IVANOV ~ yelena belova

𝟎𝟏𝟓

"Welcome to Hydra." His voice was rough, as if he hadn't spoken in a while. His brown shaggy hair, which grazed his chin, was tangled. But it was the metal arm that glinted in the fluorescent light that caught her attention.

As he turned his arm, the ridges in the metal moved silently. However, the red star stood out against the silver background.

The guard continued to push Karina through the dark corridor while the man walked silently beside her. His footsteps were silent, and his gaze was lethal, like that of a predator.

Her heart was racing, far too fast to be considered healthy. Karina thrashed around in the leather shackles, attempting to break free. However, all she managed to accomplish was burn her arms with the leather.

Karina would have done anything at that point to be free, even if it meant returning to the Red Room's clutches. She wasn't saying she liked the Red Room, far from it. But she had Yelena, who she considered to be her home.

She glanced around nervously, assessing her surroundings. The stone walls were cracked and plumes of dust crumbled from the stone when the guards' heavy footsteps passed by. The floor was a dull grey colour, with boot prints littering it.

The lights above her didn't provide much light so the corners of the corridor were encased in shadows. When she looked directly into the bulbs, however, the light was blinding.

Hydra was a stark contrast to the Red Room's black, crimson, and mahogany doors. Karina felt as though she was trapped in someone's basement, but the corridor never seemed to end, with doors on both walls leading to another one of her nightmares.

They rounded a sharp corner, and the guard led her through a door. The room appeared to be similar to the corridor, with the same dark colours and damp smell. The room, however, contained a device that resembled a shower. However, grime covered the walls, giving the impression that it did not work.

A man with greying hair and hard eyes entered the room through another door on the side. He was dressed in a suit, which stood out in comparison to the guard and the man standing beside her, who were both dressed in black combat suits.

"Strip her down, I don't want any trace of Dreykov on her," Pierce said menacingly, sneering down at the girl strapped to the table.

The guard began to undo the leather restraints as the Winter Soldier stood off to the side, his gaze stony as he stared straight ahead.

Karina's screams were muffled by the gag placed in her mouth. When the guard untied her from the restraints, she began to thrash around, attempting to flee. But to no avail, the guard quickly overpowered her in her panicked state.

She felt violated when the guard began to remove her clothes. She squirmed in his arms, trying to break free, but the his grip was tight enough to leave bruises. Karina looked pleadingly at the man with the metal arm, silently begging him to interfere. But he couldn't; even when a part of his brain urged him to help the young girl, his body refused to move.

The guard threw her into the shower after removing her clothes, although it appeared to be more of a torture device. As she tried to shield her body from Pierce's leering gaze, the freezing water hit her body.

The water was forceful enough to bruise her skin, and the only way she could describe it was as if tiny needles were piercing her skin. She was humiliated. She felt as if the little dignity she had left from the Red Room had been ripped from her.

Pierce signalled to the guard to remove her  from the shower after he determined she had been submerged for long enough. The guard approached Karina's trembling figure, curled up in a ball, in an attempt to reclaim what little modesty she had left. In an effort to further dehumanise her, Pierce threw her clothes, which consisted of a filthy T-shirt with a Hydra symbol on it and a pair of ratty trousers.

She eagerly changed into them, willing to put on anything to cover up. The guard gripped her arm and led her out of the room, Pierce in front and the Winter Soldier behind her. Karina felt his gaze pierce her back, making her nervous as if he was about to attack her.

However, their brief journey came to an end as Pierce stood outside a cell, into which he quickly threw her. However, unlike the Red Room, which had heavy bulky doors and four walls, Hydra's cells were made up of metal bars, similar to a cage. The back wall and floor were concrete, but the walls on either side of her were made of steel bars, which allowed her to see the prisoner next to her.

After securely locking the door, the three men quickly left. Karina was trapped in silence, with only the occasional guard passing by. The only company she had was the gentle dripping coming from her right due to a small leak in the ceiling.

She had no idea how long it had been since she had been with Yelena in Moscow. Was it days or hours? She couldn't tell. But she knew she'd do anything to have the Funny, Sarcastic Blonde with her.

After a few hours, the man with the metal arm was led into the cell next to her by a guard. As he sat on the hard concrete floor, he appeared dazed and confused. Through the bars, he caught a glimpse of his new cellmate, noting her appearance but, more importantly, her age. She couldn't be older than sixteen.

"I'm sorry," he whispered guiltily, only imagining the torture Pierce would put her through.