WARNING- scene of violence coming up. I wouldn't say it's that bad, but still- if you've got a weak stomach or don't like stuff like that, I'd skip it.
"Tell me about yourself."
The soldier stared at her uncomfortably, like he already knew that she knew that the question was useless. Everything he knew was in the file she'd read (and burnt) last night.
"I'm a soldier under the command of HYDRA. I've killed approximately 35 people purposefully. I have brown hair and brown eyes."
Was that sarcasm? She'd definitely detected some sarcasm behind that impassive tone.
"Don't play stupid, soldier. Do I have to call you soldier? I'm going to call you Timmy. Is that okay Timmy? Will you answer to Timmy?"
He nodded, but not before she saw the smile in his eyes.
"Okay Timmy, I'm going to tell you straight. Your files? They don't say much. Yes, there was a lot of writing, and I mean a lot, but it was all science and post-arm. I want to know you, but to do that, you need to know you. Understand Timmy?"
The man, who looked older than her by a good five years or more, hesitated. "Not really. There is no pre-arm. This is who I've always been."
"No, it really hasn't." Iris smiled sympathetically. All night she'd been plagued by nightmares of waking up a nobody. No memories, no dreams, just a collection of orders and a gun to carry them out. It would break her, even if she wouldn't know why. "Let's start with some simple mental exercises, okay? And if your commander asks, I'm just doing science-y stuff. No talking or exercises involved. Understand Timmy?"
While getting the equipment she'd sneaked in from one of the offices, she heard his muttered reply, that tone of sarcasm returning. "Yes ma'am."
The commander glared at her from across the table, staring at the half-filled sheet of paper in front of him.
"This? This is all you've gathered?" He growled, blonde fringe sticking to his sweat covered forehead.
"I told you sir. It'll take time, and without the proper information on the procedures used, it will take even more time."
"The files contained everything you should need to-"
"The files contained nothing!" Her voice shrieked a bit at the end, silencing the commander. Breathing deeply, she carried on in a calmer voice. "There were only hints to the procedures used, and nothing of detail. All I know is that it started with brain surgery and ended with the electric shocks. What I need to know is what sort of brain surgery and where the shocks were directed, and at what level. Is that okay? Is that information allowed inside of my clearance level?"
The commander smiled a sickly smile, leaning in at her across the table. "Of course, Miss Williams. But next time you interrupt or raise your voice at me, the deal's off. And I'll make you watch. Understood?"
A snarl of his mouth and a flick of his sweat stained fringe, the commander left the room, ordering one of the soldiers outside to receive the files for her. In a whispered tone similar to Timmy's earlier that day, she hissed "understood, your fucking highness."
"...of voltage per minute, all directed to his- that's impossible! How could he survive that once, let alone four times?" Iris exclaimed to herself in the room. It was like a prison cell, except with no bars or locks. A wire bed with one well used pillow and blanket, a small chest of drawers, and a bathroom holding a toilet, sink, mirror, and a shower she preferred not to use for too long. It felt like the mould and general ickiness would find it's way underneath her skin and tangle itself around her hair.
Outside in the hall, a rusty bell clanged its signal for dinner. Sighing, she followed the trial of people to the hall, where she sat down just a seat or two away from the other recruits her age. Tonight they all glared at her simultaneously before turning back to their hushed whispers and lumpy soup.
There was no miracle or anything during her dinner of cold spaghetti, just a hopeful interpretation. She caught Timmy's eyes over the bustle people, and his face glimmered in the ghost of a smile. He almost looked human.
"Oi, Williams!"
Not good, not good. When she was in New York, the word 'oi', especially when shouted in that sort of tone, was your cue to start speed walking away. The running was for when they started chasing you.
"I know you can hear us Williams. So stop running and face us."
"I'm not running; I'm speed walking." She called back inadvertently, almost slapping herself in the face when she realised she'd done so. Slowing to a stop, she faced her followers.
They were the recruits. The guys stood at the front, their girls standing behind with sharpened nails and malicious grins.
"We were rather upset when we discovered that you, our dear hostage, had control over some soldier business instead of us. After all, you're just a S.H.I.E.L.D. runaway; we wanted to be here. So, instead of letting yourself go about thinking you're all high and mighty-"
"I don't think-"
"-we decided to teach you a lesson. Lesson 1- don't interrupt me."
The ringleader, armed with strawberry blonde curls and five other men, circled around her, stepping close enough so if his hand just brushed out a bit-
One of them punched her in the gut. Crippled over, she didn't see the leader as he raked his finger up her face, catching her eyes and yanking her head up by her ponytail.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you, Williams." He whispered into her ear, keeping tight hold as his 'friends' carried on aiming for her stomach, not knowing where else it was appropriate to hit a girl. One finally threw a hit at her face, crunching her nose underneath his hands. When she tried to fall, the leader kept her up, one arm wrapped around her waist.
"You're a nothing Williams. If we were to kill you right now, no one would care."
She was about to retort back with a 'then why are you going out of your way to torture me first?', despite the blood filling her mouth, but was interrupted by a girlish shriek from one of the beaters. This was followed by five ominous thumps and the instant release of her body, allowing her to finally crumble to the floor.
"Whoah man, calm down." The ringleaders voice was faint, shimmering like she was underwater. "It was just a little lesson, okay? Bit of a warm-up before the big games in a few weeks. You know what it's-"
A sickening crunch snapped through her thoughts, followed by another thump as the leader collapsed beside her, hands covering his bleeding face.
"If you were to kill her right now, I would care." The attacker growled, stamping down on the leader's leg with one black boot. Iris' vision faded into crimson and iron, trying to place the harsh voice that dinged a metaphorical bell in her mind.
Iris woke up in a grey room. There was the stench of human sweat and blood and fear (aka 'hospital smell') but the only issue was that the walls were grey. If it was a hospital, they'd be white. Then Iris remembered she was underground somewhere in the central lair of a secret government / terrorist agency (she couldn't tell which) and decided that the colour of the walls didn't really matter.
Her bed was one of the three occupied out of 20. Each bed was armed with extra fluffy pillows and layers of blankets, along with space for medical equipment as big as those ones with all the needles and the breathing machine.
No wonder you didn't get into S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Shut up." She growled at herself.
"Miss Williams? Are you awake?" Feeling her cheeks heat up, she pretended to be 'escaping' from the layers of blankets. "Yes, Mis- wait. Who...why...what?"
The nurse smiled at her sympathetically, pushing her down when she tried to get up. Only then did she remember the crunching of her nose and see the bandages wrapped around her middle. Her immediate reaction was to poke the centre of her stomach.
"Ouch!"
"Miss Williams! What is wrong with you?" The nurse scolded, fetching some medicine from her cabinet. Probably a tranquiliser to stop her patient from poking herself in her obviously bruised and possibly broken torso.
"Sorry. I was just curious. My mind's a bit out of it. How did I get here again?" If the subject changed too fast, the nurse didn't notice. Instead she sighed dreamily while measuring some liquid into a syringe.
"One of the soldier's found you while you were getting beaten up. Sorted out those boys and brought you back here- just in time too! A minute later and you would have been..."
Iris tuned her out, rapidly thinking back to the rough voice and the black boots.
"Timmy." She breathed out, feeling slightly weightless (though that might have been from the small sedater the nurse had just injected into her bloodstream)
"Huh? No, there's no Timmy's here Miss. He didn't actually say his name, just told me you'd need immediate seeing to and left."
A frown on her brow, the nurse left, probably to hunt down her knight in shining armour. Iris, however, relaxed back into the comfortable bed, letting the drug wash away any uncomfortable around the tight stitches and bandages.
I would care.
Author's Note
I think this chapter is the fastest one I've ever written. Literally just been done so apologies for any mistakes (I did check but not as thoroughly as I possibly could of) I was getting tired of writing 'soldier' all the time so worked that little titbit in there. Came in pretty handy ;) My laziness is also perceivable where I didn't bother to google brain stuff and figure out which part of Timmy's brain they'd have to shock to get him all soldier-style. And DEVELOPMENT! FEEL THE HUMANITY!
Anyway, hope you guys liked it. Reviews, anyone?