BIOHAZARD,
chapter ten: until dawn!
5 hours until dawn.
THAT TIME HAD BEEN INFERNAL FOR THE TWO MERCENARIES. Even Violet looked more tired than usual, leaving no other option for Avery to be the second driver of the vehicle. Both remained silent, letting the cold and snow get in their way. They went down through the gloom of the mountain, slowly and carefully, there they realized that the storm wouldn't stop all night and that - unfortunately - would be against them for the next five hours. Not only was it necessary to descend the mountain, but to cross the forest of the Lena River on foot, since with a snow vehicle it would be too risky and would end up attracting the unwanted attention of the Winter Soldier. That wasn't what Avery wanted at that moment. Dying was no longer one of his options, so he would do what was necessary to survive.
In a way, he began to analyze its possibilities, the possible outcomes of the entire catastrophe created. What would have happened to the Birkin siblings if no one knew they were working for SHIELD, they would have fulfilled their mission, would they have killed him with a bullet, would they have lived long enough to be where they are now? Avery thought about that and thought of another possible outcome in which everyone left alive - but it was so obvious: the consequences go through something. Maybe Fury knew what would happen to them and still decided to use them as a sacrifice or maybe not. Avery didn't know what to think or believe at this point, whether it was really betrayal or an act of bravery. Americans would be able to do anything for their country, any citizen would do anything for their country. Avery, on the other hand, wouldn't do it. He was a traitor and has come to the point of betraying himself - to his principles.
But he was a mercenary, a person willing to kill people who have done unforgivable things for money, a person loyal to himself. Well, loyal no longer existed in his head, his own loyalty was to kill that woman: Maria Stark. Violet stirred at his side, yawning with weariness while rubbing her eyes. Avery looked at her out of the corner of his eye and then, his eyes went to the snowy path.
"What do you think, Muller?"
Muller sighed. "Everything, Violet. That I should not accept this mission in the first place."
Violet Quinn licked her lips and clicked her tongue. "You know, I'd say "I told you so," but it wouldn't do any good."
"You are in time to say it."
"I told you."
Avery let out a laugh. "Shit, that makes me feel so much better. Spasibo, dorogusha (Thanks, sweetie)."
"But as I've told you before, that's no use now," His partner replied, looking monotonous. "I know you think about that woman, but you were following orders. You have done it just as a German soldier must kill a Jewish child with a bullet."
"Are you calling me a soldier who kills Jews because I want to?" Avery's tone was hostile.
"Okay, I'm sorry, it was a bad example, but you know what I mean by that."
Muller nodded and made a distracted hand gesture. "Yes, yes. I understand your point. And I know they were orders but we shouldn't ..."
"We didn't owe what, kill the Starks, steal the super soldier's serum?" Violet cut him off, staring at him. "That wasn't our true mission. If there are complications, we must face the consequences left by these complications."
Avery pressed his lips. "I suppose you're right."
"I always have it."
"I also suppose you're an idiot sometimes," Avery replied, trying to be amusing, getting a nudge in his ribs from Violet. "But I'm very happy to see you alive."
She smiled and looked straight ahead. "It's good to know we're still breathing. Even if there is a soldier who wants to kill us, of course."
"I think that's the last thing I want," The green-eyed mercenary muttered. Violet Quinn remained silent while she continued her gaze on the road. The brunette was mentally debating whether or not to ask his status - but she knew that her partner's response wouldn't be simple. Violet opened her mouth to speak, however, her words didn't come out. Avery knew that she wanted to ask him something about the soldier, so he replied. "If you want to know how I am, I'll tell you: I'm fine."
"You don't know how to lie, right?"
"Do you really think I'm lying?"
"Seeing you tensed yesterday morning when we saw that man being tortured," Violet said, nodding slowly. "I could see how the soldier looked at you. Something happened between the two of you, something...bad."
"The soldier did something he shouldn't do, he committed an act against my will," Avery replied, trying to change the subject. "Nothing else."
"You know who he really is, aren't you?" She asked softly and Avery denied. "His name is James Barnes, former soldier of Division 107. He was found by two HYDRA soldiers in the snow, dying and took him to their base. He had a missing part of his arm and that's why..."
"That's why he has that metal arm," Avery added, fixing his eyes on Violet and not on the way to go. "They replaced something that was irreplaceable in World War II and turned it into a weapon that affects history itself. Makes sense."
"James Barnes is a lost man, locked in a body that was trained to kill." Quinn went on. "I know that you have seen that broken look in his eyes, the clear desperation of knowing who you are and never getting to know it."
The green-eyed mercenary looked down. "They brainwashed him, Violet, and they will continue to do so, forgetting those he loves most, forgetting the real enemy. He has done atrocities that he wouldn't even do if he were aware of his reality. It's a puppet for HYDRA."
"One of the best" His partner stressed.
Suddenly, something pierced one of the windows, leaving a hole which belonged to a bullet. Avery felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder and a sharp high sound which echoed in his ears in an infinite way. He didn't hear his breathing, not even Violet's screams - but that was enough proof to know that the soldier was very close to them. Muller focused his gaze and found a path that led to an abyss if it didn't turn, so he did it very abruptly. When turning, the rear part of the vehicle was on the edge of the abyss covered with trees. On the verge of certain death. The two mercenaries stood still, waiting for the vehicle to stabilize and thus accelerate to continue on its way. However, in front, there were two lights of a vehicle that was heading towards them. The mercenary looked at his partner. "Get out, Violet. Quick! GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE!"
The two mercenaries tried to force the doors, but they weren't successful. The thing that stalked them was advancing fast, very fast and it would crash into them before they could get out.
"The doors are frozen!" Violet said in panic. "FUCK, COME ON!"
"Shit, shit," Avery muttered, holding on to the steering wheel. "Hold on tight, Quinn!"
"WHAT!?"
The snowcart that lurked them accelerated and crashed into the front, pushing the two mercenaries into the abyss covered with trees. Avery felt that he was flying, while Violet let out a heartrending scream before everything was black.
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3 hours until dawn.
Avery woke up with a start, trying to focus his gaze and concentrate. He felt sharp pain all over his body, every limb, every muscle, as if someone had poisoned his body and stabbed him more than ten times. The mercenary let out a groan of pain and closed his eyes tightly. The soldier had done that, he was the one who threw them out of a ravine on the mountain. And now they were adrift - well, not so adrift, but they still had to cross the forest of the Lena River before dawn.
"Chert (Damn)," The mercenary muttered and looked towards the passenger seat. "Violet ...?"
Violet wasn't there. There was someone else.
Avery, with all his strength, raised a hand and looked for his lighter. As soon as he lit it, he discovered a person with reddish hair. With his other hand, he raised her head and noted that it was Anika Brikin - her lips cut and her skin as pale as the snow itself. Her eyes seemed exorbitant and her neck was cut, already bled and lifeless. Avery jumped and shifted in his seat - fear climbing his back in an unimaginable way; as if he were the protagonist of a horror movie. That was too twisted. However, what scared him most was Violet. Where was she?
As if suddenly, he felt his suit and opened it, finding the red leather cover book and star in the middle. There was also the file about the soldier, about James Barnes. Avery shouldn't waste time; he should go to the meeting point - with or without Violet. And, as Anika had told him before, he shouldn't let the soldier kill him. The mercenary growled and tried to move one leg - slowly and then the other. He passed over Anika's lifeless body and opened the door, falling flat on the floor, thus producing more pain in his body.
He got up, protesting under his breath, slowly and stealthily - knowing that the soldier could be anywhere with a gun held high; Needless to say, he was hunting down one of SHIELD's most dangerous mercenaries. Avery planted both feet on the ground and looked up, meeting the stars. The hour was approaching and he had to reach the meeting point as soon as possible. He looked at the forest and from one of his pockets he took out a compass - he had to go south, there was the Lena River.
"Don't let the soldier kill you, Avery, don't let him do it," He murmured under his breath and ran south.
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1 hour until dawn.
Avery couldn't understand the climbers. He couldn't understand how they overcame that fatigue that threatened to take their lives or how they warmed up in such a cold environment. Somehow, he admired them. And he detested them at the same time. It had been two hours since he ran south with the Soldier's Book inside his jacket. There was no movement of the soldier, not even of his lost friend: Violet Quinn. Avery was hopeful that she had decided to hide somewhere, but another part of him imagined her being defeated by the soldier - breaking her bones, leaving her as Anika Birkin. No, he wouldn't allow that to be the true ending. Violet was strategic, intelligent and a combat expert - not as much as Avery but strong enough to dodge a couple of bullets. She would make it.
The mercenary didn't realize that he had stopped to lean against the trunk of a tree. Even so, he did and felt relaxed. His feet pleaded for rest, but with the situation that was at hand at that moment, Avery couldn't stop. It was close, he could feel it. The green-eyed mercenary let out a breath of air and then inhaled deeply, catching his breath. He still felt that his body hurt, plus his shoulder, which had the bullet that the soldier shot on the mountain. Avery hadn't even bothered to clean the wound and bandage it - he was already convinced enough that the wound had already infected itself over time.
Suddenly, he heard a howl. Muller was paralyzed completely, each limb remaining as still as possible - despite the pain and the desire to continue running. There were wolves nearby, probably a herd. The mercenary had heard that howl close enough to give the location of the pack. They were close and Avery was alone, with an assault rifle, a gun with a single cartridge of bullets, a flare, a lighter and a knife.
The dark-skinned man muttered sarcastically. "Come on, Avery, what could go wrong?"
He felt another howl and that was the only thing that made him decide whether to run or hide. He clearly decided to run, so he did. The mercenary continued running, observing the clock every 5 minutes. Avery knew perfectly that dawn was approaching, every minute counted and there were less than 45 minutes left. The mercenary ran and ran, without stopping and without turning around - feeling the wolves chasing him. Every bark threatened his life, but Avery continued running. The boy with green eyes, jumped the trunk of a tree and landed with a slight wobble. But when he took another step, he felt sharp pain in his left foot, as if something was seizing him. Muller screamed in pain and looked down, finding his foot caught in a bear trap.
"Fuck, this can't be happening to me," He growled and stopped when he heard another howl.
The mercenary fell to the ground and was surrounded by darkness, so he decided to look for the flare that was inside the holster of his weapon. When it was broken, all the space lit up red and that brought more clarity to the field of vision of the mercenary. Avery took a deep breath to see his foot caught in the trap - besides being in trouble with the wolves. The green-eyed mercenary prepared his assault rifle and pointed in all directions. A wolf jumped the trunk and Avery knocked it down with a bullet, the sound of the shot from the cap echoing through the forest - clearly attracting unwanted attention from the enemy who was still hunting him. Two other wolves approached and Muller also shot them, but another jumped from behind with clear intentions to attack him but a bullet went through his head and blood shot into Avery's face. He flinched and pointed at the figure he had fired.
"Don't shoot! It's me, Avery!"
Avery Muller had never taken so long to recognize that voice. Violet Quinn had made it.
"Violet...?"
She jumped off the trunk and ran towards him, being illuminated by the red flare. She smiled at him and wrapped the mercenary in a warm embrace. When she separated, she took the trap and opened the blades to free her partner's foot. Avery hadn't said anything at the time, since he was very confused but he was very happy to see his partner safe.
"How...How did you know where I was?" He asked.
"I heard the shots," She replied, using a bandage to stop the bleeding. "I got here as fast as I could. When I woke up, you weren't there. I thought..."
"When I woke up, I saw you weren't with me," Muller replied, looking at her seriously.
"I was with you all that time, Avery. Did you really think I would leave you alone?"
Avery didn't understand how Violet was there if he woke up when he found Anika Birkin at his side. Had he suffered a hallucination?
"Tell me you have the book with you," Violet asked.
"Of course I have it, it has not left its place since we left the base."
"All right, we still have 33 minutes to get to the meeting point" Violet said nodding. "We must-"
A gunshot echoed through the forest and Avery felt the bullet graze against her partner's arm. Violet cried out in pain and Avery grabbed her gun to shoot at the soldier, who sought a hiding place against the nearest tree. Quinn pushed her partner to one side and pulled out her gun before looking at him. "Stop wasting your time here!"
"And leave you here alone?" Avery exclaimed. "No way!"
Violet pushed again. "GO, AVERY! FIND FURY!"
Avery started running quickly, covering his head when he heard more shots. He climbed a mountain and could see the first rays of sunlight that crept between the branches, between the trunks of the snowy trees. He was close. But the bullets that were aimed at Violet and him were also close. The green-eyed mercenary didn't stop running, he wouldn't let death step on his heels to kill him. Not today at least.
A body lunged at him, throwing him to the ground in a matter of seconds. The soldier. Avery struggled against his grip and hit his jaw, releasing a war cry. Both struggled on the ground, changed position. At least until the soldier was on top of him and with a knife inches from his Adam's apple. Avery held his grip firmly on the soldier's hands, trying to keep his strength and pressure up.
"Wake up, Barnes!" Avery exclaimed, trying to penetrate his mind with something familiar. "You are not a monster!"
Apparently, that didn't work for Avery, because the soldier exerted more pressure. The mercenary closed his eyes, exerting more strength to counteract the attack. A bullet slammed into the knife, which shot out at a tree - its sharp blade digging into the trunk. Violet fired at the soldier and Avery ran toward the sun again. Arriving closer and closer. The trees were less and less and the mercenary saw a figure in the distance. Correction, more than one. He had achieved it.
"FURY!" Avery cried with all his breath.
When he reached the meeting point, several soldiers pointed at him and Avery raised his hands, getting on his knees at the request of the soldiers. He had lost his breath and felt warm tears running down his cheeks. The work was done. A soldier approached him but fell immediately to the ground by a bullet. Avery turned around, meeting the soldier running toward them. Bullets were heard flying towards the soldier and the shouts of the soldiers, Avery got up and fired at them, at least until the bullets ran out. The soldier dodged the bullets immediately, moving closer and closer to the target. Avery put down his rifle and pulled out the gun, firing again. Behind him, Violet was coming, running in her bloody clothes. She pounced on him and they both fell together.
The moment moved very slowly for Avery, feeling dejected and tired from the effort. All he could do was watch as Violet and Barnes fought. She hit the soldier several times and shouted something to Fury, who ordered the soldiers to take Avery and put him inside the helicopter. He struggled before the soldiers, refusing to leave his partner alone.
Three shots in the air. It only took that to collapse Violet Quinn on the ground. Avery was stunned to see her body fall to the ground. He didn't remember if he had shouted her name or what. The mercenary was dragged to the helicopter and despite his screams of pain - or the pain of seeing the dying body of Violet Quinn - the soldiers' grip didn't cease. Violet looked at the soldier, smiling a sly smile before laughing bitterly.
Avery watched as the soldier pointed his gun at Violet's forehead, who closed her eyes before letting out a single tear. BOOM!
And Violet Quinn had ceased to exist.
Avery screamed so loudly that his vocal cords already ached. Feeling like guilt fed his anger. He had lost her. For a miserable bullet. He had lost her forever.
The helicopter took off, quickly moving away from the Lena River, leaving behind the lifeless body of Violet Quinn and the Winter Soldier: James Buchanan Barnes. The trip to Moscow wasn't so long, but Avery, Avery hadn't stopped feeling that sharp pain against his chest.
He hadn't stopped crying. He was as broken as he was, as broken as the soldier. Barnes was the one who broke him and now...that had a cost.
And what did it cost? What was the price he had to pay for...for murdering innocent people? For killing her?
For killing Violet?
Everything.
Avery watched as Fury waited for him at the bottom of the plane's staircase. He pursed his lips and walked towards him. Both embarked on the big jet and sat on parallel seats, looking at each other. Nick Fury didn't dare speak to him during the trip from the Lena River to Moscow, but now...nothing mattered anymore.
"You have saved thousands of people, Muller, you should feel proud."
Avery looked at him with narrowed eyes. "I saved thousands of people, but I lost the person I loved the most."
"Do you think I didn't warn you?" The dark-skinned man replied, smiling sideways. "There would be consequences and, unfortunately, these are the consequences."
"And all for a damn reward that isn't worth it."
Nick laughed bitterly. "Your reward will be getting you out of here, Avery Muller. Now, you are an enemy to HYDRA, a traitor. The soldier will be after you until you stop breathing. You aren't safe in Russia."
"I had already signed the contract of my death as soon as I became a mercenary, thanks," Muller added wryly.
"We can protect you," Fury announced, and Avery remained silent. "If you decide to become a SHIELD agent, we can protect you from him." Avery leaned back against the seat and Fury bowed. "What do you think? Do you want to be a SHIELD agent?"
The plane took power, taking flight at the end of the runway and Avery Muller left everything he had known in Russia - hiding in the clouds and leaving a whole tragedy behind. A tragedy that ended long before it started.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐃.
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