Erase My Mind

Blazes and Blizzards

Blaze

The girl woke up slowly, the air around her was so cold that it nipped at her skin and wrapped itself around each of her bones. Air began flowing from the mask that was pressed against her face; she began inhaling on instinct, coughing as the oxygen flooded her lungs. Breathing in that air was like chugging ice cold water from a mountain stream. She blinked the tears out of her eyes, those always came when she was woken up from her sleep. Her hands were twitching to life at her sides, and she brought them to her face to wipe the tears away and cover her ears. It was like this every time she had to wake up: unbearably loud. There were always handlers or agents around, shouting and typing away at computers.

Her eyes stayed closed, she wasn't ready to do it yet.

"Soldier." Her head snapped up as her body tried to straighten out, but there were too many cables and tubes attached to her arms, legs, and head. She didn't want to listen, not really. The strain was too much, her knees buckled, but she needed to present for the handlers. The buzzing in her head wouldn't stop until she did. Her eyes stayed closed though. Hands were running over every inch of her body, disconnecting the tubes and pulling things from her skin, leaving gaps in her arms and stomach. They would heal though, this she remembered. Once the mask and body straps were released from the board she was leaned up to, she snapped into place and finally dared to look at the handler. The man that stood before her was familiar. His hair was a bit disheveled, but he was wearing a well tailored suit and carrying a folder.

"Good morning, my dear." The man said it in a sweet voice, but a shiver crawled down her spine. "Ready to comply." The words left her mouth unnaturally, as if she was a puppet under his control.
"Wonderful, do you remember your job?" He was tapping his fingers against the file, the motion made her want to shrink away. She wanted to curl up into a ball and hide from all the staring eyes that were trained on her, but that would mean punishment.
"I serve HYDRA." Another phrase that seemed burned into her head. Her ears were buzzing after saying it, almost comfortingly. Like having stray hair brushed out of her face.
"Lovely. I have an assignment for you. Do you remember our project insight, dear?"

He was taking slow steps towards her with that awful folder. She noticed the dark orange notebook atop it and had to suppress the sounds of fear that threatened to escape her. Project Insight... she knew that it was some type of machine but its purpose was escaping her now.
Things were just so foggy when she was woken up.
"It is a HYDRA weapon, sir?"
"Yes, precisely!" His smile was insincere and made her very nervous, but she could not show any emotions, she was to remain still. "Do you remember who I am, Blaze?" One of the lab techs seemed nervous as they handed her a photograph of a young girl alongside a younger version of the man that stood before her. Another buzz started to echo through her head and she vaguely remembered working with him that last time she was awake. A flash of a memory burned into her head, though she only thinks that this is a memory, she doesn't know where it came from. She was on a swing set with the same man, he was talking to her.

My dear Blaze, your Mother was murdered by the very organization I am trying to stop. I need you to work extra hard to help me avenge her death, do you understand?"
"Yes Father." He rested his hand on your head gently, before grabbing you by the hair and dragging you screaming to the edge of the lawn.
"You're hurting me!" you cried out desperately. He threw you to the ground in front of him and hissed down at you.
"You will never be a soldier unless you fight back!" You nodded your head in understanding and he pulled you to your feet. "We must avenge your mother, dear. I'm doing this to help you learn how. I love you to the sun and back, dear one." He hugged her tightly but she remained still. "Do you love me back? Did you love your mother?"
"Yes Father."
"Good."

Blaze inhaled deeply and looked into his cold blue eyes. "Alexander Pierce." He raised his brows and waved his hand in a small circle expectantly. She took another deep breath and clenched her jaw tightly. "Dad."