13
One Year Earlier
Washington, Normanstone Terrace.
Patiently Daisy had sat on the curved sofa in the living room, watching but not taking in what was currently on her Father’s oversized television, her palms resting on her lap. Inside she had the urge to jump up and run out the house, to get out of there but she knew it would be pointless, she had nowhere to go and wherever she went her Father would find her, he knew how to find a gold dust in a sand pile with all the technology and people he had, Shield or Hydra.
Standing behind the sofa, as he had been for the last few hours was Rumlow, arms crossed, he watched the television the same as Daisy, not at all bothered what was on there.
A talkshow personality came on and starting talking about Iron Man and The Avengers, audiences members cheers and booed with differing opinions about the Earth saving heros.
Shaking his head Rumlow said. “Morons, total morons.”
Not turning face him she carried on watching. “Which ones? Those for or those against?”
“All of them.” He said cooly.
Turning around to found Rumlow with a intense look on his face. She frowned at him. “Let me guess, Hydra aren’t morons?”
Rumlow opened his month to speak when the sound of the front door stopped him. Instantly his body stood up straight and he looked ahead waiting for who he knew was coming. Turning herself back away from Rumlow Daisy turned in time to see her Father and sister enter into the house and stand in front of her side by side. Shadowing them was Rollins, alert and ready for any commands and orders that were to be given to him.
“How you doing Flower?” Alexander Pierce asked his daughter with his normal everyday tone, a smile on his face. From behind him Caitlin looked analytically at her sister on the sofa.
As they stood in front of her, towering over her more than usual Daisy had the feeling of a rabbit in headlights, hours ago she would never of dreamed that the feelings of fear, confusion and worry about the what her Father and sister were about to say or do and what they were apart of would have entered her mind.
Trying to keep her voice strong and even she replied as she looked back and forth to the two of them. “If I could I would go screaming outside at the top of my lungs about what you have planned to everyone everywhere…” she looked away from down to hands. “But I know that you’ll stop me and no-one will listen.”
Pierce smiled at his daughter and then casual walked the few steps over to her and sat down on the sofa next to her. “That’s a good girl. Your starting to see sense.” Taking her hand he squeezed it. “Hydra is the way of the future, the future is Hydra.”
Shaking her head, still standing before her Caitlin Pierce’s face was stern and unreadable. “Dad, you know she won’t come ‘that’ easily, she’s too-“
“She will.” Pierce said firmly, looking at Daisy directly but replying to Caitlin.
Daisy swallowed and starred into her Father’s eyes. “Dad…what happened…who are you?”
Squeezing her hand he smiled. “I am a part of greatest organisation that has controlled the world for decades and am in charge of taking the next step into put the new world order and harmonisation of humanity for a bigger purpose.”
“We both are.” Cailtin shot in.
“Dad…Caitlin…” Daisy tried to say, but found her voice was trapped.
“Flower, “ Pierce said smiling “it’s going to be alright. I promise.”
Before she saw what he doing her father pulled out a spyringe and jabbed it into her arm, never before in her life had anything taken such quick effect on her, her body became limp and she could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness. Her body fell back into the sofa, her eyes closed and she was gone.
Standing up and straightening his tie Pierce ordered Rumlow. “Take her downstairs.”
With a nod Rumlow picked up Daisy in his armss like a sleeping child and carried her out of the room and to the door that lead to Pierce basement.
“I don’t like this approach your taking.” Caitlin told her Father, her tone was firm but gentle.
“It will be fine.” Pierce assured her.
“How? Caitlin said with intensity, taking a breath she calmed her voice. “Let me try Father, this won’t work on Daisy, she’s stronger than you think, she’ll resist.”
Turning to face her sharply and he told Caitlin. “She won’t.”
Brock Rumlow had been downstairs in the basement of Pierce’s house, he knew the journey down the short staircase and through the hidden doors into another staircase that would take him much further underground like the back of his hand, but walking there this time he walked more carefully, holding the daughter of Alexander Pierce in his arm made him cautious about how he moved, he did’t want to bang her head and end up kill her, that was last thing he wanted.
As he walked, he kept his eye on her, knowing that what Pierce had given her was only to knock her out briefly and to waken her, he had seen it used many times when in the field, it used to dose prisoners to make them easier to handle.
The house that Alexander Pierce live had been bought by Pierce for one reason and one reason only, it had belonged to an influential member of Hydra from WW2, they built the house with tunnels and a war bunker that had been originally used for meeting and hiding of Hydra work and information from SSR and later Shield. When Pierce had become a part of Hydra he was told to buy the house by
Hydra and from there Pierce improved the hidden basement, creating at first a place to work, then making it wider and vaster by creating labs and research factuality away from anyone and to focus on the aspect of Hydra he wanted to focus on most of and what he deemed the most important.
Entering the unground complex which lay underneath Pierce house Rumlow knew exactly where to, he walked past the dozen or so people inside, working at computer and on equipment, fully focused and not all bothered by the sight of Rumlow, these people, Rumlow knew were the best of all Hydra, they had been chosen to work there by Pierce himself, they were obedient and worked only for Hydra, they ear lived and breath Hydra like it was sun and air. Going through another door he walked into a room where he meet by another door. This time he stood still as a retina scan was given to from the the doorways entrance, when finished the door opened and he walked inside, the door behind him closing.
Inside there was little to no light, there was nothing to see inside the room, the light shone from the ceiling above, which despite being some way below ground was impressibly high, giving the room a hallow like glow in the centre, despite all this Rumlow knew what to do, he walked over to where a table was and laid Daisy out on, her body was still limb as he did so. Stepping away he walked out the room, even though he had been incredibly careful carrying Daisy he knew what was happen next to her and despite all his own gentleness to her what she was about to go through there was an ouch of gentleness.
Before he walked out, he stopped briefly, he inhaled a breath and said to the unconscious Daisy. “It’ll be alright Kid, you’ll see, it’ll be alright.” With that he walked out the room and left Daisy alone.
As if hearing from one of the many tunnels of the underworld of her Father’s home Daisy heard Rumlow’s words, like a echo and from a dream, but it helped to pull her awake, to make her eyelids register there was light somewhere and she needed to open them. Head poised back on the table, her body on the cold slab of metal she opened her eyes to see the light hanging from the ceiling, the halogen light was weak and high above her, despite this it hurt her eyes to look at. Daisy took in a breath, blinking and trying to remember what had happened.
Just as her memory started to pull together the room went black and a loud alarm noise started, the alarm was piercing and harsh.
Daisy went to sit up in the dark but just as she tried to sit the room was lite up with red flashing light.
Sitting up she tried to catch glimpses of room from the flashing red but her eyes kept playing tricks on her, one moment she thought she saw a crowd of people around her, the next she thought she saw wolves or dogs watching her, then she thought she saw flames, then she thought she saw dozens of people with the face of her father watching her. The flashing of the light intensified, the sound of the alarm became amplified and started to sound like one long single beep.
Daisy put her hands over her ears to block out the noise and shut her eyes to ignore the flashing and the things she was seeing.
“Stop….” She pleased, trying to make her voice loud but above the noise was barely a whisper.
Then everything stopped and she again was in darkness.
Slowly she opened her eyes and took her hands off her ears.
“Dad….Caitlin…” Daisy said trying to fight back tears. “What-“
Again an alarm started, this time the alarm was low pitched and thundering.
Again the lights begun to flash, instead this time the light was blue.
Again the sound of the alarm and the light sped up and intensified gradually.
Daisy jumped herself off the table she lay on, she stumbled in the flashing light to the where she thought the side of the room, she kept walking to where she hoped to find the wall but she couldn’t find it, she kept moving but she couldn’t find it, it just kept going. Realising that was impossible she stopped, she started to move back to where the table was but found she couldn’t find it, she couldn’t even see glimpses of it in the flashing blue light.
From behind her something grabbed her shoulder and sung her around, but when she tried to face them, there was nothing there.
“Please.” Daisy said. “Please stop…”
Then everything went black.
Standing still she breathed in and out as calmly as she could manage, opening her mouth to speak she had to stop herself, for fear that it would trigger something else. Maybe that was it, she was triggering it all, maybe she…
The whole room lite up with a bright white light, so bright it stung her eyes and made her throw her arms up to cover her eyes, for a moment she though she saw an audience of people around her in seats, as if she was in an 360’ auditorium and being watched. The light was blinding, everything in the room become whited out, then slowly a strange hum started, a humming that gradually become louder and louder.
With her arms criss-crossed over her eyes, Daisy found herself crumbling to her knees, the humming becoming painful to her ears and drum into her head. Uncontrollable tears started to roll down her cheeks, with her eyes tightly shut she removed her criss-crossed arms and covered her ears instead. Her ears truly started to hurt, she could feel the pain physically.
“Please…” Daisy whispered desperately, not knowing what to say, not knowing who she was talking to her.
Was her Father doing this? Was she being punished? Was this how he was going to make her see how wonderful Hydra was?
Feeling as if her ears were about to start bleeding the humming stopped and the light went out.
She waited, thinking that at any moment something else would happen, another torturous something.
But nothing, she was left in the dark, in the silence, for what Daisy could only guess was an hour, she tried to hold on the feeling of time, counting, thinking slowly to try to not speed up her concept of unread time with her panicking mind.
From nowhere a new sound came, the sound of water running in the distance, then then sound of water came nearer and nearer. In the darkness she tried to figure out the direction of where it was coming from, but it was everywhere. Was she going to drowned? Had her Father realised she better off dead than part of Hydra? Had something flooded in where she was being kept? Did anyone know she was there?
Standing up she walked to what every direction was in front of her, one arm was wrapped to her chest, one arm was reaching out to try to find a wall in front of her, the sound of the water was very very near now. She tried her best not to panic.
As she reached out her hand she found metal. She grabbed it, if the water came in at least she had something to hold on to, she might survive. Whatever it was, it was pipe like and curved, she pulled herself to it but found it was attached to something. The wall? The floor? The ceiling? Using her other arm she tried to feel what it was attached to and instead she felt material, leather like.
Frowning and trying to figure it out as she the sound of the water became dealing she moved her arm upwards and found something she didn’t expect. Flesh. Warm flesh, flesh with hair.
Daisy pushed herself away from whatever it was.
Then the light above her flicked on. She was still in the centre of the room under the halogen light.
In front of her stood a man, he was looking upwards at the switched on light. His face vacant but the way he looked up at the light was almost sad. His face was young and was in need of a shave, his hair was to his ears and he looked frightening strong all in black with a shiny metal arm at his side.
Stepping back she felt something inside of her clicked with a memory, that she had seen this man before, somewhere.
Slowly he looked down from he halogen light above them to Daisy. His expression went from vacant and sad to twisted with anger very quickly. Instinct told her what he was going to do, so she moved quickly but she wasn’t fast enough, the man’s metal arm made a grab for her neck, which just about came to his chest level.
All at once the light switched off.
A second later it switched back on and the metal armed man was gone.
Hugging herself Daisy felt herself becoming hysterical. Was she awake? This had to a nightmare.
Looking down at her feet she saw water, it was swirling around her. She realised for a moment that she was actually standing on it. And with that thought in her head she went under the water with a splash and was pulled under as she leaden with weights on her feet.
Feeling herself being pulled under, she let out a scream and swallowed water into her lungs.
I’m going to die! Daisy thought fearfully. I’m going to die…
Daisy closed her eyes and tried to calm herself, thinking she was about to die and knowing their was nothing to be done.
Very nearby watching from above was Alexander Pierce in exhibition viewing room, a calm unconcerned expression on his face as he watched his youngest daughter laying on a table twitching and moving as the mental and emotional torture was inflicted on to her. The use of drugs that were manipulating her mind and body with simple forms of stimulation was the most effective torture and form of conforming those chosen to become part of Hydra effectively. Next to Pierce stood Caitlin, her face contrasted his, she looked annoyed and concerned down at Daisy.
“How long will this take?” Caitlin asked watching Daisy as she twitched.
“However long is necessary.” Pierce asked cooly.
There was more Caitlin wanted to say, it was on the tip of her tongue but she held back. Both looked down at Daisy in her tortured fragile state below them.