Crimson (A Marvel Story)

Chapter 8: Rouge

    "So...," Rudy mumbled. I flipped the Quinjet into Autopilot as I turned towards Rudy and sat next to him. "What exactly are you gonna do when you find Ms. Kay?"
I shrugged.
"Ask her where Doctor's new compound is."
He nodded, his eyes slowly narrowing.
"What if she won't tell you?"
I curled my lips, honestly not sure what I would do if she wouldn't tell me. I sighed and shook my head.
"I honestly don't know. But...I do know that she cared about me. She looked out for me. And...I don't think she ever liked Doctor."
He nodded again.
"And what are you gonna do if she does tell you where Knox is?"
I clenched my jaw. I could spill all the gory details. I could tell Rudy that I was gonna burn him to a crisp, or that I was gonna rip the very breath from his lungs, but that all seemed like too much for him.
"Wanna play the question game?" I asked, trying to change the subject. I felt a small wave of relief as a smile spread across his face. He nodded. I bit my lip as I thought of a question to ask.
"When you're in a bad mood, do you prefer to be left alone or have someone with you?"
He let out a faint chuckle as he tightened his arms around me, pulling me into his chest.
"I rather have someone with me. I can already tell that you're the opposite."
I laughed and nodded.
"Yeah...I was taught that you should never let anyone see you cry. Well, I was taught that crying is weakness. I was taught that love is weakness."
Rudy kept his eyes glued to mine as he slowly shook his head.
"Do you believe that?"
"I used to...until I met you. Now I see that love is what keeps people together. It's the only...good thing in this world."
"So...does that mean that you love me?" he said with a grin.
I smiled and leaned my head against his chest.
He chuckled as I didn't answer.
"I'll take that as a yes."
I laughed.

   It took us about five hours to get to Finland. I landed the Quinjet in the woods where it would be hidden. The frigid wind slammed against my face as I stepped out of the jet. I shoved the fire through my body, warming myself up. I glanced at Rudy as he pulled his fur hood over his head. He shivered and crossed his arms as he glanced out at the skyline ahead of us.
"You ready?" he asked. I nodded and curled my fingers around his as we started towards the city.

   The city was quiet with the hush of sleep. It had to be around 2am. The snow quietly drifted from the black sky. I pulled my head back as I walked, staring up as the fluffy snowflakes fell onto my face. I smiled as I opened my mouth and let the flakes melt on my tongue. I had never seen snow before. I glanced down at my feet as I walked, feeling the snow crunch underneath my boots. My head snapped forward as Rudy opened the door to an apartment complex. We walked up two flights of stairs before stopping at a room labeled 322. My heart hammered against my ribcage as I lifted my hand and knocked on the door. I swallowed hard as the silent moments passed by. Then, the door clicked and slowly opened to reveal her sweet black eyes, her salt and pepper hair. Her droopy eyes met mine and instantly widened. Her mouth gaped open as she reached out and placed her warm leathery hand against my cheek. Her eyes swelled with tears.
"Bird?" she croaked, her voice groggy. I flashed a weak smile and wrapped my fingers around her wrist.
"Hi, Ms. Kay," I mumbled. She grabbed me by the shoulders and yanked me in for a tight hug. I wrapped my arms around her and breathed in her sweet scent.
"I thought you were dead!" she sobbed. "They told me you were dead!"
I bit my lip, forcing the tears back down.
"I'm right here. I'm more alive than I've ever been!"
She motioned for Rudy to come in and she slammed the door shut. Her eyes narrowed as they traced over my suit.
"I know...," I mumbled. "I'm with the Avengers now."
She chuckled as she plopped herself on her bed and shook her head.
"Better them than with Knox!"
She shook her head again and sighed.
"I should've never helped him. But I was so mad at the Starks! My father was one of the first to test the super soldier serum. Howard Stark told him that it was completely safe...but of course that was a lie. I thought by helping Knox, I could finally avenge my father but—."
I knelt down and place my hand on hers. I gazed into her ink-black eyes.
"It's not your fault, Ms. Kay!"
She shook her head and rolled her eyes.
"It doesn't matter anymore, does it? It's time I forgave them. I suspect you both came here for a reason?"
I nodded as I stood and sat back down next to her.
"I need to find Doctor. I need to put an end to him and Pheonix before they kill again."
She sighed as she pulled her eyes to the floor. She stood and walked over to her drawer. She pulled out some sticky notes and started to write something on it.
"You're in luck. They're right here in Finland."
She handed me the sticky note. On it were some coordinates. To the compound I assumed. I nodded as I stood.
"Thank you, Ms. Kay. Not just for this but...for everything you've done for me in the past."
She grinned as she placed her hand against my cheek.
"I was never able to tell you this before, but you're stronger than Pheonix. You're stronger than Doctor. You always have been. You just need to look deep inside yourself to find that strength that's already there."
A warm tear slid down my cheek as I peered into her sweet eyes.
"It doesn't matter if your fire isn't blue, or if you're only 4'10. You...are a prodigy! Don't ever forget that!"
I wiped the tear away from my cheek and nodded. My face hardened as my eyes flickered to Rudy's. I pointed to him.
"Do you mind if he stays here with you? Just until I come back?"
Rudy took a step towards me and wrapped his hand around my wrist.
"No way! I'm coming with you! You're gonna need all the help you can get!"
I shook my head.
"Rudy, it's too dangerous! You don't belong in this world! You're not a fight—."
"Stop saying that!" he yelled. "When it comes to you, I'll fight! I'll fight for you!"
Ms. Kay cleared her throat. I glanced back at her.
"I'll give you two a moment," she muttered. I watched as she went into another room. Rudy squeezed my wrist. My eyes flicked back up to his. His eyes were narrowed into slits.
"It was torture sitting in that computer lab, knowing that you were all alone on that roof with that...phsycopath! I am not doing that again!"
I shook my head, feeling myself crumble on the inside as I formulated my next sentence in my head.
"You asked me if I believed love was weakness. Well, I lied. Love is weakness!"
I yanked my hand away from his grip. I shoved down all emotion as his brows bent back, a mixture of confusion and sadness glazing over his ocean eyes. "Yeah...I lied about everything. Everything since we've first meant."
He shook his head, the confusion still glowing in his eyes.
"W—what do you mean?"
I rolled my eyes.
"God, do I have to spell it out for you?! I used you! From the very beginning! Stark wouldn't help me find Pheonix, but you would. I needed you to help me find him. Nothing more."
I clenched my jaw to keep it from trembling as Rudy's eyes glazed over with tears.
"So...when you said you...loved me that was—?"
"A lie. I'm a spy and an assassin. I've been trained to lie. Lie, use, and kill."
I took a commanding step towards him. Rudy stumbled back, the tears dripping from his eyes. I could almost feel his heart break inside his chest.
"Now I've already done two of those things to you. Don't make me do the third."
He swallowed hard as the tears continued to stream down my face. I wanted to burst into tears. To burst into tears and to tell him that I loved him, but I didn't. I kept my face as hard as stone and blankly stared at him. He placed his warm hand on my shoulder, his teary eyes digging into mine.
"Please don't do this, Briella. I—I love you."
I took a step back, brushing his hand off my shoulder. I slowly shook my head.
"Go home, Rudy."
I glared into his handsome...beautiful...heartbroken face one last before turning and walking out the door without saying a word. I kept my composure until I walked into the Quinjet and typed in the coordinates. I set it to autopilot and shoved myself out of the chair to sit in the back. As soon as I took a step, my legs gave out from under me. The floor came up to meet my face. Every inch of sorrow and heartbreak rushed through me like a flood. Tears burst from my eyes. I sucked in breath after breath, trying my hardest to get his heartbroken eyes out of my head. I clenched my jaw and sobbed and sobbed, soaking my entire face with the matter of seconds. I shoved my hands in my pockets and froze as my fingers pressed up against a soft object. I let a labored breath as I pulled it out of my pocket and brought it up to my to my face. A thick lump formed in my throat as I stared at Rudy's red pocket square. I squeezed my eyes shut, pressing his pocket square into my chest. His voice rang in my head.
"There is no one better than you," Rudy mumbled. That night in the hotel was the best night of my life. It was the only real time I had felt loved.
"My life was crap before you came along. I hated almost everybody. But you...you brought meaning to my life. And I don't care if you killed a hundred people. Nothing you could ever say will make me not..."
Love me. He was going to say that he loved me. The only person to ever truly love me was standing right beside me a few moments ago, and I crushed his heart into millions of pieces. I swallowed the thick lump in my throat as a loud beeping noise came from the front of the jet. I took in a deep breath, shoved the pocket square back in my pocket, and rushed over to the pilot's seat. I looked forward to see a huge compound in the middle of the woods. It was a lot smaller than the last one. I clenched my jaw as I approached. I had to get this done! The faster I ended this, the quicker I could get back to Rudy. Tell him I was sorry. I took in a deep breath.
Alright, Bri, I said to myself. Do it just like the first mission on the boat. No fear. Show no fear.
I shoved the joystick down, putting the jet into a dive. I clenched the joystick harder as I stared at the awful building. My eyes narrowed into slits. Remeber what they did to you. They torture you. Changed you, made you into a weapon, they took away your childhood, your humanity!
I took in a deep breath as the building came closer and closer. Everything moved in slow motion. I took in a deep breath. I stared at that building as if I was glaring at Doctor. I could see his cold grey eyes staring back at me.
"I won't be a monster for you anymore. I'm tired fighting wars for men who want to rule the world. I'm breaking free. I am not your weapon anymore. You're gonna regret the mere thought of making me like this."
I made an X with my arms as the jet collided with the building. I broke it and sent fire bursting out every pore of my body. The explosion rocked the building down to it's very core, the heat so hot that even I felt it. My body slammed into the ground as the Quinjet broke apart and burned above me.