The Witch and the Soldier

Mission

Nothing had gone to plan. Ever since they had entered the facility, they had been met with gun after gun. "This mission isn't going to end well," Natasha's voice broke through the barrage of gunfire.

As much as Wanda didn't want to agree, there were far too many men and they seemed to replicate once hit. "We're outnumbered," she told the assassin, her powers successfully subduing one of the opposing men. "Where is Bucky?"

"East wing. He went for the control room," Sam answered. Wanda's heart stopped when his words registered in her mind.

"He shouldn't have gone alone. Did anybody go with him?" If Wanda's conjectures were correct, there would be a Syntron guard close to the control room.

"You know he's stubborn," Natasha told her, her gun pointed at a Syntron. "He's not gonna fight with anybody if he can help it."

'He's going to have to,' Wanda thought to herself as she ducked under the beam of a Syntron's gun. She snuck from the room, successfully avoiding the eyes of the Syntrons.

The path to the control room was clearly marked with bodies of Syntrons in various states of disarray, many with dismembered limbs and sparking wires. She should have expected this much but the sight still shocked her. How had he singlehandedly taken out the Syntrons himself? Even fighting alongside her teammates, Wanda had come across an adequate amount of difficulty trying to subdue only one.

"James?" she called, apprehension present in her words. She was unsure of what she would find or if Bucky would be under the influence of his altered state of mind.

The soldier was stationed at the master control panel, his fingers manipulating switches and buttons. "There's a main power source that's controlling the Synts. We can kill it and they'll all go down with it."

"Where is the source?" Wanda asked, joining him in his search.

"It's locked. There's a key somewhere in this place but finding it is gonna be rough."

After a moment's thought, the key's location came to her mind. "The Sorceress has it around her neck. Clint was trying to take it. She's too powerful."

Bucky's demeanor changed within a moment's notice, the steely glare of the assassin replacing the once warm glow. With gun in hand, he stalked from the room and made way toward the fray of battle.

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"You think you are stronger than me? What powers do you mere mortals possess that can overthrow me?" The voice of the Sorceress rang clear throughout the room, ricocheting off of the walls and grating against Wanda's ears. All gunfire had ceased and eyes were trained on the woman, her every move accounted for.

"What do you want?" Clint yelled, the barrel of his gun pointed toward the Sorceress.

Her laugh resonated around the team before she spoke. "You do not know? I want what the fool wanted. Loki was his name. He was careless. He did not have the ability to do what I can."

At the mention of Loki's name, Thor tensed, raising his hammer in a gesture of a threat. "You speak of my brother but are not powerful enough to take what he wanted."

His words acted as a catalyst. With one twist of her hand, the Asgardian was overcome with near blinding pain. "You mock me without knowing of my power. You are as foolish as your brother." Her eyes moved around the room, studying the faces of the team. "Weak. Every single one of you. Singlehandedly, I have subdued a god and you have only disposed of a fraction of my Syntrons. It is quite pathetic, actually." She released the god and turned her attention to the archer. "I should have done away with you first. Your acerbic wit has not served you well here." Wanda watched as the Sorceress motioned towards Clint, a Syntron firing his weapon, effectively subjugating the man.

The actions triggered a reaction from the team. Within minutes, the Sorceress was vanquished, her blood staining the floor around her.

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"He needs treatment. Now." Natasha's voice was strong and demanding as she cleared a space for Clint to lay.

Dr. Banner studied the wound before retrieving the supplies. "What was the weapon?"

"Laser gun. 1000 volts."

"Jesus, Clint. You're still hanging on?" the doctor asked as he set to treating the wound.

"Barely but I'm still fighting. Nat would be devastated if I left," he teased, his eyes clenching shut as he focused on the doctor's words rather than the sting of antiseptic.

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"You put up a hard fight," Bucky complimented, his fingers twirling a strand of her hair. "You've gotten your powers under control."

"After hurting so many people."

"Don't think of it like that, Doll. You've gotta look at the positive side of things. You basically delivered the fatal blow to the Sorceress. That in itself should tell you something."

Wanda's eyes met those of the soldier's, many thoughts rushing about her mind. "You're right," she finally agreed, albeit reluctantly. Even though Bucky saw her as something amazing, Wanda still saw herself as a monster, an out of control killing machine.

"It was a successful mission. Just look at it that way. Your powers helped instead of hurt. Just think of that. Don't dwell on what has happened in the past. Only what's happened today."

"I will," she promised before leaning forward to place a kiss to the soldier's cheek.