Chapter 39: Wanda and Pietro
That's right.
Just one strike.
Considering Pierce's strength, he didn't even get to see how Aron performed the move.
His head, like an overripe watermelon, burst from the blow. Red and white, mixed with bits of bone and skull, scattered backward like petals tossed by the wind.
"With that kind of 'dish,' you really thought you could survive?"
Aron said to Fury with a half-smile.
At the same moment, a cloud of black energy burst from Pierce's lifeless body.
The mass of energy moved erratically, like an abandoned dog.
"Hmm?"
Aron extended his hand. As soon as he touched it, the energy was absorbed into his body.
[Signal detected!]
[Abnormal energy identified.]
[Purification system successfully activated.]
In the next moment, the purified shadow energy merged with his own.
"Interesting…"
This was the first time he realized that power could be absorbed in this way.
By killing those who use the same kind of energy or through any force, you can steal their power.
Law of the strongest.
Big fish eats small fish.
"I knew that those few disciples of the so-called God of Shadows wouldn't just hand over their power to Coulson."
Aron smiled bitterly.
Pierce's energy, though purified, was nothing special to him.
A few drops in the ocean.
But drop by drop makes a river.
"Wait…"
His eyes lit up.
"If power can be transferred this way… then it's possible to regain energy even if someone 'blocks' you. You just have to let others make a deal with that God, and then take everything from them."
That would mean it's possible to continuously draw from the same source, using others as intermediaries.
"Hydra… well done."
Thinking about how much effort Hydra put into summoning that 'god of shadows,' Aron couldn't help but feel satisfied.
All that work… so he could just come and take it all for himself.
After all, who's the real predator here?
"And now…"
He looked at Nick Fury.
"Where are the remaining Hydra bases? I need a list."
"..."
Fury wanted to say: "I'm the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., how would I know where Hydra's bases are?"
But on second thought…
He did know something.
He pulled a phone from Pierce's pocket, opened the map, and marked several locations from memory.
"All these bases were established while Pierce was director. The level of secrecy was extremely high, even I didn't have access."
Aron took the phone and examined the marked points.
Indeed, most locations matched what he had already suspected—cores of the shadow movement.
Only, he had a general idea, while Fury's were marked with precise geographic coordinates.
"Aron, come with us."
"Destroying Hydra is still an Avengers mission."
Tony Stark approached as soon as he saw Aron getting ready to leave.
He still hadn't given up trying to recruit him to the Avengers' side.
"Oh, the last one who tried that ended up like this."
Aron pointed at Nick Fury.
Then, without a word, he opened a portal and walked through it without looking back.
"..."
"..."
Tony and Nick stood still, speechless, with looks of disbelief.
After a moment of silence, Tony turned to Fury:
"How exactly did you try to recruit him? Did you flatter him?"
Fury shook his head.
"I was honest."
Tony groaned and shrugged at that.
Truly, honesty doesn't always pay off.
Then he quietly said:
"Jarvis, draft me a stock transfer agreement. Maybe that'll save me."
---
Sokovia
Hydra Base
In one of the most heavily guarded underground bases.
On one of the floors were small cells, barely 15 square meters each. Most were occupied by children. Some were empty.
Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, brother and sister, were among the oldest.
But still children.
"Little Wick was taken yesterday… he hasn't come back."
Pietro leaned against the cell's bulletproof glass and looked out with concern.
Children had been taken one by one since yesterday, but none had returned.
Previous experiments involved drawing blood or testing pain endurance.
It was painful, but at least they came back alive.
But now...
No one knew what was happening.
"Wanda, what do we do?"
Pietro looked through the glass into the neighboring cell.
Although he was born a few minutes earlier, Wanda always claimed she was older.
"..."
To her brother's question, Wanda only shook her head.
They had joined Hydra wanting revenge on Tony Stark, the man whose weapons had destroyed their home and family.
Hydra promised them powers.
But after more than a year…
All they got was pain.
"We can't just sit and wait anymore. We have to—"
She didn't finish her sentence.
A man with a monocle, Baron Strucker, appeared on the floor.
"Wanda Maximoff, Pietro Maximoff, Charlie Wells, Anthony Scherigell…"
He began reading a new list.
Unfortunately, this time both Wanda and Pietro were on it.
"No!"
"Let me go! I want to go home! I miss my mom!"
Children cried, but Hydra's soldiers didn't react.
They opened the cells in order and took out the children from the list.
Wanda and Pietro didn't resist. They just looked at each other and quietly followed.
---
They didn't end up in the lab.
This time, they were brought into a grim room.
The walls and floor were covered in red, twisted symbols.
The smell of blood was too strong to ignore.
You didn't have to be a genius to realize—those symbols were drawn with human blood.
"Begin."
Baron Strucker gave the order.
The soldiers forced the children down, pulled out daggers, and placed buckets.
No more blood draws.
This time, it was a human sacrifice.
"Pietro!!"
Wanda watched as they pinned her brother to the bloody floor.
A dagger was pressed against his neck.
Her eyes widened in shock.
Fear and despair awakened something within her.
Her eyes began to glow, deep red.