CHAPTER 9

The Asset threw the first punch which Alexandra successfully dodged. Her eyes widened with fear. Her heart pounded violently against her chest. She backed away from him, but he followed her with every step. She began to breathe heavily as she kept her eyes on each limb from his body. She had never fought anyone before. She liked to watch everyone else and take notes. This was new to her, she had no idea what she was doing.

The Asset threw another punch at her. She dodged his punch again and pulled her arm back to throw a punch at him. He swiftly grabbed the hand she was about to attack him with. His metal hand shot out, wrapping tightly around her throat before slamming her body into the ground. Pain shot through her back, and she couldn't breathe. Panicked, she kicked her legs and tried to hit the Asset as hard as she could, but nothing seemed to phase him. Then her vision began to blur.

She gasped for air and coughed from the dryness in her throat. She felt weight lift off of her as cold metal released from her throat. When her vision came back, she quickly crawled backwards to get away from the Asset and rolled out of the ring. Rumlow caught her by the upper arm before she could leave. She snapped her head at him with tear filled her eyes.

"Consider this a warning next time you decide to hit me again," he threatened through bared teeth.

When he released her arm, Alexandra ran into the women's locker room. She shut the main door and locked it. She began to hyperventilate. She rested her back against the door and slid her body down. Her hands gingerly wrapped around her sore neck.

APRIL 30, 2007

She tossed and turned, tossed and turned. She couldn't go back to sleep. Her heart was pumping too fast. The images in her head wouldn't go away. She tossed and turned again. She growled in frustration and sat up on her bed. It was 2:11 AM. She looked at the blue backpack she kept sitting next to her bed. She swiped it and pulled it onto her lap. She dug into it and pulled out a bottle of triazolam. She opened the bottle and poured out a few in her hand. She put all but two back into the bottle and shoved them in her mouth. She took her water bottle from the floor and chugged both the pills and the water down. She laid back down in her bed and waited for the pills to work.

She tossed and turned, tossed and turned. She still could not go back to sleep. She looked at the clock. It was 2:58 AM. She turned to the edge of her bed and grabbed the blue backpack and took out the bottle again. Then she took three pills this time in hopes it would make her fall asleep. She took another chug from her water and tried to go back to sleep.

She tossed and turned, tossed and turned. She turned to the edge of the bed, grabbed her backpack, took out the bottle of pills, poured out five. She chugged the rest of her water and tried to go to sleep.

She woke up. It was 4:02 AM. She had to pee. She slowly climbed out of bed. She felt light headed and dizzy. She could barely keep her eyes open as she walked out of her room and into the hallway bathroom. She closed the door and turned on the light. She shuffled her feet onto the tile and made her way to the toilet. When she finished, she walked up to the sink. She felt so dizzy.

The Soldier heard the teenage girl moving around upstairs for the past three hours. He wasn't too concerned until he heard a loud thump that came from the upstairs bathroom. He jolted up the stairs and burst his way into the bathroom by kicking the door open. He scurried to the girl, who was passed out on the floor. He took his normal hand and lightly tapped her face. No response. His eyes looked down at the empty pill bottle in her hand. He instantly picked up the girl and walked over to the toilet. He set her limp body down on her knees and put her face near the toilet bowl. He shoved a finger down her throat until her gag reflex took effect.

He watched her vomit into the toilet until there was nothing left. When she finished, she began to sob. He wasn't sure what to do, but his natural instinct was to put his hand on her shoulder for comfort.

Alexandra swatted his hand away. "Get away from me, you monster!" She screamed.

TWO HOURS LATER...

Pierce walked into the vault with a somber expression on his face. The Asset was off. Something seemed to bother him.

"Mission report," he ordered.

The Asset almost looked pitiful. "She called me," he began. "A monster."

Pierce sighed and stretched his neck. "She's a teenager. They're dramatic. One little beat down, and you're the worst person alive." He looked back at the Asset and smirked at him. "You did good, Soldier. The world thanks you. Now, get some sleep." He turned to walk away. "See you in the next couple of years," he muttered to himself as he exited out of the vault.