TALES FROM FALLEN WARRIORS ─ marvel

I. The Trainer

Chapter One
Julian

Ana whimpers in her sleep. Whether it's from a nightmare or from pain, I'm not sure. She's chained to the wall of our cabin, as she always is at night, and sometimes the chains become painful for her when she's in animal form, like she is now. She's in the form of a tiger, and I can see the chains digging into her wrists and ankles. She's tossing and turning in her sleep, and the whimpering comes after every tug of the chains. I wish I could loosen them, but that would be dangerous. I won't take any risks with her safety or anyone else's.

I shut the door to her bedroom as quietly as possible before making my way out of the cabin, unlocking my truck as I step out onto the snow covered ground. It's dark outside, the sun won't rise for maybe another hour, and the only light visible to me is the light from my truck's headlights as I drive up the mountain. I miss the sun, I never get to see it anymore. I always arrive at the base before sunrise and by the time I leave it's well past sunset. Back in Lensk, I was allowed to bring Soroya outside for training, but rules are different here in Siberia, they're stricter, harsher. I know Soroya misses the sunlight too. I bet there's a lot of things she misses.

When I make it to the base, I get out of my truck and head for the entrance, typing in the code to open the door up. Once it does, I am met by two guards, who nod their heads to me in recognition.

"Dr. Remington." One of them mumbles.

I don't bother nodding back. I walk through the cold, dark hallways of the base until I make it to Soroya's cell. I type in her cell's code, and once I enter inside, I find her still sleeping. She, like Ana, rarely sleeps well, if at all. It's actually odd for her to still be asleep by the time I arrive. She must have had a rough night. I walk over to her bed and sit down at the end, placing my hand on her small arm, gently shaking her awake.

She wakes with a gasp, a little out of breath. When her eyes meet mine she relaxes, rubbing her hands over her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Nearly six." I whisper in German. We only speak that language when we're alone, otherwise we speak Russian. I think it comforts her to speak her native language, and I want to provide her with every comfort I can.

Soroya nods, sitting herself up, beginning to tie her hair back. "I'm sorry I slept in...it was a rough night."

"Another nightmare?"

She nods again, licking her chapped lips. "It was about Alex. He was trapped. I couldn't get to him no matter how hard I tried. I was chained up and I was clawing at the ground trying to get to him, and-and he was just laughing."

I know who she means be 'he'; the Winter Soldier, her other trainer. "I know how much you miss Alex." I whisper, rubbing her arm in comfort.

"Probably as much as you miss your family."

I feel a sharp pain form in my chest. When I first met her, I told her my family, like hers, had been taken by HYDRA and used as a manipulation tool to control me. I thought it would make her trust me, and I was right. It did. I force a sad smile her way, spouting my perfected lies once again: "I'll see them again one day, just as you will your brother and your parents."

"I hope so."

I hope so, too. Despite everything, I hope that more than anything.

"Come on," I urge her, standing up from her bed. "It's time for practice."

Soroya nods numbly, her expression and eyes devoid of emotion. "Okay."

I wait outside for her to get dressed, and once she's done, I take her into the training room. It's a stuffy room in the basement made of the thickest metal HYDRA could find. Inside here no one can hear you scream, not that anyone would care if they did. There's cages for training in here, mats, dummies, and a door that leads to a cell block filled with people that make for perfect target practice. That door is open right now, which means someone is in there getting one of those poor souls. I see Soroya tense when she notices it. A few seconds later, a young man is being hauled out by a guard, and trailing behind said guard is Dr. Bauer, a scientist who works in this base.