The Spark That Never Dies Part: Two

Chapter Seven

"Okay," He nodded with a small smile, coming closer to you, and now his face was inches from yours, "So, you've made some friends since we've last seen each other."

"Just a few."

"And your confidence has skyrocketed," He smirked, "Or maybe your sarcasm is a defense mechanism. Either way," He shrugged, seemingly unbothered, "I know it still haunts you."

"The only thing haunting me is that I chose to skip the breakfast burrito," You patted your stomach, "I could really use a snack."

"Pristine," He now spoke in Russia, "Crimson," He eyed you for a reaction, but you kept still, "Humanity," He paused, an evil smirk enveloping his face, "Fourteen."

You stayed silent.

"Ready to comply, soldat?"

"Ya know, kids these days are way smarter, so I found myself a genius, well, my new friends did, and she kind of erased Hydra's effect on me." It was your turn to smirk, and his face fell for only a millisecond before shrugging again.

"No bother."

"No?" You taunted, "It doesn't pain you to see Hydra's brainwashing techniques fail?"

"Hydra is flawed, but I'm not Hydra and I never fail."

"Can we backtrack?" You asked rhetorically, "Let's see here," You tapped your suit's chin, "You lost me, had to go into hiding, didn't get my daughter, and now the plane is taken away. You've had to scale way back on your killings, only taking those who came to you, and oh, yeah. You look fucking terrible."
"Having to harvest new organs has its drawbacks," He nodded, "Immortality is a bitch on the complexion."

"Can't harvest a new face, I guess." You nodded and he cocked an eyebrow.

He strolled around, leaving you there to simmer. Knowing that you were afraid you would never see your family or friends again, knowing you probably wouldn't live long after he started, and dragging the entire process out to his liking.

"I remember when they first brought you to me," He smiled and you rolled your eyes, "You were so frightened, looking around the room, desperate for someone to save you. Begging me over and over to stop. It was the highlight of my days to come into your view and watch the fear take over your body. How it reacted to the pain, to the chemicals I would inject, and to the commands I gave. My god, you were the prophecy in material form!" He yelled, not angrily, just to make a point, "For those two short years before I gave you up to Hydra, needing you to be brainwashed as an extra security measure, the training they also gave you was a bonus," He chuckled, "Then you escaped and I knew."

"Knew what?" You found yourself asking.

"I knew I could break you," He sighed, "You came back like a depressed sack of potatoes and I started again. Enhancing everything, throwing anything I could at you, and then when I brought that woman in, you broke."

"What you made me do to Jack wasn't enough?"

"He was practice," He smiled, "And it was entertaining as all hell to see you grin wickedly as he pleaded for you to stop, screamed with all he had...well," He laughed, "Until you took his lungs out of course."

"We're done talking," You raised your hand, the blast charging, "Make a move."

"You can't use your powers in that," He scoffed, "Come out, let me see your face. I want to see how you have grown, my child."

You responded my sending a blast out, but he blocked it and you started shooting at him with everything you had. You were nicking him here and there, but no serious damage was given before he ran up to you, having stopped most of your blasts in midair. He was faster than you remembered and when he grabbed at you, you flew away, floating to the back wall.