Chapter 139: The Shadow of the Past

It was a quiet night on the bus when Ward received the communication from headquarters. The message was short and to the point: a high-level, classified mission requiring complete discretion. He knew he couldn't share the details with anyone, not even Coulson or May. The orders were clear: infiltrate a Centipede facility and sabotage its operations.

Ward prepared himself quickly, checking his equipment and mentally preparing the mission. He had done this so many times that it was second nature. He didn't allow himself to make mistakes, especially on something so critical.

As the Quinjet flew through the night, Ward kept his mind focused on the task at hand. Centipede was known for its dangerous experiments on humans, creating super soldiers and biological weapons. He knew what was at stake.

Ward landed near the facility, a complex hidden in a dense, isolated forest. He moved like a shadow, without making a sound, slipping past security systems with ease. His education and training as a field agent had prepared him for this type of operation.

He entered the main building, using a small device to hack the security cameras and disable the alarms. Inside, the environment was sterile and clinical, with white hallways and closed doors. Ward quickly located Centipede's central server, where they kept information about their experiments.

"Target located," Ward whispered to himself as he placed the explosives in strategic locations.

The entire facility was about to be destroyed, and he had little time.

When he finished planting the charges, Ward quickly left the building, but something was bothering him. The feeling that he was being watched.

That was when, as he passed through a clearing, he heard the sound of heavy footsteps and then, in an instant, bright lights blinded him. He raised his weapon, but before he could react, a burst of pain hit him. Someone had hit him with a stun gun.

Ward collapsed to the ground, his muscles twitching involuntarily. As he lost consciousness, the last thing he heard was the sound of whispered voices and weapons being handled.

When Ward woke up, he was chained to a metal chair in a dark room. His wrists were tightly bound, and it took his eyes a moment to adjust to the dim lighting. He could taste a metallic taste in his mouth, and the sharp pain in his muscles reminded him of the attack.

Ahead of him, a group of heavily armed men watched him. Their clothing and training indicated that they were no ordinary mercenaries. And then Ward knew.

"Hydra," he muttered hoarsely.

One of the men approached, probably the leader. His face was partially covered by a mask, and his tone was cold and controlled.

"Grant Ward, you have always been useful to your superiors. But now you will be useful to us."

Ward tried to struggle against the chains, but it was useless. He knew he was at their mercy. His training as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent had prepared him to withstand torture, but something in the men's eyes told him that this would be different.

"Let's run some tests," the leader said, signaling for another man to bring a syringe filled with a strange liquid. "This is an experimental serum, an advancement of the super soldier formula. Unfortunately, it needs to be tested… in real conditions."

Ward didn't have time to react. They forcibly held him down and injected the liquid into his veins. The pain was immediate, intense, as if his body were on fire from the inside. He screamed, his muscles tensing to their limit.

"This should help strengthen your abilities… but we also have a plan to make you forget that it was Hydra who captured you," the leader said, placing a strange helmet on Ward's head.

Slowly, Ward's mind began to darken. He could feel his memories fading, being erased, as if they had never existed. The pain continued, but at the same time, something else was happening. His body was beginning to change.

He felt a new strength surging through his muscles, his mind clearing, but something very important was fading away. When the pain finally subsided, Ward opened his eyes, confused, as if he had woken from a nightmare.

"Who… who are you?" he asked, looking at the men around him.

They laughed, pleased with the result.

"You have always been Grant Ward. Remember that."

Days passed, and with each moment, Ward felt his physical strength increase, his agility improve. But his mind was confused. He had no memory of how he had gotten here, or why these men were holding him captive. All he knew was that he had to get out.

He had watched the guards for days, planning his escape. And then, when the opportunity arose, he seized it.

In one swift movement, Ward broke the chains that bound him to the chair. The serum they had injected into him had worked in ways they had not anticipated.

Before the guards could react, Ward had already incapacitated two of them with precise blows to the neck. He moved like an unstoppable force, using his new strength to take down his captors one by one.

The leader of the operation tried to stop him, pulling out a gun, but Ward was faster. He disarmed the man and threw him against a wall with ease.

"Who are you?" Ward shouted, anger boiling in his chest.

"It doesn't matter," the leader said, coughing up blood. "You're one of them now. And you always will be."

Ward didn't wait for any more answers. He knew he wouldn't get any. With a single movement, he snapped the leader's neck and headed toward the exit of the facility.

Before leaving, he planted explosives throughout the structure. He would leave no trace of what had happened here. The entire facility would be destroyed, along with any evidence of what had been done to him.

As Ward ran out of the facility, the sound of explosions echoed behind him. The building began to collapse in flames, and he knew that their experiment was over there.

But something was different. As he ran through the forest, he realized that he was much faster than before. His feet barely touched the ground as he moved with superhuman speed. His mind, still confused, tried to understand what was happening to him.

He remembered the fights he had fought in the facility. He had killed armed men with an ease he had never experienced before. He felt stronger, more agile, as if his body had been taken to another level.

Ward paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. His senses were heightened, he could hear the sounds of the forest around him clearly, and his body showed no signs of fatigue.

"What did they do to me?" he whispered, looking at his own hands, still covered in blood.

He wasn't sure what had happened, but one thing was clear: Grant Ward was no longer the same. The serum they had injected into him had transformed him into something more. And as he tried to piece together his memory, something inside him told him that this new strength, this new agility, was only the beginning.

With one last look at the ruined facility, Ward walked away, knowing that the real battle was just beginning.