Thanks for the powerstones!
***
The shaky room was silent as both Mark and Wanda stared at the five mutants in confusion.
Viktor smiled, removed his hands from his pockets, and folded his arms. "Do you know why our rebel army was created in the first place?"
"To overthrow the corrupt politicians?" Mark asked.
"Mhm, that's one." Viktor agreed. "But that's not the only reason..." His eyes squinted as the air grew colder. "It's also to chase the 'pests' that have encroached on our country!"
"Pests?" Wanda raised an eyebrow.
"An organization. We suspect that they're the ones sponsoring not only the Sokovian military but also the rebel armies," Nadia said.
"Not only sponsoring—we suspect they're also kidnapping mutants," Peter said, his face scrunched up in a scowl. "Tsk. Those bastards."
Mark's eyes flickered. Hydra.
"So what's the plan?" I have asked.
"Track them. Obliterate them. Then we target the Sokovian pigs," Viktor said coldly.
Mark frowned. "Would that work? I mean, people who can sponsor both the Sokovian politicians and the rebels would be well-equipped with weapons. Add to that the fact that they're kidnapping mutants—won't they also have a mutant army?"
"That's not something to worry about," Boris said, a gentle smile on his lips. "Because we aren't the only ones who are part of the plan."
Outside the room, Pietro leaned against the wall with folded arms, his finger tapping rhythmically against his elbow.
With an audible creak, the door opened, and Viktor, along with the other four mutants, walked out.
After their figures had receded down the hall, Pietro turned and walked inside the room.
"So," he stopped in front of Mark and Wanda, "what did they say?"
Wanda didn't hold anything back, recounting all the information that Viktor and the others had disclosed to them.
"A bigger organization? And do they want us to fight them? Seriously?" Pietro's lips twitched.
"Stupid, right? I also feel like this plan is stupid," Mark sighed, massaging his temples.
Hydra wasn't something a small bunch of mutants could fight against, even if there were double the number of mutants present in their rebel army. Fighting against a multinational syndicate like Hydra required a unified attack from Sokovia and connections to allies outside the country—like the Avengers or SHIELD
"So what should we do?" Wanda asked.
"We can't dissuade them from stopping their plan, so we should just join them—at least for now," Mark replied.
Although he couldn't truly die, he could still be captured, and his immortality didn't extend to Pietro and Wanda.
'I should find a way for us to escape', he thought.
***
A week passed after Mark and Wanda's integration into the inner circle of the rebel army—the Sokovian Liberators.
During that week, Viktor had surprisingly banned the people in the Sokovian Liberators from protesting, keeping the rebels stationed inside their headquarters. Peace and quiet reigned through those seven days, but on the first day of the second week, that peaceful life was shattered.
"Do you want us to raid a truck?" Mark asked.
"Yes." Viktor agreed grimly. "Through a special source, we were able to acquire the route of five trucks belonging to the company. If we can raid them, maybe we can get weapons... or something better."
"Sending kids to raid a truck—is that appropriate?" Mark asked with a frown.
The team Viktor created was split into three groups: Viktor and Nadia; Peter and Boris; and Mark, Wanda, and Vera.
"No, it isn't," Viktor shook his head. "But we have no other choice. You three possess superpowers, which will make the raid easy."
"I agree with Viktor," Boris said, his gentle smile still lingering. "You kids also need to go out more to learn. We can't always be protecting you, right?"
Mark sighed. He knew no matter how hard he tried to reason with Viktor, the man wasn't going to listen.
"Okay," he said. "We'll do it."
***
The sun slowly descended from its high position, bringing about midday.
Mark, Wanda, and Vera patiently waited for the truck along its predetermined path. Soon enough, they finally saw the massive white truck approaching.
"Get ready," Vera said emotionlessly. Mark and Wanda agreed.
When the truck was twenty meters away from them, Vera shouted, "Now!"
Mark shot forward, the muscles in his arms tensing beneath his sleeves.
The truck driver, who had been watching the kids standing on the road with curiosity, gasped as he watched the boy charge straight toward his vehicle. But instead of slamming the brakes, he accelerated! This wasn't the first protester who had tried to stop him by standing in the middle of the road, and just like the others, he intended to drive right over him.
Bang!
There was resistance, but it wasn't what the driver expected. The truck ground to a sudden, violent stop, throwing him forward so hard that his face smashed into the windshield, cracking the glass.
Outside, Mark's small fingers had sunk deep into the truck's front bumper, his shoes carving deep gouges into the asphalt—yet he had stopped the massive vehicle dead in its tracks.
Mark let go of the front bumper and dusted off his hands. Wanda and Vera ran past him toward the back of the vehicle. But just as Vera opened the cargo door, Wanda's eyes widened.
"Vera, watch out!" she shouted.
A huge swirl of red energy burst out from the vehicle, coiling around Vera's waist and dragging him backward.
"Oh my," a voice purred from inside the truck, as a masked man stepped out into the light. "Quite a good reaction. Your face would make a perfect fit for my collection~"