Chapter 13
Tony was not thrilled when Steve recruited the former HYDRA victim. While not a child, Wanda was certainly not ready for the burdens that came with being an Avenger. Heck, he wasn’t even sure if she was strong enough to handle the scrutiny of the general public. Honest, it seemed that Steve was losing his touch. First the teenage spider-teen or whatever the kid called himself and now SHIELD’s most wanted.
“It just seems so irresponsible” the billionaire vented, “Why in the world would he even think about bringing her here? It’ll just make her an easier target.”
“Weren’t your lawyers the ones that said this would grant her sanctuary?” Clint recalled, exchanging looks with Natasha.
Tony grumbled a bit.
“And what makes this situation different then mine?” Natasha asked, not looking up from whatever she was doing on her tablet.
“You weren’t blowing up bases or have the mental fragility of a pane of glass”
“You’re unfair to her” the assassin said, setting the tablet down. “And wrong.”
Clint settled back as if he was about to watch a really good movie.
“I was blowing up bases and I can’t say my mental stability was all too great either”
Tony shifted uncomfortably.
“Your heart- arc reactor is in the right place but your understanding is miles away from where it needs to be. HYDRA is vile and destructive. It will take every bit of who and what you are and tear it to pieces. At the Red Room, I saw thousands of girls break and thousands of more fall. Wanda may seem sensitive and delicate but those traits only prove her strength. Her powers certainly make her unpredictable and intimidating which is all the more reason we should support Steve and her through this.”
Tony went to say something but was interrupted by Clint, “Strength is often found in the quietest ones. I’ve learned that over the years. It may have been several years since I’ve seen her, but I’ve always been a good judge of character. She’s passionate and kind, characteristics of a great hero and will be invaluable to the team.”
“And her unique relationship and history with HYDRA could help us draw out the agents that we are looking for”
Tony looked between the two and sighed. This recruitment process was not something that he had much experience with. For all his life, he thought he could do it all. He thought he was all he would need. That naivety and arrogance lost him so many lives and people being lost.
“What is your status on uncovering the sleeper agents?” he asked, lowering his voice and sending JARVIS to disable the security in the room.
“We have a few theories and suspects but nothing solid enough to act on”
“Are they on to us yet?”
Natasha shook her head “They are not aware of our knowledge.”
Tony sat back in his chair as did the other two. He ended the security loop and grabbed his tablet and began to work on a program that had been a bitch to figure out.
“Where’s she sleeping?” he asked nonchalantly.
“Next to Steve’s across from mine” Natasha answered, also returning to her tablet.
“Good, I don’t need Daddy Magneto on my ass”
Clint snorted and looked over Natasha’s shoulder at what she was doing.
“You know,” he said, looking up at Tony. “You should go and talk with Dr. Strange. Wanda might want a mentor or something.”
“Why do I have to do that?” he cried, “I have important things to calibrate and make.”
“Because you have the same facial hair”
Tony felt like smashing his head against the table.
“If you don’t want to do that we can switch” Clint offered absentmindedly.
“Sure, anything better than seeing that stick in the mud. What is it you’re doing?”
“Erik’s bringing Wanda soon. I am tasked with meeting them with Cap.”
Tony’s face fell and he could hear the archer snickering and felt the smirk from Natasha. His face drained of color and he looked up anxiously at them to see if they were joking. Despite the amusement, it was clear that he was telling the truth. He got up and began to make his way to the door.
“Where are you going?” Natasha asked.
“To the wizard’s house”
The sanctum where Doctor Strange and the other wizards did their little magic tricks was in the heart of the city in a rundown building that looked like it had fallen into the wrong era. The door opened before Tony could knock on it and there was a chill breeze that was not something he liked to see indoors. He mentally began working on ways that he would modernize and renovate the place when a large shadow was cast over him.
“What are you doing here, Stark?” the doctor growled, landing beside the billionaire. “I told your captain, that archer, and Fury that I am not interested in joining your little group.”
“Chill, Doc” Tony snorted, “I’m not here on a recruitment mission- well, not entirely. We’ve got a new addition to the team.”
“Wanda Maximoff”
“Wow, you’re good”
“And you’re and danger”
Tony felt a ping of fear that was quickly pushed down.
“Follow me” the wizard beckoned.
Before he could respond, Tony’s arm was grabbed by the cape and dragged beside Doctor Strange.
“We’ve been watching her for a long time,” he explained, “Wong!”
“Mr. Stark,” a voice said as a man materialized next to Tony. “We have reasons to believe that Wanda Maximoff is a great danger to herself and others.”
“No kidding” Tony scoffed, “I was at the base after it exploded.”
“When I examined the area, I found mystical residue that was not of our earth” Doctor Strange explained, “I thought it was alien at first but upon bringing it back to the sanctum, we discovered it to be something more.”
“We believe that her power is drawn from chaos,” Wong said.
“Chaos?”
“An extra dimensional energy source of great power capable of things we can’t even imagine”
Tony shifted on his feet and began to think. Magic wasn’t really his thing but whatever got the Sorcerer Supreme nervous was definitely something to be nervous of.
“What do you suggest?” he asked.
The two exchanged looks.
“What? Do you want her?” Tony offered, “If she’s as dangerous as you say, she shouldn’t be around others. You guys can train her up and get that chaos-whatever under control.”
“You do not understand” Wong hissed, “She does not just have chaos, she is the harbinger.”
“So what? Send her to the mirror dimension?A different planet? Do you have an outworld prison or something?”
“You really want to send an innocent person to prison?” Doctor Strange raised his eyebrows.
“Hey, I’m not proud of it but if she could kill people then we must take precautions”
“Even if we did have all you ask, there is no prison that could contain her forever” Wong answered.
“Then what about training her? Don’t you have a Hogwarts or something?”
“Kamar-Taj is a sacred place that will not be infected by dark magic such as hers,” Wong growled.
“And don’t you have training grounds for your recruits?”
“Xavier’s school is the Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. SHIELD HQ is not an Umbrella Academy.”
The sorcerors looked as if they were about to argue back when Tony felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out of his pocket and grumbled upon looking at Steve’s profile picture.
“Yes?” he answered the phone.
“Tony, great,” the old man seemed to sound like a child on Christmas morning.
“I’m kind of busy”
“I know. I just want to tell you that Wanda has come and her brother went looking for you about an hour ago.”
Tony felt his face blanch. He slowly turned around to see a silver haired boy in a tacky silver jacket and tattered black jeans glaring up at him. If it was any other kid at any other time, Tony would have laughed at how outdated and ridiculous the kid looked.
“Steve promised that he would protect my sister” the mutant growled, “I should have known that when he clarified only himself that would mean the rest may not.”
Pietro tried to blitz Tony but was narrowly stopped by Doctor Strange who managed to form a barrier between the two.
“Out of my way!” the boy screamed.
“Look kid…”
“Don’t give me that! You’re trying to take my sister away too.”
“Kid, we don’t want to do anything” Tony tried to assure him.
“No, you do! I heard you. You want to lock her up. I won’t let that happen.”
The kid hit the barrier again and the three could feel the barrier straining to hold up.
“What should we do?” Tony asked anxiously, “Can’t you fight back?”
“And risk his sister coming after us because you are an insufferable insensible idiot?” Doctor Strange snarled, levitating them all up.
“You’re the ones who said she was a danger to everyone!”
“Do not compare your rash impulses to our observations to the cosmos” Wong argued.
“What does that even mean?!” Tony cried.
Pietro smashed against the barrier before it would float high enough to be out of reach and the defense fell. The three were able to land but were met with the enrage glare of the mutant. He would have attacked again had it not been for the zipper of his jacket pulling against him and dragging him away.
“That is enough, Pietro” the powerful voice of Magneto boomed.
“But they…”
“That is enough. Go back to your sister and help her settle. I will handle this.”
Pietro was about to protest but then sped off, leaving the three with Magneto. Tony could not believe that he was thinking this but he wished that Pietro would have come back.
“Stark, I warned you…”
“IknowIknowIknow, but…”
“There are no buts when it comes to the wellbeing of my children! I have been very courteous despite my disdain of many of you. I have endured interrogation and scrutiny; and have complied with your terms. All that I have ever asked for is the safety of my children.”
“And I can promise you that they are safe.”
“Wanda and Pietro are no longer kids. I have tried to respect their decisions but I will not stand by and watch them make deadly mistakes. If you dare think about hurting her, using her, you will have to answer to me. This is your final warning.”
Tony nodded as the man floated off. He looked back at the two sorcerers that gave him a look of caution before heading back to the headquarters. He could feel the eyes of the mutant as he walked through the streets despite not knowing where he was. The last words echoed through his head. Natasha and Clint were right, his arc reactor was in the right spot, but his understanding was miles away.