I'm struggling with this battle, not gonna lie... But, I am determined to get this finished!
So, reviews are definitely welcomed.
We kept on the main road to the city for the majority of our trek, mainly so we didn't get side tracked. Steve decided against running, figuring he didn't need us all to be tired. When we were within half a mile of the city borders, Steve cut across the field and so we all promptly followed.
"Stark, how's it looking there?" Cap asked.
"They're definitely anxious. They're waiting for something to happen."
"Well, something will happen soon."
"If we can get Wanda close enough for her to probe minds without being caught, nothing will have to happen until we've got Doom." Sam pointed out just as we reached the main city.
"He has a very good point." Wanda agreed.
"Let's get going then." I smiled at the team.
We made our way to the very centre of the city, using the dim lights and buildings as cover. The glow of Doom's HQ was getting brighter and brighter as we neared it. I kissed Wanda's hand one last time for good measure before the impending battle ahead of us.
"Girls, get as close as possible to them. We need as much information as possible," Cap ordered. "We'll be right nearby, just in case."
"Yes, boss. Ready, Scarlet Witch?" I looked over to Wanda.
"More than ever, Ice Queen." She smirked at me.
We found a car nearby the building that was still in the shadows. A look of concentration appeared on my girlfriend's face as she started searching for information in the minds of the men fifty yards away.
She was clearly searching every mind as deeply as possible without causing any havoc which was never fun.
"I've got something."
"What? What did you find?" Natasha's voice appeared in my ear.
"Well for one, you're gonna need to give that hunting knife a deep clean, Piper."
"Why?" I did not like the sound of that.
"Because I'm witnessing Doom use it on someone. God that was horrible." She gripped my hand tightly. "That one won't be leaving me for a while." I rubbed soothing circles into the back of her hand with my thumb.
"Can you find out where they are?"
"I'm looking." A few minutes of silence passed. "Got him."
"Where is he?"
"In the main building up ahead."
"Numbers?" Steve appeared next to me.
"They're all out here. His numbers were higher than this, surely."
"Well, we did take out quite a few last time we were here."
"Rhodes, Stark. Sweep the area one more time. Just to be sure."
"Sure thing, Steve."
We turned back to face Doom's building. How in the hell were we going to lure him out? He wanted us, Doom is going to get us. I looked over at Wanda who was clearly deep in thought. She grimaced and then shook her head. The grip on my hand tightened gradually.
"Wanda? Come back to me, my love?" I cupped her cheek with my spare hand.
"Sorry. I was searching for more info and the images of torture came back." There was a tear in her eye which I promptly wiped away. She looked so heartbroken at what she witnessed. I leant up and kissed her forehead before locking our eyes together.
"We'll find him. We'll find Doom and we'll stop him." I promised.
"Guys, as much as I hate breaking your moments, the reccy has been done and they're all definitely here."
"Then let's lure Doom out." Wanda put her game face on. We fell back to the rest of the group to discuss tactics.
"Is there anything you can find in anyone's minds that means we'll be able move him from wherever he is?" Rhodey asked.
"Well, he won't care about any of these. They're mere pawns in his illustrious games," Hawkeye stated.
"I'm not so sure. The guy whose eyes I was watching through, there were thoughts in his mind that seemed to be…personal. He knew Doom well, like they were best friends. They'd been through a lot together over the years."
"Well, he's with Doom. How are we going to get him?" Sam asked. Wanda grinned and her eyes blazed red. Scarlet appeared at her finger tips and I fell further in love with that mischievous grin. Energy shot off and disappeared into the walls of the building.
"Doom's mind is somehow impenetrable. I can read it but I'm unable to manipulate it in any way, shape or form. The friend however is another matter entirely. I can bring him to us, unarmed without having to step foot in the building."
"God, I love you." She smirked at me and blew me a kiss.
"And then what, Maximoff?" Stark asked, exasperated.
"Every man that is patrolling over there…"
"…We take down with ice, lightning, arrows and a shield. It's our party from then on." I finished for her.
"Your connection-" Tony gestured between us. "-scares me. How do you know what each other is going to say?!" We shrugged.
"It comes naturally."
"They are soulmates, Mr. Stark. The universe wanted them together from the moment they were born." Vision remarked.
"Let's focus before I get mushy. If we can get to higher ground, we'll have better luck not being kidnapped." I got us back on topic.
"The roof of that building there, and there are good vantage points for those unable to manoeuvre easily. If we can find a way up there… Hawkeye can fire the first shot, an explosive arrow maybe. Then we strike." Steve strategized.
Every nodded and fell into silence. We waited for a few minutes as a man appeared by the car where we were previously hidden. Steve hid in the shadows and took him down when he walked past. We bound his hands and feet, and gagged him before rolling him under the car.
The next thing I knew, Vision grabbed Wanda and myself around the waist and flew us to the roof of the nearby building. Falcon brought Steve up. Thor had Natasha and Tony had Clint. The archer set himself up on the edge immediately and I made patches of ice around me to keep myself steady.
He aimed in the very middle of the clearing and shot the arrow off. Red energy immediately blasted from the fingertips of the brunette sorceress besides me and I promptly followed suit with ice. Every guard went into panic. Blasts were appearing left, right and centre as more and more men fell to the ground. I created a massive snowball in the air and hurled it at a group. The fell unconscious upon impact. The beam of the mind stone appeared in my periphery and so did lightning as they all flew around taking even more down.
As attacks were coming from everywhere, Doom's guards didn't know where to shoot. A few even lied their weapons down on the ground in surrender. The rest followed suit. They knelt on the floor and put their hands behind their heads.
I made an ice ramp down to the ground and turned to face Wanda. I gestured behind me and she jumped onto my back. I wrapped my arms tightly around her legs to keep her there, making sure she wouldn't fall off. Facing the ramp, I ran on to it and slid down it, my shoes having the right traction to keep us both balanced. Once back on solid ground, I let her go and landed gracefully on her feet. As always, everything about her was graceful.
We incapacitated the surrendering guards and left them in the middle of the clearing. Thor carried over Doom's friend and set him down by my feet. Wanda entered his mind to wake him up. After a few moments, his eyes flew open and he gasped in surprise. He was set on his knees by Steve who also removed his gag. The team were standing behind us as they let myself and Wanda interrogate the friend.
I knelt down next to him, switchblade twirling between my fingers. A small flicker of fear appeared in his eyes when he caught sight of the knife appearing to move on its own. In return, I smiled gently.
"We're not gonna hurt you, I promise. We have nothing against a man presumably just following orders. We're help to Sokovia and its people."
"They're nothing!" He growled. "There's nothing here worth a dime."
"Not true. And how would you feel if after your country was half destroyed by an army of robots, it was then overtaken by a lunatic and his men killing more people?" Wanda snarled.
"Plus, Doom has his own country to rule. The Sokovians do not deserve any more pain. They're still trying to rebuild their capital city after Ultron."
"That's why we came here originally. We wanted to help them but they weren't interested and so Victor felt insulted. He took reign and enforced strict rules as punishment."
"Of course he did."
"Then it became more. He found taking Sokovia so easy that he wanted more. But he knew he would need to get rid of the Avengers. So, he was going to capture you all." I sighed, turning to look behind me at Wanda.
"What would happen if he discovered you had been…kidnapped, for lack of a better word?"
"He would completely lose his cool. I'm his oldest friend, we've known each other since we were five. I will always back him and help him win."
"How irrational can he be when he's angry?"
"He will do everything he can to hurt the person responsible for his anger."
"He'll come after us?" He nodded at Wanda. "Perfect, that's what we want." Wanda folded her arms.
"Like I said, we're not going to hurt you. Doom slighted us and insulted us. He called us unworthy and he threatened to drown me."
"It was me holding you."
"We're sending him back to Latveria. He belongs there, not here."
"He won't go lightly," he warned.
"He's not staying here! They don't deserve this anger."
"Tread carefully. He's dangerous." He bit out in pure contempt.
An icicle formed in my hand and I could feel Wanda's energy radiating from her body. "So are we. The rest of the team are avenging Sokovia."
I built an ice circle around him in seconds stopping him from escaping before turning to face the building and the team. Wanda's eyes were glowing scarlet as energy circled her. She grinned as she stood side-by-side with me.
"Victor!" I bellowed. "I know you know we're here. I know you can see me and I know you can hear me. Look around you, Doom. Who from your inner circle is missing?"
"Got it yet? I know you have Dr. Doom. I can hear your anguished thoughts. There's just a hint of fear but mainly anger."
"He's safe from harm, Victor. As long as you comply. The Scarlet Witch and I have business with you, Victor. You called us unworthy, you threatened to shoot me, to drown me and you thought you could get away with it."
"We're here to help Sokovia. They people don't warrant this agony or punishment anymore. They just want to move on from everything and they deserve that. They don't need a dictator controlling every aspect of their life. An unlawful curfew imposed on them. They were scared, Dr. Doom. That's why they didn't want your help."
"So come out here and face up to us. The Avengers vs Doom." I could feel the team appear right behind us."
"Be afraid, Avengers. Be very afraid. He'll be suiting up and then, he'll destroy you all." I turned to look at the second-in-command.
"Suit up? What are you saying?" Steve asked.
"Oh no," I heard Wanda groan.
"What's happening?" The next thing we knew, there was a large whirring and heavy footfall. A parade of men burst out from doors at each side and formed up in front of us. Then Doom walked out in his armour with a smug smirk standing behind his men.
"Oh, shit."
Thoughts? Please?