An Age of Metal

Visions or Nightmares

Wanda snuck around the facility, swirling scarlet energy around her fingertips. She first approached Thor from behind, distanced herself, and with a twist of her hands his eyes glowed red. Thor shook his head, like he was trying to wake himself up from a daze.

"Thor, status." Steve said over the noise. He was still with Peggy, with Natasha not far behind.

"The girl tried to warp my mind." Thor grunted, swinging his hammer at a metal man.

"Take special care." He continued, "I doubt a human could keep her at bay. Fortunately, I am mighty."

Thor had underestimated Wanda's strength. As he turned his head, he didn't see a dingy hallway, but a party. In a room found on Asgard.

"What's wrong?" Peggy asked him, noticing the odd behaviour. She would soon find out.

Wanda kept twisting, bending her light. Red quickly engulfed her eyes, and Steve's, and Natasha's. One by one, each New Avenger was left in the same state. Pietro saw the whole thing in slow motion, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of remorse as he saw a group of people his age or younger collapse. But he pushed the feeling aside.

They are Avengers. He thought. They had it coming.

Ultron was left fighting Tony alone, since Robert had been affected and was laying down in a daze. Tony was protecting him as much as himself. Ultron sensed the chaos Wanda was making.

"This is going very well." He spoke to himself.

Wanda snuck behind who should have been her last victim, Clint. But just as she was about to go into his mind, he whipped around and put an electric arrow to her forehead, stunning her.

"I've done the whole mind control thing." He told her dryly. "Not a fan."

Just then, Pietro sped in. He knocked Clint to the ground and scooped Wanda up in his arms, tearing off the arrow. He shot Clint a dirty look before running off again.

"Yeah, you better run." Clint gasped from the ground.

Steve dropped his helmet, talking into his com.

"Who's ever standing, we got to move! Guys?" He asked.

"Steve, I don't think that's an option." Peggy told him. She placed a hand on his arm, and they looked at each other before their visions consumed them.

.....

Natasha walked down an ancient wooden staircase, where she could hear soft music playing through the facility. But everything was muted, wrong. A group of young girls stood in a line in slippers and tutus, learning ballet.

"Again." The instructor commanded.

"You'll break them." Natasha spoke, looking out the window. It wasn't Natasha, though. Or at least not the older, more secure Black Widow.

"Only the breakable ones." The older woman, Madame B, said as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You're made of marble. We'll celebrate after the graduation ceremony."

"What if I fail?" She asked.

She was put in front of a target board, with a gun in her hand and an assassin in charge of training behind her.

Click-boom.

Her aim was perfect. The target board was replaced with a man, tied up with a bag over his head.

Click-boom.

"You never fail." Madame B assured her.

.....