THE AVENGERS RETURNED TO THEIR HEADQUARTERS AFTER THE EVENTS OF SOKOVIA. A mission the succeeded; however, Steve believes they failed the teens they've come across. Hours later, Steve couldn't pull his mind around the three teens, the enhanced-beings that were somewhere in Sokovia. A responsibility that shouldn't be his, but to Steve, he made it his responsibility. Maybe if he can talk to one of them, it'll be like a chain reaction, and there's a chance of the enhanced-beings of turning good. For one thing, Steve didn't like the idea of three enhanced-beings roaming the streets, doing God-knows-what with their powers. It wasn't a good idea, and it makes Steve uneasy knowing they're still out there.
After Eszter ran from the scene, Steve did his best in searching for the girl in hopes of helping her with whatever trouble she may be in; however, the hero had lost sight of the girl, and she didn't leave a trail, which made it difficult for Steve to track her.
Being born with a heart of pure gold isn't easy. Steve saw the good in many people, those who were lost and could have a second chance in life, but he knew when to draw the line when it comes to Hydra. Nevertheless, Steve wanted to help as best as possible, even if that means he'd be in the line of fire of the enhanced's abilities. If he wants to make the world a better place, it'll take one person at a time.
Maria Hill strides forward as her heels clicked against the floor; walking into the aircraft, Maria walks towards Tony. "Labs all set up, boss."
Tony huffs, pointing to Steve. "Uh, actually, he's the boss," Steve looks up on cue, lost in thought. "I just pay for everything, and design everything and make everyone look cooler."
Trying not to take offense, which was a little difficult for his ego, Tony spins around in his chair. Telling himself that it was okay and that it doesn't bother him, Tony was a little peeved that he wasn't named the team leader; considering he pays for everything, Tony would say he's the second command--oh wait, that doesn't sound too bad.
"What's the word on Strucker?"
"NATO's got him," Maria informs.
"The three enhanced?"
Maria clicks her tablet back online as she swipes the screen, pulling up a new page with videos and information regarding the three enhanced. Articles popped up and videos regarding protests, Maria clicks on them. Checking on one of the photos, Maria finds the three together near the front of the protest, each one voicing aggressively. Her tablet scans more onto their faces as more documents appeared on the screen, most of them coming from Hydra after they took Strucker.
"Wanda and Pietro Maximoff--twins--and younger sister, Eszter Maximoff," Maria hands the tablet over to Steve. "Orphaned at ten and seven when a shell collapsed their apartment building. They lived in Little Darling's Orphanage before a missing child report was filed, but they never put in much work of searching for them. But we can confirm why." Maria pauses, giving Steve a moment to read through the documents before she continues. "Sokovia's had a rough history. It's nowhere special, but it's on the way of every special."
Steve and Maria exit the aircraft and start making their way towards the elevator, passing the tablet back to the woman. "Their abilities?"
"He's got increased metabolism and improved thermal hemostasis. Her thing is neural electrical interfacing, telekinesis, mental manipulation," Steve gives her a funny look as she continues. "The other one has the ability to control shadows or merge within the dark, telekinesis, emotion manipulation." Glancing up from her tablet, Maria notices how lost Steve was. "He's fast, she's weird, and she's dark."
"Well, they're going to show up again," Steve clicks the button, calling the elevator.
"Agreed. Files say they volunteered for Strucker's experiment," Maria shook her head, baffled. "It's nuts."
"Right," Steve grins at the irony. Just as the elevator rings, the man steps into the lift. "What kind of monster would let a German scientist experiment on them to protect their country?"
"We're not at war, Captain."
"They are."
💜
Pietro stood in the middle of a small crowd that was beginning to form around him, offering them the necessities they were desperate for. A bag was sat on the side where Pietro can reach, and the boy kept as many miscellaneous things that he could get his hands on. With superspeed abilities, Pietro managed to grab anything the Sokovian's needed or wanted; Sokovia had struggled for many years, many before he was born. Now that Pietro has his superspeed, the enhanced feels like he can truly help his country.
Of course, it warmed Eszter's heart to see her brother share his kindness with everyone else; the girl adored her brother and his caring personality, and to witness his generosity, Sokovia deserves someone like Pietro.
Pietro pulls out a board game and a random book from the bag, and with a few clothing articles, the boy passes them to two more people; to show their gratitude, they'd nod and thank Pietro as they scurry off with their new items. Upon seeing a recognizable face, Pietro turns back to his bag, and with a noise of acknowledgment, the boy pulls out a bottle.
"Ah, those are the ones, right?" Pietro asks the older man, handing him the medications.
"Yeah," the older man confirms. He was gobsmacked and thankful; it was hard to believe that the kid managed to get him the needed medication, it was difficult to get them on his own.
"The doctor will refill it," Pietro assures the man. "No more insurance, yes; oh, I made a house call."
Next to the older man was a young and beautiful woman, with her soft golden hair and sparkling eyes; Pietro was captivated. Wanting to impress the girl, Pietro scrambled for something inside his bag, finding a ball; tossing the ball upward, the boy catches it. Making eye contact with the woman, Pietro grins a bit. No doubt, the woman finds the enhanced attractive, but she wasn't going to admit that out loud, especially not to a stranger.
"This is for your brother," Pietro hands the ball to the girl who passes it to the little boy beside her. Then, Pietro fishes out another item as she thanks him-a beautiful frill dress with the thinnest straps; freezing in her shoes, the blonde girl stares at dressed flabbergasted. " And this . . . is not for your brother."
"Oh," the Sokovian woman chuckles airily, taken back by the beauty of the dress and its glory. "No. This is too--"
A voice speaks up as Wanda and Eszter creep by, a hint of sarcasm lingers. "Is every girl in Sokovia getting a dress from Paris?" Wanda raises her brow, eyeing the random woman's attire. "At least the skirt looks warm."
Bursting into a fit of laughter, Eszter smacks her hand flat against her mouth, silencing her giggles until they're muffled; she wasn't expecting her sister to react in jealousy, upset that she wasn't getting a new dress, but Eszter didn't comment. She felt a little bad when she noticed the defeated look on the stranger's face, but neither of the sisters bothered to care--maybe Eszter, but she had to admit that was hilarious.
Wanda tugs Eszter along as their arms were intertwined, a way of Wanda keeping track of her sister and not losing her; not to mention, Eszter had learned to steal because of Pietro, so the girl was keeping a closer eye on her.
Pietro glares at the girl before huffing in annoyance, quickly returning to the girl, flashing an apologetic smile. "She's kidding," then he leaves the group behind with the remaining items in the bag. Jogging up to his sisters, Pietro grins slyly. "You're jealous you're not getting a dress."
As discreet as Wanda tried to be, the girl had been eyeing all the dresses she came up upon, thinking no one had noticed. For a moment, Eszter was thinking about stealing one for her, but the girl knew Wanda would be disappointed if she had.
"You keep stealing, you're going to get shot," Wanda fires back.
"Where have I heard that before," Eszter mutters quietly to herself, rolling her eyes. She never liked when Wanda would use that threat because it would always scare Eszter, but now, the girl is sure that Wanda only did that to scare Pietro.
Pietro smacks his lips, not seeming to be too concerned and annoyed, continuing forward.
"I mean it," Wanda says. "At speed, nothing can touch you, but standing still . . ."
Abruptly stopping, Pietro swings around and steps in front of Wanda, causing her to halt; Eszter, still holding Wanda, gets tugged back. "Do you think I want to be? You said 'wait,' and I'm waiting. I don't know for what," Pietro shrugs, exasperated. He was confused as his twin continues to go on with her own plan, leaving him and Eszter in the dark. "We had Stark, helpless. All these years, and you--"
"Costel!" It was the same blonde woman calling for someone, exclaiming fearfully as her kid-brother had gone missing. Eszter and the twins turn away from each other as they glance at the girl, watching as she starts scolding the boy. "Costel, where did you go?"
"The church," the small boy responds. Eszter furrows her brows when Costel suddenly turns towards her and the twins. "The man says you need to come to the church."
Eszter lifts a brow, interested yet uncertain. "What man?"
"The . . . Iron Man," Costel corrects, though even he was unsure of who exactly the man was.
The girl looks between the siblings awkwardly, though they linger on Pietro's gaze; pulling herself back into reality, the blonde girl takes her brother's hand and leads him away.
Pietro glances at Wanda, confused; he wasn't sure whether they should meet this man, a man supposedly Iron Man. However, if it is Iron Man, this could be their one chance to confront the hero for the grief he had caused them. He can see exactly who he had messed with.
"Iron Man? Here to see us?" Eszter shakes her head. Something didn't feel right, especially if it involves the man himself.
"I don't believe it," Wanda immediately shoots down the idea.
Shrugging, Pietro motions towards the church. "Only one way to find out," he starts for the church.
Trudging through the remainder of the market, the Maximoffs later trailed off into the dark near the church's fence. The building had been abandoned for many years, barely cared for, the architecture was slowly falling apart over time. Pietro pushes aside the fence as he motions for Wanda and Eszter to squeeze through, then once they get through, Eszter turned around and held it open for Pietro.
The dirt would crunch lowly beneath their shoes as they entered the church, not a single peep could be heard as they snuck inside. Thin drapes were cascading down the figure who sat in the middle of the church; ominously, the figure doesn't move upon hearing the small footsteps of intruders; however, he had nothing to be afraid of.
Pietro held his arm out and stopped Eszter from going any further; the girl merely frowns questionably but obliges.
"Talk," Wanda demands, taking control of the situation. "And if you're wasting our time--"
"Did you know this church is in the exact center of the city?" The man cuts her off, unfazed by the fact that he was outnumbered with three enhanced. Instead, he babbles about the information that felt rather irrelevant. "The elders decreed it so that everyone could be equally close to God. I like that. The geometry of belief."
Eszter narrows her eyes at the man, diving into his mind as she attempts to feel his emotions, but she couldn't; he didn't have a single thought, nor a feeling that Eszter could sense. Not even a life-force was present.
"You're wondering why you can't look inside my head."
Eszter widens her eyes briefly, surprised, the enhanced looks over to Wanda; for a second, Eszter had thought the man was speaking to her, but maybe he knows Wanda can see far more into someone's mind than she. Glancing up at her sister, Eszter could see Wanda falter a bit but kept her composure.
"Sometimes it's hard, but sooner or later, every man shows himself," Wanda responds with a low, raspy voice, a sneering dripping from her tongue.
Suddenly, he reveals himself as the drape fell from its shoulders. It was not a man. Eszter stumbles back with her jaw slumped open, gobsmacked when she sees a giant robot standing before them. The robot stood tall and proud as his body practically hovers over the siblings, eyes glowing bright red. He looks nothing like Iron Man as the kid had presumed; instead, this one was different from Tony Stark's several suits.
Even if his body is robotic and made of metal, he spoke fluently and scarily resembling a human voice.
"Oh, I'm sure they do," Eszter grips Pietro's arm as the robot turns with heavy feet, his red eyes piercing down at them. "But you needed something more than a man. That's why you let Stark take the Scepter."
The robot walks down the steps until he's in front of the trio, causing them to dip their heads back to meet the robot's gaze.
"I didn't expect," Wanda stares at the robot, completely in awe at the creation from Tony's destruction. "But I saw Stark's fear, I knew it would control him, make him self-destruct."
"Everyone creates the thing they dread," then he walks away. "Men of peace create engines of war. Invaders create Avengers. Please create . . . smaller people? Uh . . . Children!" The robot chuckles. "I lost the word there. Children. Designed to supplant them, to help them . . . end."
Eszter tilts her head, vaguely intrigued by the robot. "Is that why you've come?" She speaks up, surprising herself, but the enhanced keeps an emotionless facade. Once hearing the soft voice, the robot turns around and stares at Eszter. "To end the Avengers?"
Twisting his body back around, the robot takes a few steps forward. "I've come to save the world," he bobs his head at the thought, waving around his hand. "But also . . . yeah."
For some odd reason, Eszter admittedly was pleased by his attitude. Whatever and whoever he was, it was intriguing to come across something so human-like but lack all the human traits. Just as Eszter snaps back from her thoughts, the robot motions for them to follow, but the twins were hesitant. To be the first to move forward, Eszter moves from around Pietro as her eyes never failed to leave the robot's red eyes.
"And what should we call you?"
Glancing down at the enhanced, the robot tilts his head, examining Eszter quietly.
"Ultron."