EMERALD ━ the winter soldier | 2

1.1

AS MAL NEARED the room that held the council, along with Natasha and Pierce, she slowed down, not wanting to draw attention to herself. She crouched down outside of the door, listening in. Through the door, Mal could hear Fury's voice, meaning that he had already made his grand entrance.

"You don't think we wiped your clearance from the scanner?" A voice replied to Fury – a voice that made Mal's blood run cold. She sunk down all the way to the floor, back pressed up against the door, her heart pounding in her chest.

Suddenly Mal was a child again, trapped in a small room, with one large two-way mirror. It looked like an interrogation room that she'd only ever seen in movies, complete with Mal's hands being cuffed down to the metal table in front of her.

"Subject M-008 is ready." A cold, commanding voice echoed out through the speaker in the room. The noise made Mal flinch – she knew the voice of the man who had been running things to keep her captive here, and she knew that they referred to her as subject M, the numbers that followed increasing with every test they did. It was always the same; they would take her to this room for basic checks, like her vitals and brain functions, before taking her to what they called 'The Lab.' It was hardly a lab. It was just a big open room, with a metal table in the center, surrounded by odd equipment that Mal didn't know the uses for, and she didn't want to. The room was always lined with soldiers and doctors and sometimes there was a man who stood dutifully in front of the door. He had a metal arm, with long hair that often hung in his face. He never talked, and never moved or did anything without the command from the Voice.

This time was different. They didn't begin sticking her with needles as soon as she was strapped down. Instead, this was a different chair, with a strange contraption hooked to it. As soon as she was strapped down, they put something in her mouth, and it took a moment for Mal to register that it was a mouth guard. Panic set in, and Mal began to thrash around, attempting to break free from the cuffs that held her down. Strange plates hovered over her face for a moment, electricity crackling, and visibly sparking, before they pressed down against Mal's face. Horrific pain shot through her body and Mal screamed in agony, her mind scrambling for a way out, a way to make it stop. Suddenly, a bright green blast of energy exploded from Mal's body, shooting out into the room.

The contraption that she was trapped in broke apart, freeing her. Mal herself had no idea what was happening, considering she had no control over these developing powers, but her subconscious was taking over. Her body seemed to just float in the air for a moment, green energy expelling from her, before she gently lowered to the ground.

Mal was pulled out of her panic and memories by the mans voice again, cold and smug, and she felt anger burn through her.

"Unless you want a two inch hole in your sternum, I'd put that gun down." Alexander Pierce said, and Mal stood, bursting through the door.

"You absolute bastard!" She snarled, eyes blazing green in anger. Using her powers, she ripped the pin activator from his hand, smashing it on the ground. "It was you! This entire time, it was you!" Mal screamed, holding her hand out, hazy green energy wrapping around Pierce's neck. "You did this to me!" She screamed, her voice laced with anger and hatred. The entire time she thought she was safe with SHIELD, he was always there, watching over her. Mal had never escaped HYDRA, they just changed their tactics. Pierce coughed and sputtered as the energy began to close around his neck, making it harder for him to breathe.

"Mal," Natasha said softly, trying to coax the girl down from her rage. "Don't do this. Don't let him turn you into a killer." She said, her voice soft but stern.

"He already has," Mal said bitterly, tears gathering in her eyes. "Years ago, when my parents died? That wasn't HYDRA, that was me. We escaped, and they sent soldiers after us. I was a kid, and I didn't know how to control my powers. They closed in on us, and I panicked, and the next thing I know, they're all dead. My mom, my dad, all of the agents; they were all dead. I did that." Mal explained, voice wavering as she fought off tears. Fury stood stoically, but Natasha's face shifted into shock. Fury had known, of course he had, but no one else did. The incident was kept under secure lock and key, no one needed to know about it. It wasn't even in any official SHIELD files. Suddenly, loud explosions erupt outside. Everyone turns to look, seeing the Helicarriers destroy each other.

"What a waste," Pierce chokes out, a cruel smile pulling itself across his face. "You and the Helicarriers." Mal angrily uses her powers to snap Pierce's neck, just as the firsts Helicarrier crashes into the Triskelion. The floor shook, before the ground gave out beneath Mal's feet and she fell.

Mal let herself free-fall through the air for a moment, feeling the air rush around her as she dropped. It would've been so easy for her to just keep falling, to let herself hit the ground. But she knew Steve was still on the final Helicarrier and so was Bucky and they might need her help. With a rush of energy, Mal ceased the falling, letting herself drop gently to the ground on her feet. She looks up and watches Steve fall into the water next to her, followed by Bucky, who dove in after him.

"It's going to fall on them," Mal whispered to herself, watching the Helicarrier fall steadily towards the water. Steve and Bucky would undoubtedly be crushed by the carrier. Inhaling deeply, Mal closed her eyes for a moment, drawing on all of her strength. When her eyes snapped open, they were entirely green, but instead of it's usual vibrant hue, it was dark and deep, almost making it look like her eyes were completely black. Mal rose off of the ground, floating several feet in the air, dark green wisps of energy whirling around her. She held her hands out, gritting her teeth in concentration as she focused on the Helicarrier. After a moment, it slowly pulled to a halt, floating mid-air, due to Mal. The weight of the Helicarrier was almost too much, and she felt a bit of blood began to trickle from her nose. Then, she thought of Pierce, of everything she went through. All the anger and the pain. This was all because of Pierce and what he's done.

With a cry of anger and pain and exhaustion, Mal pulled her hands apart, the Helicarrier following her motion as it began to rip itself apart. Stray debris fell into the water, but Mal made sure that Bucky and Steve were safe, as Bucky pulled his friend from the water. When the Helicarrier had completely fallen, Mal dropped back to the ground, her knees nearly buckling underneath her. It was over.

With a relieved sigh, Mal felt herself grow weak and then collapse. Instead of feeling the ground beneath her, something cold wrapped around her body, gently lowering her to the ground. Barely able to open her eyes, Mal blearily made out the image of a man with a metal arm and long hair looking over her, before everything went dark.