THE RAVEN | avengers

[07]

ACT 1
Chapter 07
A Success

Raven could feel the irritation building in her chest as she stood in the center of the room, surrounded by the buzz of voices. The applause had faded, but the attention hadn't. People were crowding around her, trying to shake her hand, offer congratulations, or simply talk to her. The words felt like noise, buzzing around her head, annoying and pointless. She didn't care about any of it. The more they tried to engage with her, the more she felt like she might snap.

Her fingers twitched at her side, itching to lash out, to end the relentless attention. So when a dozen soldiers arrived to escort her, she felt something almost like relief.

Finally.

As they led her down the long, sterile corridor, Raven couldn't help but find it amusing. It took a dozen soldiers to escort her — why? Did they think she would try something? She could easily take any one of them down if she wanted to. The thought sent a ripple of satisfaction through her. It was almost captivating, how easily she could destroy them if she chose to.

When they finally reached the room, the doors slid open with a heavy creak, and she stepped inside without hesitation. The door was metal, of course — everything in this place seemed to be designed to contain and control. The walls were a dull grey, cold and unwelcoming. The bed, at least, looked somewhat comfortable, with a mattress that didn't seem too thin. There was no window, no view to the outside world. But that didn't bother her. She scanned the room, her eyes settling on the shelves against the far wall. They were lined with books, neatly arranged, their spines facing out. Without thinking, she walked straight to them, her fingers trailing along the books as she moved. The titles were written in a mix of languages — German, Russian, English, Latin. The feel of the books under her fingertips was almost soothing, a welcome distraction from the chaos she had just left behind.

The door behind her closed with a soft thud, and she was alone.

She didn't mind.

Raven turned her attention to the small doorway at the back of the room, leading into another space. She stepped through and found a simple bathroom — functional, nothing more, nothing less. She glanced around, then walked back into the main room, feeling the stillness settle over her like a heavy blanket.

The room was quiet, sterile, but it wasn't the silence that unsettled her. It was the emptiness. No challenge, no excitement. Just her and these cold, grey walls.

She approached the empty wall across from her bed, her eyes narrowing slightly. Without saying anything, she balled her fist and punched it. The impact was loud, the sound of metal and concrete shattering as her fist drove through the wall like it was made of paper. A massive hole gaped where her knuckles had struck, the edges cracked and jagged.

She let out a laugh, a sharp, almost surprised sound. She stared at her hand, her knuckles a bit red, a few drops of blood trickling down her skin, but it was nothing. The pain was barely there. Her body was stronger than she had ever imagined.

Still laughing softly, she stepped back from the hole, flexing her fingers. The sensation of power, of raw strength, coursed through her veins, and for the first time since she had woken up on that table, she felt something other than emptiness.

꧁ ༺ ༻ ꧂

Viktor sat behind his desk, the dim light of his office casting shadows across the dark wood. He leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled, a look of satisfaction etched on his face. Across from him stood Dr. Reinhardt, still adjusting his gloves, and beside him was the colonel, his military uniform crisp, his face a mask of restrained approval.