Galaxias: Retaliation

X Factor

Tania's POV

Since nobody had any desire to die, we readily obliged, and followed our unlikely saviour deep into the house. We walked down stairs and through narrow corridors till we reached the underground. We walked briskly till we arrived at a small room and a set of heavy doors blocked with orange pylons. The doors were sealed with masking tape, apparently to keep people from entering. The caretaker reached up and peeled the tape off the door. Bringing a rusted iron key from his pocket, he slid it into the keyhole, turning the heavy, dead bolt, and pushed open the heavy door. We followed him as he entered, and I shut the door behind us.

I found ourselves striding briskly down a modern-looking tunnel that was obviously under construction. The man suddenly swevered to the right into a small niche from where a tangle of heavy-duty extension cords snaked out and disappeared into the passageway. He must have found the switch that sent power to the extension cords, because suddenly the route before us because illuminated.

I finally got a good look at the man who saved us as he came out of the niche. His face was covered with wrinkles, skin as pale as snow. His unkept hair had tufts of white and grey standing out, while his sideburns and beard made him look intimidating and powerful. He was  extremely well-built. I saw the faint outline of his strong muscles and biceps as he flexed his arms. He must have been raggedly handsome in his youth. My eyes travelled up to his, which were shining brightly, but his face was morphed into a scowl.

He snapped." Whatcha staring at, kid?"

I flushed and looked away, embarrassed at being caught checking an old man out (ew!). He grunted and started walking down the passageway, leaving us to follow him.

****
Max's POV

After what seemed like hours, we finally reached the end of the corridor. The caretaker guided us through a set of double doors that he locked behind us. If anyone opened the door,they couldn't do that stealthily.

I found ourselves in a large,yet beautifully furnished room. It was decorated with vintage chairs, a large black couch from the 1900s, ancient lamps and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and various decorative pieces. Frames of pictures hung from the walls.

Stephen turned to the caretaker, who'd lit a cigar." Thank you, James."

James - I gathered that was his name- grunted as he let out a wiff of smoke." Are you crazy, Strange? Wandering around in the street of New York City, specially when all this is going on? Don't you know that those minions would kill you on the spot?"

Stephen sighed." It was a necessary risk. I'm fully aware of the consequences of my actions."

"Were you?" James sneered." And who are they?" He motioned at us.

"My friends."

"Whatever, bub." He shrugged." Y'all can stay here for the night. A few guest rooms there are still clean, I think. Night time in New York is hazardous." He pointed at an open doorway leading to a dark corridor.

Stephen acknowledged with a bow of his head." Thank you."

"Oh, and another thing." We heard him call out as we walked towards the corridor." The mansion is strictly protected by sentients. Try not to wander around if you value your life."

We chose adjacent rooms, each one being identical. Wishing each other goodnight, we retired for the day, ready to leave tomorrow.

Since I wasn't sleepy, random thoughts roamed in my mind. What we saw earlier, was truly nerve-racking. It was always known that the Avengers had been disbanded after the Infinity War, but nobody knew they died. My fists clenched at Thanos's cruelty. How low can one get, brainwashing someone to kill their own friends?