Chapter 1: All I See Is Red
Before Bucky Barnes saved my life, I couldn't remember anything before my first day in the Red Room. I recall waking up on a well-cushioned cot in a cold sweat, finding myself contained within surprisingly comfortable cell, dazed and completely unaware of how I had come to be there. Behind a wall of glass, I saw a woman dressed completely in black with long, dark hair tied into a tight braid. She was writing something down on a clipboard, paying no attention to me. I stood from my cot, leaning against the wall when my vision began to blur and began to make my way toward the wall of glass. The dark-haired woman had finally looked up when I made my way to the glass, her blue eyes filled with... absolutely no emotion.
"You must sit. Your vitals are not yet stable." She told me, her voice thick with an accent I couldn't place, "Yelena will explain everything."
"Wh-what is this place?" My voice sounded like it came from another person's mouth, distant and fractured. The woman didn't reply, she simply watched in silence as my mind began to clear. My vision began to steady itself, as did my balance, allowing me to straighten up and pace in front of the glass like a tiger locked within a cage.
"Do you know who I am? I'm Gunnery Sergeant Rowan Pierce of the United States Marine Corps! My father is the Secretary of the World Security Council!" I snapped, my hazel eyes blazing now that they could see straight, "He'll have the entire United States Military looking for me!"
"No, he won't."
The words came from a new voice with an obvious Russian accent, rough and cold yet feminine and fair. My gaze shifted from the dark-haired woman to the source of the new voice and found my breath caught in my throat at the sight of the beautiful, blonde-haired woman who had spoken. She was small in stature, but her presence loomed large, especially in the presence of the other woman, who left as soon as she had walked in. Her hazel-green eyes held a seriousness within them, though her age couldn't have been more than eighteen.
"What do you mean?" I asked this new woman.
She shrugged, "Alexander Pierce was the one who sent you here to undergo conditioning. He will return for you once your conditioning is complete."
"Wh- Conditioning? For what?" My head began to spin, my stomach sunk. My father, Secretary Alexander Pierce, had sent me to some unknown location to be... I didn't even know what he wanted me be conditioned for, but whatever it was, it couldn't have been good. I found myself leaning against the wall again, trying to comprehend what I had just been told.
"You are in the Red Room, Rowan Pierce" The small woman explained, walking over to stand directly in front of me, "A secret training program developed in Soviet Russia to create elite spies and assassins. You have been sent here to undergo training and conditioning to become an elite soldier designed to serve the organization HYDRA."
I didn't reply. My mind was busy combing through the information given to me. I remembered hearing the name HYDRA before, but I couldn't recall where I had heard it.
"It's... a lot to process." The blonde woman said plainly.
"Yeah, no shit." I answered, my voice soft as I slid down to sit against the wall. I sat there with the stranger in silence for a moment or two before I spoke up again, my voice more confident.
"You know my name."
It wasn't a question, more like an observation than anything else. She chuckled under her breath.
"I know everything about you, Rowan Pierce. Daughter of Alexander and Diana, Gunnery Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, top of your class at Parris Island. Hobbies include horseback riding, hunting, archery, skiing, and hiking and your childhood dog was named Bruno. "
I felt the corners of my lips tug upwards, "Impressive... can I know your name?"
"Yelena Belova."
My small grin grew wider at the sound of her name. Yelena... a pretty name for a pretty girl.
"Beautiful." I mused without thought. Yelena cocked an eyebrow at my remark, though no emotion crossed her face. I felt my face heating up under her stare, but with a deep breath, I found the embarrassment started to fade.
"So what happens to me now?" I asked her, moving away from niceties.
"General Dreykov has placed Melina Vostakoff in charge of overseeing your conditioning. You will begin physically, then mentally. Before you begin your conditioning, you will undergo a procedure that will transform you into the newest breed of super soldier."
Super soldier... that sounded familiar to me too. Almost like it was synonymous with HYDRA. But I still couldn't place it. Tears began to sting the corners of my eyes as I struggled to remember anything beyond the most basic of information about myself.
"Why can't I remember anything?" My voice trembled as I looked up at Yelena helplessly. The lack of emotion on her face passed suddenly as she crouched down to meet my eyes with hers.
"I don't know." She answered honestly, "The tranquilizer that was given to you was only meant to make you unconscious, not wipe your memory."
I opened my mouth with the intention of speaking again, but another dark-haired woman entered the room, silencing me. Yelena straightened up and spoke to the woman softly, before glancing back at me once more and walking away. My gaze followed her as she stepped out of the room, my thoughts drifting to if I'd ever see her again.
"I must apologize for such poor hospitality on our part, Ms. Pierce, but General Dreykov insisted you remain here until your conditioning begins." The new woman said, punching a code into a keypad on the door. When the glass slid open she stepped inside and offered a kind smile to me.
"You must be Melina." I deduced, "Yelena told me you were responsible for me."
Melina nodded, her smile fading, making her facial features sharp yet worn, "That is correct. I hope you will come to see me as an ally more than a handler. But until then,"
In an instant, she drew a syringe from her belt and sent it into my neck. I stiffened as she hit the plunger and found my vision blurring once again.
"Until then," Melina's voice faded in and out as my eyes began to grow heavy, "You will be under constant superv-"
My eyes shut and I collapsed, but instead of blackness, all I could see was red.
When my eyes opened again, it was once again from behind a window of glass. This window was much smaller, surrounded by cold, dark metal. I was trapped in some sort of container, my arms and legs bound by steel restraints. Through the glass, I could see a group of women standing in silence, blank stares on all of their faces. In the front of the group, I could see Yelena, staring directly at the glass window, as though she could tell that I was looking back at her.
Elsewhere in the room, there were voices bouncing back and forth. I couldn't see where they were coming from until two men stepped into view of the window. The first man, short and heavyset with an angry face, extended his round hand to the second man, who handed him a vial of red liquid. The second man turned to face the container I was in and my eyes grew wide.
"Dad?" I croaked, my voice barely a whisper. My father walked up to where I was restrained and peered inside, his blue eyes brimming with delight.
"Don't you worry, Row. Everything's gonna be alright." He grinned, his expression dark. This was a side to my father I had never seen before. Alexander Pierce had always been a kind man, a dedicated father. Now... now I barely even recognized him.
"Let's get started, General." He said, turning away from me and walking out of my sight. A few clicks and hisses echoed in my ear before a pinching sensation coursed through my body. The pain faded just as quickly as it came, but soon a new pain replaced it. It started out as a dull ache in my arms and legs before spreading throughout the rest of my body slowly. The longer it lasted, the more intense the pain became, until I couldn't hold back a blood-curdling scream. My heart felt as though it would break out of my chest, my lungs felt like they were about to collapse. Finally, after what felt like an eternity had passed, the pain began to dissipate. My scream came to an end, my throat feeling like it had been sliced by a hundred tiny knives.
The container hissed long and loud, opening itself with a puff of steam. Once the door had opened, my restraints retracted and I found myself falling forward onto my hands and knees. I was covered in a thin layer of sweat, strands of my light brown hair clinging to my face as I kept my eyes locked on the concrete floor, trying to catch my breath. No one moved to help me when I finally attempted to stand, but when I straightened up I found myself towering over most of the girls before me. I looked down to see that the loose cotton shirt I had been wearing when I was first locked up now had a snug fit to it, framing well-defined muscles in my arms, shoulders and torso.
"Well, what did I tell ya?" My father's voice called out to me with a light chuckle. I turned to see him beaming at the sight of me.
"What the hell have you done to me?" I growled, taking large strides to meet his eyes a few inches from mine.
Dad set his hands on my shoulders, his perfect white smile nearly blinding, "Rowan, can't you see? I've made you into the best version of yourself! Together we're going to make this world a better place for all. You've been honorably discharged from the military and sent over to the Triskelion. You'll be working for me now as Agent 85."
My heart sunk at the thought of my military career being over, "Wh-"
Another needle found its way into my neck. I fell forward into my father's arms. And once again, all I could see was red.