The Winter Warrior // Captain America

«Chapter 20»

A N N A ' S   P O V

I winced at the sharp, stinging pain that came from my arm. Whatever the man on the bridge had done to my arm, it had been damaged, and it needed to be fixed. 

I sat in an all-too-familiar chair in nothing but a pair of pants and a sports bra. My hair was greasy and tangled as it lay flat against my scalp. Two men were working on my arm and my eyes were fixed on the wall in front of me. 

"Agent Rogers," a voice said in my head and I shot up straight. I heard the whistle of a train engine and I felt the cold wind on my skin. 

"Anna, no!" a different voice screamed, and I saw the blond man from the bridge reach out to me. 

I pulled my arm away from the two scientists and smacked one of them through the room. Multiple guns were then aimed at me as heavy breaths were leaving my lungs. 

Alexander Pierce entered. He held up his hand and the guns were lowered, but the agents holding them were still highly on edge. I had that effect on people.

"Mission report," Pierce stated.

I didn't answer, and I refused to look at him.

"Mission report, now," he urged.

He came up to me, lowering himself to my height before slapping me across the face with the back of his hand. I felt my skin burn and said, "The man on the bridge. Who was he?" 

"You met him earlier this week in another assignment," said Pierce. 

"I knew him," I muttered. 

Pierce pulled up a stool on wheels, sitting down on it so he was at my height. "Your work has been a gift to mankind," he said. "You shaped the century. And I need you to do it one more time." 

I looked away, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. 

"Society is at a tipping point between order and chaos. And tomorrow morning, we're gonna give it a push," Pierce told me. 

I felt Rumlow's hard stare on me and I glanced up at him, seeing him nod once. 

"But," Pierce continued. "If you don't do your part, I can't do mine. And HYDRA can't give the world the freedom it deserves." 

I felt my throat tighten and my head pounded. "But I knew him," I said. 

Pierce sighed, puckering his lips. He stood up. "Prep her," he told the doctors surrounding us. 

"She's been out of cryo freeze too long," one of the doctors said. 

"Then wipe her, and start over." When he said those words, he looked right into my eyes.

I was pushed back into the chair, and Rumlow looked at me with something that resembled sympathy, but not quite. A mouth guard was held in front of me and I opened my mouth. 

Metal clasps wrapped around my arms and the wiping mask was placed on my face, sending horrifically painful electric shocks through my head. I was left a screaming mess. 

***

After what felt like an eternity, my eyelids pulled apart, and my consciousness returned. I blinked a few times and the throbbing headache subsided. I was in a room with nothing but a bed and a table. 

I stood up, stretching my arm. It felt stiff, but it didn't hurt anymore. On the table lay my uniform and I numbly put it on, trying to recall what had happened. All I knew, was my mission. One kill. I couldn't fail. Not this time.