Inside the Avengers' headquarters, the atmosphere in the office was quiet and tense. Tony sat gloomily in his chair, chewing on dried blueberries, occasionally glancing at Steve, who was sitting on the couch across from him. The two were silent—only the sound of Tony eating blueberries broke the stillness.
The recent events in Germany had escalated, and the pressure from officials was mounting. Although the solution proposed by Rhodes was good, the current situation made it impossible to act. The public relations image of the Avengers and Wanda had little chance of changing without a good opportunity.
"Are you just going to sit there forever?" Tony snapped, slamming the dried blueberries on the table and looking at Steve, who was staring down at his phone in silence.
"What else can I do? The only thing that can change everything is for Ross to change his stance!" Steve replied coolly as he looked at Tony.
Ross's current strategy was to control the Avengers, and the negative public sentiment clearly stemmed from his directives. Otherwise, the media would never have been able to influence public opinion to such an extent on their own.
"Talking to Wanda about this is better than sitting here doing nothing!" Tony stepped in front of Steve, his suppressed anger evident. "Don't forget, that mission in Germany was your operation!"
"Yes, I organized it, but haven't you made mistakes before?!" Steve Rogers glared at Tony Stark, his teeth clenched in fury. He acknowledged that the last incident had unexpected complications, but it had not been his intention. Moreover, he had never anticipated it would escalate to that level!
"And me? I'm the one who's been cleaning up your mess!" Tony yelled, his fists clenched. "Do you know how many media outlets I've consulted? I've been working to fix this!"
What was Captain America doing? Just holding onto his lofty ideals while sitting motionless? If he wasn't angry, that would be a lie. With all that time, he could've at least tried to talk to Wanda!
"Heh, you didn't seem like that when you were in Sokovia," Steve remarked, his voice tightening with anger. "Countless people died because of you!"
"You think this is my fault…" Tony began to retort, but just then, the sound of the office door being pushed open interrupted him.
He turned to see Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, standing in the doorway, looking surprised. "Looks like I came at a bad time," she said, shrugging and adding a teasing tone that lightened the heavy mood in the office.
"What's up?" Tony absently popped another blueberry in his mouth.
"I think you guys should take a look at this!" Natasha said, switching on the television.
What appeared on screen was Wanda bravely extinguishing a fire in the city. A crowd of people surrounded her, cheering and shouting in support. "At 1:41 PM today, Avengers member Scarlet Witch prevented the spread of a major fire in downtown..." A reporter's voice narrated.
Seeing this, Tony's gloomy expression lightened significantly. "Wanda's awakened a new ability?"
If he remembered correctly, Wanda could suppress flames but never convert them into ice. Now, this could explain what they were witnessing.
"I can't believe we didn't see this coming!" Steve exclaimed, looking surprised.
They had all been at the Avengers base; logically, they should have been aware of Wanda awakening new powers. Yet, she had quietly developed them and saved so many lives without anyone noticing.
"This must have just awakened because Wanda looked a bit forced," Natasha said thoughtfully, shaking the remote in her hand. "But what's more important is that this incident has shifted the media's perception of Wanda!"
After all, under the witness of so many people, the media couldn't easily alter their reports. This was a great opportunity for them; if managed properly, they might be able to mitigate the fallout from the Germany incident.
"Don't worry, I'll get the media to work on rebranding Wanda's image," Tony said, lightly tapping his finger against his headset. "Call Pepper!"
Once the call connected, he got straight to the point: "Pepper, arrange some public relations work and go pick up Wanda!"
Having navigated the business world for years, he was very familiar with operations like this. It was critical to seize this moment and work towards restoring their reputation.
"But Wanda seems to be in a pretty good mood," Natasha observed, watching Wanda's radiant smile on screen. It had been a long time since she'd seen Wanda look so happy.
"How did Wanda suddenly become so enlightened?" Steve asked, settling back on the couch, looking confused. Just days ago, she had seemed so miserable, yet now it was as if she had transformed completely, and even her powers seemed stronger.
"Maybe she finally figured things out!" Natasha smiled, feeling a sense of relief from Wanda's joy. It seemed as though circumstances were finally starting to improve.
Tony grinned, "When she gets back, we'll know for sure."
...
Meanwhile, in the Queens district of New York,
Ding! You have helped Wanda overcome her inner demons and restored her reputation! Reward: Kabuto Zecter!*
Hode was leaning against a wall not far away, watching Wanda give an interview when a notification chimed in his mind.
Kabuto Zecter: Use this insect instrument to transform into Kabuto, only if acknowledged by the instrument.*
"Kabuto Zecter!" Hode thought excitedly. "Wanda truly has treasures within her! Every reward is top-tier!"
He hadn't anticipated earning a reward from this experience. The Kabuto Zecter was the transformation device for Kamen Rider Kabuto, that narcissist who governed everything.
Yet, few would refuse his transformation device. As a boy, Hode had dreamed of owning a Kamen Rider belt.
"Mr. Hode, since it's over, I'll be leaving now. I hope we can collaborate again in the future; please say goodbye to Wanda for me," Gwen said, seeing the increasing number of media outlets and wanting to avoid their annoying questions.
"Goodbye," Hode waved, watching her exit, thinking, "I guess I'll have to wait for another time to get to know her better."
At that moment, a line of sleek black luxury cars drove up in the distance.
"I should head back now," Hode said, noticing Stark Industries' vehicles approaching and preparing to leave.
He knew Tony would make the most of this opportunity to restore the Avengers' image, thwarting Secretary Ross's schemes against the Avengers organization.
As he left, he couldn't resist using his psychic powers to send a message.
Hode: See you next time, enjoy today's glory!*
"Wanda: Thank you for today."
All chapters at (l)(i)(n)(k)(t)(r).(e)(e) / (c)(l)(o)(u)(d)(r)(u)(n)(t)(L)