Chapter 6- Insanity

The first thing Mal did after her inexplicable resurrection was steal a dead man's clothes.

She'd woken up in what she assumed was Hydra's morgue, since the room contained a wide assortment of mutilated bodies and was freezing as hell. There were no guards, no scientists, just piles of the dead.

The dead. She had died. Her heart had stopped, her breath gone, her body lifeless.

And now here she was, breathing and very much alive.

So….should I be worried about a craving for brains?

Hydra brains would be nice. Preferably smeared on a wall.

Is this what Project Phoenix is? A way to bring people back to life?

Maybe this is all test, just to see how I react in this situation.

Well, I'll give them something to react to.

Yeah, and how many do you think you can take down before they get you back to the lab?

Kill me once shame on you, kill me twice shame on me.

WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?

Mal's hands shook, hysteria and confusion taking its toll.

No. She needed her head clear. She needed a plan.

I will take a deep breath. I will not feel pain, or fear, or confusion. I have a mission.

Hydra will pay.

Mal took a deep breath.

Step one: find some clothes. Hydra couldn't be taken down in the nude.

Most of the bodies were bloodstained and bare, likely other victims of Strucker's experiments. There were a few, however, that still had ratty clothing riddled with bullet holes. Mal managed to scavenge a bloody t-shirt and shorts from a young boy's corpse. Bile rose to her throat as she removed the clothing, though she consoled herself with the thought he didn't really need it anymore.

Mal dressed quickly, pausing only to gape at her flawless skin. Whatever work the scientists did was gone, leaving no trace she'd ever been experimented on. Even the numerous bullet and knife scars from past missions had disappeared.

Nope, not going to think about that now.

Step two: find a weapon.

Mal borrowed a hair tie from one of the corpses and stretched it until it broke. Makeshift garrote: check.

Step three: get the hell out.

Mal half expected the door to be locked, but it swung open easily. There weren't any guards, either. It wasn't like someone would steal a dead body.

Mal inched down the long hallway, peering into vacant rooms. She didn't understand what was in them until she came upon a vaguely familiar room caked in dried blood. Her blood.

She must be in the scientific wing of the facility. It made sense it put the morgue near it. Wheeling dead bodies through the entire facility would probably be a bit off-putting.

Mal turned a corner and encountered a guard.

He was dressed like any other Hydra guard, wearing black standard issue Kevlar and, oddly enough, a helmet that concealed his face from view. They looked at each other a moment, shocked. The guard was surprised because a shabby looking girl had just walked out of the off limits science division and Mal was surprised because she could feel the guard's exhaustion and impatience morph into surprise.

Mal could feel him.

She could feel his utter shock shift to wariness as he raised his gun-

Mal reacted immediately, grabbing his gun and pointing it down. A shot rang out, and the guard cried out in pain as the bullet impacted his own foot. She used that opportunity to get behind him and wrap her makeshift garrote around his neck, cutting off his air supply. His struggling faded as he went limp, unconscious. But Mal kept twisting. She felt his mind go sluggish and pulse once, twice, then disappear altogether, leaving Mal with an empty corpse in a white hallway full of the dead.

But the dead didn't have footsteps…

Mal's mind exploded with feelings, feelings of alertness and annoyance and fear and alarm as the footsteps grew louder and there were people, people like the one she had just killed, standing around and pointing things at her, yelling and moving and there was just so much too much noise and Mal was empty like the body by her, empty of everything but she felt everyone.

A sharp, irritating German voice pierced the cloudy haze of Mal's thoughts.

"Get back, back, you monkey-brained imbeciles. And put the damn guns down! What moronic fool is in charge here? You, ugly, go fetch Strucker. And the Asset. And my coffee. No cream, mind you."

Some part of Mal realized she was curled in a fetal position surrounded by Hydra agents. A larger part of her recognized Strucker's name, and fury overcame her as the urge to smash in someone's face became unbearable. There was a hand jerking her shoulder, radiating annoyance and sweat. Mal bit it and threw her leg out, snapping his calf. He screamed, and Mal hit another one in the solar plexus. Then it was all out, guns jabbing, fists flying. Mal couldn't see straight-couldn't see at all-but she hit, bit, kicked, and headbutted anyone within reach. She received far worse than she dealt out, pain radiating from every spot on her body, but it was worth it. Anything that hurt Hydra was worth it.

Then the bastards vanished and there was someone. Someone empty and blank and emotionless and solid. Someone who easily pinned her arms and wrenched her up, a metal arm cold against her bruised and bleeding body.

"Take her to cell A113. Make sure she's restrained and that no one, I mean no one, sees her but me. The rest of you, scram!"

Mal liked solitary confinement.

The main reason being she didn't feel anymore. The sensation of feeling everyone at once was gone, replaced by sharp pains from numerous wounds. The only thing she could sense was the Winter Soldier standing guard, and even that wasn't so bad. His mind was cold and unyielding, like ice, unlike the crowded chaos she'd felt in the hallway. In the cell, all was quiet. Peaceful.

So this is what insanity feels like….

Mal snorted, then winced from the sudden movement. Insane described her perfectly. What had she been thinking? Oh, I'll just attack a fully armed squad of Hydra agents, see how that goes.

It was a miracle no one had shot her...but why hadn't they?

A flutter of excitement turned her stomach, and it took Mal a moment to realize the excitement wasn't hers.

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeek.

The reinforced steel door opened and Mal pushed herself up. Just because she was injured didn't mean she couldn't kill a few more Hydra weasels.

A tall, thin man entered, pulling the door shut behind him. Mal's first thought was that he looked like a skeleton-a walking, talking, old bag of bones with a shock of white hair. Then he spoke, and Mal realized he was the one who'd helped torture her, the one who'd ordered the Winter Soldier to bring her here. Leedoro.

"Subject 194 was declared dead three days ago. Yet now you are here. Care to explain yourself?"

Mal gritted her teeth."You're the goddamn scientist, you tell me." The easiest way would be to snap his neck-she'd go for his left flank, kick out his knee, and jump up to get her legs around his neck. Simple, except for the fact Mal was having trouble standing. And concentrating. Anticipation came off of him in waves, literally making her want to gag.

"I am a doctor, not a scientist. And I here to offer you a deal."

"What could you possibly offer me?" Mal snorted, preparing to spring. He must've noticed her stance, for a twinge of anxiety shot through him, though he kept his face impassive.

"I'm offering you a chance to kill Hydra."

So I'm not entirely happy with this chapter and will probably revise it several times. Feel free to lemme know whatcha think of it.

For those of you who were wondering Leedoro is my own OC. He's a very fun character to write...think Zola, only impatient and cranky and not nearly as irritating.

And Mal's ability is the power to feel emotions. It's not mind reading. Mind reading would be extremely complicated, as minds have dozens of different layers, kinda like an onion. (If anyone gets that Shrek reference, you have my uttermost respect). But Mal can sense what others feel. It's like a sixth sense.

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