Chapter 9 – Punishment (2005)
I woke up from cryostasis on my own. I don't know how, but I did. I stepped out of my chamber and looked around. There was a woman in a lab coat.
"I thought you might like to see sunlight. Your missions have always been at night and you're always killing people" the woman said.
"Thank you" I said, I didn't need a reminder that I was a murderer, I did appreciate her kindness though. She led me towards the door and I stopped, looking over my shoulder towards where the Winter Soldier would have been in his slumber. "Bucky?" I asked, looking to the woman. She shook her head.
"I'll be in enough trouble if they catch you walking around, if I let him out too then I will probably be killed" she told me. I nodded in understanding.
"Can you at least point to which one he's sleeping in?" She pointed to the one beside mine and then turned and led me towards the doors.
"Quickly, they will probably come to check on you soon."

I walked towards the doors to the outside, I was almost there when Pierce called out.
"What are you doing?" I spun on my heels and so did the lab lady.
"I thought I could let her out for some air, she's always done as she's told" the lady told him. I looked between them and felt his anger.
"Doctor, lady, person; run" I told her upon hearing Pierce's thoughts about having her killed. She looked to me as Pierce pulled out a gun but I shoved her out of the way and the bullet hit my left shoulder.
"You stupid little girl, always trying to help others." I glared at Pierce, trying to find a way into his mind, but he must have found a way to block me –unless I still had the serum in me. I held my shoulder and the doctor got to her feet slowly before backing away.
"Run" I screamed at her. She turned and did as I asked but Pierce shot her in the back and she collapsed.
"You, little Stark, will go back into cryo until we need your services again" he told me and pulled me to my feet.
"You're not going to tend to my shoulder?" he glared at me and nodded.
"We will take good care of you" he smirked and threw me in an iron room before locking the door behind me. I groaned as I pushed myself up on my hands and knees and then to my feet.
"Asshole" I grumbled and held my shoulder. I used all the strength I had to walk over to the bed and rip the sheet up to use as a bandage.

I was suddenly pulled off the bed and onto the floor, I looked up to see the Winter Soldier and Pierce.
"What do you want?" I asked as I held onto my shoulder which had healed pretty fast. I knew healing quicker was a perk of the serum they had injected into my brain.
"You tried to escape, you also went and saw Tony" Pierce said. My head shot up and I glared at him.
"How did you know?"
"Know that you saw your nephew? I expected it as soon as you found out the target was your brother, you'd try and find Tony" he knelt in front of me and took my chin in his hand but I squirmed out of his grip.
"Are you going to hurt him?"
"No."
"Are you going to hurt me?"
"Yes."
"I've done everything you've asked of me" I said as I stood up and Pierce did the same. "This is how you're going to reward me?"
"Yes" he said and punched me in the stomach, making me double over in pain. I coughed as the air tried to return to my lungs. He punched me in the face next and I spat the blood on the floor and stood back up, wiping the blood on my sleeve. If I had to go down, I was going down with my dignity intact. I waited to Pierce to hit me again but he looked over his shoulder at the Winter Soldier, who stepped forwards and punched me in the stomach with his metal arm. I fell to the floor, unable to breathe. He kicked me a few times as I lay on the floor, until I lost consciousness.

"Wake up sleeping beauty." I opened my eyes and saw I was still on the floor, my clothes were bloody and stuck to my body and my ribs were healing from where they were broken from the beating.
"Where's Bucky?"
"Back in cryo. We can bring him back if you want to be his piñata again" Pierce smiled.
"No."
"Then do as we say and don't go out of cryo again" he told me.
"I didn't bring myself out! The lab lady let me out" I yelled and Pierce punched me in the jaw, I held it and glared at him. "Maybe you need to watch your staff more closely" I snapped and punched him. He slowly turned his head back to me and stood up.
"Maybe you need to be shown who is in charge here" he told me as he yanked me to my feet by my hair and threw me on the bed. I realised what he was planning to do and fought against him.
"No" I screamed. "Get off me." He wasn't listening though, he was turned on by me fighting him.

I woke up crying, feeling defiled from what Pierce had done. He had disappeared once her was finished, leaving me alone to my thoughts. Which were all now filled with dread and revulsion. I was in pain, Bucky was going to have been my first, but he'd been declared dead in the war and then HYDRA showed up. I crawled over to the shower and scrubbed at my skin, clearing it of the filth that was Pierce. Nothing seemed to remove the disgust from me and I sat in the bottom of the shower until the water went cold before drying off and grabbing the clean clothes Pierce had kindly left for me to wear. My ability still hadn't returned and I was sure it had something to do with the needle I'd been jabbed with during the activity Pierce had enjoyed earlier.
"Hello again" Pierce smiled. I wanted to vomit at the sight of him.
"Don't touch me" I said as I took a step back.
"Do you remember who's in charge?" he asked with a smile. "I can always remind you." I slapped him and then spat on him.
"If you ever touch me like that again, I'll kill you" I warned. He slapped me back.
"And if you ever act like a spoiled little bitch again, I'll bring you right back in here and we can re-learn that lesson on who is at the top of the food chain" he told me. I glared at him as I stood up straight again.
"How am I a 'spoiled bitch'?" I asked. "I'm your prisoner here who does all your dirty work, murdering innocent people so you can rule the world." Pierce grabbed my face and pulled it so I was inches from his.
"I do rule here, and you are here because I want you to be. If I want you to be my little whore, then that's what you'll be. If I want you to kill, you'll kill. If I want you dead, you'll die. Do you understand?" he asked. I nodded. "Good girl. Now back into cryo" he said and grabbed my arm, leading the way back to where I would sleep until he decided I was allowed out again.

Author's Note: Hello all! I'm Brittney (I prefer Brit though) and I would like to say thank you to all the people who have taken the time to follow and/or favourite this story, you are all amazing! I would appreciate a few reviews though; tell me what you like, what you dislike, what you want to happen and etc.
I have just started a traineeship though and will not be updating as often once that starts as I will be working all day and studying during the night and most weekends. I PROMISE TO UPDATE AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE!
I won't take up any more of your time though so have a great day/afternoon/night wherever you are in the world and I adore you all!
Much love!
~ Brit