Symptom of Your Touch

Symptom of Your Touch

-

Though she had come to a few times during the last couple of hours – the last being due to pinching in her arm that she’d almost blasted Tony across the room for – Wanda hadn’t felt like staying awake, the effects her body and the drugs she’d been pumped with had still been winning. This time however her eyes spring open at the realization that she feels almost perfect. All things considered.

Tony is standing at the end of her bed, instead of happiness at his success in curing her as one would expect, she’s met with one of worry. She was fine, so the worry is for another reason.

“Something’s happened. Keeping it from you had been my first instinct, however, someone suggested that you’d likely turn me to a babbling jellied brained type person…”

Her eyes narrow, already tempted since he was already at the babbling stage. “Tony, get to the point.” She’s already pulling the blankets back as she swings her legs over the edge of the hospital bed. It’s a quick jump to the floor then she’s making quick work of looking for her clothing.

“Our fanatic friends set a trap. We took the bait, hook line, and sinker.” He pauses at the look she gives him. “Nat and hill took a team in to infiltrate a bunker. There’s locked in. So far it’s proven unbreakable – even to the mighty strength of one Captain Rogers.”

She pauses, having found her clothes. “So, we go get them out. Where are they?”

Tony stares at her for a moment. “Did you miss the unbreakable part?”

“A mere challenge to the great Tony Stark.” She fires back, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“You’re mad, I’m going to let that slide.” He says, only half-amused. “You staying put isn’t gonna be an option, huh?”

Wanda watches him nod at his own question, already knowing the answer before she even has to speak. He turns to leave her to dress. To her credit she’d kept her cool while Tony was in the room, out of all of them she was still prickly around the Tony – but carrying a hate for Tony Stark all those years wasn’t as easily purged from her system as she may like it to be. Her perception had been changed of the man, of them all really, but some of the things she had hated about him before Sokovia still rang true in his character.

The moment he’s out of sight, past the glass window looking out into the hall, her hands shake. Fear seeping into her bones as if it were returning home, and she was powerless to stop the feeling. She couldn’t stop it, no more than she could stop it from turning to anger.

She makes quick work of dressing herself, ignoring the shaking fingers as they pulled at buttons. She exits the room quickly marching past where Bruce and Tony are huddled over a floor plan to what she can only assume is the bunker their friends were trapped in. TO where Nat was being held. There’s a trail of magic following behind her that she seems unaware of, but Tony’s eyes follow her past the room.

“Two minutes, we fly out.” He calls after her.

She turns, and despite the lack of red in her eyes, she sees something unreadable. “I’ll be ready.”

“Right.” He nods.

Continuing through the compound quickly she makes a beeline for her room, emerging with the red leather jacket, swinging it on. She’d grown rather attached to the damned thing – but of course, that would have nothing to do with the fact it was technically Natasha’s.

When she reaches the third level Tony and Bruce are already loading into a quinjet, Bruce is voicing her concern over taking Wanda with them – he didn’t think she was in control, and she’s only just gotten back to full power. She takes a breath doing her best not to think too much about it - she was new to the team and despite reassurances, she sometimes felt like she was still on the outside looking in. Like they didn’t trust her.

“Thanks for the confidence boost.” She comments stepping into the jet, directly past Bruce without looking at him.

“Wanda, I didn’t mean it like…”

“No,” she turns to him. “Of course you didn’t.” She resists the urge to continue, silencing that part of her that can sometimes bite back when she was hurt. Instead, she plants herself in the seat behind where Tony is programming the coordinates into the system.

“Jarvis, take us out.” She watches him spin out of the seat, heading back to where Bruce is concentrating on something he’d brought up on a screen inlay in the console. The jet, controlled by Jarvis, sets out.

“What happened, how did you guys fall for this.”

Two sets of skeptical eyes turn to her, and she has the self-awareness to realize it wasn’t exactly their fault.

“Fooled even Hill.” He says already pulling up the blueprints from earlier. “They’re all locked in here” He points and Wanda nods. “Aside from someone taking remote control, breaking into their system, it’s holding out.”

“And inside? Unless someone is going to die soon, I think we’ve got time to figure it out.” She counters, not understanding their frustration. If they only had to worry about breaking in to get the team out then there wouldn’t be a concern for quickness, or enough cause to have pulled her from a hospital bed.

“Stark, what haven’t you told me.”

“There’s no inside contact. Steve heard from them when a doomsday clock was at 57 minutes, and I don’t think it’s going to blow streamers and glitter when it hits zero.”

Panic overrode her anger then, “How long ago was that?”

“Twenty-seven minutes.” Bruce supplies.

She closes her eyes letting out a breath. “Thirty minutes..”

“This breast will have us there in minutes.” Tony gestures around widely.

“Then we better get to planning,” Bruce adds in, bringing attention to the screen again.

When they land Wanda is first to exit the Jet, meeting Steve who’s waiting for them. He turns when she passes, taking the lead through the base. The whole walk in Wanda stayed quiet, letting the boys talk out just how little they knew.

Steve bangs on the door when they arrive, and Wanda can tell it’s not the first hit he’d taken at the metal. There were scratches and dents, presumably from his shield clashing against it. Other than that, it looked unharmed and intimidating.

“Bands all here.” He calls out loudly.

“Vibranium.” She hears Tony mutter after looking at the same marks she’d just started at.

Wanda moves closer, ensuring she can hear when they answer. A reply comes from the other side of the door, and the hope that it would be Nat that answered died in her chest.

“Bout time, Rogers. Twenty-six minutes.” Maria calls back with impatience in her voice. Her experience with Maria Hill was limited to a few passing interactions here and there, she could sense panic in her voice.

“We’ll get you out,” Bruce says.

“Have we had contact from the other teams?” Nat speaks finally and relief washes over Wanda.

“Barton made contact, they took in 20 fanatical crazies. All other teams have completed the mission and are returning to base.” Stark says.

“Hulk smash?” Steve questions. “Breakthrough the walls and bypass the door entirely?”

Tony lets the mask of his suit close before looking all around. “Friday, what do we got?” His mask flips up a moment later.

“No dice, rooms encased in vibranium.”

“How would they even get their hands on this much?” Bruce ponders.

“Problem for another day.” Steve brushes the concern off.

“We’ll work as fast as we can, Maria.”

Suddenly raised voices clamor together all at once from the other side of the door, as a commotion of some sort flares. “Kid, drop the weapon – you can’t shoot your way out of this, it’ll just ricochet!”

Natasha’s voice breaks through all others, calm and controlled but anyone that knew her could tell she was anything but.

Shots echo inside and Wanda’s eyes snap closed, but a moment later a scream pulls from Natasha inside and she’s at the door in a second.

“Nat’s hit,” Maria calls out.

Muffled apologies can bear from behind the door, which Maria shuts up, telling whoever it was to sit their ass down.

“How are you doing Romanoff?” Tony yells, worry covering his face again.

“Gonna take more than a bullet to take me out,” Nat yells back to them. “Blood loss may get me though. So how about we get to the rescuing?”

Tensions ran high, no matter the jokes Nat was trying to make. It was just like her to downplay what was happening.

20:00

“Avenger’s how nice of you to join us.” All movement outside the door stops, hearts pounding as they look for the camera. How else would anyone know that they were there?

“Mysterious voice in the sky, is that you?” Tony says – urning a look from Steve.

“Tony Stark, arrogance will get you nowhere.”

Tony shrugs. “Gotten me this far.”

“You’ll die for it.” The confidence in the voice stirred a desire to run inside her.

“How about you say that to my face! Right after you let my friends go.”

Wanda feels her fingers twitch against her thigh as she grows impatient. A trait that had usually been reserved for Pietro.

“I’d rather watch them die when the clock hits zero.” Whoever it was laughed, and Wanda had never wanted to hit someone more in her life.

“No!” All eyes turn to her as she steps closer to the camera staring directly into the lens, hoping whoever was on the other side could feel whatever was rumbling within her.

“Wanda, how are you feeling?”

She ignores the question, head tilting to the side slightly. “You’re going to let them go, and then you’re going to run – because I will come for you.”

The voice laughs again and her eyes flare red at the insult. “Let’s see if you all can save your friends when you’re unconscious.” A vapor suddenly appears from the base of all the walls, seeping up around them.

“They wanted us here,” Steve says starting to pull back. “We need to get out of here, find another way in.”

“Agreed,” Bruce says starting to follow.

“Wanda, come on.” Tony pulls at her arm, forcing her to break the eye contact she was still holding with the camera. “You can’t do anything for her if you’re on the ground, kid.”

Begrudgingly Wanda allows him to pull her through the halls, lifting her off the ground so it will go a little faster. They beat the vapor out into fresh air, and it’s all Wanda can do to stop herself from going back into that building. She felt helpless, at a loss, and it was not a welcome feeling.

“Who the hell is this guy?”

“A bigger threat than we gave credit for.” Steve voices, looking around. “There’s an escape hatch, but we won’t be any closer to getting into that room.”

17:00

“We’re running out of time,” Bruce warns. “Unless Wanda can somehow magic her way in, code green?”

“Code Green.” He nods but turns to Wanda still. “Any tricks up those leather sleeves?”

Desperation stared back at her when she looks to Tony. He didn’t think they’d get in. Her magic almost spikes out of her, wanting to be released in a way she had only felt once.

“One, but I go in alone.”

“Absolutely not.” Steve jumps in.

“We can sit here and wait, let that clock count down, or I can try.” She snaps back.

“Maybe not the best idea.” Tony weighs.

“And you’re going to stop me?” There’s a question of power in her words, one that Tony was not about to bite on.

“Tony, she can’t go in there alone!”

“You would.” Bruce counters calmly.

“Stay out here. I can’t control this, and I won’t risk your lives if I can’t get through that door.” She doesn’t have time for this – their friends don’t have time for this – she strides back into the building, using her powers to keep the vapors clouding the hallway at bay.

There’s a moment of terror that runs through her as she realizes she’s alone in there, but determination wins out.

“Maria?’ She calls out when she’s close enough to the door. “How is she?”  she asks when Maria calls back.

“She’s still telling me off.” She replies. “Way in?”

“No, not yet.” She didn’t want to promise in case this didn’t work. She didn’t even know what this was.

“Then you need to get out of here. This place is likely to blow.” Ever the practical one. Wanda shakes her head.

“Sorry, can’t do that.”

“Maximoff get your ass away from that door!” She smiles at the sound of Natasha’s voice, despite the warning.

“No, gotta give a girl hell for not being there when I woke up.”

It’s that moment that she realizes waking up again may not be an option for any of them, and she grows somber on the thought.

“I’m going to love hearing her scream, and you knowing you can’t do anything to help.” The voice was back, and Wanda ignores him. “Or maybe I’ll hurt you and she can hear.”

Again, she doesn’t answer.

Suddenly there’s another shot in the room, followed by another after Maria screams. The sound she hears in the moments following breaks her heart. Maria is saying her friend's name repeatedly, pain dripping from each syllable.

“No!”

She couldn’t tell you what happened, or how she did it, all she remembers from the initial moment she’d heard Maria’s frantic voice is seeing red, and the thought that she wouldn’t lose someone else she cared about.

-

“Affirmative.” Natasha’s eyes snap to Bensen, the young agent that hadn’t spoken a word since they arrived. His hand lowers from his earpiece and she knows he’s not theirs. Before she can get a warning out, he lifts his gun, firing directly at her. She dives to the right, but the bullet catches her on the left side.

Maria screams and she hears a shot, then the unmistakable dead weight of a body crumpling to the floor.

When she opens her eyes again Maria is holding her hands over the bullet wound in Natasha’s abdomen, keeping what blood from pulsing out she can.

“Nat, keep your eyes open, Natasha.”

A chocked laugh comes from her friend but the pained expression on her face doesn’t budge. “Shot twice, I’m not goin on a mission with you again.”

“Yes, you will,” Maria says but her eyes are so worried Natasha knows her appearance must be awful.

The room rocks the next second, the sound of metal crashing and scraping against itself rings in their ears. Nat’s eyes snap to the door behind Maria who is looking over her shoulder

“What’s happening!” Arison asks worried that their captor was tired of waiting.

“Natasha’s girlfriend,” Maria says watching the metal on the door roll in on itself as if it were an aluminum can. Nat would have come back at her for the comment, but the pain coursing through her kept the witty part of her mind quiet.

Keeping her eyes on the door as it gives way then falls loudly on the floor inside. What they see next can be described as either exceptional or frightening. Wanda was a sight to behold, surrounded by her magic, floating into the room.

“Does she do that often?” When Maria turns to face her after the question Nat can only shake her head, mouth hanging open slightly. “New development.”

The magic surrounding her dissipates and Wanda’s shoulders slump, eyes desperately raking over the room. She finds where Natasha and Maria are on the floor.

“You listen well.” Natasha says quietly when the little witch reaches them.

“Can’t make your life easy.” Is the reply she gives with tears stinging her eyes.

“As touching as this reunion is, she needs medical.”

Wanda nods, stepping back. It is then that she notices the dead agent off behind the other 5, and her eyes flare. Maybe it was a good thing that Hill had taken him out – if she’d known it was deliberate – which the dead body shows was the truth – she didn’t know what she would do.

“Help me get her up,” Maria asks of the room, not caring who helped.

Arison and Hayes start towards them and Natasha levels them with a glare. “Not you!” Hayes holds his hands up, backing away sheepishly.

Having heard the door bang the boys outside made their way in. They reach the doorway as Nat is being lifted off the floor. They move as a group, helping Maria and Nat tread over the door.

“Times up.” All eyes spin to the screens as a generic alarm sounds, the timer started counting down quickly. “Boom.”

Wanda shoves Nat towards Steve. “Get her out.” Steve was the best bet; his speed could possibly reach the outside before the bomb reached that far. Beside them Hulk emerges, roaring out loudly.

Over Steve’s shoulder, Nat watches as the room behind everyone glows orange, the whole bunker shakes as they turn the corner, but not before she sees the orange overcome by red.

Maria watches in amazement as a bomb goes off around them but doesn’t touch them; not even the heat could be felt from it. Wanda is screaming arms outstretched, the shield she’d erected was draining her.

“Get everyone out of here.” She yells.

Tony grabs two of the agents by the vests. “Hold on boys!”

Hulk grabs the other three, bolting in the direction Tony had flown at a speed Wanda could barely keep the shield up with. It stretched onto the opening where the men all exit.

Maria can tell by the look on her face that she can’t hold this much longer.

“When I say run, you run,” Wanda demands to which Maria shakes her head.

“You’re not staying here alone.”

You’re not dying here alone. Is what she meant.

“We both don’t need to die here,” Wanda says, eyes locking on Marias. Her face warps in something akin to pain as she’s forced to push the shield further, creating a tunnel as Tony flies back through the building

“No one’s dying here. Nat would be unbearable.” He says coming to a stop just in front of the two women, his helmet opens. “Can you keep this mojo going, get us out?”

“Just do it quick.” He nods, helmet sliding shut.

By the time they are outside under the morning sun, Wanda collapses to the ground, completely spent. The others are all waiting for them, apart from the hulk, who’s roars can be heard from inside the trees. Tony falls to the ground beside her, resting back on his elbow. He looks to the side, and Wanda watches his face morph into a gentle smile. "You did well, kid," All she can do is smile back for a moment. 

“Anyone care to tell me this was it. That the bad guys gonna tuck tail and run?”

Wanda glares up at him from the ground before looking to the sky. “Somehow I think this is just the beginning.”

“They did almost level us with a building,” Hayes says walking up with the others. They all turn their attention to the bunker as it falls in on itself.

-