Hey guys! Here's a surprise weekend chapter because I was too excited to wait for Monday. Also, I'm not 100% sure if I'm going to update on Monday because my class runs late into the evening.
ALSO, I need to give a WARNING that this chapter gets pretty dark near the end. There's suicidal ideation and sexual assault and our main character is left having to deal with that. So please, read with caution or skip if you don't want to read it. I'll mark the beginning with W_A_R_N_I_N_G so you can be aware. I'll also mark the end so you can jump back in.
Like always, I own nothing.
X_X_X
Wanda grabbed her duffle bag and walked over to hide behind some pillar in the parking lot.
Men, she thought. They get to change wherever they want because they're surrounded by other men. But if I so much as remove my sweater it's a big scandal.
Wanda was still annoyed at how Steve freaked out when Wanda began removing her sweater, saying that she needed to preserve her modesty.
She had taken her bag and marched away, only managing to catch sight of Clint's amused wink.
Of course he'd find it amusing.
Wanda quickly stripped out of her dress and rushed to put on the outfit Nat had ordered for her. It was slightly more flexible but still showed too much cleavage for her taste.
"Gloves, gloves," Wanda muttered to herself, looking through her duffle bag.
"Where are my gloves?" she asked herself, glancing at the space around her in case she dropped them.
"Looking for these?" a voice called out a few feet away. She tilted her head in confusion when she saw a hand holding out her gloves from behind a pillar.
"Yes, I was, actually," she called out. She picked up her bag and walked over to the man. Each step was filled with dread and excitement.
"Thank you, Sergeant Barnes," she said, poking her head around the pillar.
The tips of his ears turned red, but he handed her the gloves.
"Steve saw them in the van. He was going to return them himself but his suit takes a while to put on," he informed her.
Blue met blue and she offered him a thankful smile.
"It's funny," she said, slipping her gloves on. "You'd think we'd have a better method of changing but we still have to strip our civilian clothes to put on the fancier looking stuff."
He huffed.
"Well, I can't complain too much. All I had to do was change my shirt to a vest," he said.
Wanda bit back a smile.
She looked ahead as they walked, not daring to glance at the man beside her. She felt lost and a part of her wished she could've talked to Steve first.
"Wanda?" the man next to her asked, gently touching her arm.
She stopped and turned to look at him.
His eyes were troubled and she could see all the pain of a thousand tortured souls in them.
"Yes, Sergeant Barnes?" she asked politely.
He flinched at her tone.
"I know you," he said.
Wanda's heartbeat picked up double it's previous rate.
"Yes, well, I have been on the TV a lot lately," she said, feigning ignorance.
"No," he said. "I know you from before today. You were with HYDRA."
Wanda pursed her lips.
"It's common knowledge I came from HYDRA, and everyone knows you were tortured by them," she said.
Why are you doing this, she scolded herself. She shouldn't be pushing him away.
"Please, don't. I remember training you, I remember training your brother," he said with a pause at the end. "I'm sorry about what happened to him. Steve told me you lost him in Sokovia."
Wanda's eyes stung and she blinked away the moisture.
"I remember you, Wanda," he continued.
"Little Witch," he said, looking intensely into her eyes.
Wanda's breath caught in her throat and all the memories whirled in her head.
"I remember you, too, Soldier," she whispered.
Relief flooded his eyes and she felt her own express the same.
"Buck, did you find Wanda?" they heard Steve ask from a distance. They put more space between them and walked a few steps more so they were in Steve's sight.
Wanda's smile was tense as he walked closer.
"Wanda," he said, pulling her into a hug when he reached her. She felt her eyes water.
"Wanda, I'm so sorry for leaving like that," Steve said. Bucky watched the two with interest.
"I thought you left me behind," she said in a raspy voice.
He pulled back and wiped the tears that had managed to fall.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that. But one thing happened right after the other and I couldn't go back. Especially after the accords," he said.
Wanda hugged him again and welcomed the warmth his arms offered.
"Promise you'll never leave me behind like that again," she said.
Wanda felt his head nod.
"Promise, Wanda," Steve said.
They pulled back to see Bucky awkwardly looking away.
"Hey, Buck, I want you to officially meet Wanda," he said, leaving one arm around her shoulders.
"Wanda, this is Bucky," he said, nodding towards the Soldier.
"Hi," they both said awkwardly.
Steve looked at them with curiosity.
Wanda picked up on his train of thought and interrupted him before he had the chance to ask what was wrong.
"So, what's the plan, Cap?" she asked.
"I want you to stay with Clint while I distract Tony and Rhodey. Our goal is to get to the jet, so we'll have to help each other out. I'm pretty sure Nat and the Wakandan king are somewhere out there. Make sure they don't hurt anyone," Steve said, letting go of her shoulders and standing up straight. She knew he meant to keep Bucky safe from the king who wanted him dead.
They joined the rest of the group and went over the plan one more time.
Something at the back of her mind was telling her to run, that no good would come out of this. She looked at Steve but he was too busy reviewing the plan of attack with Sam.
When she glanced at Bucky his eyes were on her. She could see the same apprehension in his eyes.
"You ready to go?" Clint asked from beside her. She looked at the men in front of her and she was filled with pride at being part of a close-knit group of friends. She'd do anything for them.
"Yeah, let's go kick ass," Wanda said with a smirk.
X_X_X
Rhodey.
All Wanda could think of, all she could see was her friend falling from the sky. Her heart contracted as she heard the sound of him hitting the earth, even being as far away as she was.
"Wanda," Vision said from her side. She was still in his arms and she scrambled to get away but his hold tightened.
You did this to him, she accused in her mind.
She must have thought it loud enough because he flinched. Still, his hold didn't falter.
"Let me go," she said aloud, struggling to get out of his grasp.
"I can't," he said, helping her stand up all while still keeping his hands on her.
"Wanda Maximoff," he said in a grave voice. "You're under arrest by the order of the United Nations."
Wanda felt her anger rise but then she deflated. She knew this would happen and she willingly stayed back to let Steve and Bucky escape.
"Wanda", Clint said, running up to her. At that moment, police officers and ambulances filled the parking lot. Everything happened so quickly that she could barely keep up with who was holding her, who was talking to her.
Her fear kept her magic at her fingertips, occasionally zapping at any officer who got too close. She only calmed down when she saw Tony and Nat among the crowd. They were her friends, her fellow Avengers- they would make sure nothing bad happened to her.
"Tony," she called out, wanting to ask about Rhodey, but he rushed away, following a doctor who was most likely giving him information on his friend's current health.
"In you go, Witch," the guard holding her said, forcefully shoving her into a room with nothing but a chair. She noticed the straps right away.
"Why am I here?" she turned to the guard but instead there was a doctor there with something in his took notice of the lab assistants behind him.
"Excuse me, but I'm going to need to put this on you," he said, approaching her. The assistants walked around him to stand behind her.
Wanda glanced at the object and felt hatred brew inside her. In his hands was a collar, a collar that looked so much like the one used on her in HYDRA to keep her from using her powers.
"No," Wanda said, shaking her head. Her hands moved of their own accord and her magic rushed to her fingers ready to protect her.
A pinching at the side of her neck had her reaching up in confusion. Turning around, she saw one of the assistants with a syringe in her hand, pulling back in fear.
Wanda instantly felt the effects as she felt her legs growing weaker. She tried calling her magic to her again but under the influence of drugs, all they could manage was as light haze of red around her hands.
"What have you done to me?" she asked.
Her legs gave out and she fell into the chair. The other assistant pulled out a blue cloth from nowhere, it seemed. He came and put her arms through some sleeves before wrapping it behind her. He fastened some belts in front of her and finally her mind offered an explanation.
A straightjacket.
She felt indignation burn in her veins but she realized she couldn't use her hands to control her powers.
However, she knew what she was capable of and she felt her eyesight sharpen. She took in every single detail in the room and when she saw her reflection in the doctor's eyes, her own were glowing red.
"Don't look into her eyes," the doctor told the assistants, closing his own eyes.
Wanda smirked and allowed her mind to open up and reach out to him. A slap across her face broke her concentration and she turned her attention to the one who had given her the drugs. She closed her eyes in an instant as Wanda looked at her.
Like a snake, her mind shot out and grasped the woman's own. She urged the woman to fight against the other men, to free Wanda from her restraints.
The woman turned to the other assistant with her own red glowing eyes and the man took a step back.
In her own distraction, Wanda didn't notice the doctor creep up until it was too late.
The collar slid onto her neck with a spark and when the doctor clipped it at the back, Wanda felt fire electrifying her from within.
"No more tricks from you, Witch," the doctor said with a smirk and the assistants rushed out of the room with a fearful glance at her.
Wanda wanted to bite back, to show them that she wouldn't be tamed so easily, but the shock kept coursing through her every few seconds.
"You see, we have your file from when Shield and HYDRA files were released to the public. Your powers are a part of you. It courses through your veins, fills your every breath," the doctor said smugly. "The collar is based on Dr. List's own creation, except we tweaked it so it would shock you when it sensed your powers."
He bent down to her eye level.
"If you so much as breathe a little too hard, it'll pick up the scent of your powers and shock you. You understand?"
Wanda glared at the man and spit in his face.
The shock was instantaneous and she ground her teeth in pain.
The doctor wiped his face and sneered at her before turning to leave the room.
"You can take her," he said to the guards standing by the door.
X_X_X
"Wanda?" she heard Clint call out from his cell.
Wanda turned to look but the guards surrounding her only rushed forward and pushed her into her cell.
"Clint?" she yelled out, only to flinch at another shock.
"Wanda, are you okay?" he yelled back.
She swallowed and the guards at her cell door only smirked before walking away.
"I'm fine," she yelled back, this time prepared for the inevitable shock.
"I was so worried. Sam, Scott and I didn't see you when they brought us to the cells," he called out.
"Yeah, kid, we tried asking for you but nobody gave us answers. Where did they take you?" Sam asked, sounding closer that Clint.
Wanda closed her eyes and gently took in a deep breath. She felt the collar vibrate as it sensed her longer than normal breath.
"I asked to use the restroom after changing," she lied, her words breaking as the collar sent another painful shock through her body.
"Bullshit," Clint called out, able to pick out her lie.
"Wanda, are you sure you're okay?" Scott called out gently.
Silent tears fell down her face and she realized she wouldn't be able to talk to them like she'd wanted to.
"I'm tired," she called out a bit softer than before. It didn't keep the collar from shocking her, but she sensed a shift in the room.
"Okay, kid, get some rest," Clint said.
"It's the best way to pass the time in here," Scott said.
Wanda turned her back to the gate and slid down, closing her eyes and trying not to think about how horribly the day had gone.
X_X_X
"Get up, Witch," one of the guards whispered harshly, opening her gate door and pushing her back in deeper.
Wanda silently scooted back until she hit the wall.
"Not so feisty now, huh?" another guard said, standing behind the first one.
The gate closed and she gulped in fear as the two came closer.
"Guess all the Bitch needed was her collar to keep her happy," the first one said. They laughed and she felt tears sting her eyes.
"Fuck you," she said, groaning when the collar released more electricity to her body.
"Oh, look. She thinks she's the shit," the second one mocked. "Well fuck you, too. We're not afraid of you. In here, it's you who should be afraid of us," he said, pulling her hair back to make her look at him.
Wanda shut her eyes and refused to give in to him. She felt him pull her hair more before throwing her on the floor, causing her head to bounce back from the concrete floor harshly.
"Ah!" she exclaimed and shut up again as her body froze in pain.
"Look at her," one of the guards laughed.
"Pathetic," they said before she heard them walk out.
Wanda opened her eyes and saw their retreating feet through blurry vision.
She struggled to sit up and when she managed, she was blinded by the tears continuously pouring from her eyes.
X_X_X
Wanda was pretty sure she'd been locked in here for ages as she stared at the wall with her back to the gate.
She was sure everyone around her had abandoned her and she would be stuck in this cell for the rest of her life as she suffered for her crimes.
Sokovia.
Lagos.
Your fault.
You deserve this, it was your fault. Deal with it, others had it worse.
Lagos.
Sokovia.
You deserve this and more.
The words ran in circles in her mind until they blended into one another and all she could think and feel and believe was the self-hatred she had towards herself, towards her magic.
It was the cause of her problems and if she had just died in the explosion none of them would be in this place.
You deserve this.
Wanda noticed the doors open and she caught sight of Tony walking into the room. He glanced in her direction briefly before walking to a different cell.
This wouldn't have happened if it weren't for you.
She knew she couldn't have been in here for long if Tony was still in the same suit as earlier that day.
She sighed as she realized she was torturing herself in her own mind and if she could only focus on what was around her, she'd be a little more sane.
She heard him talking to Clint, pass by Scott, and stop to discuss something with Sam.
Wanda waited for the man to come to her, to see how broken she was and demand better treatment for her, but that moment never came. She watched with betrayal as he walked out of the room.
A few moments passe and the door opened again. Wanda saw someone walking around the cells and delivering trays to them. She watched at the lady walked closer and recognized her as the lab assistant from earlier.
"Enjoy your dinner," she said, opening the gate and throwing Wanda's tray on the floor. Food splattered all over the room.
"Bitch," the woman muttered under the breath as she left.
Wanda looked down at the junk they called food in disgust. It was the first of many meals she would reject.
X_X_X
Wanda woke up to her full bladder asking to be relieved. She'd been holding it in for the past hours she had been locked up, but she knew this was urgent now.
"Excuse me?" she called out, hoping not to wake up the others locked up with her. Her throat closed up at the shock she'd forgotten to expect.
A guard walked over and glared at her.
"What do you want?" he asked.
Wanda swallowed.
"Restroom," she choked out.
He raised an eyebrow.
"You don't get special treatment just for being a woman," he said. "There's a toilet in your cell. Use it."
Wanda struggled in the jacket, pointing out her lack of hands. The guard sneered and walked away.
She sat down on the floor and closed her eyes in humiliation. She didn't know how long she would be able to hold it. However, she moved to the toilet just in case she lost control over her bladder. There was no need for her to make a mess.
She nodded off but was brought back to herself when she felt her bladder burst. Tears ran down her face in shame as her pants became moist with her urine. When she was done, she gingerly stood up and sat on the ground right next to the gate. She gazed out and pretended not to notice how her pants were becoming crusty as they dried.
Having no other choice, Wanda fell asleep once more.
She woke with a start when she felt ice cold water hit her face.
"Disgusting, I can't believe we have to clean you up," someone said. She glanced up to see a different guard holding an empty bucket.
"HEY! What are you doing to her? You leave her alone!" she hear Clint's yells.
Laughter rang around the room.
"Look, the little Bitch has a guard dog. You been fucking him? Huh? Is that it?" the guard demanded, pulling her up by her hair.
"Ah!" she yelled, regretting it when the shock came but stronger this time.
"Wanda?" She hears Sam call out from somewhere.
"Look what I found," someone else said, walking into her cell.
Wanda glanced at the guard from the previous day and saw him holding a small remote. She felt dread grow in the pit of her stomach.
"What's it do?" the one holding her hair asked.
The other one turned a dial and pressed a button. Wanda yelled in pain as the collar responded to the control.
She heard yelling and banging on metal bars but her attention couldn't focus on her teammates trying to fight for her from their own cells.
"Well, now, I heard using a shock collar can be fun," the first guard said, grinning down at her.
Wanda's eyes grew in fear as she heard his underlying words.
W_A_R_N_I_N_G
"Let's give it a try," the other one said, looking at the camera and doing a cutting motion.
Wanda felt her breath quicken and the collar shocked her again.
"Look, she can't wait to get started," they mocked.
Suddenly, one of them reached forward and grabbed her down there.
"No!" she yelled, clenching her teeth against the shock. She pulled away as far as she could.
"We'll see about that. Here you belong to us, so do as we say, and you'll live to see another day," the one with the remote said and turned the dial again before pressing the button.
Wanda screamed as her blood felt like poison and her bones felt like broken glass.
"Let's try this again," the first guard said, pulling her forward as he spun her and her back was against his chest.
"Isn't this much better?" he asked, as a hand groped her chest. Wanda struggled as tears streamed down her face.
"There, there, just let me do everything, you relax," he whispered in her ear before kissing her neck. A hand slowly slipped down her stomach and played with the elastic on her pants.
Wanda's breathing came out in choked sobs as the collar continued to shock her. Her muscles spasmed and her own fingers twitched as his hand slipped past and cupped her sex.
Hatred for herself and for every damn person in the facility boiled under her skin. When his finger moved her underwear to the side, she felt everything explode within her.
W_A_R_N_I_N_G_D_O_N_E
The force of it escaped her body and slammed the men against the walls. Fury shone in her eyes and the men hastily got up, trying to escape. With her mind, she created a force field so they were unable to leave. The continuous shock of the collar boiled down to nothing at that point as her anger overpowered everything else in her mind.
"Stop!" the guard with the remote yelled and Wanda's fingers twitched, her magic returning to them. She struck out and the coward hid behind the guard who had touched her.
She wrapped the magic around him, lifting him off the ground. He screamed for help and she sensed an army of men running down to the cells. The other guard dropped the remote and she pushed it away from him with a flick of her head.
She turned her attention to the sobbing man begging her to release him. She let her magic pour into his body until he was glowing red.
The door to the cells burst open with armed men all pointing guns at her and with a 'pop' the room was covered in blood and flesh.
Some of the men threw up and others yelled at her to get down.
Wanda turned her attention to them but stopped as she heard scuttering behind her. Turning, she saw the other guard holding the remote again. Turning the dial to all that it could go to, he held down the button to send the shock at her.
Wanda fell to the floor with a scream as she felt the collar burn her throat. She choked on her own blood as her scream tore something inside her and she fell to the floor almost lifelessly.
All she could do was stare at the ceiling as someone dragged her away from the cell. The yells of her teammates muted under the sound of shoes stepping on flesh.
