Swan Song of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Epilogue 8

''I can't believe you just did that.'' Steve laughed and shook his head.

''I've been flying for 10 hours straight, are you really expecting me to not jump on the first double bed that you put in front of me?'' I said sitting up on my elbows, ''Speaking of which I need to sleep for a while.'' I curled up on the bed removing my uniform, ''But first of all I want a shower.''

After I was showered and rested, I dressed in loose khaki trousers with a white vest top lent to me by Ororo.

I fixed my hair in a ponytail with the help of telekinesis. When I went out of the bathroom and into the main room to my surprise I found Steve and Bucky talking in hushed tones.

"What's the big secret?" I joked.

''Above your clearance," Bucky quipped back. I shook my head and plopped myself down on the bed. Meanwhile Steve let Bucky out of the suite saying,

"We'll talk more later. I don't want to get her hopes up and then have to cancel. It wouldn't be fair."

Bucky nodded and left, I resisted the temptation to look in his mind and find out what Steve had meant.

"You have to take a look at this view Lizzy." He took me by the hand pulling me to my feet.

"Where are we going?" I moaned even though I'd rested I was still a little weary.

"It's not far, Scout's honour." He held up a Scout salute. "It'll make you forget the jetlag, I promise." He pulled me towards the windows,

"Jetlag?" I scoffed, "I flew here, Steve. It'd be like you running from California to Florida ten times!"

''That's an exaggeration." the said dropping my hand to hold back the curtain and open the door. ''Ladies first."

I was blinded by sunlight as I stepped out onto a balcony positioned above the city.

As my eyes adjusted, I saw the Citadel with its old architecture standing out amid the glass and steel of the modern sky-scrappers. But what really made the city stand out among the metropolises of the Western world were the trees and plants sprouted between the buildings giving it the look of an urban oasis or a lost city filled with people going about their business even in the heat. I sensed Wakanda was nothing without its people, T 'Challa took every chance he had to speak with his people and even though the palace was above the city he often took the old servants' entrance so that he might show them that he thought of them as equals.

"It's a beautiful view," I sighed.

''It is, the city isn't bad either," Steve whispered in my ear.

I laughed at his antics and leaned back against him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and I instantly felt at home. I inhaled as much as I could of his old spice and sandalwood smell.

"Don't you think this would be the perfect place to get married?" the said out of the blue, as a bad reflex I joked in reply,

''Was that an offer?" I learnt forward on the railing and watched the sun glistening on the buildings. It made for a surreal sight golden sandstone amongst orange glass, with the contrast of the green shrubs.

''It could be, is that was what you wanted." He said resting his chin on my shoulder.

"Steve it doesn't matter where I am only who I'm there with." I smiled out at the city, for once content. There was a quiet tap on the door and a young brunette woman joined us on the balcony.

"Wanda, I'm glad you're here. Liz this is Wanda, Wanda this is my fiancée Liz." Steve motioned to each of us as he spoke.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss. Maximoff." I reached out my hand for her to shake which she did. Once she had she turned my wrist to examine my markings more closely. Which in turn alarmed me as my shields were up.

''Cheap parlour trick finding my name.'' She spoke in an accent I couldn't quite place. "Beautiful artwork, why do you try to hide it?" I dropped my shields before I spoke.

"Unfortunately, it is the harsh truth that not everyone feels that way. To the outside mutants or in fact anyone with powers are to be feared."

She nodded conveying her understanding. The was a short silence before Steve's phone rang, after a glance at it he addressed us,

"I'm sorry ladies but I have to go... um... attended to a few things." He said cryptically before slipping back into the suite. I took a couple of seconds to take a closer look at my new ally; the fact she was even here made that clear. Wanda was dressed similarly to myself except her colour pallet was darker; black trousers, grey west top. Though the hand-woven red shawl in the heat struck me as odd.

''I apologise if I interrupted anything," she said. I waved my hand dismissively,

"Don't worry about it, a few minutes later the call would have," I sighed. "Shall we step inside out of the heat? And you can tell me why you're here?" I tried my best to phrase it as a question she seemed reluctant. As we headed inside she only pulled the shawl tighter prompting me to ask, ''Cold?"

She shook her head taking a seat on one of the sofas.

"It's just an old comforting habit."

This was going to be harder than I'd first thought, I was nearly tempted to take a peek but decided it was too invasive. Before I had a strategy in place to get her to open up, she spoke, not really to me but to the shawl on her hands.

"I'm not sure if Steve mentioned me to you?" Wanda fingered the hem of the shawl as she spoke. "I guess with everything going on, he forgot."

"He does have a lot on his plate right now," I tried my best not to sound defensive, ''What was it you wanted to speak to me about?"

"I was on the news, but the truth is I'm not completely in control of my powers." She looked up at me, clearly upset.

"Do you mind...?" I motioned to reading her mind.

"Go ahead."

I saw what she meant, an explosion she should have been able to at least make non-lethal. Before I could withdraw from her mind I was attack by a red mass; seeming to resemble both liquid and gaseous forms at once.

I was thrown from her mind and bolted from the suite. Suddenly I returned to Time Square, only it looked like a warzone. Only then did I realize my markings and wings were on full display for all to see. People gave me a wide birth,

"Surrender little sister, Rogers is dead. He can't protect you anymore." My brother spoke to me on one of the screens. Then the image changed; every screen still functioning and glitching showed Steve dead on the steps of the Capitol building. The Iron Man suit appeared from behind a building and he aimed a repluser blast at me then I was back in Wakanda.

''As you experienced I'm not in control of my abilities." Wonder looked down ashamed.

"It's about handling your emotions and blocking out everyone else's thoughts,'' I said, "Especially your own fear, you can't let it control you."

"But--"

"The bombing wasn't your fault and at the end of the day you saved a lot of lives." I said sincerely. "You can't be afraid of your gifts, just remember powers can create as well as destroy."

"Thank you for your kind words," she said getting up.

''There's something else." I stated reading her body language. She smiled looking back at me from the doorway,

"All the secrets you know, how do you stop them from overwhelming you?"

"I let them go, and those that I keep... I have no choice but to find a way to carry them. In time you will find a way too." I said sounding more like a fortune cookie than I'd meant to but Wanda nodded understanding, before she left me alone in the suite. This caused me to release a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.

For a split second I entertained the thought of going back to sleep before Steve returned but discarded it in favour of exploring outside the palace.