14 Hail Hydra

At 1:58 PM, Aiden was escorted by the Teacher and four Russian soldiers to Room No. 4, the confinement chamber.

With a nod from the Teacher, Aiden knocked and entered the chamber. 

The space inside was modest, roughly 40 square meters. It was unlit except for the large screen on the wall that flickered with light, displaying a sequence of regular, patterned images without text—reminiscent of a screensaver from Aiden's previous world.

Simple chairs lined the walls. The room was devoid of furniture except for a metal rack whose purpose was unclear. Despite its size, the chamber felt vast. Armed soldiers stood guard in each corner, and two cameras were mounted on opposite walls.

In front of the screen was a desk where an officer in a red beret flipped through a red leather-bound notebook. Upon seeing Aiden enter, he spoke in Russian, "Attention."

Aiden snapped to attention, staring straight ahead without surveying the room further.

"The Teacher tells me you've done well these past two months. Surviving is a miracle in itself," the officer spoke rapidly in Russian, forcing Aiden to guess at much of what was said.

"Yes, sir, I am grateful for the organization's life-saving grace," Aiden replied in halting Russian, but it was enough for basic communication.

"Hmph, I didn't want to waste a vial of serum," the officer said, rising to his feet and approaching Aiden. The boy's height only allowed him to see a towering shadow loom before him, an oppressive darkness, "Remember, you are no longer that pitiful thief. You possess remarkable talent; you are a member of Hydra. In the future, your codename will be Winter Soldier."

"Thank you for the organization's nurturing," Aiden had said this countless times, a form of brainwashing. In his training at the base, he repeated such phrases daily. Now, these two sentences were the smoothest part of his Russian.

In truth, Aiden felt no genuine gratitude toward Hydra, but the words were accurate. After recklessly injecting the Super Soldier Serum, he had been on the brink of death. Had Hydra not used local surveillance footage to track him down and order the Winter Soldier to find him, the outcome would have been dire. If Aiden hadn't been captured and saved by Hydra's full efforts, he would indeed be dead now.

In the time since, Aiden had learned much, opening a new door for himself, once so blindly in pursuit of strength. Over two months, he hadn't only grown physically stronger but also mentally and intellectually, acquiring the skill set of a top assassin.

This was one reason Aiden remained with Hydra. To consort with the tiger meant no good could come in the long run.

But another, more crucial reason he stayed was the realization that he couldn't escape. This base was nothing like the orphanage he had known; Hydra was a tight-knit organization, and their secret base was impregnable. The terror was such that even Aiden dared not show the slightest disloyalty.

No one longed to escape more than Aiden, who felt Hydra's intense scrutiny—a surveillance so acute it left him inwardly shocked. Hydra had seen his mutant abilities on the security footage, and in a world not of "mutant frenzy" but of the "Avengers," Aiden was a rarity. Especially in the early '90s, before Earth was bombarded by various super-powered beings, Aiden was exceptional.

After many trials, and having provided exhaustive physical data to Hydra, Aiden was at least safe for now. Hydra's confidence in molding him into a loyal tool, given his young age and remarkable gift, prevented them from wasting such a resource. Meanwhile, Hydra waited for technology to mature, to use Aiden to their fullest until the day they were prepared to sacrifice him for their grander schemes.

The days of fleeing seemed distant as Aiden's fears materialized into a terrible reality.

"Good, step on it," the officer commanded, pleased by the comparison between the morning's unruly new Winter Soldiers and the compliant Aiden before him.

Adhering to his usual demeanor, Aiden stepped onto the steel apparatus without a hint of resistance.

Click, click.

A soldier approached, positioning Aiden's limbs into a spread-eagle, strapping his wrists and ankles with leather cuffs, followed by his neck and forehead. Aiden was now firmly secured, tightly bound so he could only struggle slightly.

The warm breath of the soldier on Aiden's face made him inwardly gag; the thick stubble brushing against him forced his eyes shut, only to feel them pried open and taped to his forehead. Now, unable to blink, Aiden faced the screen, the patterned "screensaver" boring into his sight.

"You're ready to dedicate everything to Hydra, right?" the officer asked loudly, holding the red notebook.

"Yes, sir," Aiden responded loudly, his heart bleeding internally.

This scenario reminded Aiden of a brainwashing method used by Hydra in the series "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," a chilling technique that allowed the controller to manipulate a person's mind with simple commands.

Different from the memory-wiping procedure used on the Winter Soldier in "Captain America: Civil War," this procedure seemed unnecessary for the young Aiden. The Russian Colonel, having experienced a scare that morning, was determined to add this insurance. All to ensure loyalty.

The Colonel probably had no doubts about Aiden's loyalty, as he was fundamentally confident in Hydra's indoctrination. He believed that Aiden, once grown, would be Hydra's most loyal member. This "brainwashing" was merely a precaution after his morning's close call.

Four Russian soldiers donned earplugs, as did the Colonel. He looked up at the cameras in the corner and nodded.

Aiden's mind raced. In a brief moment, he considered all outcomes, including his last-ditch mutant ability. Ultimately, he had to accept that there was no escaping this fortified behemoth. Perhaps Aiden could deal with the four fully-armed soldiers in the room, but what followed would be beyond his capability to handle.