Corrupted - The Tigris Series Book 1

Prologue

September 25th, 1947

"Are you sure that she will be able to withstand the serum? She is only 20 years old, and female. Her muscular and venous systems may not be strong enough to-"

"We can never be sure, doctor." the scientist interrupted in his thick German accent. "If she dies, we'll find another. Though, I am confident that she will be able to withstand it."

"Perhaps if we put forth our efforts on a male subject, the likeliness of survival would be-"

"I cannot do that!" the scientist interrupted once again, growing more irritated as he adjusted his round, thin-framed glasses. "I specifically designed this serum to perfectly align with the genetics of a woman. If I were to try this serum on any man, it would devour every single strand of tissue in his body and feed on his blood cells one by one. Besides, with the power that this serum would provide, it would benefit most in the body of a woman. Their bodies are much stronger and more capable than a man's in almost every way; better immune systems, higher instincts of survival, and they are proven to be much more robust than a man."

The doctor was quiet for a moment, taking in all of what the scientist had said. "I suppose you are right."

The scientist chuckled. "We have already built the perfect Soldier. He is strong, fast, highly skilled, with high intelligence. Now it is time to build the perfect hunter. She will be stronger, faster, smarter, and all of her five senses will be five times stronger than the average human being."

The heavy metal double doors flung open and six men in fitted black military suits came rushing into the dimly lit room, rolling the girl that they had taken for the experiment on a metal bed with her limbs strapped down in metal restraints. The Winter Soldier stalked slowly into the room after them, his eyes narrowed and sharp.

The scientist smirked. "And there is our specimen now."

The men rolled the girl in between two sets of the scientist's machinery, each containing the substance that the scientist had created for his new special project, and tilted it upwards so the girl was upright.

"Gute Arbeit, Soldat." the scientist said happily as he approached the still sleeping young woman in the restraints.

Good work, Soldier.

The Soldier stood to the side, keeping his deep blue eyes sharp and focused. The dark black makeup around his eyes made him look much more intimidating; it kept even the military guards on edge. The only three things that gave them any sense of security was their hope that the Winter Soldier did not suddenly become uncontrollable, trust in both the Scientist and their Captain, and the bright red star on the Soldier's left metal upper bicep that symbolized his forced loyalty. So far, the Soldier has been absolutely perfect. They hoped for nothing more than for him to stay that way for their own sakes, knowing that he could take them all out before the hour had passed.

"So what now, Dr. Zola?" one of the men asked.

Zola's smirk grew as he stared longer at the sleeping girl. Her skin was pale as if it hardly saw the sun. Her shoulder length, silky black hair looked as if it had been curled at one point, though was now messy and tangled from the events that had taken place earlier that night. She wore a formal red dress, sleeveless, puffy, and barely went past her knees. She had no shoes, however, to match her fancy attire; they were most likely lost during her long journey to his lab. Her red lipstick was completely left I disturbed despite all that had happened, as if it was carefully preserved. Despite her overall slightly rough appearance, she looked to be quite fit and healthy, as he would expect her to be. Her father was an American Colonel, after all.

"Wake her up." he ordered.

The doctor nodded, grabbing the syringe with the serum next to him and punctured her neck. As soon as the serum hit her bloodstream, her head flew up with her bright blue eyes wide open in shock.