Hello, welcome back to Mirage. I wanna give a shoutout to Pixelfun20, 5cvka2j, LEXA14, and TwilightNeewMoonEclipseMidnight for favoriting and following! Thanks guys. PLEASE READ A heads-up: there's mention of non-con in this chapter so I'll be placing a line break thingy to separate it from the rest of the chapter. It's kinda important to my plot but if you feel like it might trigger you, you can skip it. For those of you who do read that section, Sokovian spoken mentally, Sokovian spoken out loud. The rest of the chapter is will be the same as the previous times with mental Sokovian in italics and underlined while Sokovian is just in italics. Let's go!
Wanda stood next to Clint, the scarlet within her body building itself up for the undeniable confrontation with Tony and the others. James and Sam were on one side of the airport while Pietro was zooming in and out of different hangers looking for Tony's quinjet that they had no doubt used to get here.
There had been a bit of an issue on the way to San Francisco to collect the forth member. Taking the phone from Clint she and Pietro had ventured off to a quiet corner of the jet as Steve said he had something to discuss with the pair in private. He wanted Wanda to sit the battle out. It made complete sense but only if Vision would not be at the airport.
If the android was present Wanda needed to be there as she was the only one who could overpower him. Steve had not corrected her but he had insisted she go into hiding with Jamie. As much as it pained and tempted her, Wanda couldn't take the easy way out. If they didn't succeed, it wouldn't matter where she ran to.
Steve had sighed and told them he figured she would be stubborn. Thus he already had a plan in the making. He'd contacted family members of two Howling Commandos who would be the ones to whisk Wanda, Pietro, and Jamie away into hiding. The only thing Steve knew was that Wanda and Pietro needed to take a certain train to a certain town where they would be picked up by a member of Jacques' family who would already be taking care of Jamie during the possible confrontation. After that he wasn't sure where they would go but at some point the Sokovian family with change hands with someone from Pinky's side who would take them somewhere to disappear.
Steve knew the bare minimum and he was the only one of his trio that was aware of the plan. If they were successful in stopping Zemo and all was well, he would need to contact several people and use a variety of specific phrases to alert them that it was all clear and time to resurface. There were also phrases that would alert the go-betweens that he was compromised. It was safer this way.
"Nothing so far. I'll keep looking."
Pietro's firm accented voice in her ear piece reminded Wanda of the conversation the siblings had had on the way to Germany.
They'd picked up Scott Lang, someone Sam was familiar with who had shrinking technology. The man had been told who they'd be fighting against and had readily agreed to their cause. It brought him into a higher standing with Wanda. It rose further when Scott, who had initially been surprised to find a child on board, immediately began entertaining Jamie, getting the toddler to laugh just minutes after meeting her. He'd only widened his eyes in surprise and shrugged his shoulder over Jamie's obvious advancement.
It was when they were discussing James and the other Winter Soldiers that Scott had brought up all the crimes James had committed. Wanda had firmly told him that James had no say in the matter, that'd he'd been tortured and brain washed into doing Hydra's work. He hadn't wanted to do those things, Hydra was the real culprit. He was the opposite of Wanda and Pietro.
Clint had been empathetic as he himself once hurt and killed people while under mind control from Loki's scepter but also the dubious work he'd done for Shield. From the stories Steve had told the team about his childhood friend Clint was firm in the thought that James had been just as good of a man as their captain and could be once again.
But it was throughout the discussion that Wanda had felt her brother's feelings start to churn. It'd begun as dislike but as they'd continued to talk about James, it changed into something more. Rage, hate. Those were the two that had been most prominent. Finally he'd snapped, spitting about how some things were unforgivable in his eyes. He'd stalked off and Wanda had watched him go with round eyes.
Even his feelings about Stark from a year ago hadn't been this potent. Wanda had glanced at the two other men, apologizing for her brother before she'd chased after him.
She followed the mental link with her twin, finding him in a corner at the back of the quinjet, arms crossed and glaring out a window. She looked back the way she came, seeing Jamie occupied by Scott's antics.
"Pietro, what happened? Why are you so upset?"
"It's nothing." He made to move around Wanda but she blocked him. He had never been abrasive with her but that was the feeling she was getting from him. Simmering hate from earlier and irritation. It unsettled her.
"It is not nothing. If that were true you wouldn't be feeling the way you do. You can tell me what's wrong."
It seemed that was both the wrong and right thing to say.
"You want to know what is bothering me? What is making me upset? Because you are defending him."
Wanda was confused. "Why wouldn't I defend him? He did nothing wrong."
Pietro turned sharply to look at her. "Did he? I don't think so. Do you want to know why I think this way? It is because I know, Wanda."
Her eyebrows furrowed. "Know what Pietro? You are not making sense."
He narrowed his eyes at her. "I know what happened two years ago. Between you and the Soldier."
Wanda's stomach dropped, her breath stuck in her lungs. No. No, please no. Her hands began shaking, the darkness creeping around her vision. She tried to reach for Pietro but he brushed her hand away. "Pie-Pietro, it's…please let me tell you…"
He turned away, back to looking out the window. "You don't need to tell me, I saw the video."
Wanda fought against the tears. "V-video?"
"Hydra guards said some things one day, I grew angry and yelled at them, told them they were wrong. So they showed me a video, of the training room."
Her breathing began speeding up. The training room. "Pietro…"
"The video had no sound but I could see." His fisted hands flexed as he spoke, as he remembered. "I saw how you fought, how you ran from him. I could see you screaming at him. You would throw the Soldier away from you with your scarlet when he got too close. But you missed once and he had you pinned to the floor. I saw how you started crying, struggling and pleading for him not do it, to stop. And then I saw him rip your pants. I was so angry I couldn't watch any more. I vowed to kill the man if I ever saw him again."
Pietro didn't see it, he didn't see what happened. Her breathing eased but the rest of his words registered. "Pietro, you can't. Please don't."
He frowned. "I won't. Only because of you. And Steve. I am only helping Steve to destroy other soldiers, not help him."
Wanda nodded at the compromise. But she still needed to talk to her brother properly. "Pietro…" He turned away from her, walking back to the front of the jet, and she tried calling for him. "Pietro…"
"Leave me alone Wanda. I need to be calm when I see the Soldier or else I might break my promise and kill him."
She needed to talk to her brother, for him to understand, but she also knew he was too stubborn. Jamie had stopped playing with Scott, eyes worried as she looked between Wanda and Pietro. Scott was looking everywhere but the pair, trying his hardest to ignore the obvious tension between the siblings. Clint stared shamelessly from the cockpit, his face reflecting off one of the screens. He quirked an eyebrow at her in question. She gave a shake of her head and he nodded, looking back out the large window with only a quick glance at her.
Jamie was now up on her feet, her lips pulled down in a frown, as she walked toward Pietro. Wanda felt something rise within her, something she did not think she would ever associate with Pietro and his interactions with Jamie. Fear. With her heart in her throat, the Sokovian mother watched her chestnut-haired daughter step into Pietro's path.
Looking up, Jamie studied the silver-haired man. "Uncle are you okay?"
Pietro crouched down prompting Wanda to take a step forward. He reached for Jamie, wrapping his arms around her in a hug and picking her up off the floor. "I'm okay, Jamie." He turned so he was facing Wanda again. "I might hate him Wanda, but Jamie is family. I would protect her with my life." He gave her a sad smile. "You can put it away."
Wanda looked down, shocked that she'd summoned the scarlet to her hands. For a second she'd seen her twin as a threat to her daughter. The red glow disappeared. "I'm sorry."
Pietro crouched once more, placing Jamie back on her feet. He gave her a quick kiss to her temple before letting her go. "It's okay. Jamie comes first." He smiled at his niece. "Why don't you go give Mama a hug, she needs one, yeah?"
Jamie nodded, turning and rushing at her, wrapping her arms around Wanda's legs. She looked up at Wanda with a smile, one corner of her lips quirking further up then the other. "Do you want a hug, Mama?"
Keeping her tears in check, the young mother managed a steady smile as she peered down into her daughter's face, Jamie's steel blue eyes wide and innocent. It wasn't a color from the Maximoff family line. No, Jamie had inherited her father's eyes. "I would love a hug."
Using her scarlet, Wanda lifted her daughter up into the air, much to the toddler's amusement, wrapping her arms around Jamie. Breathing in her daughter's scent helped Wanda relax and she sought out Pietro but he was gone from his spot. It didn't take her long to find him in the cockpit occupying the second chair, turned away from Clint but gazing out the window.
"Mama, do you feel better?"
Wanda hugged her daughter again. "Yes, Jamie. I feel better."
"Found it. Hanger five, on the North runway."
Wanda watched as Steve responded to Pietro's callout, lifting his hands in the air. Next to her Clint let the arrow fly, slicing through the material the teenager had used on Steve's hands. Even with the mask and full body suit, Wanda could sense the youth. Why Tony would bring a child here she would never understand.
"Ready?"
She nodded at Clint and the duo raced through the parking garage making their way down the stairs to the ground level and racing out into the tarmac. Sensing Tony in the air behind them Wanda pushed herself to go faster but the faint booms and ensuing explosions in front of them let her know they weren't fast enough. Debris went flying and the heat surrounded them, making Wanda duck low and Clint to cover her with his body.
"Wanda!?"
"I'm fine, stay hidden." That was part of the plan. Pietro needed to stay hidden, only to show himself if it was life or death. They needed the others to think he wasn't there but with Jaime somewhere.
The sound of an engine roared above them and Tony came into view, hovering with a glowing palm facing them. "Wanda, I think you hurt Vision's feelings."
"Maybe you shouldn't have tried to lock me in my room."
"You're exaggerating a bit, don't you think? Besides I was doing it to protect you."
Wanda scowled at this. Those were not the words she would have used. Tony's attention went to Clint and Wanda used the moment to search the parking garage behind Tony. With the airport having been evacuated there shouldn't be anyone still here. A quick mental search confirmed this. Sneakily using her scarlet she grabbed at several cars, ready to throw them at Tony. All she needed was a cue.
Clint moved suddenly, arrows shooting at their former teammate. The older man easily dodged them, destroying them with a quick blast from his hand. "First time for everything."
"Made you look."
One by one Wanda pulled and pulled, sending cars raining down on Tony from the garage. She wasn't trying to kill him, just slow him down. Besides the armor would keep him safe. The last of the cars settled, and while she felt bad for Tony and the owners of the vehicles, it was necessary.
"Come on." Clint corralled her away and around the piles of fire as they ran in the direction of where Pietro was hiding in the hanger with the quinjet. As she ran she kept track of everyone.
James and Sam were fighting the boy, both of them unhurt. Steve was busy with Colonel Rhodes and the man known as T'Challa. He was the son of the fallen king of Wakanda. The rage and hate he felt toward James was strong, maybe not as sharp as Pietro's but certainly enough to drive his revenge into obsession. He was intent on taking James' life.
Scott was now at Steve's side, after having recovered from being zapped by Natasha. It was good that Steve had back up. That was why they were paired up.
Wanda rounded a corner, Clint next to her as he pointed the hanger out. "There's our ride."
"Pietro we're almost there."
"I'm inside. I'll open it when you get close."
Steve suddenly appeared, along with Scott as they ran in front of them. In the next second James and Sam joined their sprinting group as well. Wanda felt her anxiety lessen when she saw how everyone was more or less unharmed.
Wanda felt a flare of powerful energy just as a yellow beam carved out a line in the cement. Their group halted and the Sokovian looked up to see Vision in the air above them. She knew he would be here.
"Captain Rogers!" The synthetic man floated lower. "I know you believe what you are doing is right. But for the collective good, you must surrender now."
One by one the rest joined Vision. First Tony and Natasha, then T'Challa and Colonel Rhodes, the latter carrying the former. Last was the child, landing next to the military man. The six of them formed a line, mirroring Wanda and the others.
"What do we do Cap?"
Sam's question was rhetorical at best, for both sides knew what was going to happen next but Steve's declaration confirmed it.
"We fight."
What do you guys think? Were you expecting the reveal? Let me know what you guys think! Peace out. -Mez
