We are sitting in the conference room, around a big, circular table with holographic images at its center. We've seen Rhodes performance, the Vision's, Sam's, Rogers', and Romanoff's. The only ones left are mine and Maximoff's. We are mostly through hers now. I will be coming any moment.
"And there's Greene." Rhodes sighs. Seeing himself get shot down 3 times in hi-def. really soured his mood. I look at the images as the sounds of the fight flood the room from the hidden speakers. I watch myself fall from the sky at Maximoff's feet with a sort of detached objectivity. I see her look down at me.
"Are you alright?" Video-Maximoff asks.
Video-me grunts.
"Good." She sighs. "Did you have to fall in my corner?"
"Didn't 'ean to." I say onscreen. "'Th-orry."
"Is fine." Video Maximoff rolls her eyes. "Am just starting to wonder if I will ever meet you with shirt on." Real Sam snickers next to me as Video Maximoff blasts an incoming droid out of the sky. Video-me sits up. I stand and stretch, bursting into flames. Onscreen, I pick my ax back up and squeeze the handle. A droid grabs me in a chokehold and I freeze it solid with just my neck.
"Impressive." The Vision notes.
"Ugh." Video Maximoff crinkles her nose at the mangled droid on the ground behind Video-me. "I hope you realize brute strength will get you nowhere."
"I hope you realize I don't care." Video-me mutters, slicing a droid's skull open.
"Ouch." Real Sam winces and I look away from him.
"It would do you well to listen to me." Video Maximoff continues, glaring at me. "I know what I am talking about."
"I don't doubt it." Video-me rolls my eyes. In real time, I flinch. I really was a rude bastard. I provoked her.
"Do not lie to me." Video Maximoff hisses. "You do not believe that I am anything more than a silly girl. When in reality, I am the same age as you."
"Get out of my head, Maximoff." Video-me turns to face her. Real Romanoff shakes her head with a bitter smile. "You have no clue what I can do to you, because I guarantee you won't find it up there."
"I can find whatsoever I wish." Video Maximoff grins. "I can bring you begging to your knees with a single turn of my hand."
"I truly doubt that." Video-me growls. "And I am older than you."
"Do you know what it is like to see your worst fears?" Video Maximoff circles Video-me slowly. Onscreen, I slam my ax into the floor, cracking it, and it sticks there, handle up. Real-time Rogers raises his eyebrows.
"I do." Video-me growls, backing Video Maximoff into a piece of scrap metal. "I live them every day of my goddamn life. How about you?"
"Drama!" Real-time Rhodes stage-whispers.
"My worst nightmares have already come true." Video Maximoff laughs and Real Maximoff ducks her head under my gaze. "I have nothing to do but induce fear in others."
"Then by all means, A ghrá," I see Rogers flinch at the Gaelic. "Try to bring me to my knees." Video-me curls my lip at Video Maximoff as she twitches her fingers at my temple, red mist flowing into my head. Real Rhodes' mouth drifts open as Video-me stiffens, eyes glazing over.
Video-me jerks, reaching for something unseen, then stiffens, leaning away by instinct. Video Maximoff falls back against the scrap metal behind her, and Onscreen, I claw at my throat, stumbling backwards suddenly. Video-me's tense shoulders relax then and the smallest of smiles creeps across my face, my eyes sliding shut. But as soon as the look sets in, it is gone, and my eyes snap back open, wide and panicked. Several droids fly towards Video-me and Video Maximoff, but I yell, loudly, a wild fearsome thing and they all are crushed with stone and vines, combusted or frozen.
Video-me snaps out of it, still standing over Video Maximoff, shaking. Maximoff is now curled into a ball on the ground.
"Get up." Video-me snaps. Video Maximoff looks me in the eye and flinches, standing.
"Braxton…" She starts in a thick voice. "I am sorry, I did not know–"
"Stop!" Video-me barks. Onscreen, I breathe deeply. Steam rises off of my face and body. "Just stop. Don't ever do that again."
"I…" Video Maximoff frowns.
"No!" Video-me seethes. "The only reason you aren't dead right now, is because I dared you to." I take a step closer. "But I promise you, that if you ever try that again, I will snap your neck before you form a coherent thought. Understand?"
Video Maximoff nods.
"Good. I'm gonna establish a mind link with you. That's my only telepathic power." Video-me's eyes close, then open again. "Done. Now if you try anything, I'll have the jump on you."
Alarm bells ring three times, sounding small and tinny on the video and the lights come back up.
"Finally." Video-me growls, snatching my ax out of the ground, and the feed cuts out.
There is shocked silence around the table, until Rogers looks first at me then at Maximoff.
"You were messing with his mind?" He demands sharply. "Why?"
"I-I don't know, I just, I thought…" Maximoff stutters. I would feel sorry for her, but I am on auto-pilot.
"What did you see?" Romanoff asks me, and Rogers quiets. I sigh.
"Do you want just the basics, or my whole life story so that it's relevant?" I chuckle mirthlessly.
"Whatever makes you comfortable, I guess?" Rogers says. "I really don't know what to say to that."
"Okay, then." I shrug. "I'm not a good man. Sure I've saved people, but it wasn't really for a good reason. I don't care about the general population, honestly. I just hate bullies; and those are really two different things."
"That may be true." The Vision says quietly, carefully. "But I feel that as long as the result is the same, you are still on the side of right."
"Thanks, Vizh." I smile softly. "Well, uh, I guess I should start from the beginning…"