they sped away.

"What are we doing?" Valerie asked over the deafening sounds outside.

I thought for a second. "I know a room where we'll be safe. C'mon, let's go." I said as I dragged her away.

Valerie stopped suddenly and I turned to look at her. "You don't have to stay with me, I'll be fine. You can go fight."

"No," I replied. "Remember what I told you? I am not leaving you, never, ever. You are what I care about most. Wanda and Pietro will be fine by themselves."

"Ok," she said with a grin.

"Alright, now let's get out of here." And we ran, as fast as we could.

Broken Soldier [#Wattys2015]Where stories live. Discover now