Corrupted - The Tigris Series Book 1

Chapter Twenty Two

January 4th, 1995

The Russian snow was harsh that winter. The Tigris and the Winter Soldier had just spent a week in the mountains with nothing but their gear and their camp fires; though, not even that was enough to keep the two of them warm in that negative degree weather. There was nothing to eat, and their only source of water was the snow itself.

Their jet had been shot out of the sky while they were nearing the Red Room for a special training session with one of their new recruits. Though their travels were long and harsh, they had made it to their destination alive and seemingly barely phased. They acknowledged that without each other, neither of them would have survived; and that thought was fresh on their minds for a little longer than the both of them anticipated. There was something sweet about it; something real.

"I'm glad you both made it back intact and alive," Madame B. stated after she learned of what happened. "You both never cease to amaze us. And how fitting that this happened during survival training!"

The two assassins kept their cold gazes locked onto here, not giving any sort of response. She awkwardly cleared her throat, and stepped to the side to reveal three young girls, no older than 12, standing shoulder to shoulder behind her.

"These three were hand chosen to accompany you during your time here for the next week. They are to always be in your presence, and are to do everything that is asked of them. At the end of the week, you are to give them a test. Those who pass will be moved up in grade, and those who fail. . . will not." she finished, changing her tone at the last two words she spoke.

The two assassins knew exactly what she had meant, but the girls did not. It was better that they didn't just yet, as they would most likely not feel so inclined to proceed with this particular part of training. This was, after all, how they eliminated the weakest.

The female assassin looked between each of the girls, analyzing all of their features. The one on the left had dark skin, and deep brown eyes. She was built fairly well; not too skinny, but not too large. She had impressive muscle tone, and seemed to have quite a powerful demeanor. Though the Tigris could tell that her strength could only go so far. She wasn't ready for what was to come.

The girl in the middle was slightly taller than the girl on the left; she had pale skin and natural deep red hair that faded into a dyed bright blue. She looked slightly unsure of what was to come, eyeing the two assassins with her focused, bright blue eyes. She was a bit skinny, but was strong. Tigris wondered if she would be strong enough to make it past the test; her guess was no.

The girl on the right showed the most potential; her skin was slightly darker than the girl in the middle, and her hair was a deep brown. Her brown eyes were completely focused, almost as if she was already the robotic assassin that they were training them to be. She was perfectly built, and was the tallest. Out of the three, she gave the best first impression.

"Go on girls, tell them your names." Madame B. encouraged.

"Mari," the girl on the left briefly introduced, not interested in saying much.

"Riley O'Neil." the girl on the right said, proudly.

Tigris locked her cold, golden gaze with the girl in the middle. The Winter Soldier did the same, though seemed a bit more stand-off-ish about what was happening. The girl looked between the two of us, slowly gaining the confidence to speak. She shifted from an unsure demeanor to more of a monotone, robotic demeanor much like the girl on the right. Tigris noticed this, and ever so slightly narrowed her eyes in interest. She saw something in her that she hadn't just a moment ago; something that neither of the other girls had. She knew right then that this girl would be the one to survive simply because of that one, simple trait.