Chapter Text
*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*
Bright lights blinded your eyes as you woke from a deep slumber. Once your eyes began to adjust your head started to get a sense of your surroundings. The sound of a heart monitor echoed in the room. You glanced around and noticed your arms were covered in bandages, an IV and a heart monitor were attached to your hand, along with restraints on each side. You noticed two silhouettes standing a few feet away from you. When you sat up pain shot through your entire body and the restraints were strong.
“Don’t bother trying to break free. Now I want you to relax so I can ask you some questions.” The voice belonged to a man standing by the foot of the bed. His blonde hair illuminated with the ceiling light, he stood with his arms crossed and had a muscular build. You let out a sigh through your mask, there’s not much room for escape.
“Alright Grim, spill. What is your association with the HYDRA?” A man to your right questioned, his dark glasses stood out the most. He seemed to be typing away while glancing at you occasionally. Residing an eyebrow at his question with genuine confusion.
You remained silent, the last thing you remembered was being knocked out by a giant explosion. You let out a low growl under your mask, shoulders tensing. The more you try to remember anything there’s intense pressure in your head and a ringing in your ears. Glancing around the room you noticed one large window by the exit, noticing your reflection it was most likely one-way glass. You felt your hands curl into fists as you tried to prevent them from shaking.
“Let’s start with something simple, who are you? If you’re an innocent person then we could use facial recognition to help find your family but with that mask, it’s hard to tell.” The blonde man sat in a chair closer to you which caused you to tense up even more.
Your mask was designed to look like the bones from an animal’s jaw. Sharp teeth were encased overtop of the fabric black underneath. There was a tight seal with the implants installed in your jaw to use the maks for breathing techniques whether it was for underwater or poisonous gas. That’s what the small circular vents were for between the edges of the teeth. The mask ended right before your ears and underneath your chin.
You sat up as much as possible and pressed your back against the bed to keep your distance, snarling underneath the mask. The beeping in the room matched the pace of your heart, you wanted to leave as soon as possible. Your breathing became heavy and your eyes glanced in different directions trying to find something to break free with. The two men stood up, causing you to jump, and left you in the room alone. Once they left you began to calm down.
The only source of comfort you had was a silver band on your right middle finger, a gift given to you a long time ago by someone special. It was thin with random letters on one side and engraved like tree bark on the other. It held different layers that fold open like a ball. Odd symbols and something about love was etched on the rings.You rubbed the ring with your thumb, your heartbeat calming down.
~~~~
A pattern began to arise of being asked the same questions after a certain long time period. Each with a different approach to which you refused to answer. They noticed how jittery you were every time someone entered the room, you would jump at the slightest movement they’d make. You refused any food or water in fear of it being poisoned although the doctor reassured you that it was safe. The only time you got to stretch your legs was for the bathroom or a shower.
You noticed the same nurse entering your room, Dr.Lee. Being surrounded by men all your life, the presence of a woman was different. You didn’t feel as threatened or intimidated, her interactions were gentle. Reminding you of the comfort she gave you so like ago, maybe that’s why you were less tense.
Dr.Lee was a spunky young doctor who’s been in the professional field for a few years now. Her aura oozes confidence and energy. She’s probably 5ft tall, slender, has jet black hair, hazelnut doe-like eyes, and wears glasses. A colleague of Dr.Cho who took interest in your case which hit close to home.
Tony and Steve wondered if there was a language barrier until Dr.Lee confirmed after a series of yes and no questions you understood English. You understood it fairly well along with other popular languages. You were conditioned to not speak, your purpose was to only serve. Sometimes you worked with partners from the compound and the language barrier became irritating with the heads. The books kept your mind somewhat sane as the time went by.
Dr.Lee figured you remained silent out of fear from the conditioning throughout your time at the compound.
On the other side of the window
“I think you should talk to them, use a bit of that charm,” Steve suggested to Natasha, who had been observing you for a few days.
“They’ve got to break this hunger strike soon. I know they’re HYDRA but isn’t this a little too much?” Natasha pointed out while she watched you as Dr.Lee worked.
“You’ve seen their equipment, they’re not some innocent bystander.” Steve rationally concluded. For all, they know the second they let you go HYDRA will show up at their door.
You had been found with two dao swords, a smaller one which looked more ancient and a longer one which looked newly designed. The ancient one had a straight rectangular black blade with a black grip and a gold guard with a matching case. The newer dao had a dark blade with crimson flames etched in, curved and towards the tip, built with a silver guard/clip and a black wrapped grip.
“Footage from the compound pinpoints them locked in an isolated cell before we went in. Someone opened their cell and the hallway leading out was next to the blast zone.” Tony mentions from afar, rewatching footage to see who survived and who did not.
“Fine let’s get this over with.” She entered the room after Dr.Lee had finished up.
In the room
You sat up noticing someone entered the room when Dr.Lee was leaving, your heart beginning to race again. Your eyes landed on a woman with medium-length red hair, confidence in her step, and vibrant eyes filled with something you couldn’t describe. Before you could think your heart leaped at the sight of a familiar face.
“Talia…” Your voice was hoarse as the name slipped through your lips and your eyes widened in shock. You pulled at your restraints trying to jump out of the bed. It’s been so long since you’ve seen her. This was her right?
“So…” the woman said, “you do have a voice. I was beginning to think that blast messed with your head.” Her voice was hypnotizing, and your eyes softened a bit. “My name’s Natasha.”
You met her eyes but your head was still fuzzy from the explosion. You must’ve been mistaken, it’s been years and you weren't entirely great at recognizing people anymore. Repressing faces was common so you’d feel no regret when killing targets. You carefully watched her every move as she pulled up a chair beside the bed. You were on the verge of speaking, the words on the tip of your tongue but you held back. She looked you up and down, a predictor eyeing up her target.
“You should eat. It’s been quite some time, you must be feeling queasy by now.” She crossed her arms in the chair and sat back. Then gestured to the glass of water and mixed fruit on your bedside table. You shook your head to say no then glanced at the window.
“It’s not poisoned. Here.” She opened the fruit cup and ate a few pieces, licking her red lips in a way anyone would notice. You had never taken your mask off in the presence of others, you weren't going to do that with strangers now. She caught you off guard for a moment when she brought her hand close to your mask. “Let’s get that mask off first.”
She was only a few inches away before you pushed back and pulled against the restraints.
“Stop!”
Your voice was inaudible and hoarse after you attempted to project, and she jumped back in her seat. You moved yourself away as much as the restraints would let you, your arms and legs beginning to become sore from pulling so hard. The heart monitor began to speed up and your breathing picked up, your head pounding in your ears. Moments later Dr.Lee rushed in, managed to hold you down, and inject something into your neck with a needle. Your eyes quickly felt heavy and your body calmed. The last thing you saw was Natasha’s eyes filled with sadness while you listened to the heart monitor beep.
Once she saw the fear in your eyes she felt immediate regret and guilt. You were scared and had experiences where you’d been hurt before, that she could tell. She treated you like a target, you reminded her of herself.
Outside the room
“I was this close to getting through to them and you guys ruined it.” Dr.Lee crossed her arms and stared daggers at the Avengers. “I want answers just as much as you but until we decide what wasn’t destroyed in the blast we have nothing. Maria informed me that her team has recovered a few things and will be sending them soon. So have patience and find a better approach, they’re scared and in an unfamiliar place with strangers. Definitely showing signs of intense isolation from other humans with little to no social interaction.” After that conclusion, Dr.Lee left the room. She may have found another way to get you to open up and that required 0 interruptions.
~~~~
Something inside you wanted to trust the doctor. Maybe it was what little hope you had about decent people who want nothing from you. That hope was thought to be entirely crushed years ago, you owe your younger self to see if that’s true or not. Now that you’re no longer trapped within the compound you were free to discover with caution.
Luckily most of the team was out of the Compound so she had plenty of uninterrupted time. You flinched slightly when she came over to take off your restraints and gave you free range to get you to eat.
“I’ll be back in a few.” She left a bowl of congee and a glass of water on the table next to your bed.
It felt odd to have the mask off your face, not sure of when the last time it was off. The cool air around you feels odd on the slits on your mouth. It took a moment for your stomach to adjust when you took your first few bites. You slowly ate in pace, trying to adjust to the new change.
~~~~
Although you’ve always struggled to tell time, the clock on the wall near the exit made it easier to tell that days have gone by. You found yourself lowering your guard around the doctor and behaving less cautiously around her. She became a familiar face, visiting you multiple times during the day. She would bring you food common to your homeland and asked you personal questions but never persisted too much. Eventually coming to the conclusion you didn’t want to return to the compound or anyone associated. Defecting meant putting a target on yourself. Lee kept mentioning you were free to live your life however you choose, you had no idea what that entailed.
Dr.Lee started to have you out of your room more frequently like basic exercise in a room a few down from yours. You found yourself surveying the area multiple times from the first step out the hospital room to the exercise room. She monitored your movement and exercise as well as your diet. Thankfully your progress was in the privacy of the two of you. She seemed very persistent about teaching you the language of American sign, you were familiar with that form of communication from books. She even provided you with some clothes like a pair of loose pants, long sleeve shirt, and soft shoes she says are called slippers. Eventually finding no need for the restraints you were free to move about the floor. If only she had informed the others…
You slowly stepped out into the room, glancing around the hall to see it was busier than usual. People you hadn’t recognized moving all over the floor, you walked out the room with caution. It wasn’t too long before one of the Avengers had spotted you, someone you haven’t met yet. He carried a giant hammer in his hand and he had blonde hair. He moved so quickly, he held you in the air by your throat in an instant.
“Last I checked, you’re not cleared to leave.” His voice was deep and stern. You gathered all your strength to break away from the man’s grip, panic surged through your veins. You're still healing from the explosion so freeing yourself wasn’t an option.
“I would appreciate it if you stopped manhandling my patient.” Lee’s voice echoed from afar, the man placed you on the ground and after a minute of explanation he apologized and the three of you went your separate ways. Safe to say you didn’t leave the safety of your room for a bit.
A few days later
“Thank you guys for joining me, now I finally got a hold of some files thanks to Maria. Here’s what I found from what we’ve recovered so far. This kid hasn’t existed until now. I ran the DNA scans and found nothing in the database. No family, no birth certificate. Whoever they are, HYDRA doesn’t want the world to know of their existence. I found a lengthy list of skills and what they’re resilient to. As well as what terrain they're familiar with.” Your profile was plastered all over the screens in the conference room, and a few maps detailing where you’ve been were thrown up as well. “This kid has nowhere to return to, no identity. I’ll keep trying to unscramble the files we did recover.”
“A shame none of the others survived. Who else knows about their existence?” Steve asked.
“Some retired HYDRA members or enemies. Your friend has taken out some powerful leaders.” Dr.Lee warned, flashing images of dead political or military figures.
“So what are we going to do now?” Sam chimed in.
“HYDRA kept this soldier hidden from the world, there is no doubt in my mind they’ll become a valuable asset to us. To the team. Now it’s on you all to keep an eye out, our little raid may reach some unwanted attention who may want to capture them again.” Fury spoke on a monitor from his compound.
Back to you
There was a faint smell of food coming from outside your cell, it didn’t take long for you to figure out the handle’s locking mechanism and open the cell door. Once Lee suggested you were well enough to not need constant monitoring on your health the team tossed you into a simple cell. A small bed, tall as your waist, surrounded by metal walls that barely showed your reflection.
You slowly followed the smell, peeking around each corner as cautiously as possible with luck that the halls were empty. A door slid opening to the source of the smell in the air. It opened a little quick for your liking and you jumped back when it slid. Two figures' attention was on you the second the door opened and one of them appeared before you in an instant. Which caused you to almost fall backwards at the sudden approach.
“Oh hello there, you must be new here. You’re the one they rescued from the wreckage at the compound in China right?” The figure’s skin was red with silver platings. You were completely caught off guard, eyes wide in fear. “My name is Vision and over there is Wanda.” The figure looked over to the woman standing further in the room.
“Come, join us.” She gestured to one of the high chairs near the counter but you refused to move, eyes wandering around the room a few times. “I think you scared them.” She whispered to Vision. After a few moments of silence she placed a plate of food on the table near where Vision was seated and you slowly approached. When you got to the table you were not entirely sure what you were looking at.
“I know that look, don’t worry they’re very sweet and filled with flavor.” The metal man explained, “They’re called waffles, they have blueberries inside. Those little white puffs are whipped cream.”
Your mouth salivated at the sight and smell, and the temptation to take off your mask lingered. You sat down in the chair and moved your hand close to removing your mask until the sounds of the door sliding open captured your attention.
“There you are, how’d you get out of your cell?” Tony pointed towards you then Wanda, “You were making waffles, why didn’t you tell me?!” He placed his hand over his heart as if he’d been punched. The volume in his voice caused a bit of panic to surface.
“They were for after your meeting, I assume it went well?” Wanda piled some on a plate and set them by one of the chairs. Others began to enter the room behind Tony which caused you to move closer to the nearest corner away from everyone.
“Well, there’s some news.” Steve looks directly at you. “The boss wants you to stay here with us. Now that’s entirely up to you and I can give you a bit to think about it. Although I’m not sure what he sees.” He mumbled the last part loud enough for everyone near to hear and assumed you couldn’t as well, you did.
How were given a brief explanation to what the Avengers were and an introduction to who everyone was. Dr.Lee placed a monitor on your wrist as a precaution for the time being. When everyone was done you quickly made your way back to your cell to eat in peace. When you finished your food you placed the utensils on the ground by the bed and drifted to sleep facing the entrance after removing your mask. You slept for the remainder of the day throughout the night. A dreamless sleep, to be expected.
“You know kid I think staying is the best option you’ve got for survival. Give them a chance.”
A few hours later a guest was standing in the doorway of your holding cell. Lingering guilt fell upon the ex-assassin and felt it was right to apologize. Forgetting to knock first the door opened right up with ease. She took a step into the room and noticed you were asleep, about to take a 180 until something caught her eye. The mask was on the ground next to the bed, it didn’t take much to figure out why you wore it. The side of your face was visible, there was a deep cut beginning at the tip of your lip about 2 inches above the jaw bone. A clean cut in the skin with no discoloration, happened years ago. She began to feel nauseous the longer she stared, soon finding herself rushing to the nearest bathroom to throw up. She’s seen many terrible injuries but these, the severity of these wounds triggered an unwanted feeling. Curiosity got the best of her and she began to dig through the files Dr.Lee shared, hoping to find a cause as to what made those wounds. And to kill whoever gave them to you if they weren’t already dead.