Scarlet Witch : Time Runs Out (Secret Wars Saga)

Chapter 27: THE TRIAL OF WANDA MAXIMOFF Part 3

The Trial of Wanda Maximoff
PART 3

This is Part 3 of the trial of Wanda Maximoff, the first two parts were a few chapters earlier.
(Chapter 20 and 21)

Wanda stood at the foot of the courthouse steps, her heart hammering. The weight of the cuffs on her wrists and ankles seemed to pull her down with every breath. Behind her, the roar of the crowd swelled, angry voices crashing over her. She felt smothered by their rage.

The crowd had turned monstrous, twisted faces, screaming for her punishment. It didn't seem real. How could all of this be for her?

Her legs trembled. The sight of the endless mob made her want to collapse, to disappear. She bit her lip, breaths shallow and quick, her pulse racing.

The stairs stretched before her, impossibly long. One step. Then another. The clank of her cuffs echoed in her ears, biting into her skin with every shaky step.

Thousands of eyes burned into her from behind the barricades. She couldn't believe that all these people  had come for her. Dread surged in her throat.

She felt raw, ashamed, and filled with a guilt that she couldn't shake. She wasn't ready, would never be ready. At the top, the heavy courthouse doors loomed before her, a final barrier. Her fingers twitched, fighting the urge to run. To turn away and never look back. She looked at Victor behind her and said something barely audible, a whisper filled with fear.

Wanda: I can't... I can't...

Victor: You will.

Victor's presence behind her was the only thing that kept her moving. Slowly, almost as if her body wasn't her own, she took the final step, her shackled wrists trembling as they reached for the door.

The doors creaked open, revealing the cavernous interior of the courtroom.

The world seemed to hold its breath.

The air inside was different, heavy with a kind of tension that made her skin crawl. Rows of seats stretched out before her, filled with reporters, officials, and spectators. The walls seemed to hum with the weight of the moment, as if they too understood the gravity of what was about to unfold. History was in the making, and she was the star of the show. It was, as the media had put it, the trial of the century, perhaps the biggest trial in history. The world was ready with torches and pitchforks, to see the Scarlet Witch face justice.

All eyes turned to her, and in that moment, she felt the world stop. Every single person in that room were all staring at her. There was no escape. No hiding from their gaze, their silent judgment.

The clank of her cuffs rang out through the chamber as she walked. At this point it was all she could hear. Everything else felt like a blur. Everything seemed to stand still around her. She kept her head down, but she could feel their stares, burning into her. She could hear the murmur of voices, whispers that swirled like smoke in the air around her.

The weight of their expectations, their hatred, their fear... It pressed down on her with every step. Her sight blurred with unshed tears, but she forced herself to keep walking, her heart hammering against her ribs.

Wanda stood at the defendant's table, motionless, as the voices around her hushed. Matt already stood ready, touching her shoulder to ground her in the moment. A tremor ran through her body, her pulse a frantic rhythm in her ears. She could barely breathe, the enormity of the moment crushing down on her like a tidal wave. Her eyes darted to two familiar faces in the crowd, Professor Charles Xavier and Jean Grey. Charles saw her gaze and nodded his head, a soothing signal that he would look after her. That he would not let her angst cause her powers to lose control.