Path to Protection (BuckyBarnes x OC)

First Day

    The man at the recruitment station instructed me to introduce myself at Camp Lehigh, a U.S. Army installation and facility for military training in New Jersey, so I travelled by bus the very next day with the completed application form. I had no idea the experiments intended for the Army were carried out in the facilities themselves. I imagined I'd be ordered to check-in at a hospital or laboratory of some sort.

    As I walked up to the front gate of the aforementioned camp, the soldier stationed there looked down at me, confused, but didn't say anything. It was my first time in Jersey, so I didn't know if manners would be any different than in New York. It seemed my position on the social chart was the problem, and not the city itself.

    I took a breath and said, "I'm looking for Dr Erskine; I was told he'd be here." When the soldier maintained his stone-still expression, I added, "Here's my application form for the military experiments executed in this camp."

    He scanned through the form before opening the gate and directed me toward the first barrack on the right. I felt the eyes of the people who passed me by glaring in my direction as I stepped on the dusty path that was marked between each of the barracks. I turned right, as instructed. Upon entering, I found myself in the office of one Colonel Phillips, or, at least, that was what was written on the plaque. As soon as I stepped foot in his office, the Colonel paused in his writing and stared at me with a deadly expression. He scanned my appearance; my wrinkled jeans and sweater weren't flattering, but, at least, I managed to buy new shoes with the money that man from the Expo gifted me.

    "Whatever you're looking for in this office, lady, you're not looking in the right place," he said with a condescending tone.

    I gulped but didn't back down. "I'm looking for Dr Erskine, sir. I was told I'd find him here. I applied to the experimentation program."

    The Colonel looked surprised and, maybe, even a little impressed that I dared to speak in his presence. He stood up high enough for me to be able to see all the badges and pins sewed on his uniform, put his cap on, and said, "Follow me."

    The Colonel led me across camp into a concrete bunker where we entered a laboratory. It had all kinds of technology that I'd only heard mentions about, and some machines that were too advanced; it was hard for me to believe they existed. I gawked at every object, barely able to keep up with the Colonel through the room. We took a turn down one of the hallways, at the end of which was a giant hall. In the middle was a pad on which stood a doctor, surrounded by glass cabinets that held test tubes filled with liquids of many colours. Were those what I was going to be tested with? The doctor standing in the midst of it all had his back turned to us until the Colonel called his name.

    "Doctor Erskine, here's your test subject. Make her count, so the money we spend on your project doesn't go to waste," he said, pushing me closer to the pad. He then turned and left, slamming the door so hard that I could feel it resonate.

    The doctor turned around, and I stood there with eyes wide open as I recognized him, my jaw dropping. "It's you! You're the one who told me to come here!" I pointed at him in excitement, finally realizing why he suggested I volunteer. He was looking for an easy test subject.

    Wait, that wasn't a thing to be excited about. "Why did you want me?" I pressed. "Did you just want to get a simple nobody to be tested on so you don't get sued?"

    The doctor stayed calm throughout my accusations. Once I was finished, he fixed his glasses and spoke, "Pleasure to meet you. I am Doctor Abraham Erskine, and I represent the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Despite everything you just said, I'm afraid we've never met before."