Chapter 8:
[Steve Rogers POV]
[Weeks later, Factory, Moscow, Russia]
I take the down goon by smashing my shield to his face. Natasha, pistols aim, drops four other enemy hostiles. Flipping through the air, Clint fires an arrow, dropping the last punk. Once the factory is secured, we move to free captives being held in small containers like animals. It sickens me. Reminded me of the darker days of the war, of the death camps. Natasha tells the captives in Russian, "You're safe now. No one is going to hurt you anymore. We're here to set you free." 'They're so young. A few of them can't be older than 15.' The now freed civilians make their way toward the exit where SHIELD and other law enforcement are waiting for them outside. "Intel was on the money. Another SUPERHUMAN trafficking ring," Clint states, studying over the pod-like contraptions.
From the corner of my eye, I catch Natasha practically shaking. It's an odd sight. In the time I've known her, she came off rock solid. I stroll over to her but restrain myself from making physical contact, don't want to trigger something. "Nat, are you okay?" I ask. The super spy jerks as if she forgot herself for a moment. "I'm fine," Nat snaps, her voice cold, "Let's just get this over with so we can leave this shit hole." Clearly, she's not comfortable being here for some reason. I steal a glance at Clint. He shakes his head, wordlessly telling me it's not his story to tell. I'm not going to get any answers on her issues now, not the time for it. Still got an op to finish. One of the traffickers starts to regain consciousness. Nat stalks toward the goon, quickly places him in a painful submission hold, "Start talking" The man doesn't take long to spill everything he knows.
[Spartan POV]
[SHIELD HQ, New York City, USA]
[Mission-room.] We're called in by Cap for a high-priority op. Two members of the AVENGERS are absent, Thor and Banner. Both of them went MIA after the Battle of NY. Regardless, SHIELD is keeping tabs on the two at a distance. Steve Rogers enters. The holo-computer behind him switches on, displaying an image of an Eastern European country, Sokovia. "We received actionable intel that General Kamil Novoty, the acting dictator of Sokovia, has been conducting a SUPERHUMAN trafficking operation," Cap states, "We're being deployed to shut it down." I fold my arms over my chest, eyes flashing in controlled anger. Sokovia's a landlocked country ravaged by war. A former Soviet Bloc nation plagued by decades of brutal conflict and corruption. Following a fight for independence led by General Alois Denz, the nation fell to dictator General Kamil Novoty, whose totalitarian control and appalling human rights record made him known as the Butcher. War and broken international sanctions further ravaged the country, causing hunger and sickness to befall its inhabitants. Cap flings his shield onto his back, "Move out, people."
[Sokovia]
[Mission-zone.] The quinjet storms in Sokovia hot as anti-air guns fire on us. Jarvis, an artificial intelligence created by Tony Stark, skillfully dodges the oncoming shots by maneuvering the quinjet; the craft makes a hard drop on an open field. Cap leads the charge to battle into snow-covered woods on his motorcycle. Karai and I bolt to a nearby tank. The surrounding enemy troops open fire on us. We veer the shots. Karai takes seven of the troopers down with perfectly placed shots to the head. I leap onto the tank, open the hatch, and toss in a grenade. The shell explodes from the inside out. Clint, mounted on a moving jeep with Nat behind the wheel, shoots an explosive arrow in a gunner-nest. Back-to-back, Iron Man and War Machine blast a pack of unmanned drones.
Driving, Cap throws his shield, knocking out a small wave of commandos. Zapping by, he grabs a soldier by the leg and drags him a few meters before throwing him to a squad of three goons. Over our heads, Iron Man speeds straight toward the castle, taking pop shots at the ground troops, only to crash into an energy barrier. "Shit!" he exclaims. "Language!" Cap reprimands, "Jarvis, what's the view from upstairs?" "The castle is protected by an energy shield," the AI voices. "Wait, hold on, no one else is going to acknowledge that Cap just scolded me for my language," Tony comments, "The injustice." I could practically hear Cap's eye roll. Iron Man circles around, "Jarvis, can you find me a power source." "Already did. It's in the east sector of the castle," the voice tells him. Tony drops a missile to the power core, shutting down the energy shield. "Move on the castle," Cap orders. We push on.
[Castle.] The feeling of dread fills the air as we pass the gate. "Stay on your guard," Cap tells everyone. The team split into two halves; one group stays out to deal with the remaining enemy forces while the others secure the base. [Inside.] Cap, Hawkeye, Karai, and I breach a room. The enemy forces, on the other side, go for their weapons. Drop them all before they could clear the draw. Karai and I scan the area as Clint moves to cuff the goons. Cap stalks to the back room, catching a scientist trying to wipe the computers. He throws the shield at the man, knocking him out cold. The Super Soldier plugs a device to one of the ports, "Alright, Jarvis, I want a copy of everything."
"Will do, sir," the AI replies. Cap moves toward the down scientist, wakes him with a firm shake, "Where's Novoty?" The scientist stays silent. Cap yanks the scientist by the collar of his lab coat in a rare display of aggression. "Where is General Novoty?! I'm not going to ask again," he demands, holding the scientist up. Fearful, the scientist eyes the far wall. Cap frees his grip on the scientist then knocks him out with a punch. Clint, Karai, and I follow behind the team leader. The HUD spots the secret passage. Pushing the wall, it slides open, revealing a staircase to a lower level.
[Lower-level.] We make our way down, weapon at the ready. The four of us tread into what looks to be a large open space lab. There is pod-like structures line-up in the center of the room. On a nearby workstation is an array of alien tech. I move to one of the pods, peer into it, and immediately jump back in shock and disgust. Acting fast, force the pod-chamber open. A body falls out of it, a half-nude woman. It's hard not to notice the surgical marking on the woman's body. Clint covers the girl with a blanket he pulled out from his utility belt pack.
"Beautiful, aren't they," a voice says. We all quickly spin around, weapon ready, searching for the source, and find it. In an observation deck is General Kamil Novoty. "It's over, Novoty. Surrender," Cap shouts, stepping forward to face the mad man. "Ah, Captain America. We finally come face to face. Hmph. Look at you. Gaudy and common, like peasants," Novoty taunts. The four of us glare at the man. "And you look like every other goose-stepper my team, and I took down today," Cap shoots back. Novoty growls, "You dare compare me to those lessers! I am a prodigy!" "No, you're nothing more than a narcissistic lunatic with delusions of grandeur," I snap. The man sneers, "Fools. I will enjoy watching you all die." Novoty punches a switch on the control panel. Multiple pods start to open up. Seven unnatural figures step out of the pod chambers, but before the freakish monsters can go on the assault. The seven are stopped dead in their tracks by a mist of scarlet energy than are violently vaporized. We circle around to find the pod girl, hands outstretched, eyes blazing red. Abruptly, the girl collapses unconscious. Clint and Karai are fast to catch her. Novoty sprints to the exit, but Cap's shield strikes the man in the back of the head before he can escape. "Cuff the son-of-a-bitch. The sooner that animal is behind bars, the better," Cap says, catching the shield as it returns.
[Steve Rogers POV]
[SHIELD HQ, New York City, USA]
[Hanger-bay.] The team dismounts the quinjet. On the helipad waits Maria Hill. The Sokovian girl is rushed to medbay on a gurney by Spartan and Karai. "What's the word on Novoty?" I ask the SHIELD agent. Hill hands me the tablet, "Novoty got the VIP treatment. He's being transported to the RAFT as we speak. The newest installed penal institution for the worst of the worst." 'Good. A fitting dark hole for a monstrous man like Novoty.' She continues on, "Got an ID on the girl. Wanda Maximoff. Age 23. Orphaned at 10. Parents and brother are deceased. Casualties of a senseless attack." I tense at the relayed information, then hand back the tablet to Hill, "Thanks for the intel, Hill." Walk off, making my way toward the medbay to check up on the girl.
[Medbay.] "How's she doing, Doctor?" I ask, setting foot into the medical area. Cho just finished running Wanda through the bio-scanner. "Stable. Vitals are within normal levels. But my main concern is what we found in her system," Dr. Cho says. She approaches a nearby computer and pulls up an image. "What am I looking at?" I question, eyeing the display. "Bio-nanite. Novoty had forcefully infused the nanites into Wanda's DNA, altering her genetic makeup. The process must have been excruciating. Honestly, I'm surprised she survived the augmentation procedure." I gaze at the bedridden girl through the window glass, letting out a depressed sigh. "Keep me updated on her status." "Yes, Captain," Dr. Cho states.
[Living-area.] "How's the new house guest?" Tony asks, now out of his Iron Man armor. I walk to where he and the rest of the team are standing, "Still recovering. But Dr. Cho seems optimistic that she'll pull through." Clint appears happy by the news. "Now, the real question is, what are we going to do with her when she's out of recovery?" Spartan says. Everyone turns to him, brow raised in a question. He sighs, "I mean, come on. We have a 23-year-old homeless orphan, who's a SUPER and powerful one at that." Nat crosses her arms over her chest, "I think we should bring her into the fold. Have her join the AVENGERS." "What?! She's untrained and a possible wild card," Rhodey snaps. "Well, that's the point of us training her. We teach her how to control her powers," Nat counters. The team fell into a full-blown debate of whether or not to have Wanda join the team. Half is for the idea; the other half is against it. In the end, it's my call. "We'll let Wanda choose what she wants to do," I say firmly, arms folded over my chest, "This girl was robbed of her freedom once already. Forced to undergo and experience a hellish nightmare. If she chooses to stay with us, we'll train her to be an AVENGER and help her learn to control her powers. But if she chooses, she doesn't want to go down that path, fine. We'll cut her loose but still help her in anyway we can."
[Hours later, Rogers's apartment, New York City]
[Room.] I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to take me, but it wouldn't come. My mind keeps drifting back to the mission. Stirring up unpleasant memories during my time in the war. I get up from the bed and make my way toward the sink. I splash water onto my face. My reflection on the mirror catches my full attention. 'What are you doing here, soldier?' A question I have asked myself every day since waking up in the modern world with still no answer. I take a deep breath. The world is so different from the one I'm from. It's overwhelming. Feels like drowning. Shaking my head, I push the depressing thought aside.
The bags and luggage sit ready at the corner of my apartment catch my eyes. Fury reassigned me to a post in Washington DC a few days ago, even partnered me up with Natasha. The woman is a mystery... and there's a level of captivation about her. She's definitely confident. Type of person that knows what she has and knows how to use it. Still debating whether I should keep my guard up around her or not.
[Wanda Maximoff POV]
[SHIELD HQ, New York City]
[Dream.] Two soldiers held me by the arms, dragging me through the hallway toward the black door. The door no one ever returned from. Panicked, I begged the soldiers holding me to let me go, but my words fell on deaf ears. The soldiers forced me into the room, towing me to a man in a white lab coat. The man circles around me, studying my body. "She will do nicely. Prepare her for the procedure," the man ordered. The soldier forcefully stripped me down to my bare skin and strapped me down into the human-size pod. The man stood over me, peering down; he smiled wickedly, "Do not fear, child. If you survive, you will be the next step in human evolution. Sokovia's very own powered vanguard." He closed the pod's door. And my entire body is bombarded with torturous agony.
[Medbay.] I jerk awake from the nightmare into a sitting position, breathing heavily and drenched in cold sweats. In a frenzy, my eyes snap around the room, finding myself in a hospital room. Suddenly the door burst open with a man running in. He is clothed in a back military-style outfit. "Who are you?! Where have you taken me?!" I demand, charging my powers via the hands, eyes glowing a hint of red. The masked man throws his hands up, palms open, "Easy. I'm not your enemy. No one's going to hurt you. You're safe. Code-name's Spartan." I blink rapidly, "Y-you… You are that masked man who pulled me out of the pod." He nods, "Yeah. You needed medical attention. The team and I brought you to SHIELD HQ." I power down. The man sighs a breath of relief then fills me in on the details of what happened during my time in and out of consciousness.
He scratches the back of his head nervously, then pulls out a pendant and sets it in my hand, "It fell out the same chamber-pod. I figured it was something important to you, so I held onto it." "My mother's pendant," I say in a weak voice, closing my hands over the jewelry, tears streaming down my cheeks. Spartan, as he calls himself, gives me a sympathetic gaze. After a few long minutes, I drop back into the bed, turn on her side, and fall back to sleep without another word.
[Room.] I open my eyes for a second time, still in an unfamiliar hospital room. A part of me desperately held out hoped that everything I experienced was a long terrible nightmare. If I opened my eyes, I would still be living a loving life with papa, mama, and Pietro. The happy fantasy always quickly fades. I jerk in surprise at the sudden sound of a disembodied voice. "Good morning, Ms. Maximoff. I am Jarvis, an Artificial intelligence. I am to inform you there are clean clothes in the closet. Once ready, please make your way to the living area. The AVENGERS are expecting you," the AI tells me. Despite not wanting to, I force myself out of bed and move to the closet. Throw on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.
[Living-area.] Following the direction given to me by the disembodied AI, I stroll into the living area. Straightway the AVENGERS focus their attention on me as I slink in. My eyes immediately fall on Spartan, the only individual I recognize. "Wanda, this is the AVENGERS," the man in a blue militarized uniform presents. Each individual member begins to introduce themselves, starting with the man in blue. "Steve Rogers. Captain America." I regard how the team looks at the man; he is considered a great leader: courageous, righteous, and a strong sense of justice. Peering to his mind, I can see an old soul trapped in a young body. Next is the red-head, who stands at Steve's side. "Natasha Romanov. Black Widow. Captain Rogers's second in command." The woman is an enigma I could not pinpoint. But she does seem friendly, level-headed, strong-willed, and independent. "Clint Barton. Hawkeye." A brave man with a deadpan focus, dedicated to his duty and protecting the innocent. "James Rupert Rhodes. Code-name's War Machine. But everyone calls me Rhodey." "Corvo. Code-name's Spartan." Eyeing the masked crusader/soldier, I could sense anger and control radiating from him. "Samus. Karai." Last is the middle-aged man with the goatee. "Tony Stark. Iron Man. Billionaire, playboy, genius, and philanthropist. CEO of Stark Industries." 'Also, a bit arrogant.' Unless this is his way of lightening the mood, I am not very sure. The man's sense of humor is lost to me.
I give the team a slight bow, "Um, I am Wanda Maximoff…." The Captain turns to face me and looks me straight in the eyes, "We want to extend an invitation for you to join the AVENGERS. It's your choice. We won't object if you choose no. But I honestly believe you'll make a real difference. We could train you to control your powers so it won't control you."
I hold up a hand to stop his speech, "If I say no. Will you throw me back in Sokovia?" The venom in my tone is evidence. Everyone catches it. I do not hate my country, but I hate what it has become, and I did not want to go back, especially if there is nothing to go back to. "No, it's not our style. I can cook up a visa for you," Karai says. "In that case, I will join you. I want to ensure what happened to me is never done to anyone ever again and fight to make a better world," I say to the Captain and the team.