the soul thief ↬ b. barnes

welcome to hydra

The feeling of cold metal pulled Tessa from a blanket of darkness. Groggily, she opened her eyes, and felt the ache building in the back of her skull. Reaching to touch her head, Tess realised that her arms, along with the rest of her body, were strapped down to a metal bench. Memories of what had happened - hours, days? She wasn't sure - before hand came rushing back, and panic set in.

"Oh good," a cold voice with a thick Russian accent spoke, "You're awake."

A man wearing a surgical mask came into view, looming over Tessa.

"Who are you?" Tessa asked, trying to sound brave but a waver of fear was evident in her voice. "Where am I?"

The man replied, "My name is Dr. Volkov. I am a scientist. As to where you are, you are in a lab in the newest Hydra facility."

"Hydra?" Tessa asked, confused, "I thought Hydra was destroyed when Strucker died. It was all over the news."

Dr. Volkov chuckled. "Ah, yes. That is what we want you to think, that Hydra is dead. But no, Hydra is still alive and thriving. After all, cut off one head, two take it's place." He walked over to a steel table, where Tess saw a syringe filled with a blue liquid. Picking it up, he held it to the light, seemingly admiring the fluid inside. "Do you know why you are here, Ms. Smith?" Tessa remained silent. "You are here because you are going to be our new test subject. You are aware that Strucker was experimenting on enhancing humans, correct? Well, when he was killed, we discontinued his trials and resorted back to an older experiment. When Bucky Barnes was in the possession of Hydra, he was injected with a serum, what we called 'Super Soldier Serum'. The purpose was to make an entire army full of super soldiers, and yet, over the years, the experiments died out and more modern ones took its place."

Throughout all this, Tessa had stayed silent, not sure of what she had to do with any of it. But the crazy scientist wasn't finished.

"We have been working on the super serum for quite some time now, and we believe that this version will not kill the subject. If it works, the subject will be able to run faster, will become significantly stronger, and their reflexes will become exceptionally quick. These are only some of the benefits of the serum, and you Ms. Smith, will be able to experience them all first hand."

Tessa's eyes widened, and she started struggling to break the bonds that held her in place. She would not be an experiment. But the straps were too strong, and she felt the piercing stab of a needle in her neck, and an achingly cold sensation spread through her body. Dr Volkov spoke, but Tessa could barely hear him over her own screams of pain. When she understood what he had said, the words filled her with dread.

"Welcome to Hydra."