Chapter 2
The Asset felt confused when its handlers took it for reprogramming. They displayed no anger over its defeat by the two opponents.
"Open your mouth," commanded the handler in a cold voice.
The doctor roughly inserted the mouth guard as soon as it opened its mouth. It leaned back in the chair, breathing rapidly. As the machine whirred to life, the same doctor began reciting the code.
"Longing, rusted, furnace, daybreak," it was screaming now. "Seventeen," the doctor continued, his voice dropping lower. "Benign, nine, homecoming, one, freight car." At last, they were done, and it could drift into unconsciousness.
"Protect," the man was still talking above its screaming, "Natalia, Yelena, sis—" it passed out before the doctor finished.
-
It was always unnerving waking up after they reset it. Its limbs didn't seem to want to work, and its head was spinning. It was strapped to the medical table that it had come to think was assigned to it.
It didn't know how long it had been lying there when the door opened. Four guards walked in, all of them holding guns as if that would help them if it decided to attack.
"Get up and come with us," the man that seemed to be the leader said as he untied it. It was handed pants and a shirt.
"Put that on then go outside and follow us." Almost before the man had stopped talking, the asset was putting on the last of his clothes.
As soon as it was done the handlers started walking down the hallway. The hall was plain White with dim lights and doors on each side. It must have been in the middle of the hallway when they stopped in front of a door on the right.
It was instructed to stay in the hall. Well he was standing there and the handler was talking to something in the small room. After a while of him talking to the thing in the room the others went in the room. It heard the sound of a drill. Then the other handlers came out into the hall once again.
“Okay, you can bring it in!” They looked at each other for a moment then walked him into the small room.
The first thing it noticed was the two girls sitting on the beds, the ones that it had fought early in the day.
-
After the handler gave them the instructions they left the three sitting in the room in silence. The asset was well a custom of sitting in complete silence.
-
In the end it was the small girl who broke the silence, “so how did you think the fight went, Asset?” She reminded it of someone with the way her eyes looked when she was curious.
The soldier looked at her for a moment thinking about the fight, “you were very good. You and your sister were very smart to notice my injury and take advantage of it. You will be very useful allies and formidable enemies.”
“Really! You think that we are good!” She was smiling like it was her first time receiving a compliment, “Nat did you hear that! He-“ she stopped realizing her mistake, and quickly looked at the device that was listening to there conversation “It thinks that we are good!”
The oldest girl ,Natalia, smiled at her younger sister, “yeah I heard.” The asset was looking at her now.
“Now it’s time to go to sleep. We have a long day of getting to know each other and trading.” The asset was starting to like the girls.
-
For the first time it had a dream. There was a small man hugging him, his blue eyes crinkling in laughter. He was saying something that amused the asset. The asset woke with a slight jump as if it was waking from a nightmare instead of a dream that actually seemed nice.
“Are you ok?” Yelena asked, looking up from the book she was reading.
“I am functioning well,” he stopped to look at the book she was reading, “what are you reading?” She looked at the book as if she forgot what she was reading.
“The fellowship of the rings. It’s very good. Do you want to read with me?”
When it didn’t speak for a minute she hesitated, “ it’s ok if you don’t. I would ask Natalia but she doesn’t like it when I wake her too early and it’s only five o’clock.”
He blinked, he didn’t know what to do. This was not in it’s training. What if it’s handlers got mad at him for not following protocol, then again what was the harm of reading a book with a little girl? “Ok.”
-
The soldier was in the middle of reading chapter fourteen when Natalia woke up. Yelena spoke first “Oh hi, we were just reading. Did we wake you?”
“No you’re fine.” She got out of bed, “what are you doing?” Yelena got a happy smile on her face, “we are reading the fellowship of the ring! I don’t like reading by myself so I asked soldier to read it with me.”
“Oh good. Do you remember what time we have training today?” Natalia said, looking between the asset and Yelena for an answer.
“No, they said that they would pick us up, so until then we can get to know each other.” Yelena replied.
“So what do we do now, there is nothing to do here.” Natalia said a slight whine in her voice. “We could read together some more.” Yelena suggested.
“Yelena, we’ve read those books at least 100 times now!” Natalia said, rolling her eyes.
“Yeah but soldier hasn’t. Plus there’s nothing else to do.” Yelena argued back.
Before the argument could continue a guard opened the door. The girls quickly turned, seeing the guard they stood up straighter and stopped arguing. “It is time for training.”
The winter soldier stood up with the girls. The guard seemed nervous of the soldier when it was standing at its full height, “ f-follow me.” He spoke in a nervous yet commanding tone.