Young Asset
@winterghostoflegend | Plotted Thread | Closed |
They’d be moving her, she was told. She’d go to America, go to where Hydra was the strongest and where they could put more resources into training her. She deserved the best, they said. She would have the best teacher there was - strongest, fastest, their most valuable Asset. And she would become one too, in time.
They promised her all this and she agreed because they became all she knew, all she had now. They gave her powers - incredible and terrifying. They made her strong. Not just a girl anymore, not just a kid. She was a fighter now, a survivor. She made it through the procedures and the experiments and she was brave. She wouldn’t let them know how scared she was. She wasn’t a child anymore.
She went on the plane with her commander - her uncle, as she was to call him during the travel. And she did. She was happy, excited, eager. She’s never been on a plane before! She hasn’t been outside the lab in months, too, and everything was better than she’d remembered it. Her new eyes made the sky more blue, her new ears made every sound a melody. Her uncle bought her ice-cream at the airport and it was the sweetest thing she’s ever tasted - the best thing she could remember eating. She sat in his lap and grinned back at the lady opposite of them in the waiting area. ‘We’re going to America!’ she told her excitedly. ‘We’re going to see New York! And then we’ll visit my aunt in Washington.’ A lie she’s practiced telling. Well, if the woman’s warm smile was anything to go by. And Ronja was proud of herself. She was doing well. She was going to become a spy and an agent - a superhero better than any of the Avengers, and she was doing well. Her uncle smiled at her too.
When they landed, she couldn’t believe her eyes. She stayed glued to the window of the car that has picked them up, taking in everything. America was louder and more vibrant than she ever thought it could be. And it was real. Everything she’s seen in the movies was real. The cabs, the skyscrapers, the streets and the people. She fought with exhaustion for hours as they drove but finally, she gave in, falling asleep in the back seat of the car, dreaming of ice-cream, of the sun, of seeing her commander proud of her when she saved the world from horrible monsters.
She woke up groggy when her commander shook her shoulder, telling her they’ve arrived. It was dark but her eyes adapted minutely and she could see clearly - a facility, much bigger than the one back in Greece. Safer, her mind supplied as she noticed the tall wall and barbed wire on top that surrounded it. Secure, it added, as she took in the thick forest around it.
They went inside, past armed soldiers who didn’t bother looking down at her, even as she flashed her fangs at them cheekily. Her fangs - the only thing she’s learned how to call forth at will, so far. She was trying to show off, to let them know she was important. She was going to train and become even better, and learn how to use her abilities to their full extent.
She was so scared and she wished she could have taken her stupid old toy with her. But she couldn’t let herself think about that.
“This is where you’ll live.” Her commander told her then, leading her through the facility, down cold-lit corridors with bare walls. He stopped and opened a door at the end of one, on the 5th floor. It led to what seemed like a smal flat, a small hall opening to a kitchen and a connected living area. There were more doors, to a bathroom and bedrooms, she assumed, but then her eyes landed on a man who was sat at the table in the kitchen. Still and looking at them without emotion. Cold. She didn’t want to come near him but her commander guided her inside.
“This is your teacher. He is your superior from now on and you will take orders from him.” He said, putting a hand on her shoulder and it was reassuring enough. The man might have looked scary but she’s heard a lot about him - how he was the best of all Hydra’s agents, how he’s never failed a single mission. And she would get to learn from him and become just as good. Better, if she could.
“Soldier. This is your charge. You know your orders.” Her commander spoke. He then turned to her, giving her shoulder another squeeze. “Do your best, kid. If you do, we might see each other again in a couple of years.” He told her and she gave him a bright grin.
“Yes sir!” She said, knowing that was what he expected even as her stomach clenched with fear and anxiety. He was about to leave and she didn’t want him to go but she knew she couldn’t say it. So she just nodded for good measure, flashed her fangs to show she was happy and brave and strong. She wanted to be so, desperately.
She watched him leave and close the door. And then she turned to face the man she’s been left with.
“I’m Ronja, sir.” She introduced herself, trying not to show how nervous she became all of the sudden. Swallowing, she stepped forward, remembering all of her English lessons (it was going to be English, from then on, and when she mastered it, she’d start learning another language). “Is this where you will stay too sir?” She asked, unable to stop herself from looking around a little, curious. Then she looked at him again, at his incredible metal arm. She’s heard about that too, but it was even more amazing up close than in her commander’s stories.
