Free From HYDRA

Chapter 20

Welcome to Peter's memories! 

-----

4 years old, 2 years after capture: 

HE HATED THE SCIENTIST. 

He hated the way he smiled down at him; the scientist had a creepy, thin smile that made the boy want to cry. He hated how he didn't even know his own name, didn't know where his mama and papa were. 

He wanted Harley to find him. The game of hide-and-seek they'd been playing wasn't fun anymore. 

He curled up in the corner of his cell, tears making their way down his face. 

They didn't let him cry out loud. So he cried silently, wondering where his mama and papa were. He remembered how they looked; his papa with dark hair and kind brown eyes. And his mama, with her long pretty hair and bright eyes. 

He missed them. Where were they? 

Where was Harley? He hadn't found him yet. 

It had been so long. 

How much longer did he have to hide? 

-----

5 years old, 3 years after capture: 

"Hello, Winter Spider 02," the scientist said with a smile. "How are you today?" 

He cowered, burying his head in his arms. 

"Nuhuhuh," the scientist tutted. "What did I say about fear?" 

"Don't show fear," the boy said timidly, his voice small. 

"Exactly." There was silence. "Get up." 

He whimpered but pushed himself off the floor. The scientist grasped his shoulders tightly, steering him out of the cell and through the dark halls. The boy quivered, cold in his worn out clothes. He only got clothes once a year—on his birthday. 

"No fear, Winter Spider," the scientist reminded him as they approached the doors of a building the boy didn't know. 

But that didn't stop the dread clawing its way into his heart. 

"No fear," the scientist said and opened the doors. 

Light pulsed in front of his eyes; he blinked, disoriented. He hadn't seen light in months, maybe even years. He didn't know. 

They walked in, and the boy frantically looked around. There were words engraved on the wall, but the boy couldn't read it. He couldn't read English, only a bit of Russian. 

It was some sort of stadium; seats were all around, facing the middle of the arena, where there was a scene put in front of the boy's eyes. 

There was a man with black hair that reached his shoulders and a stern glare on his face. One of his arms was encased in silver metal, which would have entranced the boy if not for the gun the man held in his hand. 

It was faced toward another man who grinned stupidly at him. The man with the gun had the utmost look of concentration on his face; and then he pulled the trigger, and with a loud bang, the other man fell over. 

The boy didn't know he was dead. He was too young for that concept. 

He only knew that the other man, the one on the floor, was away. 

"Well done, Winter Soldier," the scientist beamed, nodding at the guards by the doors to take the Winter Soldier back where he came from. 

Winter Soldier looked at the boy, and his eyebrows furrowed. But the next second, it was gone—a simple mask of an assassin. 

The doors closed with a thud. The scientist turned to the boy. 

"Follow me, Winter Spider," he said, and led the boy to the arena. 

Blood. 

Everywhere. 

The smell of iron hit his nose and he couldn't help it—he whimpered, curling into himself. The scientist's head whipped around and he glared at the boy. 

"What did I say?" 

"No fear," the boy whispered. 

The guards dragged out another person—a woman, who looked almost fourteen years old. She was crying out, flailing, trying to escape their grasps as they put her in front of the boy. 

He looked on in confusion. Why was this woman in front of him? 

She stopped shouting, staring at the boy with horror in her eyes. She locked her gaze on the scientist. "Are you mad?" she cried. "Are you really getting a child to do your work for you?" 

"You don't know who this child is," the scientist replied calmly. 

"I don't care!" the woman yelled. "He's a kid! I thought HYDRA was to fix everything...you are a monster!" 

The scientist didn't flinch. "Winter Spider?" He gave the little boy a gun. 

The boy stared down at the gun, and then at the woman. "Will this make you go away?" he asked quietly. 

The woman stared at him, her eyes full of sympathy and regret. She nodded. 

The boy's hand trembled. "I don't wanna make you go away." 

"Winter Spider," the scientist said, voice threatening. 

The woman's eyes darted from the boy to the scientist. "It's okay, little one. I'll go away, but I'll go away to a better place." 

"I don't...don't..." The boy's shoulders shuddered. 

"It's okay," the woman soothed. 

The boy threw the gun to the ground, missing the panic on the woman's face. He collapsed, sliding the gun away from him as much as possible. "No! No!" 

"Do it!" the woman cried, but there was a click, a bang, and then silence. 

The boy looked up slowly. 

The woman was on the ground. 

And surrounding her was red. 

~ Lyn 

Words: 876 

So, how was it? 

Was it good enough so far? 

I just realized that my characters aren't that dynamic and are pretty flat, and now I'm just crying in realization 😢 someone help me how do I fix this without restarting?