The sound I remember most is hissing. The cryo-pod hissing open, people hissing in pain, Racks making that awful hissing noise when he tried to teach me to whistle, and the odd snake when it found its way into the compound. I found one in my room once. I almost stepped on it. This memory rushes back to me as I hear another hiss. I've heard this one before: it's the cryo-pod. My eyes flutter open, and I wince as the sudden light hits them. The light is soon blocked by someone's head. I take a deep breath and begin to assess them. It's definitely a female, a redhead, and she's wearing a skintight suit, cuffs, and a belt weighed down by weapons. She's in a subtle fighting stance, clearly agitated, and her hand is on the pod door. When I move my hand, hers tenses, preparing to close the door. Her other hand floats up to her earpiece, something that I had just noticed. What was wrong with me? I should have noticed that immediately. Probably just the cryo wearing off. She spoke in equal parts to me and the other end of the comm. "I found a pod. There's an active in it. Possibly dangerous. Send me backup; preferably Clint." I blink. Clint... The name sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. This person obviously worked for Shield.

I had to take her out.

My right hand itched to hold a gun, but I knew the only weapon I had on me was a small knife. I focused on a point just behind the woman as strategies raced through my mind. Go for the knees, take out the belt, then comm, then dispatch. Or should I go for the eyes instead? I began to debate the tactics, my subtle distraction almost used up. No more time. I grabbed the knife in my back pocket. Knees it is. I launched myself out of the pod.

The woman whipped around as I impacted around her legs, and we both flew backwards. I tried desperately to unbuckle her belt, but she used our combined weight to smash my hand into the concrete wall. I kicked off the wall. She had the advantage- I was smaller, and without as many weapons or as much armor. I switched the blade from my right hand to my left and hacked through the belt the rest of the way. It clattered to the floor and echoed down the corridor splattered with Hydra symbols. I grabbed the comm- or tried to at least. The woman caught my hand before I could. "I don't think so." She judo-flipped me onto the concrete before speaking into her comm. "Definitely dangerous. Where's Clint?" She held out a wrist. It crackled with suppressed electricity. Crud. "Fine. I'll knock her out, but you owe me a new belt. This little brat sawed through mine." In a last-ditch effort to escape, I tried to sweep her legs out from under her. She jumped and the electric cuff went to my temple. "Goodnight, brat," she snarled. There was a zap, a quick scent of burning hair before my world became frosted with darkness.