Flawed Minds

Chapter Twenty Nine

Avengers' P.O.V.

The silence in the clearing was almost tangible as Dr. Ekelhaft splayed himself against the side of his own experimental lab, Nova's hand in his chest as they both stood motionless on the very ruins of their joint beginning; Nova's eyes were full of controlled rage as she held him there, glaring into his as they filled with pure fear. The Avengers wore similar expressions of shock as they surrounded the two. Tony had an arm raised as though aimed to fire but his repulsors never even charged, Clint had an arrow pulled back that was never loosed, and Natasha, Steve and Bucky seemed as though they were about to move forward but had paused after just one step. Their emotions were swirling, all of them uncertain how to feel because this was their Nova- their Nova who looked like she was going to rip out her nemesis' heart.

The girl in question was lost in her own momentum; a force not to be reckoned with finally standing against her abuser, who after the abhorrent acts he has performed on her most definitely would deserve all the pain she wished on him. She had the power to remove him from existence and he would never hurt her or anyone else again, and with Loki whispering sweetly in her ear to end it, it's what he deserves after all, the temptation was so much so that her hand tightened a little around his heart. Ekelhaft dared not move as he felt the horrid sensation, his mind whirling at a pace he could not keep up with, trying to hold on to thoughts as he tried to think of a way to get out and despairing when those thoughts just slipped through his fingers.

"You'd deserve it," Nova's voice was barely a whisper, almost as though she was convincing herself that this was the right thing to do, and Ekelhaft tried to latch on to her uncertainty.

"I would, yes," He gasped, as breathing felt horrible with her arm in his chest. "But you'd be hated by the people you love- they'd never trust you again." Nova faltered for a second, thinking about how hard she worked to earn their trust, especially Bucky who even felt comfortable with her around his arm, questioning her temptation to just throw that all away. She felt someone behind her then, a hand reaching for hers, and turned her head to find Bucky himself standing there, entwining his fingers with hers. Looking up at him confused, she searched his eyes only to find the last thing she expected right now; Trust.

"I would completely understand if you did what I know you're thinking about doing," He spoke reassuringly, looking into her conflicted violet eyes and seeing that recognizable flicker of green in them, too. "And I'm sure Loki would be more than happy to help you out... But it won't stop your pain."

"I know that," She whispered, hesitating more now as she turned to face Ekelhaft again, watching his obvious panic. "But if I do this then he's gone forever, we won't have to worry about him hurting anyone else."

"I know, you're right," Bucky agreed, still holding her hand to give her something to ground herself to. "But it's going to haunt you forever."

"How do you know? I want to do it." Nova faced him again, a little irritated.

"Because I know you, Nova. I know you could never get that image out of your head when you thought you'd killed him the first time. And I can't forget any of the people I killed either." She relaxed her grip on Ekelhaft's heart then, just a little, as she contemplated Bucky's words and realized he was right.

"I... I don't know what to do- why do I still want him dead?" Nova questioned herself, almost tearing up as she looked between Ekelhaft's confused face and Bucky's reassuring one. 'You could handle that my dear, you know he deserves this.' Loki's voice was almost soothing as her mind raced, torn in different directions as she tried desperately to think straight, deciding on the rights and wrongs, eventually coming to an unwilling decision. "Loki, I can't, Bucky's right," She whispered, feeling the disappointment from him and the relief from Ekelhaft. 'But I'm sure there will be something else we can do, don't worry Loki,' She thought, leaving his curiosity to grow.