I usually don't put the warnings as it's mostly included in the description, but I will for this one. Implied rape, but not described. All dialogue in Russian.

NO. 11 - PSYCH 101
Defiance, Struggling, Crying

~~~

A sob resonated from down the hallway, bouncing off the walls that did nothing to silence the distant aftereffects of today's Red Room activity. Candles hung glumly along the wall paneling and illuminated the academy in a pale milky color. Sunlight streamed in through the training room's backdoor.

Among eleven other emaciated girls, one with red hair and vivid green eyes stood with her shoulders high. They all wore their thin nightgowns and tried not to shiver and show weakness in the cold Russian winter. Weakness was punishable in the Red Room, and nobody was eager to learn what new types of punishment Madame B would bring to the table. Speaking of tables, none of the girls were surprised to have completely skipped breakfast.

There had originally been seventeen more recruits in the Red Room. Anyone with half a brain knew not to ask what happened to them, mainly because it was their own fault. The numbers had dwindled down over the years and showed no signs of slowing. Only one could remain someday — who it would be, they could only hope. What they were hoping for was a mystery.

Down the hallway, several doors opened and closed routinely. One girl would go in and then leave about half an hour later, desperately trying to keep pools of tears in her eyes from spilling. Their hair and clothes would be rumpled as if they'd been in a fight. (Had they been sparring in a new training location?) The process would repeat until everyone had experienced the horror of whatever was inside. Natalia, the redhead, was a part of the last batch. She was also one of the youngest survivors, barely standing as a teenager at the rough age of thirteen.

Madame B beckoned her forwards. The girl didn't even look back as she walked to one of the now open doors. Inside, the man known as the Winter Soldier sat with his lower half covered by a thick blanket. Natalia couldn't help but wonder how warm the blanket was, especially against the frigid surface of his metal arm.

"Soldat," Natalia greeted in a monotone.

Normally, he would've nodded back in a bored manner. Today, Soldat hesitated and shifted uneasily. Was he hurt? An inquisitive Natalia arched an eyebrow, hoping it wouldn't be a fatal mistake.

Soldat shook his head and blinked. "Er, have you been briefed on the assignment?"

"No, sir."

For the first time, she noticed Soldat's lack of clothes underneath the blanket. The tears from other girls... Crinkled appearances of them... Girls going into seperate rooms with a strange man, alone... Vot der'mo — oh, shit.

Natalia felt her eyes immediately go wide. Her breathing sped up and her heart rate started going a million miles an hour. Silently pleading with anyone who'd listen, Natalia inched away until her back bumped into the wall. It seemed even colder than it had before, and that was really saying something. She had been trained to not panic, but now threw all that knowledge out the window.

Through the tears in her eyes, Natalia picked out the distant look in Soldat's eyes again. She always had a feeling he was forgetful of things. Sometimes, Soldat didn't use their names or even seem familiar with any of the girl's faces. But this didn't look intentional.

A bit of warmth appeared in the brown hues of Soldat's eyes. He took in his surroundings, letting out a breath. The sound of crying made him finally look at the presence of a small girl. Tears streaked down her cheeks, shoulder length hair perfectly framing her slightly swollen face.

"I-I'm sorry, S-Soldat." He could tell she was genuinely terrified. "P-Please no! I-I can be better, I p-promise!"

Soldat — no, his name was... James? It was all a blur, and he couldn't really sort through the wild assortment of memories clouding his head. All James knew was that he'd hurt this girl and several others.

"I'm not going to hurt you..." He murmured, trying to place a name to her face.

Natalia tried to move further back into the corner. James patted the bed next to him using his non-metal hand, covering his body even more with the blanket. She cocked her head at him and the tone of voice.

"S-Soldat—"

"Don't call me that. My name is James, kid," James felt something off about his name, but couldn't place it. It sounded right... But he wasn't sure of anything these days.

Natalia hesitated. She knew she had to follow orders; it was a do-or-die type of exchange. The other part of her wanted to trust James and think that he'd broken programming. What kind of elaborate game was this? After a pregnant pause, Natalia decided to cross the space between them. She slowly sat down, eyes not leaving his.

"Who am I?" James asked. His voice was shaky.

Natalia replied instantly, "A killer, murderer, and the type of person we all look up to. You are the Winter Soldier. You'll help us rebuild the Soviet Union and hail Hydra."

"But, to you?" She looked confused, so he added, "Who am I to you? I don't want to be the Winter Soldier, but I..."

He paused. "I don't know who I was."

"Then make something up. It's standard training here. You claim your name is James, so be James."

His heart melted at the sight of Natalia giving him a chance. She had been brave enough to approach him, at least. The green of her eyes sparkled brightly.

"What's your name, kid? Natasha?" James guessed.

Natalia thought for a moment. "Natalia, but I don't care what you call me."

"Talia, you should always have a choice."

"Not h-here. You are what they say you are — Ivan, Madame B, and the Winter Soldier."

James smirked. "That's some bull, right there, but don't tell them I said that."

"Please," Natalia said with a small smile, "I know how to keep a secret."

"Well then, how about we keep this little meeting private? I'm not going to do anything to you, Talia. I promise." He held out his pinkie finger (the flesh one, of course). Natalia took it and squeezed hard, trying to ground herself. "I really hope I do remember you next time we meet."

Natalia wiped her tears and stood up. She knew her time was up with James and Madame B would soon get suspicious.

"Me too, James." Her lips twitched up as if she wanted to smile again. "And by the way..."

James looked up.

"To me, consider yourself a friend."