The Rise Of The Winter Soilder

The Underground

Francis ran for two days straight without stopping.

Through forests. Across highways. Over mountains. His body never got tired. Never needed rest. It was like having an engine that never ran out of fuel.

But his mind was exhausted. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Emma's terrified face. Heard Sarah's voice begging him not to fight.

On the third day, Francis found himself in a small town in Pennsylvania. Population maybe two thousand. The kind of place where everyone knew everyone.

He needed supplies. Food, even though he could go weeks without it. Clothes that weren't torn and b****y. Information about what was happening back home.

Francis walked into a thrift store, keeping his head down. He grabbed jeans, a jacket, a baseball cap. Paid with cash he'd taken from his wallet before everything went wrong.

The cashier—an old woman with kind eyes—smiled at him. "You look like you've had a rough week, son."

"You could say that."

"Well, whatever it is, I hope it gets better." She handed him his change. "The Lord doesn't give us more than we can handle."

Francis wanted to believe that. But he wasn't sure the Lord had planned for someone like him.

He was changing in the bathroom when he heard the TV in the store's break room.

"—manhunt continues for Francis Reed, the so-called 'Winter Soldier.' Authorities warn he is extremely dangerous and should not be approached. Reed is wanted for assault on federal agents and theft of classified materials—"

Francis's stomach dropped. They'd given him a name. Made him famous. Now every cop, every agent, every bounty hunter in the country would be looking for him.

He pulled the cap low over his face and slipped out the back door.

Francis spent the next week moving from town to town. Sleeping in abandoned buildings. Avoiding cameras. Staying invisible.

But on the eighth day, someone found him.

Francis was in an alley behind a diner, eating food from the dumpster—not proud, but necessary—when a voice spoke from the shadows.

"You're getting sloppy, Francis Reed."

Francis spun, fists raised. A man stepped into the light. Tall. Black. Maybe forty years old. Wearing a leather jacket and a knowing smile.

"Who are you?"

"Name's Marcus Cole. And I'm like you."

Francis tensed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Please. I can hear your heartbeat from here. Sixty beats per minute when it should be racing from being startled. I can smell the blood on your clothes that isn't quite yours. And I watched you bend a steel dumpster latch like it was plastic." Marcus grinned. "You're enhanced. Just like me."

"Enhanced?"

"Super soldier. Seasonal. Whatever you want to call it. Point is, you're not alone." Marcus pulled up his sleeve, showing a tattoo of a sun. "Project Summer. Chinese program. 2019. I took their serum and ran."

Francis stared. "There are others?"

"Oh, brother. There are dozens of us. Maybe hundreds. Every major country has been trying to make super soldiers for decades. Most programs failed. Created monsters. But a few of us..." Marcus tapped his chest. "We survived. Adapted. Became something new."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you're on TV making a scene. Fighting federal agents in your front yard? Not smart. You're painting a target on every enhanced person's back."

"I didn't have a choice! They were going to take me!"

"I know. I've been there." Marcus's expression softened. "That's why I'm here. To help you. Before you get yourself killed. Or worse—caught."

Francis wanted to trust him. Wanted to believe someone understood. But trust had gotten him into this mess.

"How do I know you're not working for them?"

Marcus laughed. "If I was working for the government, you'd already be in a black bag. No, Francis. I work for us. The free ones. The ones who refuse to be weapons."

"Us?"

"The Underground. A network of enhanced people and their allies. We help each other stay free. Stay hidden. Stay alive." Marcus extended his hand. "Come with me. Meet the others. Learn how to actually survive this."

Francis looked at the offered hand. Then at the alley around him. Alone. Hunted. Desperate.

"What about my family?"

"What about them?"

"The government knows where they are. They'll use them to get to me."

Marcus's face turned serious. "Are they safe right now?"

"My wife took our daughter to her sister's house. But—"

"Then they're safer without you near them. Every second you're in contact, you're a beacon leading enemies right to them." Marcus lowered his hand. "I know it hurts. But the best thing you can do for your family is stay away. At least until you learn how to protect them properly."

The words cut deep. But they were true.

"Okay," Francis said quietly. "I'll come with you."

Marcus led Francis to a van parked three blocks away. Inside, a woman sat at a laptop. Young. Asian. Purple streaks in her hair.

"Francis Reed, meet Jenna Park. Our tech expert. Also enhanced, but she doesn't like to advertise it."

"Project Autumn," Jenna said without looking up. "European program. Makes me think faster than any computer. Also gives me terrible headaches." She finally looked at Francis. "So you're the guy who's all over the news. Not very subtle."

"I didn't exactly plan it."

"No one ever does." Jenna typed rapidly. "Lucky for you, we're good at making people disappear. Here." She showed him the screen. "I've already scrubbed your face from half the security cameras in Pennsylvania. By tomorrow, the trail will be cold."

"You can do that?"

"I can do lots of things. My brain processes information about sixty times faster than normal humans. I can hack most systems just by looking at them." She smiled. "Comes in handy."

Marcus climbed into the driver's seat. "Buckle up. It's a five-hour drive to the Sanctuary."

"The what?"

"Home base. Where the free Seasonals live. Where you'll train. Learn to control your abilities properly. Become more than just a science experiment on the run."

The van pulled out into traffic. Francis watched the town disappear behind them.

"My wife," he said suddenly. "Can you check on her? Make sure she's okay?"

Jenna typed for a moment. "Sarah Reed. Currently staying at 247 Maple Street. That's her sister Rachel's address, right?"

"How did you—"

"I'm very good at my job." Jenna pulled up a traffic camera. On screen, Francis saw Sarah's car parked in a driveway. Safe. "No government surveillance on the house. No suspicious vehicles. They're clean. For now."

Francis exhaled. They were okay. That was something.

"Can I contact them?"

"Absolutely not," Marcus said firmly. "Every call, every text, every email is monitored. The second you reach out, you lead them right to your family."

"So I just... disappear? Let them think I abandoned them?"

"You let them stay safe," Marcus corrected. "There's a difference."

Francis leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. Emma probably thought he was a monster now. Sarah probably hated him. But they were alive. Free. Not in a government facility being used as leverage.

That would have to be enough.

"Tell me about the Sanctuary," Francis said. "What is it?"

Marcus smiled. "It's home. For people like us. People who refuse to be weapons. Who want to be human, even if we're not quite human anymore."

"And what do we do there?"

"We survive. We train. We help others like us escape." Marcus glanced at him in the rearview mirror. "And eventually, when you're ready? We help you take back your life. Get your family back. On your terms."

Francis opened his eyes. "You can do that?"

"We've done it before. But first, you need to understand what you are. What you can do. What the serum really made you."

"What do you mean?"

"Francis, you've had the serum for what, three weeks? And you're already faster and stronger than normal humans. But that's just the beginning." Marcus's eyes gleamed. "Wait until you see what you can really do."