THE CHAIN, B. Barnes daughter

14. brutus

well...

ONE AWOKE IN A COLD DIM LIT CELL.
His body ached, his veins still burning from the injection. He forced himself to sit up, his mind fuzzy but sharp enough to recognize that he was alone. The sound of footsteps outside the cell door brought him fully awake, and he tensed, preparing for whatever came next.

The door creaked open, and a tall, stern-looking man stepped inside, flanked by two armed guards. One recognized him as a high-ranking HYDRA officer, a man known for his ruthlessness.

"Ah, you're awake," the officer said, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "I must say, you've shown remarkable resilience, One. Most don't survive the first injection."

One glared at him, refusing to speak. The officer chuckled, seemingly amused by his defiance.

"You have potential, One. HYDRA has big plans for you. But first, you need to be... refined. Shaped into the weapon we need."

The words sent a chill down One's spine, but he didn't let it show. He knew that whatever HYDRA had planned, it wouldn't be good. He needed to stay strong, to find a way to protect the others.

The officer motioned to the guards, who stepped forward and grabbed One by the arms, hauling him to his feet. They led him through the winding corridors of the facility, the cold, sterile walls closing in around him. Eventually, they reached a large, reinforced door. The officer input a code, and the door slid open to reveal a small, heavily guarded hangar.

One was forced onto a waiting helicopter, his wrists shackled and his mind racing with questions. Where were they taking him? What did HYDRA have in store for him now?

The helicopter ride was long and silent, the only sound the rhythmic thump of the rotors. One stared out the window, watching the landscape below shift from dense forests to barren, snow-covered plains. Hours later, they landed in a remote, isolated location. As One was led off the helicopter, he was struck by the harsh, biting cold of the air.

They had arrived at the Red Room.

The Red Room was infamous, a clandestine Soviet training facility designed to create the most elite and deadly assassins. It was a place of nightmares, where children were stripped of their humanity and turned into perfect killing machines. One had heard whispers of it during his time with HYDRA but had never imagined he would end up there.

He was taken inside, the heavy steel doors clanging shut behind him. The interior was stark and foreboding, a stark contrast to the freezing wasteland outside. He was led through a maze of corridors, each one more oppressive than the last, until they reached a large, imposing woman with a clipboard.

"Welcome to the Red Room," she said, her voice cold and detached. "You are here to be trained, honed into a weapon. Failure is not an option. Disobedience will be punished severely. Do you understand?"

One nodded, his jaw set in determination. He knew he had to survive, to endure whatever horrors the Red Room had in store. He had to find a way back to Seven, to protect her and the others. The woman's gaze was calculating, assessing him with a critical eye.

"You will begin training immediately," she said, turning and leading him deeper into the facility. "You will be pushed to your limits and beyond. Only the strongest survive here. Prove yourself, and you may just live to see another day."

SEVEN'S BLUE EYES FLUTTERED OPEN.
the sterile lights of the medical bay blinding her for a moment. Pain radiated from her stomach, and she struggled to make sense of her surroundings. She remembered Irina, the gunshot, and the overwhelming fear. But now, everything seemed blurry and distant.