CONFESSION.
“I need to tell you what really happened”
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“Tell us what?” Nat finally asked. It startled Ophelia a little. She had been staring at her hands until Natasha spoke up. She was finally admitting about her past with HYDRA and she was shaking.
“Well, I’ll tell you everything from the start.” She sighed, running her hand through her hair. “Since I was five years old, I was given up to HYDRA because my parents were… top HYDRA agents.” She could see Steve lean back against the chair, looking upset. Tony widened his eyes, Natasha and Clint didn’t look surprised since they knew about this when they took Ophelia in. Thor looked puzzled and Bruce gulped.
“What is HYDRA? I do not know any HYDRA.” Thor asked the group, looking very confused. After Steve explained what HYDRA was, Thor gave a small nod and let Ophelia continue.
“They started experimented on me when I was around six but before that, they trained me every day non-stop. They taught me Russian, French, Italian and they’d torture me if I couldn’t pronounce the words right.” A small smile appeared on Ophelia’s face to cover up the sadness plastered on her face. She couldn’t show her vulnerability even more. She fiddled with her fingers as she was trying to recollect the things that have happened over the years.
“They trained me to become a ruthless assassin and HYDRA’s weapon. When I got older, they would take their best soldier to train me and if I failed to pin him down, they’d torture me, again.” She shivered.
“I’m guessing their best soldier was The Winter Soldier?” Nat guessed and Ophelia nodded with her eyes closed, remembering the man with the metal arm. Steve looked confused.
“The Winter Soldier? I’ve never heard of him before.”
“That’s because he’s a ghost story. Most of the intelligence community doesn’t believe he exists. He’s credited for over two dozen assassinations in the last 50 years.” Nat explained. Ophelia stayed quiet and nodded along.
“Anyways, I escaped HYDRA when I was 17 and I just ran until they found me.” Ophelia pointed at Nat and Clint. “They found me, and they took me in to meet Nick. They’d brainwash me but I still had my memories because I’d put a mental shield to protect my memories.” She looked down, a tear slipping down her cheek. She wiped the tear and looked at everyone.
Tony was speechless.
Steve was still processing the news.
Thor looked confused as ever.
Bruce gave a sympathetic look.
Clint and Nat gave her a small smile.
“Do you remember all of your targets?” Tony asked with a small frown. He didn’t want to offend Ophelia, but he was curious. Ophelia nodded and wiped her tears. She didn’t want to end the day with sadness and negativity, but she had to let it out of her chest.
“I remember all of them. They still haunt me in my nightmares.” She sighed, shaking her head. It has only been a week since she got back from New Orleans, from HYDRA and she knew they would come and track her down. “The mission in New Orleans was a bust. It failed because they found me and held me captive for five months. Five months of pure torture and training. I had to pretend that I lost all my memories from the brainwashing.” She said, sadly.
"They won't stop looking for me until they get me. Until they know that I'm a 100 percent loyal to HYDRA." She felt her breath catch in her throat and stood up.
“Excuse me, I need some air.” She walked out to the balcony. The wind was blowing her brunette hair, tears slipping down her cheeks. The wind made her face cold. She was sure it was way past midnight, but she didn’t feel exhausted, despite the heels she had to walk around in. She heard Nat’s footsteps, so she turned around.
“Hey, I’m proud of you for telling us about everything. You know that we’re always going to be here for you, right? No matter what happens.” Nat consoled Ophelia, rubbing her back. Ophelia thanked her and gave her a smile of appreciation. Nat pulled her in for a hug and Ophelia gladly accepted her hug.
“Thank you, Nat, I wouldn’t have gone through everything without you.” She thanked the redhead. Nat and Ophelia walked into the living area. Ophelia had given them a group hug and a few tears had slipped out during their hug.
So, they went back to their own rooms and decided to finally rest. Ophelia had gone to her room and when she closed her door, she sighed out of relief. She finally had the guts to tell her friends about her past. After changing into a tank top and a pair of shorts, she climbed on her bed and laid there, thinking about the things she had done to people. She tried telling herself that it wasn’t her fault but a part of her kept saying it was really her fault.