Insider

Fourteen

Dead animal eyes.  I hate that look.  

Matt was dead, his eyes glazed over like a slaughtered animal.  He had multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, and his body was strung from the ceiling.  His clothes were blotched crimson, and his hair was caked with dried blood.  Shuri let out a loose shriek.  I couldn't scream, all I could do was clench my fists so hard that I drew blood from my palms.  All I could think was:

Another death. 

"Is that Matt?" Shuri asked, collecting herself.

"Yes, this was Matt." I said.  I felt sick, my whole body shook overwhelmingly.  Matt was dead, and it would be Rose not Jasmine who I would have to break the dreadful news to.  Matt was dead, and the last thing he saw me do was shove a goddamn knife at his throat.  Matt was dead, and I wasn't able to be there to save him.  And he had always been so kind to me, despite his temper.  With my trembling right hand, I gently closed his striking hazel eyes.  "I'm sorry," I whispered, as if he could still hear me.

"This changes things." Shuri stated matter-of-factly.  "Elissa, if Matt is dead, that means someone else is in charge!"

I had no time to answer, because suddenly someone shouted, "Sarah's home!"

It wasn't Jasmine.  It was Trish.

Before I knew it, the whole mansion was swarming with men and women clothed in the signature Crimson Night red leather jacket.  In the centre of the crowd, there was Trish.  She looked ghastly- gaunt like a skeleton, her once shining skin contrasting heavily with all the black clothes she was wearing.  Black combat boots, black ripped jeans, an oversized black sweater.  She even accessorized herself with a midnight choker, drooping black earrings, and all black makeup.  Trish's hair was at the darkest that I had ever seen it, no light escaping that black hole that had been slicked back into a small bun.  The only splash of colour on my once bold friend was the gold chain passed on by Azazel.  But, Patricia Cruz still wound her arm around me, and pulled me close as if we were in normal circumstances.  "I know," she said.  "Shocker.  I'm fucking speaking again.  And Matt's dead.  Today's just full of surprises for you, sweetie."

I glanced over at Shuri, who was fighting back three Crimson Night alumni.  Yanking myself away from Trish, I barked, "Stop!  Leave her alone!"  The trio was confused, I had once had authority over them.  Thankfully, Trish agreed and said in a low tone, "Guys, stop."

Shuri was left alone, but she said menacingly, "Let us go, or there will be consequences."

Trish laughed and teased, "I know who you are, Princess.  And I know you're affiliated with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Winter Soldier.  Matt came a few weeks prior spilling everything about how the Winter Soldier kidnapped Sarah.  Perfect timing with his trial for fucking murder coming up.  What can S.H.I.E.L.D. do, though?  They're miniscule, destroyed.  There's over a thousand members of Crimson Night alone on my side.  How many of you, huh?"

What the fuck, Matt?  Why would he say that the Winter Soldier kidnapped me?  

Shuri didn't hesitate, and yanked something out of her back pocket.  Slowly the object came to life, in the form of a shining knife glowing a soft electric blue.  

Vibranium.

But, Trish was right; strength in numbers overtook Shuri.  She was pummelled to the ground, and the more people she stabbed, the more began to attack.  Suddenly, I was back at Hydra, watching the Winter Soldier nearly kill Oliver.  And I wasn't going to stand back and do nothing.  I flashed my knife, and fought my way through the crowd.  "Stop, fucking stop!" I yelled.  An idea was forming within me, something that Shuri and Sharon and James and Sam would never condone.  Matt had done a lot of terrible things in his life, but his botching of what happened that night could get me what I wanted.  I just had to play along- 

Be an insider.

I grabbed Shuri and hoisted her up forcefully.  Through gulps of air she said, "Let's go."

"No."

"No?" repeated the princess, perplexed.

A knot was forming in my stomach, and with every step I took it grew worse.  This wasn't the right way, but it was the only way.  I sighed and said, "I was kidnapped."

Shuri gasped.  Trish smiled.  And I continued, "S.H.I.E.L.D. kidnapped me, and forced me to take them here.  To fucking rat you all out or something." 

"Lucky for you," Trish replied, "A scout saw you in the car and notified me.  You have one of those faces."

I kept glancing at Shuri, but I needed to be unreadable.  Flashes of betrayal shone in her now glassy eyes.  "Let her go." I demanded .

Trish wrinkled her nose and asked, "What?  Why?"

I grabbed Trish's shoulder and whispered, "She's the Princess of Wakanda.  We have to let her go so we don't get a whole army on our doorstep."

She pondered for a moment, but then ordered, "Get her out of here."  As two men wrangled Shuri out, the girl choked, "Elissa!  Elissa, why?"

"I'm Sarah." I said.  God, that hurt.  

The door closed, the deed was done.  I was on my own, just how I like it.  Don't I?

The woman who so kindly rescued me all those years ago put her arm around my shoulder again.  Trish instructed, "Go get changed.  We have work to do."