The 3rd Experiment

Chapter 19

Six pancakes down and I was finally starting to feel full. Tony had wandered off, letting me know where to find him if need be. I stand up, heading to the sink to clean my plate. I turn the water on and notice a small dish by the soap. There are rings and a small tube of lotion resting in the dish. That didn't seem too concerning until I noticed one of the rings inside.

I dropped the plate into the sink, shut the water off, and reached for the ring without even drying my hands. 

"I know this ring," I mumbled to myself. A small silver band with roses etched onto the outside. The edges were perfectly tarnished and worn in every place except above the center rose. This was my ring. 

My father had given it to me for my fifteenth birthday and I had held onto it all throughout High School. The last time I had it was when Bucky, Steve, and I had gone to Coney Island. I gave it to Steve to hold after it almost fell off my hand on the Cyclone. 

I hear the door open but I'm sure it's just Tony so I stay focused on the ring. How could it have ended up here after 74 years? 

Eventually, I realize the room is dead silent. The door had opened but never closed. I never heard footsteps or another door open. I turn around, ring still in hand, and I see Steve. 

I drop the ring and listen to it hit the floor and spin around for a few seconds. My eyes start to water and I realize that I haven't blinked in at least a minute. 

"Raya?" He asks. His throat sounds dry because his mouth has been open since he walked into the room. 

"Steve," I say as if answering his question. 

I run forward, just missing the island counter and I wrap my arms around him before he can even process. He brings his arms around me and it feels like time stops. How could he have ended up here after 74 years?

He pulls me away, keeping a grip on my shoulders and he just looks me up and down, in admiration. It's been decades since we've seen each other. 

Tony walks into the room and stops when he sees me in Steve's arms.

"What's going on in here?" Tony asks, "You two know each other?"

"Yeah, we do," Steve says, not breaking eye contact.

 The room goes silent again and we all just stand still for a few minutes processing everything. We move over to the couch and chairs at the end of the room and all take a seat. It feels as though Steve and I haven't taken our eyes off each other. This is so much to take in, he looks exactly the same as the last time I'd seen him. However,  I'm sure he can't say the same about me. 

"How are you here?" Steve asks me, glancing at Tony. 

"Tony found me."

"There were police reports from northern Siberia about someone who had..." He started to say and I cringe remembering what I had done. What I had woken up to each time. "I followed the reports and picked her up in my suit. "

"How long have you been here?"

"Since yesterday," I say, pulling my arms into my stomach and holding myself tightly. 

"How are you here?" I ask Steve. 

"I had to crash land a Hydra plane and the water froze around me, preserving me for 70 years in ice. They woke me up a few months ago..." He continues his story but I start to zone out. 

I look at him and remember the temperature of the room I woke up in. My eyes start to water and I glance at Tony before trying to blink that memory away. 

"Hey, hey, what is it? Are you okay?" Steve asks, scooting forward in his chair.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just remembering." I start to picture the men that I killed, the men that surrounded me when I woke up that first time. The tears force their way out of my eyes and I cringe, trying to fight this sudden feeling of panic. I rest my head in my hands, trying to wipe away the tears, or the memories. 

Steve comes over and pulls me off the couch, squeezing me in a hug tighter than before. 

"What the hell happened to you?" He whispers, resting his chin on the top of my head. After a few minutes, my heartbeat slows, and my breathing regulates. Steve sits me back down on the couch and wipes the tears off of my cheeks. 

"Steve, can I talk to you outside real quick?" Tony asks. The two of them leave the room, standing just behind the door, in the hallway. They talk quietly but I can still hear every word they say.

"Steve, the report from Siberia was that she killed 4 people. I saw it."

"That's not her Tony. This isn't her. Something is wrong." Steve says

"Regardless of who she was and what's wrong with her, she's a murderer. You can't argue with that." 

"I can and I will. The Raya I know, wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Then we have to figure out who she is now."

"How do we do that?" Steve asks, and I watch as he peeks through the crack in the door to look at me. 

"I have no idea. When I picked her up I was expecting something much scarier than her." 

As they talk, I start to fall asleep on the couch. I don't remember the last time I got to sleep on something as comfortable as the beds or couches Tony has offered, so it's impossible to fight off the exhaustion. 

I drift off pretty fast and I'm greeted with a vision of concrete walls and a doctor's chair. There's a large contraption attached to the chair and my arms are hooked into cuffs. I look around to see several doctors in lab coats and about 5 soldiers, their guns pointed right at my head. 

One of the lab coats approaches me with a mouthguard and I open my mouth, accepting that I can't fight this. Then I hear the contraption fall around my face and rest on my forehead and cheek. I hear the noises get louder and I start to feel the sting of the machine and that's when I wake.