The Winter Wraith

Chapter 15

The Winter Wraith was rigidly sitting on a seat, blanking staring at the plane’s wall across from her. Ryker had told her that his superior wanted her to undergo some sort of test or experiment at a different base. Currently, she could hear some agents talking about Sokovia, and how the country was falling apart. Sokovia must be where they were flying to.

“Five minutes out,” an agent from the front of the plane yelled.

A few minutes later, the Wraith, her handler, and a group of agents departed from the plane. In front of them was a massive old fortress that appeared a bit rundown, but fully functional. The Hydra base was surrounded by mountains and a snowy forest.

The group trudged through the thick snow and into the base. A man met them at the entrance. He had buzzed hair cut close to his scalp and a unique monocle resting on his right eye. He looked at Wraith in a way that made her feel like a lab rat that he couldn’t wait to experiment on and cut open.

“Welcome, welcome,” he said in a thick German accent, with a twisted smile unnaturally plastered on his face.

“This is her?” he asked.

“Yes, this is the Winter Wraith, sir,” an agent replied.

“Well then, go get her prepped,” he directed, “Quickly, we don’t have all day.”

Two agents under his authority roughly grabbed the Wraith by her arms and escorted her through the building. Ryker trailed closely behind. She tried to distract herself from the upcoming experimentation by memorizing the path they were taking, but this place was a labyrinth. The never ending hallways diverged into multiple wings with their own complicated layouts.

Eventually, the two thugs harshly threw her into a cell and slammed the barred door shut on her. Ryker waited for them to leave the immediate area, and then slowly strided up to the cell, his cane making a loud thump against the concrete floor.

The Wraith had always wondered why he had the cane, as he had no visible injury and was fairly young. She often heard hidden jabs and teasing of his cane woven into conservations he had with other agents. He always brushed them off, with a slight smirk, as if he knew something they didn’t.

“This may be the last time we see each other. There’ll be some new management soon. Be careful. I’m rooting for you, Adina,” Ryker spoke in a quiet manner.

Adina? The name sounded familiar. She hadn’t been called that in a very long time. She felt a pang in her heart at the thought of her beloved handler leaving. Everyone was always leaving her. First John, now Ryker…

She glanced back up at the complicated man, watching him lean heavily on his cane as he left the area. As he neared the large doorway, he turned around, as if he sensed Adina was watching him.

He tipped his hat towards her, spun on his heel, and left without looking back.

The Wraith was left alone in her cell with her thoughts, awaiting the mysterious test. She hoped it wouldn’t be as painful as when she got the serum. She shivered at the thought.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew into the room, blowing her brown hair back. She saw a blue streak whizz by.

“Pietro, wait up!” an irritated female voice yelled.

A young woman with red hair walked into the large room, glancing around.

The blue streak appeared again, and a young man with platinum blond highlights appeared by the woman’s side.