Winter Phoenix: HYDRA Is Your Place (A 2008-2012 Marvel Fanfiction)

XI: Красная Комната (The Red Room)

Set not long after previous chapter

Winter Phoenix/SA-8431's POV

I strolled up and down the floor of the ballet room, watching the girls as they made their turns and spins with effortless elegance. When the piano stopped playing, the girls stopped. Madame B was next to me, watching the girls like a hawk. 

'Adrienne, front in center,' I demanded. The girl, in question, a blonde haired girl with keen green eyes, stepped out. 

'Yes, Miss?'

'You're doing it wrong. Let me show you.' I took off my combat boots, slipping a pair of ballet slippers over it in its place. Then, I turned to the girls. 'Each one of you, look at me. You will copy this dance move to perfection. Am I clear?' 

'Yes, Miss,' the girls chorused. 

'Excellent.' Then, I went into a small dance routine, moving with grace and poise. When I had finished the routine, I spoke to the girl. 'That is how you do it. See you do not fail again, or there will be another girl taking up your bed tonight. Am I clear?'

'Yes, Miss.' 

'Good. All of you, look at me!' The girls all moved their eyes to me, finding my cold, calculating stare. 'The Red Room does not tolerate failure. HYDRA does not tolerate failure. I will not tolerate failure. The Madame will not tolerate failure. If another girl makes an infraction in this room, I will personally see to their execution. Am I clear?!'

'Yes, Miss!' the girls all yelled in unison. I stepped back. 

'Good. Very good. Now, I want you, you, you and you to remain here, and the other girls can continue with the day's lessons. Go change. All four of you have a test the Soldier and I would like to enforce. Get going. You have five minutes.' They scurried off in perfect single file towards the bathrooms, leaving me with the Madame. 

'You are doing well with the students,' she said. 'My Blood Phoenix has come a long way.' 

'Indeed, Madame. Indeed.' Just then I heard the click of combat boots. I slipped mine back on and was in the process of tying the laces when I heard his voice above me. 

'Ballet?' he asked, rough and deep. I finished and stood up straight. 

'Winter,' I said. 'I didn't think you'd be coming until I called you.'

'От этого тем лучше, что я здесь (Which makes it all the more better that I am here),' he said softly in Russian to me. 'Тренировки, да (Training, yes)?' 

'да (Yes),' I replied to him in Russian. 

Moments later we gathered outside the school that was the Red Room with the four girls, including Emiliya (or Emily, as we had named her). The Madame spoke to the girls, outlining what they were supposed to be doing for the exercise that morning. I came over to the girls. Taking a gun off the table, I went over to the Jeep near us and started it, getting the girls to climb in. Winter climbed in with me as I drove off. 

As we drove, Winter started to talk to me. 

'Was passiert mit den Mädchen (What's happening to the girls)?' he asked softly in German over the roar of the engine. 

'Ein Ausdauertest (An endurance test),' I replied simply, skirting around the fact that I was going to incapacitate them before I sent them on the test. 

'Ist es das, wofür die Packs sind (Is that what the packs are for)?' he asked. I nodded. 

'And it's going to be a survival test,' I replied in English, lowly, so the girls couldn't hear, although most of them probably couldn't speak English, except Emily. After we had gotten a few hours out from the base, I stopped the vehicle and made the girls get out. Then, taking the gun, I shot each one of them in the upper arm. 

'Your mission: survive the night,' and at this I tossed them two backpacks, 'and in the morning run back to the school. You fail, you die. You cheat in any way, shape or form, you die. You don't survive the night, you die. You don't take care of your wound, you die. You try to make your way back to the base at nighttime, you die. Is that completely clear?'

'Yes, Miss!' the girls chorused. 

'Excellent.' I stalked back to the Jeep and at that, got in, motioning for Winter to get in with me. He did so, and we drove off into the fading sunlight. 

Two girls died that night. 

But it wouldn't be the last of those gruelling survival missions. 

It certainly wasn't the first.