The Soldier of Summer: Book 1

Chapter 18

   Auriana's P.O.V.
When Stark found out I was awake a couple hours later, he took me into the lab to run some tests. He took some of my blood, and hooked my up to a super high tech lie detector machine. And he invited some of the Avengers (Sam, Steve, Bucky, and Natasha) to come and watch.
"Are you against HYDRA?"
"Yes."
The machine said that I was not lying.
"Are you a spy?"
"No."
I was not lying.
"Is your name Auriana?"
I paused at that.
"No."
"What do you mean 'no'? You told us that was your name."
I sighed. "It's not my given name. My real name is S.O.S. It stands for Soldier of Summer. I didn't have a real name before that until I met Clara. She gave me the name Auriana."
Stark looked at the rest of the people in the room for confirmation. They all shrugged, because they didn't know that before. The machine didn't pick up any lies.
"Okay. Fine. We're done here. Banner, I need you to run some strength tests on her." He unhooked me from the machine and handed me off to Bruce Banner, who wore a lab coat and odd spectacles.
The rest of the Avengers followed us down into the gym. Banner led me over to a bar and had Steve put fifty pounds on each side. He pulled out  a pen and wrote something down on his clipboard.
"Okay, Auriana. I need you to try and pick this up with just your left arm."
"Okay."
I lifted it with ease, and held it for a bit until Banner told me to put it down. He then had Steve put another fifty on each side, and I lifted that easily too.
"Okay, Steve, double that. So make it two hundred pounds. And Auriana, use just your left arm again," Banner still scribbled away at his clipboard.
I picked that one up with a little difficulty, but only because it was hard to balance it with just five fingers. Banner then made Steve double that as well, which made it four hundred pounds. That one was still alright, balancing still an issue.
In the end, I could lift about nine hundred pounds with my flesh arm. And Banner had me start there with my metal arm. I told him I could lift multiple tons with my metal arm, but he insisted on still doing the test anyway.
Long story short, they didn't have enough weights. I could very easily lift the maximum amount ( 2,000 pounds ) that could fit on the bar. In fact, it felt like a feather.
Nobody seemed to be surprised that I could do that, not even Wanda. It was a little discouraging, but I guess that's what you get when you become surrounded by a bunch of super soldiers.
By now, it was raining pretty hard. Lightning flashed through the windows, followed by a rumble of thunder.
"Do you have anymore tests for me, or can I go back to my room?"
Banner looked up from his clipboard. "Don't worry, I only have one more test to give you. But it'll be fast. Literally." He laughed at his little joke.
"What is it a speed test?" I asked him.
"Yeah. It's a race."
"Against who?"
Steve crosses his arms. "Me." He puffed out his chest in an effort to look superior. He was uncertain in his ability to beat me in a race.
"Alright let's get this over with,"I yawned, trying to mess with him. "Where are we going to do it?"
"Uhh, follow me," Banner said, confused at my confidence.
There was a track all around the gym that I never noticed before. Banner had Steve and I start in the middle of the hundred yard stretch.
"You only have to make one lap, but you have to give all you have so I can make the proper calculations of your strength and endurance," Banner said, writing on his clipboard again.
"Ready."
Steve put his hands on the ground, but I just bent my knees.
"Set."
I shifted my weight to my toes, and Steve leaned over.
"Go."
We both pushed off, and I blanked out. I didn't pay attention to where he was, or how far into it I was, I just sprinted.
When we finished, I wasn't even winded, just tired. I had a very long day, and I wanted to sleep. But just like when I was with HYDRA, I had to push through it and just roll with the punches. Literally.
"39.6 for Auriana, and 40.9 for Cap," Banner murmured as he wrote that down on his paper.
Sam sauntered up to me. "Good job, Auri. Not many people can beat him. He runs 13 miles in 30 minutes."
"Don't call me Auri," I grumbled. "So Banner, how many more tests do you have to run? Can I go back to my room now or do you need my weight or something?"
"Hmm, what?" He looked up. "Oh no, we can get all that from your file."
My file? Why would they have my file, how could they have my file? I couldn't even get my file.
"I'm sorry, my file? Where did you get that?"
Sam was behind me at this point, but I could see his reflection in the windows making a frantic cutting motion on his neck.
"Uh uh uh nowhere," Banner sputtered out. "It's a file that S.H.I.E.L.D. has on you."
I wouldn't have believed that even if I hadn't seen Sam in the windows. Something was up, and they didn't want me to know that they had my file.
"You can go back to your room," Banner said. Winter stepped up to me.
"I'll take you."
There was no use in arguing, so I let him come with me, though I knew the way. We entered the elevator and he pressed the button for the hospital wing for me.
"Hey, I know you know that something is wrong, but not in the way that you think," Winter started. "S.H.I.E.L.D. does have your HYDRA file, but none of us have seen it. I have a feeling that they'll show all of us soon, including you."
I looked out at the rain. "I doubt that will happen anytime soon. S.H.I.E.L.D. is very secretive about HYDRA files. Specially ones about genetically engineered super soldiers with metal arms." I elbowed his left arm with my flesh one.
"I'm sure they'll show you."
"Yeah sure. Did you get to see yours?"
"Actually, yeah."
I looked up at him, surprised. He was only a couple inches taller than me, and his eyes were the frostiest blue.
"I mean it took me a while. I had to become an Avenger first."
"What? No, I'm never going to become an Avenger. These guys'll never trust me, I have to get that file. I have to see it!" I tried to stop the elevator, but Winter grabbed my arm.
"No Auri, you have to wait just a little longer."
I gave him a look that could kill. "Number one, don't call me Auri. Number two, how much longer would I need to wait?"
I continued to struggle against him, but he was a grown super soldier with full strength, and I was the complete opposite.
The door dinged and I continued to fight as he practically dragged me to my room.
"Hey I'll tell you what." He opened the door to my room and brought me in. He locked it.
"You wait just a couple more days just to see what's up. Let's determine how they all feel about you. And if they show no signs of showing you the file within the next few weeks, then I will help you get it. How does that sound?"
That didn't sound too unreasonable. It wasn't that bad here. I could do my time for a couple weeks, and it would be a good way to get to know these people's fighting styles just in case I needed to actually fight them.
"Mmmmmmmmm, fine. But I'm gonna hold you to that."
Winter nodded and unlocked the door. "Now, get in the bed, I know you're tired. You've had a long day."
I got in the bed and he put the heart monitor thing on my finger. When it started beeping on the screen, he nodded and headed towards the door.
"Goodnight," he said.
"Yeah, whatever."
He flicked off the switch and the room went dark as he closed the door.
In the next few days, I'll be able to see everything that HYDRA ever knew about me. And my parents.