Episode 89: Straio Stand-Off!
Just as Hayward's men aimed their guns at Peter and the others, a circle of light appeared out of nowhere. From this circle emerged a tall man with gray highlights in his dark hair, wearing a blue robe and red cloak. Behind him stood a bipedal creature that had a blue body, a white symbol on its chest and an eye-shaped mark on its clavicle, a red membrane cape attached to the back of its orange-yellow head with two red horns, a large orange-yellow mustache, with three-fingered toes and hands that had two-fingered glowing rings on them.
"That's a Straio, the Sorcerer Marémon," Thor whispered to Peter. "Only Magic-Users who've studied under the Supreme Marémon Ancio get one."
Peter didn't respond to Thor as he was transfixed by the man in the red cloak, who regarded everyone with an air of indifference. Then through the circle of light appeared Nick Fury and he glared at Director Hayward.
"What's going on here?" Nick Fury demanded. "Explain yourself, Hayward!"
"I was apprehending a terrorist, Mr. Fury," Hayward said confidently.
Nick Fury looked at Wanda with disbelief. "That teenage girl is a terrorist?"
"She's a Witch, sir, and a very powerful one!" Hayward claimed. "It was she who created the Anomaly and endangered the lives of everyone here in Sokovia City."
"And what did she do to the people trapped in here exactly?" asked the man in the red cloak.
"Forced them to live out my sitcom fantasies, Doctor Strange," Wanda said to the man in the red cloak. "I did it out of grief for the loved ones I lost, though I was not consciously aware of what I had done until recently."
"Did you accomplish this using the Reality Stone?" Doctor Strange guessed.
"Yes," Wanda replied, her eyes glowing briefly.
Witchlet flinched as a glowing red stone emerged from her chest and flew into Wanda's hand.
"I also found out that I'm not a Mutant like I thought, but a Witch," added Wanda.
"That's impossible!" Strange objected. "Witches became extinct after the Salim Witch Trials. How did you find this out?"
"Another Witch named Agatha Harkness told me," Wanda answered. "She's been feeding off the power of other Witches in order to live in secret for centuries, and she wanted to steal my power thinking I was the Scarlet Witch of her mother's prophecy."
"I have heard this prophecy myself, but I dismissed it as nothing more than a myth." Looking at the red crown on Wanda's head, Strange frowned. "Yet that crown you wear implies you are the Scarlet Witch."
"But why?"
"Only powerful Witches wear crowns similar to yours as they're made from pure magic that has taken solid form, signifying to other Witches how strong they really are. And because of the great power she's said to have, the Scarlet Witch is no exception."
Lowering her head, Wanda's crown dissipated from her head. "To be honest, I don't know what I am anymore. But what I do know is I caused a lot of trouble for the people in my own hometown, and need to be punished for it."
"So were you going to take her into custody, Hayward, or shoot her?" Nick Fury asked.
"He was going to shoot her and all of us," Peter spoke up.
"Yes, he was!" Betty reached into her black dress pocket and pulled out a digital recorder. "I got everything he said recorded on here."
Hayward frowned and aimed his gun at Betty. "Why, you — "
"Don't even think about it!" Nick Fury said, pointing his own gun at Hayward. "You're coming with me for questioning about how you and SWORD handled this situation in Sokovia City."
"Only if you can prove you're the real Nick Fury," Hayward said arrogantly. "I heard through the intelligence grape vine that a Kamelio impersonated you at the hospital in Xandar City and made off with an Infinity Stone."
Nick Fury's frown grew deeper.
"I can verify he's the real Nick Fury," Strange said. "We just came from New Asgard Town, which we've been using as a temporary base of operations during our efforts to find the Sakaar Realm as well as Thor Odinson's missing siblings. You may look through Straio's Sling Ring portal to see for yourself."
While Strange and Fury stood aside, everyone could clearly see through the ring of light behind the Straio. Indeed, it showed a town square that looked exactly like the one in New Asgard Town where Peter, MJ, and Thor were attacked by the brainwashed Warriors Three.
"That is my home," Thor acknowledged. "So Nick Fury is telling the truth."
"And if you don't cooperate, Mr. Hayward, I won't let you harm these children," Strange said as orange-yellow mandala-shaped symbols appeared on his hands. "I am the Sorcerer Supreme, after all."
Just then, Pepper Potts, Peter Quill, Gamora, and Gwen Stacy arrived at the town square. They seemed both confused and distraught.
"Miss Potts!" Hayward exclaimed. "You're alive!"
"Obviously," Pepper said, folding her arms. "Why would I not be?"
"I thought the Witch might have harmed you while you were trapped in here," Hayward claimed.
"She did not, though I don't forgive her for bringing back my beloved Tony — only to have him taken away from me again," Pepper said mournfully.
"When I took down the Hex Barrier, it undid the power that brought Tony and Vistro back to life in the Westview Realm," Wanda said. "I apologize for breaking your heart a second time, as that was not my intention."
"But she still has to answer for her other crimes," Hayward reminded. "This includes taking away Vistro's body from SWORD's lab."
"And why did you claim Vistro's body?" Monica asked Hayward. "Was it so you could rebuild him and use it as a weapon?"
"No," Hayward said.
"He's lying!" MJ said. "We saw Vistro being attacked by another Marémon that looked exactly like him, only it was white."
Peter and Felicia nodded in agreement.
"Do you know what happened to this other Vistro?" Nick Fury said.
"It flew off after Vistro used Hack on it," Peter said. "My guess is that Vistro reprogrammed the white Vistro to not attack us."
"How can you be expected to believe these kids?" Hayward argued. "They were clearly in cahoots with Wanda, who brainwashed them and everybody in this town."
To be continued…
