Ηail Hydra

Chapter 3

Percy sat up, instantly wide awake, his eyes piercing through the darkness of his apartment room. Curtains were covering the few windows, tiny slivers of silvery moonlight escaping through the material. Even through the shadows in the small and darkened room, Percy could see better than most. But what had awoken him was the very faint sound of metal against metal. His eyes darted to the lock on the door, where he stayed until he saw the circular handle very slowly move, almost unnoticeably to the untrained eyes. Percy was out of bed and ready to fight within seconds. He felt wide awake, as if he hadn't been asleep less than a minute ago, wearing only the pants he slept in. His body was tense yet relaxed, coiled like a snake, ready to strike at any moment. He slowly walked towards the door, his bare feet making no sound on the old, wooden floor. Just earlier that week, when he had first moved in, he had memorized every spot on the floor that creaked when stepped on.

He moved to the side of the door frame, pressing his bare back against the wall, waiting for the intruder to come in. The handle stopped moving, and Percy could hear the very stealthy sounds of footsteps. But not stealthy enough. The door slowly swung inwards without a sound; they had obviously oiled the hinges. The first mistake they took was not being quiet enough. The second mistake was holding the gun-an MP5-aimed forward, so Percy could see the gun before the person walked through the door. His arm lunged forward, grabbing the barrel of the gun and ripping it forward. The soldier was pulled forward and Percy slammed the butt of the weapon back again, cracking it against his chest. The momentum of the strike pushed the man backwards and to the ground, winding him as well.

"Open fire!" One of them barked. Percy dove to the side as bullets ripped through the thin wall he had just been standing at. Shredded wallpaper streamed through the air and over him as he ducked behind his bed. He dropped on his back and reached underneath the bed. He grabbed the AK-47 strapped to the underside, as well as the backpack containing everything he needed when on the run. Money, different identities and passports, weapons, extra ammo, untraceable cards, disposable phones. Basic stuff, really. He threw the backpack to the side, loading the gun with practised ease.

He noticed the shooting had stopped, and knew they were approaching. He peeked up from behind the bed, sending a short burst of fire at the doorway. He could hear them scuttling away, expecting him to fire again. He grabbed a short sleeved shirt, quickly slipping it over himself, before putting the backpack over his shoulders. By this time, the soldiers had become braver and were advancing once again. He swiftly slipped his feet into a pair of Vans, knowing this might be the last time in a while he'd be able to get some things. When on the run, you can't afford to grow attached to things.

"Perseus! Surrender now or we will shoot!" Someone called. Percy rolled his eyes, shrugging off his backpack and digging in it.

"All right, all right. You got me." He called back, bringing out a grenade and instead dropping the AK to the floor. "I'm surrendering. Totally surrendering." He held the bag strap with one hand and the grenade with the other. He brought it to his mouth and pulled the pin out with his teeth. "Incoming!" He called, the pin still between his teeth as he threw it outside the door, where it bounced towards the others. He spat it out and rushed towards the closest window.

"Grenade!" Someone yelled and he heard everyone dive for cover. Percy used this time to smash out the window with his elbow. The window shattered into dozens of tiny pieces, falling down onto the floor and down the side of the building.
As he cleared the jagged pieces of glass with his hand, not caring if he got cut in the process, one of the soldiers spoke out uncertainly as the grenade stayed the same,

"Is it a dud?" He heard a few approach it, before an explosion rocked the room. Even from the distance he was at, the force of it threw him against the window hard. A pained grunt escaped him, heat searing his back. Without looking back, he knew the place was on fire. He climbed through the window, crouching down on the window sill for a moment, before leaping off. When he had rented the place, he had been mindful that he would need multiple escape routes, so he had been sure to get one close to the next building over so he could escape over the rooftops. Which came in pretty handy for situations like now. He fell through the air, twisting so his body was almost vertical. As he landed, he bent his knees and rolled forward to lessen the impact. His ankles and feet still hurt from the impact, but the pain wasn't bad enough to hinder him. He took off running immediately, aware of the shouting going on somewhere behind him. He looked over his shoulders momentarily, taking everything in with one quick glance. He could see soldiers cluttered at the destroyed window, but they didn't seem to be able to get through-or even make the jump. He could see smoke rising up from the window, golden-red flames licking the inside of the dingy apartment. And he could see the face of his ex-neighbour Jessica Jones staring out from her apartment window, her expression twisted with both confusion and shock. He looked forward almost immediately again though, ignoring everything going on behind him. He came to a sudden stop though as a red and gold robot like suit landed in front of him with a whir of machinery.