Philophobia ➤ W.M.

| 07 |

~=~

  It wasn't long after Astrilde and Ultron's conversation that the Asgardian was dragged out of the cage, very unwillingly. She had thought of escape prior to that, but then she realized just how dangerous it would have been to attempt such a thing. Ultron was obviously a murderous robot, and she didn't want to see what he would do to her if such a thing as escape were to occur.

  However, the dynamic around what she had discovered was HYDRA's old Sokovian base was simple enough to follow. She had a certain boundary she had to stay within, she had to obey Ultron's orders, and she always had five or more sentries tailing her at all times. Though she must admit, it was more privileges than she thought possible.

  Astrilde tripped over a rock on the road, reminding her of her current location. Ultron was dragging her through the quickly darkening forest. She didn't know where they were headed, but she was more focused on the freezing air burning her skin. Though she had been gifted some leftover HYDRA armor, the clothing didn't do much to combat the temperature. Luckily for her, though, it was colder on Jotunheim than it could ever be on Midgard, and she had gone through that with heat repellent armor on.

---

  The location of their venture was discovered not long after the two, and several sentries, had reached the city beneath the HYDRA base on the hill. The streets they walked were nearly vacant, though Astrilde knew there were people dwelling in the worn buildings, and she could hear the conversation of others nearby.

  She took a deep breath as they entered a church surrounded by chain link fencing. The church sat in the center of the city like a stepping off point. Astrilde tried to shake the bad feeling that had gradually crept up on her, but there was no use. So, she instead started wondering where the two enhanced they would be meeting were. Ultron had been quite adamant on meeting the siblings, specifically in the church. For what, she couldn't tell. The robot was about as readable as a rock. Which made sense, if you looked at it.

  As soon as they had reached the inner part of the church, Ultron's mindless machines ushered her into the darkness. It was a strange action, but she went with it. Though, it was odd for him to do, seeing how it shouldn't matter if the twins saw her or not. It wasn't like they actually knew her. The Maximoff girl was the only one who even knew Astrilde was with the Avengers.

  Astrilde watched from the shadows as two figures appeared from the entrance. She recognized them from a picture she had been shown in the Tower mere days before. The first individual sported white hair with brown roots, his eyes darting around the room. She could see his fingers tapping on his leg in uncontained energy, so it was no shock that his power was otherworldly speed. He stood close to the other individual, a woman with brown hair and shocking green eyes Astrilde could see even in the darkness. Clearly, Pietro Maximoff was protective of his sister, shown by his proximity alone. The woman in question sent a jolt of horror through Astrilde at the very sight. Wanda Maximoff was the one who had caused Astrilde's mental breakdown, and "breakdown" was putting it lightly.

  Just at the sight of the Maximoff girl, Astrilde could feel her breathing increase. It wasn't enough to indicate an anxiety attack, but enough to distract her from her thoughts. The princess forced herself to ignore the duo and Ultron for a moment, focusing on grounding herself using whatever methods necessary. In this case, she started naming what she could see, feel, and hear. It worked enough to wrangle her heavy breathing in, worked enough that she could focus in on the conversation the twins and Ultron were having.

  "Did you know this church is in the exact center of the city?" Ultron asked the twins. "The elders decreed it so everyone could be equally close to God. I like that, the geometry of belief." He paused. "You're wondering why you can't look inside my head." The last statement was directed toward Wanda.

  "Sometimes it's hard, but sooner or later every man shows himself," The Sokovian girl responded as she stepped closer to the chair Ultron sat in. Ultron suddenly stood, the blanket that had been hiding his silver host falling.

  "Oh, I'm sure they do," Ultron stated, and the twins both stepped back in shock, and maybe a little bit of fear. "But you needed something more than man. That's why you let Stark take the scepter," Ultron said, metal on ground filling the tense air when he started walking toward the two.

  "I didn't expect," Wanda responded, nodding at Ultron, "But I saw Stark's fear, I knew it would control him. It controlled my test after all." The Maximoff girl was clearly speaking of Astrilde, which sent shivers down the goddess' spine.

  "Everyone creates the thing they dread. Men of peace create engines of war, invaders create Avengers, people create... smaller people. Children! I lost the word there," Ultron smiled, or as much as a robot could. He walked near the spot Astrilde stood, lurking in the shadows. His metal arm reached out, pulling her from the dark blanket and into the small light. She struggled against his grip, teeth clenched, trying to ignore the burning stare of the twins. Unfortunately, the vibranium cuffs secured under her outfit prevented her from any chance of releasing the stronger's grip on her forearm.

  Ultron pushed Astrilde towards the twins, and she clumsily fell over nothing, hitting the dusty ground. Her hands burned from where they had attempted to catch her and had instead gotten cut on the loose rock littered across the ancient flooring. She hissed in pain, but kept her gaze solely on the ground. She didn't look up, fearful that she would come face to face with Wanda Maximoff.

  "You want to know why you should join? We can save the world, and end the Avengers. Starting with her," Ultron stated. A moment of silence followed, the twins gathering their thoughts, and conversing without even speaking.

  "We're in," Wanda stated.

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Astrilde rarely has anxiety attacks when she isn't seeing/thinking about love. I just wanted to mention in case somebody complains that she stopped an 'oncoming attack' very quickly.