CHAPTER 43

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Everything was white.

Crystalline white.

Cool spring breeze. That was what it felt like.

That was what everything around me felt like.

Even my simmering rage started cooling down. And that was when I opened my eyes.

The spiked fist before me was frozen barely millimeters away from my face. My body was frozen and so was it's.

It was like we were trapped in a cocoon of ice; frozen sculptures.

I didn't bother moving since the comfort I was feeling at that moment was doing wonders for my wrathful thoughts. Soothing it, placating it. An ideal way to vent.

I closed my eyes and let myself immerse in this wonderful feeling of tranquility.

"…"

".u..l!"

"Dr… l!"

"Draul!"

I woke up to the sound of my name being called but I couldn't figure out what was happening.

I was disoriented. Stupidly so.

I tried to focus on the source of the voice banging on my head and soon I could feel myself being pulled out of the dreamy haze and saw who was calling me.

…

Oh, it was just Fury.

"Don't you dare close your eyes on me you motherfucker." And he slapped me. This bitch slapped me!

Immediately I rose up from where I was lying down and instantly the memories hit me like a truck.

The blood, the limbs, the carnage… the monster!

I shot up from my sitting position and looked around.

Huh?

"Are we in Alaska?" I couldn't help but ask seeing the frozen fields. Everything was frozen in a particular radius; the cars, the bodies, the rubble, even the monster.

"What the fuck happened?" I asked absentmindedly even as the memories slowly came back.

"If you ask me then who the fuck imma 'sposed to ask?" If it wasn't for the fact that I was still under the influence then I would have thought I saw concern in that one eye of his.

I glanced down at my lower body that had a carapace of ice all over it and shook my self free. Like a domino effect, the cracks spread across the ice covering my legs onto the frozen monster before everything crumbled.

I was still wobbly but I managed to stand up and took in a good look around the entire place.

A frozen picture of destruction was what this scene told.

"You did all this?" Fury asked after I took everything in, to which I nodded.

"Damn. You are one strong fucker, you know that right? What happened to Beauty and the Beast here?"

I scoffed at that and told him what happened.

"Fuck! They created that… thing? And it whooped your ass?" Asked the stupefied Fury.

"Technically, I couldn't fight back due to some… complications." Was all I could say.

"Details."

We walked for a while before I started talking. "You came here along?"

"What? Fuck no. Hill and Coulson came with me. Clint is taking out some targets." He said.

"We ready to move in on Pierce?"

He went silent at that before he answered with a solid expression. "Yeah."

"How come are you not feeling cold from all that ice?" He asked me with raised brows.

"I'm resistant to extreme temperatures." I told him.

"Riiight. Wouldn't want to borrow you this sick trench coat anyway." Was all he said while I chuckled.

We got to the chopper he came here with, and in it was Maria Hill and Coulson.

"What's up Coulson?" I called out to him after I noticed his presence, which he most times seem to lack, while Maria Hill was giving me a look that I couldn't quite understand.

"Nice to see to you Mr. Cross." Coulson as the ever nice guy he was replied with a smile.

I sat down and closed my eyes to think, no not think. To let my mind wander, but due to the stares I could practically feel I had no choice but to entertain my audience.

"What?" I said as I caught Hill and Fury staring at me. Fury wasn't even trying to be subtle while Hill wasn't being subtle enough.

"The fuck you mean 'what'? What the hell happened with the ice 'cause last time I checked, half of Camp Lehigh wasn't frozen and that was this morning. And also I'm pretty sure August wasn't a white month."

I let out a sigh at that. Fury could be such a hound dog. I thought he'd get the memo when I first explained what happened and purposely skipped the whole frozen camp part. I was sure he got the memo but he just decided he didn't care.

"Variant ability." Was all I said and let it stew.

"So fire and ice. What next, flying?" I looked at Fury as he said that and he seemed to get my message as he deadpanned at me.

"I dare you to." I laughed as he said that, it really would be nice to fly someday.

…

The flight itself was spent in silent after the initial questioning and it wasn't an hour later before we got to where we were staying in New York.

"Remind me again how you still don't have an house despite having over a million dollars in your bank account." Fury asked me after I took a bath and put on a bathrobe.

"I've been moving around for the past 4 months, never really had the time to settle down." If it wasn't one issue then it was the other. I've been frequenting motels and inns a lot lately.

"That's a load of crap. It's not like you fear HYDRA or anything like that, so why haven't you?" He said, given me a look of disbelief.

"And watch them bomb my house at every turn. No thank you."

"Whatever you say." He said.

"How do we go about with Pierce? You know there's no way we're bringing him in for legal hearing right?" I asked changing the topic.

"I know. It going to be a fire fight tomorrow and for worth it's worth, I'm glad you're on my side." Fury looked tired as he said that. The night before the final battle was always the hardest because no matter of preparation was enough for the inevitability of trump cards to be played.

"While I appreciate the sentiment, shouldn't you be getting some sleep. I doubt you'll be getting some anytime soon after the showdown tomorrow." I spoke earnestly.

"Considering that I could very much take an eternal sleep tomorrow, I'd rather spend the time being awake." Fury just dropped a doom flag and he didn't even care that he did.

"Is that the type of thing to say on the night before a battle. There's being pessimistic and then there's being negative and guess what? You just pulled off the two at once." Fury just scoffed at me as I said that.

"Well good night." I stood up and left for my room.

I plopped down to the simple bed by the window side as I reviewed my life up till now.

First was the transmigration. I still didn't know what I truly felt at that moment, seeing myself young again. I was able to move past the regrets and depression of that time as I resolved myself to enjoy every passing moment.

Second was the reprieve. If someone were to ask me what was one of the greatest times I've ever had in both lives, I'd say it was the 2 months after I was transmigrated. At that point everything seemed clear. I was racing against a clock… or myself. I was simply living. It was fulfilling. I was fulfilled.

Third was the nightmare. While a famous saying spoke of how the darkest hour comes before dawn, mine came after. Despair, rage, fear, disillusioned, tortured, broken, torn apart; every atom of my being was rendered inconsequential. I was stripped of the very thing that made me human. I was compromised.

Fourth. The rebellion. I was everything they had wanted me to be yet I was more than what they knew. I struck the moment I saw the light. Mountains of blood and limbs scattered all over me as I attacked them with increased ferocity. Every dark thoughts I once had was release on them. Every single piece of carnage I once imagined, I enacted on them. With my release came revenge.

Fifth was the resolve. Not for power, not for status, not for dominion but for the simple reason of security, I sought for power. The hubris of my lackadaisical folly plunged me into two years of nightmare. I sought after the reason for my nightmare. If my enemies believed I was god-sent, then I take that compliment as motivation. I searched for power and then I found it; the Hulk. A being of immeasurable strength. The living Wrath of God. Unfortunately due to my desperation, or was it fortunately, I found him and I gained power.

Sixth. Was it betrayal? Or naiveté? The X-Men. I still feel complicated anytime I think of them. All it took was a day for me to see them as my enemies, all because of Charles. Even now I still didn't know what Charles saw of me to warrant such precautions but it didn't matter. If Charles were to cross me one more time I'd kill him. The only reason I went with Logan and the others were just that fleeting sense of belonging. A place where I could just rest for a couple of weeks before I went back to my battlefield, but yet again I was proven wrong.

It was at this point that the folly of my resolve reared it head.

Anger.

Pure unbridled wrath.

It stripped away my reasoning as I sought to take away the life of the crippled man that wrong me. The Hulk's serum did have its drawbacks, but if I was being completely honest with myself; I wasn't that worried about it. Not even after what happened today.

And lastly, the stage of tomorrow. The Climax. Hopefully it all ends tomorrow because if it doesn't, I will be forced to make sure it does.

I needed a long sleep after tomorrow, I feel like I've earned one.

…

[Alexander Pierce – Current Leader of HYDRA POV]

Where did it all go wrong?

Even now he couldn't understand how everything they had built started falling apart.  

No… He knew.

The Draugr.

Their perfect weapon, now turned against them. The dog they fed had become rabid and forgot the grace and favor they bestowed on him and before they could even figure out what went wrong, an entire base blew up.

Ernst was dead.

Bloom was dead.

It was only due to his patience that he didn't immediately lash out and took over S.H.I.E.L.D by force. Not when Fury still had his uses.

Unfortunately, the Draugr was able to escape before S.H.I.E.L.D arrived at the site of the bombing.

The was when the real clusterfuck started.

He didn't know how, but the Draugr was able to escape their surveillance and eliminated an entire base in New York. Two more on the second day.

Even the regeneration inhibiting bullets they made from their research on him somehow proved to be redundant. It was as if he was evolving past it.

There was a new project Whitehall started based on the readings of his evaluation on the Draugr. The project was greenlighted a few weeks before he escaped.

Forcefully reloading the X-gene of another mutant with that of the Draugr's. It was supposed to be the opus of their organization. Ernst had wholeheartedly collaborated with Whitehall on this.

But alas, before they even began the research the Draugr escaped and Ernst died.

All they had now was crumbs of what was left of the information regarding I-039. It was the only thing they could work with.

He trusted Whitehall and that trust had paid off. All he had to do now was wait for I-039 to be captured and then they could begin creating their perfect immortal army. But would the Draugr give them that reprieve? No.

He attacked like a mad dog, killing their soldiers all to the last man standing. He was like an injured animal, cornered, using even his teeth and bones to attack just to cause additional damage to his oppressors. And before he could react, Malick was caught.

He would admit that he was blindsided. Their focus had been too much on the Draugr and he failed to watch Fury's movements.

He had started doubting Fury, but Fury came to him himself, privately, and explained why he acted like that.

The Draugr had been in touch with him and gave him some names. He had immediately ordered a STRIKE response team to apprehend him but not even Fury knew where he was. He was skeptical at that point.

And as if to assuage his suspicions, Fury gave him the names the Draugr gave him.

Arnim Zola

Ernst.

Hale Klepter.

Gideon Malick.

Octavian Bloom.

Apparently he had tortured the information out of Ernst and Ernst being the smart man he was, gave out names that were of little to no consequence.

These fools were all in it for the power and authority they could wield. And besides he was sure no one knew of Zola's survival.

But this wasn't enough to assuage his worries. Who knew what kind of secrets the Draugr knew, so he ordered a hunt for the Draugr. Not just a hunt, a wild hunt.

They created the best smoke screen by killing random people and managed to throw S.H.I.E.L.D off till they caught a sight of him in Michigan but he was gone before they could track him down.

It had been going on like that for a while before suddenly Zola sent him a message telling him of the Draugr's whereabouts and also a present. It was at that moment he decided he had had enough.

He sent all he could, soldiers, fighters, fighter jets, armored tanks, mutants… and one of three failures, the only result, Whitehall could recreate.

He look down at the screen in front of him, the signals were down, even that of their experimental failure, all were dead.

He sipped from his shot of whiskey before he made a call.

This had gone on for far too long.