Not Anymore

Chapter 11: Unlikely Alliances [S-20 POV]

S-20 does not remember a life outside of Hydra and only knows that its sole purpose of existing is to serve and be of use for Hydra.

[A tool].

The new cell was not one that S-20 was accustomed to. Before the spider had bit S-20, it had lived with many other boys that were also for Hydra. They lived in a singular room that was filled with rows and rows of bunk beds. Most were filled and some were empty. Others became empty after the previous owner had become too weak to serve Hydra and it had died.

All the boys were trained together and that was used to weed out the weakest members. S-20 knows that before the spider bite, it was not very strong. It had many medical ailments that made it difficult to fight the bigger children and also made it harder to breathe at times. Because of that, S-20 had to work harder to become more agile and use speed and precision to take down bigger components.

Despite its struggles, S-20 was kept around by Hydra and S-20 was grateful for a home and for a family. It had nothing outside of Hydra. At least they were kind enough to keep it and give it clothes and food.

[The alternative was death. But the one thing Hydra failed to give S-20 was an identity.]

Finally, after a couple of years, [time is difficult with Hydra], S-20 was taken to a medical room and strapped down to a table.

[Read: Experimentation Room]

A few pokes and prods, causing a few needles and tubes to stick out of S-20's body, and a few stickers strategically placed across its chest and arms and legs, all the medical personnel had left the room and allowed for a singular jar hosting a singular spider to be released.

The spider had eventually found S-20 and caused a little pinch in the back of its neck.

That was the least of its pain and worries.

The next four days after the spider bite was truly hell for S-20. Every form of sickness and nausea and weakness seemed to befall over it. S-20 was sure that because of its sickness, Hydra would finally get tired of it and kill it.

But they didn't. They waited and waited.

And, after the fourth day, all the symptoms had magically disappeared.

And so had many other things.

The fogginess in S-20's vision had washed away, causing a newfound sharpness to what it could see. Its hearing extended so far beyond normal that S-20 swore it could hear hearts beating and other minute noises that no one else could hear. S-20 had also magically grown muscles and gained much strength and agility.

S-20 was a success.

[Do not mind the dozens of other children that were bitten with other forms of the mutated, radioactive spider and had failed to survive and produce a positive outcome.]

Once the sickness had all gone away and it was clear that the powers that S-20 now had were to stay, they did a few more tests on it before it was abruptly taken away and put into this new cell with this new person.

WS-42.

The Winter Soldier was a legend among all of Hydra. Everyone who had heard of it was in awe of its skill and usefulness to Hydra. After all, all of these children here were trained to become just like it one day. S-20 understood the burden of that once it became the first successful experiment.

S-20 was brought to the new cell sometime during the morning. Time is difficult at Hydra, but S-20 had been awoken and, instead of being served breakfast, was dragged over to a new, already occupied room. The man in that room, WS-42, did not speak a single word to S-20. S-20 knows the rules, that speaking without being spoken to is forbidden and punishable, but it thought that, at least in the cell, the two could speak.