"Phew, I finally made it out," the Leader exhaled.
It was a deep full moon, but dense clouds obscured the moonlight. In this desolate area, there was neither the glow of the moon nor the dazzling lights of the city, making the surrounding nature particularly gloomy.
The Leader was in the wilderness, far from human settlements, although there were a few villages nearby, so it couldn't be said that it was completely uninhabited. At the moment, he was searching for a secluded place to recover his strength.
After a day and night of continuous flight, he had already left New Mexico and crossed the border into Texas. He was in terrible shape, and the excruciating headache made it difficult to move further. However, the Leader was cautious – he hadn't escaped alone, but brought along several mutated creatures that helped him leave the base. Thanks to the larger mutants, he covered a considerable distance in the underground tunnels in such a short time.
Riding on the back of one of the creatures, he didn't know how much time he spent underground, as the headache clouded his mind, and he lost track of time. After a while, the pain began to subside, allowing him to realize they had moved into Texas. Estimating the distance from the base, he decided it was safe to surface, as it would be easier to travel on land than in these winding underground tunnels.
The Leader changed his route and emerged to the surface. The dark night sky was ideal for travel, as it didn't attract unwanted attention. However, as soon as he surfaced, his reconnaissance mutants reported a group of armed men searching the area ahead. He almost thought that he had been found by the Storm Swordsman's or Bruce Banner's people, but the information from the mutants indicated they weren't their people.
He became interested in these individuals. He was curious about what they were doing here. He wasn't afraid of ordinary armed fighters – he was only afraid of beings like the Hulk or the Storm Swordsman. After all, he had his own mutants hidden behind him, who were no less powerful.
Following the scouts, he crept closer to where the group of armed men was located and hid to observe them from the darkness. After his mutation from the Hulk's blood, not only his brain but also his other organs had changed, allowing him to eavesdrop on conversations from a great distance.
"Didn't they say the target was somewhere around here? Why haven't we found him yet? Maybe the information was wrong?"
These fully equipped soldiers had no idea they were being watched. They carefully scanned the area, expecting their target to appear at any moment. They wore night vision devices and body armor, and held rifles in their hands, like true special forces soldiers.
"Don't relax! The information is accurate. Our scout saw the target with his own eyes before disappearing. We need to be careful – the target is extremely dangerous," their captain replied, keeping his weapon at the ready.
These men turned out to be Hydra agents. Yesterday, Pierce received a report from Agent Sitwell about the events in Mexico. It turned out that someone was capable of creating an army of mutants, and Hydra was in dire need of such talents.
Pierce ordered hidden Hydra agents in all key organizations to gather information. Hydra had infiltrated not only S.H.I.E.L.D. but also other important US agencies. He soon received data related to General Ross, who was collaborating with the Leader. The agents managed to intercept their communications, and Hydra learned that the Leader was hiding from a powerful enemy.
Pierce ordered Hydra in New Mexico and the surrounding areas to search for the Leader, although he didn't expect quick results. However, luck was on their side – one of the search parties stumbled upon the target's trail.
The Leader, eavesdropping on the conversation, remembered how, after emerging from the underground, he had killed a random passerby who, as it turned out, was a scout. Perhaps this was the very person they were talking about.
Furrowing his brow, he pondered. Was he being pursued not only by the Storm Swordsman?
Making up his mind, he gave the order to his mutants. Several venomous spikes were launched towards the Hydra agents, and a moment later, all the fighters fell dead, except for one, who continued to hold his weapon with a trembling hand. This was their commander.
The Leader emerged from the shadows. The remaining Hydra agent noticed him and tried to shoot, but immediately felt dizzy and lost control of his body, dropping his rifle to the ground.
The Leader, clutching his head in pain, stepped forward. Using his mental abilities, he took control of the agent's mind. Although he was weakened, thanks to his mutants' venom, the opponent's will was broken, and control was established.
Now he was going to find out who was hunting him. Under the influence of his mental control, the Hydra agent would tell him everything he needed to know.