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12:37am. Mission failure?
It was used to being locked away. It was used to being referred to as nonhuman, as that was what it was. It did not know anything else. The asset was used for constant missions and punishments because of one reason or another. The asset was a weapon of Hydra, and it would remain that way for as long as they wished. If it failed, it deserved to be exiled. At least, that is what they always reminded it of. No matter what it did, they were always in control.
Upon returning from its most recent mission, Pierce had decided the asset’s work was not performed well enough. It was not satisfactory. The asset remained blank faced as Pierce stalked around it, disappointment evident in the man’s eyes. With an elongated sigh, the asset diverted his gaze to meet that of his handler.
“You completed your mission. I applaud you on that.” The handler began, looking the asset directly in the eyes. As Pierce’s glare moved towards the controversial arm the weapon possessed, it felt a bit of shame. Shame? It must be a fault in the system. “However, it wasn’t efficient enough. Not concealed enough. I’m sure you know that.” The man concluded, crumpling a paper he held in his grasp. The asset did not speak. It was not allowed to unless commanded to do so. The crumpled paper was tossed quickly across the room. Blinking slowly, it waited for the rest of the report. “Failure to do this results in something I’m sure you’re aware of. We don’t let things like this go.” Pierce continued, finally residing in a nearby chair. The asset continued to stand in place, its arms hanging lifelessly at its sides. “Response.” He finally demanded from it.
“What is my punishment?” It questioned with hesitance, its voice calm and low. It remained unmoving, awaiting the answer. Pierce glanced at him, averting his eye contact as he pondered the question. When he finally decided internally, he stood again, striding effortlessly up to the asset without fear.
“Punishment?” He asked rhetorically, expecting no answer. “No need to worry about that. I have that covered.” Pierce spoke, his voice bitter and cold. The asset felt a faint wash of nervousness cross his mind. Nervousness? Another fault in the system.
Straightening its body a bit, it nodded, as Pierce had nonverbally commanded a response. As its handler began to walk towards the door, he raised his arm, signalling for the asset to follow. It followed.
12:47am. Metal.
Pierce led the asset to a room in a secluded area of the compound. Upon walking into the room, it noticed the lights were dimmed, and the sound of metallic echoing bounced in its ears. The handler flicked the lights on, momentarily causing the asset to flinch. Flinching? System default. Silence mocked the asset as they moved further into the room.
Besides the two bodies in the room, it was empty. Only the shiny walls, piercing lights, and large cage positioned center with a rope lying on the inside. The asset stood, waiting for the next order, letting its surroundings sink in. It had seen this before, but only when Pierce was looking to have fun. It knew they watched it struggle in the cage. It knew this was going to be a slow, painful process; it always was.
Pierce lifted his chin up towards the ceiling, gesturing at the cage as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. The asset stepped forward, heading in the direction of the cage silently, letting its head fall a bit downward; it was made to follow orders as a pet to Hydra. It felt a bit of guilt, though it was not completely sure what it failed to do. Guilt? Too many system defaults.
When it approached the opening to the cage, it allowed itself to step inside, turning back to face its handler. The older man was already stepping forward and into the cage. “Down, now.” He ordered cruelly, and the asset immediately dropped to its knees. It did not dare make eye contact, as that would result in a much harsher punishment. Pierce made his way around the kneeling body, snatching the rope up quickly. It was immediately wrapped around the asset’s neck, a bit tight for comfort. The asset swallowed instinctively as the handler tied the other end to the ceiling of the cage.
Pierce took no extra time, as he stepped out of the cage soon after, slamming the metal door shut. Once it clicked in place, the asset drew in a longer breath; it knew what was coming. What had it done wrong? System default. Curiosity.
12:56am. Punishment.
“Do not speak, do not move, and if you try to get out? I will arrange something much worse for you. Learn your place.” Pierce barked, causing the room to echo with his biting words. The following minute, the asset was left alone, cameras in the corners pointing at the enclosure. It did not move, it did not speak, it did not even alter its breathing. Until, another man entered.
Brock Rumlow. It had heard this man’s name spoken frequently. He was an important figure, obviously, in Hydra, especially if he was ordered to deal with the asset in such a way. Straightening its body up, it kept its eyes trained on the floor. Rumlow shuffled towards it, snickering to himself.
“Ah, gotcha all locked up again. What’d ya do this time, pet?” He asked jeeringly. The asset knew better to not respond. It was another rhetorical question said only for comedic value of the man. “Fine by me.” He finished, unlocking the cage abruptly. The asset did not move, it did not speak.
Rumlow teasingly tiptoed around it, crossing his arms in perplexion. In an instance later, the man unleashed a forceful blow to the back of the asset’s head, causing a whimper to arise from it. It was now hunched over a bit, dazed by the power of the hit.
“Don’t make noise, makes me feel too emotional and soft inside.” The man laughed, delivering a rough kick to the asset’s stomach. The second impact caused it to topple onto its side, breathing raggedly. “You know why they send me in here with you?” Rumlow asked, crouching down to the asset’s eye level. It looked directly at the man, the rest of its body unmoving. “Well, it’s cause I know how to do my fucking job.” He answered bitterly, his expression dropping from lightness to seriousness in an instant.
The asset did not feel fear. It was not allowed to. It was not taught to. But, it felt fear. It felt its skin crawling, it felt helplessness as it sat there, waiting for the next act of abuse. Maybe it deserved this. Maybe it deserved it for simply feeling.
Rumlow stayed there with the asset for over 20 minutes, battering his body, bloodying him.
“Ya know, you look real pretty with all that red against the black. You wear it like makeup.” He sneered, grabbing the asset’s hair, forcing it to look up. Involuntary wetness began to form in its vision. Major system default. It was not allowed to feel. It did not feel.
Rumlow threw its head down to the floor, causing a pained yelp to escape it. The asset grit its teeth, breathing laboriously through its nose. The man above it chuckled. It must deserve this. It was funny, after all?
“Stay down. Pierce will be in soon to clean ya up.” Rumlow finished, stepping out of the cage. The sound of his footsteps seemed far away to the asset. It was no longer near.
1:18am. Freedom?
It felt safe. It felt a short duration of freedom and relief. Unknown emotions? System default. Will probably need a wiping.
But it does not yearn for a wiping. It weeps silently, alone, at the thought.
It? No. ‘It’ is an object. The asset.. is a human.
He. He does not want to be hurt. He does not want the pain. He does not want to be abused, afraid of their next move against him.
He does not want to be the asset anymore. He longs for recovery, and to be given freedom.
The door clicked. Pierce entered, a team of medical personnel with him.
“Wipe him, and start over.”