SuperSoldier (SI-OC/MCU) ENG

39: Like Hell

39: Like Hell

A few moments earlier.

"This burns!" Cassandra groaned internally as she struggled with great effort to stop the enormous fireball threatening to engulf her, her hands trying to stay steady in front of her, her body flying almost uncontrollably through the air until her back slammed into another building, almost knocking the air out of her lungs.

Then the damn thing exploded.

It was only her experience and instinct that made her act fast enough to use her telekinesis properly and redirect the explosion into the sky, causing it to turn a deep, almost crimson orange.

She gasped and looked at her palms with some disbelief and pain, the skin on them a shade of red far too intense for her liking, burns almost second-degree, injuries she shouldn't have, as no fire had ever been able to bypass her telekinetic defenses before.

'This isn't fire,' the thought came as she raised her gaze to see the one responsible for almost incinerating her alive.

There, floating in the air only a few meters in front of her with no apparent external aid, was a thin, almost skeletal body, completely naked, with skin and muscles of an unnervingly pale tone and a face with sagging skin frozen in an almost melancholic expression.

'Is... is this one of them?' Cassandra frowned as she looked at it, because although it didn't seem as deformed as the others nor did it appear to have any mechanical parts, it was undoubtedly almost identical to the monsters Hydra had created and that they had been killing during their crusade in Poland.

No... there was a difference, its eyes, those irises didn't shine with that characteristic ethereal blue light that the Hydra weapons also had, instead what was there was a deep crimson glow in its pupils surrounded by an unnervingly dark sclera.

It was almost like staring into an abyss.

"It's b-een a w-hile since I was in the mortal plan-e, to think that mortals have acquired strength other than magic, how exciting."

The speech, which had originally been erratic, soon became more uniform and controlled, as if the vocal cords that produced those words were just beginning to get used to being used.

'Magic?' Cassandra blinked, confused for a moment, but quickly shook her head. She didn't have time for nonsense. Spitting a clot of blood to the side, she clicked her tongue and clenched her hands, ignoring the sharp pain in her skin.

"Hydra has really stepped up their game now—even their freaks can talk. What a disaster," She muttered as she extended her telekinesis in all directions, grabbing hold of everything within reach and bracing herself to attack and defend.

She needed to kill this thing fast.

"Freaks?" The creature tilted its head, then looked at itself and nodded in agreement.

"Yes... I suppose there's no better way to describe it. A vessel barely worthy of me, but overall, it's a minor inconvenience compared to the benefits it brings." It had been a very, very long time since it had been able to channel so much power into a mortal body without it crumbling. So, while the appearance left much to be desired, it wasn't something that truly bothered it.

"For a monster, you sure talk too much," Cassandra said, narrowing her eyes. Then a fierce smile spread across her lips as she finally reached inside the creature's body with her telekinesis and felt its organs.

Without hesitation, she used all her strength to tear them apart.

Or at least, she should have.

The melancholic expression on the creature froze for a split second before a mocking grin spread across its face, raising his hand he extended a finger and began to slowly wag it back and forth.