ATLAS • W. MAXIMOFF

8 - *Conviction*

Ophelia couldn't quite describe how these people were looking at her. Something like awe mixed with gratitude and something else she couldn't make out. No one had ever looked at her like that. With so much trust and thanks. It overwhelmed the young girl who expected the people to look at her with fear and caution.

The boy's shoulders sagged in temporary relief, his fingers still shaking with left over adrenaline from the fear of death. Ophelia gently took hold of his small hand, placing both her own hands around his to try and calm him down.

Out of nowhere, the boy leapt to his saviour. Burying his head in the crook of her neck as his body shook with heart-breaking sobs. Ophelia panicked for a few seconds before awkwardly patting his back, rocking him back and forth to try and comfort the traumatised kid.

"Who are you?" A teacher asked as she walked up to the kneeling hero, rivulets of blood running down her face from a head wound.

Ophelia has only ever dealt with the criminals, saving people was a thing she wasn't used to at all. But a warm feeling of accomplishment filled her chest, different to when she took down a criminal. These people were alive because of her. They could go back to their families and live their lives because she saved them.

It was different. But a good different.

Ophelia detangled herself from the boy as he started to calm down, passing him to the teacher as she stood up.

"You can call me Atlas." Ophelia simply said before bounding through the open door of the foyer and leaping upwards with an enhanced jump.

✺

Perched on a balcony that used to have a squadron of Chitauri, Ophelia scanned the surrounding area. A flash of red caught her eye as she saw Natasha down on the street, beating the crap out of a squad of soldiers.

She stepped off the ledge, free falling to the ground and landing with a dramatic boom. The brawler arrived just in time to catch Black Widow defeat the last of the immediate threat. Her legs wrapped around the aliens' head as she electrocuted its neck then blasted it with its own energy weapon.

"It's hard to see someone else live your dream." Ophelia jokingly lamented to herself. Natasha shot the street fighter an incredulous look before lightly smacking the back of the street fighter's head.

"Mind out of the gutter, Delacour." She humorously scolded, all of a sudden Cap landed from above with his shield at the ready.

Startled, Natasha whirled around with her borrowed energy weapon at the ready. When she sees its just the Captain she relaxes, slumping backwards in exhaustion. Ophelia notices the line of blood on the super spy's face and frantically pats herself down, looking for the small first aid kit she'd made a habit to always carry.

"Captain, none of this is gonna mean a damn thing if we don't close that portal." Natasha says while Ophelia cleans the cut on her head with alcohol wipes.

"Our biggest guns couldn't touch it." Steve replies as they both look up.

"Well, maybe it's not about guns." Natasha looked up at the flying chariots in contemplation. Ophelia paused her first aid, sensing that Natasha was going to get back in the action.

"You wanna get up there, you're gonna need a ride." Ophelia pointed out, quickly sticking a bandage on the spies head before stepping back from her.

"I got a ride. I could use a lift though." Natasha backed away, giving herself a running start to Steve. But not before patting Ophelia's cheek in thanks, causing the brawler's brain functions to momentarily freeze.

"Are you sure about this?" Steve asked, his expression weary.

"Yeah." She prepared herself, "It's gonna be fun."

Natasha dashed to the Captain's crouched figure, using the car as a boost to leap onto his shield. Steve pushed his shield upwards, sending the Black Widow into the air where she caught onto a moving Chitauri chariot.

"You good there Delacour?" Steve fought back a smirk at the still frozen Ophelia.

"Gimme a minute, my brain is buffering." The brawler cleared her throat to focus herself but was soon accosted by an impatient group of Chitauri.

"I said gimme a minute you rude bastards!" Ophelia snapped, releasing a blaze of nuclear energy at the impotent aliens.

✺

Fighting back to back with Cap, Ophelia attacked as many Chitauri as she could. Steve defending her blind spot from any approaching enemy while she blasted every purple looking thing that came near his back. Ripping their heads off and shaving them in half with her gauntlets, the teenager was beginning to get fed up.

"Why won't you just die already." She growled in annoyance, letting lose duel beams of burning hot energy that disintegrated everything in its path. But more Chitauri soon followed, like cockroaches they kept coming back.

From the corner of her eye, Ophelia could see Stark and Cap tag teaming against the soldiers. Busting out combo moves that made her wonder how they got the time to rehearse. As Stark used his hand boosters to send a blast of energy to the shield, Cap reflects that energy to take down a whole host of Chitauri.

"Aww, look at the boys getting along." Ophelia sarcastically drawled before clenching her fists and smashing them together. Creating a huge shockwave that cleared the area. Tony quickly flew up to avoid the damage while Steve laid flat on the ground.

"Warn a guy before you do that next time." Steve groaned, clambering to his feet.

"Sorry gramps." Ophelia winced, helping the Captain up from the ground. "Don't throw your back."

"Captain," Hawkeye alerts via comms, "the bank on 42nd past Madison, they caught a lot of civilians there."

As Hawkeye directs the Captain, Ophelia catches sight of Thor and Hulk as they took down a leviathan. Watching as they defended themselves from a barrage of attacks.

"I am not missing that." Ophelia mumbled under her breath, shooting a quick two finger salute to Steve before shooting up to go help out.

Landing feet first on a Chitauri about to slash its spear at Thor, Ophelia cocked back her right fist and drove it through a chariot. Tearing the flying machine apart with her gauntlet covered hands.

"Lady Ophelia!" Thor boomed happily, swinging his hammer and catapulting Chitauri off the leviathan, "How goes your day?"

"I could do with a nap." She answered back, roundhouse kicking the soldiers scampering to them.

Hulk, not wanting to be left out, grunted loudly before driving a long piece of metal into the leviathan's armour. The Asgardian slammed his lightning covered hammer onto the piece of metal while the brawler drove her gauntlets into it with a beam of nuclear energy.

The leviathan crashed into the Natural History Museum as it lost altitude. Its head severed from the rest of its body from Thor and Ophelia's combined strike.

"I shouldn't have made fun of Steve for his back pain. Now mine hurts." Ophelia groaned in discomfort as she shuffled down from the leviathan, Hulk and Thor still on its back.

After a beat of silence Hulk punched Thor out of nowhere, sending the god of thunder flying. With his fist still outstretched the big guy turns to look down at Ophelia.

"You already turned me into a piñata once my guy, we're even." She sternly said, still stretching her back and trying to iron out the kinks.

The Hulk huffs once before storming out to look for more things to smash.

"Now, who the hell is gonna pay for all this property damage?" Ophelia wondered to herself before stumbling off in search of Thor.

A/N: So we have one chapter left before we jump right in to Thor: The Dark World. More backstory for Ophelia will be given, in particular what happened to her family. Thanks for reading!