Chapter 19 - Due Punishment
Jamie walks into the Hydra base with her head down and shoulders slumped. Barnes hadn't drunk the poison and Rogers hadn't died either. She'd never failed before, ever! What would they say? A better question was, what would they do?
She knew what they'd done to prisoners and she'd seen others be punished for not accomplishing their tasks, but what would happen to her? She was their partner after all, they said so themselves. She sat in on some important meetings taking notes and had never once failed - until now.
She enters the conference room and sits in her usual seat, the one to the left of Clyde Hanler. She waits in silence as he enters with his right-hand man, Jerome Header. She didn't know their real names, but no one did. It was a measure to protect themselves from each other as well as spies.
"Miss Cantrell," Clyde nods coldly to her as he takes a seat across from her, "Mr. Header, close the door."
Jerome closes the door then stands behind Clyde in a way that make Jamie feel very small.
"Miss Cantrell, Felicity," he shakes his head, "I never thought that I'd have to say this, but you have failed me. I ask you to do a simple task and when you couldn't, I gave you a second chance. Do I look like a forgiving man? No. I took a chance with you and I helped you see the world in the right way. This is how you repay me?! Felicity Cantrell," he shakes his head with disgust as he says her chosen name.
"Mr. Hanler," she starts. He looks up and stares straight into her eyes. She pauses and her eyes widen in fear but she smiles at him none the less. "Mr. Hanler," her voice shakes more then she would have liked, "I haven't failed. It's just taking longer than we would have liked. The programing on the Winter Soldier is more intense than we had thought. The poison couldn't kill Steve Rogers, it wouldn't have killed Barnes."
"Miss Cantrell," he had a habit of saying her name in a way that made her feel as a young child being reprimanded, "it's not the poison that's the point. It's the fact that you tried twice and didn't put in your full effort. If you had, we wouldn't have to do this. I'm truly sorry."
"Mr. Hanler I don't understand," Jamie smiles "You're sorry? For what?"
"Mr. Header, show her to the next room," Clyde says as he stands and opens the door.
Jerome places a hand on Jamie's shoulder but she shakes him off as she stands. "Follow me," he says with a smirk.
He leads her down a dusty hallway to a room with green walls and white shelves. In the room was a large metal chair and control panel. She quickly recognizes that the chair is electric and this is to be her punishment.
"Mr. Hanler, Mr. Header," she looks from one to the other, "why are you going to do this? We are partners after all! Please, I thought that you'd understand, that you'd let me explain..."
"Felicity," the familiarity with which he used her name was somehow more commanding then the strict business terms they typically used, "there is nothing for you to explain. As for being our partner," he chuckles, "we just let you think that. We allowed you to be in trivial meetings so you could feel important. Do you see how gullible feelings make you?" Clyde walks over to the control panel and Jerome leads Jamie to the chair.
"Sit down," he says, pointing to the seat.
"Isn't there some other way? I can still do what you asked!" Jamie practically sobs.
"No!" Clyde shouts then in a soft, menacing, voice he says, "All actions have consequences. This is the consequence of yours."
Jerome forces Jamie into the chair and locks her hands and ankles in cuffs. "All set, sir," he says, tightening the strap around her waist.
"This is your fault, my dear," Clyde turns the nob then pushes up the leaver. "We will be back soon," he says as the chair turns on and begins to send small shocks through her body.
"Aaahhh!" she cries out as the men shut the door behind them. Every five seconds she would get relief then it would shock her again, slightly worse than the time before.
After about half an hour, Clyde returns and pulls the leaver back to its starting position and Jamie, at last, is released. "I expect you here bright and early Friday morning," Clyde says as he pulls her from the chair.
She collapses into the floor "Yes sir," she says through gritted teeth.
"I have the matter of the Winter Soldier under control now. You keep out of the way, you hear?"
Jamie nods as she stands on shaking legs.
"Good. That will be all Miss Cantrell," and with that, Clyde exits the room leaving Jamie stranded in her brokenness.