Phoenix

Chess

I'm sitting in the common room with Vision playing chess as Wanda sits reading a book on the couch, this has become a daily routine for the three of us.

Every day is the same except at night which I get to myself.

I wake up and I go for a run with Steve and Sam, who gets annoyed when we overtake him. I spar with nat just after my run, just to get punched in the face really, she doesn't do it every time just when I have pinned her too many times and she gets annoyed. I have become her moving punching bag. Wanda waits outside the training room with a bottle of water and we walk upstairs together, as I head for a shower Wanda makes breakfast her waffles are better than Sams. After clearing up, I play chess with Vision for a few hours while Wanda reads books about meditation and memories.

It has been a few months since Ultron, almost at a year. I have mainly broken myself out of the programming to protect Wanda. Everyone has helped me with the de-programming, my emotions are still not there and I keep talking to a minimum to not hurt or upset anyone.

However, Vision and I take a daily walk to talk about anything I have seen in my meditation secession with Wanda or any emotions that might be surfacing. Usually, I just explain to him that me and Wanda just walking around the dark space of my mind together.

Everyone has been going out on missions recently, except for me. Natasha and Steve argue about it constantly, Steve calls me a member of the team and an asset with a ranged skill set Natasha, on the other hand, calls me a liability, claiming I shouldn't be in the field if I don't speak I could get someone killed or myself.

As Vision and I finish our daily game of chess Steve walks in. "Tom, I need you in the briefing room." He quickly turns on his heels and walks out. Wanda and Vision both look at me and then each other.

"Vis? do you know what it's about?" Wanda asks him, as I place my chess piece into a checkmate for Vision.

"No Wanda I don't, Natasha was on a mission this morning. I'm sure it's nothing and everything is fine"

"We can do your meditation after, don't worry. We can wait here for you." Wanda reassured me. I stand from my seat and walk to the briefing room from the outside I can see Natasha and Steve talking. I knock on the door before walking in on Steve's motion.

"You might want to sit down for this..." Steve says to me, taking a seat next to me Natasha stands in the corner biting at her thumb.

"Nat found your Hydra file this morning in base she took down with a few shield agents. We want to go through it with you, so we can find out where your memories start if that is okay. You don't have to talk to us if you don't want to. Natasha has already read through it. Are you up for it? We can bring Vision or Wanda in if you feel more comfortable."

I look up from the closed file on the table between us to Steve's small smile and then over to Nat who is almost on the verge of tears. I shake my head at them and take a deep breath. "The fewer people that know the better." They both nod in agreement and Natasha comes around the table beside me she carefully placed a hand on my shoulder after I flinch thinking she's going to punch me. She rubs her thumb over my shoulder making me visibly relax. Steve starts to read out loud.

"Over two years ago you were taken in by Hydra, they gave you an upgraded version of the Supersoldier serum, with the ability to heal faster it also allows your brain to calculate faster. After being given the serum you had a stroke and a seizure, you were unconscious for 4 days. After that they put you through some more experiments, it doesn't list what they are, I'm guessing you also don't know. After that you were put into the care of the Winter Soldier, known as James Buchanan Barnes, he trained you and you lived with him in Russia for months almost a year. The day after your 17th birthday you were sent on a mission to kill Nichols Fury. That day I chased you and your dad off a roof. Days later, you were sent to two kill level 6 agents. Me and Agent Romanoff, you attacked us on a bridge along with Sam, who shot you multiple times. Bucky had carried you to a Hydra secure location. You healed from the bullets and the glass they extracted out your body but you were separated from your dad. Injected with a sedative, and after you woke up... You were electrocuted until you had no memories other than your name. You were knocked out and taken to Sokovia. You were locked in a windowless room for around a year, and beaten until you were programmed to be 'The protector' After you had learnt to not respond to pain, and your purpose had been taught you were introduced to twins. You helped them train for 2 months in the same windowless room. The twins came to visit you after not seeing you for almost a week, a Hydra agent went to assault Wanda and you broke his wrist and snapped his neck. Then the raid on the Sokovian base happened and the rest we know, but isn't recorded."