Emancipation

chapter twenty one

Ooh my stomach hurts so bad. :(

Filler, filler, filler!

I decided to have the twins not go on the circus mission because reasons. If you look really closely at this chapter, you'll be able to tell which side Wanda is going to pick.

:) :) :)

Mount Justice

December 22, 16:01 EDT

"This is so unfair that we couldn't go on this 'super secret mission' from Batman." Pietro grumbled from his spot on the couch, watching as Wally made himself a deli sandwich.

"Uh, can you do anything that a circus would want you to do?" Wanda asked. Pietro glared at her, not responding. "Exactly. Besides, its not even an official mission."

Wally choked on the sip of water he was taking. "H-how do you know that?"

Wanda shrugged. "Because if it was Batman would've told us about it and designated who was going instead of Robin?"

"You make a good point." Wally mumbled, wiping his mouth.

"Of course I do, I used logic."

Wally turned to Pietro. "Is it just me or is your sister getting sassier?"

"She is coming out of her shell, leave her be." Pietro stood up and wandered into the kitchen, heading towards the fridge. "The question you should be asking is how are we going to entertain ourselves while the others are away? We are on school break and we finished our homework, what else can we do?"

"See if Batman has any missions for us?" Wally suggested, his mouth full of sandwich.

"Nah, I don't feel like going on a mission now. I've decided I am on mission strike since being excluded." Pietro declared.

"Well, while you two stuff your faces, I'm going to see if Batman has anything I can do." Wanda left her brother and Wally behind, heading towards the mission room. The zeta tubes went off, announcing Batman's presence. "Ah, I was just going to go looking for you. Do you hap-"

"We need to talk." Batman cut her off, stalking past her towards the room the team had used for their sessions with Black Canary. Wanda followed after him, watching as he locked the room down. He turned to her, his face unreadable. "I ran extensive testing on the headpiece that Queen Bee gave you. The results were mixed at best."

"That was to be expected. We are dealing with a league of super villains." Wanda scoffed. "What I'm mostly concerned with is the DNA sample that you took two months ago and have yet to get back to me on. Are they telling the truth? Are my cells decomposing?"

Batman was silent for a moment, a muscle in his jaw twitching before he answered. "The results of the tests I ran all came back with the same answer."

"And that is? Don't leave me in the dark, Batman. This is my life we're talking about."

"Wanda, if you carry on using your powers the way you have been...you will be dead within sixty days. Less than that if you increase power usage." Batman's voice held a tinge of sorrow.

Wanda felt like Conner sucker punched her in the gut. The Light had been telling the truth. She was dying.

She sank onto one of the green arm chairs, her whole body shaking. "W-what were the results for my headpiece? Does it truly do what Queen Bee claims?"

Batman sat across from her. "As I said, the results were mixed. And by that, I mean that yes, the head piece can slow down the decomposition of your cells and increase the strength of your powers. However, they installed a safety."

"Meaning?" Wanda cursed the little flutter of hope that blossomed in her stomach at the thought of the gift from Queen Bee working.

"Meaning if you don't do as they say, they can activate a protocol installed in the head piece that will increase the rate of your cellular decomposition. Depending on how long they have that protocol active, they could kill you in a matter of minutes."

Wanda nodded. "I see. They needed a way to assure I would listen and obey. If I step out of line, they simply activate that for a few seconds to assert their control over me. I would have no choice but to do their bidding. I either obey or die."

"Wanda, I have the League making your case a priority. We are working around the clock to replicate a stronger version of this to extend your life until we can come up with a cure." Batman put a hand on Wanda's shoulder. "I promise you, Wanda, we will not rest until we find a way to fix this." Wanda hummed an understanding. "Have you...considered telling your brother?"

Wanda snorted. "He is already overprotective enough. I do not need him worrying even more about me in the field. I will tell him when we have exhausted all options." Wanda wasn't sure if she was trying to convince Batman or herself of that. She stood up, ignoring the veiled look of pity Batman was giving her. "I think I am going to retire for the evening. Good night Batman. Thank you for the information. And please, don't tell Pietro or anyone on the team."

"It would not be my place."

Wanda walked out of the room once Batman brought it out of lockdown, making her way to her own bedroom. She locked her door, making her way to the closet. She grabbed out her costume, looking over the headpiece Queen Bee had given her. Batman had returned it after scanning it multiple times into his computer.

She slipped it on her head, pulling the rest of her costume on. She looked at herself in the mirror, a sense of calm and revitalization filling her body. She knew what she had to do, which side of the war she had to choose. Looking back, the answer had been clear all along, she had just been afraid to admit it to herself.

She just hoped Pietro could forgive her.