Chapter I

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Sometime in the 1940s

She attacked. She lunged for his throat, her knife blades glinting in the dim lights of the training center. But the intended target was too fast. He nailed a punch that sent her to the floor before she reached him.

"Stop!" Her handler crossed the training floor from where he was standing. Her failure to bring the target down earned her a sharp slap across the face from him. "You have to try harder! You still attack like you think you're tall! You're small. Use that to your advantage. Do it again Night, but better."

The night took a few steps back but ran right back at the target. This time, she ran towards him, then at the last second Night dove for his legs and slashed at the sensitive flesh of the Achilles Tendon. There was no room for mercy, especially now. He meant nothing to the Midnight Soldier, and his wails of pain were just a sign that he was weak. Her handler crossed the room back over to her. He had a smile on his face this time

"See, I told you Night. If you use your unfortunately small size in your favor, you will win." His praise filled her.

"But you are still inexperienced. You failed the first time. If you ever become good enough to fight with the Winter Soldier, you can't fail or mess up. This will not go unpunished. Are we clear, Soldier?"

Night straightened "Yes."

"Good." Her handler took the blades from her hand before shoving her roughly forward. He led Night back to her cell and locked the door behind her.

"Someone will come to collect you," He told Night.

He strode off, leaving her in the 5 x 7 box that she called home. She didn't remember any other home, because all that existed for her was HYDRA. And HYDRA was torture, ballet, training, punishment, Russian and German lessons, order, but most of all, pain. Every time Night made a mistake as she did in training today, she was rewarded with the electric treatment. The scientists would strap and clamp her down to a table, where they would send electric shocks through her. This caused Night extreme agony, and when they finished with her, it always left Night's body and mind feeling like mush. The kind of gray/brown mush that HYDRA fed her tasted like cold and sawdusty oatmeal. This was her life, and the only one she ever lived.

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