The War Within | A Tony Stark Series

c: Hidden Truths

Monroe's POV

I planted a timed bomb a few hundred feet away from the compound Wanda had been held in. Just big enough to distract Vision so that I could sneak in and free her. I hid behind a wall, watching as Vision phased through the building to check on the explosion. I slowly walked up to Wanda, quietly to make sure Vision wasn't playing any tricks. Wanda must've sensed me coming up from behind and felt threatened. She turned to the kitchen area and forced a knife from a cutting board straight to my head. I threw up my hand before it pierced through and stopped the knife with my own force. I then shoved it away from my face, watching her eyes dim with mine.

"Guess I should've knocked," I stated sarcastically.

"What are you doing here?"

"Kidnapping my doppelganger and helping a friend." I grabbed onto her hand and pulled her with me. "Cap needs our help. Come on."

"Monroe." Wanda and I stopped in our tracks. "You should not be here."

"Really? You sign yourselves to the government and we're just supposed to sit here and watch the world go to shit?"

"Please consider the consequences of your actions."

"Okay, they're considered," I declared as I sent plasmic energy around his body to temporarily destabilize him. "Okay, let's go." I turned around and jogged to the door until I realized Wanda wasn't following. I pointed to the exit in sincerity, "It's this way."

"I've caused enough problems."

"You gotta help me, Wanda. Look, you wanna mope, you can go to high school. You wanna make amends, you get off your ass," I used a firm voice to show my urgency. With the time waisted, Vision was able to regain movement and rushed to me with force. "Shit." He used the stone to get me to occupy my hands with a forcefield so that I wasn't able to retaliate when he shoved me back with one swift shove. I was thrown back but let me fall influence my body to summersault. I slid a little until I stopped myself with one hand on the ground, balancing on my feet. I shot up and threw punches that only phased through him. Eventually, Vis caught my wrist, so I used the other to strike. The red skin, if you could call it that, adapted to my every attack. It was as if I was punching stone. I didn't give up, even when he shoved me back. I threw my leg up to kick, but he let me phase through him like my other attempts. Only this time, he floated through me to stand behind me and force an arm around my throat. I stood before Wanda, stuck in a chokehold.

"You have the ability to overpower me, why don't you?"

"My fight isn't with you, Vision. I'm not the one who has to break free. She does," I nodded over to Wanda who was now circulating plasmic energy in between her hands.

"Vision, that's enough. Let her go." Her eyes began to glow red. "I'm leaving."

"I can't let you."

Wanda extended the ball of energy she held to control the power of the stone. I fell through Vision who became transparent as she continued to force him through the floor of the compound.

"If you do this, they will never stop being afraid of you."

"I can't control their fear, only my own," Wanda releases before using every ounce of force to shove him further down past concrete and dirt. Vision disappears hundreds of feet below the surface. I picked myself up off the ground and urged her to keep moving.

"Come one. We gotta get you to Sam to pick up a new recruit. I have to get back to Steve." 

***

I stepped out of the car Sharon lent me, meeting up under a bridge. We had to stay out of sight to stay hidden from pretty much everyone who isn't us. I chuckled at the navy blue bug Steve decided to bring with his metal armed buddy squeezed in the passenger seat.

"Not sure you understand the concept of a getaway car."

"It's low profile," Steve defends.

"Good because this stuff tends to draw a crowd." I walked around to the trunk of the car to reveal our suits and gear that Sharon helped me steal back.

"I owe you."

"Keeping a list, Rogers. Broke Wanda out of her cell and convinced our only ally to trade our goods for your buddy in there," I nodded to the bug. "Which by the way, he tried to kill me."

"Sorry, I'll put it on the list too," Steve suggested causing me to let out a gentle laugh. "Sam?"

"He said he knew a guy. Sent Wanda with him, get the introductions out of the way. And before you ask about Clint, I wasn't going to bring him into all of this. The baby and-"

"I know." The interruption caught me off guard. It shouldn't have surprised me he understood, but it did. My eyes shifted to his. Those blue eyes were piercing through mine. For a moment, a chill ran through my spine, wondering what his next move was. I began losing myself in his gaze as he inched closer, leaning in. For a brief second, I almost gave in. But the guilt rushed in from every bone in my body. Before his lips touched mine, I placed my hand on his chest to stop him.

"We shouldn't," I let out in barely a whisper. Not being able to make eye contact at the point, I averted my eyes to my hand that was still placed on his form.

"I shouldn't have-"

"No, it's okay. I just- I love him, Steve. And I know you wouldn't do this to him despite everything that's going on. We're all under a lot of pressure. "

I knew what we both had felt had come from the manipulation of the current situation. It was convenient; it wasn't real. What I have with Tony, sure it's on pause, but not even this couldn't push me away. We both pulled away to create distance.

"Should I put that on the list too?" the captain quipped. I smiled and looked over at Barnes who was oddly staring. Furrowing my eyebrows, I turned back to Rogers.

"You're fine. This one gets a pass," I laughed. "It's not too awkward to join you is it?"

"What about the car?"

"Uhh- I believe the words Sharon used were 'rid of the car before they rid of you," I mocked. 

"Understood."

Steve and I transferred our belongings to his old-timey bug before ditching the borrowed car. Before the trunk closed, a thought crossed my mind, but not my own. 

'She deserves to know'