The Scarlet Spider
The Winter Soldier sat patiently in the passenger seat of the car HYDRA had assigned him, watching the house across the street. Inside he could see a young woman rocking a little girl no older than three. A man walked in from another room and wrapped his arms around his wife. The three of them were the picture of happiness and if the Winter Soldier were one to feel emotions he might feel bad that their happiness would be ruined in only a few hours.
The Winter Soldier watched as the family walked up the stairs to retire for the evening. Most people wouldn’t go to bed so early, but considering what their child was, her parents were most likely exhausted. As the lights in the house shut off the Winter Soldier took a brief glance at the setting sun. He had only an hour until it was dark, and his driver, a HYDRA agent whose name the Winter Soldier had not been given, was drumming his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel. While he could certainly sneak in now, it was too risky when there was still a chance of being seen, it was better to wait for the cover of night to hide him.
It was nothing short of miraculous that HYDRA had even managed to find the child in the first place. Many attempts had been made to create technology that could detect specific kinds of mutations, not just the presence of the X-gene, but nearly every one ended in failure. The only machine to work didn’t last more than two minutes, but, as it turned out, that was all the time HYDRA had needed. They had found a child with enhanced senses and strength, and a healing factor at least ten times greater than the Winter Soldier’s. The fact that the child also had the ability to stick to walls would be invaluable for assassinations, and while the girl’s age might be viewed as a setback by some, HYDRA saw it as an opportunity. They had found the perfect soldier who could be trained to obey every command without the need of having her memory wiped, she would grow to be loyal to HYDRA and no one else. Yes, the child was a rare prize, one they could not afford to lose. That was why the Winter Soldier had been tasked with retrieving her.
Once the sun had finished setting and darkness provided the perfect cover the Winter Soldier slipped out from the car and quietly approached the house. He climbed effortlessly to the child’s bedroom window, unlocked since it was on the second floor, and slipped inside. The walls of the girl’s room were a pale pink colour and many toys were scattered about the floor. Meanwhile Karen Parker snored quietly on her bed, oblivious to the danger in her presence. Or at least the Winter Soldier thought so, but no sooner had he taken a step forward than the child’s eyes opened and she sat up.
“Who are you?” she whispered. The Winter Soldier said nothing, but he made a mental note that the girl’s senses were even greater than his superiors had anticipated. Karen Parker was standing now, and judging by the look of fear on her face she was about to call for her parents. The Winter Soldier quickly walked up to her and reached to grab her, but she immediately jumped from her bed and onto the wall. “Mommy! Daddy!” she screamed. Before she could cry out any more the Winter Soldier grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him, clamping his metal hand over her mouth.
“Be still and silent or you will die,” he hissed. The girl’s eyes widened and she stopped struggling in his grip. The sound of footsteps was fast approaching and the Winter Soldier knew the child’s parents would be there in less than a minute. He adjusted his grip on the girl so that he was holding her to his chest with his left arm, his hand still clamped around her mouth just in case, and pulled out the pistol resting at his hip. The silencer would prevent the neighbours from hearing anything, and the Parkers’ bodies wouldn’t be found until the next day at least.
The girl’s mother was the first to run into the room and she fell instantly and without a sound as the Winter Soldier shot her in the head. A cry of outrage came from Karen Parker’s father, but he never made it past the body of his wife before a bullet had been shot through his head too. Karen Parker was crying and struggling in the Winter Soldier’s grip, but he squeezed the hand over her mouth and bit tighter and she stilled out of fear.
No longer needing to worry about being caught, the Winter Soldier easily stepped over the Parkers’ bodies and descended the stairs. The child had begun crying again, but she was being silent and didn’t move so the Winter Soldier ignored her. Leaving through the front door of the people he murdered the Winter Soldier brought her back to the car, the driver’s shoulders sagging with relief when he saw the crying child in his arms.
“Keep hold of her ‘til we get back,” the driver said as the Winter Soldier slammed the door shut. He said nothing to acknowledge that he heard him, he simply sat quietly and tightened his grip on the girl, making her whimper. The drive was silent, and after only two hours Karen Parker finally managed to cry herself to sleep.
Alexander Pierce was waiting for them when they arrive at the base. He walked briskly up to them and held his arms out to the Winter Soldier, who placed the sleeping girl in them. Pierce smiled and shook her gently, causing her to wake. Karen Parker stared blankly at the man holding her, all the fight gone from her now.
“Hello Scarlet Spider,” Pierce said.
“My name’s Karen,” the child mumbled fearfully. “Who’re you? I want Mommy and Daddy!” She began to raise her voice and feebly tried to push herself out of Pierce’s grasp, the Winter Soldier placed his hand on her shoulder and she immediately stilled.
Pierce smiled and nodded to the Winter Soldier. “You’re dismissed,” he said. The Winter Soldier turned and followed the scientists that were waiting to put him back into stasis. Before he was completely out of earshot, he heard Pierce tell the child: “HYDRA is your mother and father now, and you are no longer Karen Parker. You are the Scarlet Spider. Hail HYDRA.”