The portals that unintentionally popped up whenever the Infinity Gauntlet was used were now slowly dying down, collapsing one by one. Wanda eyed them in contempt. Stark had prattled on earlier about how the energy from all the stones being together at once exponentially increased each one's powers. It meant that unless the stones were separated, portals would inevitably continue to open.
Luckily, now that Thanos was defeated the stones were already in the process of being divided. Thor would be taking one (or was it two? Wanda didn't care for the politics behind it all). The Mind Stone was painstakingly being inserted into Vision's head. The Strange doctor was wearing one as a mere trinket around his neck. The aliens, Guardians of the Galaxy, apparently, were taking some to scatter about the universe.
A small portal, no bigger than her head, tore itself into existence not two feet in front of her. Wanda growled in annoyance and stopped, unwilling to walk into it. She flicked her hands, tossing some spare energy at it, but it was absorbed. The portal was colored with reddish hues, but it didn't disappear.
Wanda clenched her hands, forcing the portal smaller. It worked, but only for a second. It grew to the size of a small horse before becoming basketball-sized. Several more moments of concentration didn't seem to affect it as it widened enough for the Hulk to wriggle through, then small as her fist. Was it destabilizing?
Snorting in disgust, Wanda daintily stepped around the rapidly growing and shrinking portal and strolled to where Steve stood, anxiously running his hands down Bucky's ruined metal arm. For his part, Bucky looked uncomfortable at the attention, though not in any severe pain.
"Wanda, you're okay!" Clint exclaimed roughly from where he lay, bound to a medical stretcher. His leg, though slashed, had not been as critical as some of the other injuries that had been caused by the invasion. As such, after stopping the blood flow, the medics that had arrived at the conclusion of the battle had decided to leave him for more serious injuries. Clint, a true hero, hadn't protested.
"Of course I am," Wanda said, tossing her head back. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"I know, you were brilliant," Clint complimented, smiling proudly. It set off a warm glow in Wanda's chest. She smiled back happily. "Now, if only I could move my arm." He poked at his dirty sling.
A bright splash of red had her turning her head to the side.
"-it, Vis," Stark was muttering urgently, splaying his hands over Vision.
"Mr. Stark, I am fine," Vision answered, a mere hint of exasperation coloring the last word. He reached up and, as Stark tensed, slowly grasped Stark's wrist and gently lowered it down.
Stark stared at where Vison's hand held his wrist, then moved his gaze up to Vision's eyes. Vis quirked his lips into a tiny smile, one that, though small, more resembled one of Stark's fake, showman smiles than the soft curl that Wanda had been teaching Vis before her departure from the Compound. Wanda glared, offended. Vis shouldn't be learning bad habits from someone dubbed the "Merchant of Death."
Stark and Vis examined each other for a long minute before Stark looked away with a shake of his head and a loud exhale. Wanda felt victorious on Vison's behalf.
"I know, I know. I just worry, though," Stark huffed. "That rhymes, in case you didn't catch it. You know, I really care. You're like the mutant lovechild I never knew I wanted to have in a threesome with JARVIS and Bruce. Not that I wanted to have a- you know what, never mind. Where's the Spider-kid? Oi, Underoos!" Stark abruptly turned on his heel and walked briskly away from the baffled but amused android.
Wanda squared her shoulders and lifted her chin as Stark approached. "Spiderman's that way," she said as neutrally as she could, pointing away from Steve and the others, hoping Stark would leave.
"Thanks, kid," Stark said, not even looking at her as he turned in the direction she indicated.
"I'm not a kid, murderer," Wanda returned, shoulders rising in antagonism.
"Rogers seems to think you are," Stark countered easily, ignoring the last part of her sentence and not bothering to look back. Though his voice was causal, gently teasing, almost, her powers told differently. Within him burned an icy aggression that mirrored her own fiery hostility with frightening clarity. In another life, they could have been the best of friends. "Though that seems to only count for when it comes time for taking responsibility. You know, accountability and all that? No?"
"What about you?" Wanda called, walking after him, not willing to let him get away with his hypocrisy. She glanced behind, but decided she didn't want anything to do with Clint's good-natured whining or Nat's calculating glances. And who knew where Sam was? Steve would finish his fussing momentarily, and she didn't want that attention on her. She wasn't a kid, after all...
"Me?" Stark turned, raising his arms up mockingly. "I'm an open book." He kept walking backwards, undeterred by the rubble.
Wanda growled. "What about Ultron? Where was your precious accountability then?"
"That, princess?" Stark scoffed. "There was a review. The board cleared me. Ultron was not my fault."
Her long-buried anger flared up again. "What did you do, Stark? How much did you bribe-"
"No, really, I didn't do it," Stark snapped. "You've seen what Vision could do once he got going, and that was after growing up in a stable and supporting environment. Imagine what the Stone could do if all it know was hatred and insanity. That Stone was in HYDRA hands for who-knows-how-long. It was confused, hurting, and it lashed out and created Ultron."
Wanda paused, considering, but in the end, she decided it didn't matter. It couldn't. She had to have someone responsible for Pietro's death. Ultron was gone. Her revenge seemed...hollow after all that time. Inwardly, she knew it wasn't right to blame Stark, but... if she couldn't blame Stark, that would only leave herself to blame. Wanda couldn't do that, couldn't be the cause of her twin's death, so Stark had to be responsible. It was the only option.
"You're acting as if it was alive," she said, hoping it sounded argumentative.
"Alive, no. Sentient? That's up for debate. I'd need to do a few more tests to know for certain, but for now, yes."
They walked in a silence that was both antagonistic and companionable. Then, Stark stopped mid-step and began backing away, staring at a spot on the ground. There was nothing but rubble. Wanda frowned, turning to him for an explanation.
"You know, I don't think Spider-kid's this way," Stark suddenly babbled, apparently unable to bear the silence. "You think he's this way? I bet he swung around." He pivoted without any other warning and began swiftly making his way back.
Wanda snarled in annoyance. They were almost getting along, but apparently Stark couldn't even stand in her presence. "Are you calling me a liar?!" she screeched.
Stark looked over his shoulder. "Wait, what?" his face showed surprise before smoothening out into a false, smiling mask. Wanda reached out with her mind, determined to find his lies. She froze him where he stood and quickly riffled through his surface emotions. To her shock, he was genuinely surprised and wary at her reaction. And annoyed. Angry even. He distrusted her. Wanda let go of his mind, and he continued moving as if nothing had happened because, to him, nothing had happened.
"Wanda," Stark said patronizingly, "I said nothing of that sort. Come on, use that brain I scientifically know you must possess." A slight, considering pause. "Unless you're an alien or android or something. Or AI. Can't forget that one."
Forget what she thought earlier about becoming the best of friends; she and Stark would only be the bitterest of enemies, no matter what life they were in. She had only been trying to extend a hand of truce, and Stark had the nerve to spit on it.
"Just because I have powers doesn't mean I'm not human," Wanda said, glaring. She tossed her mind out. "You're not better than me."
"Never said you weren't, and I never said I was," Stark's lips said. ˜She's unstable and angry," his mind whispered. ˜Get to Strange, Strange can protect you."
"I'm not unstable!" Wanda yelled, power flooding her veins. How dare he. How dare he.
"I didn't-" Stark leapt back, out of the way. He froze, eyes widening, and she didn't need her powers to feel his shock. "Were you reading my-"
Even as infuriated as she was, Wanda was proud to say she had perfect control over her powers and actions. Instead of pulverizing his head or torso, Wanda aimed her telekinetic blast at the ground near his feet. While she knew better than to kill him, a few bloody scratches across his face would grant him some humility. Perhaps one of his bones would pierce his ego and deflate it some. At the very least, bed rest would give him a time-out to think over his childish actions.
Stark went flying. Wanda smiled as he soared through the air without his suit. He flew...
Right into the red portal from earlier.
Stark was gone.
Wanda only had a moment to stare in shock before an anguished cry shattered the silence.
"MR. STARK!" Spiderman appeared, swinging past her and towards the red.
A metal projectile blasted past her, the wind buffeting her and tossing her to the side. "Peter, no!" War Machine grabbed the distraught Spider-Man's -"Peter's?" - web and used it to steer him away from the destabilizing portal.
Undeterred, Spiderman released the web and leapt unerringly for the portal. Rhodes let out a muffled curse that War Machine's verbal filters cut out midway - part of Spiderman's Training Wheels Protocol, Stark had proudly announced - and dove, catching the smaller hero just meters away from the portal. Spiderman struggled for several moments before becoming limp.
War Machine landed with a thump several meters away from her and put Spiderman down, though he refused to let go of the younger hero's wrist. From there, Wanda could hear Spiderman's sobs.
She stepped forward, only for Rhodes to position himself defensively between herself and the youngest hero. Wanda was offended, but the emotion quickly slipped from her grasp in light of the situation. "I, I-"
Spiderman's sobs stopped as quickly as they appeared. His head snapped up and he stared at her. Then, without warning, he launched himself at her. "Give him back!" he howled before crying out in pain.
Wanda staggered back, but she was in no danger. War Machine's unrelenting grip had inadvertently caused Spiderman to dislocate his own shoulder. Rhodes made an aborted move, as if he was about to turn to Spider-Man, but he didn't. Instead, he raised a gauntlet half-way, aimed at her feet, though he didn't turn it on.
Wanda's back hit something solid as she backed away. Arms raised, Wanda spun to see Sam's grayed face.
"Wanda, what have you done?" Sam asked, shock and... fear?... in his eyes.
"I-I didn't-" she stuttered out. Behind Sam, a little boy and an even younger girl who looked similar to him - siblings? - stared at her. The boy pushed the girl behind him, just like Rhodes had done with Spider-Man when she approached. They were scared. Of her.
Wanda reached out with her mind, trying to calm them down. It wasn't her fault! I cannot control their fear, only my own. The boy reached behind him and shoved the girl. Wanda saw his lips move. Though she was too far to hear what he said, the round formation of his lips around the first word was unmistakable. 'Go.' Their minds met. The next word, with her in his mind, rang clearly in her own head. 'Run.'
A metal projectile clipped her side, sending her staggering. Sensing rather than seeing multiple other items cutting through the air, Wanda threw up a shield. The pieces that made up the rest of the Iron Man suit hit the shield one by one, each one pushing the shield just a little back by the merit of pure force, before shortening out due to the power of the shield and falling on the ground. A muffled sob caught her attention.
Wanda whirled around, catching sight of several bystanders, all backing away. The people at the back broke off, turning and running. As if it was a signal, all the other people began sprinting away from her, leaving a growing circle of emptiness.
"I-I can fix this!" Wanda sobbed, nearly begging. Panicked, Wanda grasped at whatever she could sense of her powers and called them, dragged them back. She expected to pull Stark back from wherever he landed.
She didn't realize that part of the power she was pulling back was part of the portal itself. She didn't expect the portal to collapse into itself the moment her powers left it.
She didn't expect all the fear.
I'm the designated 'family disappointment,' so don't keep your hopes up; I'm probably going to disappoint you guys sooner or later.
...I like reviews and conflicting opinions, and your ideas cheer me up. Comments are happily replied to, "Follows" regarded with curiosity, "Favorites" poked in disbelief, and 'flames' are cherished for that odd, sinking feeling they create. I'll also occasionally correct grammar mistakes I see in the comments. It's for practice, you see? I'm bad at grammar and need to work on it.
Like always, help me out a bit with the info, will ya? I haven't watched Star Wars yet.