Some Things Never Sleep

Chapter Nine

Hydra Base

Location: Patagonia. Argentina(The Andes Mountain Range)

2014

Emma's eyes fluttered open as she heard something in the distance. It was well known around base that the Viper Assassin had extraordinary hearing abilities She was a relatively light sleeper due to her enhanced senses so whatever sound she heard had easily roused her from her sleep. Emma barely dreamed of anything but nightmares these days so the noise was a welcomed alarm clock to her ears. The blonde girl immediately sat up from her small bed, surveying the room for any sign of a threat. She slid her hand discreetly underneath her pillow, grasping her .22 magnum in her hand. Someone might call it paranoia but Emma just called it life. Old habits die hard.

Emma had spent one month inside the top secret Hydra base which was much more hidden away than the one in Siberia. It wasn't if she was unused to being moved from Hydra base to Hydra base but normally she would transition between Hydra bases in Europe. Argentina was drastically different from the other Hydra bases she frequented. She could tell that the base was built in a hurry because it was practically built underground and all the while was falling apart.

Emma had really thought the base in Siberia was small but this place could even make someone like her feel claustrophobic. Her room was even smaller than the one back in Siberia and she didn't even have the luxury of her own bathroom. The agents at the base were okay but she much preferred the cold silence of the Russian Hydra agents to the smugness of the Argentinian agents...they reminded her too much of Rumlow. Emma gritted her teeth at the thought of the dark eyed man and forced herself to let her mind drift to painful memories. Rumlow would get what he deserved soon enough.

The thirteen year old had grown up a lot within the past five years. Killing had been something she once been hesitant about doing but things changed...people changed. It was hard at first for her, of course. Her parents were brutally murdered in front of her so how was she expected to do the same to someone else? It was simple actually...threaten the life of the one person in the world who she cared about then Emma could become very cooperative. It was difficult at first but her father helped her through it. No one ever said killing was easy but it did become less and less difficult with time. It became more and more like a chore to her rather than a job. Jobs could be fun sometimes but there was no part of Emma that actually enjoyed killing. It was something that she had to do because it was either that or Hydra would decide that she and her father didn't serve a purpose anymore.

The last month spent in the shabby looking base was really starting to take its toll on Emma. She had been sent to the base a month prior due to unknown reasons. Colonel Karpov had just informed her that she would be temporarily stationed in Patagonia, Argentina until further notice. Emma, like always, knew that it was best not to question Karpov's orders. She had a stronger endurance to pain than she had when she was little and the Russian man would beat her for her insolence but she also knew there were other ways he could punish her.

Speaking of which...she hadn't seen her father in almost a year. It was always like that between them. They would see each other on and off within the past few years because Hydra was very adamant about keeping him in the Cryo-Chamber whenever he didn't have a mission. The last time they were together was when they were given a mission in Thailand. The moment they got back Hydra put him back in the Cyro-Chamber and Emma hadn't seen him since. They only spent short amounts of time together but Emma cherished that time together all the same. He had been gone a year and Emma missed him more than she would ever admit aloud.

Emma hadn't been completely sure as to why Hydra decided to suddenly move her to the base in Argentina but she had her suspicions. They never gave her any information that they thought would benefit herself rather than Hydra. She and her father were essentially on a need to know basis because they didn't work for Hydra...no, they were enslaved by Hydra. Still, Emma heard rumors around the base and those Argentinians sure liked to gossip. There were rumors of the destruction of Project Insight as well as the fall of Shield. Shield? Emma thought. No, the fall of Shield couldn't be good for Hydra. Shield was a foundation for Hydra. It was one of their top resources. They also spoke of the death of Alexander Pierce and Emma really hoped that rumor was true. She hated Pierce almost as much as she hated Rumlow...almost.