Carmine Jewels ║ Wanda Maximoff

Chapter 27 - Defiance

2014

Keira stretched her hands out above her head and her back cracked slightly in protest. Her last mission had been rough, and even with the fireworks masking the shots, it had turned into a mess. A couple of grenades and bullets would make anyone's body sore, even hers. She had already sewn the bullet wounds shut, and the few bruises that hadn't healed yet, would soon be gone.

Judging by the sunlight streaming in through the grimy window, she guessed that she hadn't slept more than a few hours. One good thing about being exhausted after a mission was that she got to sleep consistently, and not to be awaken by nightmares.

To know that a new year had begun, and that she still was stuck within HYDRA, made her feel surprisingly empty. Was she doomed to be stuck here forever? To live out her life as a mindless murder machine? Maybe it was better to just shut it all off. That way she wouldn't have to feel it all.

But whenever that thought struck her, her heart protested. She had seen what it was like to be ruthless, and it wasn't a pretty picture. So, even if it hurt her, she knew that she had to keep fighting. Because even if it seemed impossible, there was still a small chance that she would survive this.

Sure, the robot in her neck made things a lot more difficult, but if there was anyone in the world that could figure out how to remove a robot attached to a brainstem, it would be her friends.

Keira got up on her feet and began pacing, her finger running across the wall. She hadn't been transported back to Sokovia after her mission in Italy, so she had no idea of where she was. But despite not having been here for a long time, grooves in the stone had still formed. What else could she do while being locked in a cell?

As if on cue, the lock to her cell clicked open and she lifted her head to see who it was. Like always, two agents stood in the doorway. Was she even surprised? No.

"Come with us." One of them grunted, grabbing her roughly by the arm to yank her with him.

But she ripped her arm free from his grasp and glared at him. "I can walk perfectly fine on my own, thanks." She hissed and pushed past him. Her body was still sore, and she hadn't eaten for hours so she had no patience for guards that thought they could just push her around.

However, after just a few steps, she stopped and turned around as the guards didn't follow her, but merely stood where she had left them. "I swear to the gods above, if someone doesn't give me some food soon, I'll rip someone's head off." She snarled, frustratedly brushing her fingers through her tangled hair.

Not only was she hungry, but she was also tired, and she did not want another bullet wound right now. "Come on, chop chop, guys. Don't stand there like statues." She clapped her hands together, a bit surprised that none of the agents moved a muscle, but merely stared at her.

"Topaz, Topaz, Topaz... You're away for a few weeks, and you've already lost your manners."

Keira twisted around so fast that she nearly cricked her neck, her hair whipping her in the face. A small frown painted her face as her bottom lip slipped between her teeth. Without thinking about it, she straightened up and watched the scientist with big eyes. She hadn't seen Alexandra since the day before the mission in Italy, so it felt a bit odd to see her again.

It looked like things were going well for the scientist. Her hair was up in a neat bun, the lab coat almost shining when the sunlight hit it and no deep shadows could be seen under her eyes.

"Manners? That's open for definition . But I'm still behaving like I should."

"That's basically the same thing." Alexandra shook her head, taking a few steps forward so she could look the blonde in the face. "You're looking okay at least. We might have to cover the bruise on your neck though. Don't want anyone getting the wrong impression." She said slowly, tracing the slightly green shadow of a handprint on the mutant's neck.