Prologue

Wanda's head felt like it was going to explode.

Her ears rang from Mr. Rhodes's sonic emitter, making spots dance before her eyes. She hobbled beside Vision, her hand resting against her eyes, trying to stop the pain that was aching behind her corneas.

She tried to blink the spots away, but everything kept going in and out of focus, turning fuzzy every other second. She felt like the world was upside down and backward all at once.

She squeezed her eyes shut, leaning on Vision's side for a moment until the earth beneath her stopped spinning. When she opened her eyes, she peered through the haze of smoke that billowed from multiple fires set to the concrete, trying to make sense of her surroundings.

Cars were upturned and strewn all over the airport, and debris from buildings piled up on the runways.

Did we win?

They must have. Steve and his friend, Bucky, had gotten out. Wanda made sure of that.

She may have fought against her friends, against Vision, but it was for a good cause. They would stop HYDRA's government experiments for good so that no one would end up like her or Bucky ever again.

Experiments. Guinea pigs. Toys to be played with until their masters were finally entertained.

No one should be a toy in the hands of a scientist. Cap had told her what they were doing to super-soldiers in Russia. The thought of more people being experimented on made her stomach feel like it would drop to her toes. She couldn't just sit around and let that happen.

Wanda quickly glanced over to each of the other ex-Avengers, making sure they were okay. Clint was sitting, taking deep gasps after all that happened. His bow lay at his side, and his shoulders heaved as he tried to calm his breathing. He was okay, though.

Sam was soaring above, looking for a place to land amongst the wreckage.

Finally, she spotted the man in the red and silver suit. Scott, if she remembered correctly. He was lying on the ground, his chest rose and fell rapidly, showing he was breathing. She heard him mumble, "I'm okay...I'm okay. Oh God, I'm tired…"

She managed a weak smile. She liked Scott's awkward humor and how he could lighten the mood so quickly as if it was instinctual.

After assessing the damages, Wanda let out a sigh of relief. Everyone was okay.

That was when she saw it.

The heap of gray iron crumpled beside a devastated Tony Stark.

Mr. Rhodes.

She urged her legs to go faster, and Vision quickly assisted her until they came to Stark's side.

As she got closer and closer, Wanda saw just how bad it was. Mr. Rhodes' face mask had broken off his helmet, showing an unconscious, bloodied man behind it. She stopped herself from trembling outright. Through his armor, Wanda couldn't tell if Mr. Rhodes was breathing.

Wanda took a shaky breath, her lip quivering. She closed her eyes. Despite the pain, Wanda focused on trying to connect with his mind. She needed something, anything, to prove to her that he was alive! His heart was beating, barely, but what Wanda couldn't feel scared her even more. She couldn't feel pain in his legs. She couldn't feel anything in his lower half.

Wanda's eyes shot open, breaking the connection. The reactor disk on his chest was split and smoldering. It smoked, sending out little sparks, as it had been shredded in half by a long blast across his chest.

It was the shot Vision had taken at Sam.

Did he miss it?

That wasn't possible. Vision doesn't miss.

"I'm sorry," Vision's soft voice mumbled. Solemn remorse filled his voice as he stared at his feet. "I take full responsibility for what happened, Tony. I'm deeply sorry."

Tony looked up from his friend on the ground and leveled his helpless looking gaze on Vision.

How could this have gotten so out of hand? She didn't dare try to pretend she wasn't aiming to kill. She even scolded Clint for holding back! How could she have let this get so chaotic, so devastating?

"Yeah…" Tony mumbled, "I'm sorry, too."

Suddenly, blaring alarms sounded.

Helicopters and trucks alike appeared out of nowhere, and men dressed in black Kevlar, carrying large guns, flooded the scene. Wanda felt rough hands on her back.

"Vizh!" Wanda cried as they ripped Wanda out of Vision's grasp. Wanda clawed at the air, trying to get a hold of his hand before they slammed her into the ground.

A gun barrel pressed against the base of her skull, and a man's voice screamed in her ear, threatening to blow her head off if she dared to make a move.

"Hey! Get off her!"

Clint sprinted towards her with an arrow strung and ready to fire. Soldiers stormed him on either side, and time slowed down. She watched them overpower Clint. Several men threw him on the concrete face first and pinned him down, all shouting the same threats to him that they screamed at her. She watched them tear his quiver off his back and rip his bow from his grip. They twisted his arms around his back and clapped thick, steel handcuffs around his wrists.

Almost instinctively, Scott turned over on his belly and pressed his hands against the back of his head. Soldiers violently tore his hands into the same position as Clint's to secure similar cuffs.

Sam landed on the runway with his guns out. He fired at the soldiers, his face contorted into a rage as he watched his comrades tackled and subdued. She saw a soldier use the butt of his gun to smack Sam in the side of the head. He crumpled to the ground, and guns jammed in his face.

No, Wanda pleaded, the pounding in her head getting more and more painful. Stop. Please.

Her heart raced, hammering so hard that she could hear each beat. She couldn't breathe. Wanda gasped, swallowing mouthfuls of air so much that it stung in her chest. Her shoulders trembled, and her eyes darted back and forth, trying to find something, anything that could help.

Tears spilled down her face, and her chest stung so much that her body convulsed on the floor.

"I said, stay still!" a soldier demanded. The barrel of his gun jabbed into the nape of her neck.

Something inside of her snapped.

She thrashed, trying to throw them off her with all her strength. She grunted as more people pile on her, crushing her against the pavement.

"Get off!" She shrieked, "Get off, get off, get off!"

Red tendrils shot from her hands, throwing the shouting, gun-pointing man off her back. A thundering explosion erupted from underneath, and the concrete shattered with a loud crack.

"Wanda-" Vision called out, trying to step in. However, Tony grabbed his shoulder, holding the android back.

"Mr. Stark?" a soft voice said.

She saw that boy dressed in the red leotard staring at her. His mask was off, revealing a pair of big brown eyes. One ringed with a purpling bruise, but both were brimming with shock and pity. It was like he was witnessing a sincere injustice, and he was fighting the urge to intervene. He looked between her and Tony, desperately searching for a solution.

Dozens of soldiers jumped on top of Wanda, sucking the breath out of her from the sheer weight. Her head was pressed down against the now destroyed runway, shoving sharp rocks into her temple. Wanda heaved, trying to find air under all the pressure. Tears spilled from her eyes, and her throat was tight and raw. She wanted it to stop.

The pounding in her forehead returned with a vengeance. She squeezed her eyes tight, trying to force it out. Her stomach turned, and her heart pounded against her ribs. It hurt.

She wanted to go home.

They bounded cuffs on her wrists, clicking them into place as a pinch entered the side of her neck. She felt something flush into her veins, and suddenly, the world became twenty times more bright and vibrant.

Out of the corner of her eye, Wanda noticed the flash of a needle.

All feeling in her limbs vanished, replaced with a prickling sensation.

The colors around Wanda became a bright neon, phasing in and out from pure white. Her neck became too tired to hold her head up, and her chin dropped to her chest, her hair curtailing over her face. Her eyes widened, trying to ward away the white blotches from her sight.

She was suddenly hauled off the ground and led to a truck with its back doors opened, ready to swallow her up.

Wanda was tossed carelessly into the truck, landing next to Clint. The archer was quick to be by her side. His gaze caught hers, and Wanda could barely focus on his face. It swirled in four different parts, all shouting one word in sync.

"Kid!"

The door slammed shut, siphoning off the sunlight and leaving her in darkness before her eyes fluttered shut.