Run to You|Pietro Maximoff

Chapter Twenty-Three

Ira threw a punch at the black punching bag dangling tauntingly in front of her. She hit it again, her wrapped hands pounding the smooth surface of the bag. She punched quickly, and the bag spun on the chain.

She continued hitting it, clearing her mind. After the events of yesterday, where her whole day was disturbed with thoughts about the dream, Ira was glad to have some time alone when she didn't have to think about it.

But fate, it seems, had a different idea.

Ira threw one last punch at the bag before stopping. She wiped the sweat of her face, and unwrapped her hands. She put the wrappings away, and walked out of the training room, carrying her water bottle. She took a sip as she walked through the halls, her feet padding softly on the floor. She reached her room, and opened the door, stepping into the familiar environment.

She put her now empty bottle on the dresser, and went into the bathroom. She stared into the mirror as she undid the French braids in her hair. She looked at her reflection. The dream had definitely take a toll on her. It was barely noticeable, but she could tell.

Her skin was a shade paler, hardly noticeable except for those that were very observant. There were slight bags under her eyes, covered lightly with a bit of foundation. But she was getting better, and the dream no longer plagued her mind.

Ira undressed, and took a quick shower, just to rinse away the sweat and grime from training. Once she was done, she got out of the shower and got dressed. She chose a white shirt and a pair of ripped jean shorts. She quickly pulled them on, and used a towel to dry her hair. When she was done, she hung her necklace around her neck, and left the room.

Ira stepped outside, turning to the door next to her. She rapped lightly on the wood, and she could hear stirring inside. Wanda opened the door, and smiled when she saw Ira. "Hey! Come on in," she invited, and opened the door to her friend.

Ira walked in, and sat on the edge of the bed. "So," Wanda began, sitting next to her. "What brings you here?"

The blonde shrugged, her hair rippling down her shoulders. "I just wanted to talk."

"About what?" Wanda questioned, tilting her head to the side.

"Did Natasha tell you about my dream?" Ira asked her, and she shook her head.

"I kind of... saw it. In your head." Wanda admitted, pointedly looking at her fingernails instead of Ira.

"You read my mind?" Ira asked, a little hurt.

"No, not really," she assured her quickly. "When you had the dream, you were in so much pain that you kind of," She paused, trying to think of the right word, "projected that pain everywhere. Your feelings were so strong that they just entered my mind. I didn't have to probe at all."

"Oh. Okay," Ira said, less defensive. She was glad to know that Wanda hadn't invaded her privacy.

"And then during the day, I could feel that you were in pain. But I also knew that you had to deal with it yourself, so I didn't say anything," Wanda continued, and Ira nodded. "Is that you wanted to talk about?"

"Actually, no," she replied. "I've kind of pushed it far into the back of my mind. It's almost forgotten already. I just wanted to spend time with my best friend," she said.

"Aww," Wanda teased. Ira rolled her eyes. They both laid back on the bed, idly talking and chatting with each other. Eventually, they decided to watch a show, and Ira turned on the TV. It was on the news, and she was about to change the channel, when she stopped.

"In other news, a man named John Lenerick is blaming the Avengers for the destruction of his laboratory. He claims that the lab was purposefully destroyed by the team, and he plans to file a lawsuit against Tony Stark, claiming that if the billionaire doesn't pay compensation, he will take matters into his own hands. Now, there's no way to know if the claims are valid, but-"

Ira turned to Wanda. "Who is this guy? He doesn't sound familiar."

Wanda shrugged. "I don't remember him, but I'm sure Tony wouldn't destroy his lab without a good reason. It was probably a HYDRA base or something."

"Yeah, you're right," Ira agreed, then paused. "Do you think Stark knows about this?" She asked. Wanda shrugged again.

They left the room, and walked through the halls searching for Tony. They found him in the living room, ranting to Steve and Natasha who were trying to calm him down. "Did you see the report?" Wanda asked. Tony didn't answer, but Natasha did. She wordlessly pointed behind her to the TV, where the anchorman was still talking.

"Who is this guy, anyway?" Ira asked. This time Tony answered.

"John Lenerick. He's a top-ranking HYDRA scientist. A month ago, I headed a mission to destroy his lab. We had gotten intel that they were building a powerful weapon of destruction, so we attacked the base. We destroyed both the machine, and the base. But now, he's claiming that I destroyed his laboratory base as if he wasn't building a weapon of mass destruction." He rolled his eyes. "It's ridiculous!"

"It's fine, Tony," Steve assured him, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We have proof of the machine. We'll easily be able to win a court case, if it comes to that."

"It seems a little weird though, doesn't it?" Natasha asked and crossed her arms over her chest. "Why did he go to the press? He almost certainly knows that we have evidence against him. So what's the point?"

"Maybe he was trying to weaken us in the public's eye?" Wanda suggested. "Make us seem like we just destroy things whenever we feel like it."

"But what did he mean when he said 'he'll take matters into his own hands'?" Ira asked, tilting her head slightly, her blonde hair falling in waves down her shoulders. "Maybe he's trying to send us a message."

"Or a warning," Tony muttered. "F.R.I.D.A.Y, activate Protocol 9-19."

"Got it, boss," F.R.I.D.A.Y's voice echoed through the speakers. Nothing appeared to happen.

"What's Protocol 9-19?" Ira questioned.

"It's just a precautionary measure, extra defenses on the building, and F.R.I.D.A.Y keeps on eye on the outside cameras to make sure no one comes in." Tony explained briefly.

"Are you sure we even need that?" Steve asked. "Maybe it's just an empty threat." He ran a hand through his air. "We've gotten them all the time."

"I don't think we're going to get that lucky," Ira murmured, stepping over to the window. Outside, the starry night sky glowed peacefully.

"What is it?" Natasha asked, all of them coming over to join her. She wordlessly pointed at a bright light in the sky. At first appearance it looked to be a star, but it was moving through the sky. As it came closer, they could see that it wasn't a star, but a ship, that stopped to hover near the compound.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y, Barn Door Protoc-" Tony started to scream, but was cut off. The ship fired a single missile, that curved through the sky towards the compound. Time seemed to move in slow motion as it collided with the side of the building, before exploding.
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A/N:

My first cliffhanger. Or at least, first big one. This is part of wrapping things up, as I'm getting toward the end of the story and now have a clear idea of what I'm going to do. You'll have to read the next chapter to find out what's going to happen next. ;)

Until then,

I love you three thousand,

E l i z a b e t h