-December 1991-
It's just approaching dusk, but the sun is covered up by the mask of clouds stretching across the sky as far as the human eye could see, the white sky blending and moulding into the hills and hills of snow covered ground. The sheet of white spreads out for miles, only broken by a light grey bunker hiding within the mountains, stretching out slightly before ending near the edge of the hill-side, the ground drifting into a lighter colour before fading away into nature and its undisturbed land.
The snow surrounding the helipad in the centre is quickly moved aside when a helicopter lands, the blades spinning before slowly stopping. A few seconds later, a man exits the copter wearing a dark green jacket and hat, the hat embroidered with the soviet sickle and hammer, the coat donned with the same symbol on the sleeve. He is a little bit on the older side compared to the guards of the bunker who are wearing lighter coloured uniforms. He nods to the guards before entering into the bunker.
The man, Vasily Karpov, a general for the Soviet's Red Army, walked swiftly down the corridors before stopping outside of a chamber. Two soldiers walk over to either side of the door and use their keys to open it, the door opening to allow for Karpov to walk through to the small inner door. Karpov types in a code and scans his eyes, the black door opening up to reveal a small red book with a black star on the centre. With a small smile he picks it up and walks out.
Meanwhile, a technician raises a cylindrical chamber, liquid nitrogen escaping as it's lifted up, revealing the Winter Soldier unconscious and hooked up inside. Two agents walk over and unhook him roughly as he is dragged through the dark corridors and into another room where a darker skinned girl is being removed from a metal chair, Karpov holding the book in his hand as he speaks Russian to her, the girl quickly replying without thinking.
The Winter Soldier is hauled into the chair and strapped down, a guard quickly placed in his teeth. The technician quickly turned on the machine, the metal clamping down on his face, electricity flowing through his head, a screaming bouncing around the room. Karpov circles him, reading smoothly and very clearly from the leather book. "Желание. Ржавый. Семнадцать. Рассвет. Печь. Девять. Добросердечный. Возвращение на родину. Один. Грузовой вагон. (Russian: Longing. Rusted. Seventeen. Daybreak. Furnace. Nine. Benign. Homecoming. One. Freight car.)" Karpov says before walking in front of the asset, standing directly in front of the man, the metal halo raising off of his face and retracting, letting the man sit up. "Доброе утро, Солдат. (Russian: Good morning, Soldier.)"
The soldier hesitates ever so slightly, his eyes trailing from the book and up to Karpov's eyes. "Я готов отвечать. (Russian: Ready to comply.)" He says blankly, watching the man with a heavily trained eye.
Karpov smiles before looking at the woman being held in the other agent's grip securely so that she can't escape, her eyes looking just below his eyeline, submissive but still understanding his authority and stance, not disregarding him. Karpov nods slightly at his stance. "У меня есть для тебя миссия. Санкционируй и Извлекай. Без свидетелей. (Russian: I have a mission for you. Sanction and extract. No witnesses.)" Karpov informs the two of them.
The sky is dark and starless, the only lightning coming from the few spots of light poles hanging off the side of the long stretch of road. Few sounds can be heard coming from the hoards of trees covering the area, painting a dark green moulding into the already dark and dusky area. The silence is broken by the sound of a soft engine barreling down the road, two people talking inside a car as it moves down the ill-kempt concrete.
As it drives down, a motorcycle speeds down and quickly surpasses the car before turning back around, causing the car occupations to get confused as the motorcycle comes closer and off to the side, a car going down and dragging a knife across the wheels. The car starts to speed out, before crashing into a tree, unable to keep on course with the mismatched support of weight. The motorcyclist watches as he turns off the bike, coming over to the car, making a motion to the two red dots in the dark, a figure walking out from the dark, moving over to the other side of the car.
The motorcyclist walks into the light, wearing dark tactical gear, his metal arm glints, the red soviet star on the shoulder lets the scared car driver know that he's gotten on the Winter Soldier's radar, that he's definitely done something wrong. "Help my wife. Please. Help." He pleads, his scared mind not fully thinking about the ramifications of the situation that he has landed himself on. He grips the ground, breathing heavily as blood drips down his face, injured from the crash. He glances at the car, trying to check on his wife.
The Winter Soldier walks over to him, his footsteps soft on the ground, barely noticeable. His flesh arm reaches out and roughly grabs the man, messing up the jacket of his suit. He looks the Asset in the eyes, recognising him. The asset looks at him, recognising the man as Howard Stark, an inventor and entrepreneur, but also a billionaire who was helping to remake the super soldier serum. "Sergeant Barnes?" He says weakly, examining his face, his eyes going wide. The Winter Soldier makes no notice of the man's statement, his eyes just as distant as they were minutes ago.
"Howard!" His wife, Maria calls out, her voice hoarse and filled with fear, her eyes going wide as she watches the asset punch the man in the face, blood spilling out. "Howard!" She calls out again, crying. Her eyes trailing his body as it slumps to the ground, lifeless, blood soaking into the concrete but his heart no longer pumping it through. She quickly tries to get out, only for someone else to grip at her neck tightly with gloved hands.
Maria gasps, her hands gripping tightly at the arm in a futile attempt to try and break free, her eyes pleading to be let free, to be spared. The woman whose hand it belongs to looks down, looking in Maria's eyes with her coldness, and an ever so slight hint of pity, her hand squeezing tightly until Maria goes completely still, her head falling back against the headrest. The Soldat gets back up and says something to the asset in rough Russian.
The asset nodded before going walking over to the back of the car, opening up the trunk and picking up a sleek silver briefcase that was hidden underneath the mat in the trunk. The CCTV camera on top of the speed camera picks everything up as it records what is happening before it's quickly cut off, the Soldat walking over and pointing a gun at it, quickly destroying the surveillance camera.
The two quickly leave, making their way back to base where they are greeted by Karpov. He looks at them sternly, without a hint of kindness or thanks on his face. "Отлично, Солдат. (Russian: Well done, Soldier)" He tells them, closing the lid of the case again and indicating for them to follow him.
They enter into a lit room, cast in a white glow with five hospital beds lined up against the wall. Each bed is occupied, four men and one woman each laid in them, their arms resting against the bedrail and waiting. The Soldat and Asset watch as doctors insert IV into their arms, feeding the blue fluid directly into the veins. One of them, a man named Josef, laid his head back, flexing the muscles in his arm as he watched the fluid disappear into his arm.
After a bit of time, the drip bag finishes, it is all now in Josef's system as he screams, gripping his hands and eyes, looking at the guards fiercely. Two guards come over and force him up, dragging him down the hall as the others are checked on by the other doctors, ignoring what is happening, not really caring as Josef is dragged into what just passes as a bedroom and dragged over to the bed. The guards swiftly buckle restraints onto his ankles, chest and wrists. His arms pull against the restraints, stretching them as far as they can go, the veins in his hands bulging. "It hurts!" He screams, his face filled with pain, but again the guards don't think anything about it.
The guards exit the room, closing the viewing slot and locking the door from the outside so that he can't escape, walking past Karpov who is currently sitting at a desk in a corridor, making notes and listening as Josef cries out. He doesn't think much about it, reviewing the other files. Soon, the screaming stops and Karpov smiles before getting up. He makes his way over the room and opens the door and switches on the light. Josef is sitting still on a bed, his hands clenched and leaning on his lap. He looks up at Karpov.
He leads him into a room where the other soldiers are waiting. They are all wearing black under armour, red lines on the seams. Josef and the woman are brought into the middle where the Soldat and the Asset are standing, wearing their normal gear. Josef raises his fists and quickly starts to fight him. He punches at him and the Winter Soldier goes flying, causing him to crash against the wall.
The other soldier looks at him slightly, her eyes emotionless before continuing to fight with the blond female, she gets a few hits in before being forced to the ground, the female's foot against her neck. The two soldiers back away, Josef and the blond both breath heavily, their eyes looking into the other's dead eyes with fierceness. He stands still, his arm outstretched. "Очень хорошо, Иосиф. (Russian: Good work)" Karpov compliments, a forced smile on his face. He stands near the wall, watching the fight take place.
Josef waits as a medic walks over to him, talking his wrist in his hand, feeling his pulse point as he times the beats using his watch, his eyes not even looking over at the super soldier. Josef suddenly slams the medic to the floor in anger, an action that is almost immediately retaliated by a guard slamming his nightstick into Josef's back with absolutely no effect. Karpov's eyes widen in fear as he watches it all unfold and he quickly walks up to the original Winter Soldier, getting behind him, one hand gripped onto the strap of his tactical gear.
"Солдат, вытащи меня отсюда! (Russian: Soldier, Get me out of here)" Karpov orders his hand as the other five Winter Soldier's fight against the squad of soldiers surrounding them, and the Soldat runs at them, staying behind Karpov as he stays between the two of them, quickly exiting the training room. They go through a barred door and lock it behind them, leaving Karpov in safety and unable to be touched by the rogue super soldiers.