In the Dead of the Night || Winter Soldier

Prologue

THEN – Birnin Zana, Wakanda – June 14th, 2010

Time: 11:21pm

I could hardly hear the light echo of his haunting footsteps on the unforgiving cement floor. My heart was too loud then. It threatened to burst from my chest. That is, if my lungs didn't give out first.

"Ah, Miss Kingsley. I've been looking for you."

I ran harder, faster. I slightly heard the sound of boots slapping against the car park floor then, but they were too heavy for his. Laboured. They were probably my own.

"Who are you?"

A bullet imbedded itself in cement column a few meters away. I uselessly ducked; there wasn't any cover nearby, and it was obvious that he was a skilled marksman, an assassin. Why are there never people in these bloody car parks when crap like this goes down?

"My name is Alexander Pierce. I work for some people who... would like to see someone with your particular abilities help our cause."

Another bullet, another dodge. For an expert assassin, his aim could have used a little more work.

"I'm... not sure what you're talking about Mr Pierce."

"Of course you do Miss Kingsley. You are a practitioner in the dark arts, aren't you? What do your people call it? Necromancy?"

There was a lone car sitting in the level above after I sprinted up. I tried breaking the driver's seat window, but my tiny, feeble fist didn't even crack it. It's times like those where I wished I was a badass, like Black Widow or something.

"I think it's best if you leave Mr Pierce."

"I'm trying to be reasonable Miss Kingsley. HYDRA doesn't take no for an answer."

"I'm sorry, but today it's going to have to."

The glass did eventually give way, but it wasn't to my fist. I barely moved in time to avoid the metal fist's attempts to crush my skull in, said fist having to momentarily settle for the car's glass window instead. I didn't even hear him approach from behind, freaking ninja.

"Please Miss Kingsley; it would be in your best interests to say yes."

"I think you mean your best interests."

"You're being unreasonable."

"I'm being dignified, and you're being a – unwatered pansy!"

"Unwatered pansy?"

"I'm creative and I don't like to swear."

I all but stumbled over my own clumsy feet in my incompetent attempts to evade the close quarter fighting, yet nonetheless found myself on the floor with a heavily busted upper lip that screamed in pain more than I did in that moment. Undignified, I crawled. It didn't help much when he mercilessly kicked me onto my back. It was then that I met his eyes.

"Last chance Victoria. You're either with us or you aren't."

"Unless you're deaf as well as stupid, then I said no. Please move away from my car."

"Can't say I didn't warn you."

Blue. Stone. Ice. Cold. Empty. Empty? It was as if he didn't have a mind of his own. A weapon only pointed in the direction of those who defied or stood in the way of whatever the hell HYDRA was.