Mission 2022

Chapter Nine: Guns and Poses

It took three days before Pietro finally used his mouth in a way that wasn't to mix it with Wisp's. Wisp, who hadn't remained detained for long, appeared, a bluish haze in their living room, and declared, with quite unnecessary regality, in Bucky's opinion, that Pietro would see them now. That he was finally ready to talk.

Sam, Bucky, Nat and Wanda, all armed, approached the office where Pietro and Wisp had been kept. Today Wisp was stood to the back of the room; they were a girl today, with a blue woolen jumper, white jeans, their classic trench coat, and a murderous look. Pietro looked worse: his hair was a mess, and his face was unshaven. He looked limp and exhausted in the chair, from which he hadn't moved for days, and his clothes were creased.

"You want to know why we're here, and why now," he said. "I'll tell you."

A pause.

"There's a small army coming from another dimension, known as The Guardians."

"The Guardians? Like the Guardians of the Galaxy?" Nat cut in sharply. Bucky remembered them from the fight against Thanos: a talking tree, a crazy rodent, a blue girl, her sister, and some idiot called Peter. Must have been something about the name.

"No, no, we know all about them, Natasha," Pietro shook his head. "There's Alexis, Jaundice, Lowface, Cerise, Guardian, and their ghouls."

"Sounds like a '90s rock band," Sam snapped.
"Doesn't matter," Pietro shrugged, and shook his head once more. "They're coming. They're coming for Earth and they're coming for you. I'd rather not be around when that happens."

The tension was palpable, and then Wisp darted forwards and pressed their finger to Wanda's forehead, who fell to the floor in a dead faint. Sam was shooting and so was Natasha; Bucky knelt down to guard Wanda, and Wisp moved in front of Pietro so that the bullets just glanced off of their coat in a shower of sparks. They kicked out at Natasha's legs and then faded away, leaving Nat and Wanda on the floor, and Sam panting, gun still up.

"Where is she?" Sam shouted. Pietro smirked, his eyes trained on something to the back of Sam.
"They're behind you," Pietro taunted in a singsong voice.

Suddenly Wisp was behind Sam, in male form, and grasped him from behind, twisting their arm around Sam's throat. Sam dropped his gun, still loaded, and it went off around the room. Bucky ducked, led over Wanda and pulling Nat down with him.

And then, for one terrifying minute, there was silence.

But then came the scream.