THE SKY was cloudy on the day of Raena's kidnapping.
Raena felt herself pull her knees to her chest as she sat in the back of the armored van as thunder rang out in her ears. She leaned her chin on her knees, tears rising to her eyes as she glanced around at a few girls and boys around her, all crying or dead silent.
Everyone was either terrified of their current situation or they had completely given up; there was no in between.
Raena, on the other hand, stayed strong. Despite how horrifying and generally confusing everything was at that moment, she managed to hold back the tears from running down her cheeks.
Raena and the other children were taken from their homes, whether the families were aware about it or not. She remembered how her older sister, Liane, attempted to defend her, only to be knocked out with the butt of an assault rifle.
She was so worried about her sister, and that was all that was on her mind. Instead of worrying about herself, she instead worried about Liane, remembering back to when the older girl was knocked out and brutally slammed onto the floor of their kitchen.
Hearing more thunder, Raena sighed and licked her lips, glancing at the reinforced window to her right. She was lost in thought.
What's going to happen to me? What's going to happen to...her?
She brushed a piece of her red hair behind her ear, cringing at the feeling of sweat on her skin due to the humidity. She hated days like these, when strong rain poured down from the skies and yet, it didn't help with feeling sweaty and gross.
The armored van came to an abrupt stop. Many of the children froze as the doors opened, guns being immediately pointed at them.
"Get out and raise your hands above your head." said one of the men in front of them, nudging them to the side. Raena, despite how much she wanted to deny the demand, was the first to leave the armored van. She quickly raised her hands above her head, looking down at her feet as she stood in the rain, getting more wet by the moment.
One of the men aggressively gripped Raena's hands, cuffing them together then pressing them against the small of her back. He pushed the small girl forward, straight toward the base in front of them.
Raena shifted uncomfortably under the man's rough grip, but didn't struggle. Struggling would be stupid. Completely and utterly stupid.
The man rushed the them both inside the base, the sudden dryness making Raena sigh in relief. She blew at a wet piece of hair that was stuck to her cheek, to no avail of getting it unstuck.
As she was guided through the halls, Raena was able to spot a few signs next to what seemed to be personal rooms, or maybe cells.
Terry. Roger. Faith. Kallie.
Yet, one name stood out to her.
The Winter Soldier.
That was definitely no regular name. She thought, grunting quietly when she felt the man rush down the hallway quicker and quicker. Before she could question it, she felt her mouth run dry. No, that would be stupid. Don't say anything. They'll kill you.
She felt her lip tremble in fear as she continued to be forced down the hallway, tears pooling in her eyes, waiting to fall. She wouldn't allow tears. She didn't want to be like those other kids. She wanted to be strong, for them and for herself.
When the man pulled her to the side, he held her by the back of her neck and scanned a keycard with his other hand, granting them both access to the secured room.
When Raena saw the interior of the room, her shoulders slumped slightly. It was so dull, and so empty. All that laid there was a table, along with a chair on each side of it.
"Sit." The man demanded simply, pushing her forward. She stumbled, her eyes wide as she hit the chair. She looked back at the man and quickly sat down, eyeing the rifle in his hands.
The man left as soon as he saw her sit down, leaving her by herself for only a few moments before another door opened, revealing an older man with neat, blonde hair. Raena furrowed her eyebrows, tensing as he simply stared at her, arms crossed as if he was judging her.
"Hello there." The man spoke, slowly approaching the table. Raena didn't answer, simply staring at him with narrowed eyes. He shrugged, sitting down in the seat across from her.
"Do you know why you're here?" He questioned, tilting his head ever so slightly. Raena scoffed, her eyes hardening to forming a glare.
"You hurt my sister." She spat, her fists clenching in her lap. The man chuckled humorously, shaking his head.
"I didn't hurt your sister." The man denied, folding his hands on the table. "I'm not sure what my men did, but I didn't lay a finger on her."
She lifted one of her fists and slammed it on the table. "You should really keep a better eye on your men, then!" The man didn't flinch at the movement and instead raised an eyebrow, amused.
The man simply straightened his posture, his expression still showing amusement. "For a girl your age... you're quite fierce, aren't you?"
Raena, without hesitation, leaned toward him with gritted teeth. "Fierce enough to kick your ass."
He allowed his lips to curl up slightly, and a louder chuckle escaped his lips as he stood up once again.
"I like you."
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HOURS LATER . . .
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Waking up a few hours after that conversation was one of the worst things. Raena's eyes were extremely heavy and a gentle groan escaped her lips as she began to adjust to the bright lights.
"...Charge to 75%."
Raena was able to feel a sudden powerful heat as it rushed through her muscles. She winced, the heat creating a tingling feeling through her muscles. She felt sore, yet relieved at the same time. It was strangely euphoric.
"Cleared; straight to 100%."
She was wrong. The heat increased almost immediately, creating a feeling of burning across her skin. Not knowing how to react as the feeling continued to invade her body, her limbs instinctively shook out of surprise.
As the feeling of a burning flame rushed through her veins, her eyelids suddenly felt extremely light. She opened her eyes wide, her expression presenting alarm as she tried to move her head, yet to no avail.
She quickly realized that she was bound to a table, wrists and ankles tied down with strong metal straps. Her eyes drifted upward, only to find metal restraints covering her forehead as well. She was trapped.
She did all she was possibly able to.
She screamed.
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Well, there you have it!
Here's Raena's origin chapter! A lot of this will make much more sense as the story develops, but I hope you enjoyed what was written💜
Also, I wonder who that strange man was . . .
Thanks for reading lovelies!
~ Via
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The Phoenix || Marvel
Fanfiction"I'm free, and I'm the phoenix." Raena Crawford is a woman who was kidnapped by HYDRA at the young age of 13, only to be experimented on, tortured, and ripped of her humanity. 16 years later, the military attacks the HYDRA base she is held at-allowi...
