Chapter 7
The destruction was nothing short of a nuclear bomb. By the time the team had arrived, Dr. Strange had removed most of the residue of whatever had blown up the underground bunker. Surveying the destruction was difficult still. The mangled metal and heaps of concrete were smoldering, burning the eyes of the various agents already on the scene; but perhaps the most jarring aspect of the situation were the all to familiar green uniforms with an sinister red band on the arm that brought a snarl to Magnet’s lips.
“Does any of this look familiar to either of you?” Steve asked
“It’s HYDRA, that’s really all I can say” Bucky grimaced, not liking to relive any of his moments as a lab rat or weapon. “I wish I could tell you more.”
“I don't,” Steve muttered.
As much as any entail on the organization would be well welcomed, a selfish part of the hero couldn’t help but be happy that his friend couldn’t remember much of what they had done to him. Just the few flashing pictures that haunted his consciousness from time to time were more than enough.
“Captain Rogers” General Ross approached Steve.
“Yes, General” the hero saluted.
“Is this the best you can do?” the general grumbled, looking over the team.
Steve looked back at his friends (and some might even say family). Thor was off-world, Banner was afraid of what might happen if he came, and Clint had taken a leave of absence to be with his wife and kids. Yelena had graciously agreed to return to her homelands to accompany her sister with the rest of the original six along with Magneto.
“He’s a terrorist,” Ross pointed angrily at the mutant.
“I will duly warn you to not antagonize me, General” Magneto snarled, allowing his cape to whip violently around him. “Charles may value humanity and for his sake I do too but I warn you that my resolve to save my kind far exceeds that loyalty.”
“Magneto, stand down,” Steve ordered, “We’re not here to fight, we’re here to help.”
Magneto reluctantly conceded but his glare did not lighten up.
“What do you want us to do?” Steve asked the general.
“As of now, there is not much you can do,” the voice of Doctor Strange answered.
The Sorcerer Supreme regally floated down and looked at the group of heroes. The man was exhausted and the aura of his energy was weaker than usual.
“Something off, Oz the Great and Powerful?” Tony asked with a less mocking tone than usual.
“We’re dealing with a powerful being” the doctor reported, “One which had power to challenge and maybe even exceed my own. I have to talk to Wong.”
A portal opened and the sorcerer slipped through leave once again leaving the Avengers alone.
“Well, screw him but I’m going to go and look for what or whoever did this” Tony said, blasting off.
“Tony!” Steve yelled after him but the man was already out of earshot.
“I’ll follow him,” Sam sighed.
“Great, now the rest of us…” Steve turned around only to see that Magneto had also left them. “The rest of us are on search and rescue. I’ll call Fury to get the heli-carrier so we can bring them in for questioning.”
Tony rocketed over the wasteland of rubble with Sam not far behind.
“JARVIS, scan for large energy sign” Tony ordered his AI.
“Scanning, negative”
“That’s impossible,” Tony said, “Surely there’s something that can give us a sign.”
“THere are no areas of concentrated energy, sir”
“Then what could have caused all this?”
A satellite image of the area was booted up in the corner of Tony’s vision.
“The destruction seems to be homogeneous across the entire area spanning approximately three hundred and fifty six yard across”
“I’m no scientist but that seems off” Sam inputted, “Shouldn’t the debris on the edges be more intact?”
“You’re not wrong” Tony said absentmindedly, “Where is the center of all this crap?”
“Continue for another fifteen point six seconds, sir”
Sam and Tony landed inside a room that was about twenty meters front he surface and less destroyed than the rest of the bunker. There were no bodies but remnants from a lab as well as a puddle of fluid that was streaked with blood.
“JARVIS, analysis”
“Analyzing, sir. Results found. Sample contains a 50% genetic match with Erik Lehnsherr known alias Magneto. Chance of relationship: 99.98%.”
Tony nearly fell to the ground.
“What?” he cried.
“Results show a 50%...”
“Nonono, I got that” Tony gasped, “Just need some time.”
“Would you like to hear the rest of the results?”
“Yes”
“Substance found is amniotic fluid”
“What?”
“The amniotic fluid is the protective liquid contained by the amniotic sac of a gravid amniote. This fluid serves as a cushion for the growing fetus, but also serves to facilitate the exchange of nutrients, water, and biochemical products between mother and fetus.”
“I know what amniotic fluid is but Magneto’s a grandfather?”
“Yes, it appears so”
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Sam muttered, “And I doubt he’ll be happy.”
“Who’s not going to be happy?” Magneto asked, slowly floating down.
Tony felt the color drain from his face and his armor was beginning to feel a bit snug which he hoped was only metaphorically.
“Charles said you found something I would be interested in” he glared at the two.
“Well, tell your bald headed boyfriend to keep his weird psychic parlor tricks to himself” Tony snapped.
The ground began to shake and the sound of metal straining made the two men’s guts twist itself into knots.
“She was here” Tony managed to get out in a somewhat confident tone. “You’re daughter. JARVIS said that it’s over a 99% chance that it was her.”
Magneto’s eyes widened and he looked at the room as if dazed. The memories of being at the concentration camp flash back into his mind. He had been called, ripped from his mother’s warm arms, and forced into a room not much different than this. Erik brushed what remained of leather straps that he could picture the frail arm of his daughter being trapped with. He pushed down the tears and slowly touched the watered down blood that covered most of the table.
“I shouldn’t have left” he choked, letting the metallic smell assault his nose. “I should have stayed with Madga and maybe they would all be alive.”
“They might still be” Sam tried to cheer the man up but was ignored.
“You did what you thought was right” Tony added, feeling weird about trying to comfort the man who had on multiple occasions tried to turn his armor into his coffin. “Not to mention staying would have put them in more danger.”
“More than this” Magneto gestured to the destroyed lab. “My wife is dead and my children suffered the same fate as I had but worse. The blood here is still wet and the amount is lethal. If she had somehow miraculously survived whatever they did to her, she would have surely perished in the explosion. If I had stayed, perhaps they would all be safe.”
“Maybe your son…”
“Would no doubt follow close after her. I may have left early but even when they were barely able to stand by themselves, they were never without the other. If Pietro was hurt, so was Wanda. If Wanda was sad, so was Pietro.”
The three stood silently with their heads bowed.
“You should tell him,” Sam whispered to Tony.
“About what?”
“About the baby”
“I’m not going to tell him,” Tony cried.
“Tell me what?” Magneto glared at the two, sending shivers down their spines.
“How do you know we’re talking about you, Bucket Head” Tony snarked.
“Because it’s the only logical answer for you two buffoon whispering to each other”
Sam gave Tony a slight push towards the man while the avenger secretly swore that he was going to paint the former military man’s wings bright pink.
“Uh, Mr Magneto, sir” he nervously massaged the back of his neck. “I had the blood analyzed and it appears that the girl- er- your daughter had given birth.”
Magneto’s eyes lit up and he shot off into the air. For a moment, he had left the other two alone but then the room began to shift and the earth seemed to shake.
“What the hell is happening?” Sam demanded, lifting off alongside Tony.
The two hovered in the air and watched as the mutant used his powers to lift the remnants of the bunker into the air, throwing it to the side.
“What in god’s name are you doing?” Sam demanded.
Magneto did not respond, his eyes continued to glow with fury as he allowed his powers to take control of the earth and industrial plague that was embedded. His senses snaked through the debris trying feel, feel anything except the rage that seemed to burn in his veins. He felt as the concrete crumbled under his powers as he let his anger further destroy the place that had cost him his children.