Monster [Book One]

Chapter 4

“What is Project Insight?” I queried, marveling at the size of the room before walls once more enclosed the elevator, blocking my view.

“Something that will be very beneficial for humanity.  We’re almost… there,” Pierce said as the elevator stopped.  The doors opened and revealed a hallway.  Rumlow was waiting there.  How he’d gotten down here before us, I didn’t know.  I didn’t question it.  Already something felt off about this entire thing.  But curiosity was getting the better of me, so I followed Pierce down the hallway.  Rumlow walked behind me.  I could sense just how close he was.  If I wanted to run, there’d be no chance for me to escape.  He would block me.

Pierce turned around and said, “Miss Drew, understand that once you agree to this, there’s no backing out.”

“No offense sir, but I think my chance to say no disappeared the moment I got in that elevator,” I chuckled, trying to hide my discomfort.

“Smart girl.  Let me show you what you’ll be dealing with.  It’s a weapon that is extremely important.  It’s been going rather haywire.  We’re wondering if you can get close enough and fix it before we freeze it for the next time we need it.  Here.” Pierce led me into a room full of TVs.  On the biggest screen, a room that appeared to be some sort of laboratory focused on a man in a chair.  He had shaggy black or dark brown hair, downcast eyes, and a…

“Is that a metal arm?” I questioned hesitantly.

“Annabeth Drew, meet the Winter Soldier.  This is what we need you to fix.”

“I thought you were having me fix a weapon?”

“We are.  The Winter Soldier is a weapon especially that arm.  It has multiple compartments to hide weapons and is made of a metal that can weather many different types of abuse, but it is not completely invincible.  The cybernetic arm needs repairs once in a while.  This is where you come in.  We need you to fix it.  Any damage the arm has sustained and also the soldier itself.”

“Why me?” I looked him in the eye.  I wanted a truthful answer.

“Because the last few people we’ve sent in to heal him, he’s seriously injured them.  One guy is going to be blind in his left eye forever, one has a broken arm, and another is paralyzed from the waist down,” Pierce informed.  I glanced at the soldier.

“May I see the footage?”

“Why would you want to do that?”

“To see if there are any warning signs of when he’s about to attack.”

Pierce shrugged and ordered the guard to play the tapes. I watched each one carefully.  First off, all the doctors just walked straight up to him and tried to start working on him.  The soldier obviously wanted none of that.  Second, I noticed he kept his eyes on the guards in the lab.  It was like he didn’t trust them or something.  And third, he was being treated like a machine, not a human being.

“I’ll do it but I have a request to make.”

“Depends on the request.”

“I don’t want the guards in there when I go in.”

“He would kill you,” Rumlow argued.

“We all know he could kill me with or without guards in there.  I know what I’m doing Secretary Pierce.  If you want my help on this, let me do this without guards in the room.”

“Are you sure about this, Miss Drew?” Pierce confirmed.

“I’m sure.  Show me to his room.” I followed the secretary out of the room and to a heavy metal door.  He opened it and started speaking with the guards.  Rumlow pulled me aside and whispered, “Whatever you do, don’t get yourself killed.”