Hope Ur Ok

Happier Than Ever

2014

In the cold, sterile confines of a HYDRA facility, Mayia Keller had grown up from the traumatized, trembling child she once was. Now seventeen, she had become a weapon, an obedient killer without question. The years of experimentation and training had molded her into something both terrifying and heartbreaking.

Her name was Mayia Keller. That much she had learned through secret, stolen moments in the darkness of her cell. The memory of her own name was a flickering ember of humanity amidst the engulfing darkness of her existence.

One day, when her captors had carelessly left a tattered children's book within her cell, Mayia had seized upon an opportunity. Using a shard of glass she had hidden away, she painstakingly traced the letters in the book, the shapes and sounds slowly coming together. She had pieced together the alphabet, and through painstaking effort, she had learned to spell her name: M-A-Y-I-A. K-E-L-L-E-R

Mayia Keller.

Now, as she sat in her cell, her once-vibrant eyes were dull and lifeless. Her ratty hair had grown long and tangled, and her skin bore the scars of countless experiments and training sessions. The tremor in her hands was gone, replaced by a cold, unwavering stillness.

Today was like any other day in her world of monotony. The cell's dim light flickered, casting eerie shadows on the walls. The sound of distant footsteps echoed through the corridor, a grim reminder of the constant presence of her captors.

Mayia had learned to move in silence, to control her emotions, to follow orders without hesitation. She had been taught to harness her extraordinary voice, to use it as a weapon when required, and to silence it when ordered.

Her captors had no use for her tears or her cries. They had no interest in her past or her name. To them, she was simply B-437, a disposable asset in their relentless pursuit of power.

But within the recesses of her mind, Mayia clung to the fragments of her stolen identity. The knowledge of her name was a lifeline, a reminder that she was more than just a weapon, that somewhere deep within her, a spark of humanity still flickered.

As the footsteps drew nearer, Mayia's muscles tensed. She knew what was expected of her. Without hesitation, she rose to her feet, her movements fluid and precise. Her face remained impassive; her emotions buried beneath a mask of compliance.

The cell door swung open, and two HYDRA agents entered, their faces obscured by masks. They were here for another mission, another kill, and Mayia was their weapon of choice.

She followed them without protest, her steps echoing in the sterile corridor. Her heart, once a wellspring of fear and despair, had long since turned to stone. She was a ghost, a shadow in a world of darkness.

⋯⋯✦⋯⋯

Mayia Keller, stood in a dimly lit briefing room, surrounded by HYDRA agents clad in black uniforms. The air was thick with tension, and the harsh fluorescent lights overhead cast long, eerie shadows on the walls. She had learned to stand stoically in these moments, her face a blank canvas hiding the turmoil within.

One of the agents, a tall and imposing figure, stepped forward. He addressed her without a hint of emotion, referring to her only by her designation. "B-437, you have a mission," he stated, his voice as cold and unfeeling as the concrete walls that surrounded them.