Ro Six Echo

Part 21

It was 2:00 am and most everyone was asleep. The midnight shift of guards were patrolling the grounds of the compound and nothing was out of the ordinary. The Avenger's dormitory was silent save for the small snores heard from various rooms, Bruce's being one of them. The only sound out of place was the metallic snick of Bucky's door closing behind him. He had a back pack on his shoulder and side stepped down the hall on the balls of his feet, not making any sounds, except for the grinding of his teeth. He was done waiting. He was ready to take matters into his own hands. He knew he could find the tracking beacon Bruce had injected into Ro. He would find her location and then it was a matter of time to break her out. Like a shadow he made his way down to the river with no one noticing and took a small boat out from the bushes. He knew there were sensors and cameras in certain parts of the woods, but he convinced Friday to keep those readings hidden until he was far enough away. He laid down in the bottom of the small zodiac until he had floated a ways down river. Then he started the outboard motor to reach his destination where he had a car already parked.

As Ro laid in her cell after dinner, she contemplated her conversation with Brock Rumlow. He had never been an emotionally demonstrative man except when he was angry or frustrated. She had learned he liked coffee and whiskey, sometimes mixed together. He had a thing for blondes with big boobs, whatever that meant. And he was bound to serve out of honor and duty. It was all he knew. He was loyal to a fault and she felt like she couldn't question him because she was loyal also. She was loyal to Roger, her first friend, and then Bucky, Natasha, Bruce, and Steve. They were all kind and made her feel, well, like a whole person and not an experiment. She didn't know why he touched her hand and then her face. She knew it was a kind touch but she found it unusual coming from him. Ro finally drifted off to sleep, thinking about Bucky and his ocean blue eyes and his kind words.

The next morning Ro was woken up by her door being slammed open. Rollins. He had a permanent sneer on his face and said, "Get up!"

Ro quickly jumped to her feet and slid her shoes on and hurried to follow him down the hall. This wasn't all that unusual. Sometimes she was taken down to the lab to have her blood and urine tested before they fed her. The doctors wanted to make she her body was properly absorbing the many nutrients and supplements they were feeding her. They passed by the lab and entered a larger room she hadn't been in before. There were several doctors and technicians with clip boards and tools, scurrying about as they entered. In the middle of all of the commotion was a chair hooked up to different machinery. Ro thought maybe it was for more tests and didn't notice the sense of foreboding emanating from Rumlow who was standing next to the chair platform. Rollins shoved her forward to the chair as a doctor turned to face them. "Ah, Sargent Rollins, right on time. Put the subject in the chair." He didn't even look at Ro as she stood there with wide eyes taking in the mechanics of the chair. Rollins roughly grabbed Ro by her arm and sat her down in the chair. Then he tightened the straps over her wrists, ankles, and one over her chest as she tried to steady her breathing. This was unlike anything they had done to her before. Her heart began to race as she knew this was bad and she should run. She looked to Rumlow for some sort of help, anything that would alleviate her fears. He looked at her with sad eyes, but couldn't give her any solace. He clenched his jaw and held his gun tighter.

"Let's begin, people!" the doctor called out loudly. There was a hush over the room as the technicians stood to the side, except for one that came forward with a rubber mouth guard for Ro. She was terrified now. "Please, please, don't do this," she said quietly as tears streamed down her cheeks. The doctor pushed her head back as he shoved the mouth guard in. "Begin!" he ordered in a high-pitched voice. On a control panel someone pressed a button and two metal arms with pieces that looked like a halo began to descend on Ro's head. Two paddles touched her face, one on her cheek and the other on her forehead. And then the pain began. A surge of electricity ran though the metal arms right into her brain. Her skin was on fire and she gripped the arms of the chair and screamed in anguish. Her back arched as she tried to free herself. Brock looked away as the seconds seemed to stretch on for minutes. Finally, it was over. Ro sat, panting around the mouth guard, her chest heaving and beads of sweat dripping off her face. Her pupils were dilated to where her eyes were almost completely black. The lead doctor stepped forward, reading a series of words in staccato. "Rain. Six. Echo. Vast. Loyal. Repose. Obey." He finished with a flourish of his hands and Ro's eyes locked onto his. "Can you hear me?" he asked in a sweetly sick voice.

"Yes," she managed to say in a voice that sounded lower than hers normally did. Her vocal chords were strained from the intensity of her screams.

"Are you ready to obey?"

"Yes."

"What is your name?"

Ro stared blankly at him. She didn't remember her name.

"Your name is Six Echo. And you will obey my commands. Do whatever this man tells you to do. Understood?" He pointed towards Brock who was nearby.

"Yes, sir."

The doctor turned to one of his technicians and gleefully exclaimed, "Perfect! Our subject is perfect!"