Prologue

Wanda's head felt like it was going to explode, the shrieking sound that pierced her ear drums made her brain want to expand and leak out of her ears. She hobbled beside Vision, her hand resting against her eyes, trying to stop the pain that was aching just behind her corneas. She let the android guide her as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. She tried to blink it away but it all focused in and out, turning fuzzy then clear every other second. It felt like the world was upside down and backwards all at once. She squeezed her eyes shut, leaning on Vision's side for a moment until the earth beneath her stopped spinning. When she opened her eyes, she peered through the smoke which curled from multiple fires set to the concrete.

There was a lot of destruction in the abandoned airline. Cars were upturned, debris from buildings piled up on the runways, and so much smoke in air.

Right Wanda remembered, the fight… Did we win?

They must have. Steve and his friend, Bucky had gotten out. They were on their way to save the earth, and Wanda had helped them. She had fought against her friends, against Vision, but it was for a good cause. So that Hydra's government experiments could be stopped for good. So that no one would end up like her or Bucky ever again. Experiments. Guinea pigs. Toys to play with until the monsters who implemented them were entertained enough. No one should be a toy in the hands of a scientist. Cap had told her what they were doing to super soldiers in Russia, and the thought of more people being experimented on made her stomach feel like it was going to drop to her toes. She couldn't just sit around and let that happen…

Wanda quickly glanced over to each of the other ex-Avengers, making sure they were okay. Clint was sitting, taking deep gasps in lieu of all that had happened. His bow lay at his side and his shoulders heaved as he tried to calm his breathing. He was okay, though. He had come out unscathed entirely.

Sam was soaring in the sky, looking for a place to land amongst the wreckage of what used to be the Leipzig Airlines. She squinted in his direction, trying to find any sort of injury her friend might had received but it didn't look so. She had surveyed him until her eyes grew tired and the girl had come to the conclusion that Sam Wilson was, indeed, alright.

Finally, she spotted the man in the red and silver suit. Scott, if she remembered correctly. He was laying on the ground, his chest rose and fell rapidly, showing he was breathing. She heard him mumble "I'm okay...I'm okay. Oh God, I'm tired…"

She managed a weak smile. She recalled his awkward humor and pure excitement to be included. She liked how he could lighten the mood so quickly, as if it was instinct for him.

It didn't look like anyone had really sustained any injury, everyone was okay.

That was when she saw it. She saw the heap of gray iron laying beside a devastated Tony Stark.

Mr. Rhodes…

She urged her legs to go faster and Vision quickly assisted her until they came to Stark's side.

As she got closer and closer, Wanda saw just how bad it was. Mr. Rhodes' face mask had broken off his helmet, showing an unconscious, bloodied man behind it. She stopped herself from trembling outright but through his armor, Wanda couldn't tell if Mr. Rhodes was breathing. Wanda took a shaky breath, her lip quivering as she did. She closed her eyes and, in spite of the pain, focused her mind to try and connect with his. She needed something, anything, to prove to her that he was alive! She didn't want him to die! She didn't want anyone to die. She could feel his heart beating, barely, but what she couldn't feel scared her even more. She couldn't feel pain in his legs. She couldn't feel anything in his lower half. Was Mr. Rhodes paralyzed?

Wanda's eyes shot open, breaking the connection. She saw that the reactor disk on his chest was split and smoldering. It smoked, sending out little sparks as it had been shredded in half by a long blast across his chest.

It was the shot Vision had taken!

She remembered that Vision had been told to aim for Sam but he must've missed.

Vision missed? How is that even possible?

Was it because of her? Was Vision so distracted over her that he actually missed Sam?

A weight dropped in Wanda's chest. If Vision hadn't been so focused on her, maybe Rhodey wouldn't have fallen. He wouldn't have shattered his back. She was certain that Sam could've found a safe way down, he had enough gadgets with him that a solution would've been easy. Mr. Rhodes' reactor had been destroyed. He had lost complete power to his suit. There was no way for him to come out of that fall…

"I'm sorry," Vision's soft voice mumbled, it was riddled with solemn remorse as he stared at his feet. "I take full responsibility for what happened, Tony. I'm deeply sorry."

Tony looked up from his friend on the ground leveled his gaze on Vision. They were filled with grief. Wanda couldn't hold her gaze. She found herself staring at her boots. How could this have gotten so out of hand? How could she have almost killed her friends? She didn't dare try to pretend she wasn't aiming to kill, she had even scolded Clint for holding back! How could she have let this get so chaotic; so devastating?

"Yeah…" Tony mumbled, "I'm sorry, too."

Suddenly, blaring alarms sounded.

Men dressed in black kevlar, carrying large guns flooded the scene. Helicopters and trucks alike appeared out of nowhere and Wanda felt hands on her back. They ripped Wanda out of Vision's grasp and slammed her into the ground. She felt a gun barrel press against the base of her skull and a man's voice screamed in her ear, threatening to blow her head off if she dared to make a move.

"Hey! Get off her!"

Wanda's eyes darted to see Clint sprinting her way with his bow strung and ready to fire. Soldiers stormed him on either side and Wanda felt like time was slowing down. She watched Clint be overpowered. Thrown on the concrete face first and pinned down by several men, all shouting the same threats to him as were shouted at her. She watched them tear his quiver off his back and rip his bow from his grip. She watched them twist his arms around his back and thick, steel handcuffs secure themselves around his wrists.

Scott, almost instinctively, turned over on his belly and pressed his hands against the back of his head as soldiers violently tore his hands into the same position has Clint's to secure similar cuffs.

Sam landed on the runway with his guns out. He fired at the soldiers, his face contorted into rage as he watched his comrades tackled and subdued. She saw a soldier use the butt of his gun to smack Sam in the side of the head. He crumpled to the ground and had 700 guns jammed in his face.

No, Wanda pleaded, the pounding in her head getting more and more painful, stop. Please.

She felt her heart start to race. It hammered so hard that she could hear each beat like a heavy metal drummer. She couldn't breathe. Wanda gasped for breath, swallowing mouthfuls of air so much that it stung in her chest. She felt her shoulders tremble and her eyes darted back and forth, trying to find something, anything that could help. She didn't care. She just wanted it to stop. Tears leaked down her face and her chest stung so much that she curled in on herself, trying to stop the pain. Her body convulsed on the floor as small whimpers escaped her lips.

"I said, stay still!" a soldier shouted. The barrel of his gun jabbed into the nape of her neck.

Something inside of her just snapped.

She thrashed, trying to throw them off her with her own strength. She grunted as she felt more people pile on her, crushing her against the pavement.

"Get off!" She shrieked, "Get off, get off, get off!". Red tendrils shot from her hands, throwing the shouting, gun pointing man off her back. A thundering boom of an explosion erupted from under her. A tidal wave of scarlet pushed past her and threw trucks like toys across the runway. The concrete shattered under her with a deafening crack!

"Wanda-" Vision called out, trying to step in. However, Tony grabs his shoulder, holding the android back.

"Mr. Stark?" a younger voice came in. She saw that boy dressed in the red leotard staring at her. His mask was off, revealing a pair of big brown eyes. One was ringed with a purpling bruise but both were brimming with shock and pity. It was like he was witnessing a sincere injustice and he just wanted to help. He looked between her and Tony Stark, desperately searching for a solution.

Dozens of soldiers jumped on top of Wanda, sucking the breath out of her from the sheer weight. Her head was pressed down against the now destroyed runway, shoving sharp rocks into her temple. Wanda heaved, trying to find air under all the pressure. Tears spilled from her eyes and her throat felt tight and raw. She wanted it to stop. Why wouldn't it all just stop? The pounding in her forehead came back with a vengeance. She squeezed her eyes tight, trying to force it to leave her. She felt her stomach turn and her heart pound against her ribs. It hurt. It felt like she was going to melt. She wanted to go home!

Cuffs of her own were clicked into place around her wrists and a pinch entered the side of her neck. She felt something flush into her vein and suddenly, the world became twenty times more bright and vibrant. Her limbs start feeling like lead weighing her down to the center of the earth and the pounding in her head was dialed to an eleven.

She was suddenly hauled off the ground and a truck, which fell in and out of focus, with an open back was parked in front of her. As the looming truck came closer and closer, Wanda noticed the flash of a needle.

What..?

Then, it felt like everything slowed down. The colors around her became a bright neon, phasing in and out from pure white. Her neck became too tired to hold her head up and her chin dropped to her chest, her hair curtailing over her face. Her eyes widened, like she was trying to ward away the blotches of white from her vision but she couldn't find more than a window of normal colors from her peripherals.

Before Wanda could think deeper into it, she was tossed carelessly into the truck; landing next to Clint. The archer was quick to be by her side. His gaze catches hers and Wanda could barely focus on his face. It swirled in four different parts before her, all shouting one word in sync.

"Kid!"

There was a slam as the sunlight was siphoned off, leaving her in the darkness before her eyes fluttered shut.