I Am The Storm

Chapter Three

 This time, I didn't open my eyes. They opened by themselves.

I had the feeling I wasn't quite awake. I felt drowsy and sick, almost like all those times that the Hydra scientists had poked and prodded and stuck needles into my skin, all for the sake of making me better. A better soldier. A better weapon.

I looked up a little and saw a person with a white mask on. The bright light above stung my eyes. I winced and tried to bring my hand up to block the light, but my arm would not respond.

"She's conscious," the person standing over me announced, a man I figured, "Could you put her back under please?"

Just a few moments later, my eyes became heavy and I was sinking into darkness once more.

When I woke up again, there was no one around. I sat up, looking around. I was in a white room. A cell.

The room was slightly larger than the one I had woken up in after I was captured the first time, but not by much. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all padded except for a mirror on one side of the wall parallel to the bed, which was no doubt double-sided. A small opening to my right led to another room, most likely the bathroom. The bed itself looked like it extended from the wall, as well as a small plastic table and bench in the corner adjacent to the bed. I spotted a camera in all four corners of the room.

I swung my legs over the side of the cot, which I had to admit was far more comfortable than my cot at Hydra. I had no aches or pains in my shoulders, hips, or neck like I usually did. And there was this thing on the cot, right under where my head had lain. There had been some in the sterile white room from before too.

I stared at it suspiciously. What was its purpose? What did it do? Was it to brainwash me and put chemicals inside of me?

"That's a pillow," a voice came from the ceiling after a round of a staticy sound came through. It was different from the voice that had announced my location before I was captured. It sounded less robotic, not to mention that it was male.

"A pillow? What is its purpose?"

"To, um, go under your head and help you sleep better?" The voice sounded skeptical. Almost amused in a way.

I scowled at the pillow. No doubt they were trying to brainwash me.

I tried to pick up the pillow, but it wouldn't budge. That's when I noticed the cuffs on my wrists. There was no chain, they were large and bulky, and completely molded to the shape of my wrist. There would be no escaping from these cuffs; I couldn't see them in my mind when I tried to reach out to take them off. I could feel rashes from them already forming though they couldn't have been on for more than a few hours.

"The pillow's attached to the bed. And those cuffs are only precautions. We won't need to use them if you behave," I nodded. I could behave for the time being.

"Want me to give you the full tour?" The voice in the ceiling asked.

"Where am I?" I asked instead.

The voice fell silent for a minute before answering me.

"Can't tell you that," he said. I looked around.

Underneath the cot looked suspicious.

"Wha-what are you doing?" the voice asked, almost panicked as I slipped under the overhang.

Looking up at the underside of the cot, there was a small emblem, I almost didn't spot it, but when I did, it clearly read Stark Industries.

"Still at Stark Tower?" I poked my head out from underneath, "Right?"