wearingthestars | For Sinistral

Option 1: (From the start of things)

For a time Billy held onto the hope that rescue would come. His friends were out there somewhere…unless the Warden had gotten to them. Or the Skrulls. Or one of countless other threats… But the Cube was run by SHIELD. The Warden might be unhinged, but surely he couldn’t just be black bagged out of existence by his own country.

To hear the Warden talk, Billy’s mutant status all but made him disposable, a plaything not protected by any of the laws and rights a human was granted.

He didn’t know what had happened to Teddy. He hoped selfishly that he was in a similar situation-another of the Warden’s toys- so that one day they might escape and be reunited. There were other days he thought it was better to believe he was dead and free of the mad man.

The Warden had made many different alterations to the devices he’d skewered through his ears, some of which Billy had yet to learn, but he was painfully familiar with the ear-piercing tone it emitted if he tried to remove them. It had brought him to his knees more than once before he accepted, he couldn’t tear the things out fast enough to escape it.

He could set it off whenever he liked, like a shock collar to correct behavior, or simply to amuse himself. Of late it had been put to use in the boy’s training. The Warden had adjusted the device so that he could remotely adjust brief instances where he could hear his own voice. Then it was a matter of getting him to speak the desired spell, which was where the tone was use liberally to compel him. And then again to silence him should he try to deviate and use the magic against them.

Pierce allowed the Warden control of the project up until these basic safeguards had been perfected, at which point the boy was swiftly removed and relocated. There was too much potential in that sort of weapon for him to be one of the Warden’s playthings. But he’d need to be trained up before he could be any use to HYDRA. An unreliable tool was no good to anyone. And there was no tool more reliable than the Asset.
If they needed to rewrite the boy in the end Pierce had no qualms trying, though the Asset was the only subject that had ever really come out of it some what intact. Pierce would rather avoid breaking a potential weapon before he even got to use it. And they could always show off just how the Asset was made to comply if the boy proved difficult. Pierce wasn’t particularly moved by the sight, but he’d seen hardened agents pale faced with witnessing the procedure, no doubt it would be a handy threat to keep in their back pocket.

And so Billy found himself faced with the Soldier. He spun around with a guilty expression, clearly having been examining the holding room for any sort of escape, and the sight of the man made him tense, unable to mask his worry.

“…Where are we?” he asked, voice off in a strange way, a little too loud and hollow, Billy unable to hear himself to modulate in anyway, and still not entirely used to the sensation despite how long it had been.

Option2: (Somewhere after they have at least the start of a bond)

The boy’s eyes were rimmed with red, and he looked up as the Asset was let in with an expression of relief that he likely couldn’t remember the last time he had seen even if he hadn’t been freshly wiped. And mixed with it was guilt, sure he was responsible for what had happened. For those horrible screams…

He was pointedly still, but his body tensed like he wanted to run to him, eyes flicking towards the cameras that watched over them and them back to the floor with a frown.

“…Do you remember?” he asked tentatively. Remember him? Remember what happened? Remember their training? It could have meant any number of things.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Even if it was ultimately only an illusion, the presumed privacy Billy was able to feel once left to shower allowed those walls to truly crumble. Not that he had been doing a particularly good job in holding back his emotions, they were displayed plain as day for anyone to read, but if his red rimmed eyes were evidence he had indulged in a moment of self pity under the cover of the water. He'd also tried fruitlessly to tamper with his ear mods, earning that ear splitting pain that brought him to his knees.

It meant at least that he wasn't up for much mischief when he emerged, still damp, to sit on the Asset's bed. His eyes skirted about, not that there was much to see, and he shifted uneasily, feeling like he was trespassing in a space that wasn't his. (Though it hardly seemed to be the Asset's either.)

He hurriedly swiped at his damp cheeks when the Asset returned, averting his gaze and straightening to try and cover for his embarrassment, sure that tears would get him no where with him. "Hey-" he greeted reflectively.

The room itself was sparse, not offering up anything in the way of personal touches. Everything it held was functional, and it distinctly did not contain any weapons. It was doubtless more comfortable than a cell, and offered something more in privacy; that perhaps was the only thing it had going for it.

The privacy the new recruit enjoyed only lasted half an hour; the Asset returned to the room with a tray of food in one hand and a sleeping bag in the other. He set the tray at the small desk; the meal consisted of a chicken breast, canned peas, and rice, along with a glass of water. The utensils were plastic and useless as weapons; the sturdiest thing was the tray, a heavy sort of molded cardboard. All in all, it wasn't the worst meal in the world.

"You may eat," he said, brushing off the greeting. "And you may sleep in the bed tonight. Tomorrow your training will begin."

With that, he went about the beginning of his night routine, starting by taking a clean shirt and pants from the small dresser — clothes for sleeping, not for daily wear. With a sideways look at his companion he removed a second set of similar clothing from the drawer and left it at the foot of the bed for the boy. He'd use it or he wouldn't; the Asset was not bothered either way. He then disappeared into the bathroom for his own brief shower routine.

The food might have been drugged, but even if Billy had thought far enough beyond his own hunger to worry about it, he would have reasoned that there were simpler ways to manage that when they had such complete ownership of him.

He waited until the Asset had disappeared before moving, quickly polishing away about half the meal and all of the water before leaving the rest. Maybe the Asset had eaten while he'd left, but Billy wondered if like the bed he was depriving him of his own share. It only seemed fair to leave him some.

He changed into the clothes, which didn't fit him well, but were serviceable enough for sleeping, and then lay out on the bed. He drifted off without meaning to, exhausted and too timid to attempt an escape straight away.

Showering didn't take long; even so his trainee was already curled up in the bed when the Asset emerged. No matter; they had no further training this evening and the sleep would do him good as preparation for the morning. Surprising that he didn't finish the meal, but he ate enough that the Asset decided not to wake him to finish. He ate the rest himself; his metabolism could always use the extra calories. Then he turned out the lights and positioned himself on the floor with the sleeping bag, by far not the worst accommodation he'd had.

Sleep came and went; the Asset had learned not to dwell on anything in his dreams. Morning came after; the Asset rose and moved to wake his trainee with a hand to the shoulder.

"Wake up." A beat. "We will run this morning."

It woke Billy with a fearful start, and he flinched back before he seemed to remember where he was. He groaned rubbed at his eyes, not a morning person or easy riser by any stretch, but the Asset didn't seem like the compromising sort..

"Run?" he questioned, blinking blearily as he sat up, frowning at the first reminder of the day that he couldn't hear his own words. It was a surprise each morning, like his mind forgot and had to learn all over again.

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Re: No worries at all, take care of YOU

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