Chapter 59
Life without powers was not a smooth transition, Wanda was finding. She'd gotten her powers in her teenage years and had come to age with them. Her identity was defined by having powers.
And now they were gone.
Sure, she'd trained with Natasha and Clint, trying to learn how to be just as useful as they were. She didn't want to be a liability towards the Avengers when they took her on missions. And yet it seemed like every time she sparred with one of them, she was sorely under prepared, and wasn't remotely able to keep up with them.
She landed on her back then, as Stark stood above her. The woman had flipped her over even without her suit, and she couldn't help but feel a wave of residual anger towards the woman. It wasn't hard, given she'd spent half her life hating her.
She looked over at her brother and saw him facing off against Steve Rogers. Pietro was running circles around the man, but Steve looked unphased by it all. He simply stuck out his hand, and caught her brother, and Pietro looked a bit stunned by it, but recovered quickly enough to free himself, and throw Steve over his shoulder.
"That was very good!" Steve praised him, as he stood up, "You're learning to not rely on your speed alone, and that's important. You need to react with more than just your instincts. Nice job, kid!"
She felt a wave of envy flood over her, jealous that she wasn't able to keep up the same way as her brother. It wasn't fair! If she'd just had her magic still then she'd be running circles around them too, metaphorically. Stark without her suit wouldn't be a match for her.
Instead she was stuck here without any magic or any powers or strength. She was nothing.
"Want to go again?" Stark asked her, offering her a hand. She pushed it aside, as she got to her feet herself.
Stark nodded at her, signaling that she was ready. Wanda charged at the older woman, as Stark ducked out of the way seamlessly. She pulled out a blade that was strapped to her thigh, and as Stark came at her, she dodged the blow, using the blade to strike the woman.
She hadn't meant to draw blood, simply meaning to use it with enough control to signal that the blow would have landed if she'd intended it to.
Stark let out a yelp of pain, and Steve came over immediately, with a look of concern on his face for his newly appointed fiancé.
"Wanda!" Natasha said, appalled. "Just because we have weapons doesn't mean we use them in training against our opponents. It's one thing to practise against targets. We're not trying to hurt our partners. If you wanted to use a blade you should have used a wooden one for practice!"
"Are you okay?" Steve asked, grabbing some bandaging from the med kit as he tenderly took her arm in his hands, inspecting the wound. He began wrapping it up carefully, to stop and blood from spilling onto the floor.
"I'm fine," she said, giving him a soft smile, "I've had worse injuries in the lab. It's nothing that won't heal in a few days. Don't worry too much about it."
"No," Steve said with a shake of his head as he looked over at Wanda. "This was meant to be a hand-to-hand combat only training session. No weapons or suits involved. Why did you think it was acceptable to fight with a knife?"
"I wanted to gain the upper-hand," she said, feeling like a bit like a scolded child. "I don't have powers anymore, so I wanted to use everything I could to my advantage."
"You're still in training," Steve told her sternly. "If you fall on your back a few times, you get back up and try to be better. You don't pull out dirty tricks. You're still on probation and it's going to be a while before you're allowed on the field. We need to be able to trust you to have our backs on the field. If we can't trust you to do that, then we won't bring you out with us. I'd suggest you think long and hard about how you want to proceed. Come on, Toni, let's get to the medbay so we can get someone to take a look at your injury. I don't want you to get an infection."
"I'm fine," Stark protested, but Steve led her away anyways, ignoring her claims.
The group dispersed then, leaving her alone with her brother.
"It's not fair," she said softly, falling onto her knees, and Pietro sat down on the ground beside her. "It's not like I attacked Stark because I wanted to hurt her. I just wanted to win for once. To feel powerful again."
"Things are never going to be like that again," Pietro told her softly, as he wrapped an arm around her. "We made a choice when we stood with the Avengers against Ultron. We accepted that we wanted to face consequences for our actions, and now we're facing them. One of those consequences was you losing your powers. We did a lot of bad things under HYDRA and Ultron. But we've been given the chance now to make things right. To make them better."
"I don't know how to forgive her," Wanda confessed. "Even if Stark wasn't responsible for the missile, I've spent so long hating her. How do we forgive her when we've held so much hatred for her?"
"We need to let the anger go," her brother said. "We can leave if you want. We don't have to do this, to be around them every day. We can leave. But if we do, we will not have atoned for all our sins. We'll never have the chance to try and make things right. Is that what you want?"
She thought about it for a few long moments, before shaking her head. "No," she said determinedly. "I want to make it right. I'm tired of being painted as the villain. I want to be the hero. I want to fight for what's right."
"Good," he said, kissing her head. "Do you want to spar with me for a bit? I won't use my speed. Then next time you fight Stark you can beat her all on your own."
She smiled at him, as she took his hand, and got back on her feet.
She would prove she was worthy, even if it took her the rest of her life.
Toni wasn't expecting a call from Sam Wilson on the day when he called her. It wasn't personal, the two of them were acquaintances, despite him one of Steve's close friends.
And yet the call came in that afternoon, and she picked up on the second ring. Steve had been with her that day, and was currently working out in her gym, so she didn't have to immediately worry about something having happened to him. Vision, Wanda, and Pietro were in New York, getting the "American Tourist Experience", Rhodey on a job for the Air Force, and Natasha was with Clint and his family. Meaning Wilson was the only one home.
"Wilson?" she asked into the phone, and she heard the man sounding slightly out of breath.
"Stark, someone broke into the compound," he said, a little tiredly on the other end of the line. "Some man named Scott. He was able to shrink down in size and get bigger again. I just finished doing an inventory to try and see what it was that was stolen."
"JARVIS run a search on shrinking technology," Toni said immediately, "It sounds vaguely familiar, but I can't remember where I've heard it before. Wilson, are you okay? Did you sustain any injuries in the fight?"
"Just my pride," the man said ruefully, "He was obviously a novice; he shouldn't have been able to have gotten the jump on me like that."
"It wasn't on you," she tried to reassure him, "If anything, I should have made the security on the building stronger. People shouldn't be able to just break into my building, even without anyone home. I'll have FRIDAY run a full diagnostic for any points of weakness on the building and then begin fortifying it. If some novice was able to break into my building, could you imagine what happened if HYDRA actually tried? There's a lot of sensitive information and tech that they could use at their disposal, and the last thing that any of us needs is for them to get their hands on our stuff."
"The sensors worked," Wilson told her gently, "I should have kept him out. I didn't signal for the building to go on lockdown because I thought I could handle it, and I was wrong. Don't beat yourself up, Stark. It wasn't on you. I'm not calling you to tell you to amp up the security. I'm calling because something called a signal decoy was stolen? I'm not all that sure what that is, but it was at the base, in the room where you were storing old the SHIELD things that were here before."
"J?" she asked her AI.
"Searching," JARVIS answered, as the file appeared on the screen before her. "Developed by Hank Pym while he worked at SHIELD. The Signal Decoy can mask signals or completely override them if necessary while allowing the originator to believe that the signal is still active. The project was ultimately scrapped by Howard Stark later that year when Hank Pym left SHIELD and Howard Stark did not see a continued use for the project."
"Of course," she sighed, "When will the world forgive me for everything Howard did. I know why the shrinking technology sounds so familiar. Hank was working on something during his time at SHIELD that created particles which allowed items or users to shrink small in size. I remember Father dearest being unhappy that day and coming home drunk, ranting about it. I read up about the case file a few years ago while looking on the SHEILD servers. J, can you cross reference the name Scott with Hank Pym?"
"I found one match," JARVIS informed her, "Scott Lang was arrested for breaking into Pym's house a little while back. Pym bailed him out of jail."
"So the two are debatably working together now," she mused, "Either that, or this Scott character stole the particles. But Pym was always an unforgiving bastard, so I doubt it was the latter; especially given that he never seemed to forgive my father for whatever it was that he allegedly did when they worked together."
"Miss you should also know that Hank Pym was ousted from his company recently," JARVIS told her, "His daughter Hope van Dyne cast the final vote to cast him out and was in turn named CEO of Pym Technologies."
"Interesting," she said, looking up, "Wilson, it appears as if I need to call you back. If this Scott Lang broke into the Avengers compound at the behest of Hank or Hope, then we may just have a case of corporate espionage on our hands. And if it wasn't that, then it probably has to do with this shrinking man technology. Either way, I'm interested to know just what they were doing at the compound and what they plan on doing now that they have the signal decoy. The technology is probably dated by now, and I can't help but wonder why Pym couldn't have built another one that was more modern. Perhaps it was more about sticking it to my father one last time, but either way, I'm going to find out. If they think they can just break into the compound with no consequences then they have another thing coming for them."
She walked into Pym Technologies with her head held high. Van Dyne's secretary was too confused by her presence to be able to react in time to stop her from entering the office, and by time he had gotten it together to tell her that the new CEO was busy, Toni had already pushed her way into the room.
"Stark?" van Dyne said, confused, as she quickly tried to cover up what it was that she'd been looking at.
"Hello Hope," she said with a smile, "Been a long time, hasn't it?"
"What are you doing here?" she asked, blinking, "How did you get past George?"
"I'm persuasive," she said simply, sitting across from where Hope was at her desk. "Let's have a little talk, Hope, CEO to CEO, it seems we have a lot to discuss."
Hope looked at her warily, "What about?"
"I heard you had a little crony pay my compound a visit. Mind telling me what it was about? Or what it was about the signal decoy that was so important you obtained that you couldn't have just requested it through the proper channels?" Toni asked, staring at the woman.
"I can't go into it," Hope said, after a moment, "It involves company secrets, but it's more than that. Someone is stealing our technology and it could get into the wrong hands. You should know about that all too well, given your history with them."
"HYDRA?" Toni narrowed her eyes, "You broke into my compound because someone is trying to steal your tech and sell it to HYDRA? What could you have made that's so valuable that you're afraid of them getting their hands on it? Last I checked, your focus was on nanotech, not weapons."
"Precisely," Hope pursued her lips, "We have had a breakthrough. Or at least my father had one, he was sitting on it for quite some time before this disaster happened. And well, let's just say if HYDRA gets their hands on it, we'll be in big trouble."
"It has to do with the shrinking man doesn't it?" she asked, putting the pieces together.
Hope didn't respond right away, and Toni sighed.
"Look, I get that our fathers had a history, but I am not Howard Stark and you aren't Hank Pym. I know you didn't have an easy relationship with your father as I didn't with mine. I'm not going to steal your nanotech, despite what your father seems to believe every time I see him. But if you have something which HYDRA wants that puts you and your entire company in danger. Do you really want to face that risk alone?"
Hope shook her head, "You're right, I'm not my father. We have it handled, Toni, we can do this. But I promise that if something comes up, we'll reach out. Instead of going behind your back again."
"Good," she nodded, knowing it was probably the best she was going to get. She stood up then, "Don't be a stranger, Hope. And let Lang know if he ever wants a place on the Avengers, then there may be an opening for him."
Hope stared at her in disbelief as she left the room. It might not have been what she'd expected, but perhaps she'd be able to bury a decades long feud.
She'd been in a meeting when she'd gotten the call about Peter. She'd known for a while that May and Ben had wanted her to look after Peter if they were unable to, but she didn't expect them to make her an emergency contact for him at his high school.
She supposed it made sense, really, what with May in the hospital and Ben with her most of the times when he wasn't working. Hell, Peter spent the night at the Tower every now and then while Ben stayed with his wife. She'd even set him up with a room on her own personal floor so he didn't feel all alone on the one she'd set up for him originally.
She was more than happy to watch him for them; it was really the least she could do, given everything else they were going through. She didn't mind; Peter was a good kid, and despite her being worried about how he was handling the entire situation, he was easy to look after.
"Ms Stark?" a voice said from the other line.
"Yes?" she'd asked, unsure of whom was calling, given the number hadn't been one she'd recognized.
"I have you listed as an emergency contact for Peter Parker," the receptionist said, "If there's been a mistake, I can try his uncle again."
"Is Peter okay?" she asked immediately, leaving the meeting as she gestured for Pepper to continue it on without her.
"He seems to have come down with a fever," the receptionist said. "According to his teachers he was fine as Oscorp, but on the bus ride home it set in. Are you able to pick him up?"
"I'm on my way," she said, as she hung up, "JARVIS, can you ask Happy to meet us at the main entrance? Tell him we need to get to Midtown as soon as possible."
"Of course, Miss," JARVIS responded immediately. She'd shot off a quick text to Ben letting him know that she'd look after Peter and got into the car that Happy had pulled up for her.
The ride to the school had been silent, and she'd immediately started looking up cures for fevers on her phone. When she'd been younger and had gotten sick, her mother and Jarvis had been the ones to care for her. She didn't really know much about what to do in that situation, but if Peter was sick, she was going to do her very best to make sure he would be okay. His parents trusted him with her, and she wasn't about to let them down.
When she'd gotten to the school, she could hear the whispers as she walked through the hallways, but she paid them no attention. Instead she headed straight into the office where Peter was sitting.
"I'm here to sign out Peter Parker," she said to the reception. She looked over at the kid and saw him look pale.
"Just sign here," the lady told her, and she quickly did.
"Hey, Peter, I'm here to take you home okay?" she asked him.
"Toni?" he asked, and she helped him stand up, "I don't feel all that good."
She pressed her hand to his head and winced; he was burning up.
"I know, Sweetheart," she said, as she guided him to the car, "We'll be there soon, okay?"
"Okay," he nodded. She sat him down in the car, getting in beside him in the back.
"He okay?" Happy asked, looking back at him.
"Hopefully," she said, worriedly. "I don't know too much about these things, but I can ask JARVIS to monitor his vitals and let me know if he needs to be hospitalized or something. If we're lucky he'll be able to sleep it all off."
Peter laid his head down on her shoulder then, and she wrapped an arm around him to make it more comfortable.
The drive felt longer than usual, and she looking over at Peter, as if she'd be able to tell if he was doing better or worse.
Curie, she was really bad at this.
She stared at the engagement ring on her finger, remembering the conversation she'd had with Steve about starting a family. She didn't even know if the child she'd watched grow up need a doctor or not. How would she be able to be a mother?
They arrived back at the tower then, much to her relief. And with Happy's help, she got him up to her floor.
"I'm tired," Peter mumbled.
"We're almost at your room," she reassured him, "Just a few more steps, okay, Peter?"
"Can't make it that far," he said again, and to her relief Steve appeared then.
"I heard what happened," Steve rushed in, "JARVIS told me you might need help getting him to his room."
"Can you carry him?" she asked her fiancé, "I don't think I can lift him all by myself."
"Of course," Steve told her with a soft smile, as he scooped Peter up in his arms and made a beeline towards Peter's room. "How is he doing?"
"The school said he had a fever," she told him, as Steve placed Peter down on the bed. She grabbed his blankets and covered him in it. "Should we call a doctor? I can ask Helen to take a look at him. I know this is a little below her pay grade, but I trust her."
"He'll be alright," Steve said, as he looked down at the boy. She looked up at him, a little surprised that he was able to determine that so easily. "I got sick a lot as a child, remember? I know what is fine and what isn't fine. Let him sleep it off."
"Are you sure?" she asked, looking down at the boy in front of her. Peter was always so full of life and energy, so seeing him like this, lying there so tired and weak hurt her. He had been young when she'd met him all those years ago at the Stark Expo, but seeing him like this, so small and weak, made her feel powerless.
She'd become Iron Woman to help people. But neither Iron Woman nor Toni Stark could help the boy in front of her.
"He's going to be fine, I promise," Steve said, kissing her forehead. "I'll run to the store real quick and grab him some things. Just be here for him, that's all we can do. You got this, Darling."
She stroked his hair gingerly, as Steve left to go pick up some cold medicine for the boy. Despite his reassurances, she couldn't help but worry about the boy in front of her.
He'd been excited about his trip to Oscorp, and while she had her own personal feelings about the company, she hadn't wanted to rain on his parade of excitement. She always knew that he cared far more about biomedical engineering than mechanical, and while it had wounded her heart to hear another loved one in her life go down that path, she wanted to support him. Even if she personally couldn't stand biology.
She could see his eyes flutter a bit as he struggled to keep himself awake.
"Get some sleep, Pete," she told him gently, as she continued to stroke his hair. "You'll feel better soon. You're going to be alright, I promise. Just get some rest."
"Okay, Mom," Peter mumbled as his eyes drooped.
Her heart at stopped at that. While the kid obviously had no idea what it was that he was saying, that much was clear to her. He probably didn't mean it. He was delusional from his fever.
She didn't move the hand that was brushing his hair, however, not wanting to cease the movement.
Still, the sentiment stayed with her, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that he'd said it in the delusions of his illness. That he didn't mean it. That he didn't see her as a mother figure in his life.
And yet, she couldn't help but wish she were. She cared about Peter, and she wanted the best for him in his life. She wanted him to succeed, and to be happy. And she loved him.
She supposed that was what happened when she got invested in the lives of those around her. Just like Rhodey, Pepper, Happy, and Steve, Peter had become part of her family. It might have started off as sessions where they just worked together in the lab, but it had become so much more than that. It had grown into sessions where they bonded, and she'd grown to care for him.
Peter looked like he was falling asleep then, and she started to stand.
"No, stay," Peter mumbled, and she sat back down on the bed with him.
"Okay," she told him, "I'm not going anywhere."
She stayed like that with him, and when Steve got back from the store, she woke up the boy to feed him some medicine. And while the fever showed no signs of breaking, she stayed with him, checking on him from time to time.
She just hoped whatever this was, that it would pass.
