You Want It Darker? (OC x Loki x Winter Soldier)

CHAPTER TWENTY

In the distant haze, I catch snippets of voices, whispers in the wind slipping through my grasp. Murmurs blend with the gentle beeping of machines, footsteps echoing around me. I struggle to surface, to connect with my senses, but it's as if my mind has detached from my body—a temporary escape from relentless pain. Despite the absence of physical torment, I feel utterly depleted, as if every ounce of energy has been drained, leaving only emptiness behind. It's consuming, overwhelming, dominating my thoughts. I drift in and out of consciousness, lost in a shadowy realm where waking and sleeping blur together. Darkness envelops me, obscuring memories of what came before, erasing the person I once was. All I know now is the urgent need to fill this void, to heal my body and mend my shattered spirit.

My mind feels like a scattered puzzle, begging to be assembled. To find the loose memories and tie them back together. Fragments of what had happened flash across my mind. I can picture the long dark sweat-stained locks of hair in front of darkened eyes, the familiar musky scent of the Winter Soldier, his voice commanding my name. The red and silver gleaming metal looming over me as my body writhes in agony. My body convulsing, limbs stained with black darkness. My vision had become hazy. Every part of my body hurting. A pit of emptiness nestling in my core. The piercing eyes of the Soldier behind his dark mask locked with mine, communicating desperation, to seek my salvation.

Zima

With a sudden jolt, I pry my eyes open, blinded by a piercing white light searing through my eyelids. Gasping for air, it feels like my first breath in an eternity, oxygen filling my lungs like a long-lost friend. A pounding headache throbs behind my temples as my hand instinctively reaches to soothe the ache, fingers pressing against the tender skin of my forehead. A low groan escapes me, disoriented by the pain and the harsh glare, struggling to orient myself in this new reality. My fingers trace the soft fabric beneath me, confirming my presence on a plush surface, its comforting texture a stark contrast to the confusion swirling in my mind. After a few blinks, my vision begins to adjust to the brightness, revealing my surroundings at last.

A ceiling made from sleek reinforced dark grey steel and smooth white walls stare back at me as I lay on my back on a somewhat comfortable bedding. I scrunch my eyebrows, not familiar with the sight. I prop my body on my elbows and lift my head to look around the space. I find myself in a modern, very minimalistic room. The single bed I'm on is placed in the center, surrounded by a few medical machines hooked up to my body with wires and tubes. A needle is inserted into my arm with a clean bandage, indicating it's freshly placed. Glancing down at my body, I notice my silk evening gown has been replaced by loose sweatpants and a clean oversized white t-shirt. I look up again, scanning the room. Besides the machines and the bed, it's completely empty. However, what is most noticeable is the large window-like barrier between this room and a large open hallway-like space, securing me inside.

This wasn't HYDRA. I've known their holding cells inside and out, studied their architecture and technologies for as long as I can remember. And this wasn't it. It was too clean, too stylish, too comfortable. Whoever or whatever had taken me, I didn't want to wait to find out their intentions.

Panic courses through my body, and I aggressively rip out the needles and tubes attached to me. As I lift myself off the bed and push my legs onto the floor, I realise how weak my body is. When I try to stand, I buckle under my own weight, my face meeting the smooth surface below with a loud thud. Another groan escapes me, but as I'm about to make another attempt, a figure appears on the other side of the glass, their silhouette faintly outlined against the sterile surroundings.

"Easy there, Walking Dead," Stark's familiar voice fills the eerie silent space. "Your grand escape won't get you far anyways. This room has been specially designed to keep things like you from getting out. I've yet to test it, but by all means feel free to test it out."