The Romanoff Built to Kill

Chapter 25: Bad Dreams and Home Schooling

Neo

The rope tying me to the hard metal chair burns into my skin. Due to only wearing a tank top and some baggy black shorts, practically all of my skin is left open for the punches that continuously swing down upon me. One of the 3 Hydra guards slices a long knife across my collar bone, allowing for a red line of blood to form. Soon after, a heavy fist slams into the side of my head causing my eyes to blur temporarily.

"Stop!" I cry the word, making blood spill out from my mouth. "Please stop!"

One of the guards chuckles before stepping aside and lighting a cigarette. The two other guards force my head back and keep a firm grip on my neck, bruising it in the process. The smoking guard steps over to me and blows a cloud of smoke into my face before pushing the lit end of the cigarette into my cheek. The excruciating pain is so torturous that I can't even bring myself to scream.

"I think we should clean up that burn, don't you agree?" One guard smirks as he grabs a rag and then a large carton of water.

Waterboarding. It doesn't take me long to suss out their intentions. I shake as much as I possibly can to try and escape the guards grip but it does nothing. The guard steps over with a dark grin as he wraps the dirty rag tightly around my head, the other guards keep it firmly in place. The panic sets in as water quickly pours through.

Every breath I take tightens the fabric around my airways, smothering my skin. I kick my legs as hard as I can and try to throw my tied up fists but the drowning sensation completely blocks all my physical abilities.

I sense a strange energy on the cusp of my grasp from within me. It's unusual to say the least. New. It wants to shield me from the men.

The water keeps being poured over the rag and I'm beginning to lose all my strength and will to even try.

A shockwave like blast emanates from my body. The men scream.

Neo shoots up in a wet sweat. The first thing she notices is how practically everything in her room has been turned on its head. She can still feel the recently used energy that had shot from her whilst asleep. "Fucking hell". She exhales between heavy breaths. Her now dampened hair sticks to the sweat on her forehead as she rolls out of bed. "Again". She mumbles as she starts putting everything back into its place. She checks the digital clock that reads 6:30AM. It won't be long until either Natasha or Maria come to wake her up.

Neo groans as she reassess how much damage has been done to her room. The mirror has been completely shattered, the lampshade is flickering like candle, the wardrobe has a noticeable dent in the side, the bed is soaked in sweat and the duvet has also been ripped up, the bedroom's overhead light is slightly more dimmer than before and is making a buzzing sound which it didn't make prior to Neo's energy blast, the desk remains undamaged luckily and so does the small TV but other than that the room is a complete pigs sty.

Neo is tidying for around 2 minutes before the bedroom door swings open. Natasha, who's wearing a grey dressing gown over her black jogging bottoms and dark red tank top, rushes in with the most confused and concerned expression Neo's ever seen. "What the hell happened in here?" The woman's voice is raised, not so much in anger but more in panic.

"It's fine. It's just my telekinesis playing up. No biggie". Neo tries to sound casual, despite knowing that a telekinetic shockwave in her sleep is the very definition of 'not casual'.

"No biggie?" Natasha steps forward. "No biggie?" She repeats, her voice becoming more angry and concerned. "Neo, what the hell? Your room is a mess. How did this even happen?"