Imagine If… Quicksilver Didn't Save Hawkeye P2
Okay so- don't yell at me in the comments okay? I had ZERO motivation to write meaning… yeah I didn't update. BUT I am going to try and do an extra chapter this week or make this one extra long. But no promises. Anyways, enjoy!
Quicksilver zoomed around the battlegrounds taking out the nearby criminals with ease. It had been almost a year since they lost their archer, who had been buried next to a cherry blossom tree in the Barton's backyard. Natasha didn't take his death well, locking herself in her room for two weeks while the team tried to coax her to eat something, anything. When she finally came out, it was like she was a whole new person. She didn't speak unless spoken to and mainly kept to herself, preferring the company of her new cat, Francis than to her actual teammates. On top of that, trusting Pietro was apparently not something on her to do list- the dirty looks she occasionally shot him proved that. Any missions they were given together, she didn't say a word to him that wasn't "strike there" or "hold position".
However, he understood her completely. Even he didn't trust Tony Stark completely, but he valued his sisters opinion more than a childhood grudge. So he pushed past it, that and all the other negative feelings that cascaded throughout his mind on a daily basis. He took Clint's sacrifice with pride and determination, striving to be better rather than listening to the guilt slowly eating away at the back of his mind. It should have been me.
Steve Rogers crashed through the window of a building as Wanda used her magic to propel him upwards. She then turned her attention to the gas and began to "get it out" as Steve told her. Red dust surrounded the gas and began to expel it upwards, away from the city. Pietro caught Wanda's eye before striking down yet another person threatening his sister. After refusing his help, Natasha was crashing around inside a tank. By the sounds of it, she was winning with ease. He smirked and carried on. An explosion to his left made him stop. Spotting Natasha on the ground, Pietro dashed over to her and asked if she was okay. After receiving the usual response, a scowl and rolled eyes, he turned away as Steve spoke into the comms.
"Sam, he's in an AFV heading north" Steve reported. Natasha moved to get up but Pietro shot her a look which, she actually listened to for once before he followed Sam towards the markets.
"I got four, they're splitting up" Sam reported.
"I've got the two on the left" Pietro gasped before leaping over some cars to the other side.
"They ditched their gear. It's a shell game now" Steve's voice crackled over their intercom.
A loud clang followed by a burst of static came after his words. Pietro frowned as he chased the two criminals through a crowd.
"He doesn't have it, I'm empty" Sam said, annoyance clear in his voice.
Pietro gritted his teeth as he finally cornered the two mercenaries, holding out a gun he'd stolen from a previous criminal.
"Drop it or I'll drop this! Drop it!" a voice to his left shrieked.
He turned his head towards the man and saw him holding the vial above the ground. His breathing quickened.
"He'll do it!" The other man shouted. Pietro smirked as he heard a small drone descend towards them, relief flooding his body.
"What are you smirking at?! DROP THE GUN!" The man with the vial screamed right before Sam attacked.
The drone descended and fired at the soldier holding the vial. In the split second before it fell, Pietro fired at the other soldier and caught the vial, moments before it hit the ground.
"Payload- secure. Thanks Sam" he panted, gripping the vial firmly.
"Don't thank me" came Sam's reply.
"…What?" Pietro asked, confused.
"His name is Redwing" Sam explained. It took a few moments before Pietro realised that he meant the drone.
"Uh, okay then. Thanks"
"Redwing" Sam corrected.
"That's the best your going to get" Pietro took off towards his sister who was headed towards Steve. He could hear Sam sigh across comms and grinned. Pietro caught up with his sister who was on standby near Steve. Their Captain was fighting Rumlow but even as they watched, Steve's face grew pale and a shocked look appeared on his face.
"What do you think they're saying?" He heard Wanda ask. Pietro turned to her. She had focused her gaze on the two but, he could tell, was listening for a response.
"I'm not sure, but whatever it was seems to have thrown Steve off-" he was cut off as Rumlow activated his bomb vest. Eyes wide, he watched as Wanda managed to contain the blast and bring him away from Steve, lifting him into the air nearby a building just as she lost control…
The explosion destroyed the top two floors with ease, setting fire to the office building. Even as he watched in shock, he could hear screams and see smoke piling into the air. Pietro turned to his sister who was frozen with guilt and shock, a hand over her mouth. Steve limped towards the building.
"Oh my… Sam… we need… Fire and Rescue… on the south side of the building. We gotta get up there" Steve panted into the comms. Pietro placed a hand on his sisters shoulder before sprinting away to recover survivors.
"11 Wakandans were among those killed during a confrontation between the Avengers and a group of mercenaries in Lagos, Nigeria last month. The traditionally reclusive Wakandans were on an outreach mission in Lagos when the attack occurred" the news barked from the tv in Pietro's room. He sat up on his bed and focused on it.
"Our peoples blood is spilled on foreign soil. Not only because of the actions of criminals, but by the indifference of people pledged to stop them. Victory at the expense of the innocence, is no victory at all" King T'Chaka spoke gravely.
."The Wakandan king went on to-" Pietro switched off the tv, sick of the bad news. He sighed as he heard the sound carrying from the room opposite his, Wanda.
"They are operating outside and above the international law. Because that's the reality, if we don't respond to acts like these" Pietro got up from his bed and made his way to his sisters room.
"What legal authority does an enhanced individual like Wanda Maximoff have to operate in Nigeri-" he picked up the remote by her bedside and switched off the tv. Wanda turned to him sadly.
"It's my fault" she sighed.
"That's not true" he came over and sat beside her.
"Turn it back on, they're being very specific. Even mentioned you a couple of times"
"I should have swooped in to help Steve long before you had to deal with it. Some people- I just couldn't get them out, you know? People died, it's on me"
"It's on both of us" Wanda put an arm around her older brother and smiled.
"You know, this job… we try to save as many people as we can. It's different from Sokovia where we killed people just because we were told to, but somehow we have found a way to live with it. If we don't, maybe next time nobody gets saved" he hugged Wanda back in a tight embrace. Pietro could feel her smile and squeezed tighter. Suddenly, Vision materialised through the wall, making them jump apart.
"Vis! We talked about this" Wanda scolded
"Yes but the door was open and so assumed that…" Vision gestured at the door before stopping abruptly.
"Mr Stark has arrived by the way. Thought you ought to know, he's calling a meeting downstairs at this very moment"
"Thanks, we'll be down soon" Pietro nodded to Vision.
"I'll… use the door. Oh and apparently, he's brought a guest" Vision stopped in the doorway and turned back to the twins.
"What kind of… guest?" Pietro asked cautiously.
"The Secretary of State"
The team were gathered around the table, The Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross standing at the head.
"Five years ago, I had a heart attack. I dropped right in the middle of my back-swing. Turned out it was the best round of my life, because after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass . . . I found something 40 years in the Army had never taught me: Perspective. The world owes the Avengers an un-payable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives . . . but while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some . . . who would prefer the word "vigilantes"." Secretary Ross began.
"And what word would you use, Mr Secretary?" Natasha asked, surprising everyone that she was engaging with this conversation.
"How about "dangerous"? What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?" Ross activated a screen behind him as he spoke, news footage flashing across the screen.
"New York"
A Chitauri leviathan. Terrified citizens. A soldier firing a gun. The Hulk smashed into a building and sends a dust cloud to engulf the camera.
"Washington DC"
The three Insight helicarriers, firing on each other. The destroyed Triskelion. A helicarrier crashing into the Potomac and throwing up a massive wave, engulfing citizens and the camera.
"Sokovia"
Terrified citizens. The city rising. Buildings falling over. Dust coating the air.
"Lagos"
The burning building. Paramedics moving a body. A dead girl.
Pietro felt Wanda shift beside him and he realised how much this particular recount was affecting her. Steve spoke before he could.
"Okay. That's enough" Steve commanded to Secretary Ross who nods and the images disappear. Pietro felt his sister relax slightly. He squeezed her hand lightly and smiled when he received a weak squeeze back.
"For the past four years, you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution" Ross passed a thick document to Pietro who took it.
"What is this meant to be" he asked.
"The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries . . . it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary" Ross explained. Pietro slid the document to Rhodey.
"The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we've done that" Steve spoke up, still looking down.
"Tell me, Captain. Do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?" Ross asked. Steve looked up, meeting Ross's eyes regretfully.
"If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes . . . you can bet there'd be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground."
"So there are contingencies" Rhodey sighed.
"Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords. Talk it over" Ross finished.
"And if we come to a decision you don't like?" Pietro asked cheekily. Ross turned to him.
"Then you retire" he said simply. Pietro nodded, barely hiding a grin.
The team were gathered in their living room, Wanda looking distressed. Pietro rolled his eyes as he heard Rhodey and Sam arguing behind them
"Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor, which is one more than you have." Rhodey was saying.
"So let's say we agree to this thing. How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?" Sam shot back.
"A 117 countries want to sign this. 117, Sam, and you're just like, "No, that's cool. We got it. "
"How long are you going to play both sides?" Sam asked in disbelief.
"I have an equation." Vision interrupted.
"Oh, this will clear it up."
"In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate."
"Are you saying it's our fault?" Pietro asked.
"I'm saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict . . . breeds catastrophe. Oversight . . . oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand."
"Boom." Rhodey glanced at Sam triumphantly who rolled his eyes.
"Tony. You are being uncharacteristically non-hyper-verbal." Natasha noted, turning towards the billionaire who was sitting on a nearby armchair.
"…It's because he's already made up his mind." Steve answered for her. Pietro glanced at the Captain.
"Boy, you know me so well." Tony got up and winced, rubbing the back of his head.
"Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache." Tony walked to the kitchen and grabbed a mug.
"That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain. It's discomfort. Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?" Tony rolled his eyes, placing his phone in the basket and tapping it. An image of a smiling young man popped up. The group stared at him in confusion.
"Oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way. He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA. Had a floor level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul, before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service. Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where, Sokovia." Tony explained. Pietro gulped.
"He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass." Tony took a pill with some coffee before turning the face the group.
"There's no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less, we're no better than the bad guys." Tony finished.
"Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don't give up." Steve spoke up.
"Who said we're giving up?"
"We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blames." Pietro looked up.
"I'm sorry, Pietro . But that - that is dangerously arrogant of you, more so than usual. This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the World Security Council, it's not SHIELD, it's not HYDRA." Rhodey looked at the twins who shifted uncomfortably.
"No, but it's run by people with agendas, and agendas change." Steve continued.
"That's good. That's why I'm here. When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stop manufacturing." Tony said, as if that finalised the decision.
"Tony, you chose to do that. If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go? What if there is somewhere we need to go, and they don't let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own."
"If we don't do this now, it's gonna be done to us later. That's the fact. That won't be pretty."
"You're saying they'll come for me." Wanda sighed beside him. Pietro turned to look at his sister.
"We would protect you." He murmured to her.
"Maybe Tony's right." A voice to his right said. Pietro glanced at Natasha in surprise.
"If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off -"
"Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?" Sam interrupted.
"I'm just . . . I'm reading the terrain. We have made . . . some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back. Maybe, if we hadn't acted so rashly, Clint…" Natasha gulped and the room went quiet.
"Hold on. I'm sorry, did I just mishear you or did you agree with me?" Tony grinned, trying to lighten the mood.
"Oh, I want to take it back now." Natasha groaned.
"No, no, no. You can't retract it. Thank you. Unprecedented. Okay, case closed-I win."
"I- I have to go." Steve announced, suddenly sounding a bit choked up. He got up sharply, dropped the Accords on the coffee table and went downstairs.
Pietro sat down on his bed heavily. There was a decision to make- follow the rules but be restricted, or go against the law for a right to choose. A knock on the door. Pietro glanced up and saw Natasha standing there. She didn't look directly at him, merely over the top of his head.
"So- what's your decision? Are you with me or-" she trailed off, still not looking directly at him.
"…what? I thought I was never with you" Pietro answered. She looked at him, confused.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that you don't trust me. You never have and I'm guessing you never will. Look, it wasn't my fault okay? You think I don't feel the burden every day?! The voice in my head constantly telling me that I'm not good enough?! I know okay? It should have been me" Pietro looked down, expecting Natasha to tell him off. But when he looked up again, she was gone.
A smell rich with spices wafted through his doorway. Pietro looked up to see his sister standing there, looking just as confused as he is. He got up and followed her. They waled into the kitchen where Vision was seemingly…cooking?
"A pinch of paprika". A pinch, uh" Vision added a small pinch of red spice as the twins came over.
"Is that paprikash?" Wanda asked. Vision looked up and saw her coming over, Pietro in the doorway.
"I thought it might… lift your spirits" Vision smiled. Wanda chuckled and stirred the ingredients with a nearby spoon before tasting the dish. She smiled.
"Spirits lifted"
"In my defence, I haven't ever… actually eaten anything before so…" Vision began.
"May I?" His sister asked.
"Please" Vision prompted, seemingly happy that she had found something to distract her.
"Wanda?" Vision asked.
"Hmm?" His sister replied without looking up.
"No one dislikes you, Wanda" Vision continued. Wanda frowned, seeming just as confused as Pietro. She glanced at him before turning back to Vision.
"Uh, thanks?"
"Oh you're welcome. No it's a… involuntary response in their amygdala. They can't help but be afraid of you" Vision continued.
"…Are you?" Pietro spoke up, coming over to them. Vision looked at him.
"Sorry?"
"Are you afraid of us"
"My amygdala is synthetic so…" Vision trailed off as Wanda laughed and glanced at the food.
"I don't know what's in this but it is not paprika. Pietro, can you go to the store with me? I'll be back in 20 minutes" Wanda walked towards him. Vision swooped in front of the door.
"Alternatively we could order a pizza?" Vision suggested.
"Vision, are you not letting us leave" Wanda asked.
"It is- a question of safety"
"We can protect ourselves Vis" Wanda frowned.
"… Not yours. Mr Stark would like to avoid the possibility of another public incident. Until the Accords are on a… more secured foundation"
"And what do you want?" Wanda asked, looking directly at Vision.
"…for people to see you as I do"
That night, the twins were sitting on the couch watching a movie. Sound effects screamed through the speakers, almost masking the sound of an actual explosion outside. The two looked up cautiously. Pausing the movie, Pietro gestured for his sister to stay put before he walked over to the window. Vision materialised beside him.
"Both of you, stay here please" Vision floated through the window. Pietro turns around to hear a shriek from Wanda.
"Oh my god! What are you doing here?" He heard Wanda say before turning his attention to the new person in the room. A knife dropped to the floor with a clang.
"Guess I should have knocked. Cap needs our help, come on" Sam grinned. Pietro nodded and walked over, following Sam.
"Sam!" They heard Vision call out. Sam murmured something under his breath before turning around.
"You should not be here" Vision floated forward slightly.
"Really? I leave for what, five minutes and you put these two under house arrest?" Sam shot back.
"It was not my decision to make. Please consider the consequences of your actions"
"Okay, they're considered. Let's go" Sam activated Redwing who had snuck behind Vision. The drone sent an electric current into Vision, holding him in place. Pietro ran after Sam before looking back, realising that his sister hadn't followed.
"It's this way" Pietro gestured. Wanda shook her head.
"I've caused enough problems"
Pietro walked towards her and put his hands on her shoulders.
"Wanda, this is the only way we can change things. You know this" he murmured to his sister. Wanda gulped but nodded determinedly. Suddenly, Vision broke free of the electric current, smashing Redwing against the bench.
"Wanda we gotta move!" Pietro yelled, dragging his sister away before Vision punched him to the ground. Pietro wiped a trickle of blood from his nose before getting back up and attempting to hit Vision back. However, his fists went right through Vision, not even making an impact. Pietro's eyes widened as Vision attacked him, getting him in a successful headlock.
"Pietro, you cannot overpower me"
"I- I know I can't. But she can" Pietro choked.
"Vision, that's enough. Let him go, we're leaving" Wanda came towards them, glowing particles dusting her skin.
"I can't let you" Vision gasped as Pietro slipped from his grasp. Pietro fell onto the floor, gasping.
"I'm sorry" Wanda murmurs as she seized Vision in her magic's grasp.
"If you do this… they will never stop being afraid of you" Vision burst out as Wanda forced him to the floor.
"I can't control their fear, only my own" Wanda moved closer to Vision before forcing him down further. Vision crashed through the floor and by the sounds of it, several others. Pietro gulped and stood up.
"You okay?" Wanda asked him. Pietro nodded and the duo made their way over to Sam who was staring at them with a shocked expression.
"…come on. We got one more stop" Sam eventually said and the twins followed him out the door.
A grey van was parked on the sixth level of a parking garage near the airport. A battered old car pulled up beside it and Steve got out.
"Cap" Sam nodded to his friend.
"You know I wouldn't have sent you if I had any other choice"
"You'll just have to catch me up later then"
"Thanks for having my back" Steve turned to the twins who had climbed out of the van. They nodded.
"How about our other recruit?" Steve asked, turning back to Sam.
"He's ready to go. Might need a bit of coffee but should be fine" Sam opened the van door to reveal a disheveled man lying on the floor.
"Wha- what Timezone is this?" The man asked, clearly disoriented.
"Come on Tic Tac, time to go" Sam prompted as the man sat up and got out of the van.
"Captain America. Woah" the man gasped, shaking Steve's hand.
"Mr Lang" The captain nodded.
"It's an honour. I'm shaking your hand too long. Wow! This is awesome!" Scott looked around and spotted the twins.
"I know you guys too! You're great!" Scott smiled at the duo before turning back to Steve.
"Jeez. Ah look, I wanna say I know you know a lot of super people so… thanks for thinking of me" Scott burst out over-enthusiastically.
"They tell you what we're up against?" Steve asked.
"Something about some… psycho- assassins?" Scott contemplated, not having listened to a word the twins said.
"We're outside the law on this one. So, if you come with us, you're a wanted man." Steve warned.
"Yeah, well, what else is new?" Scott huffed.
"We should get moving" Bucky interrupted.
"We got a chopper lined up." Sam glanced at Steve who nodded. Suddenly, an announcement sounded on the loudspeakers.
"Dies ist eine Notsituation. Alle Passagiere müssen den Flughafen sofort evakuieren. (This is an emergency. All passengers must evacuate the airport immediately.)"
"They're evacuating the airport." Pietro noted.
"Stark."
"Stark?" Scott asked, confused.
"Suit up." Steve commanded.
Steve strode through an underpass, before jogging onto a private runway, headed for a grounded chopper. Suddenly, an electro-disabler slammed onto the helicopter before him and Steve looked up. Iron Man and War Machine descended towards the Captain who groaned internally.
"Wow, it's so weird how you run into people at the airport. Don't you think that's weird?" Tony asked sarcastically.
"Definitely weird." Rhodey answered.
"Hear me out, Tony. That doctor, the psychiatrist, he's behind all of this." Steve said gravely, attempting to put off the fight he knew was coming.
T'Challa leapt over a truck towards the three.
"Captain." He nodded to Steve.
"Your highness."
"Anyway, Ross gave me 36 hours to bring you in. That was 24 hours ago. Can you help a brother out?" Tony interrupted.
"You're after the wrong guy Tony"
"Your judgment is askew. Your old war buddy killed innocent people yesterday."
"And there are five more super soldiers just like him. I can't let the doctor find them first, Tony. I can't."
"Steve ... you know what's about to happen. Do you really wanna punch your way out of this one?" Natasha strode towards them.
"All right, I've run out of patience. Underoos!" Suddenly, someone in a suit swung forth and stole Cap's shield from his hands, binding his wrists together with some kind of webbing.
"Nice job, kid."
"Thanks. Well, I could've stuck the landing a little better. It's just the new suit… Well, it's nothing, Mr. Stark. It's-it's perfect. Thank you." The kid answered. Pietro glanced at his sister from where they were hidden behind some crates, waiting for Captains signal.
"Yeah, we don't really need to start a conversation." Tony protested.
"Okay. Cap . . . Captain. Big fan, I'm Spider-Man."
"Yeah, we'll talk about it later. Just…"
"Hey, everyone."
"Good job." Tony turned back to Steve.
"You've been busy." Steve glanced at the kid.
"And you've been a complete idiot. Dragging in Pietro. 'Rescuing' Wanda from a place she doesn't even want to leave, a safe place. I'm trying to keep . . . I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart."
"You did that when you signed."
"Alright, We're done. You're gonna turn Barnes over, you're gonna come with us. NOW! Because it's us! Or a squad of J-SOC guys . . . with no compunction about being impolite… Come on"
"We found it. Their Quinjet's in hanger five, north runway." Sam's voice crackled over the radio. The signal. Pietro nodded to Wanda before shooting off the web coating Steve's hands.
"Alright, Lang." Steve called. Pietro smiled, knowing their tiny friend was already at work.
"Hey, guys, something…" The kid trailed off as the shield was ripped from his hands.
"Whoa. What-what the hell was that?" Rhodey cried out.
"I believe this is yours, Captain America." Scott changed back to his normal size, handing Steve his shield.
"Oh, great. Alright, there's two on the parking deck. One of them is Lang. Rhodey, you want to take Cap?" Tony conversed with Rhodey.
"Got two in the terminal, Wilson and Barnes."
"Barnes is mine!" They heard T'Challa call out. Pietro glanced at his sister again, her features fixed in a determined stare.
"Hey, Mr. Stark, what should I do?" The kid called out. Pietro heard Wanda's breathing hitch. A kid, just like them.
"What we discussed. Keep your distance. Web 'em up."
"Okay, copy that!" The kid swung off.
"Move, Captain. I won't ask a second time." T'Challa was attempting to push past Steve and get to Bucky.
Meanwhile, Scott was facing Natasha. "Look, I really don't want to hurt you." He began.
"I wouldn't stress about it." Natasha answered coldly, kicking Scott in the groin. Scott gasped in pain before miniaturising, throwing her head over heels. The twins didn't get to see the rest as Steve activated the pinger on his wrist, indicating I was time for them to join the fight. Pietro ducked out from behind the crates, Wanda following him.
"What the hell is that?" They heard Bucky say over comms.
"Everyone's got a gimmick now." Sam answered, seemingly annoyed. Pietro watched as the other kid swung through the glass where Bucky and Sam were running through. Loud crashes and grunts sounded through the comms. Wanda and Pietro exchanged worried looks.
"You have a metal arm? That is awesome, dude!" They heard the kid say before another crash echoed in their ears. Pietro winced, loud noises weren't really his thing.
"You have the right to remain silent!" The kids voice came again. Pietro grinned and shook his head, the kid had obviously never been in a proper fight before. Suddenly Iron Man was there, firing rockets that exploded just beyond the duo.
"Wanda, I think you hurt Vision's feelings." Tony began.
"You locked us in the compound" Wanda hissed. Red began to coat her fingers but Tony didn't notice. Cars began to hover towards the edge of the building right above Tony.
"Okay. First, that's an exaggeration. Second, I did it to protect you. Hey, Pietro"
"Hey, Stark"
"You sure do stick with your sister on everything don't you? How's the new toy?"
"Oh this? I trained for years using these Stark, nowadays I barely miss" Pietro shot towards Tony with his gun, barely missing him as the billionaire dodged.
"Well, first time for everything." He heard Tony say.
Pietro grinned. "Made you look."
Suddenly a car slammed past Iron Man. Tony looked up as dozens more come crashing down upon him. Frantically, they could see him attempting to escape but Wanda raised her glowing hands until Iron Man was buried under a pile of cars.
"Are those wings carbon fiber?" The kids voice was picked up over comms.
"Is this stuff coming out of you?" They heard Sam say.
"That would explain the rigidity-flexibility ratio, which, gotta say, that's awesome, man."
"I don't know if you've been a fight before but there's usually not this much talking."
"Alright, sorry, my bad." The kid apologised before more crashing dealt with Pietro's eardrums. He turned it down slightly so he didn't go deaf and followed Wanda over to where Steve was.
"Wwahhhh!" The kid screamed as Redwing 2 dragged him through the window and dropped him.
"You couldn't have done that earlier?" Bucky asked.
"I hate you." Sam answered, annoyance lacing his voice. By the sounds of it, they were stuck.
The twins ran towards Steve who was fighting Rhodey and T'Challa all at once.
Steve kicked War Machine out of the air before sending T'Challa reeling.
"Great." Rhodey groaned.
"Hey, Cap, heads up!" Scott came over. They couldn't see what was happening, only hear it which didn't really help.
"Throw it at this. Now!" They heard Scott say. Steve threw a small object looking like a toy truck at a disc Scott threw at the exact same time. The two collided and the truck instantly got bigger, tumbling towards Rhodey.
"Oh, come on!" Rhodey called out as the truck landed nearby him and exploded.
"Oh, man. I thought it was a water truck. Uh . . . sorry" Scott apologised, running after Steve.
"There's our ride." Pietro reported to Wanda as they finally caught up with Steve.
"Come on!"
Steve's team ran towards the Quinjet, Bucky and Sam joining them after finally escaping their webby prison with a bit of help from Redwing 2. A fizzing stream of energy sliced across the runway, stopping the group in their tracks. Vision hovered overhead.
"Captain Rogers. I know you believe what you're doing is right. But for the collective good you must surrender now." Vision said firmly. Tony's team gathered behind him.
"What do we do, Cap?" Pietro asked.
"We fight."
The two teams strode towards each other with grim determination etched on their faces.
"They're not stopping." The kid said.
"Neither are we." Tony sighed as the teams broke into a sprint. Then, chaos ensued shortly after. Steve blocked a punch as Iron Man landed nearby. Pietro fired a bullet at Vision who swerved as War Machine flew after Falcon. Meanwhile, Bucky was trading blows with T'Challa. An explosive bullet hit Iron Man on the shoulder as Natasha threw Scott, Peter swinging through the air and struggling to evade vehicles projected by Wanda. Bucky landed a few good punches on T'Challa before Natasha came over to Pietro. The two were both good fighters but eventually, Pietro had Natasha pinned down.
"You still don't completely hate me, right?" Natasha asked Pietro.
"Depends on how hard you hit me." Pietro grinned. Natasha spun around him, moving to kick him in the face. However, just as she was about to do so, red circled her foot and threw her away from Pietro. He glanced towards his left and saw Wanda standing there.
"You were pulling your punches." She scolded her brother lightly. Pietro nodded sheepishly before heading over to Scott to continue the plan. Sam was flying around with Iron Man hot on his tail.
"Pietro, can you get him off me?!" Sam cried out, narrowly dodging a blast from Tony.
"Buckled in?" Pietro asked Scott who was small again and crouching on the tip of his gun.
"Yeah. No, I'm good. I'm good, Strangely Fast Guy. Let's go. Let's go!" Scott answered. Pietro nodded and fired straight at Tony, Scott leaping onto the bullet at the last second. Tony barely saw the bullet but still managed to blast it to pieces before it hit him. What he didn't notice however, was Scott sliding into the suit near his shoulder. Pietro grinned as Wanda raced towards him. Tony's suit began to malfunction as they heard Scott laugh, before hearing him cry out as he was ejected. Pietro scanned the area but was unable to pinpoint Scott flying through the air.
"Steve, we've gotta go. That guy's probably in Siberia by now." Bucky's voice crackled over comms,
"We gotta draw out the flyers. I'll take Vision. You get to the jet."
"No, you get to the jet! Both of you! The rest of us aren't getting out of here." Sam's voice came over the radio.
"As much as I hate to admit it, if we're gonna win this one, some of us might have to lose it." Pietro said grimly. Wanda looked at him.
"This isn't the real fight, Steve."
"Alright, Sam, what's the play?"
"We need a diversion, something big."
"I got something kind of big, but I can't hold it very long. On my signal, run like hell. And if I tear myself in half . . . don't come back for me." Scott finished dramatically. Pietro raised his eyebrows.
"…He's gonna tear himself in half?" Bucky asked, clearly as confused as Pietro was.
"You're sure about this, Scott?" Steve asked.
"I do it all the time. I mean once . . . in a lab. Then I passed out. I'm the boss. I'm the boss. I'm the boss. I'm the boss. I'm the BOSS!" Scott leapt from some nearby stairs, growing huge all of a sudden and grabbing War Machines leg as he flew past.
"Woah" Pietro laughed, looking up at the scene above them.
"Okay, tiny dude is big now. He's big now." Rhodey cried out, struggling to free himself.
"I guess that's the signal." Steve panted.
"Way to go, Tic Tac!" Sam smiled as he flew feet first into Iron Man.
Scott kicked a bus towards T'Challa as Vision descended and braced himself, splitting the bus in two and protecting T'Challa from harm. Pietro gulped and fired at T'Challa as he ran towards Steve and Bucky. T'Challa stopped and turned towards Pietro as Wanda stepped back slightly. Scott was engulfed in explosions as War Machine swooped towards him with Peter clinging to a web stuck to War Machine's back. Peter fired more webs and wrapped them around Scott's over-sized arms.
"I don't believe we've met yet." Pietro put away his gun.
"I'm Pietro"
"I don't care." T'Challa came towards him as Pietro searched for ways to attack.
Giant Ant-Man punched War Machine in the air and swung a gangway towards him. War Machine recovered quickly and open fired at it, the gangway disintegrating. Scott attempted to stamp on War Machine who dove clear, evading a lunge of Scott's hand. Suddenly, Rhodey was struck by a car that Wanda flung into his path, throwing him off balance.
Meanwhile, T'Challa was attacking Pietro who narrowly dodged the well thrown punches. In the distance, Steve and Bucky had almost made it to the Quinjet. Unfortunately, Vision noticed and flew through Scott to get to them. Vision then shot a beam of energy at the control tower, causing it to collapse towards the hangar entrance. Wanda gasped and struggled to slow its collapse as Steve and Bucky kept running.
Suddenly, War Machine descended behind her and fired a sonic disruptor. Wanda screamed, magic evaporating Pietro turned to his sister with concern in his eyes right as T'Challa threw a punch at him. Then it all went black.
Wanda's POV
"Pietro!" Wanda cried out again, still holding her head as her brother fell to the ground and lay still. She crawled over to him, sobbing as T'Challa ran off towards where Bucky and Steve were narrowly avoiding falling rocks. Wanda turned to her left, the world spinning. The kid was wrapping webbing around Scott's legs and even as she watched, sent him crashing to the ground. He shrank back to his normal size and didn't get up again, though she could hear him groaning through her damaged communicator.
Vision knelt beside her and gently held her in his arms.
"I'm sorry." Vision apologised
"Me, too." Wanda sniffed, glancing at her unconscious brother.
"It's as I said. Catastrophe."
Wanda sighed as Steve took off with Rhodey, Tony and Sam following him. Vision put a hand to his ear as some instructions were repeated to him before he fired his head laser, intending it to hit Sam. Wanda could only watch in horror as Sam dodged and it hit Rhodey instead, sending him spiralling down to earth and landing with a loud CRACK! Wanda gasped and Vision squeezed her tighter, black spots dancing on the edge of her vision. She could just make out Vision saying something frantically before she fell unconscious next to her brother.
Pietro's POV
When he awoke, it was to the worst headache he had ever received. And that was saying something because he had dealt with a lot of headaches. Pietro winced and put a hand to his head where he could feel dried blood. As his vision began to clear he noticed that he was in a cell, and a high security one at that. He was also wearing a blue jumpsuit and a shock collar, probably to restrict his powers. Pietro rolled his eyes and sat up on the rickety bed. He glanced around his cell, finding thick bars coating clear glass. A note was lying on his table. Pietro picked it up and after reading that his sister was just fine, placed it in the pale blue bin next to the desk.
A loud clang sounded throughout his cell. Pietro turned around slightly to see Tony Stark striding towards him arrogantly, one arm in a sling. If Pietro had disliked this man before, he loathed him now.
"The Futurist, gentlemen! The Futurist is here! He sees all! He knows what's best for you, whether your like it or not." Pietro called out, his big mouth getting the better of him.
"Give me a break, I had no idea they'll put you here. Come on."
"Yeah, well, you knew they'd put us somewhere, Tony" Pietro spat.
"Yeah, but not some super-max floating ocean pokey. You know, this place is for maniacs. This is a place for…"
"Criminals?" Pietro stood up and looked Tony in the eye.
"I believe that's the word you're looking for. Didn't use to mean me. Or Sam, or Wanda. But here we are."
"Because you broke the law."
"Yep"
"I didn't make you."
"Sure Tony, sure. You just keep telling yourself that, maybe it'll ease your conscience a little" Pietro sat back down with his back to Tony who sighed and moved on.
"Hank Pym always said, you never can trust a Stark." He heard Scott's voice ring out.
"Who are you?"
"Come on, man."
"How's Rhodes?" Pietro heard Sam ask.
"They're flying him to Columbia Medical tomorrow. So …fingers crossed. What do you need? They feed you yet?" Tony asked. Pietro snorted and Tony turned his way slightly before going back to Sam.
"You're the good cop now?"
"I'm just the guy who needs to know where Steve went."
"Well, you better go get a bad cop, because you're gonna have to go Mark Fuhrman on my ass to get information out of me."
"Oh, I just knocked the 'A' out of their 'AV'. We got about 30 seconds before they realize it's not their equipment? Just look. Because that is the fellow who was supposed to interrogate Barnes. Clearly, I made a mistake. Sam, I was wrong.
"That's a first."
"Cap is definitely off the reservation but he's about to need all the help he can get. We don't know each other very well. You don't have to…"
"Hey, it's alright. Look, I'll tell you… but you have to go alone and as a friend." Sam conditioned as Tony leaned in.
"Easy."
That was… long. Okay maybe I overdid it a little heheh… that took FOREVER! Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Was it good? Mediocre? Absolutely terrible? Let me know :)
So, because this chapter was so long I won't be posting another this week but hopefully this will satisfy you for now. Review please! :)