The Beginning of a Hero

Chapter 10: My Inner Monologue is Basically Just One Long "Shit"

Everything turned into a haze of pain and confusion. I was vaguely aware of my body hitting ice chunks, but that was it. My brain refused to process anything but that and pain.

It was as though a white-hot brand had been pushed directly against my head. The pain radiated down my neck and into the rest of my body. My breaths came out in ragged gasps. All I could think was, Kill me now so it stops. Tears of pure agony stung at my eyes

Then I became aware of my body hitting a wall. My head snapped against the wall, and that seemed to clear some of the pain away. It was still there, but it was comparatively only a dull throb. I looked up to see I was in the cell the others had been in so shortly ago.

Oh, the cruel irony of life.

Staring down at me was none other than Red Skull himself, a sick and twisted grin on his face. His eyes glimmered with sadistic joy. Just seeing his love of my pain added nausea to the hurt I felt.

Or, that could've been a side effect of my brain going, "Yup, we're def on fire now." Hard to tell.

Pain or no pain, the worst part was easily being back in this cell with Red Skull right there. My mind ran through a million possibilities of what he might've wanted with me. Torture? Get information? Use against Clint or the Avengers? Some combination of those three? None of it was good.

"So, Lily Astol..." How the fresh fuck did he know my name? Did he somehow get into my head? "A mere mortal who managed to ally herself with the god of tricks, then come rescue her comrades..." He clasped his hands in front of him. "For that I commend you."

I glared at him with the fury of a thousand suns, plus the strength of my pounding head. "I don't need your damn commendations. The hell you want?"

He clucked his tongue and moved his hands behind his back. "Such a feisty girl. A compliment should be accepted." Skull fell silent and started pacing back and forth, back and forth in front of my cell. His posture was the same stick straight, military man posture that Rogers had. Ironic, considering what enemies they were back in the '40s. "As for what I want with you..."

Skull stopped pacing and facing me. His grin was gone and his face had become unreadable. "You and I could form quite the alliance. I've seen into your mind, and there is much you don't realize about yourself. Your potential."

Dear god, what did any of that mean? He spoke of me having potential. He said we could make an alliance. Does he know that he's the bad guy in history books these days? Nothing that man, no, monster was planning could be good. He helped to carry out Hitler's tyranny and genocide seventy years ago. That was fairly common knowledge, as was the fact he wanted to take over the world. Was that the plan now? How did I fit into it?

They were all questions that flew through my mind in just a second or two. I had answers to none of them. I did know, however, that I wanted nothing to do with any of it.

"Go to hell," I spat. "You went down in the books as a delusional monster, and I am of no use to you."

Skull chuckled and it made my blood run cold. A sound that typically denoted joy, and yet from him, was nothing short of menacing and deadly. "You know so little of yourself, girl." His voice had now gone soft. Almost gentle. As if he truly wanted to help me and the world. "Perhaps I can enlighten you."

He opened the cell door with a key. I scooted into the corner as he walked in, mind flying through thirty thousand possibilities of what he could do. Killing me was unlikely, but preferable to some of the other options. My hand shot to where the dagger should've been on my belt, but it wasn't there. Bastard must've taken it.