Age Of Miracles | Pietro Maximoff

Chapter Forty-Four: Counter Despair With Hope

Music is "Redemption" by Brian Tyler from the Battle: Los Angeles OST.

Picture is Wanda and Stephen.

· ~ · ~ · ~ · ~ ·

"You counter despair with hope. You strive forever for the best you are capable to be--therein lies the victory!"

- Ororo Munroe, Storm

· ~ · ~ · ~ · ~ ·

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

Pietro runs at a fast pace, though slow enough that I can fly alongside him and tell him the plan Elaine, Katie, Killbane, and I created just minutes ago. Surprisingly, he thinks it's a good idea. But first, we have to find our resident super-soldier.

We weave through the streets of Brooklyn, finding our way towards Steve. Pietro tells me that the last place he saw Steve was in front of the apartment buildings that sit on the spot where Ebbets Field used to be. The Brooklyn Dodgers' stadium was torn down after the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in the 50s. Low-income apartments replaced it. It broke Steve's heart to see the stadium torn down; he told me about several games that he attended with Bucky in the 30s and 40s.

"He'd defend those people with his life," I told Pietro before we left. "If the people are still there, so is he."

We round the last corner, onto the large road that runs alongside the Ebbets Field apartment complex. Over twenty floors of the multi-winged building are being defending by a single man still standing: Steve Rogers. Dozens of mutates and heroes are on the ground around him, and the hoard of outriders keeps coming at him, from all sides. Yet, somehow, the century-old super soldier armed with merely a Wakandan shield and brute strength has held them off.

"Get everyone to safety!" I shout to Pietro, remembering the situation with his lack of communicator.

Pietro nods, and runs off before I can say another word. I push my speed, despite my body still aching from my fight with Proxima Midnight, and blast through the outriders on my way to help Steve. I stretch out my arms, parallel to my shoulders, and use my powers to create large circles of light on either side. They collect every outrider I pass, containing them inside the light. I strain against the weight and resistance but persevere until I get closer to Steve.

Ten meters away, I pull up, rising into the sky with both light spheres of outriders. I pull hard, clenching my fists tightly to compensate for the weight of them. I bring my fists up, forcing them closer together. Following my fists, the circles of light come closer together. The outriders try to fight me, but I press on.

I bring my fists beside each other. The spheres collide and combine, creating one large circle of outriders. I twist my hands, causing the circle to shrink. The outriders are pushed closer together, and I hear them wail in pain as I continue to shrink the space. With one final push, I fold the circle in on itself. The outriders' golden cage is shrunk instantly to the size of my hands. Everything inside disintegrates to ash in a blast of heat and light.

I fall back down to Earth to help Steve fight off the new remaining outriders. I land in front of him, allowing him to catch his breath for a moment. Our backs are facing each other. "Thanks for the assist," he tells me, waiting and watching for the outriders circling around us to lunge.

"Your coms dead," I reply, looking back and forth between the five outriders closing in.

"Yeah, I know. I tried to call for backup. I'm...the only one left."