CHILD | james b. barnes

| 2 |

Project: Child

2

Week 2.

ARNIM ZOLA DIDN'T REALIZE just how strong of a mind Barnes had. Even with a child's life on the line, Barnes had made no movement to speak to her, much less feed her.

Barnes simply refused to comply, and though Angelika was not dead, which he found to be peculiar but understandable, he was infuriated.

He hadn't seen any progress, and as he stood in front of Melanie who read the notes he'd taken of the pair, his hands grew clammy with nervous sweat.

"So there had been no improvements with his behavior. At all?" Melanie asked, a bit of annoyance in her voice and Arnim nodded as she handed the papers to him.

She looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"You are too soft, Doctor." She said as she looked up at him. "Threaten him with her death. Then see how he reacts."

"B-but that's breaking the project's protocol!" He stammered and she gave him a fierce glare.

"Do you have any other ideas in mind?" She said, leaning back in her chair.

Arnim thought to himself for a few seconds, before realizing he didn't have any other ideas. He knew the Winter Soldier project was much more important than the child he had vigorously experimented on.

"No." He admitted and Melanie waved her hand at him.

"Then what are you waiting for?" She said and he stepped out of her office, stepping down the hall with a deep frown on his face.

The very last thing he wanted to do was waste such a successful creature on the soldier, but Barnes was to be the new fist of HYDRA, and if this was how Arnim would be able to break him, he would do so.

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Angelika gripped her fluffy fleece blanket around her, hugging herself to keep warm in the room. She hadn't spoken once to the stranger, whom she still didn't know the name of. Ever since the first day she'd been with him, he did not speak to her, and acted as if she didn't exist.

She didn't understand, but she knew better than to question him. She didn't want to anger him, and she was unsure about him. Sure, she knew he was a prisoner, but was he dangerous? She wasn't afraid of his left arm, which was made of some type of metal, but she was more afraid about his condition.

Everyday the man would be dragged out of his cell. He didn't even fight back, almost as if he had given up, but he was always afraid. Then, he'd come back, thrown into the cell while he was dripping with blood.

Angelika had never seen someone so awfully injured before and she was terrified at the sight of him. She had tried to approach him the first few days because she could help, but he always gave her a shake of his head, or a simple stare. She understood he didn't want to be anywhere near her, and though she should've spoken, she didn't.

He would have nightmares too, every night, just like her, and he would scream and thrash around like someone was hurting him. She wasn't afraid of him during the night, and all she could do was cover her ears whilst looking at him with sympathy.

Apart from being worried for the man, she was starving, completely hungry, but she complied to Arnim's wishes and didn't eat unless the stranger told her to, which he never did. He must've noticed, because she'd stare at his food intently, but he wouldn't even bat an eyelash.