heartless ; 𝐭. 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐤 , 𝟏

03 - the orders

june 2016

THE ASSET SMIRKED as the heavy door swung shut, engulfing her in silence. She had three hours to get her mind back together, to get herself ready for another mission, and then she would be out of here again. She sighed, almost in yearning.

It was almost like she could do whatever she wanted.

But alas, they were always watching. In fact, those sorry excuses for guards had probably rotated and were now spying on her right now, crowded around a set of several computer screens and peering in on her. It should have been unnerving. But she just twisted her head to stare at an upside-down dome on the ceiling that stared right back at her from the corner, its red light flashing every hour of the day.

It was rather large if she considered the idea of hidden surveillance cameras. It was an obvious show of power on Hydra's part. Of course, that was all they were known for. Their unnecessary displays of rule over incapacitated people. They were always watching, and they wanted everyone to know it.

Asset 53 flashed her teeth at the bastards that were no doubt watching her, simultaneously raising her middle finger and snarling, "Je te déteste putain." I fucking hate you.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a small stack of four books on a metal table that looked suspiciously like a surgeon's tool table but was used as her own bedside table. All four of the books were black, painted that way so as to keep her surroundings as bleak as possible. One day, long before, they had been vibrant shades of red and blue and green, she was sure. But she was not allowed to have anything colorful in her room. Hydra had made it strictly forbidden.

She may have been their most trusted asset, but even she had to be kept in darkness. Too many things were on the line if she defected.

Not that she would, though. There were too many benefits to this...job. She was still living, and the kill...it was exhilarating.

The asset picked up the first book on the top of the pile and flipped open the cover, reading the German words on the dictionary's pages. Another smirk rose to her lips as she thumbed through the pages, found the words she was looking for, and recited them to the silent camera in the corner: "Saugen Sie meinen Schwanz, Sie Bastarde," she snarled. Suck my cock, you bastards.

She searched around the next book for a similar phrase, this time the words in Korean. "Neo seuseulo jagilhaela!" Go fuck yourself!

There was a certain thrill that she savored when she cursed people out in different languages. Something in the way that they had no clue what she was saying made her smile wider and her amusement greatly increase. Of course, half of the fun came from hearing their mumbled reactions, trying to figure out just how it was possible for her to switch languages so quickly without missing a beat.

That was a part of her that would always stay with her, she suspected. She didn't know how, but she'd become fluent in about thirty different languages over the years. It was something that, she figured, made her one of the most valuable assets in Hydra's history.

A whimper stirred her from her thoughts, tearing her gaze from the security camera. Seeing the source of the noise, Asset 53 tossed the books on her thin cot, stalking over to the opposite side of her room where a two-way mirror had been set into the wall. It had always been there, and after many months, the asset was allowed to...use the room it peered into.

Inside the room, tied with his hands behind his back and slumped in a metal chair that scraped against the floor, sat a man that didn't have a name. At least, not one that he knew of.