Avengers/MCU Oneshots

Betrayal (Wanda Maximoff)

For years, the only people who loved or truly cared about Pietro and Wanda Maximoff were themselves. They went through nearly eight years on the streets of the war zone of a country. They stole, scavenged, and begged for food and money. They tried to get jobs, but struggled to hold them.

When they were twelve, their enemy, Tony Stark, was kidnapped. They hoped that he would die. Instead, he escaped and later announced himself as the hero Iron Man. The twins scoffed. The man was no hero. He was a hypocrite.

When they were sixteen, a group of 'heroes' called the Avengers saved the world. They left destruction of a large area of New York City in their wake. They wouldn't have minded the group too much, had Stark not been a part of the ground. But he was, and so they hated this new group. Their new enemies.

Two days after their eighteenth birthday, they were confronted by a man from an organization called HYDRA. He offered to experiment on the twins. He said that if they lived, they would gain powers to defend and save their country. And possibly, get their revenge on Tony Stark. Deciding that they had nothing to loose but each other, they had agreed.

Life at HYDRA was torture- sometimes literally. But it was what they had agreed to. The experiments with the scepter were especially painful. Wanda usually screamed the whole time, barely managing to stay alive and conscious. But she had to stay alive for Pietro. She had to stay awake for herself, so some of the creepier men wouldn't defile her.

When they were nineteen years old, the Avengers attacked. The twins made their escape after Wanda showed Stark his worst nightmare. They were once again on the streets of Sokovia for two nights before a little boy named Costel came up to them. He said that the Iron Man wanted to see them at the church.

Intrigued, the twins went to the dilapidated heart of the city. It had been abandoned after one of Stark's bombs hit the courtyard. There they found a robot called Ultron.

He brought them to his base- which used to be the HYDRA one. They told him their story, and he showed them compassion and understanding. "We will make it right." He said. The twins believed him. They couldn't help it. It had been a long time since anyone had showed them so much raw emotion.

A few days went by, and the twins grew closer to Ultron. He showed them what no human had in nine years: love. Not in a romantic fashion. Of course not. Could robots even feel that way? Wanda wasn't sure. It was more platonic. But it was a strong emotion, and even though Wanda couldn't clearly read his mind, it was an emotion that she could tell was there.

They fought the Avengers a week later in Wakanda. Wanda showed most of them their worst nightmares. Wanda felt bad about unleashing the Hulk on a bunch of innocent civilians, but Ultron assured her that it was necessary. How else would others see that the Avengers were the evil ones?

Two weeks later, they were in South Korea. Ultron was on a chair, a woman named Dr. Helen Cho was constricting a new body for him. Ultron was talking, wires connecting him to the cradle. Wanda could sense him... dreaming? That was bizarre. But she wanted to read him. She hadn't been able to so far, and she really wanted to know what his mind was like. "I can read him. He is dreaming?" She asked, wanted confirmation.

"I wouldn't call it dreams." Dr. Cho replied. "It's Ultron's base consciousness. Informational waves. Soon-"

"How soon?" Ultron asked. "I'm not being pushy."

"We're imprinting a physical brain. There are no shortcuts-"

Wanda was no longer listening. She slowly rested her hands on the cradle, closing her eyes. She saw the earth, a large explosion. She read devastation. She screamed, stumbling back as horror overtook her.

She felt the AI's eyes on her as Pietro caught her. She felt not only horrified, but betrayed. How could her friend do this?

He said he was saving the world, but he was going to destroy it. He intended to keep herself and her brother safe, she had seen that. But the rest of the human race would likely be wiped out. How-how could be do this?! The Ultron she knew was kind, gentle (usually), and compassionate. He felt sympathy, and pity, and LOVE. How could he love the twins but simultaneously hate their entire species?!

Her breathing was heavy, and Pietro was trying to comfort her. "How could you?" She asked Ultron, heartbroken.

"How could I what?" He questioned.

"You said we would destroy the AVENGERS. Make a better world!"

"It will be a better world," Ultron argued.

"When everyone is dead?" Wanda was horrified. Pietro just looked confused, trying to figure out what was going on. She telepathically shared the information she had received. He was equally horrified.

"That is not-" Ultron yelled, before lowering it again. "The human race will have every opportunity to improve."

"And if they don't?" Pietro asked.

"Ask Noah."

"You're a madman," Wanda breathed.

"There were more than a dozen extinction-level events before even the DINOSAURS got theirs! When the Earth starts to settle, God throws a stone at it. And believe me, he's winding up." (A/N Oh, wow, did Ultron predict 2020? Sorry. Couldn't resist. Back to the story.) "We have to evolve. There's no room for the weak."

"And who decides who's weak?" Pietro raised the question.

Wanda released Dr. Cho from Ultron's control.

"Life." The AI laughed. And that was the absolute confirmation that he was a complete psycho. "Life always decides." There was a noise, catching Ultron's attention. "There's incoming. The quinjet."

Pietro embraced Wanda, kissing the side of her head. If there was anything that they needed it was physical reassurance that they still had each other. They had just lost Ultron.

"We have to move." The robot's voice rang out.

"That's not a problem," Cho said. She shit down the machine.

Ultron groaned, firing at the woman. The twins were horrified one time too many. Pietro scooped Wanda up, running out of the building as fast as he could.

They helped Captain America with the train. They tried to stop Stark and Banner from awakening the robot. They failed. But Vision wasn't so bad.

They saved Sokovia- but at a price. The majority of Novi Grad was gone. As was half of the Maximoff twins. Pietro had died shielding Hawkeye and Costel. Ultron has shot him to death. Wanda had felt so deeply betrayed. How could Ultron do that?! It was an accident, she knew. But she was still furious. So she made him feel her pain. She tried to die in Sokovia, she did. But she was "saved" by Vision. She was so proud of Pietro for his sacrifice. But she knew three things for thing for sure.

Her brother and city were gone. They weren't ever coming back. And it was all her fault.

So she just curled up on her new bed at the Avengers compound, crying her eyes out. She was stuck with everything that she never needed, and without everything that she ever did.