Wounded- B. Barnes

03

PAIN
ELEANOR'S POV

I was slowly getting my vision back. I was nowhere I knew. All the lights were dim and shone an ugly fluorescent yellow color. I looked around and I saw blank walls, medical equipment, and a man. He looked short and stubby from where I was.

if talking about an anxiety attack gives you one, here's a heads up that ones coming. it's not long or very detailed but it happens

I started to try and stand but I couldn't. There were restraints on my arms, legs, and torso holding me down. I began to panic. I had frequent anxiety attacks that Steve would normally help with but Steve was nowhere in sight. 

"Calm down now, Eleanor. You're in good hands." The short man said. His voice was something from a nightmare. It was deep and raspy. 

"You kidnapped me! Where am I?" I shouted at the man. The anxiety of being in an unknown place set in fast. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I was drowning. 

"You are in a Hydra base. We have tested a new serum that we would like to test on you. If you fight back, we will not hesitate to fight back."

"You're what my brother was talking about in his letters! I'll never help you with your sick experiments." I spat back. Oh, would I regret this. With a clap of his hands, 2 guards came in and picked me up. They brought me to a room down the long hallway. I tried to fight back but they were too strong.

When we got to the room they wanted me in, I saw one big post in the middle and a supply cabinet in the corner. I saw the guard walk over to the storage cabinet and grab something out. As he walked back I could see it was a long whip. Now I knew what the post was. The guard that was still holding me took off my shirt and bra leaving me exposed in front of the 2 men.

I had never been seen bare by any man before. Not even when Steve had to grab his deodorant out of the bathroom when I was showering. He would always be polite and close his eyes or look away. But now I was being seen by these two strangers.

The guard who took off my top and bra tied my hands to the pole in the middle of the room. I knew what was coming but I didn't expect the roar of pain that surged through my back. He hit me once and my body shook with pain. He hit me twice, this time harder, and I heard myself scream. The third and fourth time I was screaming louder and louder. I could feel tears run down my face and to my bare chest.

They kept slashing my back open with that horrid whip. It burned and stung as I felt the blood rushing down my back. I hated this place. I hated this new found pain. I had never even been hit with dads belt. The worst injury I had gotten was falling down some concrete stairs in downtown Brooklyn. I ended up breaking my shin bone and had to use old crutches for about 3 months when I was 15. This was so much worse.

They finally stopped at what I guessed was 12 hits. I felt as though I was dying. The pain was unbearable. They untied my hands and picked me up by my forearms. They dragged me back to the room where the doctor was, still shirtless.

They dropped me down on the floor and I immediately brought my hands up to cover myself. I looked around and saw that I was in a new room. This room contained a chair in the middle with a big metal contraption on top. I saw Bucky in the corner with his eyes still looking dead and heartless. There was no longer the sparkle I loved so much. Just hatred. The doctor from earlier was there too. Along with about four more standing around the machine.

"So, Ms. Eleanor, have you decided to help us?" The man asked.

"No, and I never will so you can drop it." I snarled. He looked at the guards and nodded at them. I looked behind me and they nodded back. They picked me up and shoved me down in the chair in the middle of the room.

They held my shoulder to the back while the doctors strapped my arms down.

"I'm very sorry Ms. Rogers. But since you refuse to help us, we'll just have to make you." He grimly smiled. He looked like he liked to see my chest out for everyone to see. I hated it. He went up to the other doctors and flipped a couple switches making the metal contraption come down on my head. "You might not want to move."

All of the sudden I felt a surge of energy throughout my bones. It sent shock waves throughout my brain. It felt like thousands of tiny needles poking at my memories making them pop and fade into thin air. My 13th birthday when Steve and Bucky brought me to the movies for the first time. Watching my brother hold me, shake, and cry after our mother died. The feeling I got when I was around Bucky.

It's all gone. I feel nothing. I feel Hydra. The good guys. They're fighting for a better world. They're fighting for peace. I'm fighting for peace.

Finally, the pain stopped and I sat up. No longer did I care about my bare chest. No longer did I care about the pain running through the nerves on my back. The pain was there and still begging me to help it, but I didn't care.

"Soldier?" A man asked. Had I seen this man? Was he someone I cared for? Someone who helped me? Someone who loved me?

"Yes," I responded.

"Who are you?" He asked. That was a good question. Who am I? Who was I?

"I-I don't know," I responded weakly.

"Good." He told me. "You're name is Malina. You work for me. Here are your rules. One; you obey and do not talk back. If you do, we will seek the fitting punishment. Two; you do not talk. If we see you talking, we will punish you. Three; you share a room with this soldier. He will keep watch on you and train you. If you do good, you may go on missions with him."

He motioned for the soldier to come over to us.

"Soldier. Bring her to your room and clean up her back. Tomorrow, you will bring her to the lab. We have an experiment we want to try on her."