Trust

Darkness descended over the streets over New York. The city lights, car tail lights and bright signs light up the streets. Abandoning my place by the window, I wandered into the bathroom. And after turning the knob of the shower to a desirable temperature, I stripped off my clothes from the day. A quickly rinsed my body of grime, and then began my search for something more comfortable to slip in. After examining the limited options they gave me, I decided on a pair of sweats and a tee shirt. I glanced at the clock. It was only nine. After a mental debate, I decided I should probably rest, even if it was only for a few hours. I sat in silence on my bed for several minutes before the pure exhaustion of lack of sleep threw me. As usual, the nightmares started almost as soon as my head hit the pillow. I tossed and turned in bed, flashs of the Hydra bass clouded my vision. Soon, a beeping sound saved me from the tortured dreams. I reached for the lamp and turned it on. My eyes scanned the room, looking for the source of the sound. But, the sound soon slowed and soon the room fell back into silence. My heart pounded in my chest.

“What the hell,” I muttered under my breath.

“I am sorry to disturb your sleep Mrs. Anderson. But I am set to awake tower residents from sleep when they seem to be in distress.”

“Oh, ok.”

A soft knock came from the door.

“Come in.”

The door creaked open, revealing Bruce. However, he was not carrying the usual tray that carried tea unlike the other times he had made his midnight visits.

“What are you doing here so early, usually I’m up for hours before you come down.”

“Um, I was in the lab when FRIDAY alerted me you were in distress.”

“Yeah, What was that, it scared the crap out of me.”

“Um, well when Tony designed the tower he designed FRIDAY to wake up any team members in distress. With all the shit we’ve been through, lots of us have PTSD.”

“Oh, ok.”

There was an awkward silence.

“Mya, do you know what PTSD is?”

I stood my ground. Something like admitting I didn’t know about something wasn’t a weakness I liked to share. But, I saw the way Bruce’s eyes met with mine. They showed tenderness, and carring, and... sympathy. I shook my head

“Why am I not surprised. Those Hydra bitches really are some bastards. PTSD is a shorter term for Post Traumatic Stress disorder.It’s an illness that can develop in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus regions of the brian. It occurs after a person going through a trauma such as being abused, or having a near death experience. It can cause things like nightmares, panic attacks, or even anxiety.”

“Oh,” I muttered softly,” An illness, not a sign of weakness.”

“Is..is that what Hydra taught you it was, a weakness?”
I nodded.

He scoffed, “Well, it's not a weakness. As a doctor and an Avenger PTSD is a thing a lot of adults struggle with. Almost everyone on the team does and almost 65 million adults have struggled with it or are struggling with it. It's not a weakness and it's not your fault, it's your brain's natural reaction to going through something like you did. Esspacily at such a young age.”

“You sound like a therapist.”

He chuckled.

“I was in the lab when FRIDAY alerted me you were awake. So I didn’t have time to make tea. Do you wanna go get some?”

“Uh, sure why not.”

Bruce led me out the door and back into the hallways. We followed the same path as we did that morning and he led me into the kitchen. He motioned for me to sit on one of the bar stools and I followed. He wandered into the kitchen and pulled out two cups. He then pulled out a teapot, filled it with water, and placed it on the stove. Then went to the cabinet and pulled out a tea bag and put it into the water. After replacing the lid to let the tea steep he wandered over and took a place next to me.

“So, I’ve been thinking.”

“O..k,” back in Hydra, that ment either I was about to get put on a hard mission, or more experiments. Nothing good comes after someone in a high position thinking. I’m pretty sure that’s how Ultron came to be.

“And I have a proposal. If you're going to be living on this tower, I don’t want you hiding everything from us. But, it's not fair to you for us to be hiding stuff too. So, how about, I get to ask you a question, and then you ask a question. And we both answer with 100% honesty,”

I thought for a moment,”Deal.”

“Ok, I’ll go first, tell me, and be honest, do you really believe all the shit Hydra’s burned into your mind.”

“I’ve known no other life besides Hydra. Before I could even walk and talk porbelry my mother sold me to them. There I was trained to be the best there is. The world broke me down and destroyed who I was. So Hydra built me up again. I owe everything to them. The whole Hail Hydra and cut off one head and two more will grow in its place is just what comes with the job.”

“So, why haven't you left yet?”

“What?”

“You’ve had multiple chances to escape or at lest fight back. But you haven't taken a single one. Don’t think I haven't noticed. So, why haven't you taken the chance and returned to the so-called place you're forever loyal to?”

“For my survival.”

“Explain?”

“I’ve spent my whole life within Hydra’s walls, I know what happens to prisoners if they try to return to Hydra. They get killed. And personally, I put my survival first.”

The whistle of the teapot interrupted his repounce. He walked back into the kitchen and poured two cups of the golden liquid. He handed one to me and then sat down across from mine. We sat in silence as we nursed the first few sips of the hot drink.

“Why are you trying so hard to bond with me?” I asked.

“Huh?”

“You got to ask your question now it's my turn to ask mine.”

“Because you remind me of myself right after I had my accident. Broken, upset, angry at the world.,” He paused. “No one deserves to be alone in the world. Right after Harlem I ran away from my problems, closed myself off from the world. Then Fury found me, and I realized how good it was not to be alone anymore. I just want to give you the same chance.”

“Wow, Doc, didn’t really see you for the sentimental type.”

He rolled his eyes. We returned to our silence as we drank our tea.

“Hey, I have a question,” Bruce asked.

“”Hey, uh uh, you’ve already asked your question.”

“Different. I’m heading down to the lab tomorrow and I was wondering if you would like to join me.”

“And why would you want me to do that, and why would I want to do that.”

“Well, you have said on multiple different occasions you want to get out of your cell.”

“So you want me, a known assassin in a lab, which porberly has a million different things I could use to kill you and escape.”

“Well so does this kitchen but you're still sitting here and I’m still alive so that says something.”

I arched my eyebrow, but ultimately didn’t say anything, he had a point. We finished our tea in silence, and then we walked back to my room.

“9 sharp. Don’t forget.”

I rolled my eyes,”How could I forgot such a momentous occasion”