He stood in the middle of the room, towering quietly next to the bashed in computers and the table scattered with different files and blueprints. He peered down, curiously sliding his eyes over the formulas, ignoring the droplets of blood on white sheets.

He shuffled the papers, trying to see if there was anything useful there. He came up with nothing. At least, nothing that could aid him in his research and self-assigned mission.

He scrunched up his nose, keeping back a sneeze as the heavy smell of blood tickled his nostrils.

He brushed some sand coloured strands of hair out of his eyes as he studied the paper more closely, ripping them in pieces when he realized there wasn't anything useful.

A scared whimper behind him didn't make him move a muscle, there was more important things to do. "Please..." he tore another paper into pieces, dropping them on the table as his eyes swept over the room once again.

"I'll do whatever you want, just please don't kill me!" a man wailed, sliding down the wall and curling up in the corner as the soldier turned towards him, locking his gaze on the crying man.

His footfalls were almost silent as he crept closer to the man, squatting down in front of him as he tilted his head, trying to make eye contact with the man who was shaking before the soldier. "I-I swear, I didn't even want to be here!" he exclaimed, glancing up briefly before his grey eyes landed on the six corpses littered around the room. Blood still oozed from their cleanly cut throats, flowing over the clean floor like magma. Horror was written all over the scientists face.

The soldier scented the air, growling lowly when he smelt lies in the air. It was a bitter smell, mixed with fear and the blood of the six in the middle of the room. The man flinched, looking on the ground.

"How many other bases are working right now?" he asked lowly, noticing him freeze up. "None."

The soldier was starting to lose his patience. Swiftly, his right hand shot out and his finger curled around the man's throat, standing up as he held the man in the air against the wall. He gurgled, eyes wide as he tried to claw at the soldier.

"Try again."

He loosened the grip, lowering him back on the ground so the man could talk. He gasped for air, pressing his head against the wall as he realised the soldier didn't allow him to move.

"Four! Just four, I'm so sorry, please!" he said, tears streaming down his flushed cheeks and he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Where are they located and the serum, have you created more of it?" his voice sent chills down the scientist's spine, it was demanding, it was filled with authority and something menacing seemed to lurk beneath the surface.

If the devil was walking on this earth, it would be this person before the scientist.

"The-the information about the bases is in the e-mail, it was in the computer that you, you broke. And no, we haven't cracked the-the formula." the man stuttered, the whites of his eyes turning red with all the pressure on his throat.

The soldier squinted his eyes, raising his left hand as he dug the sharp end of a combat knife into the soft skin right underneath his wide right eye. If he was to add some more pressure, it would slice right through the flesh. "I need that email."

The man stuttered a breathless, high-pitched yes, before nervously asking if he could stick his hand into his back pocket to grab his phone. The soldier gave a barely noticeable nod, eyes following his every move suspiciously. The man took out his phone, unlocking it very slowly as not to trigger the stoic man before him.

"H-here, the coordinates are here.”

“Is this traceable?” he asked, indicating the smartphone in his hands.

“No.”

The soldier leaned in, growling under his breath as he once again smelt the lie in the air.

“Yes! Yes it is!” the man winced, shaking all over his body now.

The soldier wanted to scoff, things seemed to have changed a lot -- security vise. Making him believe something had gone wrong indeed. If things would have been alright, this base would be buzzing with agents, soldiers and scientists alike.

The soldier snatched the phone out of the man's hand, his eyes scanning over the numbers before he squeezed it in between his fingers, making it pop slightly and break into little pieces, they fell on the ground, scattering around their feet.

“Why is the base so empty?”

“It-it isn't, there are four m-more scientists in the east wing, uhm, sir.”

Eleven people in a base that's meant for hundred. “Why such a small number?”

“We don't... Don't have followers anymore, we've been trying to recruit but its almost pointless.” he stumbled over his words, avoiding eye contact with all cost. But the man was telling the truth. They always stop telling lies whenever they realise its impossible to lie to the soldier.

The man was about to say something else but his eyes suddenly widened, surprise and horror flashing through his grey orbs. He froze for a second, mouth forming an 'o' shape.

The soldier didn't stay to look, he didn't have to. He had already seen plenty of times how blood starts pouring out of the artery, some droplets splashed on his ghostly white skin as he stepped away, placing his knife back after the man slid down the wall, trying to stop the blood flow from his neck.

He turned away, adjusted the scarf on his lower face and headed towards the pipes that ran across one side of the rusty ceiling. He studied them carefully, using pure strength to unscrew a couple of screws. Then he heard it, the quiet hissing sound that told him he had succeeded.

His eyes swept over the flickering room one more time before leaving, closing the door and not switching off the lights. Sooner or later the gas leak would end with an explosion.

He moved back towards the entrance he had made for himself, keeping on a stealthy jog as he still made sure there was silence following his footfalls.

He could detect one person as he crouched down, scenting the air as he listened to the rustle of fabric. They moved reluctantly, slowly, the small pebbles underneath large boots crunching and making him wince internally. Such a loud noise in a deadly still environment.

He stilled, tilting his head very slightly as he tried to gather more intel on the person. Steady rhythm, no one who feared darkness walked so confidently. Even though footsteps were loud enough for the soldier to hear, they were still light, so he couldn't tell if they were female or male, which was concerning enough.

The person neared his spot, a wave of calmness washing over him. He knew clashing with them was inevitable, but he also knew he was going to come out on top.

He could feel his pulse slowing as he heard the person come closer, slowing down. They were very close now, and the soldier was ready to jump on them as soon as they turned the corner. But they halted.

That was the sign that told him he had miscalculated something.

But that's the thing, that means trouble. Because soldier never misjudges a situation.

He only had a millisecond to react before a thick, muscled hand shot out from behind the corner, startling the soldier as he leaned back extremely low, watching as the large hand swiped over the place his head was just seconds ago. Metal fingers crashed into the cement wall, sinking into the concrete as if it was butter, pieces of it falling onto him as he placed his left hand down, grabbing a knife as he felt panic surge through his chest for a split second.

He had miscalculated indeed, instead of one person, there was two. And the soldier had no idea how did he miss one when they both looked heavily built and rough around edges.

But that was okay, because the soldier was ready. He knew death would take him one way or another, because the path he had been forced to take stated the obvious, there is no victor in the end.

He flipped the knife that still had smudges of crimson red on it, skillfully trying to slash the man's flesh arm, only to meet his stormy gaze.

***
I know there's no Natasha here but she looks hot so I placed her in the moodboard 😄

Question: does Will want a love interest?

1466 words