{Author's Note: Surprise! I'm not dead, in case you were worried, just busy and stressed, which makes writing difficult, but fortunately, some of the stress has passed, so I was able to write! Thanks so much for your patience.}
ERIK POV
They didn't remain at the S.H.I.E.L.D. base for long. Just one more night and through the day, so Dr. Simmons could check on Pietro again, and Erik would feel better about the boy's ability to travel. Then when night fell again, Agent May took Erik, both Wandas, and Pietro back out into the wide open world under the cover of darkness in the same jet that had delivered them to their temporary place of safety.
Before their departure, Erik thanked the young doctor for her help and even gave a civilized goodbye to the twitchy young man who was clearly in love with Dr. Simmons. The children said their somewhat reluctant goodbyes as well. Though at times Erik could tell neither the older Wanda nor Pietro very much liked the structure of the base—hidden away beneath the earth as it was—it was clear that even in such a short amount of time, they had become attached to the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
Pietro had loved messing around with all of the weird little gadgets he could get his hands on. And despite Fitz's fascination with the boy's powers and his willingness to explain how some of the less dangerous items operated, Erik could tell his son had been giving the young engineer a bit of a headache in making sure Pietro didn't break anything. To which Erik could only say: welcome to parenting…or at least parenting Pietro.
The plane ride was bittersweet. The kids were obviously hopeful about the prospect of returning home though apparently Erik was rubbing off on them because it was clear that they were trying to keep that hope hidden, probably for the elder Wanda's sake who seemed to be doing her best to appear outwardly happy for all of them, even when Erik could tell she was going to miss his kids. Erik might even miss her a bit, but he would be glad to be done with this world and its troubles. He was ready to return his children to lives that held some semblance of normalcy. He only hoped that together his daughter and the Avenger would be able to connect them to their own universe.
Erik could hear the fear in his daughter's voice as she asked the elder Wanda how exactly they were going to use their powers to get home since Wanda didn't really know how she'd brought them here in the first place, but the other Wanda had steered the conversation to its end, saying there was no use discussing it. The only way they'd be able to figure it out was by doing, which they should definitely not try until they got back to the farm. No one wanted to find out what might happen if they attempted interdimensional travel while speeding through the air.
So they had all dropped the subject for now, and the kids moved on to discuss more lighthearted topics. Telling the older girl about their 'sister' Mila, and all the stuff they couldn't wait to tell her. He was glad they were handling the revelation of Wanda's true identity well enough.
He had talked to the elder Wanda after she had unveiled her identity to the teens, and discovered that while she had told them about herself and her twin, she had not told them she would be turning herself in once they were gone. Erik was glad she had decided not to, for he knew his children would not have been okay with it.
Erik sat up front next to Agent May, listening to the youngsters in the back prattle away as he watched rain batter the windshield. Agent May was clearly a highly experienced pilot, but it had started to rain rather suddenly and with it, the sky had darkened making for less than ideal flying conditions. Normally, Erik wouldn't be bothered, but with the precious cargo on board, every creak of metal and hammering of wind made him cringe internally.
"Can the jet withstand this kind of weather?" asked Erik finally, "Perhaps we should find somewhere to land."
"There is no place to land. We're in the middle of the ocean. The storm came out of nowhere. All we can do is battle through it." May replied curtly through gritted teeth.
May's words were not exactly comforting. Again, if it were just him, he wouldn't be so worried, but with Wanda and Pietro and even the other Wanda along, Erik didn't want to take any chances. But there seemed there was no choice but to continue in their flight.
Behind them, Erik heard someone unbuckle and approach the front of the aircraft. Erik turned to see the older Wanda approach. The twins were still buckled in their seats talking quietly.
"The weather is becoming a problem, isn't it?" asked Wanda.
"Better the weather than someone following us." Said May. "And I can handle it."
Erik didn't know if he agreed with Agent May. After all, he could always take down another jet, assuming it was made of metal.
"You should go sit back down. I don't want the kids to worry…" Erik trailed off, looking straight out into the night through the front window. He could feel something…something big…something metal…but that didn't make sense. They weren't following any well traversed span of ocean, as they were trying to avoid detection. There shouldn't be any ships out here…so what was?
"What is it?" asked Wanda clearly noticing the way Erik's face was set in concentration.
"I'm…not sure. There's something in the water ahead." They were already flying pretty low as May thought visibility might be better at a lower altitude as attempting to fly over the storm had turned out to be an impossibility.
May, Wanda, and Erik all peered forward blindly through the front windshield into the seemingly endless blackness of the storm. Then, a brilliant flash of lightning lit up the sky, revealing a giant circular metal raft of some sort in the ocean below: the source of the metal pulling at Erik's senses. Water was pouring from openings all around the sides of the craft, and a ring of lights lit up the top of the structure. The sky went dark again for a moment, momentarily hiding the monstrosity below from sight, until another flash of lightning tore through the sky and with it Erik noticed another jet circling the structure below that he had failed to sense because of the overwhelming size of the metal craft.
"Well that's something you don't see every day." Said Agent May staring out at the fortress ahead. Then she squinted her eyes as lightning lit up the sky again. "I recognize that jet. That's the jet Captain Rogers took off in."
Wanda eyes widened. "Are you sure?"
"I know my aircrafts." Answered May.
"If Steve is down there, I need to help him. After we left the airport, the government surely would have arrested everyone who helped him, this very well could be where they are keeping them. I had heard rumors that such a prison existed. It makes sense that people as powerful as Captain America's allies would be there." Stated Wanda decisively. "If Steve is planning on breaking his friends out, then I have to help. And if he's planning on turning himself in, then I'll do that too. Either way, I need to get down there."
Erik narrowed his eyes as they grew closer to the…whatever it was. "You don't know he's down there. Whoever is piloting the aircraft might not even be the Captain's ally, and Agent May might be mistaken." At that, Agent May shot him a death glare, as if she found it offensive to suggest that she would ever be wrong. Erik ignored her and continued. "He may not even be there at all, nor your friends, Wanda. We are not stopping at the mere possibility that they could be there. I'm not endangering the lives of my children."
"You don't have to endanger them, just open the hatch and let me out. I can manage to fly myself down. It's a big enough landing area, I'm not going to miss, even in this weather." Wanda countered.
"That's not happening." Said Erik raising his voice. "There's no need for you to put your own life in danger either!"
"Yo! What's going on up there?" Pietro called from the back of the plane at the sound of his father's voice.
"Nothing!" all three adults responded in unison.
"Maybe I'll just—" the younger Wanda started to say but Erik cut her off.
"Wanda, Pietro, Stay in your seat." Erik said sternly, using his powers to make it impossible for the son or daughter to unbuckle, before turning back to the debate.
"I'm not your daughter, Erik. You don't get to decide what I do. Just let me go. You don't even need to wait for me. I'll leave here with Steve or I won't. Your daughter brought you here on her own, she can get you back home with or without me, even if she doesn't believe she can." said Wanda with an air of finality.
Erik couldn't deny that what she said was true, but he didn't have to like it. And honestly, he hadn't even been thinking about that. He'd only been thinking about everyone being safe right here and now. But now that Wanda had brought it up, he realized that was something else he should be concerned about if Wanda left. He knew his daughter had the power in her to get them back home—obviously she did, she had brought them here—but how was she supposed to do that if she didn't believe herself capable? She needed the elder Wanda to help her, or to at least give her confidence.
Damn it.
It seemed Erik was going to have to go with Wanda because he could tell by the look in her eyes that even if Agent May did not open the hatch, she would bust it open and jump out without a second thought. Either way, her mind was made up. She'd go with or without Erik. But with Erik, he might be able to bring her back.
"Someone needs to decide something soon, we're approaching." Said Agent May.
Erik focused once again on the young woman before him. "You may be right, but I can't take that risk, and I'm not going to let you take that risk alone either. I'm not going to abandon you here, so if you have to do this I'm coming with you. May, open the hatch. And if something happens, don't wait for us. Stay on course and get my children to safety."
As Erik finished speaking, he was greeted by an unexpected hug from Wanda. "Thank you."
Erik was saved from replying as Pietro's voice sounded from the back of the cabin once more. "Okay! What is going on?!" asked Pietro. "You were definitely just arguing and now hugs are happening! So somethings definitely happening!"
Erik floats his helmet and cape toward him from beside him on the floor of the jet. He hadn't put them on when they had left the S.H.I.E.L.D. base. There had been no need. They weren't supposed to be going into battle or on a mission. The only mission was to get his children home.
After throwing the cape around his shoulders and sliding the metal helmet onto his head, Erik and Wanda walked to the back of the jet, where Erik bent down to kneel in front of his children placing a hand on both of their shoulders.
"Captain Rogers needs our help. We'll be back, but if for some reason we're not, Wanda…" Erik said turning his gaze toward his daughter. "I know you can get you and your brother home. You can. Do not doubt yourself. I wish I wasn't always leaving you two, but this is unavoidable. I need to help Wanda. I love you both." Erik finished standing back up again.
"What are you talking about!? If Cap needs help, then he should get all of our help! And where could you possibly be going?! We're in the middle of the ocean! What's out there?! Wanda back me up here!" Pietro turned to his sister.
Beside the boy, his sister's eyes rose to meet their father's gaze, and in that moment, a silent understanding passed between them. "We can't Pietro. You're not battle ready, and I don't think I am either…and if this is what Erik thinks he's has to do then let him do it. We survived without him before." Said Wanda. "We can do it again." Her voice was strong and filled with steel, but there was a touch of sadness beneath her words, and Erik hoped one day she could forgive him.
Pietro just stared at his sister, mouth open in exasperation before he started trying to unbuckle his seat belt which Erik made sure was still unreleasable.
"I'm sorry." Said Erik.
"Me too." Added the elder Wanda giving Pietro's shoulder a gentle squeeze before turning away, eyes glistening.
Erik turned to the elder Wanda quickly saying "Hold tight to me. I'll use my powers to get us down there, and you use yours to balance us out if need be."
Wanda nodded and Erik glanced over at his children one last time desperately trying to put Pietro's look of betrayal out of his mind, "Be safe."
Then Erik address Agent May, "open the hatch."
Erik put an arm around the elder Wanda's waist and May responded in kind. The back of the jet opened, letting in wind and a fair amount of rain but Erik gripped Wanda tight and held onto the jet with his powers so they weren't flung off of their feet.
Then together they jumped from the jet into the unforgiving storm outside. The last sound he heard was his son screaming 'Dad' at the top of his lungs. But Erik made sure to hold his children's seatbelts in place even as he and Wanda descended, until the jet's hatch closed behind them.
Their landing was far from graceful. Even using both of their powers, with the wind and rain being what it was, their touchdown was more of a fall than a landing. They hit the top of the vessel hard, but somehow managed to land very near the center of the circular vessel. Fortunately for Wanda—less fortunate for him—Erik took the brunt of the impact, as he used his powers to ensure Wanda's contact with the surface wasn't too brutal. Erik would be sore later, but he had managed to tuck and roll at the last moment, saving himself from any broken limbs.
Together the two got to their feet and looked up to find—wouldn't you know it—Captain Rogers running toward them across the wide expanse of the vessel. It seemed Wanda had been correct after all. How the Captain had found this place, however, would have to remain a mystery, because Erik didn't intend to waste time chatting for any longer than necessary.
Erik noticed that Captain Rogers wasn't wearing his signature red, white, and blue uniform, nor did he have his iconic shield with him. He was instead dressed simply in black.
"Steve!" Wanda yelled rushing over to give the man a hug. Erik wasn't sure if she had shouted just to be heard over the roar of the wind and rain or out of sheer joy at seeing her friend/leader alive and well. Perhaps both.
"Good to see you kid!" Captain Rogers replied returning her hug. "You too, Erik! And thank you, for helping me back in Berlin; I didn't realize what you were doing at the time! How did you manage to get here?"
Erik waved away his thanks. There was no time for niceties and he didn't care for validations of his actions, good or bad. Nor did he wish to take the time to explain their arrival "It doesn't matter. What is it you are looking to accomplish here Captain? Whatever it is I suggest we do it soon, before the task becomes more difficult." said Erik who was, to be honest, surprised that no one had come out of the vessel trying to shoot them yet. Perhaps whatever the purpose of this place, the people who controlled it where confident in its ability to keep people out by its remoteness alone and the seemingly impenetrable metal hull.
"Right." Said Steve immediately becoming serious. "This is a prison. I've come to liberate Sam, Clint, and Scott. I planned to use explosives to break through the exterior, but the surface is looking to be stronger than I anticipated. If you'd be willing to lend a hand, Erik, this might go a whole lot quicker."
It seemed Wanda was right on more than one account. Erik glanced over at her, and saw that she was looking at him hopefully. "Very well." Said Erik as he approached the very center of the vessel that looked to be the point of entry. "I suggest you both prepare yourselves. In my experience, people don't usually let their prisoners walk free without resisting, even if that resistance is futile."
Erik looked at Wanda and Captain Rogers once more to make sure they were ready, and when they nodded. He put aside lingering thoughts of his children as best he could and tore open the fortress beneath them.
CLINT POV
Clint lay on his back with his elbows out and his hands beneath his head, gazing at the barren ceiling above him. Silently he wondered if it had been the right choice to help Steve. His family's absence was like a whole in his side. Clint believed he had been doing the right thing at the time. He still did believe his actions were right, he just didn't know if it was worth it. Not anymore. Not since it now looked like he would probably become merely a memory of a father, rather than an actual father to his children.
Clint was supposed to be enjoying retirement right now. He was supposed to be waking up next to his beautiful wife, remodeling their house, and taking his kids on camping trips…this time, he was supposed to be there for his baby's first steps and first words…
As Clint thought of his little baby boy, Nathaniel Pietro Barton, he couldn't help but think of the other young Pietro who he had last seen being carried, barely conscious into a jet off to who knows where. When he'd pulled Wanda aside, she'd quickly confirmed that the man who had arrived looking like he was headed to a Roman convention was the other Wanda and Pietro's father, so he'd them go, but it hadn't been easy to just watch them be led away. There was something about being a father that made everything involving children that much harder to handle. He'd told Wanda to be careful and the next moment they were gone.
He'd wanted to go with them. He'd been trying to look out for Wanda ever since she'd lost her brother and so far he'd been doing a really poor job of it. He called her every so often, but Clint thought that he might only be reminding her of her brother's death, so he tried not to bother her too much. And he'd only just met the kid, but he already felt like he'd let this other Pietro down too.
He should've known that the boy would throw himself into the fight, instead of staying behind, and then when he had thrown himself into the fray, Clint shouldn't have taken his eyes off of him for even a second because he'd ended up hurt, and though it may not have directly been Clint's fault this time, if he would've stopped the Wakandan Prince before he'd headed to the hanger, then the boy wouldn't have had too. And the kid would've been fine. But instead, Clint had failed…again.
And now he didn't even know…and might never know if this even younger Pietro was okay.
Clint closed his eyes and tried to imagine that he was back at home. The kids were all in bed and Laura was sleeping peacefully by his side. Unfortunately, the day dream didn't last long as it was hard to keep hold of the illusion when Scott was drumming on the wall of his own cell and singing the lyrics to We Didn't Start the Fire.
"Lang, you're doing it again man." Said Sam from his own cell.
"Oh sorry! Just trying to pass the time. You could both join in, or I could take requests if you've got one!" Scott answered cheerfully.
Scott was a good guy, and certainly not the worst person in the world to be imprisoned with, but he could be a bit…much. Thankfully, Sam was good at keeping the guy in check when his antics got out of hand. It was nice to have Scott around to lighten the mood, but Sam understood that sometimes Clint just wanted to brood in silence.
"Not at the moment, Scott. Maybe take five." Sam replied.
"O-K. Got to rest the pipes anyway…" Scott fell silent, and Clint eyes sprang open because Scott might agree to take a break from singing but it usually took him a good minute to quit talking, so something had shocked him into silence.
Clint rose to his feet and looked out the front of his cell just in time to see Steve, Wanda, and wouldn't you know it, Erik—the cape wearing father of Pietro and Wanda of the alternate universe—entering the room. Clint couldn't help the smile that came to his face because man was it good to see them, and the fact that they were altogether and Wanda was smiling at him had to mean Pietro—or Peter as he seemed to prefer—was okay.
They didn't say anything, but Erik made a quick motion with one hand, causing the front of all of their cells to come clean off.
Scott was the quickest to exit his cell and he ran up to the trio.
"Captain America! Wow! Wonderful to see you again! Miss Maximoff! Pleasure as always! And—" Scott turned to Erik "I don't know you, but nice work man! High five!" With this exclamation, Scott held up a hand, which Erik promptly ignored.
"Not a high five guy. That's cool." Said Scott lowering his hand "fist bump? No? okay. Maybe later!"
Clint and Sam exited their cells next. Sam walked up to Steve and gave him a hand shake, and Clint went over to Wanda right away to give her a quick hug. "It's good to see you, kid."
"You too, Clint."
"The other kid, Peter, is he okay?" Clint asked Wanda quietly.
"He's fine. Just a bad concussion but he'll be alright." Said Wanda and Clint felt like a ton of bricks had been lifted off his shoulders.
"Is everyone done wasting time with reunions?" asked Erik deadpanned, "We should go. Now."
"He's right." Said Steve just as serious but somehow managing a much friendlier tone. "The quicker we get out of here the better."
So the newly liberated prisoners and their rescuers headed toward the exit, where Clint could just see bodies of men—who he assumed were unconscious—littered across the floor.
X-MEN WANDA POV
Earlier…
As Erik and her…alternate self, exited the aircraft, Pietro thrashed in his seat beside her trying unsuccessfully to escape from his harness while calling out to their father. But Wanda herself remained still and silent.
Besides the turbulent weather, she didn't know what was going on outside the jet, but she hadn't seen the point in wasting her time arguing with Erik or the other Wanda. They'd made up their mind. Afterall, if Captain American and the other Avengers needed help, then she wanted to help too, but Pietro came first, and there was no way she was willing to leave him alone in order to do that, even if they were. And she was absolutely not going to drag him into another fight.
As soon as the back of the jet closed behind Erik and Wanda, ending the smattering of rain and wind that had been battering the inside of the aircraft, Erik's hold on their seatbelts lifted and Pietro flew out of his seat toward the back of the jet and hammered his fist on it rapidly in frustration.
Wanda cringed at the speed her brother moved. He was supposed to be resting, and he had promised Erik he wouldn't run, but promises could be forgotten when your father flies out the back of an aircraft in the middle of the ocean.
Wanda unbuckled her own seatbelt as quickly as she could, and stood up knowing she would have to try to calm her brother down or he might further exasperate his injuries.
"Piet—" Wanda started to say but he zipped by her up toward the cockpit.
"Open the door!" Pietro said yelling at May who was extremely focused on keeping the aircraft steady amid the unforgiving storm.
"I can't do that. You both need to get back in your seats." Said May calmly, but Wanda thought she heard the tiniest bit of stress layered underneath her words.
"No! Just open it! Or Tell me which button opens it andI'lldoitmyself!" Pietro cried.
"Pietro, calm down." Wanda said as she reached her brother. He seemed oblivious as she put her arms around him to try to calm him down and coax him back to their seats. "Pete, she's not going to do that, and even if she did, I'm not confident enough to fly us anywhere in this weather, and as talented as you are Pete, I hate to break it to you, but you can't fly, so you can't just go jumping out the back of an airplane. Besides, we don't even know where they were headed. And you have to rest, remember? You're not supposed to be running anywhere."
Pietro just looked around and ignored her, desperately scanning the jet's display panel as if he might resort to pushing random buttons just to get the back of the jet open, but part of him must have realized that it wouldn't be wise to do because he took his gaze off the panel to look back down at May.
"Please—please just open it!" Pietro voice cracked and his eyes watered as he begged the woman to do as he asked and Wanda felt her own heart twinge with sympathy.
"She can't Pietro. It would be pointless. We are in no position to help them. Please come back and sit down, Pie. Please." Now Wanda was the one who was begging, but she couldn't bear to see her brother in pain, and it was becoming difficult to stand up with the way the jet was being thrown around by the wind.
Tears trailed down her brother's face and he quickly wiped them away, but didn't stop Wanda from leading them back to their seats. He just sat there silently as she strapped him in again and then herself.
"Why did they have to leave us here without even bothering to explain what they were doing this time?! It's not fair! Why is he always leaving!" Pietro said slamming his fists down against the back of his seat in frustration, clearly not expecting Wanda to answer as he buried his face in her shoulder.
Wanda maneuvered herself so she could put an arm around her brother. She had come to see that Erik really did do what he thought was best for them, but that didn't stop her from cursing him in that moment for causing her brother pain. She didn't blame Wanda. Her brother was dead, and throwing herself into danger to help her friends was probably the only thing that kept her going. Wanda knew she certainly wouldn't be able to survive the death of her twin.
Wanda looked up over Pietro's head to where May was sitting in the cockpit. It was hard to tell from a distance but she thought she saw a bead of sweat on the woman's forehead.
Wanda opened her mouth to ask if everything was alright with the jet, when suddenly another flash of lightning lit up the sky, but this time it did more than just light the sky. It struck the aircraft and immediately everything went to hell.
The jet jerked violently and Wanda and Pietro's bodies were flung sideways but thankfully held in place by their harnesses. May cursed loudly as about a dozen warning bells went off.
"May?!" Wanda asked shouting in order to be heard over the mixed noise of the storm and alarms, fear laced her voice and she for once sounded as young as she was. Beside her, her brother looked at his sister then over to Agent May with wide eyes.
May was pulling up frantically on the jet's joystick, but it didn't seem to be cooperating. And a moment later Wanda knew for certain it wasn't. Because for the first time in the short period Wanda had known the woman, May's composure broke. She looked back at the kids and yelled "Brace for impact!"
And then everything went black.
Wanda woke to the feeling of cold water against her feet, soaking into her shoes, socks, and the ankles of her pants. It was dark save for the glowing green back-up emergency lights lining the floor and ceiling.
It took her a moment to orient herself. The jet's alarms were no longer going off, but the water was rising…and rising quickly.
The water.
And then it came back to her. They had crashed into the sea, and the jet was somehow still miraculously intact…or partially intact. There had to be a hole, crack, or some other broken seal in the aircraft because the water continued to rise.
And that knowledge snapped Wanda's senses back on full alert. She knew she had to move.
Beside her, Pietro was slumped over in his seat, and that set her heart racing even more than it already was. And though she couldn't see very well, she couldn't make out any movement from the cockpit either.
She had to do something. She had to focus.
"Pietro!" Wanda's voice shook almost in time with her fingers as she fumbled with her harness, and the water continued to rise. It was nearly to their knees now. And it was so cold. Her feet were already going numb.
Finally, managing to get her harness unhooked, Wanda jumped out of her seat as best she could and started working on her brother's harness, while trying to stay as calm as she could in the hope that the calmness of her voice would coax her brother awake because the last time he was rendered unconscious, shouting had not helped.
"Pie—Pietro. Wake up. Come on please. PIETRO!"
So much for staying calm. Wanda begged her brother some more to wake up as she unhooked his harness just as the water reached the bottom of his seat.
"May!" Wanda shouted as she glanced back up at the cockpit hopefully, but it was so dark. She couldn't tell if May was unconscious in her seat or dead, but either way, she couldn't help her right now. She didn't even know if she could help her brother, and he was the priority.
"Wa—Wanda?" Pietro's voice quavered just as her own had, but she couldn't tell if it was in confusion, cold, fear, pain, or perhaps all of the above but the fact that he had woken up calmed her just a bit.
"I've got you, Pietro. I'm going to get us out of here." Said Wanda as she pulled her brother's arm over her shoulder and raised him to his feet as gently and quickly as she could.
The water was still rising. Standing, it was now at waist level. Wanda didn't look to see what that meant for May. She was barely keeping herself together as it was.
God it's so cold.
Pietro was waking up more now. For a moment, she almost wished he wouldn't because even though she'd promised she would do it, she—she didn't know how she was going to get them out of there.
"Wanda, it's co-cold" Pietro sputtered out. Then looked around as if the pieces were just coming together. "We're sinking."
"No. NO. The jet is sinking. We're going to get out of here."
"Wh—what about May?" Pietro asked, voice shaking with a mixture of cold and fear.
Her brother, ever the Good Samaritan, even in a crisis.
"I'll come back for her, or we'll get someone to help. Don't worry. We just have to focus on getting out of here first. The faster we get out, the faster she'll get help."
Fortunately, that seemed to placate her brother or maybe he was just too out of it to completely comprehend what was going on. Getting knocked out twice in a matter of days, could not be good for anyone, let alone her already injury prone and fragile little brother.
They reached the back of the jet and Wanda put one hand on it blindly searching for…what? She didn't really know. Just some way out.
Wanda tried to control her rising fear as she strained her mind for an idea of what to do. Surely, if she blasted open any part of the jet, water would just come barreling in and down on them. And that might at the very least knock her or Pietro or both unconscious again, putting them in a worse position then they were in now. She knew the same thing would happen if her brother tried to break the glass windshield at the front of the aircraft, if that were even possible for him to do with the force of water pushing against it from the other side, which she doubted. And having just water, rather than glass and water reign down on them seemed to be the lesser of two evils, so she didn't even suggest it.
But she had to do something. She couldn't wait any longer. It was getting harder to concentrate as the cold ocean water rose up to their chests.
She tried to call on her powers, and a red flicker of light shimmered around one hand as she held it above the water, illuminating her brother's unnaturally pale face, but the light flickered and died. Frustrated, she tried again only to end with the same result.
She wasn't going to be able to do it. She was too cold. Too powerless. Too afraid. They were going to die here. More importantly, her brother was going to die here, and it would be all her fault.
She tried once more, creating nothing more than light enough to illuminate their imminent death. The water was at the top of their shoulders now. Before the light flickered out once more, she saw her brother—still semi-conscious—raise his dark brown eyes to meet her own.
"S'alright, Wanda." Said Pietro, his voice surprisingly calm.
"No—no." said Wanda barely above whisper.
This can't be happening.
She couldn't let it happen. Angry tears began to form in her eyes and she closed them tightly in one last effort to retain some semblance of control. She felt her brother's other arm wrap around her body and pull her into a hug, just as they both took a desperate breath of air before the water rose above their heads, consuming them in its cold, unforgiving grasp.
It wasn't supposed to end like this. They weren't supposed to die here. They were going to go back home. They were going to be a family again. She tried to ignore her shaking limbs and the beginning of an ache in her lungs.
It wasn't fair. She had to save Pietro. He didn't deserve to die here. She had to escape. She had to get them out. She had to…take them home.
Maybe it was the eerie calm with which the water enveloped them or the feeling of her brother's arms around her, but as they hovered in that peculiar stretch of time between life and death, something in her snapped.
She refused to die like this. To let her brother die like this, in a universe that wasn't even their own. Refused to let this world end them, when her brother had already made it through so much.
She. Just. Refused.
Wanda's eyes snapped open underwater, glowing red and brighter than they ever had before. A moment later, red swirling energy exploded from within her, engulfing her and Pietro, but not before a large hand encircled her forearm, intending to pull her and her brother from the ocean's grasp, but instead, its owner was pulled along with them into the unknown.
STEVE POV
Earlier…
Once Erik had broken through the prison's hull, it hadn't been difficult to get past the guards. With two super-powered beings—one whom controls metal—and a super-soldier working together, incapacitating the armed soldiers had made for simple work. Steve felt bad about injuring his fellow men at arms, but it was unfortunately necessary. He had to free his friends. He owed them that much. Erik and Wanda didn't seem to broken up about it, but he could hardly blame them for that given their past.
Even though she'd volunteered, Wanda had effectively been a prisoner to those who had given her powers, and as for Erik…he'd seen the tattoo on his arm. Steve knew what that meant. He'd lived through that time too. Just not in the same way, or in the same world.
But all-in-all, the liberation mission was going as best as could be expected, better actually. Steve should've known their good fortune wouldn't last.
"Steve."
Sharon Carter's voice sounded in the communication device he had set in his ear. Steve knew he had asked too much of her to accompany him here, so he could sneak on the island prison without having to overtly announce his presence by landing the jet on it, but she had agreed to help and Steve couldn't pretend that he wasn't glad. The woman awoke feelings inside him that technically, he hadn't experienced for over half a century. Feelings that he both welcomed and wanted to bury deep inside himself at the same time.
"Steve?" Sharon asked again when he didn't respond as he was too caught up in his own thoughts. "What's your status?"
Shaking his head trying to clear it of lingering thoughts of his own feelings and the guilt he felt for probably ruining all of Sharon's career prospects if anyone found out she was helping him, Steve finally replied as he jogged with the rest of the group through the floating prison.
"We're on our way out. Almost to the roof."
Next to him Erik gave Steve a weird look that might have been the first change in emotion from the man's serious demeanor since he and Wanda had arrived on the vessel as a welcome surprise. Steve guessed Erik was probably confused as to why he was narrating their progress. As a man out of time himself, he could understand the confusion. It had certainly been a jarring experience for him when he'd woken up in 2012 and been bombarded by how much technology had advanced.
Steve pointed to the device in his ear to clue Erik in, which seemed to do the trick because he nodded and turned away.
"The other people that are with you…their jet went down. I think it might've been struck by lightning." Sharon's voice carried through the ear piece. She wasn't panicked, but she could hear the stress in her voice at not being able to do something for whoever was in that jet. "It didn't hit the prison, and I think it might have stayed intact when it hit the water, but I haven't seen anyone surface."
Years of training had Steve replying immediately. "Circle impact zone. See if you can get a visual on the pilot. We're just reaching the exit. I'll attempt a rescue as soon as we're out."
As Steve finished his reply, next to him Erik asked, "What is it?"
The man's voice was calm, unaware that the life of whoever had brought him and Wanda here was quite possibly in peril.
They rounded a final corner and ended up right below what would be their exit as Steve replied "Your jet. It just went down. I'm goin—" He didn't even finish speaking before the color had completely drained from Erik's face.
"Pietro. Wanda." Wanda's voice was barely above a whisper, but the panic in it, sent a sick feeling to the pit of his stomach. She couldn't mean…No. Were Erik's children in the jet that went down?
A moment later, Steve had his answer because Erik had recovered from his initial shock. The man stuck his arms out above his head and then in one swift motion as if he were pulling something toward him, he was soaring upward through their initial entry point into the structure. Steve quickly followed up the ladder before Wanda could also attempt to fly off, as she most likely wanted to do by the sound of her voice, but Steve was fairly certain she didn't even know how to swim, and they didn't need another person to rescue.
Steve reached the top of the ladder after what felt like an eternity, but what had really only been a matter of seconds. He had to help Erik rescue his kids. If something happened to Erik's children while he had been helping him, Steve would never forgive himself. And even regardless of that fact, Steve couldn't bear it if any children were hurt or God forbid….
Steve looked around, amidst the still powerful rain and wind, locating Erik at the edge of the roof of the structure. His arms were stretched out over the water, no doubt in an attempt to locate the sunken aircraft and bring it to the surface.
"Erik!" Steve shouted over the storm as he ran over to the man. Erik turned his head to look over at Steve as he approached, his face strained with effort and his eyes hauntingly unseeing, but Erik didn't say anything. He just turned away and took a diving leap into the water. His cape billowing behind him as he did. He supposed the man didn't care if they weighed him down. Erik would likely shed them if he needed to in order to bring his children back to the surface, and if not…it wouldn't matter. Steve was certain Erik had no intention of coming back up, if he didn't come back with his children.
Without a further thought, Steve dove off the building into the water after Erik. Behind him, he thought he heard Wanda screaming, and if Steve had looked back, he would have seen Clint with his arms around Wanda holding her back, while the other Sam and Scott emerged onto the roof of the structure just behind them.
Steve hit the water hard. The cold and dark a shock to his system, but he had jumped into the ocean before on different mission from a much greater height. His body could take it. His only fear was that Wanda and Pietro, and even Erik could not. Not for long anyway, assuming they had survived the impact.
The water muted the sound of the storm above but it did nothing to calm his worry for Erik's children and the pilot who had also gone down with the jet. Turning his body under the water, Steve saw a dim light ahead, illuminating Erik's figure and the shape of an aircraft rising toward him.
Wasting no time, Steve swam toward Erik, whose back was to him. A strong swimmer, he made it over to the man just as Erik, tore off the back of the jet. The broken piece of the aircraft spiraled away from them, missing Steve by less than an inch. Using his powers, Erik quickly moved forward reaching into the aircraft. Steve was close on his heels. Close enough to see what happened next.
The outline of two small figures—which had to belong to Wanda and Pietro—were clutched together just inside what remained of the jet. In front of Steve, Erik reached out to them, his hand desperately encircling Wanda's arm. At the same time, Steve grabbed the edge of the aircraft, intending to pull himself forward and assist Erik, but then…there was a flash of red. Bright, strong, and other worldly, it engulfed Erik and his children before hitting Steve like a hurricane force gale wind, threatening to throw him into the empty expanse of ocean behind him. If he hadn't been holding on to the jet, he would surely have been thrown far away from it.
But he was holding on, so he saw all three figures completely illuminated in a swirl of red energy, so very much like the power of the Wanda he had come to know….And then…just like that, they were gone.
End of Part I
{Author's Note: So I decided to make this a two part series! I'm not sure if there's a way to connect stories in a series on Fanfiction, but Part II will be called We Will Remember, so be on the look out for that (though probably not for awhile...I'll be the first to admit that I'm not very good at updating regularly). Thanks for reading, and thanks for all the reviews thus far! They are very much appreciated. (:}