Chapter Text
He had barely made it to extraction in time.
He was rushing, stumbling, covered in grime and blood, His own and probably about 50 other people’s blood.
The stench didn’t bother Him, it was all He ever knew. The perfect Hydra machine, He didn't feel anything.
He had completed the mission, the handler would be pleased. He was shoved into the back of a black SUV, insults flying over his head.
The handler was not happy, the Soldier was late, wounded and had lost some weapons during the mission.
His mind blank, He felt the metal cuffs around His wrists and ankles, digging into the dirty skin, incapacitating Him with electricity buzz, but He didn't react. He was used to protocol.
He knew the body was badly damaged though. He clenched His teeth as the waves of pain engulfed Him.
He wasn’t supposed to feel pain and certainly not supposed to show it. Upon arrival at the base, He was dragged to the lab, still dripping blood from his wounds. He didn’t resist.
Even wounded He was much stronger and faster than the guards holding Him, but He had learnt to comply the hard way. The lab was a terrifying cold room, with bright white lights and no windows.
He knew every detail of that room, the smells of chemicals, he knew what they did to Him there. It was never good.
As usual the place was buzzing with scientists in white lab coats, poking Him and placing machines on Him like the lab rat He was.
He was not allowed to feel, not allowed to talk, so He was just a silent witness.
They never looked at Him. Really looked into his eyes, because they knew the Soldier did not have a soul.
The scientists didn’t carry guns. They didn't need to, because of all the heavily armed Hydra soldiers ready to shoot Him on sight if He tried something, anything.
The lab was filled to the brim with Hydra trigger happy testosterone. He knew from experience they would not hesitate to use their weapons.
It was their job. They would shoot to torture though, not to kill.
He was too valuable an asset for Hydra to die. At least for now. Nothing was ever certain.
The scientists argued over Him, whispering formulas. One of them shrugged and started injecting Him with dubious looking liquids. They burned as they entered His system.
He was in a lot of pain already from all the wounds sustained in battle that day, and the agonizing chemicals coursing inside his veins was becoming overwhelming.
He let out a muffled cry of pain as His entire body starting burning from the inside.
This was unusual, and the scientists frowned at the numbers on the monitors. Someone barked an order, one of the lab techs pushed a button with an hesitating finger, and the horrid torture of the wiping machine started.
The Soldier screamed incredibly loud for a long time, again and again.
The monitors were beeping now, screens red in alert. The lab techs were staring at each other, eyes wide in surprise. And then he started seizing, uncontrollable for a few minutes, until his body was completely limp. The ECG went flat.
A long beep blasted from the monitor. The scientists were looking at each other in panic, not daring approaching the Soldier.
The door of the lab opened and a young woman came rushing in.
"Fucking morons, what did you do?"
One the younger black clad soldier pointed his gun at her, barking at her to back off. She flashed her credentials, as he went white and saluted "Your Highness..."
Suddenly everyone in the room had their back against the walls, trying to stay away from the woman.
She paid them no mind and rushed to the Soldier's side. She quickly assessed the machines.
She frowned at the bag of liquid attached to the Soldier and unplugged the IV line from the catheter in His arm.
"Fuck. Adrenaline, now."
"But Your Highness that will make him unpredictable..." stuttered a scientist.
She rolled her eyes, opened a metal drawer, picked a syringe, and injected the lifeless Soldier lying by her side.
All the soldiers in the room reached for their gun.
They knew the Winter Soldier would cause a bloodbath the minute he'd recover, and no amount of restrains could hold back a Super Soldier on adrenaline.
There was silence in the room for a couple seconds until a heartbeat was detected.
The adrenaline should have shocked the Soldier enough to wake Him up immediately, but it took a good twenty minutes for His heart to be stable.
He was still not waking up. The lab remained completely silent, the atmosphere heavy. The vitals were still far from normal.
The woman stayed beside the patient, relaxed, checking the screens, humming to herself, much to the horror of all the men in the room. She was either out of her mind or incredibly brave.
When the Soldier managed to open his eyes, he saw a young woman looking at him with kindness and concern. Not contempt or hatred or fear.
He didn't understand. He didn’t know her. But he felt so tired and in so much pain He didn't try to put up a fight. Not yet.
He didn’t know how long He had passed out. He didn’t what they had done to Him. That had not felt like passing out exactly. It had felt like drowning in the darkness. It had felt like dying.
Had He died?
"Hey" She murmured in a very soft voice, her eyes looking at His.
"It's ok. I can't hurt you. You need to rest." She got up.
"Stay put, Soldier." she said in a normal, commanding voice then turned her back to Him and faced the group of scientists and soldiers staring at her in awe.
Turning your back to the Winter Soldier on adrenaline was a sure ticket to the grave, yet she didn’t seem to fear Him in the slightest.
"Now you idiots better give me a good explanation. What did you think you were doing?"
One of the scientists tried to explain:"He had just been back from a successful mission, so we started to wipe Him out and He seized..."
"Did you assess His wounds first ?"
« No, but the serum should take care of that..."
"Why did you pump Him with enough potassium to kill a herd of elephants?" The scientists looked at each other, terrified.
« Hydra’s best scientists, right? So you are telling me the Winter Soldier comes back from a mission, you fail to assess the damage, fail to measure the blood loss, fail to compensate such blood loss correctly, somehow grossly miscalculate his IV with a lethal amount of potassium and then decide to wipe Him while He flatlines?"
Her tone is icy. Resentful. The atmosphere in the room is incredibly tense now.
The Soldier stares at her, very interested in this new person.
She's small, facing men much taller and stronger than her, and she yells at them in cold rage.
That's new. He is usually the one getting yelled at and punished.
Everyone seems to be at her command, yet she has been soft with Him. She didn't seem mad at Him for the body failing and she has shown no sign of fear being so close to Him.
He’s not sure if it’s yet another of Hydra’s trick. She turned towards the Soldier and points to Him.
"I don't care about the serum and the procedures, He is still a fucking human being inside. »
Human being. The words resonate in the Soldier’s brain. That’s also new. He has always been a machine, a weapon, an Asset.
« He can survive a lot, but that doesn't mean He is immortal. You guys need to learn to fucking pay attention. He’s Hydra’s most valuable weapon, but if His body fails, you treat Him.»
She turns away from Him again and walks to the higher ranking officer in the room, delicate steps barely audible.
"Rumlow, do you think my father would appreciate if his favorite asset died on the slab? Especially on your fucking watch?"
Rumlow, usually the most violent and demeaning of their lot, lowered his eyes. In an unexpected soft voice he answered "No." Then he raised his eyes to look at her adoringly.
« No, Your Highness." He answers. For a minute, they held each other’s gaze, until she turns away, expression neutral, and sits beside the Winter Soldier, close enough He can feel her warmth. She smells of something sweet.
There was a general gasp of fear in the room and hands clasped guns tighter.
He didn’t twitch, just stared at her. He could feel the adrenaline coursing through His veins, something deep inside telling Him to let the violence out, but He didn’t move.
She gave Him a gentle smile, and addressed Him in a calm whisper.
"Hey. You had a seizure, I had to stop the wipe. You need to heal before any of this is resumed" There was a hint of something in her voice, a well-hidden sadness.
He didn't understand. They never interrupted wiping procedures, no matter the body’s condition. She pushed a button and the wiping machine stopped buzzing, letting go of Him completely.
The Soldier exhaled, free from restrains, but kept His eyes locked on her, still scared deep down. None of this was usual.
Every soldier in the room had raised their gun, seeing the Winter Soldier without restrains and very close to the Boss's daughter.
Still looking at Him with kind eyes, seemingly unbothered by the proximity of the Asset, she said out loud
"I am taking Him to my chambers, we will patch Him up there. Mandatory rest until I clear Him out. »
She didn't even react to the guns pointing at the Soldier. 2 white coats approach the metal bed and start rolling Him out of the lab.
Rumlow clenched his fists, seething.
"I will walk you back to your chambers, Your Highness." He stated. She didn't answer, lost in her thoughts. But she didn't tell him off when he followed her.