Bab 57: Grief and Remembrance!
The cool, evening breeze swept through Madripoor as Maxim and Katerina walked side by side, their silhouettes illuminated by the soft glow of streetlights. The transformation of the state was becoming more and more evident as time passed, and the siblings reminisced in the quietness of the streets.
"Do you remember when we used to play hide-and-seek in the apartment?" Maxim asked, a rare, soft smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he looked at his sister.
Katerina grinned, the nostalgia glimmering in her eyes, "Of course! You always found me, no matter how good my hiding spot was."
"I had an advantage," Maxim said with a chuckle, thinking back to the fun memories of the past, "You used to giggle the moment I got close. It made you the easiest target."
Katerina nudged him playfully, her laugh light and genuine, "I was five, Max! And you were always so serious about winning."
Maxim laughed cheerily, running his hand through Katerina's hair playfully as he spoke, "No handouts. If you want to win, get good kiddo."
She chuckled and grabbed his hand, removing it from her head playfully as she spoke, "Hmfm, someday, I'll beat you and rub it in your face, just like dad always boasted about beating you at Chess, you would get so mad."
Maxim gave a light chuckle at her words and nodded, "Yeah....Dad was even more competitive than I was." He said, the tone of his words dimming as the sentence came to an end.
Katerina realized, and a dull silence descended upon the duo until Maxim led her through a newly paved pathway, which housed a small, pristine cemetery at the end.
Katerina's pace faltered as her gaze fell on the two gravestones ahead, whose names were written in bold for everyone to see, etched in elegant lettering and flanked by symbols of peace and unity.
The gravestone was surrounded by beautiful flowers, and the sight of all of this struck Katerina like a blow to the gut, tears pooling in her eyes as she read
Tatiana Fontaine Novikov - A loving wife and mother. Partners in love and life, now together for eternity. Always in our hearts!
Ilya Novikov - A loving husband and father. Partners in love and life, now together for eternity. Always in our hearts.
Next to the gravestone was a beautiful picture of the family together. Maxim and Katerina stood at the front, much younger than they look now, cheerily hugging with smiles on their faces while their parents stood behind them.
Tatiana was a beautiful woman, with blonde hair and blue eyes, a warm and loving expression on her face as she stared into the camera that took the photo alongside her husband, who looked like a middle aged and more mature version of Maxim, albeit less muscular and a bit shorter.
"I... I didn't know you'd done this," Katerina whispered, her voice trembling as she stared, remembering the moment that photo was taken, and how happy they were as a family.
Maxim placed a hand on her shoulder, guiding her forward, "They deserve to be remembered, Katya. This is their place now, where they can rest in peace and still be part of our lives."
Katerina dropped to her knees in front of the gravestones, her sobs breaking the stillness of the air. "I miss them so much," she choked out, "I think about them every day. It's not fair... they didn't deserve what happened."
Maxim knelt beside her, his arm around her shoulders, the memory of his parents death had haunted him, yet he was forced to move forward with all the obstacles in his life, his time to grieve was cut short, yet he never forgot.
He had tried to locate the which gang those thugs who killed his family were from, but found that gang was already massacred by Hydra, probably to cut off any loose ends connected to him.
Without the ability to truly avenge them, he needed to be strong for his sister, and to always let their loving memory remain in the world, "It wasn't fair, Katya. It never will be. But they wouldn't want us to drown in what we lost. They'd want us to grow stronger, to honor their memory by living."
She buried her face in his shoulder, clutching his jacket tightly, "I don't know if I can be that strong, Max."
"You already are," Maxim said gently. "Look at everything you've done. You've grown so much, found a place with people who care about you, and you're learning to powers. Mom and Dad would be proud of you, Katya. I know I am."
She looked up at him, her tears streaming freely, "Do you really think so?"
Maxim nodded firmly. "I know so. And I'll make sure their memory stays alive. I'm planning a national holiday, a day to honor them and everyone else who's lost family to senseless violence. Madripoor will remember them, Katya. Always."
For a long moment, they stayed there in silence, their shared grief slowly giving way to a sense of quiet resolve, a resolve to never have to experience this feeling again, to be free from the pain of grief and suffering.
Finally, Maxim helped her to her feet. "Come on," he said softly, "There's something else I want to show you."
They left the cemetery behind, making their way to one of Madripoor's newly constructed facilities. The doors slid open to reveal a vast, state-of-the-art combat training arena.
Katerina's eyes widened as she took in the sight, "This... is incredible!"
Maxim smirked. "Wait until you see what it can do. But first, let's see how much you've grown. Show me what you've learned with your powers."
Katerina hesitated for only a moment before stepping forward, her expression determined.
She raised her hands, and a faint glow surrounded her as objects from the training area lifted into the air, hovering effortlessly. She concentrated, and the objects began moving in a synchronized dance, spinning and weaving around each other.
Maxim nodded, impressed, "Not bad, Katya. But let's see how you handle this."
With a flick of his wrist, shadows erupted from the ground, forming tendrils that darted toward her floating objects. Katerina reacted instantly, creating a psychic barrier that deflected the shadows, her control precise and unwavering.
She grinned at him, "You're not the only one who's been practicing."
Maxim chuckled, his pride evident, "Clearly."
The siblings continued to mess around with their powers. Maxim mostly stuck to Omen's abilities, while testing Katerina's psychic powers.
If he had to describe it, it would be similar to a nerfed version of Martian Manhunter's psychic abilities, both telepathy and telekinesis, but the upside was Katerina could still train and improve.
Still, that wasn't enough for Maxim, he needed to think of a way to improve her physique. The Super Soldier Serum was useful, but he didn't want 'Enhanced Human', he wanted Superhuman.
As the siblings were having fun together, A.N.G.E.L's voice echoed throughout the arena without warning, the AI's usually serene tone was replaced with an immediate urgency that grasped Maxim's attention.
"Maxim," A.N.G.E.L began, her voice cutting through the silence, "there's something you need to see. It's urgent."
Katerina looked at her her brother, sensing the weight of the interruption, "Go," she said softly, a small smile on her face,"I'll head back to the others. You've got something important to handle."
Maxim hesitated for a moment, his gaze lingering on her. Then, he stepped forward and pulled her into a tight embrace,"Stay safe, and keep practicing. I'll be back soon."
She hugged him back tightly, nodding against his shoulder, "I will. Don't take too long."
With a final smile, Maxim stepped back, and shadows began to swirl around him. In an instant, he vanished, leaving Katerina standing in the arena with a renewed sense of purpose.
Maxim reappeared in his private office, the dimly lit room bathed in an eerie glow from A.N.G.E.L.'s holographic form. She wasted no time, her voice sharp and direct.
"Approximately five minutes ago, a massive energy wave was emitted from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility. The energy signature is unlike anything we've recorded before, and it matches no known source. This could be... significant."
Maxim's eyes narrowed, his mind racing. He leaned against his desk, crossing his arms as he processed the information. A faint smirk tugged at his lips as realization dawned.
"Looks like the Avengers is a go," he said, his voice low and resolute, the weight of the moment hanging in the air.
The Tesseract had been activated, Loki had arrived, and it was time for another aspect of his plans to come into play.
Bab 58: The Avengers ( Part 1 )
Maxim sat on his desk as he sunk in thought, his sharp mind calculating the opportunity that was presented with Loki's arrival. Of course, as he knew what would happen in the future, he had already set out a detailed plan to accomplish his goals.
There were minor goals, like reducing the damage done, saving Agent Coulson's life, and protecting the public, but these were basically side-missions compared to his main priority.
The Mind Stone.
At this point, none of them knew that the Mind Stone was located inside of Loki's Scepter, and they just presumed that the Scepter was a powerful Alien artifact, and Maxim would use that to his advantage.
Maxim had no intention of letting Hydra gain control of it. The Mind Stone would be an incredibly valuable artifact in improving his power and the power of his allies.
"A.N.G.E.L.," he said, his tone clipped and precise, "how's the replicant coming along?"
"It's complete," A.N.G.E.L. replied smoothly, "The design is flawless. No one will detect the difference."
"Good." Maxim's lips curled into a faint smirk. Since he had created A.N.G.E.L, he had gotten the AI to create a replicant of Loki's Scepter to dupe S.H.I.E.L.D and Hydra whilst he took away the real prize.
"I'm gonna go see it," Maxim said and his form shifted into smoke as he shifted to the hidden lab below the base, filled with advanced equipment with a Scepter in the center of the room, cradled on a pedestal.
Maxim approached it slowly, his eyes narrowing as he took in its sleek gold shaft and the shimmering blue "stone" at its tip. He picked it up, its weight satisfying in his hand. For a moment, he allowed himself to imagine the possibilities once he had the Stone in his possession.
In his opinion, Vision had completely wasted the potential of the Stone. With a Stone with every psychic ability imaginable, all Vision could do was shoot energy beams, manipulate his density, fly and other very basic things.
Maxim couldn't believe Vision could get jumped by the Black Order with an Infinity Stone literally connected to his entity, it was embarrassing, and Maxim would make sure he would do better with the Stone in his possession.
"Perfect," he murmured to himself.
He set the scepter back down into his Shadow, storing it carefully as his mind already raced ahead. He wouldn't disrupt the flow of events too soon—Loki's antics would serve as an excellent distraction.
Before Maxim could delve further into his thoughts, the sharp ring of his phone broke the silence. He pulled it from his pocket, glancing at the screen. Fury.
Maxim smirked as he answered, his voice calm and confident. "Director Fury. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
As Fury's gravelly voice began speaking on the other end, Maxim walked out of the laboratory, already calculating his next move.
*******************
The S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier floated majestically in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, its massive engines humming quietly against the backdrop of the open sea. S.H.I.E.L.D personnel walked around busily, completing their individual tasks amidst the current emergency.
As all of this was happening, a quinjet flew in and descended onto the Giant Carrier slowly. The hatch opened, and out stepped Steve Rogers and Agent Coulson, chatting with each-other.
Steve looked around, admiring the cool looks as he moved towards the edge of the deck, scanning the horizon, the salty breeze that brushed against his face, while his mind thought about the strange mission at hand.
"Still adjusting to the 21st century, Cap?" A feminine voice teased, leaving Steve to chuckle as he turned around, spotting Natasha with a faint smirk on her lips as she moved closer to him.
Steve chuckled lightly, shaking his head, "Some things never change, Romanoff. You're still lurking in the shadows, waiting to scare people."
Natasha moved and stood next to Steve, looking off at the Ocean Water that gushed around as she spoke, "What can I say? Old habits die hard."
Steve glanced at her with a raised brow, "Old? You're calling me old?"
Natasha smirked, "If the star-spangled shield fits…"
Their banter was interrupted as Steve spotted someone else standing near the monitors, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot as S.H.I.E.L.D personnel walked by briskly. Recognizing the familiar face, he waved.
"You're looking well," Steve said, his sincerity cutting through the tension.
"Thanks," Banner replied, "For a guy who's spent the last few years hiding in remote villages, I'm doing okay."
Natasha crossed her arms, her expression unreadable. "You've got nothing to worry about here, Banner. We're all friends, right?"
"Right," Bruce said, though his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. He glanced at the two of them, "So… are we waiting for someone else?"
Natasha shrugged, her voice casual but her words carrying weight. "Fury called in a favor. He didn't say much."
Before anyone could respond, the lights around the trio specifically dimmed for a moment, and an unnatural icy chill swept through the room.
A strange, inky darkness began pooling at their feet, tendrils of shadow curling upwards and spreading across the floor.
Bruce took a step back, his eyes widening. "What is that?"
Steve instinctively raised his arms into a fighting stance, ready for anything, while Natasha's hand darted to her sidearm.
The shadows coalesced into a humanoid form, dark and indistinct at first, before solidifying into the tall figure of a man. His black trench coat and piercing blue eyes made him seem both imposing and enigmatic.
Maxim straightened his trench coat, his expression calm and assured as he looked towards the trio, "Relax, Steve. Natasha," Maxim said, his voice smooth with a hint of humor, "No need to reach for weapons. It's just me."
Steve lowered his stance cautiously, his brows furrowing as he studied Maxim. A small smile tugged at his lips, though, "Still making dramatic entrances, I see."
Natasha holstered her weapon with a smirk, crossing her arms, "You always did know how to make an impression. Nice to see you again, Maxim."
Maxim nodded to both of them before his eyes shifted to Bruce. "Dr. Banner, I presume? It's an honor to finally meet you." He extended a hand, his movements deliberate and non-threatening.
Bruce hesitated for a moment before shaking Maxim's hand cautiously, "You, uh, have a very… unique way of showing up."
"That's one way to put it," Steve added.
Maxim chuckled lightly. "I find that shadows are underappreciated. And useful." His gaze returned to Steve and Natasha, "It's been a while since we last met. How have you both been?"
Natasha tilted her head, her sharp eyes narrowing slightly. "I think the better question is, how you've been. I sure as hell expected you to take over Madripoor, a crime den like that."
"I had my reasons," Maxim said cryptically, his gaze flicking to Bruce, "But enough about me. I'm here for the same reason you all are."
Bruce studied Maxim for a moment, his unease slowly giving way to curiosity. "So, Fury called you in as part of this… team?"
"You could say that," Maxim replied with a nod, "Fury simply asked for a favor, since S.H.I.E.L.D needs whatever help it can get."
Bruce glanced between the three of them, still trying to piece together the dynamic, "So… you all know each other?"
Natasha nodded. "We've crossed paths a few times. Let's just say Maxim has a knack for showing up where he's needed."
Steve chuckled softly. "He gave us some valuable info, enough to make Fury think of him for a favor, so he's at least decently trustworthy."
Maxim gave a small bow of mock humility, "I'm flattered, Captain." Straightening, he gestured toward the interior of the Helicarrier, "Shall we? I believe Fury's expecting us."
As they began walking, Steve and Natasha couldn't help but exchange knowing glances. Whatever path Maxim was carving for himself, it was clear he was no longer the man they had first met.
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