Everybody Wants to Rule the World

Welcome to your lifeThere's no turning backEven while we sleepWe will find youActing on your best behaviorTurn your back on mother natureEverybody wants to rule the world

- Tears for Fears

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Washington, D.C.; 28 January, 1986

"What do you mean, I didn't mess up?!"

Tessa stared across the table into the face of her father. She had come into the house fully expecting for him to tell her just how spectacularly she had botched the mission she'd been given. She had been prepared to be punished in some way similar to how they punished The Winter Soldier. Alexander brought a single finger up to bump against his lips rather than audibly shushing the jewel of his life.

"No reason to yell, Button," he said warmly. After a second of pause, he leaned across to grasp the tips of her slender fingers in his. "You were given the mission, and you completed it. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s asset fell along with the others. It doesn't matter how that part was completed; you completed it."

"People died..." Tess gaped at him a moment, her brows pinching in confusion and her hands flinging forward, palms up, exasperation.

"As people often do during wartime, Tessa," his still warm voice was given to her, volume never raising or falling in value. "They are outfitting and protecting our enemies, but we are getting closer. I'm being moved into a position that will bring me control over them. Then we can end the threats before they are ever in a position to harm us. I couldn't live with myself if any of them hurt you."

Wide, still-innocent eyes stared at him from the other side of the table. Pierce's fingers gently squeezed those of his daughter then eased a little further to get a better grasp on her hand.

"You are the light of my life, Tess," he said with a side-tilt of his head. For a long moment he studied her soft features, the insecurity within her tonight, the way she handled her first taste of the power HYDRA offered as well as that beautiful soft heart that beat away in her chest. Then, he broke it. "Do you know what Project: Tesla really is, my love?"

Tess watched him in silence but there was a sudden curiosity that made her acknowledge that she really did want to know if there was more to it.

"Project: Tesla -- you, Button -- has been chiseled and trained to be the primary handler for the The Winter Soldier," he stopped at that to get a read on her expression.

Inwardly, Tessa felt her world shatter around her as the words her father spoke took form and slithered through her thoughts like venom, solidifying into a brick the size of Moscow that fell into the deepest pit of her stomach. She tried so hard to culture her expression, knowing full well that if she let on that there was more between herself and the man who had trained her, Alexander Pierce would then punish his daughter's only friend.

What Pierce saw was a strong, curious daughter who had taken his words and hadn't flinched. His smile grew a little as pride filled him.

"I want you to be able to go into the field with him, keep an eye on him, assure he stays on mission and, if needed, to refocus him to his task," casual were those words, like honey from his tongue. "He has watched over you most of your life; isn't it only fair that you get to return the favor for him?"

Finally, Tessa let a smile break out over her lips and nodded her head even though she wanted to vomit up the dinner she'd just eaten. "Of course. I'm just surprised that you think I'm a stronger asset than The Winter Soldier. I've worked hard."

"I know you have, Button," he chuckled some and sipped at his wine until the glass was drained. Standing up, he gathered up their cleared dishes to carry them over to the sink. "And you've become so much more than we ever realized you could be. I hate to do this because it's so early in the evening, but you have a long flight tonight and I have an early morning meeting. I've gotta get things settled and ready."

Tessa rose to her feet and finished off the soda she had asked for during dinner. It was tossed into the garbage as her father spoke. The sudden dismissal wasn't really what she expected, but she nodded her head then wrapped her arms around his waist as he pulled her into a tight hug.

"Once you get home, take a day or two to get settled in," he began then pulled back and reached up to cradle his daughter's face. "Then I am going to have Karpov oversee putting you into the chair."

At once, Tess moved to interject, but Pierce's hands tightened against her cheeks and he gave her a look that silenced her protests.

"The electricity won't hurt you as it would others," he stated, and it made sense now that it was offered up. "Once you read how it sends the pulses into the brain, I want you then to wipe the Asset yourself to test it."

The girl was mortified. She had to stop and truly think about what was just said to assure her brain that he had just spoken those words. She knew immediately that she didn't want to carry out that order.

As if reading her mind, her father spoke again soon after. "That is an order, Tessa. Tesla's second mission. Once you complete it, we'll work on getting you a good suit to wear for protection. You will deliver justice to those who upset the natural order of things."

Her brows knit but -- goddamn her -- she nodded her head to accept the order from her father. Of course, she was going to tell her partner when they had time to themselves, and that wouldn't be until they got back to the base in Siberia.

"I love you, baby girl," he breathed out then leaned to pull her head toward his in order to kiss her forehead. She was almost too tall these days. While he spoke, he guided her toward the front door of the house, a hand lightly grasping the back of her upper arm. "You have made me so proud. Know I'll be looking forward to seeing you again. Have a safe flight."

"Me too," she gave him a weak smile. "I love you, too, dad."

A slow blink and affectionate nod of his head was given. His hand left her arm and moved to open the front door to release her back into the hands of the Asset waiting outside.

"She has your new orders," Pierce said flatly to the Soldier.

The Winter Soldier nodded then turned to guide Tessa back to the car that had brought them to the house from the air field, his metal hand moving to the middle of her back to steer her direction. Neither of them spoke until they were in the backseat and the doors were shut. In that brief span of time from when the driver and guard shut the doors and when they climbed into the front, Tessa spoke.

"Tell you during training," she hiss-whispered quickly, buckling into her seat.

The Soldier said nothing. His only reaction was to just watch her briefly before settling back into the seat again, attention turning to gaze absently through the window.

Tessa had been right; there was very little alone time during the drive to the airport and less once they were on board the plane that was ferrying them back into the frozen hell of Siberia. Twice they locked eyes but nothing was conveyed through their glances. He knew, though; he knew whatever it was, Tess didn't like it and he probably wasn't going to like it, either.

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Siberian Facility, USSR; 02 February, 1986

Once they reached Siberia, Tessa was exhausted beyond belief. She retired to her own quarters for a hot shower, a fresh pair of pajamas and an important meeting with her bed. That was around 02:00. The next time her eyes were sluggishly opening, it was three hours later when the guards were changing shift and weren't in the area of her quarters in the base.

A solid thud, thud, thud sounded against the metal of her door. Tess was sprawled across her bed, laying on her stomach while taking up as much of the bed as humanly possible. With an upward jerk that left the fine strands of her hair spilling through her vision, she woke up and took only a couple of seconds to recall where she was now.

"Hm?" She coughed softly then tried again, "Y-yes?"

Eyes squinted in protest when the door was cracked open briefly then opened wider to permit the silhouette of her partner into her room. She heard his boots scuff lightly across the floor and then the bed depress down near her knee.

"Soldat?" Her word was soft but carried her surprise over why the hell he was in her bedroom at five in the morning. "I thought I said we'd talk during training."

"I need to know what it is," he said softly, his voice carrying a small bit of worry. "I need to mentally prepare if it's something bad."

Tessa's heart squeezed. The only light they had coming in was the very slender strip that shone in beneath the door. Even in such a low light, she could see the way his eyes shined. An arm swiped her hair back over her shoulder as she climbed further up the bed then turned to look toward him again. She was near enough that she could curl her knee up against the side of his leg to allow her close enough to take his sensitive, metal hand in comfort.

"Apparently," her hushed voice cracked softly, but she continued. "They decided to shape my abilities so that I could become the, uh, to be your handler on missions."

The words latched thickly on the air between them and neither of them breathed for several seconds. James -- for it was very much him right then -- was the one who broke the silence and took that first breath. "And...?"

"First, I have to have my turn in the chair," she clearly didn't try to shield him from the terror in her tone. "In order to figure out how it feels, I guess, so that I can replicate it." She paused and swallowed, and James already knew what she would say next. "Second, I'm to test what I learn on you to see if I'm able to take you to a clean slate while in the field."

With that laid bare between them, Tessa fell silent and watched the darkness where his face would currently be. She didn't release his hand, and he didn't release hers. She couldn't even imagine how he felt hearing this, even knowing how she had reacted internally.

"I, uh... I see," he cleared his throat then his fingers tightened around her hand.

"I don't think I can do it," she confessed.

"Tess, you have to," his words were so immediate that it had startled her a little bit. He covered over the back of her hand with his flesh hand. "If you don't, they'll find out how much you've helped me remember and they'll do it themselves. At least if you do it I know you'll be as gentle as you can be."

"And I'll bring you back again," she said those words resolutely. "As soon as it's safe to speed it along, I'll break down the walls for you again. Always."

He paused and didn't say anything for a long span of seconds. Finally, his far-too-emotional tone returned to her ears through the darkness.

"Only if it's safe for us both," he didn't want her to get in trouble, either. "Don't do it unless we are safe and alone and no one will know."

He wasn't a fool; he knew that he had screamed out in pain when she'd gotten into his head and scrambled everything in there. It had hurt so much that he was fairly sure the darker side of him would remember that pain.

Tessa said nothing, but after another stretch of silence, she rose to her knees beside him and hugged him around the neck.

"I promise," she said quietly. "I will never let you be gone forever, my friend."

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Posted: 30 July, 2021