New Recruits

Changed Man

I had been hospitalised for the rest of the week, spending six days in the same room and it was driving me crazy. Although I was on anaesthetic, I could still feel the throbbing pain. I hadn't seen Steve since the day of the attack but Chris came everyday. No one seemed to have seen Steve, causing all agents to panic over the loss of one of their leaders. I had asked Chris everyday if there was any news but he always had the same answer.

            On the sixth day, they released me from that tiny room and I truly saw what chaos was happening. Agents were rushing around everywhere, looking frantic. Chris tried to guide me away from the rush and out of the building. It was havoc, I'd never seen such a strong company break so easily this fast.

         Chris seemed to speed down the roads as he drove. I was not allowed in my own flat nor the one we used for Steve and I. They assured me that I would be safe in my new home, with much bigger and better security, although Chris was still in charge. The flat seemed much bigger than the other one, with more modern furnishing, though it was nice it just wasn't my style.

"You know what to do if you need us right?" Chris asked a final time.

"Yeah I know. Thanks Chris." I replied to him before he walked out of the door.

            The evening dragged on, unfortunately, meaning that the next day was not coming anytime soon. I tried everything from watching TV, go reading a book and I even turned to yoga for some help; normally I would love yoga but my mind was not balanced today (surprise, surprise). Eventually, I gave up, going to bed at eight o'clock yet not falling asleep properly until later on. I was on edge the whole time.

             As soon as I shut my eyes, I opened them again. Somehow in the second I had closed them, night had changed to day and here I was, wide awake. Crawling out of bed and to the kitchen, I tried to think of a breakfast that could cheer me up. But as I looked in the cupboards it seemed the only ingredients available was a box of plain cereal, some milk and a bowl and spoon. Not a good start to the day.

          To take up time, I chewed the cereal slowly, despite some of it going soggy. Once I was finished, I checked the time, noticing that I took only five minutes. Groaning, I placed the bowl in the sink before going to get changed. This was just going to be another long day.

             S.H.I.E.L.D weren't going to let me do anything just as a precaution. However, 'fun' was also taken away from me, meaning that I was stuck inside all day with no one to talk to. My friends and family all thought that I had taken a holiday to some island with a few old friends (how they convinced everyone with that stupid story, I do not know) but somehow they believed it. If I contacted one of them, even just for a quick chat, their life could be in danger, I wasn't risking that. If Steve were here, at least most of my days would be filled with something to do.

          There was still no word on Steve either. I was starting to become worried but there was nothing I could do. Once I was ready, I paced around the flat, thinking about something to do. There was a knock on the door, and although I was desperate for company, I grabbed my gun from the table, holding it behind my back. Looking through the peephole, I gasped as I laid my eyes upon Steve. I unlocked the door rapidly, throwing myself on him. He tensed up, pushing me back into the flat.

"Steve!" I squealed as he slammed the door behind him.

            He hadn't shaved as there was a lot of stubble around his face and his hair was messed up. There were dark bags under his eyes too. This was not Steve.

"Steve, what is going on?" I asked, trembling. My gun was still in my hand but there was no way that I would want to use it on him.

           He said nothing as he pulled a huge gun out of his duffle bag, aiming it at me. Stumbling backwards, I fell over the arm of the sofa, lying down. My gun was now exposed, so I had to use the opportunity and point it at him.

"Drop it." He ordered.

"Why are you doing this!? What's happened to you Steve!?" I retaliated.

"Drop it." He repeated.

            I kept it there, my hands shaking from fear and from the tightness of my grip. He marched towards me, causing me to roll off of the sofa and run away from him. As I jumped over the sofa, he grabbed me mid air, not caring about my kicking and screaming. Somehow, he took the gun out of my hands, forcing me back down on the sofa.

"Stay." He ordered, slowly climbing off of me.

          Doing as he said, I watched as he walked out of the room and searched the entire apartment. Smashing could be heard, along with grunting, as he tried to find whatever it was he wanted. Though it was a big risk, I crept towards the door, about to sprint out of there when I heard others heading this way. Looking through the peep hole again, there were other agents headed this way but they didn't have the S.H.I.E.L.D logo on their uniform, it was Hydra.

           I got away from the door just in time before it was barged down. The men piled into the flat, shouting as they aimed their weapons at me. As I cowered in a corner, I heard Steve's angry roar as he started to attack the men. I couldn't bear to look but when I did it was all over. The men were lying on the floor unconscious or dead, Steve proudly standing over them.

            Steve walked over to me, gently lifting me to my feet. He grabbed my hand, taking me out of the flat. I resisted as much as I could before he got fed up and threw me over his shoulder. My screams made no difference as he skipped down the stairs, finally reaching the ground floor. Roughly opening a fire exit door, he put me on the ground but continued dragging me towards a car. Without a word, I was forced inside before he too climbed in, going way over the speed limit as he drove away.