The Deadly Nightshade | { BOOK 1 of The Flower series }

[17] Nightmares

⏳ 2012, Manchester

The cell was chilled as a fourteen-year-old girl sat on her cot; her head was bowed as a certain name kept whispering in her mind. For the past hours, that was all she was thinking about; figuring out who this Tony was. A loud, terrifying scream echoed down the dimly lit narrow hallway, earning the girl's attention. Thudded footsteps followed afterward as human shadows flickered across the walls. HYDRA guards dragged a failed subject by the collar of his jumpsuit, his legs dangling out in front of him.

She stood up from her cot and made her way to the cell door, her fingers wrapping around the rusted bars that blocked the signals to her bionic chip.

His teal blue eyes locked on Jade's, and just a smidge of hope shone in his eyes. "HELP ME!"

Jade just watched him as he disappeared from the bar slits of her cell. Another HYDRA guard appeared in front of her, causing her to jump, startled as he grinned menacingly at her.

"Your turn," he said, unlocking her cell and roughly grabbing her small body.

It was only one guard.

Jade saw this as an opportunity to escape. Most of the guards focused on the new test subject to not even care to help the guard escort her. She only had one ability, and she was going to use it to her advantage. Except she wasn't that trained in using it. She had unlocked it just a couple of weeks ago. Her left hand glowed before her laser bo staff generated in her hand. She immediately whipped around, swinging it against the side of his neck. Blood exploded as the guard's body toppled over, and his head rolled across the floor, leaving a streak of blood. Her eyes widened in horror at what she had just done.

The chained door down the hall burst open as more guards filled in. Her staff dissipated, and she made a beeline in the opposite direction. In the background, she could hear the guards yelling out orders to one another as she was getting chased.

She rounded the corner, the guards yelling faintly fading away, but she had heard something else. She slowed her pace when she realized it was a voice that sounded familiar to her, but she couldn't pinpoint who the voice belonged to.

"Ridiculous, I don't paint," an old audio file of Tony's voice reached Jade's ears. She followed his voice as he continued speaking. "But my daughter does, so maybe she's the Da' Vince of our time."

She entered the room where Tony's voice was more prominent, and her eyes adjusted to the darkness. "D-Dad?"

Large hands instantly gripped onto her as the lights flickered on. HYDRA guards roughly locked her onto the machine that was going to brainwash her.

Ivanov walked out of the shadows as he stared down at her with anger. "Make it painful."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Nightshade immediately dunked as the Winter Soldier's metal arm came hurdling towards her face. She straightened her right leg out as she spun halfway on the mat, colliding her shin and foot into his, causing him to fall back. He grunted, and Nightshade quickly balanced back on her two feet.

Bucky placed his hands on either side of his head, using that momentum to push him back up. He threw punch after punch towards Jade; her quick reflexes were blocking each. In the back of her mind, she could hear a voice telling her to find her opponent's weaknesses or sneak attack when they lose focus, but Bucky was not doing either.

She caught Bucky's metal fist without thinking, and they both paused in shock. She never expected herself to do that, especially with something a lot stronger than herself.