Nagato flew over the horizon flooded with trees, his eyes falling upon the gigantic building in the distance. It was entirely covered in snow, hiding almost every sign of the battle. Though, Nagato could still feel the blood in the air.
‘Someone attacked Hydra? Shield?’ Nagato thought idly, landing against the concrete next to the entrance. Not feeling any presence in the building, Nagato stepped inside by destroying the main door.
The atmosphere was gloomy, and there were barely any lights inside. The interior looked medieval, comprising old furniture and paintings. As Nagato made his way deeper into the base, he noticed more and more unfamiliar technology dispersed around. In the end, however, the last floor was the most impressive.
It inhabited an immense body of a Chitauri, beaming with its alien power. Noticing many weapons scattered around the floor, Nagato didn’t even have to guess what Baron had been doing here.
‘Hydra wasn’t so firm as I thought them to be. Alexander knew Baron has been planning something, but this is definitely not what he would expect to find.’ Nagato ransacked through the torn papers placed on the table, searching for any information on what happened in this place. One paper, however, immediately caught his attention.
Nagato frowned, stood for some time in silence, and then kicked the desk with all his power. It flew multiple feet away, hitting against the carcass of the fallen Chitauri.
“If only I knew a few days ago, it would already be mine.” Nagato heaved a deep sigh, glancing down at his hands. Alexander turned out to be less of a leader than Nagato thought initially, for Baron had been aiming for a far greater goal. With the help of the stolen Mind Stone, Baron was trying to overthrow the entire world.
‘Alexander was so clueless. He didn’t even know anything about the stone. Pathetic leader.’ Nagato took a few more papers into his hands, reading through them at a prompt pace. He had spent too much time dealing with Hydra. Now, he had not only lost an opportunity to get a stone but also didn’t have any information about its location. Who attacked this base in the first place?
As Nagato pondered over his next course of actions, two figures appeared from behind him. They moved at a speed invisible to the eyes of normal humans and stopped just one pad away from Nagato.
Wanda launched extraordinary powers out of her palms, which went straight through Nagato’s temples. Pietro smiled from the side, relaxing visibly. His sister’s powers were absolute. Thus, there was no further need to worry.
“I sensed no one present in this base.” Nagato slowly turned around, looking at the twins with curiosity.
“You... what are you?” Wanda’s hands shook slightly as she took a step backward, her eyes full of fear. Her spells worked simply - they influenced emotions deeply hidden in someone’s soul and made their deepest regret or fear form into reality. However, Nagato just seemed like an emotionless piece of carbon.
No... Wanda could feel it. This immense hatred.
Nagato noticed Pietro’s gravity center shifting to the side. Therefore, he decided to attack before they withdrew. “Almighty push,” Nagato said as both twins flew from the spot, hitting against the nearest wall.
Wanda prevented any major injuries as she used her power to soften her crash against the wall. Pietro, though Wanda tried to help him, wasn’t so lucky. He could barely breathe from the impact, and his consciousness was slowly drifting away.
“Wanda Maximoff and Pietro Maximoff, the very first and the only successful tenants of Mind Stone’s power. Both are in control of incredible endowments.” Nagato read from the paper, not even bothering to look up at the wounded twins. “Danger Level: Hazardous.”
“What do you want from us?” Wanda stood up from the floor, extending her hands forth as to prepare an attack.
“Me? If I remember correctly, you were the ones who attacked me in the rear?” Nagato remarked, his voice conveying a demand for their response.
“No one should know about this place except Hydra and Avengers.” Wanda glanced at Pietro, who was already recovering from the received shock. “We assumed you are an enemy.”
“Avengers?” Nagato sighed, glancing around the laboratory once again. “So, they were the ones who stole the mind stone?”
Wanda gulped visibly, then nodded. Pietro already stood on his two feet firmly, however, he didn’t move from the spot. ‘If this person wanted to, he could have killed us already. I can feel it.’ Pietro thought, thus, he didn’t flee yet. They should at least hear what he can say.
‘Avengers. You are coming in my way once again. Perhaps it’s time to deal with them entirely so that they will not trouble me in the future.’ Nagato thought idly, glancing at the document in his hand.
“The twins joined willingly to get enough power to save their country from any further danger. Developed an extreme hostility towards Stark, and the rest of the Avengers, for killing their family.” Nagato read from the document, peeping at the twins from time to time.
Honestly, their powers were unique, and they had just the right mentality to be controlled. However, unlike Andrew, they would quite hard to command after their retribution.
At that moment, an idea crossed his mind.
They would be hard to control right now, but what about later? What if they felt even greater pain? Could they stay stable before that colossal grief? Perhaps one of them would have to be sacrificed.
“What are you trying to achieve by reading this?” Wanda walked a few steps nearer to her brother, ready to face any kind of attack.
“It just so happens that the Avengers have stolen something valuable from me.” Nagato placed all the papers on the broken desk, not even bothering to face the twins while talking to them. “They have angered me deeply, and I am planning on dealing with them completely this time. Would you both care to accompany me on my mission?”
Wanda stood silent for a moment, somewhat unbelieving of such a request.
“Sister, what do you think?” Pietro whispered from the side.
“I don’t trust this man,” Wanda mumbled back, still not letting herself relax. “I have looked into his soul. It was as if he didn’t have any emotions, only resentment... and immense pain. It still makes my body tremble lightly. Moreover, his powers are so strange...”
“We can deal with them ourselves,” Pietro said loudly, interrupting Wanda’s thoughts. Nagato didn’t answer back, he didn’t even turn around.
“Why are you lying to yourselves?” Nagato retorted, gripping the rod hidden underneath his sleeve. Just in case, if they try to run away. “You can never deal with all the avengers on your own. Or did you already receive help from another person?”
Wanda’s brow got sweaty. How did this person know about the message? Or was it just an assumption?
“Actually, we did,” Pietro answered, glancing at Wanda, who nodded, though reluctantly. “Yesterday, we have got a message on our cellphones with all the information about avengers, including their families and current locations. That someone has also left a coordinate for a meeting.”
“Oh,” Nagato turned around, his eyes full of terror. “So, you would better choose to join that person since he could gather some information?”
Wanda and Pietro noticed the dread in Nagato’s strange eyes, and they prepared to defend themselves. “I think you are misunderstanding some things. Some puny information can’t compare to the power of mine.”
Nagato extended his hands towards the Chitauri and used his powers. Immediately, a force much denser than before swept over the laboratory, sending all the weapons and papers flying into the air. The vast body of the alien got pushed away promptly, as it hit the nearest wall with a bang.
Wanda and Pietro opened their eyes wide open, glancing at each other with anxiety. At that moment, they understand how inferior their powers were compared to his. If he wanted to, they wouldn’t even be able to flee from this base.
“Now, I guess you wouldn’t make the choice you are going to regret in the future.” Nagato declared, and the twins nodded, not so much opposed anymore. Wanda could feel his hatred deeply engraved into his soul. They were similar... and their goals were similar as well. Why should they not accept his help?
“First, bring me to those coordinates. I am also quite interested in the person who contacted you.”