Chương 173: Another blow -169
Hans Weber had been a loyal Hydra operative for years, working his way up from the rank-and-file to a more comfortable position within one of their many secret bases. His days were filled with routine tasks, ensuring the smooth operation of the facility and maintaining the organization's strict protocols. Tonight, however, was different. There was an uneasy tension in the air, something that he couldn't quite place.
He was in the armory, doing a routine check of the weapons inventory, when the first sign of trouble came. The lights flickered, and then the entire facility was plunged into darkness. The emergency lights snapped on a moment later, casting an eerie red glow over everything.
"Just great," Hans muttered to himself, reaching for his radio. "Command, this is Weber. We've got a power issue in the armory. What's going on?"
The radio crackled to life, but the response was drowned out by the sudden sound of gunfire echoing through the halls. Hans froze, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. This wasn't a drill.
"Command, come in!" he shouted into the radio, but there was no response. The gunfire grew louder, closer. He could hear shouts and screams, the unmistakable sounds of a battle.
Grabbing his rifle, Hans moved cautiously towards the door. He peeked out into the hallway, which was filled with the strobe-like flashes of muzzle fire. Several of his comrades were engaged in a desperate firefight, their faces masks of fear and confusion.
"What the hell is going on?" he asked one of them as he ran by.
"No idea!" the man shouted back. "Something's killing everyone!"
Hans's heart pounded in his chest as he joined the fray, firing blindly down the corridor. He saw shadows moving, but the dim red light made it impossible to identify targets. He heard more screams and the sickening sound of flesh being torn apart.
Suddenly, the firing stopped. An eerie silence descended over the hallway, broken only by the ragged breathing of the surviving Hydra operatives. Hans could see the bodies of his fallen comrades strewn across the floor, their faces twisted in death.
"Fall back!" someone shouted. "Regroup in the control room!"
Hans didn't need to be told twice. He turned and ran, his boots thudding against the metal floor. He could hear others running with him, their breaths coming in panicked gasps. They reached the control room and barricaded the door behind them.
"What the hell is happening?" one of the men panted, his eyes wide with terror.
"No idea," Hans replied, trying to catch his breath. "But whatever it is, it's cutting through us like we're nothing."
They were all thinking the same thing: Hydra was supposed to be untouchable. They were the ones who instilled fear, who operated in the shadows. Now, something was hunting them, and they had no idea what it was.
The control room was filled with monitors displaying feeds from security cameras throughout the facility. Hans watched in horror as the cameras showed the carnage unfolding. A shadowy figure moved through the base with unnatural speed and grace, its form blurred and indistinct. Wherever it went, death followed.
"What is that?" someone whispered.
"No idea," Hans said again, his voice trembling. He watched as the figure approached another group of Hydra operatives. They fired their weapons, but it moved too quickly, dodging bullets with ease. One by one, they fell, each with a single stab wound to the heart. There was no blood, no sign of struggle beyond the initial fight. It was as if their life force had been drained.
"Dear God," Hans muttered. "It's like a ghost."
The figure reached the camera and looked directly into it. For a brief moment, Hans thought he saw glowing red eyes behind the black visor of its helmet. Then the feed went dead.
"We need to get out of here," one of the men said, his voice shaking. "We need to warn the others."
Hans nodded. "Agreed. But how? That thing is between us and the exits."
A sudden crash echoed through the facility, followed by the sound of metal being torn apart. The door to the control room buckled under a tremendous force, the hinges snapping like twigs.
"Brace yourselves!" Hans shouted, raising his rifle. The others did the same, their faces pale with fear.
The door burst open, and the shadowy figure stepped through. Hans fired, the muzzle flash illuminating the figure for a split second. It was clad in black armor, its movements fluid and unstoppable. The bullets had no effect.
Hans didn't even have time to scream before the figure was upon him. He felt a sharp pain in his chest, and then nothing. The last thing he saw was the lifeless faces of his comrades, each with a single stab wound to the heart.
As his vision faded to black, Hans realized that Hydra was not as untouchable as they had thought. Something far more powerful and terrifying had come for them, and there was nothing they could do to stop it.
-------------------
Dr. Erik Fischer, the current commander of the Hydra facility, prided himself on maintaining order and efficiency within his domain. His reputation within Hydra was one of ruthless competence, a man who could keep the organization's most secret projects running smoothly and securely. But tonight, that reputation was being tested.
As the facility's alarms blared, Fischer paced the control room, barking orders into his radio. The usual calm, calculated demeanor he maintained was cracking under the strain of the situation.
"Report!" he demanded, his voice sharp with urgency.
"Sir, we have a single intruder in the main corridor!" came the frantic reply from one of his subordinates. "They're moving too fast for us to contain. We're sustaining heavy casualties."
Fischer's jaw tightened. He had been aware of the increasing number of attacks on Hydra facilities recently, but they had always ended in complete defeat for Hydra. This was looking to be no different. This was a massacre.
"Seal off the main corridor and divert all personnel to defend the control room," Fischer ordered, his mind racing. Whoever was attacking them, they were highly skilled and utterly ruthless. He had to assume the worst—that this was part of a coordinated effort to dismantle Hydra from within.
"Already done, sir," his second-in-command, Lieutenant Müller, responded. "But they're breaching our defenses too quickly. It's like a ghost, moving around our traps and blast doors."
Fischer glanced at the security monitors, watching as the shadowy figure moved through the facility with terrifying efficiency. The camera feeds showed Hydra operatives falling one by one, each with a single, precise stab to the heart. There was no blood, no sign of struggle beyond the initial firefight. The figure moved through them like a phantom, leaving only death in its wake.
"What the hell are we dealing with here?" Müller asked, his voice betraying his fear. "It's like nothing we've ever encountered."
Fischer didn't answer immediately. He didn't know what they were dealing with, and that uncertainty gnawed at him. Hydra prided itself on knowing everything about its enemies, on being prepared for any threat. This was something beyond their comprehension.
"Get me a secure line to HQ," Fischer ordered. "We need backup, and we need it now."
Müller moved to comply, establishing the line. After a moment, he turned back to Fischer, his face grim. "Sir, HQ has refused to send help. They say we need to handle this on our own."
Fischer swore under his breath. He watched the figure on the screen pause and look directly into the camera. It was as if it knew they were watching, as if it was toying with them. Then, with a swift motion, it destroyed the camera, plunging the screen into darkness.
"We need to evacuate," Müller said, his voice rising with panic. "We need to get out of here before it reaches us."
Fischer shook his head. "No. We hold this position. We gather all available personnel and make our stand here. We cannot allow this facility to fall."
But even as he spoke, he knew it was a losing battle. The Hydra operatives in the corridors were fighting valiantly, but they were being slaughtered. The figure—no, the monster—was unstoppable.
"Seal the control room doors," Fischer ordered. "We need to buy ourselves some time."
The heavy metal doors slid shut with a resounding clang, but it felt more like a tomb closing. Fischer turned to Müller. "How many men do we have left?"
"Maybe a dozen," Müller replied, his face pale. "But they're scared, sir. They've never seen anything like this."
Fischer nodded, taking a deep breath. "Neither have I. But we need to stay calm. Panic will only get us killed faster."
He activated the internal communication system, addressing the remaining operatives. "This is Dr. Fischer. We are under attack by an unknown hostile. We need to maintain order and follow protocol. We will repel this threat, but only if we remain disciplined."
As he spoke, the monitors flickered back to life, displaying the grisly scene in the corridors. The bodies of his men were strewn across the floor, each one killed in the same manner. Fischer's stomach churned, but he forced himself to remain focused.
"What do we know about this intruder?" he asked Müller.
"Very little, sir," Müller admitted. "It moves fast, strikes with precision, and leaves no survivors. We've never seen anything like it."
Fischer nodded, his mind racing. "It's methodical. It's hunting us. But why? What does it want?"
Before Müller could respond, a loud crash echoed through the facility. The control room doors didn't buckle or break, but instead, the figure phased right through them, emerging from the solid metal as if it were nothing but mist.
"It's here," Müller said, his voice trembling.
Fischer grabbed his sidearm, knowing it would be futile but unwilling to go down without a fight. "Ready yourselves," he commanded. "We make our stand here."
The shadowy figure stepped into the control room. Fischer fired, the muzzle flash illuminating the figure for a split second. It was clad in black armor, its movements fluid and unstoppable. The bullets had no effect.
The figure moved with inhuman speed, and Fischer's men fell one by one. Fischer himself felt a sharp pain in his chest as the figure reached him. He looked down to see a blade protruding from his heart, but there was no blood, only a cold, numbing sensation.
As darkness claimed him, Fischer's last thought was one of bitter realization. Hydra, for all its power and secrecy, was not untouchable. Something far more dangerous had found them, and there was nothing they could do to stop it.
----------------------
Baron Wolfgang von Strucker sat in his opulent study, the dim lighting casting long shadows on the walls lined with artifacts and symbols of Hydra's past triumphs. He was a man of immense power and influence, one of the few remaining heads of Hydra.
For decades, he had led the organization through countless adversities, always emerging stronger and more determined. But now, a new and formidable threat was testing his resolve.
The reports had been coming in steadily over the past few weeks—Hydra facilities decimated, operatives slaughtered, and not a single survivor to tell the tale. The most recent attack had been particularly brutal.
The entire facility wiped out, and the security footage recovered by Hydra operatives had shown a shadowy figure moving through the facility like a ghost, bypassing all defenses, and killing with unnerving precision. The attacker had struck fear even into the hearts of the most loyal Hydra soldiers, a fear that von Strucker himself felt creeping into his own thoughts.
His communicator buzzed on the desk, pulling him from his grim reflections. He activated it, and the face of his trusted lieutenant, Karl, appeared on the screen.
"Baron von Strucker," Karl began, his tone urgent. "We have received confirmation of yet another attack. Our facility in Eastern Europe has been completely annihilated. The same pattern—no survivors, bodies drained of blood, and signs of intense combat."
Von Strucker's eyes narrowed. "This has gone on long enough, Karl. Hydra is being systematically hunted. Whoever this intruder is, they are more than a mere nuisance. They are a direct threat to our operations and our survival. Convene a meeting with the heads of Hydra immediately. We must address this threat and formulate a response."
A/N
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