AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY
Chapter I
Little Italy, New York
January 23rd, 1991
The night was cold, the leaves danced around with the air, everything outside the house was peaceful
And also inside of it, until this moment
-Jay, there is something I need to tell you- the woman said as she looked to her husband.
She was nervous, but she was very good dissimulating
-Yes, honey? – Dr. Jayson Collins, who was concentrated with some papers from work, didn't paid much attention to his wife
-I'm pregnant- the woman said, as her mouth went dry, her brown eyes were filled with both happiness and terror, her red-brown hairs danced around with the air currents
-What? - Collins said, astounded
In that moment, there was silence in the room, as if the environment knew of the implications of these words, not only the fact that a new life had begun, also, the fact that, according to all the analysis they had done, they were not able to have children
Collins looked deep inside her wife´s eyes, and she looked deep into his, as if the space between her, standing outside the bathroom of their bedroom, and him, sitting in bed, did not exist.
A moment of shock passed through both of their spines at the same time, the silent in the room and outside continued as the wind made its performance through the room
-I'm pregnant- she said, again, as if remarking it, this time, she said it with excitement, like a great new discovery
Collins standed up and slowly walked to his wife, his mouth was open by his astonishment, this was a miracle, and a cold drop of sweat went through the side of his face
He faced his wife, looking at her in shock, and then hugged her
-This is a miracle- he whispered with a broken voice, the tears slided down his left eye
-I know- the wife said with the same tone her husband had, the tears ruined her make up, but she didn't care, she hugged him strongly, and he responded by hugging her even tighter
They departed quickly to face each other
-This is a miracle- Martha said, and then they kissed
After that, they went to bed, he slided his arm through her stomag, hugging her tight
-I love you so, so much- he said
-I love you more- she said, crying of happiness
—O—
2 months later
-Jayson, I told you! Mr. Williams had a meeting and he needed me in the office! That's it! It's just my freaking job! - Martha yelled
-Yeah, sure, do you seriously think I'm going to believe that "extra hours" thing?! Do you think I'm stupid or something? Don´t mock me, it would just be easier for you to say "Jay, I'm sleeping with my boss"- he said, angry
-I'm not sleeping with him!-
-Right, you never stay to sleep, you just shag him-
-Jay!-
-What? It´s the truth- he glanced at her belly –moreover, I bet that child isn't mine- he said with a cold voice
-Of course he is! Jayson, I'm not sleeping with anyone-
-That's what you say-
-Stop it!-
-You know what…you´re right; I'm going to end this shit- he angrily went upstairs
-Wait, what?-
She went up the stairs
When she entered their room, she found her husband angrily looking for something in the drawer
-Where is that shit?-
-Jayson, what-what are you doing? - She said, worried
-My wife is cheating on me, my job sucks, and I'm waiting to become a cuckold—someone who looks after other male's offspring- he pulled out a gun and placed it again his head –I'm ending this shit-
-Please, don't, I swear you; I am not sleeping with him or anyone else, just you—I love you-
He closed his eyes, pressed his teeth, and pulled the trigger
The moment the sound got to Martha's ears, it was too late, her husband was dead
He was lying there, in the floor
He had taken his own life
Just in that moment, as Martha had her hands covering her mouth, looking impotently at her dead husband's body, she began to feel….dizzy, her sigh went blurry and her legs went weak, and then, just in front of her dead husband
She fainted
—O—
She woke up, at the hospital
The bed was warm, and the feeling of being hold by two strong arms made her think—or moreover, feel that she was not alone, that her husband had not died, and that it was all a bad dream
Great mistake
When she opened her eyes, she did not found what she expected, she found herself in the arms of Simon Field, a co-worker of S.H.I.E.L.D
Also, she was in a hospital bed, no good sign
-Simon- she automatically jerked off his arms, without offending him
-Oh, you´re awake-
-Yes-
-Are you… aware of what happened?-
She sighed –Well, unless it was all a bad dream, it seems like I am a widower now, all because of the fact I couldn't tell my husband I was an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D
Simon felt embarrassed – I'm sad to inform you that you´re correct, Jayson took his life-
She sighed
-I'm sorry, Martha, I'm truly sorry- he said
-Not your fault- she said, with the tears sliding through her face
He dried her tears with his thumb, and then looked still at her
-Look, Martha, I know that this is everything but the right moment, you're unstable, your husband just killed himself and you're pregnant after countless failed tries, but there is something I need to tell you- he looked firmly into her eyes
-You should listen to what he is about to say, it is important, and I think it is the best idea- said Nicholas Fury, opening the door
-If you could leave us alone, Coronel- Simon said, uncomfortable
-Oh, ok, sorry to interrupt- Fury stepped out
-Anyhow, what I was about to say to you- he kneeled before her hospital bed –I love you Martha Bilecci, I have loved you since the moment I saw you, I controlled myself because of your marriage, but now your husband is dead, you´re bearing a child, and that child is going to need a father, someone who will raise him as a son, could I be that man? - He said, pulling out an engagement ring
-Simon….i…..you…..i didn't knew you…- before she could finish, she was interrupted
Interrupted by Simon pressing his lips against her, and she gave up to him, accepting both the kiss and the offer
—O—
Little Italy, New York
November 19th, 2002
-Collin, can you come inside honey, there is something I need to tell you- Martha Franklins yelled warmly and motherly
The boy, Collin, a healthy and robust 11 years old, was putting some boxes on their place in the basement
-Coming mom! - He said
And so he did, he dried his forehead with an old t-shirt, and walked up the stairs, in the living room, his mother was waiting with a serious look
-Anything wrong? - He said
-Collin, come in, I need to talk you about something…serious-
-Alright- he said, estranged
It wasn't normal for his loving mother to talk like that, usually; she would just smile warmly, announce when the meals were ready, or keep silent while checking everything was in order inside the house, especially when his dad got home. Everything had to be in perfect order for that moment
-Look, mom, if this is about the "changes" I'm going to face at this age, dad already taught me about it, we already had "the talk"-
Martha felt somehow embarrassed by that assumption, but it wasn't about that, as soon as she remembered what it was about, her shining smile faded out, her skin went pale, her voice broke, and she had to hold not to cry.
-Mom….what happens? - He said, a bit concerned –you´re pale as a ghost-
-Collin…my dear son, I really don't know how to say this…your father Is dead…- her mother´s voice broke, the tears steered out of her eyes, and her color went even more pale
-WHAT? – Collin's pulse went hard, his face went red, for the first time in his life, he was shocked, the tears slided through his eyes, this was his father, the man who had taught him everything, and now, he was dead
They hugged crying –He….he´s dead- the mother said while sobbing, she couldn't believe it
The funeral had very few people besides Collin, Martha, and the priest, just the very few family friends they had, no more than three couples with their children, usually no more than two or three of them, one of the daughters, Mindy Rockwell, who was about his age –with the slight difference of three months- was the closest thing Collin had to a friend, being homeschooled
Looking at her, who had already gone some of the "changes" proper to the age, made him feel some of the changes he was supposed to fell, he felt warm going through his cheeks and his eyes, with weird red flashes in the edge of his sight.
This wasn't something he was supposed to feel, the warmth, yes, the red flashes in his sight, no, but in any case, he left it go, this was his father´s funeral after all, and he didn't want to focus on himself nor in a girl, this was a time of grieve for his deceased progenitor, and a time of prayer and abstinence for his soul.
After his father´s dead, Collin wasn't the same, they received a fine pension so his mother didn't have to left home and work, given that, she could still homeschool Collin, and they spent even more time together.
Collin continued to take care of the basement and some of his father´s mechanic projects, his father had taught him enough to take care of things, and Collin was a very smart boy, in fact, his IQ scored very high, around 168, just at the age of 11 and ¾ , he and his mother did many things together, eating, talking, praying and such, the only activities (aside from essentially private activities) they did not do together were cooking (which her mother did alone) and taking care of the good old basement (which Collin alone did),her mother did not remarried, even after Simon´s dead, she remained loyal to him, she did not marry ever again.
Collin didn't really have much friends, there weren´t many neighbors and he did not went to school, from the age 3, he had been homeschooled, in fact, his only friend worth the name was Mindy.
One day, she and Collin were talking
It was just a customary visit, at Collin's house
Then, as they were normally talking about some childhood memories they shared, Collin lost sense
He began not to hear what she was saying, well, he did hear it, but he didn't listen to it, he just got lost on Mindy, on her, the details of her face, the way her mouth moved when she spoke, her lips…
In that moment, Collin once again felt the "changes" he was supposed to, heat went all the way through his body as hormones rushed.
It was a weird sensation
It all got weirder the moment the entire room actually got hotter, it wasn't just Collin, it was in the air, and Molly began to feel it too.
Suddenly, some parts of the room began to be set on fire, and so it went across the house, Molly fainted and Collin screamed
Her mother and Molly´s father, who were downstairs, began to feel the heat in about the same time Molly did, and then fire spontaneously began in the living room as well
Martha and Molly´s father runned upstairs quickly, as they listened to Collin´s scream plus the fire
When they got there, Collin was kneeling before a crucifix, almost crying
-Help me…please….stop these- he whispered at the crucifix
Then he looked into the eyes of the crucified Christ, and it all began to cool up
In a very literal way, the fire extinguished, and the normal hot temperature of the house began to cool up, perhaps to artic-like degrees, this was strange.
Collin stood there, kneeling before the crucifix, in a sort of meditational trance; he was absorbed in his prayer
-Thank you… - Collin whispered to the crucifix with his tears streaming from his eyes, and then freezing
-What the hell- Molly´s father said, astonished, his breath was visibly white in the middle of this frost
—O—
Somewhere in Sokovia
January 21st, 2017
Wanda Maximoff looked around in the village
She was there on a mission
Just like all the missions she´d have since the Civil War, this was a secret mission
With the Secret Avengers
This time, they were in her native land of Sokovia, in the same village her brother Pietro died 2 years ago
She was still longing for him
It seemed like if it happened yesterday, it seemed like if it was all a bad dream that came true, it didn't seem real
For the last 2 years, Wanda´s life didn't seem real
But there she was, two years after her brother´s dead, in the same village in which he had shattered his blood
And she was there as what Pietro never got an official chance to be: an Avenger
She was there with the Secret team, which consisted of her; Captain America, who had now taken the name Nomad; Sam Wilson, also known as Falcon; Scott Lang, the Ant-man; and Natasha, the Black Widow
In the Civil War Natasha had sided with Stark, but she changed her mind, as for Barton and Barnes who were with her team during the War, they were both inactive now
Barnes was buried who-knows-where beneath some Wakandan mountain in a state of suspended animation
And Hawkeye was retired, hiding with his family somewhere in Kansas.
So, this was it
They were inside an abandoned HYDRA facility
Even since the War, they had to get more tactical
Even since they broke with Stark, S.H.I.E.L.D and the UN, they had to get more tactical, they were outlaws now
They had to stay in the shadows
And that was exactly what they were doing: staying in the shadows
She was on the basement, Steve and Sam covered the upper floors while Natasha and Lang registered the first floors
She actually had a double function: searching, and maintaining a telepathic link in the group, if anything happened to any of them, or if one saw something strange, the rest would know in the act
She was searching in the basement, nothing
Nat: Nothing
Nomad and Falcon: nothing
Lang: Nothing
Apparently, this was just an empty building
"Wait, I found something" Falcon "said"
"What is it?" Steve replied
"I don't know, it´s something about genetical engineering, it could be useful to know HYDRA's plans, they may have an army of super-soldiers or something like that" he pointed out
"Take it with you Sam, we will most likely have use for it" Steve said "Anything else?"
"No Sir"
"Then let´s get the hell out of here" Ant man snorted "There is nothing else in this building"
"Patience Lang, this isn't child´s game" Natasha inquired
"In a sense he´s right, Romanoff" Steve interrupted "There seems to be nothing else of value"
"Wait!" said Wanda "I think there is someone else in the building"
"WHAT!?" said the rest simultaneously
"It seems like—I don't know, he doesn't seems to be an HYDRA soldier, their brainwashing has a very particular mental wave that can be detected—this one is different, I think he's super powered"
"Ok, whoever is that guy, bring him here!" Nomad said "Wanda, were his him?"
"I don't know, but I feel he is close"
"Ok, everyone get to the basement and find that man right NOW! That´s an order"
And so they did
Wanda was still waiting for them when she perceived him, it was a he, and he was very, very close
Wanda tried to "talk" with him; she tried to communicate with him
"I'm Wanda" she said "Wanda Maximoff, who are you? What are you doing here? We—I am not going to hurt you, I know you´re not a bad guy, I can feel it"
She didn't feel an answer, in fact, the whole mind and her communication with him was kind of—Blurry, as if he didn't staid in a single place for a long time
Then, she turned her back; she heard something weird, behind her
She saw a blur moving very, very quickly
It reminded her of—No, it couldn't be
"Wanda, what did you see? - Natasha shouted
"What was that?"- followed Scott Lang
"What happened?" said Steve
"What was that" Falcon said
They all saw Wanda, looking abstractly at the horizon with tears in her face
-I…I think I saw Pietro- she said