MAEGYA | xiii. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?" ASSUME THE WORST
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HEROES ARE THEIR choices. Not the circumstances that built the reverence of their name, it wasn't the ability to wield lightning or wake dragons from death. For the longest time, Theadora thought it was a silly no-brainer until she saw the Infinity Stones melted onto Tony Stark's corpse. The weight of that realization never left her heart. Neither did the black-and-white reality of her life or what would come with every decision she made.
It was his choice, she told herself as the viridescent glitter fluttered around her like a shower of burning stars. The emerald mist coursed through the smoke, dissipating slowly. In any other situation, Thea would've found it spectacularly picturesque but she found herself rushing down from the top of the Ferris wheel with Peter and Bex by her side.
"Oh my God, oh my God," Bex kept mumbling breathlessly. Her hand clutched her stomach as her eyes stayed glued on Quentin's motionless figure, crumpled in the center of a crater.
The concrete split into chunks that they navigated around as they rushed towards the crumpled body. Peter surged forward first as Thea followed him in a fatigued stupor. Her eyes darted back and forth, waiting for the molten hand of the Elemental to cross her vision. Bex's arm linked around hers securely when her knees buckled.
"Mr. Beck?" Peter questioned in a fear-tinged voice. His hands gently turned the gold-armored man over onto his back.
Thea's breath hitched at the sight of Quentin. His face was twisted in agony, skin red and gleaming with perspiration. The corners of his lips twitched upward in a weak smile of relief. He mustered out a pained groan and he stretched out a hand which Peter clutched to help him perch on a jagged piece of rubble.
Thea's eyes widened at a curl of flame creeping up his battered maroon cape and she rose it up. The red ribbon waned and released the fabric, dancing in the air before disappearing with a fold of her fingers. Together, the trio stepped back to give him space.
The slamming of car doors drew their attention to a fleet of sleek black cars pooled in the flaming waste of a plaza. Maria and Dimitri looked around in a muted wonder while Nick Fury approached them, leaving no room to imagine what his emotions were like.
"So it's over?" Maria asked tentatively.
"That was the last of them," Quentin replied, inhaling softly.
"But not the last threat we'll ever face," Fury interjected. His gaze flickered to Thea who nodded silently. The Scorpion's Sons. Their game wasn't done just yet.
Pride graced Fury's scarred face but towards Quentin. "We need to stay vigilant. There's a void in this world for someone like you. Hill and I are going to Europol headquarters in Berlin tomorrow; you should join us."
"You ever just take a vacation, Fury?" Thea inquired coyly. Her lips tugged upward as Hill gave her a taming look.
Quentin craned his neck backward to give her a grin. He stood up slowly and shook the former S.H.I.E.L.D. director's hand. "Thank you. I just might take you up on that."
