Eye of the Storm
Wanda stalked Clint's shadow, keeping close to his right side as he'd instructed her. Apart from the rain pounding against the roof, the facility was eerily quiet, its halls lit only by the flickering emergency lights. Clint paused to glance down at the mini map displayed on his wrist. After a moment he motioned that they should continue to the right and resumed his stealthy steps down the hall.
"It should be through this door," He said quietly, stopping before a set of heavy metal doors and pulling an arrow from his quiver as he spoke. "Be ready. I doubt it'll be unguarded." He turned to glance at her over his shoulder, caught her eye and gave her a quick nod, his mouth set in a grim line. Wanda nodded back, raising her hands and opening the flow of her powers.
The doors rattled, breaking the heavy silence, before the lock popped loudly and they swung open. Clint took two quick steps in, glancing to both sides, bow drawn tight. Wanda followed, prepared to set up a shield at any moment.
The room was empty.
Clint lowered his bow very slowly, sharp eyes taking in every detail of the room. Lightening flashed outside the windows, lighting the room for a brief moment. Wanda kept her hands up, worry beginning to creep into her heart. So far they had seen no one. How could they leave the chip unprotected? Something was very wrong here.
"Over here." Clint said, taking a few steps toward the other end of the room, where a large computer system was connected; several blank screens were attached to the wall above it. A small conference table sat before it. Occupants would have a perfect few of the screens from their seats.
Before he was halfway across the room, a silenced shot rang across the room, hitting him in the back and dropping him, all in half a second. Wanda spun around, throwing up a shield as she went, pushing her worry for Clint to the back of her mind as she hunted out the assailant.
Three men, garbed in black outfits, white crossbones painted on their arms, stood on the opposite side of the room. The door behind them was still swinging shut. They fired at her, round after round bouncing off her shield. Their guns clicked and they dropped them, reaching for the replacements in their belts. Wanda saw her moment and lowered her shield to send a blast of red energy at them, throwing them backwards into the wall, their heads cracking the plaster. She reach out quickly with her mind, scanning through their thoughts.
Hydra. They were coming for the chip too. So they knew. Then more would be on the way. And soon.
Wanda dropped her hands, reigning in her powers, and hurried to crouch beside Clint. He was still breathing, but it was shallow. The bullet had punctured his suit, the force knocking him out. She needed to get him out of here. Before more men of Hydra could show up.
Quickly, she scanned through his memories, pulling any information about the chip that she could.
"Wanda?"
The familiar voice was gentle and questioning. It pulled her from her search and she rose slowly, mind racing. Vision stood before her, clearly having just entered though the same doors as the Hydra agents. His face was soft and sad, the angles so familiar to her.
It was well past midnight and Wanda sat curled up under her red shawl on a couch in the Avenger's common room. The large glass windows across from her usually displayed the lush, grassy fields at the forests edge. Now, they showed only darkness, heavy rain beating against them as a fierce wind raged around the building. For a moment the world outside was lite by a bright flash of lightening, before being cast once more into darkness. A rumble of thunder followed and Wanda could feel it in her chest.
She drew her powers from the energy in the air around her, and tonight there was plenty. It made her nervous. She could feel the chaos inside her, just waiting to be released. The tips of her fingers tingled with it. Thunderstorms were her weakness. So much power. It felt almost too easy to let it consumer her.
It was her first storm without Pietro by her side. His presence could always calm her. He would have held her to his chest and stroked her hair; whispered stories of their family and the good times. Just the thought of him struck her heart like a knife and she gasped, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. A silent tear slid down her cheek.
"Wanda," Vision's voice was gentle and questioning from behind her. Hearing it, she hastily wiped away the tear on her cheek, straightening herself slightly and turning to look at him.
"I hope I am not disturbing you. I did not expect to find anyone still awake." He stood awkwardly by the couch, the confusion and unsurely evident on his face.
"You are not disturbing me," Wanda was quick to reassure him and a moment of silence passed as they stared at each other, neither sure how to continue.
Confusion and hurt raged through her in the moments of silence that followed his entrance. Carefully, Vision took a few steps into the room and Wanda opened the flow of her powers so that her fists were swathed in red. Vision froze at the sight.
"Please Wanda, do not do anything rash." Vision said, brining one of his hands up, as though to stop her.
"Rash?" Wanda repeated, a little more venomously than she'd meant too. Lightening flashed outside again and the red clouds around her hands glowed brighter. "To take you down would not be rash. You have allowed yourself to be controlled. You could work with them for all I know." She jerked her head at the fallen Hydra agents.
"I work for no one." Vision said slowly, taking a slow step forward. Wand shot a blast at his feet as a warning, cracking the floor. This time he raised both hands in surrender.
"If that is true then tell me Stark is not here somewhere." She demanded, conscious of the seconds flying by. Any moment more Hydra could appear. And Clint needed help. She had to get to that chip.
She should render him unconscious now. It is what she would do to anyone else. But Vision was not anybody else.
"Why don't you have a seat?" Wanda asked, saying the only thing she could think of. She gestured to the open space on the couch beside her. Vision glanced at it, then back at her. She could practically see his mind at work.
They had become close over the past few months. Their friendship blooming out of their mutual connection. Neither of them had family, a place in this world. But they had found one together, here with the Avengers.
"Thank you," He said with a small tilt of his head. He sat awkwardly and for a moment she wanted to laugh. Then another flash of lightening flared through the room and she balled her hands into fists as the energy coursed through her, the moment gone.
They sat in silence for several minutes, lost in their own thoughts.
"I'm surprised you are still awake." Vision said, breaking the silence. Wanda's gazed had been glued to the dark window, but she pulled her eyes from it to turn to him. "The Captain had us working particularly hard today. Everyone else is completely unconscious."
He turned to look at her, his grey eyes meeting hers. For a moment she felt her heart skip a beat as their gaze connected. Unnerved, she turned her head, speaking to her knees.
"The storm keeps me up." She said quietly, ashamed of her weakness. As if to accent her point, another clap of thunder rumbled through the night.
"Yes," Vision said simply. "I imagine it would."
Wanda looked up, surprised. A small smile curved the corners of Vision's mouth at her reaction.
"It is only natural that your powers would be heightened during the energetic release of a storm." Vision spoke matter of factly, his head turned to gaze out the window as lightening flashed again, illuminating the heavy pour of rain falling outside. "It is not a weakness, Wanda."
"You know I cannot tell you that, Wanda. He is here, drawing the guards to him." Vision answered, lowering his hands only slightly. "But it is not what you think. You must trust me."
"Trust you!" Wanda said, energy coursing through her as thunder rumbled, momentarily overshadowing her voice. "After you betrayed us?" She paused, trying to hold back the emotion in her voice, but it seeped through anyway, making her next statement come out in a whisper. "After you betrayed me?"
"It is a weakness if I cannot control it." Wanda said, her distress marking her voice.
Vision stared at her silently for a moment. She could feel his gaze burning into her and she closed her eyes, trying to hide from it. The energy of the storm buzzed through her, heightening her senses. She felt the slight shift of his body and her eyes snapped open in surprise as his arm came to rest around her shoulders.
He was stiff and awkward about it keeping a small amount of distance between them. His touch was soothing in a way she had not fully realized she wanted. Wanda felt a small smile form on her lips. Vision was glancing down at her, trying to read her expression to see if she was uncomfortable with what he'd done. Uncertainty and worry shadowed the sharp angles of his face, causing a rigidness in his shoulders.
Without thinking too much into it, Wanda closed the distance between them, snuggling up to his side and pulling his arm tighter around her. Her shawl slipped from her shoulders, but she did not notice. Without waiting for Visions reaction, she laid her head against his chest, curling her leggings up on the couch.
It was the closest they'd ever come to each other. She could feel the soft coolness of his skin against her cheek and she closed her eyes, letting it calm her. Lightening flashed again, but this time, the charge of it was muted within her.
They sat in silence for a long while, the pounding rain the only sound in the darkness. Slowly Vision's body began to relax and he allowed himself to fall into shape beside her, moving his arm around to hold her tighter.
"I did not betray you." Vision said, taking small step forward, she let him. But only because she was distracted by the aching in her heart that his words had produced. He was now only a few feet away. A few steps forward and she could be in his arms. On the floor beside her Clint groaned softly. "I could never betray you, Wanda."
"You are here for the chip?" She managed to spit out, ignoring his claim. She wanted to badly to trust him, but her fear overshadowed her desire. Fear heighted by the storm.
"Yes." He answered. "It needs to be protected."
"And you would give it to Stark? He cannot protect it. He would destroy it. It would fall to the enemy. To Hydra." She raised her arms, thunder cracking in the background. "I cannot let you take it."
The energy in the room flowed through her, cracking at her fingertips. She bent her fingers, teeth clashing together in her struggle to control her powers. She brought her hands around in an elaborate curl, summoning a cloud of red. With one swift motion she brought her hands down and the ball collided with Vision.
Red tendrils began to snake their way across his body, pulling at him so that he could not move. He stared at her in shock, mouth hanging slightly open. Wanda began to lower her hand gradually, bringing him down. He fell slowly to his knees upon the cracked floor, unable to control his own body.
Wanda could feel the energy gushing through her, too much energy. Beside her Clint shifted, regaining consciousness.
"You can control it." Vision's voice was so quiet she almost didn't hear him. She shifted slightly to look up at him. His face was only inches from her own and the realization caused her to inhale sharply. He appeared to realize the same thing, his next words dying on his lips. They stared at each other for a long moment, a different sort of energy pulsing between them. She could feel it building within her, charged by the power inside her.
It was too much. Taking a chance she stretched herself up, bringing her lips softly to his. She could feel his surprise and she pulled away, suddenly shy.
"Wanda…" The tone of his voice was one she'd never heard from him before. Worried she'd overstepped a line she made to push herself away from him. But he stopped her, bringing his free hand over to cup her face, turning it towards his own.
This time he was the one to bring their lips together. The kiss was soft and light at first, but that wasn't enough. Wanda pressed harder against him, her own hand coming up to the back of his head, holding him to her. Desire she did not know she had pulsed through her, it flowed in the energy around them. Wanda shifted to bring herself closer to him and he followed suit, moving his body around hers.
The pounding of the rain around them stopped suddenly. As if the sudden silence was their cue, they pulled apart, both breathing heavily. The energy of the storm took a sudden dip inside her and she turned to squint into the darkness beyond the window, body still pressed close to Visions.
"The eye of the storm." Vision spoke from beside her. Wanda nodded silently, allowing her heart to return to its normal pace. She snuggled backward into Vision, moving slightly to make herself more comfortable. He shifted so that his arm was around her once more. Neither of them mentioning the passionate kiss they'd shared only moments before.
Now that the energy of the storm was at a brief pause, Wanda felt the levels of its power within her drop and she rested her head against Visions chest, finally feeling sleepy.
All the anger and pain of his betrayal coursed through her as she held Vision down, red clouding her sight.
Then, the pounding of the rain on the roof ended abruptly as the storm hit its eye. Wanda felt the energy within her fluctuate, lowering her hold on Vision for just a moment. But a moment was all he needed.
"Wanda….please.." Vision managed to choke out, his eyes wide and pleading.
And in that moment, Wanda realized what she was doing. This was Vision. Her Vision. And look at what she'd done to him.
She dropped her hands, cutting off the flow of her power. She brought her hands to her face, letting out a soft moan of despair as she fell to her own knees. Vision made no sound around her, and she imagined he was taking the chip. Taking it and leaving. She had failed.
Clint groaned again beside her and she heard him say her name quietly. At least she could do right by him. She had to get him to safety. Pulling her hands away from her face, she opened her eyes.
Vision stood before her, hand outstretched. Laying in his palm was the chip.
She could feel herself drifting into sleep, so that the waking world felt like it was a dream. And perhaps it was.
"You can control it." She heard Visions voice, through her haze of sleep. Felt his fingers stroke her cheek gently, being careful not to wake her. "You can control it because you are strong, Wanda."
His lips touched her forehead softly, tentatively; assuming she was asleep. She did not want to change this perception.
"I do not understand these feelings. They are not logical." He said quietly, talking more to himself than to her. "These emotions are new to me…but I know…" He paused and she waited, almost drifting back into sleep before he spoke again. "But I know I would do anything for you."
"Take it." Vision said, pushing the chip closer to her. Wanda did not reach for it, her mind numb with disbelief. "Take it, Wanda. It would be safest with you."
"But…" She trailed off, suddenly unsure of herself. "Your orders. Stark. You cannot just give this to me, they will know you helped me."
"All they will know is that you overpowered me and claimed it for your own." He blinked slowly at her, completely serious. "Mr. Stark's choice is the logical one and that is why I follow him." He paused, a strange sadness in his eyes. "My feelings for you are not logical. But they over power any rational response. So take it, Wanda, and know that I am yours."
Wanda felt her hand automatically reach for the chip, Visions words still processing in her mind. Once she had the chip clutched to her chest, Vision gave her a quick nod.
"Now go. Before anyone else can get here. I will hold them off for as long as I can."
Wanda felt herself hesitate, she did not want to leave him. There was still so much to say.
"Go, Wanda." This time he spoke more sternly. Wanda gave her head a quick shake, falling instinctively back into action. She tucked the chip into a secure pocket and with a quick curl of her fingers Clint rose in the air beside her.
Just as she reach the door, a team of Hydra agents burst through the doors across the room. Stark and Natasha in hot pursuit. Vision met Wanda's eyes one last time, before he turned from her, rising into the air to join the fight.
Heart breaking, Wanda made her escape, Clint floating beside her, the prized chip safe in her pocket.