Chapter 15. Currents
It had been a couple of days since the deadly attack in the security wing. All attempts at interrogation had been met with stony silence. Nothing had worked on any of the incarcerated. The bodies of the dead marshals had been picked up by a vetted squad of new marshals. In a meeting with Fury, the leader of the squad admitted that a contractor brought in to fix a problematic refrigeration unit in the kitchen at the Raft was a Cerberus plant. Armed with hidden tools that were successfully smuggled in, he messed with the audiovisual signals near Jack Rollins cell, opened the cell then traded places with the man, wearing a nano veil to disguise himself until he was discovered. Jack Rollins walked out disguised as the contractor, picked up by a Cerberus helicopter that took him back to the mainland.
In the briefing room, Tony Stark admitted that whoever had messed with Friday's matrix had covered their tracks very well. He blocked them from accessing Friday again then ran several diagnostic tests to confirm that so far, no other back doors had been accessed.
"Whoever they are operates at the highest level of hacking," he said. "They're considered to be an Advanced Persistent Threat and are usually funded by nation-states, even our own. I wouldn't put it past the NSA or CIA to be behind it, but I can't prove it. Both Harley Keener and Peter concur with me. They couldn't really make Friday do anything bad, they just messed with her reporting about the hacking, at least for the first attack. The more recent one was sloppy but it overloaded Friday and she had to shut herself down to stop them from hacking further into her and doing more damage. I've brought in a backup AI, which will take over if Friday goes down. It's called Tadashi, like the character from Big Hero 6.
"Alright, onto the other matter of interrogating Rollins and the others," said Fury. "We've tried and they're not talking. Dr. Strange, were you able to contact Wanda Maximoff?"
"She won't help," said Dr. Strange. "I've tried several times to speak with her and she wants nothing to do with us. Wanda no longer considers the Avengers to be friendly. I'm sorry."
"Would you let me try to speak with her?" asked Noelle, seated at the end of the conference table with Winnie on her lap. The others looked at her. "I'm not an Avenger. Bucky and she were both prisoners of HYDRA. I can't believe she would allow Cerberus to inflict such chaos on the world."
"She did her own share of that," muttered Wong, also sitting in on the meeting. "Her breakdown almost destroyed reality with her chaos magic. It was only the intervention of her imagined children that stopped her. I say we leave her be and find another way."
"I should be able to enter the minds of Rollins and the others, find out who is really behind everything," said Strange. "At least, I can compel them to talk."
"Then we're no better than Cerberus or HYDRA," said Noelle. She stood up, hefting Winnie onto her hip. "I know you're desperate for answers but there has to be a way to get them to talk voluntarily. Bucky said that some of HYDRA's leaders liked sharing their plans, believing themselves to be invulnerable and their actions inevitable. Appeal to their arrogance."
She opened her mouth to say more then shook her head and left. Sam, who had arrived shortly before stood up to follow her, but Carol shook her head.
"Let her go. She's entitled to feel that way."
As Noelle walked back to her quarters, she became aware of Winnie looking at her with concern.
"Mama, don't cry," said the little girl. "Don't be sad."
"I'll try," answered Noelle, inputting her handprint on the palm reader.
She opened the door and put Winnie down, grabbing a tissue from the box in the kitchen. Winnie went on into the living room, then returned.
"Mama, there's a lady," she said. "She wants to talk to you."
"What lady?"
Winnie offered her hand to her mother, dragging her into the living room where a beautiful woman with long reddish brown hair stood. After depositing her mother near the couch, Winnie sat down to draw.
"I would offer you my hand, but I'm not really here," said the woman. "I'm Wanda. You must be Noelle, Bucky's wife, and this must be Winnie."
"You know what's going on?"
"I looked into it after Stephen left his message. I may have been abrupt with him when we spoke, but I wanted to speak with you first. When is your baby due?"
"The middle of April," replied Noelle, placing her hand on her small baby bump. "I wasn't supposed to be able to have children, but a super soldier is apparently quite virile, even though it was something he wasn't expecting when I got pregnant with Winnie."
Wanda smiled, then sat, waiting for Noelle to sit with her. "I imagined my children, although in some parts of the multiverse they were real. They made me realize that what I was doing in this one would destroy everything, so I had to accept that I wasn't meant to be a mother in this one. Doesn't stop me from being happy for others when they're lucky enough to become parents. I'm glad Bucky was able to marry and have a family. He suffered so much under HYDRA. You both must miss him very much." She stopped for a moment, as it seemed she was looking far away. "He is in such a strange universe, completely made of gaseous sentient vibranium. Communication has been difficult with the consciousness that lives there, but they are trying to create a version of the human body that they can use to speak with him. They are interested in humans, and he has shown them how a man with his past can become a principled defender of truth."
"I have faith that they will find a way to bring him home," said Noelle. She frowned. "I'm worried that we might not be here if Cerberus has their way. Dr. Strange won't say but I think the future is changing and the chances of being taken are as high as not being taken."
Wanda nodded. "Yes, unfortunately, the currents of time are being quite unpredictable. There are several different parties interested in acquiring you, your daughter and your unborn child. There is also a belief that Winter can be reprogrammed into the Asset once more, but I think his mind has become much stronger since he manifested physically. It was enlightening to me that he chose to carry the burden of killer way back when, in order to protect Bucky. It indicates a high degree of empathy, and it's obvious that he loves you both so much."
"He's attracted to me, but I wouldn't call it love," said Noelle.
"But that's exactly what it is." Wanda suddenly shimmered, then she was reaching out to Noelle with her hand, holding it. "Friday, no doubt you have discovered I am suddenly present in the Barnes' quarters. I mean no harm and wish only to offer moral support to Noelle. Please don't tell the others I am here. I'm not ready to see anyone else, not yet."
"Very well, Ms. Maximoff, I will keep your presence a secret for now," said the AI.
"Since you're here, would you like some tea or coffee?" asked Noelle.
"Tea, please." Wanda leaned towards Winnie as her mother went to prepare some tea. "What are you drawing?"
"A picture of you," said the little girl. "Are you a princess?"
A beautiful smile erupted on Wanda's face. "No, I'm not, but I wanted to be one when I was a little girl. What do you want to be?"
"A Venger," she replied. "I want to fight the bad guys. Thor says I'm worthy of lifting Meowlnur, just like Papa is. If I'm worthy, then I can be a Venger."
"Thor would know," smiled Wanda. "Is Winter also worthy?"
"Yes, Papa Winter is very worthy. He's nice and I love him."
"He loves you, too."
Noelle returned with a tray of tea, a glass of milk for Winnie, and some cookies for all of them. She handed a mug to Wanda, then offered her a cookie.
"Home baked," she said. "I grew up in a family of chefs. Some things stayed with me."
"They're very good." Wanda's hand glowed for a moment. "Winnie won't hear us for a bit. She'll hear something else. Does it bother you that I say Winter loves you?"
"I recognized early that he responded to me physically, and I learned that he was aware during the times when Bucky and I were intimate, but he didn't understand love. In fact, he found it confusing."
"Doesn't mean he doesn't feel it. He's still a part of Bucky, born out of his mind to handle his treatment under HYDRA. He loves Bucky as well, but he has imagined a life with you and Winnie, if you're unable to get your husband back." Noelle looked at her with some alarm. "Don't be afraid that he'll try to sabotage anything. He won't because he knows that your heart belongs to Bucky. More than anything, he wants you and Winnie to be happy. His love for both of you is quite pure, actually, because he doesn't expect you to return it. Winnie does because that's just how she is with everyone."
She smiled fondly at the little girl, watching with amusement as she dipped a cookie into her milk, then slid it carefully into her mouth without dripping on the coffee table. Taking a sip of her own tea, she smiled, seemingly lost in her own memories for a moment. Noelle watched her, liking this woman who was still so young, but had seen and experienced a lifetime of heartbreak.
"You must miss Vision very much," she said. "Bucky barely knew him, only during the first battle against Thanos. He felt terrible that they were unable to stop him that first time."
"I do miss Vision, but he was never supposed to exist, either. His life was brief but for that time I was very happy." She took another sip then smiled at Noelle. "I will help you determine who is behind all of this. It will be up to the Avengers to deal with them, but it is important to provide you with peace of mind, for her sake and for his." She looked at Winnie then at Noelle's abdomen. "Tell me if you wish it to be a secret and I will erase that bit from your mind right now."
"I'm good with knowing. Thank you for helping. If you ever need to talk, please think of me. Bucky and I share everything, good and bad, although apparently, he still gets up during the night after a nightmare. A little girl told me that she holds his hand sometimes when that happens."
Wanda smiled at Winnie again. "She is so full of light and goodness, that it's evident she was created out of a great love. She is most worthy." Her hand glowed and Winnie looked up at both of them, then stood up, holding the picture she drew.
"This is for you," she said. "Do you like it?"
Wanda looked at the stick figure, seeing herself with red hair, red arms and body in a long dress, with a red cloud around each hand. What brought tears to her eyes was the blue and red stick man beside her, wearing a gold cape, and with a small yellow dot in the middle of his forehead.
"That's Vishun," said Winnie. "He was your husband."
"Yes, he was," smiled Wanda. "This is beautiful, and I will cherish it always. Thank you, Winnie. May I kiss your cheek?"
"Yes please."
Leaning forward, Wanda kissed Winnie on the cheek then almost cried when Winnie kissed her back and hugged her. Standing up, she hugged Noelle, then looked up at the ceiling.
"Friday, advise the team that I will be waiting for them in the detention area." She looked at Noelle. "I won't force them to talk. Rather, I will stimulate the part of them that feels the need to brag about their plans. HYDRA and now Cerberus can't resist making themselves seem better than they are."
"Thank you," said Noelle, her eyes glassy.
Wanda shimmered then faded away and was gone. Sitting back on the couch, Noelle reached for her daughter and embraced her firmly, hoping that this appeal to the Scarlet Witch would be enough to ensure her children's safety.
The announcement from Friday that Wanda Maximoff was waiting in the detention area caught them all by surprise, especially since Strange was of the opinion that she wanted nothing to do with the Avengers. When they arrived at the security station to find her patiently standing outside the door, she smiled at most of them, even putting her hand out to Bruce, and Sam. To Wong, she bowed her head, her apology for what she did to him before. Then she looked at Winter, who kept his distance.
"You have nothing to fear from me," she said to him. "I'm here to help determine who is behind all of this. Cerberus is intent on reacquiring you, believing that you will be more programmable than Bucky Barnes and become their new Fist. Another party wants Winnie and the unborn child, hoping to become their mother figure and mold them to serve her and provide the means to make more super soldiers. She is working with Cerberus, after helping Rollins to escape, then to infiltrate the marshals."
"Who?" asked Fury, intently.
"Someone you once trusted with your life," said Wanda. She looked at the doorway. "Only Rollins knows everything and even he has been compartmentalized. The others knew only the individual mission objectives, to use the hacking of Friday to cause enough chaos so that they could acquire Winter, Noelle and Winnie. Should we go through? I believe you will want a full confession from him to make sure he never sees the light of day again."
"Carter," said Sam, bluntly. "The Power Broker is behind this. I thought we neutralized her."
Wanda shrugged. "She is versatile and adaptable. You took out her base in Madripoor without finding her as another party assisted her. She just relocated and found herself another cesspool to rule."
She was right. They needed Rollins to confess, as Wanda's testimony would not be seen as good enough. The revelation that Sharon Carter was also connected to it rankled Fury. She was his recruit, with her connection to Peggy Carter seen as proof of her integrity. Integrity that unraveled quickly during the Blip.
While they waited in the observation room, Shore and two guards, new ones that had been provided by SHIELD, brought Rollins into the interrogation room, handcuffing him to the table. Shore nodded at the mirrored window and Wanda looked up at Fury.
"You should come in. I think Winter should be present. The others can observe from here."
Fury nodded, then opened the door for her, allowing her to exit the room first. He entered the interrogation room first, followed by Winter, then Wanda. As soon as he saw her, Rollins' face reacted, even though he tried to appear unperturbed.
"You know who I am?" she asked, calmly.
"Another traitor to HYDRA." He looked her in the eye, then looked at Fury. "You going to have her in my head?"
"I've already been there," she smiled. "I saw everything, Jack. Everything. You really didn't like playing second fiddle to Rumlow, did you? He got all the power and trust from Pierce; you got treated like a rookie. Until you got called up to the top floor of the Triskelion for your big moment, only to get beaten by a woman."
"You weren't there," he huffed. "What do you know?"
"Just what I've already seen in your memories, Jack. Did you know that I volunteered for HYDRA? I was so consumed with hate for Stark that I let them experiment on me. Let them turn me into what I am. Why did you volunteer, Jack? They never let you loose, never let you shine."
"I shine plenty for Cerberus," he smirked. "I got in here, didn't I?"
"Because of someone else," she replied. "All you had to do was wear a nano veil and pick a thread out of your uniform. She's the one who Cerberus trusted to get you in, because they knew you didn't have what it takes to do it yourself. You're a good lackey, good at taking orders, but planning and implementing a plan ... she's much better at it."
His face went red for a moment, then he spoke with a definite edge to his voice.
"You know nothing." He looked at Winter. "Once you're back in the fold we won't need Sharon Carter anymore. You can get us into any secure facility."
He stopped then, realizing he had spoken her name out loud. In the observation room, several of the Avengers smiled at each other, at how quickly Wanda got him to say Carter's name out loud. Fury scoffed openly at the man in front of him.
"Sure, you will, because Cerberus has such highly trained infiltration specialists that they don't need to hire mercenaries or APT level hackers to bump up their forces. Without them, you're what ... a bunch of amateurs, led by a woman who was on the other side when Pierce died. Then there's you, a man who wasn't even allowed to make decisions on his own during Project Insight. You wanted to kill Steve Rogers on the street, right then and there but Rumlow overruled you in front of all your men. Said it was because of the television film crews in the helicopters but we really know it was because he wanted to be the one to do it, then take Pierce's praise instead of it going to you."
"No, it's not like that with Cerberus." Rollins face was red, as he sputtered. "We lost so many people at the Norway facility when the other universe sucked them in. That was Carter's intel that put us there, her fault that we weren't prepared for what the portal revealed when we got into that universe. No one knew the vibranium was alive. It's a fucking metal! How can metal be aware? Then we heard from Hamilton here that something happened to Barnes, a personality split that brought the Soldier back. Our leader said all we had to do was get him out of here, but you gave him a place to live, then began giving him privileges." He looked from one person to another. "Fury gave privileges to the guy who tried to kill him ... twice! Hamilton said we needed to get him out of here because Winter had the hots for Barnes' wife and if he wouldn't leave her alone, we couldn't get to her or the kid."
"Did your leader pick Hamilton for this assignment? That must have irritated you as well, not to have input into your team." Fury spoke again, picking up on the revelation there was another person in charge.
Rollins glared at Fury when he asked that question. "You think I'm going to tell you? You have no ..."
"Yeah, yeah, I have no idea." Fury finished the sentence. "Was Hamilton Cerberus? Come on, Jack. Surely you can tell me that. Rub it in what a poor judge of character I was."
Rollins leaned back to the extent of his restraints before leaning forward again. The appeal to insult Fury was obviously too good an opportunity to waste.
"No, he was Carter's inside person here. She was taking the kids so he could have the wife. Couldn't even change the times of the Soldier's access into the armoury right. Didn't count on the Iron Man suit being off limits to the Chief of Security, so he couldn't switch out the ammo in the suit for blanks. It gave enough time for the others to get out of that warehouse in Panama, then the fucking sorcerers brought all the Avengers back. Even though Hamilton said he had removed their access into the armoury, and stopped Friday from warning Barnes' woman, he messed that up, too. Letting her hit him with a fucking frying pan. I took care of him and the marshals. That was me, and now the leader knows it was right to put me in charge as I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty. I took action and achieved results. We'll keep attacking here and eventually you'll get tired of protecting Barnes' whore and brat, and the Soldier will once again be what he was always meant to be."
He babbled on about Cerberus regaining all that HYDRA had lost then Wanda froze him in place, his mouth open and a crazed look on his face, as she caught him in the middle of a rant. Returning to the observation room she looked coolly at Fury and the others.
"He's lost in his own fantasy about Cerberus right now."
"Do you know who's in charge of Cerberus?"
Her face dropped.
"As the only one of this bunch who has come face to face with that person, Rollins has also undergone a memory treatment to hide that information from someone like me. That knowledge has been buried deep in his mind to prevent him from letting it out, and I'm not willing to drag it out of him." She looked at Strange and Wong. "I won't cross that line ever again. I can tell you that the CIA is fully aware of what is happening although it has not been sanctioned at any official level. Let's just say, the director agreed to look away so certain elements could freelance, certain elements that have worked for other intelligence agencies in the past. The CIA suspected that Carter was selling their secrets and some equipment, including the memory suppression apparatus but rather than take her into custody they offered her help to relocate her operations from Madripoor. They sold you out when you undertook that mission to take her into custody as she's more helpful to them on the outside, with her contacts to the criminal underworld."
"Are you saying that several intelligence operations as well as the mob are involved?" asked Sam. "That's a lot of interested parties for Winter, Noelle, and Winnie."
"Stem cells," said Wanda. "Her child, when it's born, will come with stem cells in the umbilical cord. Cultivated properly they would be worth billions to any interested parties who want to set up their own Winter Soldier program. They can all have their own super soldiers, keep the balance of power between the different operations, and Carter would be raking it in." She seemed thoughtful for a moment. "I don't believe Carter or the other intelligence officials involved in this have been subject to memory wipes. You may have to bring them in to find out who is behind Cerberus. I can return if you wish to be present at their interrogation, but I won't be involved officially with the Avengers again." She looked sadly at Strange and Wong. "I don't think the trust is there. You may want to beef up your security here considerably for Noelle and Winnie, as well as family members of the Avengers. I sense a renewed effort to acquire their targets."
Fury nodded his head at her words. Leaving with most of the others he accepted that Wanda would likely leave the same way she arrived, by magic. Sam and Bruce stopped, both of them offering her their hand.
"How are you, really?" asked Sam, his concern evident in his eyes.
She smiled warmly at him. "There are good days and bad days." She produced the picture of her and Vision that was gifted to her by Winnie. "Today is a good day. Protect that little girl with your lives if you have to. Both of them, but she is something extraordinary and if Sharon Carter or any of them get hold of her, they will destroy everything that is good about her." A slow smile spread across her face. "You're a father now. How is that for you?"
"Amazing," replied Sam. "Paul and Winnie are as close as brother and sister. If anything happened to her or Noelle it would devastate all of us."
Bruce just watched her carefully until she intertwined her hand in his. "You wear your concern like clothing. I'm still trying to find my way, but I won't harm anyone ever again. That much I can promise you."
"We're both free to talk if you need a sympathetic ear," said the doctor. "I spent enough time running to know that isolation isn't the answer."
"Perhaps," sighed Wanda.
Releasing his hand, her body shimmered, and she phased away. The two men looked meaningfully at each other then left the interrogation room. Rollins had already been relocated to his cell and would be transferred out sometime during the night to an undisclosed location. After his trial and sentencing, he was never seen nor heard from again, despite his insistence that Cerberus would come for him.
As Wanda returned to her sanctuary, she thought long and hard about what she didn't tell Fury and the others. Although she hadn't lied when she said Rollins had been subjected to a memory wipe, she did see a name of a person hidden deep in his mind, keeping that information to herself. The name Madame HYDRA had been implanted there. No other identity or description of the person was associated with it, but it was someplace for her to start. Despite what she said about not being involved she wasn't going to allow any harm to come to Noelle and Winnie. Both of them accepted her with open hearts and open minds and that made them important to her. Wanda Maximoff would do all she could to protect them from any possible attempt to take them by Cerberus, Sharon Carter, or any of the intelligence agencies that coveted them.
