Chương 6: Winter Soldiers!
The night was a void of ink, broken only by the distant glimmers of stars and the faint glow of the moon as Maxim Novikov darted through the forest, his breath coming in controlled, measured intervals.
The cold air bit at his skin, but the sensation barely registered, his focus was entirely elsewhere as his figure flashed through the darkness like a ghost.
Two weeks, that was the amount of time that had passed since Maxim had left Katerina in the care of the X-Men.The memory of her tearful goodbye still haunted him, driving him forward in his relentless pursuit of strength and vengeance.
He had to stay ahead of the forces hunting him, Hydra, desperate to reclaim their lost asset, and S.H.I.E.L.D., unaware that he wasn't their enemy.
Maxim had multiple files taken from the base detailing Hydra's existence, and potential Shield connection, but he needed to find someone he could trust to deliver this information to Nick Fury.
Still, with no way to do that at the moment, Maxim had spent the past two weeks training, improving his strength and integration with Omen.
His body, already strong, had grown even more defined through an unforgiving training regime that pushed him to his limits and beyond.
Every morning, he woke before dawn, using the hours of darkness to push his physical endurance. Endless miles of running, weight training, and martial arts, he honed his body into a weapon, every muscle trained to perfection.
On the other hand, Omen's powers, now an inseparable part of him, had become an extension of his will. The ability to shift through shadows, to blend into the darkness, he was becoming more efficient.
The more he did it, the most he practiced them, his mastery increased, he learned how to stretch their limits and combine these abilities with his combat skills to deadly effect.
During the nights, Maxim was constantly on the run, shifting his position. He wasn't an idiot who would run around destroying Hydra outposts just because he knew their position.
Maxim was in a delicate situation, and needed to remain strategic, using the shadows to his advantage to hide during the day like a phantom.
Still, some agents still found him, yet he put them down. For agents he recognized as just Shield, he just dispatched but left alive, knowing they were caught in a web of lies and misinformation.
But Hydra agents....they weren't given any mercy, his strikes were precise, lethal, and final. Every Hydra soldier who crossed paths with him met the same cold, unyielding fate.
This night was no different. The forest was alive with the sounds of pursuit, Hydra had tracked him here, but he was ready. The forest was dense, the canopy above blocking out what little light the moon provided.
Hydra soldiers moved cautiously through the underbrush, their eyes scanning the darkness, they had heard about Maxim. None of their agents had survived encounters with him, and he moved like a Ghost.
They were hunting a ghost, a phantom that had already claimed the lives of too many of their comrades.
"Stay sharp," the squad leader whispered, his voice barely audible over the rustling leaves. His grip tightened on his rifle as his gaze flicked from shadow to shadow. The reports had been clear, this was no ordinary target.
Maxim Novikov was a predator, and they were the prey.
The group of eight Hydra soldiers advanced, their weapons ready, their movements synchronized. They had been trained to work together, to cover each other's backs, and trusted each-other as they moved forward.
As they moved deeper into the forest, the sense of unease grew. The trees seemed to close in around them, the air thick with tension. The squad leader signaled for the group to spread out, forming a wider perimeter. They couldn't afford to be caught off guard.
Suddenly, a soldier at the rear of the formation gasped, but the sound was quickly muffled. The squad leader turned, but it was too late, one of his men had already disappeared into the shadows, leaving nothing behind but a faint whisper of movement.
Panic started to ripple through the group. They tightened their formation, but it made no difference. Another soldier vanished, pulled into the darkness with barely a sound.
The remaining men spun around, their rifles pointed wildly at the surrounding trees, but they saw nothing, only the inky blackness of the night.
"Where the hell is he?" one of the soldiers hissed, his voice shaking with fear as he aimed his gun towards the darkness, ready to rain fire on any sliver of movement.
"Keep it together!" the squad leader barked, but his own voice betrayed his fear. He could feel it—, he cold, creeping dread that they were being hunted.
A shadow flickered at the edge of his vision, and he spun, firing his weapon into the trees. The gunshots echoed through the forest, but they hit nothing but air.
The soldiers followed suit, their weapons flashing in the darkness as they unleashed a barrage of gunfire, but there was no target to hit.
Then, in the midst of the chaos, Maxim struck. He emerged from the shadows behind a soldier, his movements silent and fluid. A knife flashed in his hand, and before the man could react, Maxim had driven the blade into his neck, pulling him back into the darkness and taking away his pistol.
Another soldier turned just in time to see his comrade vanish. He shouted in alarm, but Maxim was already moving, his figure a blur as he closed the distance.
With a swift, powerful kick, he knocked the soldier off his feet, following up with a lethal strike to the chest and a bullet to the brain.
~BANG~
The remaining soldiers tried to regroup, but they were disoriented, their formation broken. Maxim exploited their confusion, moving among them like a wraith.
He took down another soldier with a brutal punch to the throat, then twisted around to disarm the next, using the man's own weapon to finish him off and then killing the soldier he punched in the throat.
Within moments, it was over. The forest was silent once more, the Hydra soldiers lying lifeless on the forest floor. Maxim stood in the center of the carnage, his breathing steady, his eyes cold.
But the fight wasn't over yet. He felt it, a presence, two of them, approaching from the direction of the main Hydra force. They were different from the others, their footsteps heavier, more deliberate. Maxim could tell they were skilled, highly trained.
He didn't have to wait long. From the shadows, two figures emerged, Winter Soldiers, their bodies enhanced with cybernetic implants, their faces hidden behind masks.
Their eyes locked onto Maxim, and without a word, they attacked, fast, aggressive and with intent to kill.
The first Winter Soldier lunged at Maxim, his movements fast and aggressive. He swung a ferocious arm in a wide arc, aiming for Maxim's head.
Maxim dodged, the blow missing him by inches, and countered with a sharp kick to the Soldier's side. The man barely flinched, his body absorbing the impact with ease.
The second Winter Soldier came at Maxim from the opposite side. He aimed for Maxim's legs, trying to sweep them out from under him. Maxim leaped back, narrowly avoiding the strike, but the first Soldier was already on him again, launching a flurry of punches.
Maxim blocked and parried, his mind racing as he analyzed their movements. They were strong, stronger than any normal human, and their coordination was near perfect, but near perfect wasn't enough to stop him.
Maxim shifted through the darkness, disappearing from their sight, only to reappear behind the first Soldier. Maxim struck quickly, driving his knife into the back of the man's knee.
The Soldier grunted in pain, dropping to one knee, but his comrade was already turning, his fist swinging toward Maxim's head, which Maxim ducked with ease, retaliating with a brutal elbow to the ribs.
The man staggered, and Maxim pressed the advantage, delivering a powerful kick to his chest that sent him crashing into a tree.
The first Soldier, still on one knee, tried to rise, but Maxim was on him in an instant, sending a paranoia right onto him.
All of a sudden, the winter soldier felt his senses drained, his vision was near-sighted, his hearing gone. All of a sudden, he felt his arm twisted, and grunted in pain.
Then, without any chance to react, a pair of arms wrapped in a long-sleeve wrapped around his neck, cutting off his air supply. The soldier struggled, but Maxim held firm, and with a savage twist.
~SNAP~
He snapped his neck, killing him instantaneously!
Maxim didn't have time to catch his breath. The second Soldier was already back on his feet, and this time, he was more cautious, more deliberate in his approach. He circled Maxim, his eyes calculating, searching for a weakness.
Maxim could feel the Soldier's intense gaze, but he didn't waver. He knew what he needed to do.
He allowed the shadows to envelop him, his body becoming one with the darkness. The Soldier hesitated, his eyes widening slightly as Maxim vanished from sight.
Then, without warning, Maxim struck. He reappeared behind the Soldier, his movements faster than before, fueled by the shadows.
He drove his knee into the Soldier's back, forcing him forward, then followed up with a powerful punch to the base of his skull.
The Soldier staggered, disoriented, but Maxim didn't let up. He seized the Soldier's arm, wrenching it back with enough force to dislocate the shoulder. The Soldier muffled out a groan of pain, and Maxim used the moment of weakness to finish the fight.
He twisted the man's neck, feeling the snap of bone beneath his hands, and the Soldier fell to the ground, lifeless.
Maxim stood over the bodies of the two Winter Soldiers, his breathing heavy but controlled. He glanced around, sensing that the area was now clear. No more Hydra soldiers, no more Winter Soldiers, just the silence of the forest and the darkness that surrounded him.
Maxim sheathed his knife, his eyes narrowing as he looked toward the horizon. There was still so much to do, so many more battles to fight.
And Hydra was running out of time.
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