Novi Grad, Sokovia, 2015 — Ultron Attack
Victor Faust POV
Everything turned into complete chaos. All the Avengers and Victor stood in a circle and protected the device. Broken pieces of bots were flying everywhere. Victor's mind shut down, which was a good thing because otherwise, he might just crumble under the pressure and panic. Due to how close everyone was, Faust limited himself to small bolts of magic. He throws blue flames left and right and looks with satisfaction at the burned robots. Pietro was everywhere and nowhere at the same time; Victor did not ever try to keep an eye on him. Right next to him, Wanda mimicked his actions, and soon red and blue lights illuminated the church. Wanda stopped and placed three bots in place, encasing them in red energy. Victor clapped his hands and conjured a sword that cut robots in half.
From the corner of his eye, Victor noticed Ultron getting thrown away with Iron Man, Thor, and a red-skinned person following close behind. Since the situation in the church was under control, he went outside and saw Ultron getting fried by the trio. Despite lighting and lasers, Ultron stubbornly tried to stand up. Victor, fueled by today's events, gathered magic in his hands. His deep blue magic started to shake his body. Biting down on the burning feeling, he reformed the spell and added lighting to the fire. He throws the spell, and the resulting explosion shoves the broken Ultron far away.
"Nice one, kid!" Iron Man gave him a thumbs up. "Good to see you can do more than those creepy bugs."
Victor ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath. This day was far too long. Now that the situation was calmer, Victor noticed a huge power emanating from the red person. He did not have a chance to inspect as the red one spoke.
"I will deal with any strugglers." His voice was calm, even cold. Without waiting for a reply, he silently rushed through the air. Now that it was quieter, Victor had a chance to truly observe the Avengers. They were all bruised and sweaty, but there was this air about them. They really were bigger than life. Which made him more self-conscious. He looked at his dirty and ravaged clothes. His black pants turned gray, his denim jacket got covered with chunks of concrete, and he spotted a big hole he somehow dug. This day was getting longer and longer. The rest of the team came from the church. Captain America addressed Victor.
"I'm not sure how you got here, but we are all glad for your help." He offered him a hand. "My name is Steve Rogers." Victor took his hand and introduced himself properly to everyone. "I know you've been protecting people even before we came here.
"And punching Ultron." Added Stark.
"And punching Ultron, yes. You did good, son."
It was weird to hear the word son from a more friendly mouth. Victor looked around the devastated city. This could barely be called a city anymore. How are people supposed to rebuild their lives here? People like Mister Pavel will not even live long enough to see it.
"Not good enough."
"It's never enough, kid, but it's not about being good enough. It's about doing everything in your power. Not running or hiding. Trust me, if you keep thinking like that, you will only end up hurting yourself." He patted Victor's arm and introduced him to the rest of the team, except Hulk, who rushed ahead, hoping to get the remaining bots. Steve quickly gave them orders. Natasha Romanoff went to subdue the Hulk, and they needed to make sure there were absolutely no survivors.
"We still need to protect the core." Captain pointed out.
"I will do it." Hearing Wanda volunteering, Pietro rushed to her, clearly not happy about it.
"You will come pick me up once everyone is safe." Pietro sight. "Do you understand?"
"I will stay with her." Victor said to Pietro. "She won't be alone." The silver-headed man placed his hands on his shoulders and looked dead in his eyes.
"You will protect her Victor. Promise me."
"I promise." Seemingly satisfied, he put on another big smile on his face.
"I can handle myself, you know," Wanda said dryly, and the destruction of a new Ultron bot helped her prove the point.
"Did you hear something, Victor?"
"Not really, must have been the wind."
"A very pushy wind."
"Oh yes, pushy indeed."
They all share a quick, tired laugh, and Pietro runs away, leaving a trail of dust behind him. Everything turned quiet. Victor took a sit on the ground and placed his head on the wall, feeling the adrenaline leaving his body.
"Are you all, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, It's been a long day, and I am drastically out of practice." Victor tried to pull himself together, even if all he wanted was to sleep.
"So, care to tell me who can you do what you do?"
Deciding they would have to have this conversation either way, he reopened his eyes.
"My family has always practiced magic. It's in our blood. I'm sorry for not telling you this, but I was forbidden. It's a family secret, and grandmother did not want to put a target on us."
"I always knew you were a wizard." Wanda giggled. Her melodic voice echoed in the broken church. "Those herbs you gave me for Pietro were also magical?"
"Oh yes, Grandmother Ida learned how to infuse nature with our magic to help others. She was teaching me this until... She passed away."
"How?" Wanda kneeled beside him. Her body immediately started to release some pent-up tension.
"In her sleep. It was peaceful and painless. At least, I hope so." They heard metallic rustling. With a quick sight, Victor stood up and telekinetically crushed the first two bots who entered the church. Wanda rushed past him and finished the last one. She stood in the center with her fiery red magic dancing around her. God, there are so many questions unasked and even more answers to give.
"I don't think we will have time to talk here." Victor joked, but he picked up a change in Wanda. The air started to get heavy and Victor felt like he just swallowed a brick of ice. To make it worse, more bots rushed them from all sides. Wanda screamed and fell to her knees like she was being skinned alive. Her body released a pulse of energy that made the air tremble. Victor could only raise his hands to cover himself from the blast. He flew and hit something hard. He must have lost consciousness for a second because, in a moment, he felt a cold floor on his cheek. As he tried to push himself up, he screamed in pain. His hands looked like they were burned. The skin got darker, and thick red veins were pulsating from his charred skin. They felt stiff and could not stop shaking. His scream must have broken Wanda from shock as she turned to him, still kneeling.
"VICTOR" She rushed to his side. Wanda reached out to him but stopped herself when she saw his hands. "Oh my God, Victor, I'm so sorry I... I didn't mean to do this."
Victor was more focused on her face rather than her words. Her green eyes were glassy, and her cheeks were red and puffy. He saw the same scared and tired girl who knocked on his door 10 years ago.
"It's Pietro... He is gone, Victor. Pietro is gone!" She hid her face in her hands and sobbed. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry." She just kept repeating that and frantically shaking her head.
He felt another wave of pain from his hands. He growled and tried to use his grandmother's spell. His magic covered his hands. The shaking stopped, and he started to feel them again, even if only barely. The skin was still charred and by looking at his glowing red veins, he might have absorbed a piece of the blast. He gently grabbed her shoulder, panting through his teeth.
"Wanda, it's all right. I am all right." he winced.
"I hurt you and I lost Pietro." A cold pit of sorrow nestled in his stomach, imagining Pietro's dead body.
"Wanda, you need to listen to me. Please." She raised her head. Tears shined on her pale skin. With a trembling lip, she repeated the words I'm sorry. Victor did not know what was worse. The pain in his arms or the avalanche of emotions his magic took from her.
"Wanda, you didn't mean to hurt me. It was an accident, and I will be fine."
He hates me, he must be terrified of me, I am such a failure. Wanda couldn't control herself and showed some of her thoughts. Victor slowly cupped her cheek. His hands barely register the sensation of touch.
"See? I will be all right and I..." Looking behind her, Victor saw a half-destroyed Ultron bot placing a hand on the device. The shock wave muffled his scream. The city started to descend like a bloody meteor. Wanda helped Victor stand up, but it was almost impossible to stand still. Victor felt like his ears were about to explode. Suddenly, Thor landed right next to the device.
"You need to escape! Now!" His booming voice broke through the ongoing chaos. Victor took off the belt from his pants and bit it down. Without thinking, he used all his energy to cover his body in a radiant blue glow. He picked Wanda up and flew outside the church. Screaming through the belt, he rushed to the escape ship. Wanda was shouting right in his ear. He hardly could see straight. He crushed into the ship, still holding Wanda in his arms. In the distance, there was a huge boom of thunder, and Victor lost consciousness.
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for reading.
Take care :)