"Good mornin', Agnes!" A man called, standing up from his gardening and trimming his rose bushes. He wiped his face and set his tools off to the side, giving the woman a bright smile.
"Good morning to you as well, Mr. Jones! How's your wife feeling?" The woman, Agnes, asked. She paused in her morning stroll to the farmers market, walking up toward Mr. Jones' mailbox and leaning against it.
"Oh, she's doing much better now! Her reaction cleared right up after your soup. Thanks a million!" Mr. Jones replied. He came up to the fence and took off his sun hat, hanging it on the fence. He startled suddenly, and turned toward the house, calling out over his shoulder. "Oh! Wait one moment, Agnes, my wife was cookin' you up somethin' special as a thanks!"
As Mr. Jones ducked into the house in a rush, Agnes hummed to herself, smiling as she glanced around the yard. Her eyes locked onto the flowers that Mr. Jones had been trimming in his front yard and eyed the gorgeous white rose bush. She rather enjoyed the sight, though, it was missing something…
A quick flick of her wrist and a brief shimmer of a deep purple was all it took. The rose bush writhed and shuddered in place for a moment, flowers turning pitch black with the thorns growing dangerously quickly, before receding back into the stems. The plant shifted back to its original position a moment later, everything above ground looking as it should.
Mr. Jones would find that overnight the white rose bush would spread like a weed, cannibalizing his and his neighbours' garden flowers. The white flowers would wither and grow only sad, dark-looking blooms, on the verge between life and death as the plant's cursed existence put all its energy into spreading and corrupting further.
Agnes nodded at a job well done, already mentally preparing for the visit from Mr. Jones tomorrow. She would luckily have a special fertilizer that should take care of his problem. After all, she was whom everyone in town turned to when some odd issue came up. Not that they realized anything was out of the ordinary…
"Aha! Here she is!" Mr. Jones came out of the front of the house once more, holding a wicker basket in his gloved hand, panting slightly. "Sorry for the wait, she just came outta' the oven! Homemade blueberry pie, grammy's secret recipe."
"Awh, how thoughtful! You two are just the sweetest, I couldn't!" Agnes protested, but reached forward and grasped the handle, taking the basket and the freshly made dessert from the man. "Ah~ This smells wonderful. Thank your wife for me, Mr. Jones!"
"Will do, ma'am! Have a wonderful day!" Mr. Jones replied, the suburban husband waved off the woman and returned to his gardening, happy as could be as he tended to his roses once more, making sure they would be ready for the upcoming flower competition next month. He had a prize to win, after all!
Agnes continued her walk toward the farmer's market, humming happily. With a little flourish of her hand, a ripple of purple, and the wicker basket with its contents disappeared into thin air. She chuckled to herself as she approached the open-air market in the center of town, enjoying the light breeze and warmth of the sun on her skin.
She entered the town square and glanced around, her eyes settling on a fruit stand with a familiar old woman behind it. Agnes approached with a smile, opening her arms wide as she came around the side of the stand.
"Catarina! How's my favourite gardener?" Agnes leaned down and wrapped the older woman in a hug, holding her close. The old woman chuckled lightly and hugged her softly back as well before the two separated.
"I'm doing just lovely, dearie! How has your veggie garden been growing?" The older woman asked. Catarina hobbled her way to her proper place behind the stand, her shorter height causing her to just barely peek over the top of the stand, while Agnes stood tall in front browsing over the product for sale.
"Not so well! Señor Scratchy keeps escaping his cage and wreaking havoc on my lettuce! I swear if I feed him anymore, he'll be too fat to hop!" Agnes replied with a bright grin, reaching toward the stand and plucking up a gnarled-looking root. She pulled her wicker basket out of thin air once more, devoid of blueberry pie, and stuffed the root into it.
The shorter woman clambered up onto a short step stool, reaching forward to grab a spray bottle and lightly spritz them with water, playfully catching Agnes with the spray.
"Ah! Catarina, you devil!" Agnes laughed playfully, lightly tossing a cherry tomato at the woman, who cackled in return, moving to spray down her produce a little more.
The product that an older woman like Catarina sold typically ran along the lines of fruits grown on trees, or garden veggies, easy to plant and harvest, even for an older woman like her. She also had a few jars of herbs and spices she grew, tucked off to the side of the stand.
However, the products that Old Lady Catarina was selling weren't your typical farmer's market items. Sure, the original shape was there, but the items themselves were wrong. Carrots curled into dense knots, smelling like mint. Several different types of roots that mimicked the shape of potatoes, each one with a different texture to them. What was supposed to be Thyme was in fact a highly toxic weed that exhibited relaxing properties when consumed, followed swiftly by a swift death as one's internal organs shut down.
Old Lady Catarina had no idea. To her, she was selling normal fruits, veggies, and herbs. The whole town thought it was normal, but subconsciously avoided the products. They would insist they just weren't feeling in the mood for her wares. Agnes knew better, however.
The two women lightly bantered and gossiped about the events of the town, including the recent beauty pageant, the upcoming regionals for the title of "Miss Massachusetts," next month's floral display and bouquet competition, and the eventual late summer talent show.
Agnes plucked several jars of herbs and tucked them away into her basket, as well as a couple of other odds and ends. She finished up her shopping and turned to leave.
"Oh, you forgot to pay, dearie!" Old Lady Catarina called out to the retreating form of Agnes. The younger woman rolled her eyes and put on a smile, turning back toward the lovely older woman and raising her basket.
"Oh, I was hoping you would count those toward what you owe me," Agnes spoke, her eyes briefly flashing purple.
"What I owe you?" Old Lady Catarina asked, sounding confused, and a little insulted. She had sharp eyes and a quick wit, one that constantly caused grief for Agnes. She blinked as a purple mist clouded her gaze for a second, the bright sheen to her eyes and the concentrated expression growing lax.
"Mhm, don't you remember?" Agnes asked sweetly, smiling at the older woman and tilting her head.
"I don't… ah, silly me, I must have forgotten. I think my old age is catching up to me, dearie," Catarina blinked slowly, as if in a daze. She perked up a moment later, and sighed, shaking her head as she rubbed her forehead. "Sorry about that, my mind isn't what it used to be…"
The old woman seemed to be blinking back tears, her memory containing holes. But she knew Agnes was right, she always was, and was the sweetest and most helpful person in town!
"Hey, nothing to be sad about, Catarina! Why don't you stop by my place later today, I think I may have some tea that might help you… It isn't cheap, unfortunately, it's imported from Brazil, but has wonderful properties for the mind!" Agnes spoke.
"I'll be sure to do that, dearie. You take care now!" Old Lady Catarina waved her off, smiling as happily as the old woman could. She returned to watching the town square, waiting for customers that would never come, while Agnes strolled away, moving toward another stall.
"Hello Ms. H!" A younger man spoke, in his early teens. He was running a flower stand for his parents, selling all sorts of bouquets and little special flowers that only grew in certain climates. How they grew in this part of the world was a mystery to all but one.
"Why, hello, Riley! How's the shop going today?" Agnes asked, the woman smiling innocently down at the young man, who blushed deeply and glanced away, rubbing a hand at the back of his head.
"Uh, i-it's going well, Ms. H! Did Dad give you the pie mom made for you?" Riley asked, shuffling his feet as he attempted to look busy, glancing at Agnes and then moving his hands to adjust the flowers.
"Mhm, he did! It smelled lovely, I can't wait to have some when I get home," Agnes spoke cheerfully. "I'm glad your mother is feeling better. It's such a shame she had that bad reaction just before the beauty pageant!"
"Yeah, she wasn't doing well for a few days there. It sucks she couldn't show up. Dad says he thinks she would have won!" Riley exclaimed, then looked up at the older woman with a sheepish grin. "Uh, don't tell Dad, but I'm kinda glad you won! I think you deserved it!"
The older woman chuckled and reached down, plucking a flower from the cart and twirling it between her fingers. She went to reply to the younger man running the stall when she was interrupted.
"Agatha Harkness," a voice sounded from behind her. A strange voice. It sounded muffled and metallic as if speaking through a mask or a filter. A voice that definitely shouldn't know her name.
She shook off her surprise and played innocent, fully intending to flash a pretty smile at the stranger and convince them that they were mistaken. She had been here for 5 years sinking her claws into this small town. It felt like her old home, she was comfortable growing her power. She wasn't ready to give it up yet.
"I'm sorry, I think you're mis—" Agatha, Agnes, paused, her words caught in her throat as she came face to face with a rather tall man wearing a metal face mask, and a thick set of armour over his body. The armour on his top half was concealed by a green cloak, the hood up and casting a shadow over the metallic mask, his eyes glowing through the slits in the metal.
"Agatha Harkness, daughter of Evanora Harkness, former member of the Salem Coven…" the man spoke, glaring down at her and leaning in slightly, his large frame looming over her, "…do not insult my intellect by suggesting I am mistaken. I know who you are. I know what you are."
Agatha was stunned. No one should know that. No one alive currently, anyways. Unless someone had managed to escape her hunting them down hundreds of years ago and passed on information. She had time and resources invested in this place, she couldn't let it all go now.
"I'm sorry, who are you? I'm not sure we've met before," Agatha spoke. She was trying to figure out how to buy time. She held her hands behind her back, casting a rune onto the flower stall behind her. Riley, the young teen manning the stall, just sat in confusion and fear as he watched.
"My name is Victor Von Doom. You've been searching for the Darkhold, and I require what you have collected. Co-operate with me, and I will leave peacefully," Doom spoke, his unstated threat hanging in the air.
He was willing to use force.
"C'mon, do you really want to do this? There are children here…" Agatha shifted herself to her right slightly, stepping away from the stall and giving the large man a full view of the petrified child behind the stall. He stared for a moment, and stood tall, raising a hand and pointing to his right, away from the city center.
"Child, leave. Now." He then turned and spoke up louder, glaring at the entire town center which had frozen, watching him. "Leave the premises. If you get in my way, I will not hesitate to end you."
A stunned silence fell over the people in the town center, watching the proceedings with immense curiosity and fear. A soft breeze rattled windchimes along the houses in the distance, but no one dared to make a sound.
Agatha had the feeling that Victor Von Doom quite enjoyed the fear and awe that his presence instilled in the general populace. Still, they weren't moving. Deciding to encourage a feeling of respect and fear of his immense strength, he raised an open palm to the sky, pouring his magic outward like a violent river erupting from his body.
A brilliant light of electricity and pure power erupted from the palm of his hand, the late morning sun seemed dim in comparison to the sheer display that poured from the man's fingertips. Branches of electricity raced into the sky, climbing higher and higher. Clouds overhead were lit up from the wrong direction, and the air around the man began to ionize.
Smaller arcs and lances of electricity lashed out, striking at the wooden stalls and the buildings around them, the mere glancing blows at the edges of the power punching holes into the buildings and cratering the ground.
The people's screams were drowned out by the solid stream of plasma and energy erupting upward and outward. People scrambled and ran, tripping over one another to escape. Any hexes and mind control on the people were overwhelmed by the sheer terror filling their thoughts. The numbing dread consumed their souls as they scattered, desperate to leave the area.
Agatha was frozen in awe and terror for a moment, the sheer magical pressure of the power output causing her knees to buckle and her hair to stand on end. She staggered and then reinforced herself with her dark magic, her concern gone.
She grinned, looked at the chunk of wood with her rune still placed upon it, and activated it.
A violent explosion ripped through the area, a wave of purple energy racing toward and over the man in metal. The fearsome electrical attack died in an instant, though the air was still superheated. Agatha smirked as she lifted herself a few feet off the ground with her magic, flying as she detected the man's presence within the cloud of dust and debris.
She had just wanted to distract him, and to catch him off guard. Agatha pulled on her years of magic use and intended to infiltrate his mind. She needed to shut him down now. If she could corrupt him to her cause, even better. She could learn from him. But for now, she needed him a non-threat.
Reaching forward with her magic, Agatha put pressure on the man's mind, searching, probing, looking for weakness while he was stunned and blinded. She thought she felt something, and pushed harder, her body tensing as she forced her magic into his head.
She wasn't expecting the rebound. The sheer amount of magical power and mental fortitude assaulted her mind and magic together in a violent strike. She reeled back and tumbled from her place in the sky, her senses all numb and ringing as she hit the ground hard. Still stunned, she erected her mental barriers to keep him out.
Agatha struggled to regain her bearings, the witch flaring her magic and pulling herself away from where she had been laying, feeling a quick and powerful burst of magic heading her way.
An explosion ripped through the ground in front of her, narrowly missing her, the bright flash and dust kicking up to temporarily blind her. Agatha growled and shot herself up into the air, her magic coating her body and reinforcing it, even as she flew higher to evaluate the situation.
He was strong. Too strong to take directly. She needed to catch him off guard and end him quickly. If she could trick him into striking her with magic when she was prepared, she could steal his power! Yes, that would be the plan.
"Your paltry party tricks are no match for my mastery of the mystic arts!" Doom announced, his figure slowly emerging from the cloud of dust. First was the outline of his shadow, then breaching the wall of debris, a metal gauntlet, with fingers outstretched.
Aiming directly at Agatha!
The witch grinned as she formed her dark purple magic into a dense ball directly in front of her, preparing herself to capture his magic and begin draining the metallic man of his life force. She braced herself for the incoming lightning strike. Having seen Doom use the magic twice over already, she was sure she would be able to catch it, corrupt it, absorb it.
However, it wasn't lightning that he struck her with…
The metal-clad fingers clenched shut. Agatha gasped as she was torn from the sky, being forced violently downward and careening toward the ground at an absurd speed! She abandoned her attempt to absorb the magic and welled up her power as she raced toward the ground, gravity pulling her from the air.
As she fell, she looked up to where the man had been standing. The massive cloud of dust that had been floating around immediately flattened to the earth, the particles pinned to the ground under the immense force of gravity. The nearby houses cratered under their own weight, half of one house being sheared off from the other half as the magic slammed the building to the ground, leaving it nothing more than a flat mess of steel, wood and plaster.
Agatha grit her teeth and surrounded herself in a thick layer of magic, reinforcing her body and willing the magic to carry her upward in an attempt to resist gravity. Instead of flying upward, the witch was still being forced to the ground, though at a more moderate pace. She struggled to fight the weight pulling her to the ground, and the moment her feet touched the ground her legs buckled.
With the amount of magic was using to keep herself on her feet, she should have been in the upper atmosphere by now. Instead, she could barely remain upright as both her muscles and magic strained against the increased weight of gravity.
She looked up and watched Doom approach, the man's footsteps cratering the ground with every impact, the earth shattering beneath his feet. The dense well of gravity was centred on the man in armour and moving with him as he casually approached her.
Her eyes widened as she realized that he wasn't immune to the effects of the gravity magic either. His cloak was being pulled straight down, clinging to his frame even as he approached her. No, he was absolutely being impacted by the magic he was casting. He was just that strong, walking through the crushing gravity as if he were walking through the park, uncaring of the weight being forced upon him.
"Do you not yet see why resisting is foolish?" Doom taunted her as he approached.
The ground at her feet sank further, cracking and crumbling as she pushed herself upward as best she could, her body trembling as she attempted to raise her hands and ward him away with magic.
"Hand over the pages of the Darkhold, and I will end the spell," he spoke. Doom came to a stop before her, his hand held by his side, fingers still closed in a tight fist. "I suggest you hurry before your organs liquify and your bones turn to powder."
"O-Okay! I'll give them to you!" Agatha ground out, barely able to speak as breathing was nearly impossible. She had been hoping he would release the spell, but he still stood before her, his other hand outstretched, waiting for her to concede to his wishes and hand him the pages. That bastard!
She growled as she struggled to well up her magic further, scraping the bottom of her reserves in order to reach her hand out and give the man the papers she had worked so hard for. The papers materialized in her hands, the pages being dragged down even through the thick barrier of magic reinforcing her. She set the pages in Doom's hand, and in an instant the gravity pinning her to the ground ended.
The magic she had been using to counteract the gravity had not ended, however. Agatha unintentionally launched herself upwards and away, flailing and scrambling to reorient herself as her magic flickered and strained to obey, the witch absolutely drained and exhausted.
She managed to steady herself and floated down to the ground in a jerky, falling motion, eventually settling on the ground and staggering slightly. She didn't even wait around, fishing around in her pocket and grabbing a small blue-green crystal. She shattered the object in her grip, and felt the shards of the crystal dissipate, activating the spell stored in the mineral.
Agatha glanced to her left, hoping those illusionary pages she had conjured up would distract him just a little longer.
They didn't.
Even as Agatha felt the magic folding and warping reality around her, the spell activating in just a couple of seconds, she saw the incoming form of Doom flying parallel to the ground with his hand reaching out to grab her.
She flinched back as the hand came closer and closer, even as reality shifted and folded around her. He was close now, inches away, his metallic fingers glinting menacingly. Those eyes glared at her hatefully through the slits in the metal mask, intent on punishing her for the trickery.
Then she was gone. Victor Von Doom skidded to a stop on the ground, his feet digging trenches into the grass. In Doom's hand was nothing more than a few strands of hair he managed to grab just as she teleported away, his fingers grazing the skin on her face before she vanished.
Dr. Doom was quiet as he held the strands of hair in his palm, while his other hand hovered over it. A golden glow surrounded the hair as it floated up, a translucent ball of magic forming around the hair. The orb suddenly shot off toward a forest outside of town, seeking out Agatha. Doom was following closely, flying parallel to the ground and allowing the orb to guide him to the witch's location.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
…
Agatha, meanwhile, was panicking. She had teleported into the living room of her little cottage in the woods.
Cliché? Yes.
Effective and well hidden? Also, yes.
She staggered and fell to her knees, taking a moment to breathe. She needed to leave. Now.
Señor Scratchy, bless his little rabbit heart, hopped forward to greet the witch as she thought, quickly making a list of what she needed to gather. The little bunny bumped his head against Agatha's knee lightly in an attempt to comfort her.
Agatha pulled what little magic she had on hand at the moment to wash over the rabbit. The bunny shifted and flailed a little, before coughing up a little sealed tube that was far too large for the animal to swallow. Hidden inside her 'rabbit', through the use of magic, were the collected pages of the Darkhold.
She had the pages. Now she just needed to leave.
Agatha leaned down to pick up Señor Scratchy, holding the bunny against her chest as she began to make her way toward the front door. She needed to get far away. She reached for a small bowl of rabbit treats, grasping one between her fingers.
Magic worked very poorly when in contact with or around the Darkhold's pages, so she would need a new method of travel. These treats she had enchanted to shift the form of the rabbit into whatever she needed. In this case, she needed a quick and dangerous mount to escape on.
Unfortunately, as she grabbed one of the items in her fingers, the wall in front of her exploded inward, sending Agatha and a shower of rubble and magical items flying backwards into the little cottage. She hit the ground hard and rolled, losing her grip on the rabbit.
Before she could move further, large roots erupted from underneath her floor, destroying the wood and filling the room. The thick roots immediately slammed into the witch and pinned her to the ground, wrapping around her tightly, squeezing her wrists and her middle exceptionally hard. She wheezed out, the breath driven from her lungs and her wrists creaked dangerously, threatening to snap.
She watched through half-closed eyes as the lid on the cylinder slowly turned, as if of its own volition. She was forced to see the Darkhold pages flutter down to the floor, out of her grasp. Years of sacrifice and searching slowly fell to the floor, scattering slightly as the wind blew in from the hole in the cottage.
Metal footsteps sounded out through the now eerily quiet home, the heavy clunking of metal boots sending dread through Agatha's form. She clenched her eyes as she struggled to pull any of her magic to help her. The dark energy gathered around her palm and-
SNAP!
Agatha screamed as her wrist snapped like a twig, the roots gripping her form clenching tight around her bone. She panted and grit her teeth, breathing shallowly as the wooden grip around her middle tightened more, making her ribs ache.
"If you struggle further, I will crush the bones in your hands to powder and let you struggle to complete simple tasks for the rest of your life." The voice spoke softly as if disappointed and bored at the same time.
The metal boots of Doom came into her vision as she was still facing the floor, trapped and immobile. A light breeze picked up on the floor in front of her, shifting and moving the Darkhold pages, before they all lifted up off the ground and were whisked away into Dr. Doom's hand, settling into a neat stack.
"Vortex generators are quite useful. Maybe you would have been able to put up more of a fight if you hadn't limited your feeble mind to only the dark arts," Doom bragged, stuffing the pages of the Darkhold into a pouch on his belt.
Agatha shook in fear and anger, helpless to protect herself from Doom. Just like when she was tied to a stake to be burned back in Salem. Only this time, there were no magic tricks to get her free. She was helpless.
She glanced at the still-breathing form of her rabbit, the small creature sprawled out against the back wall, covered in chunks of wood and magical objects. Agatha quivered in place as the man named Doom turned away from her, browsing her collected magical items without a care in the world.
"I believe I'll take these as well since you caused a scene," Doom spoke, gathering objects from her house.
She couldn't even see what he was taking! Her home was being violated! She was trapped and helpless while Doom took whatever he wanted! She attempted to gather magic in her other hand, and the roots around her wrist clamped down dangerously, forcing her to let out a pained cry.
"Foolish. All that power and the best you could do is steal magic from others. What a terrible waste," Doom clicked his tongue in disappointment. He made his way back to her front, his boots entering her line of sight again.
"If you happen upon any pages of the Darkhold, bring them to Latveria and deliver them to me. I will know if you attempt to keep them for yourself," he spoke. He glanced around the room once more, before making his way back to the hole in the cottage wall.
"Consider the consequences before you cross Doom again," he spoke. Just as suddenly he left was he gone, the cottage left in shambles and hauntingly empty.
The roots and plant life gripping Agatha went limp and receded back into the ground, dropping the witch to the floor with a pained wheeze, the breath forced from her lungs. She shook as she lay on her front, very slowly lifting her head up.
She looked around the broken and shattered form of her home. Objects scattered, the foundation destroyed, all of her hard work shredded by just one man.
Agatha Harkness crawled her way across the floor as best she could toward her rabbit. Using her good hand, she dragged his still unconscious form toward herself. She cradled the bunny close to her chest, and sobbed, laying in the ruins of her home.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
The Mount Sinai Hospital lobby was absolutely packed full of people, of all shapes and sizes. The massive room stretched back a long way, yet still seemed too small for the number of people that were all together, facing a nurse at the front of the room, holding up a camera.
Cameras were on the group throughout the room. A few reporters had managed to sneak in once a Tweet had gotten out that Captain America himself was in the hospital, visiting sick kids. That information didn't gain much traction, as several of those were spread across the internet about various people daily. Still, the few that actually checked had gotten more than they'd bargained for.
Almost 500 people had been cured and recovered in the hours that Amaterasu and Steve Rogers had been in the hospital. They had started by visiting the children that needed care, the Goddess of the Sun quickly and easily curing a variety of ailments and injuries. She had quickly been followed by a group of excited children that kept growing in number as she made her way through the building.
Confusion and concern were the initial response of the hospital staff, before they realized that people were getting better. Much better, and far sooner than they had any right to.
The number of people grew further, and eventually, the staff had given up trying to prevent the spreading joy in favour of guiding people to the lobby to sort out who was who in the mass confusion. As the number of people cured continued to grow, more people had shown up out of curiosity after a few too many reports of similar information leaked online.
"Alright everyone, say 'Ammy'!" The nurse announced.
Amaterasu, for her part, gave a big doggy grin and lolled out her tongue in a dopey smile. Surrounding the wolf was a hoard of children all squeezing in to get as close as they could to the "big doggy" while the older folks stood at the back and the sides, bordering the group.
Of course, Captain America was holding up Terry on his shoulders, still garbed in his illusionary outfit that made it look like he had fully intended to visit and help. He definitely hadn't been dragged around by an overeager magical wolf. Not that he minded.
"AMMY!" Came the chorus of replies in return, the singular word echoing off the walls and filling the hallways with sounds of cheer and joy. The nurse snapped the photo, but she wasn't the only one. Camera flashes went off multiple times as everyone clamoured to get their own picture in.
After the image, the hoard of children finally came crashing down upon Ammy, slathering the massive wolf in love and hugs and pets and kisses, which she very happily accepted, sprawling out on the ground and revelling in the attention and affection.
The parents that had been notified came to collect their children, and the adults smiled at the display and gradually dispersed, walking out of the building of their own free will. A general feeling of positivity and healing and hope filled the hospital.
"You're certainly enjoying yourself," Steve spoke, weaving his way through the children that attempted to climb him or hug his legs. He paused for a moment to give every single child that wanted it a hug or a pat on the head before they went off to their parents.
"Awoof!" Ammy replied, rolling her head to face Steve and gave a big, goofy, tongue-filled grin.
The hoard of children and healed patients gradually left the pair, allowing Ammy to get to her feet and shake herself off, straightening out her fur and leaving herself looking like she hadn't just been mauled by kids.
"Bye-bye, Ammy!" Amelia, the little girl from the library, shouted out.
"Goodbye, Mr. America!" Terry, the young man called out as well.
The parents of the two children picked up their kids in big hugs and carried them out through the front doors of the hospital. Security was standing guard, keeping photographers out, while letting patients by. When it came time for Steve and Ammy to leave, the pair were still being thanked and hugged and cheered on by staff and civilians alike. Ammy, not wanting to seem rude, decided to put on just another light little show for the people that remained.
A giant cherry blossom tree erupted from the floor beside the duo the illusionary tree growing higher and wider at an incredible rate. Branches reached out to scrape the ceiling and walls, and the branches quickly filled in, starting with a bright green, shifting to a red, and then pink. The flowers bloomed brilliantly, bright pinks and whites drawing attention from everyone around.
The tree filled out further, twisting and snaking around, the lobby filled with a brilliant pink, complimenting the life and happiness of the people around. People stood in awe for a moment of the massive tree just sitting in the middle of the lobby, glittering as if it had just rained and the sun was beaming down upon it.
The blossoms started to fall from the tree, slowly at first, little petals here and there. They then started to fall with increasing speed, one after the other, pouring down from the branches, yet the tree never looked bare. Eventually, the falling flowers obscured everyone's vision for a moment, the flurry of pink and white filling the room.
The petals suddenly froze and shifted in the air, carried on by an invisible wind as they approached the center of the room. They swirled and danced around Ammy and Steve, spiralling tighter and faster, trapping the pair in a swirling tornado of pink and white. They grew tighter, faster, a blur of colour, before exploding outward in a brilliant display of glitter and shimmering lights.
The explosion of light filled the room, blinding everyone for a brief moment as the brightness started to fade. The tree had disappeared, as had all the flowers, all that remained was glitter slowly pouring down from the ceiling, vanishing as it hit the floor.
Ammy and Steve, for all intents and purposes, vanished. People gasped, looking around, the display caught by multiple angles as the superhero pair just disappeared into the eruption of nature and beauty.
Amaterasu, of course, had to hold back her huffing laughter as she and Steve weaved through the stunned people and out the door, completely cloaked in an illusion and hidden from view. Once the pair had made it about a block away from the site, she dropped the illusion, leaving Steve back in his street clothes, while she took on her standard disguise of a German Shepherd, trotting alongside the plain clothes-wearing hero.
"Was that last bit really necessary?" Steve asked, raising an eyebrow, but unable to keep the smile off his face.
Of course it had been necessary! Even though she had almost completely drained her magic with that one stunt… Ammy just turned and gave him a playful little "wuff", her tail wagging playfully as she bounded forward, feeling just amazing after helping so many. She felt wonderful, light, and full of energy.
It was well into the evening by the time the pair had arrived back at Ammy's shrine, the pair walking into the grounds and up to the small central structure. They both paused for a moment as they saw a rather large and luxurious-looking dog bed sitting in the middle of the room.
"You've been causing a commotion, Fido," a familiar voice spoke from the corner of the room. Steve and Ammy both whipped their heads up as none other than Nick Fury stepped out of the shadows, coming to a stop in front of the pair, and crossing his arms.
Ammy, for her part, sat down and wagged innocently, her gold eyes shifting away from the SHIELD director, very occasionally glancing back at him, before turning away again. She attempted to make what sounded like a chuffing rumbling noise, playing innocent.
"Director," Steve greeted. He stood a little straighter, glancing down at the wolf at his side, before looking back at the constantly neutral face of Fury. He was hard to read. Steve couldn't tell if he was happy, angry, uncaring, or about to shoot the wolf… He would be good at poker.
"Rogers." Fury nodded once, glancing over the super soldier, and then turning his attention back to the wolf.
The wolf was clearly now ignoring the man. She crouched down and wagged her tail, wiggling a little, before jumping and pouncing on the large fluffy dog bed. She whirled around in a tight circle on it, spinning round and round, gaining speed as she moved faster and faster, whipping around in tight circles. Suddenly, she froze, looking up at the two men staring at her, before immediately starting to whirl around in the other direction.
Nick Fury watched in silence as the Goddess of the Sun got the zoomies and whirled around on the bed for entirely too long. Steve, for his part, had grown used to the antics and merely smirked.
After a long moment, Ammy finally came to an immediate halt, blinked for a moment, and then flopped onto her side, wriggling and getting comfy on the bed. A little piece of paper fluttered upwards from the last motion, causing Ammy to track it with her eyes and reach out with her paws to grab at it. She could read the name "Coulson" written in very fancy penmanship.
"Coulson figured you'd need something other than the floor to sleep on," Fury spoke, stepping closer to the dog bed and looking down at the wolf. Ammy merely yipped once as the note vanished into… wherever her stuff went. She didn't know, she just did it.
"With all due respect, sir, why are you here? I thought I was heading out tomorrow," Steve asked. However, his silent question of "Are you here for Amaterasu?" didn't go unnoticed either as he glanced at the wolf and then back at Fury.
"Plans changed. There was an incident in a small town in Massachusetts earlier today. A large power surge was detected by satellite, and a path of destruction was carved through the town. The residents are being tight-lipped about it though," Fury explained, turning his attention away from the wolf for a moment.
"Why me?" Steve asked, "surely there are better people to investigate."
"Those areas are particularly unwelcoming to newcomers. Small-town mentality and all. Figured a man in red, white, and blue touting American pride would be a little better received than several strange people in black suits," Fury explained.
Steve nodded with a slight frown, understanding but not liking the reason why. The Director looked back down at the wolf and narrowed his eye at her.
"Don't think I've forgotten about your little stunt either, Fido," Fury spoke, catching Ammy's attention once more.
The wolf rolled onto her back, holding her forepaws to her chest, and tilted her head to the side slightly as she looked at Fury while upside down, her tongue lolled out. She gave a little "aroo?" in response, and her tail gave a little wriggle.
"Don't play coy with me. You disobeyed orders to stay put. In fact, not only did you leave, but you went straight to the one place I told you not to go," Fury leaned in closer to the wolf, glaring at her.
Ammy, for her part, sat up and watched the Director lean in, staring her down with one eye, while she gazed back at him with her two gold ones. The pair sat in silence for a moment, looking at one another intently, Fury's scowl baring down on the wolf.
Ammy was the first to break the staring contest. Not because she was intimidated, but because she darted forward and dragged her tongue from Fury's chin and aaaaalllll the way up his face, leaving a shiny trail of wolf slobber behind.
Fury blinked once, twice, and then pulled back, glaring at Ammy just a little harder. He raised his gloved hand and wiped off his face, before bringing his glove down to wipe the wolf's drool back onto her own muzzle.
Ammy crossed her eyes and reared back in surprise, not expecting the retaliation as she raised a front paw to wipe off her snoot, grumbling lightly to herself. Despite her sounds, she wagged lightly, thoroughly enjoying the little back and forth.
Steve watched on in amusement, though he set his face into a neutral look whenever Fury glanced up at him. He did tense up and get ready to step forward as Fury reached into his pocket, however. Fortunately, his fears were relieved as the Director tossed something to the dog bed, right at Ammy's feet.
"Here. It's a communicator and tracker, so we can reach you and know your location," Fury explained.
Ammy looked down and grabbed at the collar. The object vanished for a moment, before reappearing, similar to how her weaponry would come and go. It was a black collar with a little black speaker box to one side, and a red button sticking out just slightly from the black box. A small tag jangled from the center of it, the name "Amaterasu" on one side of the plain metal circle, while on the other was a "call this number" section, with the name Phil Coulson engraved on it.
"On the off chance you need help, there's a panic button. Hitting it will alert SHIELD and we will send a pair of agents to your location to check on you. Do not abuse this," Fury ground out. Ammy nodded, fully serious, much to the relief of both Steve and Fury. The collar stood out nicely to her white fur. It was plain and simple but complimented her well. She liked it. Ammy gave a happy little "wurf!" and wagged, padding her paws on the dog bed in excitement.
Fury looked down at her, his expression softening for just a moment.
"Let's go, Rogers. Behave yourself, Fido," Fury spoke, turning away from the wolf, and leading Steve to the front of the structure.
Steve lingered behind, giving Ammy a few soft pats and a rub behind her ears, before giving her a farewell, promising he would come to visit her when he was done with his assignment.
Fury paused at the entrance to the structure, standing to the side of the door frame as Steve walked past him. The Director paused for a moment, hesitating, before digging into his pocket. He pulled out a closed fist and set the contents down on the table offering table, consisting of several crumpled-up bills, and a folded-up piece of paper. Fury glanced over his shoulder at the wolf, nodded his head the slightest amount, and then turned to leave, making his way down the stone pathway and toward Rogers, who had been waiting for him at the entrance.
Ammy padded her way out of the structure and to the entrance, seeing the pair off with a happy little bark, watching them gradually disappear down the path and into the night.
She was alone once more.
Amaterasu hummed softly to herself as she made her way back to the little red structure in the center of the shrine, and moved up to the offering table. A total of $25 was left for the canine, as well as a neatly folded piece of paper.
She grabbed at the paper and struggled a little, before unfolding it and laying it out on the floor, looking over it with curious golden eyes. She blinked, and leaned in, her tail wagging a little faster as she looked over the contents.
On it was a map of the surrounding area, her spot in Central Park clearly marked out. On the map of the surrounding city, were little stars over specific locations. At the top of the page was the title: List of Hospitals and Medical Centers.
Ammy was practically vibrating with excitement, almost literally being told to go ahead by the Director of SHIELD himself. There was a little hand-written note at the bottom that read: "I called ahead. They're expecting you."
Calming herself, she mentally planned out her route for tomorrow, deciding on a plan of action and how to best reach as many people as she could. She made her way to the comfy bed and circled around a few times, before flopping down and curling into a snug, warm little ball of fur.
She had a big day ahead of her tomorrow, and she was more than ready to help.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
Amaterasu woke up at three in the morning to the sound of footsteps walking through her shrine, squinting her eyes as she let out a short, sharp yawn, huffing lightly. She shook herself off a little and stood up, giving a big stretch as she dropped her front and arched her back, several satisfying clunks echoing from her back.
Ammy huffed and sat up in her bed, peering into the darkness of the shrine as the human shape walked forward, attempting to be stealthy.
"This is my chance! I'm gonna be the first!" A voice quietly exclaimed. She watched as the person holding what looked to be a camera tried to be stealthy, creeping along the stones at an agonizingly slow pace.
So, Ammy waited… and waited… and waited some more. The person was so intent on being "sneaky" that they had completely missed the sight of the 200 pound wolf sitting upright and blatantly watching them approach.
"I'm gonna be rich! Take that mom, I told you I would make it in New York!" The person whisper-yelled to themselves, completely unaware that they were being anything but secretive and stealthy. Briefly, Ammy wondered exactly what normal people did on their day-to-day basis. She knew about the hospital workers, and that one friendly hot-dog man, and the—
FLASH!
Amaterasu yelped in surprise and shut her eyes, her day dreaming leaving her unprepared. She squinted and blinked the stars out of her eyes, catching the shadow of the person who had been "sneaking" now standing directly before her.
Ammy gave an annoyed little huff and shifted herself, looking up at the human with her brilliant gold eyes. She—
Another pair of flashes from the camera exploded in front of Ammy. The wolf reeled back, growling softly as the person as they invaded her space, the camera flashing absurdly bright. It was too early for this. She got to all fours and padded forward, blinking the spots out of her eyes.
"Yes, perfect shots! Get closer, look angry!" The person sounded way too enthusiastic about this. "Oh, man! When I turn these in, I'll be famous!"
Amaterasu narrowed her eyes, closing them as another series of bright flashes illuminated her little shelter in the dead of night. She growled and barked lightly, nodding toward the entrance of the Shrine with her nose, kindly pointing the person to leave. Her patience wore thin when another brilliant series of camera flashes caused her to see stars again. She growled louder this time, tired, frustrated, and a little sick of the greedy human's attitude.
"I'm gonna be on the news! I'll be a millionaire! The Daily Bugle will have to hire me after this! I'll—"
Ammy clicked her jaws shut, huffing. She was done. She pushed her magic into her limbs, and the wolf rocketed forward, blurring into existence before the extremely rude and annoying photographer. Before they could react, she lunged forward and gripped the camera in her jaws, and flexed her will on reality, freezing time just to deliver a Power Slash from her Celestial Brush to the leather cord connected to the camera.
The wolf then darted backward back in front of the person and onto the foot of her Shrine, gripping the camera in her jaws.
"Hey! Give that back! I—"
Ammy grinned as she used her teeth to rapidly and repeatedly press the shutter button, her jaws clacking slightly like a dog attempting to grab something gently. The poor human that had been photographing Ammy was now on the receiving end of her wrath, the camera flashing rapidly enough to look like a strobe light.
The human covered their eyes and staggered backwards, shouting profanities as they tripped backwards, tumbling out of the entrance of the Shrine.
Ammy stood above them victoriously, growling softly at her success. She sat at the entrance to the Shrine, her jaws still clamped on the camera. She waited for the person to sit up and look at her, opening their mouth to say something, anything, that would justify what she had planned.
"You stupid mutt! You—"
CRUNCH!
Amaterasu snapped her jaws shut, the camera shattering from the bite and falling to pieces on the stone tile walkway. The human shrieked in agony, scrambling forward and grasping at pieces of the camera. Ammy watched as they held a piece aloft as if they had won some competition.
"Aha! I still have the SD card you stupid—"
Nope, you don't anymore! A simple flex of her will had the small card torn in half, the pieces tumbling from their fingers. She stared them down as if daring them to reach for it, gold eyes glimmering menacingly.
The lunge forward the person made was all she needed. She used her magic to sweep up the pieces in a rush of ice, and then expand the magic outward, the little ball of ice exploding from the center violently. She wasn't evil by any means, but watching the person claw at their face in agony and rage was more than satisfying enough.
With that done, the person's spirit broken, she zipped forward and gripped the human by the collar of their shirt, dragging them behind her to set them down against one of the trees across the path from her Shrine.
Once Ammy was back within the confines of her home, she created used her brush and her new grip on ice magic to paint a barrier in the arch of the shrine. The clear wall of ice held up incredibly well and muffled some noise when the rude human jumped to their feet and rushed at Ammy. Watching the human bounce off the barrier and stagger back clutching their nose was extremely satisfying, so she very happily trotted her way back to the little building in the center of her shrine.
The wolf stepped into her bed again and immediately flopped down with a long, loud yawn, her eyes watering a little from the act. She huffed and shook her head, before shifting to nuzzle into the edges of the bed, burying her nose in the warm floof, allowing sleep to overtake her once more.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
The wolf wasn't aware of this, but the photos and videos of her little stunt in the hospital were spreading rapidly over social media. Tens of thousands of shares in just a couple of hours. Hospital staff were being interviewed even late into the night, and patients would be talking to friends and relatives, spreading their accounts of what had happened that day. They explained why they were out of the hospital weeks early, or why someone who was once paralyzed from the neck down was now walking out under their own power.
Amaterasu's name spread further and further, even as the wolf snoozed, her leg kicking a little as she dreamed.
People had started gathering information about her. Video clips and images from the invasion, security camera footage of her assisting in the cleanup of the city and healing the injured. The physical paper trail of patients now leaving the hospital, cured and healthy as they could be. The photos of the enthusiastic people gathered around the wolf, and of course, the display with the illusion she put on.
Overnight, information was picked up by local, and then national news, clips of what seemed to be miracles spreading like wildfire. People were clamouring to learn more, to understand. The greedy were hoping to find her and use this new overnight sensation as a way to boost their popularity.
But for the people who had once been hopeless, struggling, down on their luck and hurting... Buried under medical debt and the choice between their medicine or being able to afford food… Those that ached from injuries long past, or sacrifices made for the greater good… They allowed themselves just a little glimmer of hope.
Maybe there was someone that would look out for them after all.