HYDRA
ONE YEAR LATER
Ophelia ran through the forest as fast as her feet could carry her. Stray branches whipping at her body as it moved through the trees. She kept her breathing steady as she focused her magic to the palms of her hands. They glowed as she frequently shot blasts of energy behind her at her enemy. Gun fire went off and she dodged each bullet.
"God damnit!" Sam shouted from above. Ophelia looked up to see Captain America's left wing had caught gun fire. He began to descend toward the forest floor a few meters to her right.
"I got him!" Bucky yelled through their coms. Bucky ran from behind Ophelia and in Sam's direction. Another moment later he was running beside Ophelia with Sam slung on his back. Sam with an annoyed look on his face. His left leg wounded leaking with blood.
"Taking him back to the jet. You good?" Bucky asked Ophelia.
"Peachy." Ophelia said then began running backwards shooting energy blasts. Bucky ran from her side carrying Sam on his back. Sam grumbling the entire way.
Ophelia turned back around when she felt a presence behind her. Luckily it was Brunhild holding her sword and hacking down a tall green creature with way too many yellow eyes.
"What in Odin's name are these things!?" Brunhild called through the coms as she slices the creatures head from it's statuesque body.
"Some kind of Symbiote-Lizard freak experiment created by our gun wielding friends." Iron Man said swooping down and blasting another creature to nothing but goo. His mask lifted from his face and he winked at Ophelia. "Good thing you escaped when you did, kid. Or you might look just like not so jolly green over there." He said then turned and blasted one that was charging at him. Ophelia scoffed. But Tony was right. It had been a good thing she escaped HYDRA's clutches when she did. Or she might have turned into someone more menacing than she could have imagined. But she didn't want to dwell on that. Especially not currently. Considering they were fighting for their lives at the moment.
Brunhild screamed and dropped to the ground. She had been hit. She clutched her right arm and squeezed her eyes shut. Ophelia ran over and helped her to her feet.
"Come on friend. An warriors death does not await you this day." Ophelia said as she store a piece of cloth from her left sleeve and tied it tight around her wound. Brunhild groaned in pain but nodded her head to Ophelia as she picked up her sword.
"Back to it then." Brunhild stated and Ophelia smiled. As the fight continued Ophelia started to feel weary. Which was unusual for her as of late. She had been training with the Avengers for over a year and her powers had grown substantially. She was able to harness her power into energy for both stamina and control. She had become a force of natural raw power. Her and Wanda had become more powerful together as well. They could now link their magic together and harness each others magic if one of them got hurt or needed an extra push. They could communicate and strategize as one mind. "Lia! Cap wants us back at the jet! We won't be winning this fight today!" Wanda shouted through the coms. "Got it! Come on Brunhild! Time to go-" Ophelia started to say but she felt a massive pain shoot through her skull. She grasped at her head and screamed. She dropped to her knees and the screams kept coming. Brunhild ran to her side and called for Loki. Loki was at the other side of the forest fighting alongside Thor when he heard Brunhild's cry for him. He looked to Thor then clasped his hand over his brother's shoulder. In a puff of green smoke they were teleported to Ophelia's side. Loki knelt down to Ophelia and pulled her head to meet his eyes. "What happened?" Thor asked. "No idea." Brunhild replied. Without another word Loki teleported himself and Ophelia to the jet. Thor spun his hammer in the air and held Brunhild close to his body. They flew into the air then landed next to the jet. When everyone was boarded the HYDRA forces seemed to back down, even the mutated creatures with the piercing eyes. Clint piloted the jet as it rose into the air. Tony stood facing the front window of the jet scanning their path before them, curious as to why they were no longer being pursued. But he didn't challenge it. Their focus now was to get everyone home safe. Especially the wounded, and Ophelia who had passed out. Her breathing was shallow as she lay her head in Loki's lap where he sat on the jet. He combed her hair with his fingers and kept his eyes focused on her pained face. The pain still evident in the way her forehead glistened with sweat and her face twitched with unease. Loki kicked himself inwardly for not protecting her. He knew it would be dangerous for her to fight HYDRA, especially after all they had done to her. They had stolen her childhood and he hated himself for not being there when she needed him most. But he knew deep down that she was strong. She could handle herself; and never did she ask for help unless absolutely necessary. Over the past year she had proven herself to be capable of defending herself and others around her. And although he was still very protective over her considering she was still from earth, he had faith she could overcome anything thrown her way. But this, an invisible threat. Was it just stress from the fight? Or had HYDRA attacked her the best way they knew how? Her mind. Back at the compound Ophelia lay in the med bay still unconscious. The monitors made various beeping noises as they tracked her heart rate and breathing patterns. Bruce milled around the room taking notes on his tablet. He wasn't a medical doctor but he had learned enough about Ophelia's physiology to know that something was not right. Loki walked into the room after allowing Bruce some time to look her over. It had only been an hour but he was anxious to be at her side. "Anything?" He asked. Bruce looked up then sighed. "It looked like her neuropathways have been blocked. Each one that connects to her conscious mind now has a barrier." Bruce said and Loki said on her bed and pushed her hair out of her face. "She's trapped in her unconscious mind." Loki said and Bruce hummed in response. "What do we do?" He asked. Bruce walked over to him and tapped on his tablet a few times. "We need to access her unconscious thoughts. Enter her mind and find her. Bring her back. HYDRA studied her for years. They knew exactly how to bring her down if they wanted too. The only way to bring her back is through the same magic that flows through her veins." Loki looked to Bruce in understanding. "We need Wanda."