Ace of Hearts [Loki Laufeyson] BOOK I

Tsk Tsk, Miss Sydney

Around an hour later, she heard the elevator doors open. Tony started knocking on her door, demanding that she came out. "Jaylynn, open the door."

She, extremely slowly, rolled out of bed and trudged over to the door. She was only wearing knee-high socks and a too-large hoodie. There were little 'clinks' and 'clanks' as her feet maneuvered through the sea of glass bottles. Jay unlocked the eight metal locks on the door, turned off the lasers, and finally placed her hand on a handprint scanner. There was a clicking noise before she opened the door. Tony looked up at her in surprise as though he didn't believe she would actually open the door. Then she saw him flinch slightly.

"I look terrible, don't I?" She mumbled, running a hand through her hair. Her eyes were most likely bloodshot and probably had bags underneath them. She blew smoke in Tony's face, her eyes only half open.

"When was the last time you slept?" He asked, taking her hand and practically dragging her to sit on the living room's couch.

"Six days ago." Tony glared at her sternly, plucking the cigarette out of her mouth and prompting her to start whining. "Give..."

"No. You're going to ruin your lungs." He pushed her back onto the couch, pushing the plate of steak, green beans, and mashed potatoes closer to her. "Eat." She mumbled something incoherent, picking up the fork and poking at the steak. He smiled when she finally started to eat it after a few minutes of silence. "Do you feel up to talking about what's wrong?" He asked, moving to sit down next to her on the couch.

"Not particularly."

"Please?"

"Fine." She set down the fork and sat back on the couch, crossing her legs and putting her head in her hands. "I keep remembering my time in HYDRA. I had built up walls to try and block that whole five years from my brain, and for some reason, they all just came crashing down. Maybe now my brain is just done trying to repress the memories." She muttered tiredly, sniffling slightly. "I get the most flashes of memories when I'm asleep, so I've been trying to stay awake." Tony put an arm around her shoulders as she started to cry once more. He rubbed comforting circles on her back, eventually setting her back on the couch.

"I'm going to go clean up your room, k kiddo? So you can get some sleep." He ruffled her hair playfully before going to her room. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep on the couch. 

The first time HYDRA had attempted to brainwash her, it was the worst day of her life. She was thirteen at the time, and they had tortured her for countless hours to make her mind more compliant with the procedure. This included whipping, cutting, waterboarding, beating, and burning. After they were finished with her, they dragged her weak and bleeding body down the hallway into a large, circular room. In the middle, there was a metal chair with around a hundred cords connecting to different machines around the room. There were guards posted at every entrance and exit to the room, each holding guns, ready to shoot her if she tried to retaliate.

The two guards that were dragging her put her body into the chair. She didn't protest whatsoever as they strapped her down. They put a rubber mouthguard in her mouth, the guards stepping back as a man wearing a white lab coat approached a large control panel beside the chair. She looked at him with bloodshot eyes, a tired and exhausted look on her face.

"I am very sorry that I have to do this to you." No he wasn't. "I really wish there was some other way." No he didn't. "After this, you may feel a slight loss in your memories." The man flicked a couple switches, and she heard a faint whirring noise by her head. One of the guards lowered a weird contraption around her head. "You might feel a slight electric sensation running through your veins. Do not worry, it will all be over...soon." She mustered all of the strength she had left, which wasn't much to be honest, and braced herself for whatever was about to come.

She suddenly felt the searing pain of electricity flooding her senses. She let out a muffled scream because of the mouthguard, her hands clenched into fists as sweat dripped down her face.

Her eyes burst open, the iris' glowing a mixture of bright red and blue. The machine exploded and she broke through the restraints with an incredible show of strength. Several shots were fired and she felt extreme pain in her legs and arms. The bloodloss caught up with her, eventually drowning out her adrenaline rush and making her collapse to the ground in a heap of white cloth from her clothes and blood.

"Tsk tsk, Miss Sydney. You should not have done that."