𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

𝐱𝐱𝐱.𝐢𝐢𝐢

𝐑𝐇𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 in the air, no one noticed at first that his body no longer belonged to him. They certainly did notice when Adelaide stripped the armour off of him, leaving him in just his trousers and causal t shirt. He remained apprehended by Adelaide's tug on his blood. A small noise was able to come out of him as he strained for control of himself.

'You don't ever touch her. I can tolerate you, but this steps a line. You hurt her...' Adelaide tightened her grip and he strained again, his bones and muscles tying nots. She slowly began to bend his back, feeling every vertebrae and every muscle that contracted with her force.

'Stop!' Tony was the first to speak up from above her, near Rhodes but not daring to touch him. 'Adelaide, heel.' He commanded, trying to joke his way out of the situation. She simply gazed across to see that Steve and Bucky had made it, and were now flying across the air.

'That's enough, Adelaide I am fine.' Wanda was unable to speak due to the rattling still in her ears, so spoke through comforts and gentle commands. Adelaide blocked her out and as she began to release her hand, Tony shot a blast at her. Now, instead of leaving Rhodes with a few bruises at best, she whipped her hand around and clenched it quickly, avoiding the blast and snapping Rhodes' back, barely keeping him alive. He fell to the floor, unconscious.

Adelaide dropped to her knees, as she'd done in Sokovia, on that planet. She could taste that familiar thing on her tongue, that strange metallic taste of pure fear; of herself.

'Shit I-' She looked around her, at the things that'd been ruined around her, at Rhodes, now surrounded by Tony and others. Then planes, jets it seemed. When they landed, they were filled with soldiers, pouring out with guns and shields. They'd need more than that against the team.

They did have more than that. Utalitonium, weaved into their nets and collars they held. What did they plan to do with those? An ambulance then, a welcome sight as it picked up Rhodes, carefully escorting him out of the battlefield. The rest of Tony's team, including Natasha and Peter, left with a few smarter dressed soldiers.

The soldiers neared in on her, and Adelaide bore her teeth at them, grasping tightly onto the hilt of her sword, willing it to be longer and broader than originally. The men seemed unphased, and she focussed on them, their breathing, movements. She wasn't wanting to hurt anyone else today, but she sure as hell wasn't about to be captured for fighting for her free will.

One tried to grab onto her arm, but she whipped away and kicked in his knees. Adelaide was prepared to fight the rest of them, until she heard that noise. That sound that whipped her around. Wanda. She was screaming, pleading for Adelaide to help her. To help her?

'Run.' Her command was a searing blast in Adelaide's mind, like a sick joke. How could she possibly run? But she said it again. 'Run, fly. I don't care, just get out of here.' Her arms and body said different to her mind, Wanda's arms reached and clawed air as she was handled and grabbed by the soldiers, they tried to apprehend her, the skin where she used her scarlet abilities being burnt by the utalitonium gel they had. Was it gel? Or possibly raw utalitonium in it's rawest form, it's most deadly.

'Get off of her.' Adelaide said it loud enough for them to hear, but quiet enough so that it was eery, and made the soldiers think twice. They held their grip. A small smile crept onto Adelaide's face. 'Off. Now.' She jumped high into the air, shadows enveloping her whole body, but a blast hit into her side, a blast of that fucking metal. She hit the ground, smashing her head against the floor. Unconscious. Tony looked back upon her as he left, exactly how he'd found her those years ago. Vulnerable, young. Changed. Wanda screamed louder than she ever had, releasing a large surge of scarlet, and she sprinted to Adelaide's side. The soldiers around her lay on the ground, stunned.

Wanda stroked her bloodstained hair. 'My love, wake up. Wake up.' She sobbed and sobbed, rocking back and forth and wailing so loud even the soldiers stayed back, upset themselves. Only one came close, a general, large in size and ego it seemed. He was smart, smart enough to know that Wanda wouldn't attack him, no, she would let him do whatever he wanted, she was too afraid to attack. And after he slapped the utalitonium collar on her, her abilities were rendered useless.

The man walked closer, and grabbed a black pistol from out his belt. Apprehending Adelaide would be more trouble than it was worth. Bullets, shining bright blue, were visible from even outside the matt black of the gun. He held it against Adelaide's head.

'Please, you don't have to kill her.' Wanda pleaded with the man, grabbing his arm to stop him.

'She's dangerous and you know it.' He shoved Wanda aside, and clicked off the safety.