CHAPTER 10
We all left the room to the armory in silence and the way they all moved while I followed behind was in a precise order. If I hadn't been drilled in military activities and orders then I wouldn't have been able to tell how professional this team was.
No matter what one says, HYDRA was always of the Marvel-verse's most notorious organizations. Me been here was enough for me to see that. For them to survive for how long they did even with their leaders always been killed was a testament to their cunning.
This team was my first ticket out of HYDRA. I don't know how strong they are, but seeing as they were only five of them, with me making six, they had to be quite strong. All this just added to paint me the reality of my situation, my reality wasn't anything I'd hope it'd be.
Now matter how desperate to escape HYDRA I felt, I couldn't leave… not yet no. Minus the fact that I didn't know anywhere or anyone since I was in the Marvel-verse, the depth of HYDRA's influence in the current world government was not something I had the slightest idea about. All I knew were some names and that was where my information about the current timeline ended. I didn't know where they were or what they were doing now. Hopefully this team will give me an idea.
When we got to the armory, they all separated to get their weapons since I knew a small team like this was specialized in efficiency and cooperation hence their style of firearms were bound to be different.
I went to a section to pick mine. While I was trained in different firearms, the area they made specialize in was assault fire meaning I was trained to survived under heavy fire or breaking through an encampment with drills on cover fire.
Strapping a pair of Rambo II MC RB2 daggers to my side, I always loved Rambo and his knives, I reached for an Mk 18 which I strapped to my back and lastly a Sig Sauer MPX. Since I was probably going to be under heavy fire, I didn't need scopes and snipers.
"Hoo! Looks like someone is getting ready for a party, " exclaimed the tomahawked Asian dude as he checked me out while armed to the teeth with guns.
"Let's go people, we still on the clock." Floch ordered as he left the room while we followed right behind.
We left the facility and went for a yard where they was an helicopter waiting for us with its engine already running. The moment we boarded it, it immediately took off while I stared out the window looking at the facility that held me for over a year. What I wouldn't give to watch it all burn.
"You missing home already, Percy?" Floch asked me as he saw me looking out the window as I turned to return his gaze.
"You can speak or what? With the cold look you got on you'll think you are the Winter Soldier or something?" He provoked as the others chuckled while giving me different looks from amusement to weird looks.
"So? Did they burn ya brains out or what?" This time it was from one of the two who hadn't spoke. He had very buffed muscles and was the biggest out of all of us. With that thick beards of his and deep voice of his, he looked like a tank.
*Sigh* "Nah they didn't." I let out after a sigh as I knew people like this were more likely to pester you the more you ignored them. "And that tomahawk looks stupid," I added as they all paused before they all burst into a laughing fit while the tomahawked dude just stared at me with an unimpressed face.
"Looks like he's not all bite, he can bark too," the Frenchman let out as he gave me another look.
"Ok that's enough for the new guy." Floch called out as the laughter died down. Seeing he got our attention he continued, "Since you already know from the doc, you'll be under me for this mission and any other one you'll take part in with us."
"Tomahawks over there is Chys, while Charles de Gaulle after him is T-bone…" he pointed at tomahawk and the French dude, "… buff n gruff over here is Track and the mime in the corner is Firefort." He finished as the others gave me a nod in identification.
As they devolved into smaller talks, I closed my eyes as I let out a breath. There was no going back after this
Draul St. Cross – Failed adult, transmigrator, HYDRA thug.
Quite a leap.
….
{March 14th, 2003}
After a few hours of flying we landed in an abandoned facility outside Volgograd, Russia where we met the agent responsible for our directions.
Our target was a Russian politician and his only son who was supposed to take his old office after the election to be held.
The only one told about the whole details was Floch while we waited, no doubt to avoid leak of information in the case any of us were caught. After Floch came back and told us of the target, we got into an arranged car which took us to the city. My first time in another country and I'm here as a mercenary for a terrorists organization.
The time allotted for this mission was a week, a tight window for scouting and planning a quick hit. Hopefully we had extensive information on the target because I didn't want to end up dead on my first mission.
We arrived at our base of operations which was in the center of the city during the evening so any plans for the mission was to wait for tomorrow.
As I retired to my room, I immediately fell on my bed as I let out deep breaths. If it wasn't for my improved mentality, I doubted I could make it through the flight without breaking down in hysteria.
If it wasn't for my mental control, I would not have been able to resist the urge to pull the trigger on Floch and the others during our journey but the rational part of my mind told me that there was no way I would've made it out alive. Before I had the chance to pull the trigger on the third person, I would've been riddled with bullets and considering the height we were above ground during the flight, there was no chance of survival in falling from such an height. And besides I had no connection of any kind in Russia which would've let me be caught by the authorities…. There was just no way out.
All I had to do was wait for an opportunity and then I'd be gone.
…
The next morning, we all woke up at 5am in the morning as we wore ordinary clothes as we left our apartment for the stake out. I shadowed Floch the entire day since I was under his direct command. The day was all in all uneventful.
This continued for the next two days where we were able to somehow get his schedule for the week and also his guard detail.
Apparently our target knew he might get attacked this period so he was holed up most of the time inside his mansion while remaining heavily guarded so we had no way to get a snipers sight on him. With that confirmed, Floch just decided to 'crash house' and take the target while under fire. It was on the fifth day, the operation started and-
"Hercules, I need you and Chys to open suppression fire as we make our way in. Once in you, me and Track will go for the target while T-bone and Chys cover for us, got it?" Floch instructed me as we made our way inside the targets mansion.
*Huu* I let out a breathe as I steeled myself. There was no room for hesitation anymore, it was either whoever it was going to be or me and no matter how crap it made me feel, I was always going to choose me.
I looked at Floch and nodded at him and then looked at Chys as he made his way to me.
"Try no to die soon, Hercules." With that I put on my headgear that looked like a balaclava and also acted as head protector while the others wore normal balaclavas with the black-theme going all round.
At Floch's signal both Chy and I, with me at the front and him a step behind me to the side, made our way through the trees at surrounding the mansion.
The mansion didn't have anything around it except for the trees tens of meters away so there was no way we could have made it inside the mansion without getting caught.
So the moment we made sights with the guards we opened fire as the mansion broke out in chaos.
The first set of guards barely had a chance to react before my bullets deposited themselves inside their skull and chest region.
With the first set of guards down, we had an area to hole up in as we made our next move. I focused on the once at my front while Chys aimed for the guards at the top floor while Floch, Track and T-bone hurried inside.
As instructed by Floch, I made my way to the front with Track as we made our way inside the mansion. The more I killed, the more my mind steeled further and I just let loose on the unfortunate guards.
With a rush of battle frenzy, I went ahead Floch and Track even getting shot thrice, as my index finger hugged the trigger, spewing hails of lead and reaping the lives of anyone who was unfortunate to catch its attention.
After my little outburst, Floch came up to me and looked at the bullet wounds before giving me a look.
"I'm fine. Been through worse." I replied to his gaze. Hearing my answer he whistled and gave me another look, this time in disbelief, and walked ahead.
"Well I'll be damned. That's some nice trick you've got there Hercules." He complimented as he lead our infiltration up the stairs and deeper into the mansion.
Hearing the gunshots below us, we hurried to our target as we faced their fierce opposition. At some point Chys asked for support as they were slowly being overwhelmed and Floch had to let Tracker go and we both continued on.
The closer we got, the lesser the security we found as we left heaps of bodies in our paths. I couldn't help to but be impressed at how skilled these guys were. Their coordination and marksmanship was top level. I definitely would have trouble taking the five of them act once.
CHAPTER 11
[Clint Barton – Hawkeye POV]
During the ambush…
Sometimes I just can't help but think I made a wrong choice, and the present situation was one of those times.
6 months into the job and one thing became apparently clear – my new boss was such a slave driver.
Times like these made me want to retire into a house in the middle of nowhere. If it wasn't for the deal his new boss gave him, there was no way in the nine blazes of hell he would've agreed.
So here I was, 1km away from an old S.H.I.E.L.D warehouse that now acted as an off site storage for some piece of tech.
No matter how paranoid the boss could be, I had to admit he did know his toys.
I laid in wait on an elevated platform for over an hour just because Fury said he was sure this warehouse would be hit next since 3 other warehouses like this has been cleared out by an unknown group over the past few months.
It was at the thirteenth minute mark over an hour that a cargo truck drove towards the warehouse as he watched 12 armed men alighted the truck while 7 stood watch as the others carried heavy cases inside the warehouse to load up whatever weapons was in there.
"Looks like your intel was right boss. We've got bogeys at the site." I reported back to base through the micro-comms in my ears.
"Paint me a visual Barton," came in the gruff kingpin-like voice of my one eyed boss.
"I got 12 marks. 7 making a line, all high-level combat gear. 5 movers with light weaponry." I reported and then paused, "Another team just pulled up. 6 marks, all armed like the first. 500m out from the base." I concluded.
"The teams?" Came an inquiry.
"All in position sir."
"Do you have a clear shot?" God if this man's paranoia isn't something. The most annoying part is that both you and him know a single primal fact about why he does that and why shouldn't care – because Nick Fury doesn't give a fuck. Those were his very words.
"Always."
"Then make the call."
Did he just give me a leadership position? What do you know Laura, looks like old Clint just got a promotion. With this I can practically see the retirement in my sights.
I focused on my targets, the ones at the base, as I waited for the right time for a perfect shot.
I watched as they load up the first crate, followed by the second and after a little while the third was in sights. I got my kill shot with the third crate as I saw them relax a little while I nocked two arrows on my bow.
One for the guy with the head mask, he just gave me a bad feeling, and another for the dude near the base entrance. That one seemed like a sprinter.
I let out the first arrow, a 10 to the heart, with the other already drawn and just before I released it I saw as my first target tried to dodge the already point blank arrow, which he did albeit not completely as the arrow lodged itself inside his left arm.
The moment I knew my shot missed, which was a very irritating fact, I let out the other arrow cutting off the second target's voice as it pierced his throat.
"Operation is a go sir." I clicked my tongue as I gave to go order without taking my sights from my targets.
I watched as they all took defense behind the truck as I targeted the third crate mover and struck an arrow at the side of his head. Two down. Tch.
I could already hear the sounds of gunshots fired away from my hunting field, no doubt the other agents had confronted the thieves.
I saw one of the movers using a crate as shield as he made way for the truck, cute.
I nocked in another arrow, but this one was a little different.
An arrowhead with a built-in compact bomb with the same force as a C4 explosive with a 3-second timer upon impact.
Swoosh*
I watched as the arrow traveled to its target and-
"Three.. Two.. One. B-"
-oom!
I have to give it to these guys, their reaction time are top notch. They jumped away the moment they saw the arrow. That's three.
I watched as they made their way inside the truck leaving their downed teammates behin-
Oh! Looks like they aren't leaving them apparently. Huh, it's the same dude that TRIED to dodge my arrow.
"You're not getting another freebie this time." I aimed another arrow, this time at his lungs, and waited until he got down to help his teammate who got caught up in the explosion.
"What the hell!" I let out in a low voice as I saw the man drive in a metal piece to the back of his teammate.
"What is it Barton? Any new developments?" Fury called out from my comms and reminded me he was listening… Like always.
"I don't know sir. Just one of them kill an injured member and took him back to their truck." I replied as I watched him come out again and this time instead of going to help another guy, he looked around for something and found it. The arrow I shot him with.
Immediately I re-aimed my sights at his lungs once more but this time didn't take the shot as I watched him walk to still groggy member.
"Sir, he just killed another one. With my arrow." I reported in again, with a little mirth at the latter part.
"…"
"Sir? I have a kill shot on him, should I take it or disable him."
"…"
"I've lost visuals on the target sir." I said as I watched the man make way back to the truck using the smoke as a cover, not that it would've helped.
Well no matter.
I targeted the driver this time and let out my arrow and watched it bounced back from what was clearly a bulletproof glass with only little crack.
"They got away sir."
"…Cover for the other team, they've lost some men." Came the reply a he cut off the comms.
I turned and faced the other scuffle and saw the other team in the midst of retreating.
Since the other truck was bullet proof then no doubt this one was too. Since I couldn't take out the driver, I settled for the shotgun.
"That's four." I said as I watched as my team went into pursuit.
Just another day at S.H.I.E.L.D.
…
[Draul St. Cross POV]
During the whole journey back, I was a bundle of nerves. I could very well drop an explosive inside the truck and jump out and be done with them but that would be counterproductive as HYDRA would just pursue and catch me later on.
I needed something that would slow them down or make then cautious of how they moved and what better than have HYDRA's other head attack its own body – S.H.I.E.L.D. The perfect shield, both literally and figuratively.
The ride back had me on my toes, rightfully so, because what I was aiming to do was insane. But then again looking at my previous streak, this wasn't that outlandish since the repercussion range would be rageful brainwashing to death.
It was maybe the scent of freedom that had me acting rashly but there was nothing I wanted to more. Apart from the fact that having my most fervent wish dangle in front of me as I salivated in hunger for had me thinking rabidly but also, I felt like this was a God-given moment. I had the feeling that if I missed this chance then the next one would be quite a while from now and with me feeling desperate, there was no chance of me waiting that long.
We arrived at the base on the night of the second day and we were all tired. It didn't help that we were all on guard, expecting S.H.I.E.L.D agents to bracket us during our getaway and engage us in another artillery warfare which thankfully it didn't happen.
Looking at it now, the base had only one big gate with an almost ten feet barbed fence all around it. There were three checkpoints before the main gate if you were going out and there were cameras mounted at every angle of the place to kill any blind spots possible. Then the soldiers.
Oof! This shit just leveled up into a boss fight.
We entered the base after our check-ins and made way to the changing room. Midway to the changing room, I took another path and walked straight ahead while the others were befuddled.
"Where you going Hercules?" Floch asked me since we always left for the changing room after every mission before doing our own thing.
"Dr. Ernst." Was the only reply I gave him as I continued my walk.
"Gotcha."
I walked towards Dr. Ernst's laboratory, keeping in a measured pace, as I studied how many guards were stationed along the way. I counted 28, and that was only along the way from the changing room to the office.
The reason I wanted to move now was because if I was right, Floch would be making his way to report what happened during our mission to whatever brass was present here which means, hopefully, the heads won't be at their station and Dr. Ernst would be joining them soon and if it all goes as planned, Ernst would be taking me to them.
I walked in Ernst's office, which also functioned as a laboratory, and saw him clicking away at the keyboards while also murmuring some science jargon. Since he hadn't yet acknowledged my presence, I looked around his wide office letting out a breath to my self as I didn't see any cameras.
Having gotten that out of the way, I looked towards the door I came in from and hoping it really was as soundproofed as it looked, I locked it.
Dr. Ernst stopped what he was doing, likely hearing the doors clicking, and turned towards me.
"You are already here. I was… going through… your… ARRRRGHHHHH."
Aaaaand that was me stomping on his kneecaps as he tried getting up from his chair.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING I-039?!"
CRACK*
"AAAARGHHH!" And that was his second kneecap. Ignoring his girlish wails, I picked him up by the scruff of his neck and looked him in the eyes and saw that while there was pain, there was no fear. That wouldn't do, but I had to focus for now.
I flung him to the side and watched as he crashed to the ground with a thud and a bleeding head. Leaving him for now, I went towards his computer and tried searching for any files the bastard had on me and unsurprisingly found them under a titled 'I-039' folder. I copied it to a drive and hurriedly searched for any other file that had a correlation to 'I-039' and found a folder with the codename they gave me 'Project Draugr' and some others with a revised tag like 'Project Destroyer of Worlds'. Oof, that didn't look nice at all.
These racist terrorists started a project with my organs and shit. This was bad, very bad, like 20th century superman movie level bad. I tried copying the folder but it was protected. I went to the groaning doctor and yanked him up the floor and sat him on the chair in front of the desktop.
"Copy them all. Now!" I ordered him in a cold tone.
"Haha. You think what you are doing is wise. I don't know how you undid the brainwashing but you don't have anywhere to run to. This is but a dogs effort of futility to run away from its owne…. KUUGHH." I cut off his grating ramblings as I choked him with my hands and watched him run out of breath. It would be so easy to kill him now but I had to focus on my goal. Granted, everything here was designed to make me lose myself that if I stayed here any longer I will find my rationality slipping away irrespective of if I could control my emotions.
Emotions aren't meant to be forced. Me suppressing them would also compile them atop each other, waiting for the single moment I lost sight of myself to run free and rampant.
I stopped choking Ernst before he died of asphyxiation and I think I saw a sliver of fear in those eyes as he scrambled to sit down.
"Copy. Now." I repeated to him and watch as he inputted five different codes before the files started copying.
Ignoring the copying files, I asked Ernst to pull up the blueprint to this base. This place was massive and deep.
Turns out I'm somewhere in South Carolina which was a ways from New York and this building has ten floors. The power plant, steam generators and whatnot were all in the basement underground and that was where I was going. This was going to be one hell of a run.
I studied the whole map with a few glances and found some room that their walls reinforced but then again I didn't care what was in there.
"Where are the leaders located?"
He pointed at a room in the map located at the top most floor which would be almost impossible to get to… maybe I..
Turning to Ernst who was having labored breaths due to the pain of having his knees snapped, most likely, I asked what I really wanted to know.
"Who are the heads of HYDRA presently?" I knew HYDRA had moles in S.H.I.E.L.D and one of them was even one its leaders but then again an organization like HYDRA was bound to have others under the main seat of power. The fact the they stuck to the mythos wasn't some propaganda or else they would have long since been destroyed.
"I don't know wh… ARRRGHHHHH!" I stepped on his broken knees as he sat on the chair.
"Who are the heads of HYDRA? Last chance." I gave him an ultimatum which I would carry out if he tried to stall again. I couldn't afford to waste any more time here. Each second I spent within the confines of these walls made me jittery.
Whether he picked that up or not, but fortunately for him he answered.
"I only know of some; Hale Klepter, Gideon Malick, Octavian Bloom, Baron Strucker…" he paused there and looked at me.
"And Dr. AndrŽ Ernst." He completed and I had to withhold the mild surprise I felt. I knew he was up there in the hierarchical ladder but I never expected him to be one of the heads of HYDRA.
He left out some names, a few I knew like the guy who turned himself into an A.I, Arnim Zola I think, and the guy who was up there in S.H.I.E.L.D and later became part of the WSC during the latter part of the Avengers franchise.
No matter, I had things to do now. Looking at Ernst, I contemplated what to do to him and I figured I might as well ask him a few questions but before I could, Ernst beat me to it.
"Hah… Hah.. The… brainwashing… Hah… How did you undo it?" He asked me amidst labored breaths and I had to do a double take whether he was really serious. These mad scientists type always had to either tripping or on some heavy shit because, here I was, minutes away from ending his life, and what he asked first was how I escaped their brainwashing. I stared at him trying to see if the blood and pain was making him already dizzy but no, his eyes still held that deranged clarity it always had.
"… Hah… I was sure we were able to overwrite your rationality node into a state of semi-dependence…" He continued talking as I continued staring.
"I triple checked your brainwaves, and your thetas were the most dominant with occasional spikes in your alphas, but that was only when you were active." He concluded and this time looked at me with fervid curiosity that made me uncomfortable, reminding me of the gazes he had when he ran his experiments on me.
"How did you do it?" He asked again, almost pleading with his gaze.
"Adaptable gammas." I gave him a short reply, since a longer one was meaningless given how much smarter he was than me. It didn't take him more than ten seconds before his eyes widened in realization.
"Suppressing consciousness! You can control even your gamma brain signals, inducing forced therapy and higher consciousness, getting smarter and also…" Getting there he paused and looked at me with shock and incredible want, bordering on lust. Unsurprisingly this guy was smart, figuring out what took me 6 months in just ten seconds and also coming to conclusions I don't know.
"And also what?" That last part caught my attention as since the beginning, he never once displayed a shocked expression so that slip up caught my attention.
He looked at me in silence suddenly going mute. His face was impassive as a defiant expression adorned it. I was about to question him more but the beeping from the computer switched my attention to it as it signaled the completed task.
I took the drive as I turned to Ernst once again and saw that this time his face was one of resignation. He already knew his death was here and he accepted it.
"Tell me one thing," he said, "How come you weren't affected?"
I frowned at his question which I didn't understand and he took that as my incomprehension and continued.
"We were sure such an act would lower and inhibit your mental obstructions." The more he talked, the more I got confused. Was he talking about the killing?
"Killing a stranger for survival is understandable, and not something the mind would collapse on itself on…" I felt a dreadful suspicion as he rabbled on, "… but killing a close kin, a father no less was something we were sure of."
I froze.
My adapting mind crashed on itself and froze at the revelation. He hadn't confirmed anything yet so maybe it wasn't what I thought. I had to know, I had to confirm.
"What do you mean?" My voice was steady betraying no emotion as it always was these past few months.
"How come killing your own family didn't affect you? Even if what you insinuated was true and your mind was capable of adapting, it should have shaken you mental barriers stronger… unless…" Saying up to that point he looked at me as a light of understanding shone on him and he broke into a smile before cackling in a deranged laugh.
"Hahahaha…. You didn't know? Hahaha…You slit the throat of the man who sired you and you were nescient of the fact that you had the blood of your father in your hands… Hahahahaha!" He laughed while I stood rooted there already comprehending what he meant before he even finished his rant.
I wasn't feeling any sort of righteous anger or the like, not because I was suppressing it and keeping calm, but because I just didn't feel it. What came over me was an euphoric state of calm and understanding.
It all lead me to a glaring fact I knew all too well;
I hated HYDRA.
Seeing them in movies and comics sometimes gives me the impression of them being an annoying reoccurring villain organization whose plans always gets thwarted by the heroes and agents of S.H.I.E.L.D or the mutants.
In short, they were synonymous with failure and that knowledge subconsciously downplayed the heinous acts the did to me.
The knowledge of me killing my father in this life was an honest shock, but what really had me transfixed and frozen was the thought that what if the father this body had was anything like my old man?
The knowledge that I had killed someone who could mostly likely be an identical twin of my father in this universe left me jaded with unpleasant thoughts.
The fact that I had very well slit the throat of the man who took care of me for decades and raised me, even if I didn't experience it, and just the idea that he could very well have resembled my past life's old man shut me down.
These individuals weren't humans.
This was a fact that I've convinced myself of over and over again, but unbelievably, somehow, they always proved that my conviction was still lacking.
I had made myself a promise that I would burn HYDRA to the ground, with any means necessary but with this recent knowledge, I couldn't help but wonder if that was enough.
Should I burn with them before I'll be satisfied? Or was that what they wanted?
I looked at Ernst who had an amused face all along and came to the conclusion that there was nothing more I had to do. No higher conviction to gain nor a resolve to set alit.
I would do what I wanted ever since that day – I would watch HYDRA burn. Nothing had changed.
Tearing my gaze away from Ernst, I walked towards one of the many cupboards in the office cum lab and looked for some acids and solutions. With duck tape.
I could feel the amusement wash away from his face even with my back turned to him.
With my well met loot, I walked towards him and chuckled to myself as he fidgeted in his chair and wince from the pain from his crippled appendages.
A few punches and love taps to his knees later, I had him strapped to the bed he had me lay on when he experimented on me with HCl acid gurgled down his throat and a taped mouth.
I let out a chuckle as I saw him writhing on the bed with muffled screams. Somehow, I felt it was funny looking at him this way. Maybe this was why they had those stupid grin when they experimented on me eh? Who knew it felt as good as this.
Relishing in my new fetish, I strapped both his hands and legs with restraints and for the final touch I added other apparatuses to him. Some to read his brain activity and others to monitor blood pressure and then I introduced the magnum opus of this operation –
The defibrillator.
Cranking up this contraption of torture to the mid point I taped it to Ernst and watched as all his vitals spiked before becoming irregular as he heaved and started twitching violently.
The intake of such large amounts Hydrochloric acid will make him feel the electricity all through his body with magnified sensations. Who knew scientific knowledge could make for inspirations for torture.
Leaving the insignificant Ernst alone, I took the drive and looked for something small to encase it in. I found a tiny metal box with pins in it and threw them away and stuffed the drive inside it.
Making sure the box was tightly shut with no way of it open due to extreme motion, I took one of the scalpels from the table and looked at it for a while before I hardened myself.
"This was not how I saw this day going." Saying that, I used the surgical knife to cut open my stomach and stuff the box inside.
I had two reasons for stuffing it inside my stomach. First because putting it inside my pockets was just asking to lose it in the upcoming gun fights and explosions. Secondly...well that's for later.
I wished I could have just swallowed the drive, but given that the stomach could dissolve metals like concrete nails in days and also because I couldn't swallow the box as it wouldn't fit my throat, I went for seppuku.
"God! The blood… Is that my intestines, what's it doing out here?" Stuffing my tousled up and disarranged organs back inside my body and hoping it didn't kill me, I went towards another machine and got to work on the last loose end on me.
I sewed close my stomach to prevent any more leakage with shabby workmanship and adjusted some screens to my front as sat on a chair in front of a machine that showed my X-ray with screens in front of me.
With the same scalpel, I made a precise cut to the base of my neck and I could already feel my grip becoming lighter making it all too obvious that I cut some blood vessels and nerves.
Paying my error no mind I took my other hand to my neck as I dug two fingers into the incision and watch with full attention as it inched ever closely to the brain scanner chip inside my head.
The moment I hands touched it a wave of electricity rushed through my spine to my entire body making me numb as I relaxed into the chair without pulling out my fingers.
After some minutes, I regained my body's motor functions and this time not caring of the consequences, I yanked it out with full force even as it made a cut in the tissues surrounding my spine.
Looking at the small rectangular contraption, I couldn't help but smile.
Looking at the time on the screen made me realize that I've spent almost 25 minutes in here. I looked at Ernst and saw him lying still with some twitches at intervals, with a bloated chest and spiky hair. His countenance was ghostly pale with bloodied eyes.
"No doubt about it. He dead dead. Ain't no surviving that, that's for sure."
Leaving Ernst to his fate… uh death, and seeing as how my stomach wounds were already healing and I was covered in blood, I grabbed a few scalpels since these were the only weapons I had on me.
I stood in front of the door and took in deep breaths for a few minutes. The moment I walked through these doors, there was no going back. It was me versus this entire HYDRA base.
A rough estimation gave me an assumption of 200 soldiers in here, factoring in estimation errors I'll say give or take 300 men, armed and ready.
Its game time.
236CHAPTER 12
I opened the door and walked outside real slow.
I counted 12 patrolling guards as I walked them by giving me varying looks as the wasn't the first time I left Ernst's lab covered in blood.
I had almost made it the first turn when I heard one of them said something and started walking to the office.
I counted the seconds, my brain working in overdrive as I made ready the scalpels hidden in my sleeves, three in each.
2 seconds… 3 seconds… 5 seconds… 7 seconds.
The moment I heard his shouts of panic I acted.
With a slight tug of my wrists, six scalpels rested on my palms, three in each.
The second they reacted in confusion and reached for their guns I threw two scalpels to the last two guards in front of me and then I turned and threw the three in my left hand to the immediate guards beside me and the last on my right hand went for the door as it opened to revealed the guard who went inside before lodging inside his throat.
The others were stunned seeing 6 men drop down dead while I used the opportunity to grab one of the guns of the fallen.
The moment they saw me reaching for it they immediately sprung into action as I grabbed the gun and made the turn before being riddled with the incoming bullets.
I really hope the explosives in my underwear don't fall or go off because I could practically feel one of them in my ass crack.
The sounds of gunshots must've alerted the nearby guards because I could hear their shouts and sounds of their incoming.
I ran down the hall and as soon as I saw the first soldier, hell let loose.
With but a flex of a finger, I switched from semi to auto and opened rapidly fire on my assailant. I turned left and pressed my finger against the trigger and pumped lead, riddling the body on any who came across my sights while jerking from the recoil like an Easter bunny on sugar rush.
I threw the gun away as the mag went empty and switched for a gun lying around, making me feel like I was playing a VR Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 with all the bodies, blood and guns.
Very soon the alarms blared as I reviewed the maps in my head making turns that would get me to the basement quicker. The numbers of guards coming for me wasn't making it any easier.
"Fuck!" I ducked as a bullet pierced my leg and turned to deliver a shot to my shooters' left lungs, increasing his blood flow from shock and drowning his respiratory systems in blood.
"Fuck, damn it!" I screamed as I dug my fingers into the bullet wounds to remove the bullets because leaving it there would delay the healing duration.
My regen wasn't dope enough yet to spit out the bullets running its fade.
I was on the 4th floor down to the basement and the I've already killed almost 40 soldiers.
… Correction 34 soldiers.
The 7th floor down to the basement were the restricted areas I saw on the map with reinforced walls so hopefully the number of soldiers there would be lesser.
I couldn't take the elevator there because it could, and would be, compromised.
If they turned off the electricity while I was inside, which they would, it would be an instant game over.
….
[Octavian Bloom POV]
Complications.
Two things I hated.
Inconsistency and complications.
Then again, if Pierce had proved anything during these past decades it was that.
How can you be a Councilman of S.H.I.E.L.D and can't prevent your agents from snooping on HYDRA's business, he didn't know.
"How many were we able to steal?" I directed the question to Jurgen Floch, the leader in charge of the movers team.
"Two crates sir."
"Two crates?" I asked rhetorically as the numbers didn't match estimations at all.
TWO crates! This was Stark's and Trask's weapons. Trask was into splicing the X-gene and Stark was THE Merchant of Death. His weapons were at least a decade ahead of what was in the market.
"How many?" I asked again but this time I could see the two men in front of me ground their teeth.
"2 movers, 3 from mine and 2 from Olav's."
5 soldiers.
5 elite soldiers, 2 of which were drafted to be a part of Project Destroyer of Worlds plus their respective team leaders.
Coupled with the adaptability of the Draugr, the project has had immense breakthrough due to Ernst's research and the most optimal soldiers were being chosen.
But now they lost two of their best soldiers.
If they had at least gotten the files and blueprints in that warehouse, then maybe I would have being able to convince myself that their sacrifice was worth it. But they didn't.
We couldn't raid Stark Industries and definitely not Anthony Stark's house as not only the entire US government military would be on our neck, but also the CIA, FBI, DoD and S.H.I.E.L.D would invest themselves in the case.
Obadiah Stane was a greedy man that would sell even his soul to the highest bidder, making him an unreliable avenue.
I hate complications.
Before I could ask how the Draugr performed, the entire base's alarm blared a code: Red.
What in the Fuhrer's name was this.
I immediately linked my communication to the control room.
"What is going on?" I inquired immediately they picked up the comms.
"Sir, the Draugr has been compromised. I repeat the Draugr has been compromised!" Came in the frantic report.
At that information, the whole room went silent not knowing how to process what they heard.
"Excuse me? Repeat that again." This time it was Floch who asked and everybody listened with rapt attention just for the miniscule chance that they misheard the first time.
"The Draugr has been compromised. He killed Dr. Ernst and over 40 men and is currently making his way to the basement as we speak."
At that proclamation, the once quiet room chilled even further and remained like that before an enraged bang on the table heated the atmosphere to opposing polarities.
The entire room looked at the seething Olav and they once more understood what what they heard meant.
"Where is he now?" Growled out Olav. The look on his face suggesting that only this piece of information was keeping him from running out of the room.
"He's currently on the fifth floor making his way to the restricted floors." At that clearance, I frowned.
If he did kill Ernst, he was supposed to know we would find out the soonest and try to force his way out, so him going to the restricted floor serves him no advantage except making him cornered, which would be stupid considering what he's done.
It just didn't make sense.
"The basement!" This imbecilic ingrate is going for the plants.
He must have known there was no way he could escape through the gate so he's going for double kamikaze.
"He's trying to blow the whole base up! Stop him!" I yelled as they all rushed out of the room.
I hate complications.
…
[Olav POV]
That little bitch just gone and done it.
I had been looking for a way to kick his ass and beat him to an inch of his life like the good ol'days.
So as soon as I heard he was rampaging and killing our men the, the excitement coursing through my body couldn't be suppressed unless I spilled his blood and make him scream.
I immediately made my way for the elevator to take me to the seventh floor to wait for him.
What kind of reunion doesn't have a surprise?
I will help him remember what it feels like too experience pain.
I ran my hand over my eyepatch as I thought of pain. I still have thanked him for this gift he gave me.
The moment I left the elevator, the coldness of this floor welcomed me. I knew just what I wanted from the storages here, something original, to remind him of our bonds.
Hurry up kid. This itch isn't gonna scratch itself.
…
[Draul St. Cross POV]
Fuck!
Who the hell throws a grenade indoors, huh? Well HYDRA soldiers apparently do.
If it wasn't for my instant reaction of batting that bundle of agony back to its sender with my gun then I would have been trapped in a stairway with a bomb.
Speaking of stairways, this bases' was way too long, which had me currently jumping off from edge to edge, from column to column.
"Over here!"
Damn these guys are persistent. Can't a man go to his apartments basement anymore in peace. Why all this hate?
I could see these guys pouring out of rooms fully armed with their sights aimed at me as I hanged off a ledge ready for my next downward jump.
I was at least 23ft from the seventh floor. Who the hell drew this building's plan.
If this was a normal building complex, it would have at least 20 stories.
"What do you think you are doing, Mr. Cross?" This guy voice reminds me of Olav's boss. It could be.
"Would you believe me if I said I was looking for the bathroom?" I answered but was only greeted with silence, tough crowd.
"No? In my defense I thought that would work, it always did in movies… Did it? I don't know, it's been so long now since I saw a good flick." I mused and froze. I haven't watched a movie in over a year… These ANIMALS!
"I see you retained your sense of sarcasm… and wit. Would you mind clarifying for us what else you retained?" The voice once again questioned, but this time with sincere curiosity.
"Can I get a raincheck on that date? How about 11pm,Saturday of never gonna happen." Damn now I'm surrounded.
"I see. Well, no matters. We will find out what we want when you are back in your cell…" He said with a calm voice, "… or better yet strapped to a table."
What I find admirable about these guys is how they always remain calm even when someone decides to run their fade. Even if their death is guaranteed. Yikes.
Guess its now or never.
"Neutralize him." The voice commanded.
Immediately I threw the ticking grenade in my hands to the crowd above me and jumped down the ledge straight down with hail of bullets cheering me on.
This was the highest I've ever jumped and… I nailed it. Noice.
Guess I better get going.
Reloading my gun and unhinging a grenade, I waited for three seconds before I kicked open the door and threw it away and took defense behind the walls as bullets welcomed my entrance with lead-cased embrace.
Booo-
"-ooom."
The moment the explosion went off I entered the room and immediately knew the explosion this time was much stronger. Why was that?
Relying on my acute senses and eyesight, I made perfect shots to the destabilized mobs. I was no Hawkeye but my eyesight was definitely enhanced. Like a canary maybe.
The people on this floor were fewer which was something I was thankful for since the fastest way to this floor was the elevator and it couldn't carry much people.
I need to hurry because any minute now the elevator will spawn new mobs. This felt like I was playing Survival mode with Veteran difficulty with a GTA V mod and cheat code.
I hadn't taking more than two steps before I heard a sound next to me.
I turned around to donate a charitable amount of metal pebbles to the fortunate-but-not-for-long metal-lacking HYDRA mob but before I could get an image of him I was tackled to the ground.
I dropped my gun and delivered an elbow to the head of this barbaric brawler and use the little lease he gave me to roll away and stand up to get a good look at my attack.
"Fuck!" I groaned out as I saw an eye patched elder man with an ever present scowl on his face.
Two guesses who it was.
"I've been waiting here for you." He said while looking at me as we both maintained a measured distance apart from each other.
"You should have told me that from the start so I would have thrown more bombs in here." I replied with a snarly tone.
"I see you've got a mouth. Didn't know you talk with it."
OK, now he's just pissing me off.
"I got something for you. You know, to celebrate such a wondrous occasion." Saying that, he pulled out a rod that was strapped to his side.
This motherfucker.
A barbed poker that had… dried blood stains on it.
"You like it? This one produced your most melodious scream so I kept it. For you." He told me with that disgusting smile on his face.
"You sick bastard." I spat out in a low voice.
He just gave a small laugh at that.
"You know, I still owe you for this," he pointed at the eyepatch, "so I've been thinking of how to repay you." With that the smile left his face and a ferocious look enveloped it.
Well ain't he an angel.
"An eye for an eye." With that he rushed at me.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Olav 'the psychopath'.
He swung the poker at me as I dodged backwards and used his other hand to give me a solid to the chest, interrupting my airflow for a moment.
This was something I've suspected since the start but without a doubt, Olav was a super soldier.
I would know because the strength he punched me with wasn't something someone of his stature could throw out. Simultaneously at that.
As I regained my breath Olav was on me again swinging the poker to my right as I sidestepped to gave him a kick to the ribs and as he stumbled sideways, I delivered a Liu Kang flying kick to his head.
I was known for precision and lethality. As long as it was close quarters combat and weaponry, I always go for critical damage.
If I can't directly deliver a kill strike I go for destabilizing.
But then again, I've known Olav for his brutality so-
"Arghhhh!" He roared out an attacked me with a frenzied craze.
I dodged sideways to make a run for my gun but Olav beat me to it as he dived me to the floor and stabbed at my left eye with the poker.
I held the poker with both hand as it tore open my flesh inching closer to my eye.
With a final struggle before the maniac gouged out my eyeball I pushed back Olav with both my legs even as the poker tore deeper into my palms even more.
I attacked him as he got up and twisted his arm to let go of the poker, which he did, and I hit him at the neck.
The moment he choked, I brought my hands to his head and brought it down while I brought up my knee for a meet 'n greet.
I kicked him away and-
"Shit!" The bastard went for the gun while I jumped for the poker. What! At least I could do some serious damage with it than without.
I immediately took cover while he opened fire.
"You know, I'm going to enjoy gouging your eyes out, " he said as he released another rain of bullets at where I was hiding.
"Seriously, you're still on that. Talk about tunnel vision."
"Grrrahh." And there he goes again rapidly firing while I hid. While I can heal from bullets doesn't mean I can tank them. With that I waited… and waited.
Click*
At the clicking sound of an empty magazine, I rushed at him from my hiding place and swung the poker at him and serrated part of his flesh as he used his arms to block in reflex.
He cried out in pain while I attacked him again with ferocity.
Swinging the poker like a dagger I stabbed, slashed and twisted towards him as he further backed away.
As I made to attack him again, the sounds of heavy footsteps alerted me just in time to move out of the way as bullets struck where I previously was.
Dammit. The boss just summoned more mobs while he retreated to recharge.
I was a sitting duck as the mobs had me cornered which made escaping from my hiding spot harder.
Ok, roll call. What do I got? I've got a poker - barbed, some micro grenade, regeneration, athletic speed and over a ton of brute force. How do I get out of this with this.
Here goes nothing.
"I surrender!" I called out and immediately, unbelievably, the bullets stopped.
"Come out slowly with your hands above your head." Someone called out as I restrained the urge to snort.
Law enforcement… really?
I came out with my hands above my head and walked slowly, real slow, to them.
"Here I am. Do I freeze or do I kneel?" I asked with amusement in my tone and they all cocked their guns in my directions.
"Stay where you are. Neutralize him." My law enforcer said to the guy beside him without removing me from his sights.
I didn't think was going to well like this, not that I'm complaining.
I looked at the guy coming to me practically trembling which, now that I think about it, is understandable seeing as I've killed over 60 of the soldiers in this base including one of the heads of HYDRA.
"T-turn around," he stuttered out which made me feel bad for him. Not really.
"What did you say, I couldn't hear you from the stutter." I asked him and the way he jerked in nervousness made me smug internally.
A man bought a dog and trained it to be a ferocious guard dog but the moment it went rabid, he crumbled in fear.
"I-I s-s-said turn a-around slowly." He said with a loud shaky voice this time while the others inched closer to me, forming an arc before me.
Heeding the stuttering man's order I turned around and listened as he walked slowly to me.
The moment I felt he came within range, with the fastest show of dexterity I could showcase, I dropped one of my hands inside the inner part of the shirt I wore and drew the poker.
Before he could react or even understand what I did, I turned around and slashed the poker across his throat and without a missing a beat I speared it to the head of the HYDRA policeman while I went for the gun of the still stunned stammering bag tagger.
Using him as a shield against the incoming bullets I shot at them while moving with my human sized shield who was getting sieved by bullets by seconds.
I had to get to the basement as soon as possible and killing all these guys here was not a feasible plan nor a necessity. And there was also an Olav to watch out for.
Discarding my shield but not before retrieving my poker, I ran through the door I saw and came to an hallway with reinforced steel doors along its sides but I didn't have the luxury of time to pay any attention to it.
I didn't come out unscathed from the recent shootout.
I got shot three times, two to my right hand and one to my leg. It was only due to my high pain tolerance and the fact that I've been shot at numerous times that made me ignore the pain to a certain degree.
I ran down the hallway while taking occasionally shots at my pursuers.
John Wick was a chronic liar. He made being pursued and getting shot at look cool. It wasn't, not by along shot.
I should be more than halfway through the seventh floor by now.
…
A danger dash of bullets later, I made my way to the eight floor and the first word that came out of my mouth was-
"Fuck! Seriously, what gives?"
I came face to face with Floch, Chys and two people from Olav's team, the woman who I believed was named Saw and a dude who I didn't know.
"Y'know, I thought we were hitting it off pretty good. So what gives," Floch asked me and I let out a snort.
"That was probably the first joke I've heard in over a year… and it sucks," I replied to him while the others aimed their guns at me with red dots declaring their targets.
"That's because it wasn't meant to be funny." He chipped back, "This isn't some 12 trials like the legends boy. You're not unkillable and you definitely don't have a god-mother watching over you. So whatever you think you are doing, for you own good you better stop now."
"That's terrible PR you know." I jabbed at him meanwhile my brain was running in overdrive how to get out of a blockade like this alive.
"Looks like someone's gotten chirper." This time it was Chys who spoke, looking like I killed his best friend or something. "Firefort. Were you the one who killed him?"
Whoops! Too soon. This guy must be psychic.
"Oh that guy, yeah it was me. I gave him an Olav… I mean an arrow to the eye" I clarified and watched as his face turned into pure rage.
"Boss lets kill this fucker now," Chys growled out in indignation looking like he was an order away from blasting my head to mush, which he probably was.
Floch looked at me and gave the first shot which went through my left palm as I tried to doge it while the others fired at me as I ran, cutting through corners as they chased me.
Looks like someone got me in my back.
This was just making it harder.
I came to a weird realization after trying but failing to hide from them. They knew where I was.
It wasn't like a general direction of where I ran through but a precise location of where my feet were planted. It didn't take me long to figure that it would most likely be something that the Saw woman was doing as she was the only mutant I've seen.
Which means she got to go first.
Reaching that conclusion I found myself under a siege of fire once more.
I was almost out of grenade and bullets, leaving me with only a poker, but here goes nothing.
The moment I saw a glimpse of their position I threw the grenade towards the mutant woman just as she warned the others of the incoming grenade.
The force of the explosion knocked her backwards and I immediately shot her before she could orientate herself and swapped guns and shot her other teammate.
This left Floch and Chys remaining.
It didn't take long before Floch rushed at me while Chys covered for him, preventing me from returning fire.
The only option I had under these circumstances was to attack Floch to stop Chys from shooting.
Immediately Floch got into range and shooting at the same time I jumped him, getting shot twice in the process.
From there we crossed blows in the old mano-a-mano ways.
Floch was a good fighter, all things considered.
Arms, legs, kicks, punches, swipes, throws, we exchanged all in a short amount of time while Chys tried to take surprise shots at me making me getting shot twice, again, in the process.
I lunged at Floch again to close the distance between us to prevent Chys from taking another shot and brought my fist down on his as I suffered from blood loss, broken ribs, gunshots wounds.
The only thing holding me on from the start was my regeneration and endurance which was higher than his but that was also dwindling from all my runs and bullet wounds.
Floch was strong but even he, a normal human, couldn't keep up with my strength and ferocity, and he was getting tired.
The moment I saw a chance, I drew the poker which was now strapped to my waist and slashed it at his eyes making him scream and dived to the side picking up the lying gun at which I fired at Chys who was already shooting back at me with a shout.
Thud*
A body dropped down to the floor and the once warzone settled in a steeping silence.
I heaved a deep breath and started walking on wobbling feet towards the next floor following the mental map I had of the place. I had six bullet wounds and a few broken bone with my regeneration the only thing keeping me pushing.
I didn't see Olav anymore on this floor which makes me think he's in the next floor probably waiting for me.
I dug out the bullets from my flesh as I hoped that these wound would be at least halfway healed before I got to the next floor.
Thankfully by the time I started climbing down the stairs to the 9th floor most of them were already healed and all my bones fixed, regeneration was such a cheat.
It took me less than 10 minutes to get to the 9th floor.
The 9th floor unlike the others, looked like a weapons factory with gigantic wheels and axles spinning and different types of machinery located there.
Before I took another step forward…
Bang.
A loud shot rang out and before I could do anything I felt my kneecaps shattering.
Bang!
Another one and I felt my right shoulder bursting as a bullet shattered the joints.
Even though I couldn't see it, my knees and shoulders were toast. I couldn't feel beyond them.
I saw Olav walking towards me with a Benelli M4 pointed at me.
"I've been waiting for you," he said as he used the stump to his me across the face.
"Really! I thought you didn't like me again since you ran from me the last time." I said with a bloody smile as he scowled and hit me again with the gun.
"You are real cheeky huh." This time he walked around me and stood at my back.
I got my answer at to what he was doing there when he shot my other knee.
"Gargh." God that hurts.
After that he bent forward and took the poker strapped to my side.
"I see you like my gift, " he said as he stabbed through my back over and over again.
He stopped after a few minutes while I lay in a pool of my blood with the wrecking pain and slight lightheadedness.
My mind was clear as I looked at him with a smile once more and that infuriated him the more as he stabbed at me again while I raised my hand to block it even as the poker pierced through it.
I brought my slightly healed leg to his nut and kicked it with as much force as it could muster.
The moment the pain assaulted him and he let go of then poker, I drew it out of my hand and ran it through the stomach of the kneeling Olav.
I drew it out and rammed it again at his stomach for a few time as it started bringing out his innards while he just kneeled stunned.
I got up shakily and picked up his gun while he just looked at me in disbelief.
I really don't know what was his deal.
I jammed the barrel of the gun to his teeth even as it broke through his dentals and made way to his throat. I jammed it further and smiled when I saw the outline on his throat as he gagged.
"Goodbye, my buddy ol' pal. I'm so not going to miss you."
With that I pulled the trigger twice and watched as both his throat and bowels burst open.
Without even giving him another look I walked to the last floor in this goddamned building.