Chapter 7
He woke up to the sound of voices and machines surrounding him. His head felt like it was about to explode any minute and he felt sick. He was seated in a large metal chair, his arms and legs chained to it, so he could hardly move.
“You made a big mistake, soldier,“ he heard a voice saying in his ear and as he lifted his gaze, he saw Doctor Zola standing next to him. “Did you really think you could escape us? I really thought you were cleverer.“
“Natalia,“ James managed to blurt out. “What have you done to her?“
“Agent Romanowa is no longer part of your world. You will quickly forget about her.“
“Never!“
Zola laughed a joyless laugh. “Never is a long time, soldier. We thought you would follow us and your orders but you tried to betray us and we cannot tolerate that. Is that your way of thanking us for saving you and giving you a chance in life?“
“Why didn’t you just kill me?“
“You were our best soldier and we put too much work into you to just kill you,“ Zola explained. “But sometimes something has to be broken before it can be fixed.“
He pointed at a machine that was connected to James’s bare chest. “You will be our most loyal soldier once we are done.“
James frantically tried to free himself but the chains kept him in place. With a soft hum two pads moved to James’s temples and a moment later an excruciating pain shot through his head as high voltage electricity entered him.
He heard a scream and realised that it was him. Darkness clouded his conscience as wave after wave of electricity shot through him.
Hours turned into days, days into weeks.
They emptied him, extracted his memories, his feelings, his self, and refilled him with their ideas and ideologies. His will was broken and he wouldn‘t even move without anyone telling him to. He followed his orders without questioning them. He killed without mercy and didn’t remember anything of his past.
The Winter Soldier had been turned into the perfect weapon.