Austin woke up to blinding light, breathing like he had just resurfaced after almost drowning. He looked around frantically, trying to come up with some logical explanation as to why he was awaken from his infinite sleep.

His right arm felt strange, as if it wasn't his own. He tried to sit up, but couldn't, something was chafing his wrist as he attempted to wriggle off of the cold, metallic table he was being restrained to. He was panicing that was for sure. He attempted to scream but all that came out was a dry rasp.

The sounds of formal shoes on linoleum floor echoed throughout the dark room as a door opened and a tall figure in a long white labcoat stepped in. A shark toothed crossed her face as she leaned in over Austin.
"Finally he wakes up" She said acting like he wasn't even in the room. Her hard Russian accent echoing and confusing Austin. How long had he actually been here? He let out another raspy cough, to the amusement of the woman who gave a wry laugh. "Don't even try to speak, it's been about 3 months since you died. Don't worry though, we patched you up well enough." She moved around to his other side, grabbing a scalpel off of a tray as she walked. "Now. Shadowbird, your partner, she was involved in a series of experiments conducted on infants, the very experiments that gave her her powers. We want you to tell us her name and everything you know about her, if you do you'll be set free and this will all be forgotten. If you don't, things will get a bit more bloody."

[hr]

Months of torture and surgery had molded Austin into a new man. He had been brainwashed into someone completely different, forgetting his old life, his old powers, even his old hair colour. He stood, as stiff as a robot while scientists looked him up and down as if he was some sort of new invention. The same old woman from before, identifying herself as Dr. Artyom began asking questions.
"What is your name?"
"Brett Glukhovsky."
"What is your mission?"
"Eliminate Ari Gray."

[hr]