Ten words. That is all it takes Hydra to transform him into a mindless assassin; to empty him of any thought, memory or emotion. To transform a man into a monster, the kind that could appear in the worst nightmares of even the most powerful men in the world.
Ten words that could seem random for anyone who heard it, a combination made up to be impossible to guess. However, he knows different because those particular words hold a meaning for him.
Желание [Longing]
The word resonates in his mind, making its way through the pain tinting his vision in crimson. Longing is what he feels in the brief time that passes between he's taken out of his confinement and he's sat in that chair he loathes. Longing for a different time, one when he had a name although he can barely remember it now. A time that flashes hurriedly before his eyes, blurred images that he can't discern except for a blonde man. But what does that man mean for him?
РжавЬІй [Rusted]
He should be rusted, he knows it deep down. He knows it's been a long, long time, even if he doesn't have a real concept of time, because he's tired and he just wants everything to end.
Семнадцать [Seventeen]
It stirs something within him, a faint memory. A number. 1917? Why is that year important? However, the thought gets lost in the sound of the next word echoing in the room.
Рассвет [Daybreak]
A new start. That is what he gets every time as they wipe his brain again whenever he's woken up, forcing him to forget any reminiscence of his self, but there's nothing he can do about it. It's better like that because in forgetting his old life he also gets to erase all the terrible things he has done.
Печь [Furnace]
He finally starts to feel warm, whether it is from the electric current they applied on him or his own body he doesn't know, but it makes him feel better. More human.
Девять [Nine]
A creature with nine heads. What was its name? Hydra? Yes, that is. Hydra. His creator. His master.
Добросерде́чный [Benign]
There was a time in which he was like that or at least that is what he thinks, but he can't remember it. He can't remember anything. Everything is dissolving, getting lost, no matter how hard he tries to grasp the images, the pieces of himself that are slipping away.
возвраще́ние домо́й [Homecoming]
He used to have a place to call home, to where he could return with the people he loved. Not anymore. He doesn't have a home. He doesn't belong anywhere. He doesn't exist. He's the Winter Soldier. The only thing that resembles a home for him is the cryostasis chamber.
один [One]
He was the first of his kind to be created. He is unique. And he is alone, he doesn't have anyone nor anything, he only has an objective to fulfill.
грУзовоЙ вагон [Freight Car]
Suddenly it all stops: the pain, the voice, the images. All he can see is a mountain outlined by a cloudy sky and a train that gets farther and farther as he falls, and falls, and falls, until everything turns white and silent.
солда́т? [Soldier?]
He opens his eyes, the dim room forming on his retina alongside the image of a man sternly staring him.
готовы соблюдать [Ready to comply].
The words leave his mouth by reflex; he doesn't have to think them. The only thing he has to do now is wait for a target to be assigned to him, after all that is what he was made for: complete his mission without a fail.