Twelve

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It's a short one - I'm sorry! But this was the best place to cut it off without the chapter being ridiculously long. Let me know your thoughts! <3 Artie

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The guards released Malo, tossing her to the floor to crash on her hands and knees. Her head snapped up, staring at the caring man she'd grown fond of. That man was gone. Instead, a murderous shell of a human stood before her.

Herr Fischer squat in front of the poor girl, grabbing her chin to force her to meet his eyes. "Would you like to say goodbye before he goes to the freezer?"

"Freezer?"

"Don't worry. You'll become very acquainted with it," he smirked. With rough hands, he pulled her to her feet and shoved her towards The Winter Soldier. His metal hand grabbed her arm before she could fall once more.

Oфицер Vassiliev now stepped toward them. "Soldat, say goodbye. This may be the last you see of your precious игрушка {toy}."

A shiver snaked through Malo's body. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around the soldier's waist, holding tight. If she were to die without ever seeing him again... well, she couldn't let herself think of that. Two strong arms held her closer to his chest, a feeling Malo wanted to commit to memory. Even though he was "wiped" she held on to the belief that a part of him remembered her.

Someone stepped forward and pulled her away by yanking on her hair. Malo let out a cry, trying desperately to cling to her soldier, her Zaštitnik. Another guard stepped forward to release her fingers. Zaštitnik's hands grabbed his wrists, twisting until the guard fell to his knees with a cry. The man holding Malo's hair let go and she raced back into his arms. Men raced towards them to separate the two, but the soldier wasn't about to go down without a fight. He shoved Malo behind him, protecting her. Her spirits lifted; he hadn't forgotten about her! There was a small chance they won't separate them.

But the moment was short lived.

Oфицер Vassiliev shouted, "Soldat! Достаточно! Готовьтесь к заказам. {That's enough! Prepare for orders!}"

In front of Malo, the asset stood at attention, hands dropping to his sides. She shook her head, tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. It couldn't possibly be that easy to control him.

"Take them to their new chambers by the medical room. Let her watch him, have five minutes to grieve, then she's to be taken to the doktor," Herr Fischer ordered to one of the guards. He nodded and made a signal to the rest. Malo slipped her hand into her Zaštitnik's as they walked through the halls. The soldier didn't move to release it, but he kept his eyes straight ahead.

The mob that surrounded them stopped outside a door that wasn't the room they'd been staying in. This was right next to the medical room Malo had been practicing in. As they stepped in, she realized a second door led to the makeshift hospital. The biggest thing that caught her eye wasn't the tiny cot or the toilet and sink hidden by a half-wall. It was the giant metal and glass contraption in the corner of the room, facing the cot.

Two guards grabbed a hold of Malo, this time successfully pulling her away from her soldier. She tried to scream and fight against them, but it was no use. Zaštitnik didn't reach for her, eyes transfixed on the towering contraption.

"Soldat, Залезай {get in}."

He hesitated. A guard reached out with an electric baton, shocking the asset. This spurred the burly man to take a few steps forward. With a push of a button, the glass door opened and he entered the cylindrical machine. Malo watched with horror as the door closed.

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