Hello all!
Here is the next set of three updates, we're getting closer to the end with every update, I'm so looking forward to hearing what you all think of not only the ending of this story, but what you think of the next volume. I'm nearly finished writing volume two of the Shadow Siren series and it's been killing me having to wait to post those chapters!
Haha anyway, I hope you all enjoy the upcoming chapters!
The Next Step
Doctor Maximov stood with Agent Fetrad, The Winter Solders temporary handler while he trained Project Nyx.
"Has she completed her missions properly?" Pierce questioned, studying them through the video chat.
"Yes, all missions succeeded without The Asset having to step in and take over. According to The Asset during the Nanobinding mission she killed not only her target, but her targets wife without hesitation when she threated the success if their mission." Agent Fetrad confirmed.
"And how is Project Nyx developing? Are there any concerns you have for her as she begins full time mission completion? I plan to make her and the Winter Solder a tag team, and move her back with The Asset back to his home base. Make her more comfortable going on missions that eventually she can take on missions by herself." Pierce stated.
Dr Maximov shifted further into the camera.
"There is one issue. When we started the process of breaking her down and building her back up for HYDRA, starting the process of stripping her previous identity from her, she was completely obedient and reliant upon us. But now, that spark that fuelled her rebellion before is returning. She is far more resilient then we originally believed, all it's taken to strengthen her again is The Asset showing her what she believes to be kindness by not harming her during training. She's grown attached to him, and somehow has drawn enough confidence that the anger and resentment we've be trying to wipe out of her in beginning to burn in her again. He's loosening our control over her." The Doctor said gravely.
Pierce raised a brow, clearly surprised by his words before leaning back in his chair.
"Hmm..."
"I disagree." Agent Fetrad suddenly said, making the doctor shoot him a sharp look.
"Oh? Why?" Pierce questioned.
"We don't have to fear rebellion from The Asset. He is completely and totally under our control is he not? But Project Nyx is not, we cannot control her mind, wecan onlh threaten her with those she loves. However, as she gets older and the Doctor continues to break her down into the perfect weapon, her passion for her family has the potential to be pushed aside in favour of her own survival. Her memories may fade of them, and the threats on their safety will not hold as much." The Doctor watched Pierce nod as Agent Fetrad continued.
"However, her attachment to The Asset will not fade if we have them working together. That benefits us, as it gives us a more powerful hold over her. All she'll ever have to see is him in the memory chair once, and she'll bow to everything just to make sure we never follow through on our threat of his suffering because of her."
Pierce rubbed his chin, clearly mulling over the Agent's words.
"You may be right. However, the doctor's words hold great merit as well. Perhaps the best thing to do right now is to remove The Asset, send him on a few solo missions and move him to a separate facility for a few months. During that time you will have Project Nyx fulfilling her own missions and eliminating any prisoners within the facility that need to be taken care of. She'll play executioner and if she obeys without fail then I'll continue with my original plan of tag teaming them."
Then Pierce's eyes narrowed.
"However, if she rebels, you will take care of destroying that spark through any means necessary. She will still be useful to us when she is broken."
Bryanna stared at the doctor wide eyed as she processed his words.
"But we aren't finished my training! He said that I still needed a lot of work last lesson!" She finally said, confused and frustrated.
Doctor Maximov crossed his arms and Bryanna saw a hint of a smirk on his face.
"That might be, but the higher ups have several missions that he must take alone. You will complete your own jobs here at the facility, so you really aren't losing much. You will finish your lesson for today as per usual and then The Asset will leave tonight. He was already made aware of this earlier."
Mr Fetrad turned to The Asset.
"Wrap up anything you need with Project Nyx today. We leave after dinner."
The Asset nodded and Bryanna watched the two men leave, the door clanging shut behind them. The corners of Bryanna's mouth sagged and she turned to her teacher with anxiety filled eyes.
"You're leaving."
"Yes." Was his curt answer as he turned and started jogging towards the running track along the outside of the gym. Bryanna put on a quick burst of speed, hurriedly catching up with The Asset and running alongside him.
"I thought you would be able to stay an teach me until I've learned everything." Bryanna mumbled.
"I was under that impression as well."
They both lapsed into silence as they ran, Bryanna wanted to say something but was unsure of what. The Asset had become an important part of her life here with HYDRA, and for the first time since arriving here she had found someone that treated her like a worthwhile being. She didn't want to lose that, to go back to being the weapon that they heaped abuse onto. The Asset had almost become...a friend.
"What are you thinking?"
Bryanna's head shot up and she looked over to see The Asset staring down at her. He reached up and tapped the top of her head with a quirked brow.
"You're showing emotion on your face, usually you can keep at under control. What's going through your mind?"
Bryanna let out a sigh and carefully weighted each word before speaking.
"I don't want you to leave. You train me and treat me like a person, and you don't punish me or tell on me when I have struggles. You never told them about my reaction to the kid being there, or me being sick. And you never told them about my breakdown before I had to kill Jezebel. You're...my friend."
The Asset twitched at her words.
"I'll be coming back."
"What?" Startled, she paused mid step.
The Asset stopped a few feet in front of her and turned back to face her.
"I was informed that once I finish my missions I will be returning back to come retrieve you, and we will begin doing duel missions. I assume once I return we'll work together until you're cleared for doing solo missions."
Bryanna felt her face brighten and she shot the barest hint of a smile at her teacher before starting to run along the track again.
It must have been a strange sight to say the least, slim and short Bryanna running next to a massive, muscular man with a metal arm and a perpetual scowl on his face. Two assassins, both HYDRA property.
"Today we'll be sparring. Everything else you can work on alone, but you need a partner to spar."
Bryanna nodded and followed him to the mats that were set up for sparring, easily falling into stance as he stood across from her. Then he lunged and it became a whirlwind of movement, parries and blocks, kicks and punches. They sparred as if they were in a real fight, Bryanna holding nothing back but her shadows and going at her Teacher like a cornered animal.
There was nothing careful or calculated about their fight, it looked nothing like even the carefully choreographed fighting matches that Bryanna used to watch with Tony on occasion. Anyone who didn't know they were training might think they were in a true fight, neither being gentle with their movements. She hissed as she was thrown down against the mat, air nearly being knocked out of her lungs. The Asset grunted as she knocked his feet out from under him and managed to topple him to the mats before he was up and coming at her again.
Bryanna brushed her arm over her mouth and felt her lip sting, blood smears coming away on her wrist. He had split her lip.
"You wanna quit?"
She didn't even think about her answer.
"No. Let's go again."
They sat on the ledge in the tunnel/cave with the two water bottles that they had retrieved from the cooler at the start of the obstacle course.
"Do you ever get tired of them only ever calling you The Asset? Do you ever miss your real name?" Bryanna suddenly asked, voicing her sudden thought without considering the ramifications.
The Asset looked over at her, seeming startled by her question.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, all they ever call you is The Asset. They treat you like a mere object, like you're nothing more then a weapon. They do the same to me, it's been so long since I heard someone refer to me by my real name." Bryanna explained.
His brows furrowed, a disconcerted expression on his face.
"I don't know. I don't remember my name." He finally said, voice low.
Bryanna blinked and her brows furrowed.
"What?! How can you not know your own name!"
He shrugged, light glinting off his metal arm with the movement.
"I don't know. I don't remember much, I know that something important happened and sometimes I get tiny flashbacks, as if the memories are still there and just buried." He explained.
She shifted so that she was fully facing The Asset.
"Do you know why you can't remember?" She asked.
A slightly pained look flickered across his face.
"A chair. Every time things go hazy, it's after the chair. I don't remember why I go into the chair, but it shackles me down and a machine grips my head. There are no words to describe the agony that chair causes..."
Bryanna felt her stomach clench at the haunted expression on his face. Although The Asset did talk and converse with her, he never talked about these kinds of things. She didn't quite understand why he was willing to now, but the bleakness on his face frightened her. She wasn't scared for herself, but for him.
"...Asset?"
He looked away and sighed, head dropping and hair falling forward to hide his face.
"It doesn't matter. I'm better off not remembering."
Bryanna stared up at him worriedly, hesitantly reaching out a hand and placing it on his shoulder in a attempt at comfort. He stiffened and jerked at her touch, his head snapping to the side to stare down at her hand for a moment before his shoulders relaxed ever so slightly and he returned to staring straight ahead at the cave wall on the other side.
"You talk about all this as if you still have your memories." He finally said, his gravelly voice breaking the silence.
Bryanna nodded, hand dropping from his shoulder back to her lap.
"I remember most stuff. My name, fun things that I did with my brother...I remember a lot. But things are starting to fade now, I'm forgetting what my mothers smile looks like, now it just feels like a warm glow. I'm forgetting what my room looked like, I can pick out a few distinct things but everything else is like a blur." Bryanna whispered leaning sideways against the wall.
Quiet fell between them and Bryanna gave a harsh bark of laughter.
"You know what's ironic? I miss my name, yet when I think about myself I don't think of myself by name. I think of myself as Project Nyx."
Bryanna shook her head with disgust, her shadow grey eyes dancing along the wall until stopping on a divot in the "cave". What kind of weak minded person can be changed so much just by what they did to make someone think of themselves as an object instead of a person?!
"What was your name?"
Bryanna's eyes snapped over to see The Asset looking at her, his blue eyes intent and focused. She opened her mouth to respond, then stopped as she glanced around fearfully. Saying her name... she hadn't called herself Bryanna since her time in the room with those lights and those sounds, where she was starved and deprived of sleep and even for a couple of days deprived of water too.
"What's wrong?"
Bryanna closed her eyes, mentally battling within herself before letting out a long breath. She shook her head, and swallowed. She didn't want to be heard by anyone, sh'd go right back to that room of horrors. But she was tired of being weak, of giving into HYDRA's every word. If Tony was in her place...he wouldn't be giving up.
"Project Nyx?" He prompted when she didn't answer his question.
She shook her head.
"No. Not Project Nyx." She answered, licking her dry lips.
Sharing it aloud, it terrified her. That room terrified her, and so did the thought that a single word from the Asset could send her back. It didn't matter though, she didn't care anymore. She was going to tell him. She was going to take that step outside of her safety zone.
Taking a deep breath she shifted onto her knees and with a hand braced on The Asset's shoulders to steady herself she leaned in to whisper in his ear, praying that if she didn't speak too loud she wouldn't have to fear someone else hearing. Her hand trembled as she shared her name with someone for the first time in so long.
"My name is Bryanna."
Her single statement fell heavily and Bryanna instinctively scuttled away from the assassin sitting next to her. That name was forbidden by HYDRA, and while she trusted The Asset to a degree, she was already wondering what had possessed her to voice that name.
"When was the last time someone called you by name?"
Bryanna shrugged, the shadows in her eyes churning.
"I don't know. With the times in the punishment room where they keep me awake, and then the testing days where they put me under while they check to make sure my body is still operating properly despite the blood I've lost track of the days. Do you know how long you've been here with me?"
"At least a year." He answered.
"And I was here for a while before you showed up, so maybe a year and a half I've been awake? Two years?" Bryanna guessed.
He shrugged and they lapsed into silence once more. Below the course Bryanna picked up on movement and she cocked her head as she focused intently.
"Project Nyx! Asset! You have five minutes to wrap up whatever training exercise you are doing right now, and then you will be being brought to your separate rooms while The Asset is preparing to leave." One of the guards that monitored them called out from below.
Bryanna sighed and shifted to the edge of the ledge, jumping out and landing easily below. Moments later The Asset had landed next to her, his blue eyes glinting in the dim lighting.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye." Bryanna said lamely, shrugging.
He said nothing, simply studying her. Bryanna had to crane her head back to meet his gaze and when she tilted her head in question she saw the faintest hint of a smile flit across his lips.
"I suppose this is." Then his face went serious, his gaze becoming piercing and intense.
"I'll be coming back, that doctor won't have control over you forever." He said abruptly. "Just obey and you might be able to avoid the punishment room. Your targets aren't worth rebelling for, never put their life above your own. We serve HYDRA, not the world outside. The world has no say in our jobs, they are not worth our suffering. You cannot forget this."
Bryanna gave a sharp nod and The Asset returned the gesture before turning away and starting for the edge of the cave/tunnel platform. He had only moved a few steps away when Bryanna reached out, grabbing his metal forearm and causing him to turn back to her.
"Stay safe. I need you to get me out of this, please don't leave me with him forever." Bryanna said stiffly, her thoughts flitting to the pleased expression on the doctor's face when he had announced The Asset was leaving.
He reached up, grabbing her hand with his flesh hand and pulling her grip loose before dropping her now empty hand and turning away.
"I'll be back. Goodbye...Bryanna."
So what did you think? Reviews are welcome! Flames shall be laughed at, posted for others to laugh at, and ignored as I continue the story.