CHAPTER 14

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.

After some turns and head shots, we came in front of door tightly shut. Without pausing I blew the hinges off as we made our way inside the office where three people could be seen all huddled together.

Our primary target, his son and his wife were all inside the room and as soon as they saw us the woman broke out in tears as the son hugged her while the man stood at their front with both hands raised as he tried to broker a deal with us.

Without hearing whatever the man had to say, Floch called out to me with an underlying order.

Understanding his orders, I aimed my sights at the family of three as I took three shots – each to the head, and watched as they fell down with their lives cut off.

With our targets neutralized, Floch and I made haste down the stairs as we rejoined the others who were slowly been oppressed and made our way out the mansion.

As we got to the gates, it slid open on its own showing an SUV, our getaway ride, as we hurried in with the driver already flooring the gas and making our way away from the mansion.

The guards got into cars wanting to give chase but the moment they drove to the gate, it blew up temporarily stopping their chase while we got away.

That window was already enough as we made our way out of the cities while changing cars at random spots until we got to our base of operations outside the city.

For my first mission this one went well considering I got shut seven times making me the only one with plausible casualty…. Oh not the only one as it seems Chys got two shots in – one in his thighs and another that grazed his arm.

This just showed how skilled they were in their jobs. While it was true that I couldn't face them head on and possibly live, a scene like this mission was something that was more up my way. With my heightened senses and regeneration I believed I could kill them all. Quite easily at that.

But that was not enough, I needed more strength to ensure I didn't 'barely' survive. Extreme temperatures were something I could shrug off any day so that was a plus but that barely mattered when it came to fighting my way out.

It was mid-March already and I wasn't going to spend another New Year locked up and being experimented on.

I left the bathroom after a long bath of washing off every blood stain from my body and stifling any feeling of guilt I felt as I accepted that my actions today were necessary to ensure my survival.

If it took being sent to kill people to increase my chances of escaping Hydra then I'd do it without remorse. My morals don't matter, not when my life and future was on the line.