Can we trust her?

Chapter 18

Natasha hadn't slept in a day, or two? She and Steve were done with the agents that had been guarding the place. No so far away Magneto was pulling up all metal artifacts from Sebastian's laboratory towards him, it was way easier than picking them up one by one.

Hill had been researching Carson and found out that he had been planning his encounter with the Avengers since the battle in Sokovia, he was rather interested in Wanda's abilities and made a laboratory in a place where he could introduce himself in a "heroic" and powerful way.

Vision landed next to them, waking Natasha from her thoughts.

"Has Wanda left?" Steve asked him

The humanoid shook his head "She insisted on staying"

Natasha remembered Tony's comment: Don't you think Vision acts weird around Maximoff? And couldn't help to smirk "What's the plan Cap?" she asked

"We find Carson and capture him" he answered "Everyone heard that?" he asked through his communicator

A series of 'Copy that', 'roger that!', 'kay Capsicle', and 'yeah sure' came in response. Wanda appeared behind them and placed herself next to Natasha, she smiled at her friend "Missed me?" she asked

Romanoff smiled "More than I had expected"

"Hill, where is Sebastian?" Captain America asked

"He's coming to you" she answered

Until then Wanda realized none of her teammates were wearing the helmets Stark had made, then she remembered Erik was pulling every metal accessory and not wearing them seemed like a right choice. Stark and Rhodey were on the air in the meantime.

Sebastian landed gracefully on the ground "I kind of missed you guys!" he said with a smile

Captain America walked in front of the team and stared at him "I'm not sure if you got the idea but if you ever dare to touch anyone again you'll have to fight with all of us." His tone then softened "you don't have to do this Sebastian, you can just hand yourself to us and you won't get hurt"

Carson snorted "Does that actually work?"

Stark sighed, Steve was being stupid for thinking the guy would surrender so he landed next to him "No that doesn't work, so cut the crap and let's fight"

Steve looked at Iron Man "Stark, step down, I've got this"

He held up his arms "Oh! I'm so sorry Cap; you'll surely make him surrender with those kind words"

Sebastian sighed "I'm not giving up, now are you done with your little fight?"

Steve nodded "All right then, you will face the consequences"

Wanda was getting sick of Carson's attitude and fired at him.

He moved to the left but she smiled at the sight of his arm being burned.

In cue a bunch of HYDRA agents came running in and the fight started.

Black Widow, Iron Man, Rhodey and Vision were taking care of them while Steve and Wanda handled him.

But he still avoided the attacks, Wanda had to break her promised and went inside Steve's mind to send him a message Distract him, I have an idea. Steve glanced at her and nodded.

She prayed for her plan to work and for Steve to make a good distraction.

The super soldier put his shield on the floor and started jumping. Carson stared at him in confusion; the Scarlet Witch was tempted to laugh but contained it. Then searched for his mind, gladly it wasn't shielded so she gathered all the anger she had and attacked his head. The scientist covered his head with both of his hands. Steve stopped jumping.

Carson fell on his knees covering his face, Wanda thought her planned had worked and in a way it did until he looked at her with a crooked smile and a gun in his right arm. She choked a scream and it all happened so sudden that she felt her heart stopped. Steve hadn't even realized and if it weren't because he nearly tripped with his shield the super soldier would have not made it. The bullet hit the right side of his chest next to his shoulder and he lost his balance and fell on the floor.

If she was angry because he had almost killed her, or because he kept torturing her with memories of her brother's death, she was now furious. Her red energy expired through all of her body.

"This ends now" she told him "You will never touch anyone again"

Surprisingly Sebastian was smiling as if being proud of waking up this unexplored part of her abilities.

"If you want to fight with someone do it with me" she said

He nodded "Very well" Carson lifted his hands and created some sort of force field, leaving everyone but the two of them in.

The Scarlet witch looked behind her and saw Natasha kneeling next to Steve trying to calm him down, while War Machine and Iron Man were finishing the agents that were left, and Vision standing outside the force field, he stared at her with his mouth opened, that broke her heart, he looked so... worried or maybe desperate. Wanda decided that this could be the last time she ever saw her friends so she went inside his mind, it was all organized, and less noisy than most of normal minds but it was still magical, she left him a simple message, one that if she died at least she would have had said it Thank you for being my family.

Sebastian coughed to get her attention; she left her friends mind and looked at him.

"When I'm finished with you I'll have a lovely story to tell" he said "A worthy mutant adversary"

She snorted "You are too dramatic"

He shrugged and went inside her mind, the only difference is that this time she fully allowed it, when he tried to drill she just opened the door, and he was getting frustrated. She remembered how she had hurt him when she went inside Pietro's reality so she prayed for that to work again.

On her brother's street she was with Sebastian, he kept clenching his teeth and fists, even her head was hurting.

"What's your plan?" he asked "stay here until your mind gets overdosed and you end up having a heart attack so we both die?"

She frowned, that sounded stupid but maybe it was real, she still didn't answer.

"Two can play a game Wanda" he said and closed his eyes, he was also creating a parallel alternative, his words were now probably true, the image of the street started to fail and a blackness came in and out in her vision, she wouldn't be able to hold it enough. She sighed in defeat and left the reality.

She was back on the force field and dizziness drowned her, she doubted she could be able to go back to the other reality, and she felt a lot worse, the only way she could see her brother again was gone and now Wanda didn't even cared about crying in public, she felt hopeless and weak.

Carson was weaker too but he didn't look like it "Is that all you get?!" he asked in a mocking tone "you are not a real hero, you are nothing more than a weak child that can't live on and gets depressed because her brother was too stupid to survive!"

Wanda didn't feel powerful but she couldn't give up, her friends wouldn't be able to stand against a man who had her powers, she wasn't giving up, she would be strong and man, she wasn't going to care about what he believed. She missed her brother, yes, but that only made her feel motivated, he had died for a greater cause, she would suffer his fate in exchange of saving lives, she would follow his example if necessary.

The scarlet witch stood up and summoned all the power she had left and looked at him "I'm weaker than usual but I can still make an explosion"

Everything that followed was blurry to her, she shot him all the power in her body she hit him with all she had left, her memories, her abilities, her courage and all the love she felt for her new family who she wasn't ready to give up. Her eyes were closed and she only stopped when she felt empty. Followed by that she fell on her back and realized the force field had disappeared. Her eyes went heavy and she felt blood coming out her nose and probably her mouth.

Vision appeared next to her "Wanda" he whispered softly in her ear as if he was scared he could hurt her by talking louder

She smiled "Don't worry, I'm still breathing" and with that everything went black