After the Impact
"A few days ago, an event took place that could be considered the first of its kind in the world. Countries across the globe set aside their differences to attack with all their weapons something that threatened to destroy the Earth, while the heroes bought time to save civilians and slow the advance of what could be considered a rock large enough to put an end to life on the planet…"
…
"I mean, this is the first time something like this has happened, right? It's honestly insane. They destroyed that massive rock using missiles. Like everyone says, when a greater enemy appears, humanity has to stand united…"
…
"And who is to blame? Are you really telling me this isn't suspicious? Tony Stark has something to do with all of this. He's the only one with the level of technology needed to cause a problem like this."
"And what about Hammer, Oscorp Industries, or maybe…?"
"Are you seriously comparing them to the guy flying through the skies in a metal suit packed with weapons?"
…
"The number of deaths for an event of this magnitude remains low, but it is not zero. We extend our deepest condolences to the families and…"
…
News channels from multiple countries, in different languages, would not stop talking about what had happened a few days earlier. The union of nations that, at last, had done something to protect their own world without relying solely on heroes to save the day.
Although the missiles did not manage to completely destroy the massive rock, they were able to reduce it to a considerable size, which, upon impact, left a massive scar on the Earth. But at least it did not destroy it.
Fortunately, the surrounding cities had been evacuated as soon as the enormous rock began to float, so even though several towns were destroyed, no one died there. During the battle in Sokovia, however, it was unfortunately not that perfect. Many people died.
Not only victims of the robots, but also of the stampedes of people fleeing for their lives.
For the first time since V.I.T.A.E.'s involvement in rescue and evacuation operations, this was the occasion with the highest number of deaths under their intervention.
Something that would have affected Owen deeply, if not for the fact that, since that day, he still had not woken up.
Lying on a stretcher inside the base, surrounded by all kinds of machinery, especially one device that seemed to completely support his right arm and was of a considerable size, Owen remained asleep, connected to several other machines. His body bore multiple scars that were taking their time to heal, since it was regenerating internally first.
The bones in his arms had been pulverized, almost turned to dust. His muscles were completely torn, and several tendons throughout his body had given out. Even with his accelerated regeneration, it would take at least three to six months for him to fully recover, according to Dr. Cho.
Using the Cradle of Life was not possible for one specific reason. Every muscle fiber in Owen's body was different from that of a normal person. Besides, he did not truly need it, since his body was capable of regenerating tissue on its own.
Owen lay there with his eyes completely closed, his body almost entirely wrapped in bandages, leaving only his face visible, as if he were sleeping peacefully.
Wanda sat beside him, keeping him company, never moving from his side, gently running her hand through his hair.
At that moment, the door to the room opened and Nicolás walked in, a tired expression on his face.
He looked first at Owen and then at Wanda, pausing on her for a moment.
"And how is he?", he asked, his voice carrying an unusual seriousness. Seeing his friend lying there, unmoving, made it hard for him to keep the usual energy he always had.
Wanda shook her head slightly, her expression filled with sadness and concern.
A normal person would have died from the amount of damage Owen had suffered. Well, a normal person also would not have been able to stop the fall of what was essentially a meteor capable of destroying the world. Owen was not exactly a normal person, and the fact that he still had not woken up continued to trouble everyone.
"This idiot is taking that whole rest thing way too seriously", Nicolás said almost immediately.
Wanda simply gave a forced smile.
Nicolás walked to the side, carrying what he had brought as a recovery gift, a small box. He noticed there were already others like it in a corner of the room, from Tony, Banner, Steve, and the rest.
"They came by a moment ago, but they had a lot to deal with, fixing all the problems left behind after Ultron's attack", Wanda said.
"Yeah, don't tell me. Every step I take outside, I get swarmed by reporters. Normally I'd be happy being the center of attention every other day, but right now they're way too aggressive trying to get headlines. It looks like some idiots are pulling strings to shift the blame for Ultron's creation onto us, even though we had nothing to do with it", Nicolás said.
Wanda looked at him for a moment, as if silently reminding him who had allowed Ultron to infiltrate the base in the first place.
"I said creation", Nicolás corrected quickly, still feeling guilty.
Wanda spoke calmly. "Don't worry. Owen said that if Ultron hadn't entered the base, he would have found another way somewhere else, with even more technology. And that would have been far more dangerous."
"Yeah. He always talks like that, as if there are things hidden from everyone else. Though I think he only said it to make me feel better", Nicolás said as he looked at Owen.
…
Fire.
A blazing trail filled with heat, where not even smoke was present, because only pure ignition existed. Like a sun in itself. Waves of flames moved as if they were whips around everything. It was not possible for life to exist in a place like that.
Anything would be reduced to ashes almost instantly.
And yet, someone stood in the middle of those flames, their body burning. Unlike other times, when only inaudible screams existed due to a scorched throat, now he remained there, calm, while his body slowly burned away.
His face showed pain, but he endured it while staring forward, watching the fire move like a living liquid around him.
His gaze dropped to the ground beneath his feet. Liquid flame slid between his charred feet before he raised his eyes again, his expression serious.
That man was Owen.
And although he had been unconscious for only a few days, for him, in that place, years had passed. Years of endless suffering, where every instant burned his body without granting him even an end. At that point, the pain eating away at him was something he could already endure. Or perhaps it was no longer as intense as it had been at the beginning. Maybe his resistance to pain and fire itself had grown so much that he could withstand it. Or maybe he was so damaged that he had simply stopped paying attention to it.
"Why are you doing this to me?" Owen asked the emptiness.
For a time, the only sound was the constant crackling of flames. In that place, what felt like minutes stretched into days. Owen remained standing in the fire for what felt like entire days before an answer finally came.
"Because you cast me into the void. Alone. Sad. Abandoned," said a voice that seemed to rise directly from the flames, filled with resentment and hatred. "That is why I will come for you. I will destroy everything around you so that you end up the same way," the voice repeated.
"You know, I have had enough of meaningless revenge," Owen replied with complete seriousness.
"Meaningless?" the voice answered angrily, as the flames began to stir around Owen, forming a tornado of fire that surrounded him.
"You dragged yourself here on your own, trying to destroy my home," Owen said.
"Nonsense. I wanted to destroy that woman," the voice replied.
"Because of Jean's emotions?" Owen asked calmly.
That made the voice fall completely silent, while the fire continued to spin around him.
"Don't you have your own emotions? You are separated from her. You have to have a new life, without depending on her, without having to steal her body or whatever it is," Owen said.
The flames, which had been spinning violently, suddenly stopped. They began to concentrate directly in front of Owen and, little by little, took the shape of a being made of fire, standing there and staring at him.
"I have no body. I do not have what you call a new life. I am only a formless being, created for destruction," the voice said, watching him intensely.
"Well… if you remember correctly, that day I said there was a way to give you form," Owen replied calmly.
…
Meanwhile, in the medical wing, Nicolás had already left, leaving Wanda alone, watching over Owen.
Suddenly, Owen's eyes began to tremble slightly.
Wanda rose from her seat immediately and looked at him closely.
"Owen, can you hear me?" she asked at once.
Owen blinked slowly, as if waking from an extremely long sleep, and asked weakly, "How long was I asleep?"
"Only half a week has passed," Wanda replied with a wide smile when she saw him wake up.
"Oh… I think I spent much more time in my dream," Owen said, trying to move, but his body was completely immobilized. He could barely turn his head.
He noticed the massive machine holding his right arm in place, along with other devices keeping his body aligned so that his bones could regenerate properly.
"When you lost consciousness, your right arm was releasing an enormous amount of heat, melting everything it touched. It was like…"
"As if I had the sun in the palm of my hand," Owen interrupted with an internal joke.
"Well, yes," Wanda said, letting the bad joke pass. "That machine is something like a compressor… or something similar, according to what Tony said."
Owen smiled slightly. "My best friends."
"Can you stop making jokes?" Wanda said with a serious look, even though she was clearly relieved to see him awake. She did not think it was the moment for that kind of humor.
"Sorry. I tend to do it when my body really hurts," Owen replied calmly.
"Do you want me to call the doctor?" Wanda asked quickly.
"No. I'm fine," Owen said, barely shaking his head. "Wanda."
"What is it?" she asked, looking at him while still gently running her hand through his hair.
"I think I made a deal with a cosmic entity, so our first daughter will be her herself," Owen said, which completely froze Wanda's hand and left her in shock.
Owen cast a quick glance toward his right arm, covered by the massive machinery.
"Can you stop making jokes?" Wanda said again.
Owen only smiled at that and closed his eyes once more.
But that smile, far from calming her, made Wanda even more uneasy.