Carmine Jewels ║ Wanda Maximoff

Chapter 50 - Thrilling Tales

"Well, that was a total bust."

Keira slumped back in her seat, leaning her head back with a groan. Her normally blonde hair was colored dark red from a gash in the back of her head that she had sustained during the fight, and her body was aching all over. Grenades truly was a bitch.

"Not a total bust. We still got out hands on some files." Sam lazily waved a folder in the air, slumped across multiple seats with one of his feet up on the headrest. He too was showing signs of having been in a battle, his skin dirty with dust and covered in cuts and bruises.

The blonde didn't even bother to answer, she was too exhausted. Oh, yeah, what a victory to have gotten some files.

While the old Avengers had been perfectly adapted to one another, knowing each other's weaknesses and strengths, like a well-oiled machine, the new team wasn't. At least, not yet. They had been on some minor missions together that had gone alright, but they still had much to learn about one another.

And they had greatly underestimated this mission.

Their intel had told them that Rumlow, or Crossbones as he was better known as now, was operating out of an old HYDRA base up at the top of the Hudson Bay in Canada. With the swirling snow stinging their faces, it hadn't been a pleasant visit. Especially not after almost getting their asses kicked.

The sheer number of agents in that base had been far above what their intel had estimated. Which had taken them by surprise, to say the least. And, to nobody's surprise; no Rumlow. Oh, and let's not forget about the grenade launchers.

"You're lucky you heal quickly, or you would've bled out by now." Wanda said in a low voice, carefully tilting Keira's head forward to try and separate the blonde strands with dried blood on them to get a better look at the wound. It had healed up just fine, but Keira still looked like a dead woman walking with all the blood in her hair, running down her shoulders.

Natasha was sitting in the cockpit, steering the Quinjet back home and silently listening to the conversation while Steve was in the back of the jet, looking disheveled. He was the one who always held onto hope, but even his hope was starting to waver slightly after so many dead ends.

Sure, they had put an end to multiple HYDRA bases, but it was Rumlow he wanted.

Vision was overlooking the team, analyzing their expressions before taking up one of the folders they had managed to get their hands on. "By my estimate, we should be able to correctly assess Mr. Rumlow's position with the help of these files. They do contain his known associates and if we can find them, they can lead us to him." He wisely said, flipping through the file.

The air in the jet was heavy and while Vision's words were positive, none of them felt especially enthusiastic to track down another criminal. The disappointment of not finding Rumlow weighed heavy on all of their shoulders.

Noticing how Wanda's hands stilled in her hair, Keira turned to look at the brunette and gently grasped Wanda's chin between her thumb and forefinger, turning her head from side to side. "I still don't understand how you managed to get out of there unscathed." She chuckled, only seeing specks of dirt and dust across Wanda's face and clothes.

"Maybe because my footwork is better than yours?" Wanda gently teased, leaning into the blonde's touch and closing her eyes briefly. Just like the rest of the team, she was done with the day and wanted nothing more than to climb into her bed and sleep for a solid twelve hours. "And I don't jump in front of grenades either for that matter."

Keira gave an amused huff and released Wanda's chin before scooting down in her seat so that she could rest her head on the brunette's shoulder. "Oh, ha ha. You're a comedic genius, Maximoff." She grumbled but a smile curled her lips when she felt Wanda lean her head against hers.