CHAPTER 81

"Where's Natasha?"

…

He went silent for a while before he spoke not knowing that I could already see his scowling mug as I turned around with seemingly obliviousness. 

"If you are looking for the spy, then she is not here. Can't say I am not surprised that she managed to ensnare you, the Draugr, with her charms." He said. 

"That she did. But I'm pretty sure the context of what we talking about is different." He snorted as I said that and made to signal someone who was on the floor directly above me. 

"So can we get this over with and tell me why you wanted me here?" I asked as I saw that he as still giving signals to his men and ignoring me. 

"I was told you were pretty smart so why don't you take a guess."

"With the exception of the setting, I don't think you or whoever employed you wanted me dead as soon as possible. So why don't you call him here or put him on the phone so we can have a talk like real gentlemen do." I proposed with my hands stretched apart. It also didn't help that I was in white sleeves and trousers with my now favorite red tie. 

I could see him pause as I turned around to show my cooperation. He thought it over for a while before he got ready to give the signal to behind whatever they had rehearsed before my arrival. 

"At least I tried." I muttered under my breath as his hands came down in commencement. 

Without waiting for them to spring whatever trap they had set for me, I went into motion. 

First off was a dash of lasers to the meta above me, because that was what I was thinking he was since he had his hands stretched at me from above and I wasn't in mind to find out what he could do. 

With that guy out of the way as he was closest to me, I started shooting at them with explosive arrows, no even minding the fact that we were indoors. 

The dude who was talking to me tried giving orders but all he did was make it obvious to me since I could hear him clearly with such small distance between us. 

It took me less than 10 minutes to wipe out the base leaving me with just five frozen people who were shivering. 

"Please make sure you are listening to me since I'd hate to repeat myself… Who. Sent. You?"

Pteww. 

A dude tried to spit on me to show his pitiful resolve, which I just sidestepped and sighed. 

In front of the others, the ice layer around his legs grew spikes before they became rose red as he screamed. 

"His knees to his feet are now rendered useless. Of course I will kill all of you after I'm done so you better start fessing up if you want a quick death."

I waited for a few seconds before the first victim started screaming and the ice around on of his legs started turning, grating his skin as it blended it to the bones. 

It only stopped when the ice from his knees and below became blood red like an exotic fruit. 

I waited for thirty more seconds before I started on his second legs, doing two rounds on torture before it came to his knees. 

The intervals between when I worked on my first victim stretched from seconds to minutes and before they knew it, ten minutes had already passed before I moved unto his hands all the while not saying anything. 

I could see their brave face slipping every time the torture started and it only became more pronounced when the twenty minute mark passed and I was still on the first guy. 

The first one it cracked did so by shouting it all that he knew and when he saw that my focus was on him, he became more fervent and spilled all that happened since the plan came into fruition. Unfortunately he didn't know who sent that other than the plan to capture or kill me if the former wasn't doable. 

I rewarded him with a cold decapitation, pun intended, as the ice creeped to his neck and immediately severed his head in an instant. 

I looked at my first victim as he was crying with blood coming out of his mouth and his face a little pale even when I stopped most of the bleeding by freezing them. 

But my word was my bond, and since no one else had called me, it meant that they still haven't found Natasha. 

The first guy didn't last another ten minutes before he died and I moved on to the second, third, person on the list. 

Dude was practically shitting and sweating bricks by the time I got to him and the way he alternated his sight between the first two victims told me that he was seriously considering his choice. But when the end point was death all the same, most brave men would definitely fold. 

I looked at him for 5 seconds and seeing that he couldn't come to decision yet, I decided to help him by destroying his feet with spiked ice. 

I didn't have to do it for too long before he folded under the pain but like the guy before he didn't know anything substantial so after he finished all what he had to say, I sent him off to wherever he was… headed. Not intended this time.

I looked at the two remaining guys and they were the ones who remained stoic even as everything was going on. 'Typical brainwashed soldiers.'

"If you think you can torture us to give out information then I'm sorry to say it's frankly useless." The leader spoke and I could tell he wasn't lying. I've seen his gaze on different people who were HYDRA loyalists and also from those who won't break no matter what. It was a kind of gaze I learnt how to put up during my time in HYDRA. 

"I know. I was just trying my luck to see if anyone knew anything because this isn't something I like doing. It honestly makes me feel like shit every time I do it…  But what I'm about to do… I'm going to enjoy it."

They seemed to be spooked at the way I said that and eyed me warily as I came near but couldn't do anything due to the icy restraint covering them from their neck down. 

Since I didn't want to waste anymore time than I've already had, I went for the leader and used my abilities to enter his mind. 

Using my abilities in someone else's mind was very easy. It was like a game of who had the remote. Getting the controls to his brainwaves was very easy since mine easily dominated his and from there on, it was just a matter of inputting keywords. 

Stuffs like; plans, council, capture, Natasha Romanoff, Draul St. Cross and etc. Were all that were needed for his memories to bring up the related information which I absorbed into mine. 

I also got information about some few extra things that I didn't know, like them actually being from Russia and making a deal to deal with me for safe passage and exit to and from the country which meant that their original target was definitely Natasha who they were supposed to pick up after finishing their part of the deal. 

I didn't know why they didn't need Yelena but that wasn't my primary concern. From what I gathered, they had delivered Natasha to their contractors and she was to be delivered after they finished their parts which made this harder than it already was and took me back to base – nothing. 

I exited his mind and entered the other one with my fingers crossed but it yielded nothing so I killed the both of them. 

I was still searching around the base for any clue I might find since them holing up in a wasn't a type of decision that they'd make on the go like two hours ago, but unfortunately I couldn't find-

'Hold that thought.'

I walked to the pile of bodies I had decapitated in cold blood, pun also intended, as the sound of ringing drew me close. 

I found the ringing device on the body of the last guy I killed and picked it up to listen to what the caller had to say. 

"Is it done?"

"Fortunately no." I replied

He paused as he heard my voice but continued however. "Draul." Damn, I could almost feel the hate from the phone. 

"That's me, but I don't think I know who you are. So care to introduce yourself?" I looked around the complex I was in and couldn't find a damn laptop which was a s obvious as it was infuriating since who the hell in his right mind would bring a laptop to a gun fight. 

"I had a feeling they wouldn't be up to the task." The voice sighed in tiredness, "but nevertheless, you won't be able to escape me this time."

I didn't have the time to ask what he meant before he cut the call, leaving me clueless again. 

I was still moping around the base few minutes later trying to find what I could before my phone rang, signaling Fury. 

"Draul! You have to get out of there immediately!" Fury's agitated scream came in through the speakers. 

"Huh?" I looked around the base and couldn't see anything amiss even when I extended my sight outwards. "What are you talking about?"

"The council finally lost their minds! They are trying to nuke that complex!" Fury practically shouted. 

I stood stunned for a while but for the first time, I didn't curse but only stood there in bewilderment. 

What was it about me that everyone couldn't resist but want to throw shit at my face for. From the start, it has always been bullets, but now they've started adding missiles to the mix-

"My car!"

Oh hell naw! There was no way I was going to let these idiots nuke my vintage wheels. 

I ignored Fury's screams and walked outside of the complex and immediately got in my car to zoom the fuck out of there if only to save my black beauty. 

I haven't yet driven completely out of the complex when I saw something flying towards me from the horizon. Two fighter Jets. 

I floored the gas as I drove towards their direction even as they did the same to me. 

So there we were, a dude with his car, riding towards the sun, and two Jets, flying from the sun towards the dude. 

The moment they got into range, which I could clearly see as the missile compartments opened up, they fired at me while I did the same. Volleys of spear-like projectiles made of fire and ice sailed towards the four missiles coming my way. 

It only took a second before my volley collided with theirs, painting the sky with yellow and black, but it didn't end there as some of the stray projectiles went for the fighters. 

With me getting in range and firing off a laser firm my eyes even as it curved to rip out one of the wings of the Jets. 

The other pilot was quick on the uptake as he immediately turned around to leave which was a wrong choice as the volley never stopped coming… nor did my lasers.

The two pilots had no choice but eject their planes and launched their parachutes and sailed slowly through the air as they descended… to the ground where I waited patiently. 

Although I had to say that the way they were kicking the air, trying to change their directory was definitely amusing as far as it could continue before they landed. 

One of them however drew out his gun the moment he landed and opened fire at me. To be honest, if he wanted to do any sort of substantial damage to me with a gun at such closeness the what he needed was armor piercing bullets and not glocks. 

So in kind of his cold welcome, I used ice to pierce through his legs as he immediately landed before he could even take a step forward. The other guy though was more cooperative as he immediately raised his in surrender. 

"Who sent who?" 

They both remained quiet as their face scrunched up. Yeah, selling out their bosses wouldn't do good for them when they return… if they returned. Now wasn't that a chilling thought? Damn, I'm killing it with the cold puns. 

"What? Cat got your tongue? I'll have you know that I'm running out of time so chop-chop if you don't want to be on the chopping block." And cue the shivering. They both looked like they'd pee themselves any moment now. 

"How about I make this easier for you? Which of the councilmen ordered the air strike?" I added more stress to my words as a ring of high flames formed a circle around us before converging at the top like a dome. 

5 seconds later and I'm walking out of the dome and leaving them there with all their things – devices and all – destroyed. 

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