stoneheart ; 𝐭. 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐤 , 𝟐

13 | revelation

february 2019

THE ASSET HAD never been stronger. Her limbs rippled with muscle, making each swipe with her dagger and punch with her fists exponentially more effective. Her teeth were gritted in determination, her mind empty except for her mission. Kill.

Her superior was whispering in her head, keeping her on task. He congratulated her on her return to the battlefield after months of inactivity, after years of not being used to her full potential. He whispered attack strategies in her ear, helping her as she lashed out at Stark, aiming for his heart. 

That's it, 53, he was hissing, so loud that it drowned out the screaming from deep inside of her. Just like that. You're going to kill him, just like you were always supposed to. He's getting tired, 53. He's human, but you are better. You are more.

The asset didn't respond, for she knew it would distract from the task at hand. She could do nothing except for focus on the man in front of her, the man she had to kill. If she killed him, she would be rewarded. She would be on her way to regaining her centuries-old reputation for being the most powerful soldier in the history of Hydra and Cerberus combined.

Stark's mask on his suit had already been torn off, thanks to the asset's dagger that she'd jammed into the metal. Now it lay discarded in the snow, his wide eyes and panicked expression all she could see in front of her. 

She relished in the shock and scared look she saw on his face, feeding off of his terror which gave her power. If there was one thing Asset 53 truly enjoyed, it was watching as the emotion fled her victims' faces after she delivered her divine move. The way their muscles drooped, and the light ebbed from their eyes, leaving dull, glass spheres in their faces. Ah, yes, Asset 53 enjoyed the kill. 

This time, she'd decided, she would savor the kill, teasing and playing with her food before she ate it. Nothing would make her happier than to see Stark's hope diminish as she thrust her knife into his chest. 

He had done well at dodging her attacks, but she'd managed to keep up with his retreating form. Every time he stepped back to avoid the point of her dagger, she charged after him, colliding with him in a murderous rage. Her mouth was held open in a vicious snarl, and her hand was wrapped tightly around the handle of her dagger.

Usually, Asset 53 would have been taunting her victim, goading him for the way he trembled in her presence. But something was different this time. She was not in the mood to set off her verbal assault. She would play with him, yes; a predator playing with its prey before devouring it. But she did not say anything to him. She couldn't lose focus. 

Stark, however, thought it would serve well to yell into the cold air. "Jack!" He yelled, grunting with the effort of staving her attacks. "Jack, it's me! It's Tony!" Every sentence was abruptly cut off by his hands jabbing in between the two of them, knocking her arms and putting her off balance. 

Don't listen to him, Thompson advised in her head. He'll only distract you from what must be done. 

The asset adjusted her grip on her dagger, no longer holding it as an extension of her arm. She now held it like one would a javelin, the blade jutting out away from her fist. Lifting her hand, she stabbed at Stark in a fury, wishing she had another dagger in her other hand. But alas, she would have to manage. 

His suit is incapacitated, came her superior's voice again. It won't be long before he rids himself of the dead weight. 

She didn't know much, but she knew that she'd faced this egomaniac before. She'd studied him, learning more about him than he probably knew about himself. He may have been without the power from his suit, but she knew that under no circumstances would Tony Stark abandon the Iron Man and leave himself totally vulnerable.