Annihilation ⊳ Marvel ✓

11│GUILT

1.1; Guilt

" Now those memories come back to haunt me like a curse "

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      ODESSA'S DEATH HAD hit everyone around her. The police came to the Avenger's tower, since they were called by JARVIS himself. They entered the room just to see America's hero knelt down next to a bloody corpse. James had been pulled away, or more like dragged away from, Odessa. The police wondered what went down, specially when it came to the death of Odessa. It seemed as if she - when in fact she was - brutally murdered. They took the body away for examination, and was concluded that her death was quicken by the blow to her skull. The shield had cracked the skull of the young girl, and had bruised her brain badly. The bullets hit two of her organs, but they concluded it was part of the torture. 

Newspapers were going mad. Who did the Avengers killed? Why murder and innocent woman? Are the Avengers dangerous? Do they have too much power? Should they be punished? American's hero, killer of the year? - All the possible news and theories of the cause of death sparkled through not only Manhattan, but through the nation. It was as if the nation was now once divided again, who was to blame? Some pleople blamed the dead woman herself, saying that she must have been dangerous if she was killed by some of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Others took this change to blame it on the Avengers and the heroes with 'masks'. They have too much power among us, some of them said. But neither asked what had happened to the woman. 

That was until Peter took it upon himself to owner his partner and best friend. He did the article to honor Odessa; and he did. It was Daily Bludge's most sold newspaper. It was a few weeks after Odessa's death, maybe even a mouth; Peter did not knew exactly. However, what he knew for sure was the name that was shown in Times Square. The image that was above the name, and the word on top. Hero. Word had gone, that Odessa had planned a reportage about New York's most powerful man: Kirplin. Which was the reason why they let the Avengers go. They thought that the man behind it all along was the man that Odessa was trying to defeat. A pretty believable lie if you did not known the story. 

Never the less, Odessa was remembered a hero, but at a cost. Her death had broken the Avengers. Maybe that was Morgana's plan all along? Who knows, but one thing was for sure: if you take the heart our of something, it dies. That was what she did. She killed the Avengers from the inside. She took away the heart of it. 

Steve set the police report down. Odessa's death was a 'cold case', which caused a dispute among the loved ones of Odessa. Specially James Barnes. Steve looked down at the picture that was on his desk. Odessa was smiling brightly at the picture. Next to her was Steve with mickey mouse ears. Steve had never been to Disneyland, and he knew that Odessa loved Disney; so they both went on a trip along with the rest of the Avengers. It was a good memory that bought a bitter smile on Steve's face. 

Morgana had planned with his mind, and the ones of his two team mates. It was not as if he was troubled by it, no. The problem was that once the spell was lifted, all the memories will be returned. Everything Steve did to Odessa, was stuck in his mind forever. 

Next to him sat an unopened blue box, that belonged to Odessa. It was what would have tied Odessa and Steve together in matrimony. Besides the blue box, there was the necklace that belonged to Odessa: the shield. Small drops of blood stained the red, white and blue shield. Steve wondered if he could have been stronger, if he could have fought harder for Odessa: will he be on his way to his honey moon with her. Possibly. But what was done was done, and nobody could change the past.