fix you

chapter eleven

They left her alone for days.

It was a good thing. She told herself that while sitting in her dark cell, trying not to let panic consume her and send her hyperventilating. Being left alone was a good thing. No one dragging her off for more brainwashing fun meant her body could heal, that she could work on getting them out of here.

Sleep was impossible, because the nightmares were unbearable, but when had she ever needed sleep? She'd had more than one mission when she had survived on little sleep, and she told herself this was no different. She could plot and she could plan.

And when Steve's screams once again echoed into her cell she devised numerous, painful, ways for everyone in that building to die.

When the door opened, Maria paused in the yoga pose she was relentlessly holding in an attempt to get her muscles somehow back in working order. Were they giving her food or attempting to drug her again? Every so often they tried slipping her a cocktail laced with drugs to knock her out, but she'd had enough of that, thank you very much.

The hint of fresh bread filled her nostrils, her mouth watering despite herself. Food, then. That was good, but what was the fresh bread going to cost her?

Sin herself walked inside, holding the food tray. Oh, fantastic. Nothing good was coming out of this dinner. Maria turned her attention back to her yoga pose, in no hurry to discuss whatever Sin planned.

"You're starting to waste away, Lieutenant." Sin sat the tray down, then plopped into the tiny chair in the cell. "Why don't you eat a nice meal for once? My treat."

Maria rose from her pose, and stared down at the redhead. "I'm not hungry."

The grumbling of her stomach at the scent of fresh bread revealed the absolute lie that was, but Maria didn't back down. Instead she stretched her shoulders.

"Oh, don't be an ass, Maria. Eat the bread. It's not drugged."

"I'm not interested."

"Please, I could hear your stomach rumbling three floors away. Eat, before you piss me off. And I don't want to be pissed off, I want to celebrate."

Cold fingers crawled down Maria's spine. "Celebrate?"

What could the Red Skull's daughter be celebrating?

The grin Sinthea sent her was cruel. "Our research has paid off. We have a working suppressant. Cap's super powers are currently null and void."

Bile rose in the back of Maria's throat at the thought of Steve helpless, of Steve truly at their mercy. Bad enough that Sin had kept him chained and tortured him for weeks, but knowing he couldn't heal? She didn't want to think of it, didn't want to think of the numerous batches of blood Hydra's scientists were no doubt collecting. She was all too aware of the fear Steve had to be feeling, the worry he had to have over Sin getting the serum formula.

She'd let him down.

"You know, you already have him detained. Was a suppressant really necessary?" Maria tried to sound as nonchalant as she could, but the fear clawing through her made her voice higher than normal. The last few weeks had already been awful, Steve had already been put through hell. What would a suppressant do to him?