Corrupted - The Tigris Series Book 1

Chapter Twenty

August 20th, 1987

"Today is a very special day, girls. I expect you all to be on your best behavior and greet our guests with kindness and respect." a young woman instructed.

The young girls of her class, no older than 14, were lined up in a perfect line with their hands at their sides. Some of their eyes were wide with curiosity, while others were a bit stand off-ish. They had heard stories about the guests, and they weren't sure on whether to be excited or weary. Their instructor, as well as their trainer, insisted that it was something to be excited about; though, they weren't entirely sure if they should trust her word on it.

After all, fun for her was never fun for them.

The room looked as if it was a training room for dancers, though that was far from the truth. It was lit appropriately, though not too much to serve as a distraction. It was quite spacious, with plenty of room for them to practice their drills and their choreographs. It looked rather normal, if you payed no attention to the few old blood stains here and there.

"Am I understood?" the female instructor questioned.

"Yes, Madame." the girls answered in sync.

"Good. Now, they will be arriving at any moment! And when they do, I want you each to watch them very closely, for they are to be your role models." Madame said as she slowly paced back and forth in front of the girls.

She wore her brunette hair up on a fashionable bun, void of any imperfections. Her deep blue dress shirt matched perfectly with her high-class deep blue jacket, as well as her deep blue office skirt that fell just below her knees. She wore a very light amount of makeup, though favored a deep red lipstick from time to time. Today was one of those days.

A knock sounded behind the door, and one of the staff members of the facility poked his head through. "They are here, Madame B."

"Excellent. Send them in." she ordered, and turned her back to the girls to face the door.

The man gave a firm nod, then opened the door wider to allow the guests to enter. The first to step in the room was a tall, blue-eyed male. His brown hair slightly blew back above his shoulders as he trudged further inside the room. The girls were instantly intimidated by him as they watched his every move. Not because of the cold look in his eyes, but because his left arm was completely made out of metal. Their eyes were glued to the odd thing, though they found a fascination with it as they eyed the bright red star just below his shoulder.

The second guest walked in just a step behind him. She was almost a head shorter than the man, dressed in a white and black body suit. Her raven black hair was pulled up tight, with two braids falling down from where it was tied, resting on each of her shoulders. Though they knew that it would be seen as rude, they could not help but stare at her strangely colored eyes. They had never seen anything like them before, and knew that it was unnatural. Though the found that the longer they looked into those golden irises, the more entranced they felt.

They stopped directly in front of Madame B., and stood shoulder to shoulder in a military fashion. She looked between the two of them with a sly smile, and her chin held high.

"gotovy soblyudat'?" she asked.

Ready to comply?

"Gotov podchinit'sya." the two answered, together.

Ready to submit.

Madame's smile grew wider, then turned back to her students. "Students, you are looking at the two best Soldiers in the world. I present to you, The Winter Soldier, and the Tigris."