Escaping Maximoff

Atlantis

When Darcy said she'd call for backup, I definitely wasn't expecting an adorable 50-year-old man whose only weapon seemed to be his expert monopoly skills and surprisingly cool magic tricks.

"I don't mean to be rude, but are we waiting for someone, or are we just wasting time talking about your last game night," Tristan asked, raising an eyebrow at the scientist and her FBI friend.

"You guys had a game night without me?" A confident voice called out from the doorway, making all our heads spin in shock

The woman had curly brown hair, a soft chestnut that accentuated her smooth, dark skin. Her rich eyes were pools of warmth, emanating a comfort most would struggle to find. The entire room felt calmer, more grounded, as though her presence changed the very fabric of reality itself.

"Monica Rambeau."

She smiled at me, her eyes glistening with pride. Her name carried a memory worth more than money or fame. "At your service."

"Now this one looks like she knows what she's doing," Ryan breathed out in awe, inciting a chuckle from Monica.

"Is it true you're in the Avengers now?"

"Sam," I chastised, swatting his arm and narrowing my eyes at him. Now was definitely not the time for autographs.

"Right, sorry. Maybe we can talk later," he grinned, gazing at Monica like she was the best thing since sliced bread, or in Sam's case, a grilled cheese sandwich. I'm honestly surprised the boy's still breathing with the tremendous amount of bread and cheese he eats.

"Yeah, and maybe she can get us on a video call with Captain Mar–"

"Okay, let's get back on track," I cut off Ryan, not even bothering to acknowledge his offended frown. "Do any of the adults in the room have a plan?"

"Uhh, rude. You're not even going to give us a chance?" Tristan said, giving me his famously creepy puppy eyes. They were known for doing the opposite of what he intended.

"Hell no."

"Hush now kids. I think what y/n means is the only plans she trusts are mine," Sam smirked, nodding at me confidently.

"That is definitely not what I meant," I whispered, shaking my head and looking to Darcy for help. She seemed to be the most rational person in the room.

"How you even managed to get to this point confuses me." Darcy stood up and sighed, pushing her glasses up her nose as she assessed her pathetic excuse for a rescue team. "The chances of this working are close to none. You have to understand that things could – and probably will – go wrong. We're not all likely to get out of here in one piece. While you lot were bickering, I managed to find out where Wanda is being kept. Trust me when I tell you there's like a one percent chance that we even get to her in the first place, let alone actually get her out of here. The most likely outcome is we all get locked up with her, or worse."

No one said anything. Darcy's words cut deep, an invisible gash that sliced what little hope I had left in half.

Ryan coughed, breaking the deafening silence. "Well when you put it like that..."

My eyes snapped to his. "Ryan."

"I'm kidding," he smiled, his brown hair highlighting the light green specks of colour in his eyes. "You know I'm always going to be here for you, no matter how insane the situation may be."