Chapter Two: The Noncompliance
Months came and went, Anna spent her days at the Vault, her nights locked in her room in her parent's home. She was pulled from school. The internet, cell phones, mail, and even carrier pigeon were all inaccessible to the once social teen. They had warned her if she spoke to anyone attempted to contact a single person from her old life they would be eliminated. The only people who ever spoke to her were her mother, Dr. Shultz, and her tutor, a butch of a woman who went by Lehrer and nothing more. Lehrer was as cold and cruel as the rest of Hydra, and had the disciplinary measures of a Catholic Nun, smacking the young blonde with a ruler whenever she answered incorrectly. The girl would go home with welts across her knuckles and sometimes her back if she butchered some foreign words whilst learning many different languages.
Some days she didn't spend time with Lehrer and she wished she was. Instead she would be spending time with the doctors. Collins would test her physically to the point of insanity, and still Anna would rather spend time with the soulless him than with his sadistic counterpart, Dr. Shultz. One her days with Dr. Shultz she would be led to an interrogation room, she would be hooked up to a machine that monitored her brainwaves. There would always be someone sitting at the table waiting for her, she rarely saw the same person twice. Dr. Shultz would be on the hidden side of the two way mirror watching. She would never know the person but she would be told to delve into their mind and find their secrets find their fantasies. She would be forced to pry into the minds of her unsuspecting victims and answer a questionnaire about their lives.
At first Anna would make up the answers not wanting to use her powers, she didn't want to give them what they wanted, but she quickly learned that death came to those whose answers didn't match her own.
She felt sick with guilt pale and weak unable to eat or sleep terrified of complying, and horrified of not. Shultz would look on gleefully as she ripped apart the minds of the men and women brought before her, feeling what they felt. Every session she could feel her powers growing and she wept. She wept in fear and desperation longing for it all to end. Her only consolation was that by breaking their minds she would be saving their lives. Without truth without transparency they would all perish because of her.
One day a month before her nineteenth birthday, Anna was led into the interrogation room by agents Willcox and Jarrod. She glanced down at the list of questions she was given curiously. This wasn't the standard loyalty interrogation, or a debriefing this person had wronged Hydra. A man was sitting across the table badly bruised, dried blood crusted across his face and rage in his eyes. He was strapped down to the chair unlike all of her other victims. He rattled his chains as she stepped into the room causing Anna to jump back into Jarrod's chest.
The prisoner barred his bloody teeth in a grin before speaking in russian, "Oni posylayut etu malen'kuyu shlyukhu, chtoby slomat' menya." (
.) He laughed before spitting a mouthful of blood onto the floor at her feet. "Yesli vasha sobaka ne mozhet etogo sdelat', chto zastavlyayet vas dumat', chto mozhete?"
) Anna didn't know much but she knew enough to be insulted. She sat down glaring at the beaten man, he merely smirked not intimidated at all. He turned to the two guards who were hooking Anna up to the machines in the room. "U menya yest' pervyy raund, i vy sleduyete?" (
Without anymore hesitation Anna dove in finding the meaning behind his foreign words she pressed harder and faster each layer of memories that she tore through further infuriating her she ripped apart the murders and found the rapes and unspeakable crimes and something snapped in her mind. She went lethal no longer paying mind to the man. She could hear him screaming as she dug her way through his mind finding the answers Hydra wanted. She wanted to be away from this disgusting creature. She felt his joy as he ruined the innocence of many women and children, she felt his bloodlust as he slit throats and fired shots that ended lives, she felt her own rage taking over an all consuming cloud of red hot rage surged through her and into the man's subconscious. And then suddenly it was all dark. She could no longer see memories, or feel emotion. There was nothing but dark silence. Opening her eyes she looked up at Yuri Popov, for that was his name, and instead of seeing the gleaming eyes of a sadist she saw dead eyes that stared at nothing, and a busted lip glossed over by drool. With a realization of absolute horror she stood from her seat and retreated so quickly she tripped over the wires still attached to her, falling to her back. That did not stop her she continued her retreat pulling at the wires and scrambling back until she hit the wall. All the while never taking her eyes off of the drooling mass of flesh that was once a member of the Russian Mafia, a killer, a raper, an unholy beast, and she had reduced him to a vegetable. She felt her lunch churning in her stomach. How could she have done this? No matter that past transgressions of the man, no one deserved that, did they? How could she have snuffed the life out of this man's eyes no matter how cruel he was? Was she any better than this monster? The man's eyes, dead as they may be never strayed from Anna's face, as though they were taunting her. Forcing her to realize what she has done and what she has become.
Footsteps made their way across the small room. Anna tore her stinging eyes away from the unresponsive man to look at Willcox as he pulled his weapon out of his holster and started poking Popov with it.
"Fuck man I think he's fucking brain dead." Willcox said waving his hand in front of the Russian's face.
"Shit really?" Jarrod asked moving over to pinch Popov's broken nose. There was no response. "Damn she really fucked this guy up." The two agents looked to the traumatized girl on the floor.
"It seems young Miss Peters has progressed much more than I thought. I think it's time to introduce her to the dog." Dr. Shultz's voice floated over Anna like mustard gas, poisoning her little by little. "Call this in, have Mr. Popov dealt with." Jarrod and Shultz stepped into the hall while Willcox kept an eye on the still comatose teenager and the vegetative Russian.
It wasn't long before a 'cleaning crew' came in and carted Popov off to God knows where. They undid his chains and placed him on a gurney like table and wheeled him out of the room not saying a word to anyone. They just loaded him out like garbage. Like they were emptying the waste basket, or flushing the toilet. Anna wasn't sure why that bothered her so much. Once they had left Shultz clapped his hands together and smiled.
"Best get her up and moving. They're waiting for us."
Willcox and Jarrod stepped forward and pulled Anna to her feet. Dr. Shultz led them all down the hallway that never seemed to end. Anna could barely move, a tightness in her chest and pressure behind her eyes, her body wanted her to cry, but she couldn't. Crying was a weakness, and crying over the enemy was damn near punishable.
All too soon the group of four made their way into a new room, a bank vault, armed men and scientists filled the room. Anna immediately saw her father and Agent Rumlow, the pair were flanking a seated man. This man Anna had only seen in the minds of her victims. His long hair like a curtain to hide his face. Stubble peppering his jaw in an almost permanent 5 o'clock shadow. He sat shirtless, scars smattering his chest and shoulder where it attached to the bionic arm that made him so famous. The red Star on his shoulder signifying his time in Russia. Anna knew this man without ever having met him before this was the Winter Soldier. As she looked him over,she noticed that he was undeniably attractive, dark and dangerous forcing a blush to flutter across her cheeks. His steel blue irises, lacking any and all warmth they might have once had, locked on her own. Her already slowed movements stopped all together at the intensity of his gaze, her heart beat stuttering. Willcox and Jarrod gripped her arms tighter and pushed her into a chair in front of the Winter Soldier. Anna swallowed thickly, nervously taking her eyes off of the Fist of Hydra to look to her father.
"Dad?" She questioned.
"This'll be just like the interrogation rooms Anna. Just see what you can find." Her father said calmly, his eyes trained on the Asset.
"Please I don't-" Anna began to protest remembering not even an hour ago how she wiped a man from existence. Anna looked around the room, everyone with a weapon had their hands on it.
"You will, this is non negotiable. If you don't you'll feel a hell of a lot worse when I'm done with you." Nervously Anna nodded at her father and looked back into the empty eyes of the assassin in front of her. She did her best to calm her breathing, closing her eyes, inhaling through her nose, exhaling through her mouth. Slowly she let her mind reach out, she couldn't dive in like she did with the others, this man was a weapon, this man would not hesitate to hurt her.
When she looked into his mind her heart stopped, it was dark and quiet, just like Yuri Popov's last moments, she thought she had ruined the Soldier as well, they would kill her if she had. But as her panic rose she soon realized that she had done nothing, there was nothing just left to damage. She went deeper hoping this wasn't the fate of this poor man. Slowly a memory appeared, it was broken faded like an old newspaper clipping. In it someone died. The further in the more she found just clips and snippets of missions and assassinations, but there were no emotions, this man felt nothing. Further and further Anna looked. So little memories none of them full, everything was full of static like it was a bad connection, until suddenly all she sees is World War II a man named Zola a fall from a train, Red Skull, a small girl yelling for 'James'. The memories cut out as her eyes open and breathing stops. She looks into the suddenly fire filled eyes of the Winter Soldier as his metal hand wraps around her throat.
"GET HIM OFF HER!" yells echo throughout the Vault as they attempt to pull the two apart. But the soldier's grip is too firm.
"Who are you?" He asks as a gun is held to his head.
"SOLDIER! RELEASE HER!" Agent Peters shouted. Hesitantly the Winter Soldier releases her throat and sits down in the chair once more. Anna coughs and hunches over as air rushes back into her lungs. Dizzily she sits on the floor trying to get her bearings. All the guns are trained on the soldier as he stares her down. Quickly Anna scrambles away not realizing how close she was. Willcox and Jarrod help her to her feet and pull her behind them.
"Take the girl for debriefing and send her home. Put the Asset back in cryo, we won't need him for a while." The voice of Alexander Pierce travels quickly through the almost silent room. Anna looked toward the barred door not realizing he had followed them in. A chorus of 'Yes sir's echoed throughout the room. Anna was lead to a familiar room where she struggled with her sore throat, stuttering quietly through the pain, telling what she saw in Yuri's mind as well as the snippets of the Winter Soldier. James, he had been called. Anna didn't mention the little girl or his name, that wasn't necessary, he could keep that. Hopefully he could keep something. After the debrief Anna was lead to Dr. Collins, thankfully Dr. Shultz sat this one out. She was given a once over and told to stay silent for a few days while she healed, no extra effort.
As it turns out silence rest and minimal effort meant she got to stay home for a week. Relatively alone with Willcox and Jarrod watching the house while her parents were at work. It was a relief, sure she wasn't allowed on the computer or cable or phone, but she did have an impressive DVD collection that she was steadily making her way through. On the third day of her shut in the back door unexpectedly opened halfway through the Princess Bride. Anna shrugged it off assuming one of her guards had to use the bathroom or something, so when a hand clamped over her mouth she was more than shocked. Another hand reached out and turned the volume up exceedingly loud on the television. Screaming she flailed her arms about but they were quickly caught.
"Annie, sweetheart, how are you feeling?" A quiet voice whispered in her ear. Anna's hands and mouth were released and the young woman turned to see her mother abnormally dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt.
"Ya know, most people announce themselves by saying 'hi." Anna croaked from her spot on the couch, reaching for the remote, but her mother's assassin like reflexes grabbed her wrist.
"Care to scoot over for your mother? I figured you could use the company."
"Uh, okay weirdo." Anna made to move over but her mother's grip didn't falter and kept her still. Alice Peters looked carefully from window to window. Glaring down every shadow, she pulled Anna up and pushed her toward the stairs. "What? I thought we were gonna watch the movie?" Anna asked staring at her mother. With a roll of her eyes Alice Peters pointed to her head in a silent invitation. Anna reached out softly brushing against her mother's mind.
Anna's eyes widened.
"I'm gonna go change into some sweatpants, I-uh, I'll be right back." Anna stuttered looking around her seemingly empty house before running up the stairs. She tore through her room throwing all her socks and underwear in a backpack then desperately crammed three pairs of jeans and as many shirts as she could manage. Then running to the bathroom she shoved toiletries into all the side pockets until it looked like the bag could literally take no more. "
she reached out tentatively, "
there was a long pause before her mother responded.
"
Coming back to reality Anna ran down the stairs to where her mother was waiting. Anna made to go through the front door but her mother held her back. Carefully Anna followed her mother to the back of the house into the laundry room. Mother turned to her daughter and pulled the hood of her jacket over her head brushing her hand down her cheek lovingly before covering her own head. The older blonde then opened the window and slipped out with more grace than a woman half her age. Anna's eyes widened seeing her mother in action. The young girl made to follow her mother and landed flat on her face in the garden bed below. Brushing off the mulch Anna followed her mother through the back yard and into the tree line that separated their subdivision from another. In the tree line her mother picked up a bag and shouldered it. Anna briefly wondered how long her mother had been planning this. The two blondes ran out of the tree line toward a black four door sedan. Her mother unlocked the strange car and climbed in the driver's seat. Throwing her bag into the back. Anna copied her movements and soon the car was peeling out of the neighborhood.
"Mom, can we talk now?" Anna asked quietly. With a nod of confirmation and eyes never leaving the road Alice relented. "Where are we going?" She didn't answer for a long while just kept watching the road ahead and the mirrors, looking for any sign of a tail. Eventually she sighed.
"Away, far away where they can't hurt you any more." Her mother's voice cracked causing Anna to stare in shocked horror. "Oh my sweet baby, if I had known all their plans for you, your father's plans, Pierce's, I would have stolen you away a long long time ago. I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry." She turned to her daughter tears welling up in her normally passive, expressionless eyes. "I hope some day, you can forgive me."