A/N* Okay! probably the fastest I have ever gotten a chapter out. It's very different from the old chapter 19. Please let me know if you like 1st person or prefer the way Eagle has been before now. (I think its 3rd person but don't quote me).
I enjoy writing it either way but if you guys prefer 1st person we can try that for a bit. I'm so glad that I've rewritten it, even though I already had half of chapter 20 done...(gotta start that over now...)
If you are enjoying then hit that follow button! Feel free to leave a comment letting me know your thoughts! I love hearing from you guys, whether its questions or ideas or opinions!)
Once again, please let me know which view you prefer! (1st or 3rd)
Thank you, everyone, who has already commented or followed! Y'all are the best!
Garlic Bread 3: Norway?! That's so awesome! I must say though, your purposeful misspelling of their names cracked both myself and my friend (who helps meh edit) up. Even now reading it makes me laugh and I can totally see Aubrey asking Bucky something like "Hey Buck has anyone ever accidentally called you Bucket?" or something like that...might have to steal that for later... It is definitely an improvement that she remembers her name. Maybe Capiscal will break them out! But I don't think that Borky is in the right mindset...I guess you need to read the chapter and find out...
*for those of you reading for the first time, Hi and welcome :) ,I apologize for jumping to 1st person without warning! Just felt right for this chapter.*
The pain is almost unbearable as my eyelids flutter, grimacing at the white light searing them. My mind is once again warring with itself, yet this time the fog seems to be less violent. Hovering on the edges of my being cautiously, waiting for the time to strike. Something isn't right...I know it...I can feel it...something the fog is covering up...yet when my mental hand goes to reach for it...the fog viciously tears at the mental hand, resulting in a throbbing, pounding headache...I was wrong..the fog is just as violent as it once was..it just...senses my strength...and my weakness….it hungers for it…
I sit up, wincing as everything aches and my mission blares in my mind. "I am the Eagle, waiting for my next mission." Yet the command feels questioning. Silently, I examine the room, it's dark stone, and the reflective, silver, toilet sink combination. Swinging my leg around brings a gasp of pain gurgling out of my mouth. My eyes flicker down to the leg and take in the raw skin that is stretched with a row of jagged stitches.
Where did the wound come from?
Questions beg to swirl in my mind but the fog hungrily eats them up, thirsting for more. The door to the cell clicks before swinging open, a man clad in black clothing strides in, rumbling.
"Adler, Steh auf und folge mir" [Eagle, get up and follow me]. I want more than anything not to listen to him but my trapped mind takes the command in stride. Limbs obeying without hesitation. I know something isn't right...I know I'm her but I'm also Eagle….which came first...I...I don't remember…..Sometimes remembering just brings more pain. The man leads me to a room that stinks of sterilization. A metal chair sits in the middle with medical supplies surrounding it. The man points to the chair, clearly wanting me to sit there. Cautiously, I limp over and ease into it, wondering what they have in store for me next. The man nods with approval before disappearing out the door for several minutes, giving me time to examine the room. It's small, with silver counters lining many of the walls. Machines on the counters hum, doing their jobs accordingly….like me...I am Hydra's machine...finely tuned to do their work. The man returned, the door clicking as four others follow him in. Each wears a white coat with a nametag. The first man, his nametag has the name"Dr. Fischer." printed neatly on it. He turns to my handler, his English heavily accented.
"We are going to be removing its metal talon plates and replacing them with stronger, better ones," he says as he creeps closer, moving my right hand to a platform and flicking on a medical light, examining the hand closely. Another one of the doctors comes forward with sterilized tools and a case. He opens the case with flourish, placing it beside my hand.
"What are the advantages of the new ones?" my handler rumbles.
"These have the capability to change color, to look like natural fingernails. They can also be individually activated instead of all of them activating at once. These should also attach to her skin better, become one with her. And react to her emotions when needed."
The new nails glint at me from their case and it's then that I realize the men don't know how attached my current talons are….maybe they know and don't care. The man picks up the first finger and sanitizes it, taking tweezers and clasping the nail. It pulls on my skin and silently I prepare for pain. The man tsk's under his breath, examining the nail closer.
"It..apears...that the current plates have..integrated far better then we expected." he murmurs as he picks up a shining blade and starts sawing away the connecting flesh. A hiss involuntarily makes it's way out of my mouth as the finger starts to thud with pain. My eyes tear up until the room becomes blurry and unfocused, my muscles beg to tear the hand away but my handlers voice cuts through.
"Adler!-" he snaps "-beweg dich nicht" [Don't move]. My back stiffens and the fog eats up any voluntary thoughts, growing thicker by the minute. The hand burns as the first plate peels off, finger feeling scorched. Venom swirls in my mind as I try in vain to reach for the thoughts on the fringe of my existence. The next three plates come off quickly and by the time the man gets to the fifth I start to writhe in pain….my body going against my handler's orders….maybe it is possible….to break out. The man removes the last plate on my right hand with flourish, nodding approvingly. Something hot and sticky oozes on my hand and my bleary eyes glance over, confirming any suspicions. The man wipes the blood away and I watch as he presses the first plate to my pointer finger. Its chill is slightly soothing as thousands of microscopic claws plunge into the severed flesh, grabbing hold. The process was repeated with each finger and at the end, they were wrapped in gauze….all too soon it is time for the left hand. Somehow I endure through the pain, blinking away tears as I stumble after my handler. This time we go to a large room with cylindrical tubes and machines hooked up to them. One of the tubes opens and my handler pushes me onto a plate on the floor. The tube groans as it closes and a moment too late the realization emerges into my mind….I'm going into cryofreeze. The tube starts to hum and a bone-breaking, mind-numbing, frigid pain starts at my feet and travels up to my head. Within seconds I am gone.
People and places float through my mind...images of her...the other me...yet the same me….I know I'm in cryofreeze..yet somehow my subconscious is not….. Recent memories float on a river through my mind...mostly being on the run with him...My capture….It leaves me furious...shades of red flash as I seethe.. Wanting to burn my captors to the ground….Yet I don't just want it...I crave it...and somehow...the fog does too….The time is coming… The man said that I was predictable...that they knew our next moves...I am not so predictable anymore….not now...when I know that the programming isn't permanent...not for me… Maybe they had seen us coming...but this?... They will not….my Revenge will be swift and sweet...I will burn every single one of those rats…..after all…..Anyone Can Betray Anyone.
The Soldier was sitting in a chair, watching silently as a technician did something to his mechanical arm. Anguish bloomed in his chest but he pushed it away, unsure where it had come from. He had his mission and that was it….wasn't it?… He silently answered his own question. Yes, it was. He was brought back to attention by his handler entering the room. Vaguely he heard his handler whispering to another.
"The operation was successful and she is now in cryofreeze. What are the plans for the other one?" the other man's voice was hushed and he glanced at the Soldier.
"We plan on refreshing everything, testing his skills to make sure everything is sound. How long will she be in? I am tired of listening to her handler"
The man chuckled under his breath "She is just a girl with wings."
"What are you proposing?" his handler asked, sounding mildly curious.
"I say we have a little competition, not like there's anything else to do around here." the other man sneered. "Our weapon against yours."
"You're on" his handler turned and reached for the door "-I'll go tell her handler." His handler disappeared out the door. Soldier's mind felt the mist moving back in and he succumbed quickly.
The frost starts to fade, the numbing cold retreating along with it. The chilly tethers that had attached in my mind retreat and my eyes flicker open. The cylindrical tube lifts and recycled air filters into my lungs. Taking a deep breath I glance around the room until my eyes zero in on the handler. He motions and starts down the hallway. Stepping off the metal plate, my knees wobble yet my handler snaps at me, legs straighten on their own. He motions to my hands and slowly I unwind the gauze. Angry, puffy fingers stare back at me, tan-colored metal plates gleaming in the dim lighting and I eye the attachments with disgust as we walk. Before long we are in the weapons room where I'm handed my combat suit, wings, and sharp, plastic knives. Then we stride to a large circular room. The room has high ceilings and a metal bar cage sits in the middle, leaving a small walking space around the edges. Confusion clouds my mind but it flees as soon as my handler whirls around, stopping me in my tracks.
"Adler, a lot rests on today. You will be battling Soldat but not to death. No fatal wounds are allowed-" he pauses and says in a lower voice "But we have to win...at any cost." he doesn't wait for my reply because a door on the opposite end of the room clangs open. Another handler prowls in, Soldat at his heels. Slowly, I come to the realization of what's happening and I hiss….dreading what's coming. More people file in, nervous energy filling any empty space, against my will I'm pushed into the arena, the deadbolt clanging behind me. My feet sink into the sand and I test the traction with my combat boots…preparing for what is to come. The opposite arena door slides open and Soldat strides in, purpose gleaming in his cloudy eyes. Rules sound through the room as the handlers utter them to the men. All at once, everything quiets in anticipation.
"Begin"
My mind runs through a million different strategies but chooses one at random as Soldat runs at me. My wings flap as I prepare to take off but just as my feet leave the ground, I'm jerked back down. Soldat had shot across the arena and taken hold of my wing, pulling me back down. Hissing under my breath I spin around and jab my knife into his metal arm, hearing the whir of circuitry as his grasp releases. Flying horizontally, so my back is against the cage, I wait. He takes it as fear and strides forward, drawing a knife from one of his pockets. My wings flare and an inhuman growl rips out of my mouth as I propel my jets, knocking into Soldat and flinging him across the arena, into the metal bars. The metal groans and a thud sounds as he hits it, the people outside the arena cheer and egg me on...yet something in me doesn't want to hurt him…... I don't want to hurt him…..She doesn't want a fight. But I'm brought out of my stupor as Soldat shakes off his surprise, throwing a knife with frightening accuracy. It knicks my stitches and they tear, a screech ripping out of my mouth.
"Adler! ihn zu zerstören" [Eagle! Destroy him.] My handler's command cuts through the dim and I feel my mind as it takes the command, my body becoming a stranger. It flies at the Soldat and we tumble around the arena for several minutes before Soldat backs off his flesh arm bleeding. Whistling under my breath I flick blood off of my face and shudder, flickering in and out of sight. Soldat looks around and backs to where he entered the arena, vaguely I hear his handler whispering to him. His eyes narrow and he nods before drawing out more knives, rapidly throwing them. I catch one and throw it back. For several long moments, we circle the arena, waiting for the other to strike.
Flaring my wings I hover above the ground and send gusts off wind Soldat's way, sand flies up and pelts him, making it impossible to locate my position. Soldat holds up his hands to shield his eyes as he starts to push forward. My wings flap harder and I start to move around the arena, confusing him even more. He stops moving, waiting until I'm finished, my wings stop and I fly to the top of the arena, above where Soldat is stood. He wipes off his face, slinging chunks of sand away before looking around for his target. Flicking my jets off, I dive at him, he looks up just before we collide. The only sound is the cracking of a nose, it echoes off the sides as I jab another knife into his robotic arm, pinning it into the sand best I can, ruining as much circuitry as possible. The arm sparks and Soldier glares at me with barely concealed rage, twisting out from under me and kicking me to the ground. Sand and blood fill my mouth and coat my face as his fist meets my face. I spit in his eyes and wiggle out from under, shooting to my feet as we both draw another set of knives.
Soldat rushes forward, thrusting a knife at my face, dodging, I draw blood from his left leg, but in the process, I make a fatal mistake. The moment I bend over to slash his leg, I expose my back. Soldat's knife plunges into my back and jaggedly splits it open. Gutteral, animal noises escape as I gasp for air, staggering backward, hands clenched in pain. My chest heaves as we both back to the edges of the arena. Leaning over, I retch, the meager contents of my stomach soaking into the sand. Warm liquid oozes down my back and gingerly I try to assess the wound, hissing in pain. Soldat's eyes had sparked when I had screamed and he was now panting, looking at me with horror. His mouth moves like he wants to speak but nothing comes out.
Two voices ring across the arena, speaking over each other.
"Sodalt! Finish her!"
"Adler! Soldat! Stand down!"
Both of us hear the second command and limp towards the separate doors. My door slides open and just as I'm about to step out of the sand-filled arena something whizzes across the arena and lodges in my back. My vision dims as I crumple to my knees, eerie screams echoing in my ears as the pain becomes too much to bear and darkness swallows me whole.
I Must Escape.
The words echo in my ears as my eyes shoot open. I'm laying on my stomach on a scratchy hospital bed. Shifting, I immediately regret it, sucking in a breath as pain blooms across my back. A woman in the room clicks her tongue at me and whispers.
"It will all be numb in a moment but there is nothing I can do about the scarring on your back or your arms." I groan but stop when I hear what the woman said….my arms?
I know I should stay quiet but the words pop out.
"My...arms?"
The woman's voice sounds again...closer this time..quieter too.
"They said the other one charged at you and they couldn't get him off….had to drag him and wipe him five times before he became compliant...kept saying the same thing over and over again."
"What did he say" It comes out a whisper. The woman crouches down and looks me in the eyes, her voice barely audible.
"I'm not cleared to tell you but it's just us right now. He talked about a girl named Aubrey...and then he was babbling about Hydra. They think he thought you were an enemy operative but I know better. His handler wanted you dead-."
The revelation makes me gulp and just that movement makes me wince. The woman watches for a moment before leaning to my ear, voice soft.
"-I don't know how you broke out of the programming sweetie but we have people on the inside, working to get you and him out." footsteps sound in the hallway outside the door, and the woman straightens, but not before she can get out one last sentence.
"Hang in there, pretend to be asleep"
My eyes flutter closed, taking the command, I don't even try to fake it, fading in and out of consciousness, both from blood loss and pain. Vaguely the sound of my handler's voice rumbles through the room but the woman seems to calm him down. My dreams become vivid, some living nightmares, they come rushing back, the fog backs away from them...as if afraid...
A week passes, I know because at the end I wake up just long enough for the woman to whisper encouragement in my ear.
Another passes and this time my head doesn't pound as much.
"Ahh, she lives" The nurse smiles warmly as she helps me turn onto my back and sit up. The stitches stretch but it's then that I see the extent of the damage. Two jagged rows of stitches line my left arm and one on the right. Small jagged cuts dot my legs and my back aches at the smallest movement. When I blink my right eye twitches, my hand shoots up to my face and feels around the eye. Another cut from the middle of my eyebrow down to beneath my eye... at least three inches in all. Gingerly my hand wanders to my back, following the line of stitches from my left shoulder, diagonally to my right hip. In the middle is a divot.
"He lodged a knife in your back before he launched at you-" the woman explains quietly, sadness in her voice. "-Your handler is coming to check on you today-" she pauses and comes closer "-It is imperative that you act normal….Eagle" She quiets when I nod, watching as she exchanges my I.V out for a fresh one. The door to the stark-white room clicks open and my handler strides in, his face visibly relaxing at the sight of me awake and conscious.
"Adler...she is...awake?" he addresses the nurse. She strides over to him and they talk quietly. I stare ahead..acting...waiting for a mission.
Vaguely I hear him. "She has a mission soon and my..ah..officer doesn't know about the...incident.I would prefer it to stay that way... She is fit to perform?" His English is broken but she understands. The woman acts surprised but out of the corner of my eye, I can tell….she already knew. My handler has not had the training I have and he doesn't suspect a thing. But the woman's eyes sparkle with mischief.
"She will be able to go on the mission but must be careful not to tear the stitches." she chirps, playing her part. My handler nods, satisfied with the answer. He examines me from afar before disappearing out of the room. A breath escapes the woman and she turns to find me watching her. She smiles weakly and winks at me before murmuring.
"Get some sleep Aubrey, you're going to need all of your strength for what comes next."