NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1: chapter 1
Chapter One: The Awakening in Ice
The harsh Antarctic wind howled like a beast over the frozen expanse. A solitary, weathered structure rose from the desolation—an abandoned HYDRA laboratory, long buried under decades of ice and secrecy. Forgotten by time, its sinister halls had once harbored experiments that defied ethics, morality, and the boundaries of science.
Inside the lab, the cold clung to the metallic walls, and the air carried a faint, acrid scent of decay. Deep in the heart of this facility, something stirred. An ancient vial, cracked by the relentless freeze, leaked a viscous, dark-green substance onto the floor. It glowed faintly, pulsing as though alive.
Unknown to the world, this was Project Necro—a failed attempt by HYDRA to create a super-soldier serum that could regenerate life itself. The experiment had been abandoned after catastrophic results, and the lab had been sealed away.
But the ice could not contain everything forever.
SHIELD's Discovery
Aboard the SHIELD Quinjet, Director Maria Hill surveyed the coordinates on a glowing screen. The distress signal had been faint but unmistakable—an electromagnetic pulse emitted from somewhere deep beneath the ice. She glanced at the operative beside her.
"Dr. Simmons, are you certain these readings are accurate?" Maria asked, her tone edged with skepticism.
Jemma Simmons, SHIELD's top biochemist, nodded with conviction. "It's not just an energy surge. There's an unusual biological signature emanating from this location. Whatever it is, it's alive—or at least active."
Hill's frown deepened. "HYDRA's old stomping grounds," she murmured. "They never learn."
The Quinjet landed near the site, its engines slicing through the frozen silence. As the ramp lowered, a team of SHIELD agents clad in thermal gear stepped out, weapons at the ready. Simmons followed, carrying a scanner that beeped ominously with every step.
Inside the lab, the team moved cautiously through the eerie corridors. Ice had crept into every corner, and the walls bore the scars of desperate claw marks, as though someone—or something—had tried to escape.
"Director Hill," Simmons called out, her voice shaking slightly. She pointed at a containment chamber with shattered glass and glowing residue on the floor. The scanner in her hands went haywire.
Hill crouched to examine the substance, her eyes narrowing. "Is that… blood?"
"No," Simmons replied grimly. "It's something worse. The molecular structure suggests rapid mutation and necrotic properties. If HYDRA created this…" She trailed off, the implications sinking in.
The Sample Escapes
As the team gathered evidence, a subtle hissing noise filled the air. One of the agents, Johnson, turned sharply toward the sound. "Did anyone hear that?"
Before anyone could answer, a shadow darted past the corridor. Lights flickered, and the temperature seemed to plummet further.
"Stay sharp," Hill ordered, raising her firearm.
Suddenly, a grotesque figure lunged from the darkness—a skeletal, frostbitten creature with glowing, green veins coursing through its body. It shrieked, its inhuman cry echoing through the lab. Johnson fired a burst of bullets, but the creature barely flinched.
Simmons screamed, "It's infected! That's the serum!"
The team unleashed a hail of bullets, finally bringing the creature down, but not before it sank its claws into an agent's arm. Hill cursed under her breath as she ordered the lab quarantined.
But the damage was already done.
Unbeknownst to SHIELD, the vial's contents had seeped into the ice, carried away by hidden underground currents. The infection was spreading, and the world was about to face a nightmare like no other.
A Call for the Avengers
Back aboard the Quinjet, Hill placed an urgent call to the Avengers.
"Steve, we've got a situation," she said, her voice grim. "HYDRA's left us a parting gift. And it's bad. Real bad."
Captain America's voice came through the comms. "Define 'bad,' Hill."
Hill glanced at the infected agent convulsing on the stretcher behind her. His veins glowed green as his eyes turned glassy and lifeless. A moment later, he sat up, growling like an animal.
"You'll want to suit up for this one."