BIOHAZARD,
chapter nine: one priority!

1 hour left.

          AVERY FOUND IN THAT FOREST, LOOKING FOR HIS SHADOW, SEEKING HIMSELF - TO THAT PERSON WHO GAVE HIM A WARNING THAT HE NEVER LISTENED. As if it were a dream, as if it were something so unreal, so perfect that even he couldn't forget. He felt the cold pierce his bones, trying to break them, break them - but without success. He faced himself, his parallel, the person who would know what would come behind him. Avery took that as a judgment that would determine his place in hell or a second chance to continue a miserable life in the world of the living. However, that version of him was much younger, much purer - but aware of the actions done by the mercenary, aware of something very impure that stained his body with blood that was innocent. Something that his own hands did.

          Avery opened his mouth to speak, but his parallel spoke first. "I warned you. I warned you that something would happen, and still...you haven't heard me."

          "I should," Avery replied, trying to remove the knot that had formed in his throat, his voice breaking immediately. "I should...I had to complete the mission."

          His parallel pointed to him, judging him as if he were superior in every way, Avery had never felt so weak and small. "You murdered an innocent woman, that's a crime that violates your principles. You kill people who have done unforgivable things, but this...murdering a woman is a crime that you will not be able to amend for a long time."

          "I had to do it!" The mercenary exclaimed, his voice completely broken, feeling that his vocal cords succumbed to that woman's misery. "I have done what is necessary to continue. To protect myself, to protect my friends...I ...I didn't want it to be that way. I didn't want to kill her."

          "And still you have the guilt. You feel it in your own flesh, how it scratches every part of your body and makes you feel weak," Little Avery added, looking at him with disgust and repudiation. "Just like the murderer of our parents."

          Avery closed his eyes, feeling the child manipulate his head, searching through the deepest recesses of his mind - finding that moment of pain: the murder of his parents. He only took two bullets and a shout to know that both bodies were lifeless in a studio in Jonahesburg. He remembered how tears flowed down his cheeks, feeling pain and sadness - but an incessant feeling of fury, which fueled his cruelty and somehow left him blind.

          "It's ironic, isn't it?" Little Avery asked, staring at his adult version. "Your parents are killed, so you kill the parents of another child."

          "That was the mission..." Avery sobbed, touching his head. "The mission is what matters."

          "Are you listening to yourself?" His parallel asked, trying to penetrate further into the stabbing that Avery Muller's body had. "You want to be HIM. You want to be like the soldier. Don't you feel the guilt? TELL ME! YOU FEEL IT!?"

          Avery nodded, letting more tears run down his cheeks. "I had to..." He murmured, a whisper almost muted by the lump in his throat.

          Little Avery let out a tear, looking at his adult version. "And what did it cost you? What was the price you had to pay for...murdering innocent people? For killing her?"

          Avery sobbed, falling to his knees on the floor, feeling that everything that was going to happen didn't matter anymore. He looked at his younger version and licked his lips. "Everything. The price was too high to get here and I will continue to get that fucking book."

          And suddenly, when he looked up, he was gone. Avery cringed, letting himself embrace in the darkness of the desolate forest. Until a voice called from a distance. "Avery" He heard, it was a female voice, and again, closer and closer.

          "Avery!" Violet Quinn's voice brought him back to the real world. He gasped and settled back in his seat, feeling his partner try to bring him back to reality. "We have already arrived."

          The small team got out of the vehicle next to the soldier, while Anika carried the briefcase with the serum that HYDRA wanted. The group walked towards the entrance, feeling as the snowstorm lashed against their bodies, cooling them and trying to kill them with their low temperature. Upon entering, they went to the elevator and there they went down to the basements of the base - with the loot of the mission in their hands. Avery looked at Jake's watch, which was indicating the minutes that were missing - 55:09 - and they had to follow the plan to the letter. As soon as the doors opened, the team met with the commander in chief - a smirk danced on his lips, as if he was satisfied with their work. He nodded and motioned for the soldier to come closer. There was no doubt in his movements, he reached out and opened the briefcase, revealing the serum samples.

          " (Good job, Soldier)" The commander said and looked at the team. "(Good job, go to the block and change your clothes, go to the Playground in 20 minutes)."

          Avery tensed, feeling that time had already begun to run, that the end was coming and decided not to lose it. The team excused itself, walking at a quick pace towards the block where their things were. Upon entering, they found other clothes and they changed, placing their weapons in holsters. Jake and Anika threw some small tubes at the two mercenaries, when in doubt, Avery was about to ask but Anika cut him off-they are silencers, the bullet will not be heard and they can do the job in silence. "We will do the distraction."

          "All right," Violet replied and looked at her partner nervously. "We must hurry up."

          They both ran towards the stairs, while Jake and Anika ran in the opposite direction. The two mercenaries scurried, stealthily walking through the corridors until they reached the stairs that led to the pavilion where the book was kept. They both met with two armed guards, who frowned and walked towards them, but Avery raised his gun and muttered an apology in Russian before the two mercenaries pulled the trigger. The two bodies fell dry on the cold floor of that base and Muller watched as blood came out of their heads, staining the entire floor with blood. Creating a betrayal of HYDRA. The two mercenaries looked for the keys that those guards had to open the hatch and then put them in their respective places. Violet looked at Avery, letting out a nervous sigh, he nodded. Both turned the keys and the floodgates opened, revealing the small compartment where the book was.

          "I can't believe we have it...finally," Violet murmured, sighing in relief.

          "The reward is almost ours." Avery smiled, walking toward the compartment.

          The green-eyed mercenary touched the buttons that indicated the code, his eyes shining when the door opened, revealing the red book with its black star in the center. Avery grabbed it with his hands and felt the cold leather against his digits - feeling the danger of taking the book out of its place. He looked at Violet and she smiled. "Mission accomplished."

          "We're not finished yet, Quinn," he replied, walking toward the stairs. "We must look for our partners."

          "No!" Violet stopped him, Avery turned as he frowned. "There is something you should know."

          "What are you talking about?"

          Violet swallowed. "The Brikin siblings aren't only tasked with carrying the book, they must also kill us."

          "That's impossible."

          Violet denied. "The file says so. It's true."

          Avery felt something bitter fall down his throat, the mercenary felt betrayed and more by his teammates - he somehow swore he would make them pay for that. Time was running and they had to get out of there. Both mercenaries took their weapons and those of the guards, sneaking through the corridors. Violet went to another hallway while Avery came back for it - as she turned around, she saw that Violet was gone and that bitter feeling returned. Would Violet Quinn also betray him? Suddenly a masculine scream was heard, one heartrending, which echoed at the end of the corridor. The mercenary raised his weapon and walked towards it, knowing that the group came from the Playground.

          Avery approached slowly, hiding from any Russian soldier who dared to patrol the corridors. He leaned a little forward, with no Moors on the coast. He stood by the wall and decided to lean up a bit to see what was happening downstairs. They were torturing someone, more specifically: a man. His face was too familiar to be true. The man shouted again, feeling his torture too intense. Avery was completely paralyzed. That man was Jake Birkin and he had been captured. The mercenary cursed inside, knowing they had been discovered.

          They had discovered the real traitors. Now death was very close to them.

          "Damn it," Avery muttered as he figured out a plan to get Jake out of that torture. Suddenly, someone touched his arm and Avery leaned back, pointing his gun at the head of a redheaded girl - who did not hesitate to raise her hands. "What the hell are you doing here?"

          "That's what I'm asking for you, Muller," she said dryly. "You got it?"

          "Yes. But I will not give it to you."

          Anika crouched down, staring at him. "I don't care anymore, asshole. What matters now is to tell Fury that we have the fucking book and get out of here."

          "They've discovered us, Anika," Muller replied in panic. "They are torturing your brother, we must help him."

          Birkin denied and looked for something on her belt. A black communicator. "My brother and I are no longer relevant to the mission. Jake is dead and the next will be me. I know we should kill both of you, but we decided not to." She handed the communicator to the mercenary. "You and Violet are the ones that matter now. Get out of here and..."

          The lights went out, leaving the red emergency lights on. Avery raised his weapon but the redhead instantly lowered it and looked at Muller. "Listen! You must press the communicator to contact Fury, he will tell you what to do once you have left this filthy pigsty. My brother and I are willing to sacrifice our lives to let you out, but you don't dare to stop in the snow."

          A shrill scream echoed in the Playground and the cries of the commander were stronger. Anika let out a sob and looked back at the mercenary. "Don't let the soldier kill you, despite everything he has done to you, don't let the soldier break you. I trust you, Avery Muller, don't spoil it. The freedom of the world is on your shoulders."

          "We will not see each other again, will we?" Avery dared to ask.

          Anika laughed bitterly, as if it were a good joke. "No, not in the living world at least. But we'll see each other in hell if they kill you. Good luck." She got up and pushed Avery, who ran to the hallway where he had come earlier. The redhead smiled before grabbing her gun and shooting three times in the air. "IDIOTS! Do you want me? COME AND GET ME!"

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          Avery ran through the corridors, encountering guards - who were knocked down by his bullets. He hid the book inside his military jacket and ran to the stairs that led to the elevator that marked as the only viable exit. He pressed a couple of buttons and the hatch opened, heard several Russian guards approaching and talking loudly. However, he also heard shots and turned aiming his gun towards the stairs. The person who had fired approached slowly, showing to be a female figure.

          Violet Quinn was alive.

          She looked at him with a sly smile before speaking. "Did you really think I would leave without you?"

          "At this point, yes."

          "Let's go, we must get out of here."

          The tour was very short, as soon as the doors opened, Violet and Avery opened fire on the Russian guards - thus continuing their way to a vehicle that would transport them to the forest. Avery set about disabling the elevator and gaining more time, knowing that the Birkin siblings had reached their final point - and that they were probably dead already. They both climbed into a snowmobile and Violet pressed the accelerator, moving away from the base as fast as they could. On the way, she handed him a file that was written in Russian. Avery frowned. "What is this?"

          "It's about the Soldier. His real name is James Buchanan Barnes, he's American," She answered, eyes on the road. "Keep it, it will serve Fury."

          Fury. The communicator.

          Avery touched the communicator and a static sound echoed in his ears, but then a voice too clear penetrated his mind. "Birkin, I need to know your status."

          "You're late, Fury," Avery replied. "They didn't make it. They were captured, Jake died tortured and Anika gave me this communicator before surrendering. Violet and I are out of the base, escaping down the mountain."

          "It's a shame for them," He heard Nick Fury. "Please tell me you have the damn book."

          Avery gave a slight laugh. "Of course I do. And I have something else that could interest you."

          "You'll tell the details at the meeting point, Muller."

          "Where is the meeting point?"

          "Outside the Lena River Forest, at dawn."

          "WHAT?!" Avery exclaimed furiously, knowing that it was 6 hours before dawn. "Will we have to wait until dawn?"

          "The storm doesn't help, Muller, so I suggest you be careful out there. Don't let the soldier kill you. We'll see you in 6 hours. Fury out."

          And the transmission was cut off. Avery knocked on the door and let out a growl of frustration. His partner looked at him worriedly and he tried to calm down. Until dawn, the two mercenaries had to survive until dawn to deliver the book. Something impossible with the Winter Soldier, who must already be on his way to kill them, but Avery knew they were capable of it.

          Violet tilted her head. "What did he say?"

          "We must survive until dawn, Violet. Or he will kill us."

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