Winter's Daughter

Chapter Eleven

Nadiya's POV

Another piece of dirt lands on my face as the ground beneath me shakes. We've been searching throughout the tunnels of the bunker for almost an hour. So far, nothing.

With every step I take, the more dread fills up in my stomach. What if we never find the lab? What if we are too late? What if Luka gets hurt? What if-

"Kid! Snap out of it!"

I jump at the voice breaking my thoughts. I turn around to see Tony. "Oh, h-hey. Sorry." I say as I scratch the back of my neck.

"Just stay focused. I can't have you getting lost down here." Tony says as he tries to look sincere. But, I can see through his act. He isn't telling me something.

"Right." I say as I begin to walk again. Then, out of nowhere, and ear piercing scream comes from outside. Forgetting that I turned my com off, I immediately turn it back on.

"Watch your left!"

"I can't see him! Where'd he go?!"

"I'm hit!"

"Careful in the trees!"

"Buck get out of there!"

Once I heard that I turned my com off. What if he.. dies? It would be my fault. Then it hits me.

When I was younger, HYDRA would take me out of the facility to a different one for unauthorized experiments. What if this was it? The bus rides were never far. This has to be the place.

Instead of using my sight, I decided to use the different senses around me. I grab a piece of cloth from one of the rooms and tie it around my face, as if it was a blindfold. Then I start to walk.

I find myself recognizing the hallways. The pattern of the corners I turn on. After many lefts and rights, I run into something. I take the cloth off of my eyes to see I found the lab.

Without thinking, I slowly walk into the lab. What I saw shocked me.

There was tubes everywhere with humans inside. Almost like they were.. cloning them? DNA sheets were everywhere. Horrific tools were spread throughout many tables with blood splattered throughout the area.

I'm a supposed to be this fearless super soldier who could destroy anything with the touch of my finger. But, I couldn't help but feel scared.

All of a sudden, all the lights to the facility went out. I was engulfed by darkness. Panicking, I turned on my coms and decided to call for help.

"Nadiya, kid, where are you?!" I heard Tony yell through the coms. "Stark, I swear to God, if you lost Nadiya I will never forgive you." Said Bucky with hatred dripping off of his words.

"Guys?" I said a little scared. "Nadiya! Hey, where are you? Are you okay?" I heard Steve ask. "Yea, yea I'm fine. Um, I found the lab. Hey, wherever you guys are, did your power go out?" I ask. "No, everything's fine where I'm at. Now listen to me, I need to know where you are. If you're power went out, then.... after you..... know we are here....... another soldier...." The more Steve talked, the more he started to break out.

"Steve?! Steve! You're breaking out, I can't hear you!" I say, starting to panic even more. I quickly realized that coms would be no use, that I was on my own.

I looked around the lab, only the tubes filled with the human clones were my source of light. As I was walking, I stepped on something. Looking through my utility belt, I finally found my flashlight.

When I turned it on, I saw that I stepped in glass. Then, I looked at the tube right next to me.

No one. The tube was broken. Blood was on the edges of the glass. Someone broke out. I'm not alone in this lab.