~ANIMALIA~

My eyes flutter open, quickly closing in the bright light fixed to the ceiling. I must have forgotten to turn the light off in my nauseas state last night. I groan, reopening my eyes. The putrid smell of my vomit fills the small room, making me want to gag. I rise from the tub, hitting a switch blindly on the wall which turns on another light. Hitting it off, I pry open the bathroom window to let in some fresh air.

The smells of cigarettes and rain fills my nose, a better aroma than the bathroom, despite the smoke. I take deep breaths, a therapeutic action. Looking in the mirror, I notice that my blonde hair hangs in tangles, meaning I'll have to fix it before I leave. Grabbing a brush and some pins from a drawer, I pin my hair up into a messy bun.

Leaving the room, I enter the bedroom once more. The smell of baked goods still lingers, the sickly stench having a similar effect as the night before. I hastily change, wanting to escape the apartment as quickly as possible. I cut a hole in the pocket of my dark pants for easy access to my sheath, along with a green shirt. Making sure to put one of my knives in the sheath, I grab my handbag, ready to leave.

"Stage two begins."

***

I stand in a train carriage, holding a handlebar due to the lack of seats. It's full of people, all of us squished up like sardines. An elderly woman holds a newspaper in her frail hands, the words 'Animalia wrecks havoc through New York' printed across the top. A picture of The Winter Soldier, Captain America and myself are all featured on the cover.

I turn away from it, waiting for my stop.

***

I arrive at SHIELD, the warm air engulfing me as I walk inside. Agents dart around corners and unbeknownst to them, they had a HYDRA assassin under their roof. Some carry papers and others coffee, some even in their uniforms. One has a finger to an earpiece, repeating the same sentence over and over. "I repeat, Stark and Barnes are missing. Code blue."

A tall blonde man rounds the corner, his blue eyes instantly recognisable. Captain America. He gives me a curt nod as he walks by, so I flash him a quick smile. Walking briskly down the halls, I check my - Jessica's - phone. Her phone case matches her key chain, the reminder making me dread going back to her apartment. The directions to Nick Fury's office are displayed on the screen, curtesy of Tony Stark. They were originally intended for Jessica to be briefed on the latest project, but I'm going to use it to track down Fury, and kill him.

I will snuff out his light, a tiny flicker of pain erased from existence.

~VANDENBERG~

The smell of burning flesh fills my nose, the smokey room having no mercy on my burning lungs. The black, billowing clouds bring tears to my stinging eyes. My father's screams, among many others, echo in my ears. Fire licks at my limbs, searing pain and raw flesh being left in its wake. I desperately try to scramble out of the building, a window only a few metres away. The unburnt wood meets my fingertips, a cooling comparison to the hot metal that is most of the warehouse.

The heat radiating off of the walls is unbearable, making my insides feel liquefied. I pick up a piece of burning wood, slamming it into the window. It shatters as the plank snaps in two, hot splinters and glass flying haphazardly through the air. I punch out some of the large chunks of glass, looking down at the two storey drop. Plush glass awaits below, illuminated by the firelight.

Swinging my aching body over the windowsill, I inhale a breathe of fresh air. I hit the ground with a thud, my feet taking the impact. A loud crack fills the air and a scream erupts from my raw throat.  My ankle throbs, and I lie back, trying to shuffle away from the building, away from the charred corpses and the screams. The screams. I listen intently to the midnight air, the only sound being the crackle of the fire and collapsing wood. The realisation hits me. They're all dead. Every single one.

My weakened muscles relax into the grass, my thoughts consumed by my sister, who wasn't in the warehouse.

I recline on my soft desk chair, it's worn leather moulded to my body shape. A soft knock comes from my door, the familiar metal tapping sound reaching my ears. I sigh, trying to suppress the growing urge to throw up, the dark images of that lurking in my thoughts. "Come in." I say, my voice coming out loud and strong.

Commander Surdens walks into my office, his impeccable attire reflecting his sharp personality. "Good afternoon, Miss Vandenberg. I have the status report from Animalia." I smile, true happiness destroying all my morbid thoughts from earlier. "And?" I ask. "She has managed to infiltrate their headquarters without drawing attention to herself. Steve Rogers himself didn't recognise her."

My smile broadens. I knew she wouldn't fail me. Turing to my papers, I gesture for Surdens to leave. He nods, turning on his heel. Hesitating, he stands with his back facing me. "May I freely ask you a question?" He asks, whipping around. I nod. "What are your plans when all of this is over? Your goal is to eliminate Nick Fury, that much I know, but what happens after that? What is the end result?"

I roll my eyes, knowing this question would come. "That is none of your concern. All you need to worry yourself about for now is everything going according to plan." Surdens nods, turning and then facing me again, ready with another question. "But what if Animalia isn't capable? After all, the reason she was successful in the past was because she had The Winter Soldier. The second we separated them, he escaped and she soon followed."

I stick my jut my jaw out in frustration. "Do I need to remind you of your place, Surdens? You are below me, and have no right to question my actions. Those idiots are in Check, and they will need to find an extraordinary move to get out of it. If they do, then I will hold your head responsible. Is that understood?" I ask, my voice full of venom.

"Yes ma'am."