Bucky's Arrival

chapter 3

 The Asset hears the door followed by muffled voices. The door again. Silence.

 He knows he's been bad. He's misbehaved. The handler is probably going to find the Secretary to report his misbehavior. He doesn't know why he resisted his punishment and fought back. He's so confused. Nothing makes sense. He needs maintenance. He has not seen the chair anywhere around this new base. Maybe the handler went to find it.

 Footsteps approaching. A man stands in the doorway, looking in at the Asset. A technician? No. Probably just an agent. 'Sam is going to stay with you.'  The handler had said. Agent Sam. Agent Sam was here last night. 'No hard feelings.' 

 "You good?" Agent Sam asks.

 The Asset does not answer. He doesn't know why it is hard to speak. He needs maintenance.

 "I'll be in the living room if you need anything." Agent Sam says after a pause. He leaves.

 The Asset does not move. There is nothing he needs to do. He has not been given a mission. He will behave and wait for his handler to return.

 10 minutes pass.

 20.

 30.

 He keeps count. He does not have a mission but he knows time is important. He keeps count.

 After 42 minutes, he hears footsteps approaching once again. Agent Sam is coming back. But no. The agent passes by the room the Asset is in. He goes into the next room. The bathroom. The Asset hears the door shut.

 The Asset gets up. He doesn't know what he's doing. What he's supposed to be doing. He hasn't received a mission. He needs maintenance. He will go find the handler.

 He walks through the 'living room'. The doors are there. He remembers the moving box from yesterday.

 "It's just an elevator."

 There's a button next to the doors, which he presses. The doors open. He takes a deep breath, and steps in. "It's just an elevator." He remembers the handler's words. He's still scared. He's not supposed to be scared. He's supposed to be scary to others.

 A row of buttons with numbers on the wall. He shuts his eyes and presses one at random. He keeps his eyes shut and backs into the corner as the box starts moving.

 He tries to keep his breathing under control as the box moves until he hears the doors open again. He cautiously opens his eyes.

 A lab. He needs maintenance. Maybe they will do it here. But where are the technicians? Where is the chair?

 Nothing makes sense. Nothing has since he came here. The handler, that man... he was just so familiar. He doesn't know how he knew to come here to find him. But he did. He must be the Asset's handler. It's the only logical explanation.

 He steps into the lab. Tables. Lots of tables. Cluttered with papers, tools, machinery. But no chair.

 A plate. A lone slice of pizza. Long gone cold. On one of the tables amongst the clutter. The Asset is hungry. The Asset wants it. He's not allowed to want. He shouldn't eat it. But he's stepping closer before he can stop himself, his hand reaching out...

 "Hey!"

 The Asset startles, whirling around with wide eyes. An angry looking man with a goatee. Maybe he is a technician.

 "What the hell are you doing in here? Don't touch my stuff! Where the hell is Steve?"

 The man walks towards the Asset and the Asset backs away. He's not supposed to be scared. He needs maintenance. His back hits the wall but the man doesn't stop. The Asset lowers to crouch on the floor, bracing for punishment. He will accept it this time. No more misbehaving.