Deep within the confines of a secretive correctional facility, the air hung heavy with a sense of tension and confinement. The location was kept under wraps, known only to a select few who were tasked with maintaining its secure and controlled environment.

On the ground floor of this heavily guarded facility, a guard patrolled the halls with an unflinching expression. He held a rifle at the ready, his eyes darting back and forth as he scanned the area for any sign of trouble. Every step was deliberate, every movement calculated as he sought to maintain order within the walls of the prison.

Suddenly, the guard's ears perked up at the faint sound of metal clinking in the distance. With a furrowed brow, he quickly made his way toward the source of the noise and saw a room. As he approached the room, a feeling of unease began to gnaw at his gut. It was pitch black inside and the guard hesitated before stepping in.

Suddenly, without warning, a powerful fist emerged from the room and collided with the guard's chin.

* WHAM *

The force of the blow sent him crashing to the ground, his world fading to blackness. A pair of hands seized him and dragged him inside the room, disappearing into the darkness.

Seconds later, a figure emerged from the same room, donning the guard's uniform with ease. The man's face was hidden under the hat he wore, but his movements were confident and calculated. As he strode confidently down the hallway, the light caught his face, revealing a familiar figure: it was Val.

Val cautiously scanned his surroundings, ensuring that he was alone and undetected before making his way toward the open elevator shaft. As he stepped inside the metal contraption, a sense of anticipation pulsed through his veins. With a resolute expression, he pressed the button that would take him deep into the underground.

* DING *

The elevator doors parted with a chime, revealing two guards standing at the entrance. They immediately spotted Val and their expressions turned to confusion and suspicion. One of them spoke up, his voice laced with authority, "Hold it right there! You're not authorized to be down here. And what's with the mask?"

Without hesitation, Val launched a powerful punch at the guard's face, the force of the blow sending the man flying backward.

* WHAM *

* THUD *

He landed heavily on the ground, out cold. In one fluid motion, Val spun around and delivered a swift punch to the second guard, effectively taking him out of the picture as well.

As Val made his way toward the high-security prisoner cells, he encountered a series of guards blocking his path. But for Val, they were nothing more than mere obstacles in his way. He dispatched each one with calculated precision, rendering them unconscious with swift and powerful blows. One by one, the guards fell at his hands, unable to stop his determined advance.

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At last, Val arrived at the designated cell. Inside, two figures sat huddled together, one a short man with glasses, and the other with a muzzle strapped tightly across his mouth.

Val overheard the short man's words, "I am familiar with your work on matters of the mind, Herr Doktor. It would give me great pleasure to hear your thoughts on this." The irony was not lost on Val, and he let out a loud laugh that echoed through the otherwise silent halls.

At the sound of Val's maniacal laughter, Zola spun around with a start, his eyes widening in alarm. Meanwhile, Fennhoff's expression soured as he peered up at Val with a deep frown etched on his face.

With a flourish, Val tossed his hat aside and stepped forward, his piercing gaze fixed intently on the pair of men before him.

Quivering with fear, Zola addressed Val with a shaky voice, "W-Who... who are you?"

Ignoring the question, Val reached out and grabbed the metal bars of the cell, his bulging muscles straining against the cold metal. With a fierce grunt, he exerted his immense strength, and the bars began to buckle and bend beneath his grip.

As the metal groaned and creaked under Val's powerful hands, Zola's eyes widened with terror, realizing that he was in the presence of an unstoppable force. Fennhoff could only gulp nervously, knowing that he was facing a man of incredible strength.

Stepping boldly into the cell, Val loomed over Zola and Fennhoff, watching their trembling forms with a sinister glint in his eye. A cruel laugh escaped his lips as he addressed them in German.

"Alas," he sneered, "Herr Doktor wouldn't be alive to explain to you his powers." His words dripped with a dark malevolence, sending shivers down the spines of his captive audience.

Without warning, Val lunged forward, his hand snaking out to seize Fennhoff's throat in a crushing grip. With his other hand, he brutally grabbed Fennhoff's face, yanking it toward himself.

* CRACK *

The sudden violence left Zola cowering on the floor, his eyes were wide with fear as he watched the gruesome scene unfold. Fennhoff's body convulsed and twitched violently as it fell on the cold floor, and a dark pool of blood began to form around his lifeless form. Meanwhile, Val stood tall and menacing, his expression twisted into a cruel grin as he regarded the scene before him.

With a menacing step, Val strode over to Zola, who was scrambling backward in a frenzy of fear. Zola's desperate retreat was in vain, as he soon found his back against the cold, unforgiving wall. Val loomed over him, his twisted grin sending a chill down Zola's spine.

Without warning, Val reached out and grabbed Zola's face with both hands, smearing Fennhoff's blood across his terrified features. Zola's screams filled the air as he struggled against Val's relentless grip, but it was no use.

Val paused for a moment, nodding in approval at the terror in Zola's eyes. Then, with practiced precision, he took out a syringe from his clothing and plunged it deep into Zola's arm.

Zola lay still on the ground, completely unresponsive to Val's actions. Val didn't hesitate as he emptied the contents of the syringe into Zola's arm, watching as the drug took effect. Zola's body convulsed for a moment before going limp again.

Val discarded the syringe and leaned in close to Zola's face. He slapped Zola's cheek lightly with his bloody hand, a dark grin on his face. "Remember, Zola," he said, his voice low and menacing. "Even Hydra is no match for the real predators."

Val stood up and gazed at Zola and Fennhoff, his mind contemplating the next steps. 'I gave him the drug I engineered, a powerful concoction that will make him a paranoid schizophrenic. The whispers he'll hear will urge him to take down Hydra. Killing him now would only make S.H.I.E.L.D another government organization, devoid of the Hydra threat,' Val thought to himself.

With a sense of satisfaction, Val knew that this was the best course of action. It meant that Zola would focus on developing S.H.I.E.L.D. and not the Hydra menace within it. He looked at the two men one last time before striding out of the cell, confident that he had accomplished his mission.