Quietus

which witch...

Wanda, Wanda, Wanda...what ever am I going to do with you?

Wanda looked over the picture she was sent, the only indication of who her next target was. Since she was on SHIELD's radar Hydra could only send so much information, so they posted a picture on a twitter account and told her to check the account. She printed the picture at the local library, staring at possibly the most famous man in New York city.

Tony Stark.

She knew what she needed to know about him. He was Iron Man, a member of the Avengers, and a billionaire. He was also human and in love with one Virginia Pepper Potts.

And that was how she was going to draw him out and away from the Avengers.

Wanda had two weeks to complete this mission given the circumstances. She wagered she could do it in ten days.

So she began to stalk Pepper Potts, learning her schedule, her routine, her habits. She knew Pepper was a diligent worker and highly allergic to strawberries, that she went for a jog before work every morning and called Tony during lunch breaks.

Wanda knew exactly when and how to strike.

It was on day nine of her recon when Wanda put her plan into action. Pepper was out of her office for lunch break and Wanda had snuck in, disguising herself as one of the workers and altering the probability of the technology recognizing her. She made it into Pepper's office, grabbing her water bottle. She opened the top and dropped in the strawberry extract before making her exit. 

She waited nearby as Pepper returned, nonchalantly lowering the chances of Pepper detecting the strawberry extract in her water. Wanda heard Pepper buzz her assistant in urgently and knew her mission was complete. She made her way down stairs as the ambulance arrived, stepping out of the way of the EMTs. Wanda watched as they loaded Pepper onto the ambulance, listening to what hospital they were taking her to.

Wanda hailed a cab, paying the taxi driver to take her to the hospital.

She stepped out, looking to the sky when she heard a rocket.

Show time.

She pointed up in amusement, much like the other pedestrians, and let her scarlet energy flow out as she changed the probability of his suit malfunctioning. She smirked when she saw him start to careen towards the ground, putting on a look of horror as everyone around her did.

But he never hit the ground.

Instead, his systems came back online and he righted his path a dozen feet from the ground.

People cheered. Wanda grit her teeth.

She would have to try harder.

Pushing her way into the hospital, Wanda rushed up to the front desk, trying to look as frantic as possible. "Excuse me, my boss just came in here for an allergic reaction. Virginia Potts?"

The nurse nodded. "She's in the E.R. right now. I'll buzz you in."

"Thank you." Wanda smirked when her back was turned to the nurse, walking into the emergency room.  She looked around for Pepper, finding her in one of the rooms at the far side. She noticed Tony was there with her in all his Iron Man glory.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

Walking closer to the room she paused when she heard what they were talking about.

"-no strawberries in my water."

"I'm telling you, Pep, this lady can apparently do anything. It wouldn't be hard for her to break into your office."

Wanda felt her pulse quicken slightly. So they Avengers were onto her. Lovely.

"But why would she be after me?"

"She takes missions from her handlers and carries them out without care, according to Nat. I don't know why Hydra would want you dead."

"Unless..."

"Hmm?"

"Unless I wasn't the target. Tony, I was the bait. She was using me to lure you out. You need to go, now."

"Pep, I'm not leaving you with a killer on the loose."

Wanda decided to make her entrance. She sauntered into the room, closing the door behind her and locking it. The couple turned to look at her, an expression of recognition crossing Tony's face. Wanda winked. "You should've left when you had the chance, Tony. You would've spared Miss Potts here. Now, unfortunately, I have to kill you both."

"Let Pepper be. Its me you want, right? So take me and let her live."

Wanda tsked. "I can't.  Wish I could, but I can't. She's seen my face, she knows what I look like, knows who I am. So now she has to die."  Wanda watched as Tony hit a button on his suit, nothing happening. She realized he sent out a distress signal to the rest of the Avengers and laughed. "Oh, you'll be long dead by the time they show up, Stark." Wanda reached into her pocket and pulled out a canister of gas. She pulled the pin and threw it on the ground, watching as Tony simply flipped up his Iron Man helmet. Wanda shook her head in a disapproving manner. "Stark, this gas can get into your suit, it was specifically designed for you."

"Won't it affect you too?" Pepper asked, coughing.

"No, my X gene protects me." Wanda chuckled. "Your human genes won't protect you, however. Have fun choking to death."

Wanda exited the room, using her powers to keep the gas sealed in the room. She turned around to see a gun aimed at her head. "Hands where I can see them, Witch."

"Ah, Black Widow, we meet again." Wanda smiled at the red head. "As far as I know, you can't go in there to save your friend and his love. Too bad, so sad."

Black Widow allowed a small, entertained grin. "I know I can't. But he can."

Wanda furrowed her brow, looking to the side as a flash of silver and blue entered the room and returned with the couple in less than a second, the door barely opening so no gas got out. She watched as nurses took Iron Man and Pepper away to tend to their internal injuries, a growl growing in her throat. "No!"

"Oh, yes." Black Widow's smile grew. "Quicksilver, do you want the honors?"

"She killed my parents, what do you think?"
Wanda looked to the side of the red haired spy to the blur as it materialized into a young man with silver hair. She felt her stomach do a flip before it crash landed into her feet as she stared into the eyes of her twin brother who looked ready to kill her.

Wanda gulped, knowing what she was about to do was risky as hell and she couldn't even be sure it would work. She looked at Pietro, giving his glare a small smile in return. "iadna rýchlosť, iadna mágia?"

He furrowed his brow. "What the hell are you talking about, Witch?"

Wanda shrugged, ignoring her shattering heart as her fears were confirmed. She threw her hands at the two Avengers, hitting them with a blast of her powers before taking of running, hoping the concussive force of the blast would knock Pietro out so she could escape.

Wanda burst from the hospital and disappeared into the crowd like the ghost she was, tears stinging at her eyes. She berated herself for allowing emotions into her work. She was not supposed to feel, it made things harder, more messy.

It was much neater and easier to turn things off.

To forget and comply.