colosseum
Two years after being kidnapped, you have finally gained enough trust back to be able to be coffee girl again, but the agents no longer speak when you deliver coffee.
You occasionally deliver messages between offices when agents are too busy to take the messages on their own.
You have learned more Russian, and you aren’t fluent, but can hold a conversation.
You are able to move freely throughout most of the building, just not the lower floors where there are doors or on floors where there are labs.
You are hanging out and reading a book in the small lounge near the kitchen on your floor, which is the second floor from the top. The complex is large, but not as large as the SHIELD headquarters you were at. There are 14 floors, not including the basement.
You finish the chapter you’re on, sighing and setting the book on the table in front of you, getting up and heading into the kitchen. You decide to make a snack, and in searching through the cabinets and the fridge, you settle on a grilled cheese. You place a pan on the stove before shuffling around and gathering the ingredients, beginning to hum a song as you start to butter a slice of bread.
As you listen to the butter begin to sizzle in the pan when you place the bread down, your mind begins to shift. Thinking about Peggy, thinking about Stark, thinking about the brilliant engineers and scientists you worked with so closely brings a tear to your eye. You try not to think about them often, it hurts too much to not know what’s happened since you’ve been gone. When a HYDRA agent confirmed to you seven days after the whole attempting-to-choke-Rumlow-out-because-he’s-a-dick-and-he-deserves-it incident that Howard Stark was dead, and the serums that they were in search of were located, you spiraled a bit. Other agents saw how the loss affected you, how you were practically a zombie for weeks on end, and you didn’t even really care that they saw your weakness.
After a few months passed, you decided it was time to start the long game; trying to convince HYDRA that you’ve lost all hope, that you’re done fighting back, that you are no longer a threat to the agency.
You found that the best way to do so was not thinking about the people you care about too much. Doing this meant trying not to think about your work too much, either. Trying to forget how much you missed experimenting, building technology, spending countless hours in labs to try and bring your visions to life. Fuck , you miss your job. Miss having a purpose.
You’re pulled out of your scattered, broken thoughts by the smell of the bread burning in the pan. You curse yourself under your breath before getting it out and replacing it with the other piece you had buttered. This time, you stand and let your thoughts overtake you again, welcoming the tears as you place two pieces of cheese on the bread. You butter another piece numbly before placing it on top, then flipping the fully-built sandwich, the sizzling sound filling your ears once again.
You plate the sandwich a few minutes later, grabbing a bag of chips from a cabinet before turning to head back to the couch to continue to drown in your feelings.
You stop in your tracks, though, seeing Rumlow standing in the doorframe to the hall.
Frantically, you move the bag of chips to hold it under your arm so you can have a free hand to wipe the tears away. Pointless, but it was worth a shot.
“What do you want? I’m just trying to enjoy a snack.” You sigh and start making your way to the couch, never making eye contact.
“We, uh, we need you. Need… your skills?” He hesitates while speaking. No trace of cockiness dripping from his voice.
You can’t help but giggle, which in a few short seconds grows into a full-bodied laugh. It’s the first time you’ve laughed since you’ve been here. You gather yourself after a spell, finally meeting the man’s eyes.
You straighten up, your face suddenly turning serious when you register the look he’s giving you.
He’s serious.
“Sorry, what? You finally say, dropping the bag of chips onto the couch and turning to place the plate on the table, before turning back to face him.
He’s a few steps closer now, his arms crossed over his chest like usual, but he’s almost defensive. Why?
“There’s been an incident, we… have no engineers, no scientists. You were one back at SHIELD, right?” He says, still hesitant about the words he’s using.
“I was the head engineer before you came and took me from everything I love, yes.” Your arms are now crossed over your chest too. You know damn well that HYDRA has gathered information from every aspect of your life, and you know damn well that he’s read your file countless times. The phrasing of his question rubbed you entirely the wrong way, and if they really need you, you’re going to take every opportunity to be smug as shit just like him.
He raised his hands up in front of him, saying he means no harm, but that doesn’t stop the glare you shoot him, indicating for him to continue.
“Fine, we have no one right now, and we know you were good at what you did there. We need you to come in and do some science shit temporarily until we can fill the spots.”
“I was great. And, I could have been better if you didn’t take me from everything I love.”
He didn’t respond, just looked towards the floor while placing his hands into his pockets.
Shit, this is serious.
You sigh before taking in a long breath.
“What happened that was so bad that you have no one left and you’re having to come to me, huh?”
“Experiment gone wrong.” He offers, his words short and clipped.
“Bullshit, I need more than that Rumlow.” You say, shaking your head. Did he really think he was going to get away with telling you just that?
“It’s classified.” He returns.
You can’t help but let out a laugh before walking around the couch, stepping in front of him with your arms crossed more tightly across your chest now.
“Bull. Shit. If I’m your only hope, you’re going to tell me what the fuck I’m getting myself into. I’m not going to walk into something that’s a death sentence.” You’re a little shocked when he looks you in the eye, his expression now hardened, giving you a short glance before turning on his heels and motioning for you to follow.
He presses the number six when you both get into the elevator. The ride is short and quiet, you stare at him while he stands and stares blankly across from you.
The bell dings, you follow him into the hall. You’d never been on the sixth floor, as it’s a floor that consists solely of labs. You can’t help but get a little bit anxious while walking through the halls; it’s eerily silent, even for a top-secret facility.
He stops at a door with a plaque on the left side that reads “LAB THREE; VIEWING BAY.”
At least you’re not walking into the colosseum just yet.
He swipes his ID card, a faint beeping following. He opens the door and steps to the side, motioning for you to head on in.
You step up past the two rows of six chairs, up to the glass windows.
What you see makes you freeze in place, right hand shooting to your mouth as the left reaches for something to hold onto.
You hadn’t intended to wish something into existence as you were walking through the halls, but this is exactly what you’d imagine the colosseum to look like back in its heyday.
Bodies sat mangled on the floor, some whole, some just limbs, some just… unrecognizable. The round lab is covered with more blood than you’ve ever seen, weapons thrown about just as bloody. Jesus it looks like even random lab equipment was used to bludgeon peopl e.
“Who the fuck did this?!” You shout, turning to Rumlow with tears in your eyes before turning back to further examine the scene in front of you.
He sighs before taking a seat in one of the twelve chairs behind you.
“Back in in ‘40s, Abraham Erskine worked with Howard Stark on ‘Project Rebirth.’ Erskine had been working on a serum to enhance the human body, to create soldiers to help win the war. Stark worked with him and helped him when giving the serum to Steve Rogers after numerous failed experiments. HYDRA has had a super-soldier for just as long as SHIELD has had Captain America. About two years ago some higher-ups learned that Stark had been working on a formula for another serum- the same serum, and they wanted it. They wanted to create the most powerful death squad in the world, giving them the advantage when they had something to win.”
At some point, you’d turned away from the lab, because you’re now stood gaping at Rumlow who sighs and gestures for you to follow him again. He’s silent as you walk down the halls to your next destination.
“W.S. PROGRAM: CRYO HOLDING” is the door you’re standing in front of next.
The ID card is swiped, the lock beeps, you walk past the two rows of chairs, and he sits.
“What HYDRA hadn’t thought about was the reasons why Rogers was picked for the experiment with the serum. Erskine was adamant about choosing someone who wasn’t malicious. He’d learned with Red Skull that whatever is on the inside is amplified as well with the serum, so he picked good ol’ Stevie, who was as wholesome as they come.”
He was standing next to you at the window now, pointing to five identical cryogenic holding chambers with five people frozen in time inside of them.
“Those five were already the world’s most powerful death squad, and that was only amplified with the serum. They weren’t the biggest fans of the engineers running experiments on them today.” He says, with zero emotion lacing his voice. He turns and sits back down as you take in the sight in front of you. The murder machines in front of you.
“What about that one?” You ask, pointing over to one in a different cryo chamber, one that seems to be more frozen, one with older technology.
“He’s the original. He’s the one we trust, have control over. He has his trigger words, he does the mission we give him, he comes back when he’s accomplished the mission, he gets repairs, he goes into cryo. We call him the Asset.”
Asset.
“Sorry, repairs? How do you repair a living thing?” You pull your attention back to Rumlow, confused.
“He’s not entirely human; he lost an arm and it was replaced with a titanium one. Sometimes after a particularly rough mission, the arm has damages and needs some fixes. That’s where you come in, Anderson. When the scientists lost control of the other five soldiers, one of the engineers panicked and called out his trigger words, gave him the mission to sedate them. He managed, but not without taking some hits. With your knowledge of mechanical engineering, we figured you could take a look at the arm and get it fixed once we have the lab cleaned up. HYDRA can’t go without the Asset, and no one else would know how to read the papers to repair the arm other than an engineer. You’re all we’ve got.” He shrugged.
“You can’t be serious, you expect me to work on a deadly, robotic super-soldier… on my own?” You’ve been pacing back and forth in front of the window of the observation bay since the word “Asset” found its way into your brain.
Rumlow steps in front of you, gripping your shoulders to still you. His touch makes you flinch and jerk away just like it did the first time. He looks apologetic, and lowers his hands once he has your attention.
“Look, I know you have no reason to trust us and have every reason to hate us. But, you know that you’re not getting out of here anytime soon, and this will at least give you something to do, something to look forward to instead of just reading the same five books on the couch. Please, Anderson, you’re our last chance right now.”
Fuck. You can’t believe you’re about to let his stupid words about how stupidly worthless you feel actually get to you, but they work. You shake your head, contemplating a moment longer.
“Fine! Fucking fine. I’ll work on your robot, but I have conditions.”