Chương 8: Chapter 8: The X-Men.
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-Wanda-
(An Abandoned Facility in Sweden)
Hidden behind dunes of snow and nestled at the foot of a mountain, a white building complex stood stark against the cold breeze that ruffled the tall pines and spruces native to the region.
The facility blended seamlessly with its environment, surrounded by a high electric fence marked with 'Restricted Zone' and 'Keep Out' signs.
Despite the warnings, the compound lacked any visible security or personnel.
This was a Hydra base, abandoned after Strucker's apparent death.
Wanda knew of it because she and Pietro had accompanied the deceased Hydra leader here in the past.
It was the perfect place for her to lay low until she reclaimed the Darkhold. Or found a way to bring Pietro back. Whichever came first.
The mountains contained a natural node of mystical energy deep underground, making it an ideal location for performing rituals and complex magical spells.
The latent magical energy radiated up to the surface, infusing the soil, rocks, and even the snow.
There was also a village a few hundred miles below the forest surrounding the mountain, providing no shortage of human sacrifices for her rituals.
After days of non-stop flying and distance-shrinking through magic, her reserves and mastery of Chaos magic had grown significantly.
On the other hand, her hesitation in taking human life had also rapidly decreased.
All that remained was a yearning to see her brother. Damn the consequences. Even if she lost her soul, she would bring Pietro back.
Wanda softly landed inside the empty compound, the scarlet aura of her magic fading to a simmer.
Behind her, Vision, holding Locke in his arms, touched down, his feet barely making a sound on the snow-covered ground.
"Would you mind putting me down? I'm a grown ass man, and this is embarrassing."
Locke requested, his voice tinged with irritation.
Vision remained silent.
"It's like talking to a wall..." Locke muttered, turning to Wanda,
"Hey! I couldn't escape even if I wanted to. We're deep in the mountains. I would freeze to death in a few hours if I ran."
"Silence," Wanda commanded, her mind elsewhere.
"Come on," Locke insisted. "We've been flying non-stop for five days straight. My back is killing me, and I can't feel my lower half. Faster than a jet he might be, but your android buddy is far from a luxury ride."
Frustrated with his complaints, Wanda's hand flared with energy, sending a strip of red fabric to cover Locke's mouth.
However, the spell was dispelled instantly, dissolving into motes of light.
"We both know that doesn't work. Not as long as I have 'that'."
Locke snickered.
Loathe as she was to admit it, he was right.
Her powers couldn't affect him.
After refusing to hand over the Darkhold, Wanda had tried the spell she used on Vision to bewitch Locke, only to discover her magic could not influence his mind.
No matter what spell or hex she used, his body seemed to soak it up without any visible harm.
At Locke's snide response, Wanda's eyes flashed with rage before she forcefully calmed herself down.
He had been getting bolder because he knew she couldn't hurt him. Yet.
"Let him go."
she ordered, and Vision complied, immediately releasing Locke, who fell to the ground with a groan.
"So not cool, man."
Locke complained, dusting himself off as he rose to his feet and stretched his body.
"I thought it was what you wanted." Wanda shot back with a hint of satisfaction, before adding,
"Don't let him out of your sight, Vision."
The Android instantly fixated on Locke, who felt unnerved by the lifeless gaze in his eyes.
"Let's go."
Wanda ordered, moving deeper into the compound.
Locke hesitated, eyes shifting between the gate and Wanda. He considered making a break for it before shaking his head. Vision was watching him like a hawk.
'I need to find a way to escape, but I can't do that with his attention on me,' he thought, sighing as he began following Wanda.
Vision watched him pass and fell in step behind, as silent as a ghost.
Shivering in his simple Stark T-shirt and pants, Locke tightened his grip on the Darkhold, which radiated a comforting warmth against his chest, staving off the icy wind blowing through the empty premises.
"Mistress, I sense life coming from within."
Vision's voice broke the silence.
"Someones's watching us."
Locke noted, sweeping his eyes over the premise's metal barred windows, but spotting nothing.
Yet the sensation of being watched remained.
The warmth of the Darkhold intensified, closer to heat, reacting to something as they approached the main entrance of the building.
"The Android is right...there's something in there."
Locke said to Wanda's back.
Wanda turned, curiosity in her eyes. "You can sense it?"
Then her gaze fell to his chest.
"Or rather, the Darkhold can."
Above them, dark clouds gathered, obscuring the sun and casting a shadow over the ground.
Before Locke could answer, a loud bang echoed from the massive steel door at the entrance of the facility.
Wanda's body instantly flared with a scarlet aura, just as the door was forcibly blasted outwards.
Through the opening- poured out numerous white-skinned monsters with red eyes, rotting skin and patches of fur.
They looked like humanoid apes, with huge forearms that dragged on the ground and long legs.
"Are those zombie yetis?!"
Locke exclaimed, backpedaling until he collided with Vision.
"Strucker's abandoned experiments."
Wanda answered, her eyes flashing scarlet.
"They must have been corrupted by the latent magic in the surroundings."
She reasoned while levitating forward, her hands moving in a circular motion, spell weaving.
"I shall clear them out. Vision, watch the prisoner."
Something in her tone made Locke run for cover behind an overturned jeep close by, Vision's eyes still following him.
After seeing the devastation she caused to those jets, he'd learned that Wanda didn't have a low setting.
Her magic couldn't affect him, but the shockwaves could definitely liquefy his insides if he wasn't careful.
'She's about to release a big one. Better get out of the way,' he thought, clutching the Darkhold like a lifeline.
First, it was the Scarlet Witch, then the Avengers, and now zombified yetis who had probably been regular humans.
In a single week, everything he knew about reality had been overturned.
In the air above them, a sphere of blood-red flames roiled between Wanda's palms.
She cackled madly, compressing it and turning it darker, so hot that the snow on the ground began melting.
The Experiments surged toward them from various parts of the facility, some breaking through windows, while others climbed out of manholes.
They differed in sizes, but they all had an animalistic nature that reminded Locke of rabid dogs.
"Burn for me!" Wanda declared, dropping the flame sphere meters away from the monsters.
The sphere didn't touch the ground before destabilizing. It ballooned and ruptured into long tongues of flames that swept through everything in the compound.
Strucker's Experiments immediately turned to ash, and the explosion of red flames continued on, seeping into the facility through the mutiple entrances and windows, decimating everything inside.
The flames reached all the way into the vents and tunnels, erupting out of the manholes on the compound in tall pillars of fire.
Locke's eyes widened from his position behind the jeep.
'She really went all out.'
His mind was enraptured by Wanda's glowing form.
No matter how many times he saw it, it always left him amazed at just how powerful she was. It was to the point he was afraid he was getting Stockholm syndrome.
The awe battled with his fear of her. How much stronger was she going to get if he handed her the Darkhold?
No. Handing it over was out of the question. For whatever reason, the book had chosen him. And his connection with it had been steadily growing.
Maybe... maybe he could become just as strong as Wanda through it. He probably wouldn't match her firepower (she had destroyed the Avengers like it was nothing), but he only needed to learn a spell that would let him escape.
He could then regroup with whatever was left of the heroes and hide behind them. At least until he found a way to permanently keep himself safe from the Scarlet Witch's hands.
'Yeah. That's the plan.'
The second he had some privacy, he would flip the Darkhold open and read it.
His contemplations were cut off by a falling piece of one of the manhole covers, which smacked onto his head.
The impact sent his body flopping to the ground, passing out instantly.
All the while, Vision just watched, like he had been ordered to.
-New York-
-SHIELD Headquarters-
Director Fury stood before the newly revamped World Security Council.
"Fury, how goes the search for Wanda Maximoff?"
one of the council members inquired.
"Minimal progress, I'm afraid. She's turned into a ghost."
Fury replied, knowing what was coming.
And sure enough,
"Your incompetence is showing again, Director. With most of the Avengers dead or missing under your watch, why should the Council not vote to have you replaced?"
one of them demanded.
Anger and bitterness surged within him, but he clamped down on the emotions. He knew they were dead; he didn't need to be reminded of it. They had lost soldiers, but he had lost friends.
"Because I am still your best shot at finding and stopping her."
Fury responded calmly.
"My team has narrowed the search to somewhere around Europe. I have experts going through any off-the-books Hydra facilities that might be in the area."
He added.
"That's not what you said."
the same council member grumbled.
Fury smirked.
"You didn't let me finish."
"Nick, what about the missing Avengers? Have you located Thor and Hulk?" another asked.
"I couldn't get in touch with either of them. Knowing Thor, he is probably fighting a battle in one of the other realms. As for Banner, the Quinjet he commandeered crash-landed in Indonesia, empty. A clear indication he does not want to be found."
Fury explained gravely.
"That is unfortunate."
A council member stated,
"Even if you do find her, bringing her in without their help might be impossible."
"Not might," Fury corrected. "It will be impossible."
"Then what are you suggesting, a heavy bombardment with missiles?" one of them proposed.
Fury held back from criticizing their tendency to resort to extreme measures. He understood their perspective.
After all, Wanda had proven herself to be a threat that needed to be taken seriously.
"Before we spook the world into another arms race, we have another option we could explore."
He informed them.
"Well? What is it?"
A council member asked impatiently.
Fury breathed out, knowing the gravity of what he was about to suggest,
"The X-Men."
The room immediately erupted into heated arguments.
"Mutants? Are you out of your mind?" one council member shouted.
"We can't rely on them. They're too unpredictable," another chimed in.
"We have a deal with Charles Xavier and his people. They stay out of sight, and we stay out of theirs."
Added, another.
Fury raised his hand, signaling for silence.
"I understand your concerns, but hear me out. The X-Men have experience dealing with powerful threats, especially ones that involve magic and otherworldly forces. We need their expertise."
What he said made them thoughtful.
"And remember, without the Avengers, we're out of safe options."
He pushed.
"Do you really think they can handle her?"
One of the council members asked skeptically.
"They are our best chance."
Fury replied firmly.
"Professor Xavier and his team have faced similar challenges before. If anyone can stop Wanda, it's them. And if they fail and she destroys them, that's one less security risk for you to worry about."
The council members exchanged uneasy glances through the displays, weighing Fury's words.
"We can't afford to ignore any potential solution."
Fury pressed on.
"The longer we wait, the more powerful Wanda becomes. If we don't act soon, there might not be anything left to save."
There was a moment of silence as the council members considered his proposal. Finally, one of them spoke up,
"Very well, Director. You have our approval to contact the X-Men. But remember, this is your last chance. If your plan fails, we will proceed with more drastic measures. Ones you won't like."
Fury nodded.
"Understood. I'll reach out to them immediately."
As the meeting concluded, Fury left the room, determination etched on his face.
He knew the risks involved in seeking the X-Men's help, but he also knew it was their best shot at stopping Wanda.
Come what may, he would Avenge his fallen friends. Wanda would pay, he swore on their memory.
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