-May 1992-
She's fallen into a routine.
Drugs, training, conditioning, drugs, rest. Repeat.
General Karpov had vacated the facility over three months ago, claiming that he had other projects to complete and that he'd be back shortly to assess how far his soldiers had come. To decide if they had improved.
The training hadn't been much of a problem, the Winter Soldier had seen to that. Harsh and efficient, he'd whipped the Elite into better shape. They still hadn't been able to defeat him, therefore they continued to train. They haven't defeated the Winter Wraith either. Only the original soldier could. But, she had continued to grow more accustomed to her new body, using her strength to her advantage. So much so that she had been allowed to train the Elite as well. The Soldier taught different fighting styles and ways to overpower, she taught agility-isk maneuvers that could trap your opponent with your body. The one woman had learned better than the men when she taught.
Graf and a team of HYDRA scientists had designed a different set of mental conditioning for her new, growing abilities. The details were hazy, but the training consisted of bouts of brutal concentration where she would have to strengthen her mind. It was perceived to be a muscle, this power, and that in order to make it stronger, she had to work it out. She could feel it flexing, feel herself flexing it, testing out the limits. People were brought in for her to practice on. They started out with weak, frail minded subjects, making it simple for her to take a hold of their brains and convince themselves that they were in unbelievable pain. It progressively got harder as strong minded subjects were brought in as she surpassed the weak. When she failed, electricity would ensue. That metal chair they'd strap her to, it now had her nail marks carved into it. Classical music became her trigger. When heard, her mind would automatically place her back in that torturous cell and petrify her into submission. Sometimes her 'patients' would leave the room unconscious or barely conscious, drool dripping down their chins. Sometimes she would, too.
At times she'd be in that room for hours, the Winter Soldier sent for when it became too much. When she could walk, he'd assist her by keeping her on her feet. If not, they'd have him sweep up her convulsing body into his arms to take her back to their cell. He'd lay her down on his cot, knowing it wasn't as sweat soaked as hers, then sit on the edge of it. More often then not, the sessions would end with her unable to process anything for a good two hours. He'd stay with her until the convulsing stopped, until she was able to fully focus on his face again and say his name without stuttering, murmuring how this was for the greater good. HYDRA knew what it was doing, they could trust them. It was painful for the both of them, for two different reasons.
Yet, she did grow stronger. Her odynokinesis was evolving, and the pain was barely acknowledged anymore. That power had strengthened considerably, now allowing her to break into even the toughest mind of the subjects. The dull headache was always present-it had become a soothing feeling, a reminder that it was there- and she now couldn't remember a time without it. Then again, she was wiped once every two weeks. Unless there was an incident. HYDRA had not foreseen that these new attributes would allow her memory to restore itself at an accelerated pace. Even with a small hint of an erased memory, she'd start to remember details. The Soldier was usually the problem with giving away past events she wasn't supposed to remember since they spent all their time together. Thankfully, she didn't seem able to remember long erased memories. Only the ones that were very recent continued flooding back. But, even then, they eventually stopped reoccurring.
Currently, she was observing the Winter Soldier prowl around two of the Elite, assessing their moves and fighting patterns as they fought each other. Both were holding up, but there must always be a winner. Josef, the man with an extremely thick beard, came out victorious, having dispatched another Elite man. The scientists within the cell all began nodding , whispering to themselves.
