Carmine Jewels ║ Wanda Maximoff

Chapter 76 - Show, Don't Tell

Glancing to his right, he saw the woman's skeptically raised eyebrow and chuckled quietly. "You see, it's not Viceroy's powers that make her dangerous. Some people might say that it is, but they are wrong. It's not her powers, nor is it her mask. It's her ideology." He paused slightly, seeing the woman's questioning look. "You see, there's a small detail the newspapers have failed to report. All the people that lost their lives at her hand, were all part of an old organization that met its end years ago.

"HYDRA." Keira hummed, nodding faintly as she met his eyes again. "You're not the only one who observers more than what meets the eye." She added defensively when the man seemed a bit surprised by her intel. The fact that he seemed to believe that Viceroy was a woman hadn't slipped past her guard either, which made her even more uneasy. Who was this man? "Do you think they deserved it?"

The man tilted his head curiously and turned to face her. He held eye contact, not branching off once while he seemed to ponder the question. "I don't doubt they did horrible deeds during their lifetime. But now, when their lives have been snuffed out, they have no chance of redemption either. Do you think that's fair?"

Keira gave an amused huff and shook her head slowly.

It was clear that this man was a lot smarter than she initially would've thought. The way he carefully balanced the conversation, revealing just enough information to make it clear that he knew something, but without revealing anything of importance. "Doesn't really matter if it's fair or not, does it? Life isn't some fairytale where everyone gets a happy ending, and let's be honest, not everyone deserves one either."

The man just chuckled and brushed one of his giant hands over his bald head. "Can't argue against that. You're quite the sharp woman. What's your name?"

"Does the name really matter when we'll never see each other again once this plane lands on American soil?" Keira countered quickly, arching an eyebrow. She couldn't put a finger on it, but the man made her uneasy, and she had no desire to continue this conversation. "But for the sake of pleasantries, Julia Huxley." She held out a hand and the man took it.

The very second she mentioned her alias, she realized her mistake.

The glint of familiarity that flashed across the man's blue eyes was unmistakable, but he merely smiled, shaking her hand with a firm grip. "My pleasure, Mrs. Huxley. Allow me to formally introduce myself, Harold Howard."

"Likewise, Mr. Howard."

The rest of the trip continued in silence and Keira had to fight hard to keep her breathing calm and level. She was feeling more boxed in by the minute, knowing that the man, or Harold, was blocking her only way out.

On top of that, she was certain that she too, had been given a false name, one she didn't recognize, but a false one, nevertheless.

When she finally stepped out of the plane, she couldn't help but draw a big breath of relief. It had taken all her willpower to not ask the flight attendant for another seat, but that would've just raised even more suspicion. But now, she was finally free to get out of there and to never see that man again.

While walking through the airport, Keira couldn't help but throw uneasy glances over her shoulder.

The feeling of being watched followed her like a ghost, and it was one she did not appreciate. And even after she had listened to the minds around her, to make sure that she wasn't, in fact, being followed, she still didn't allow herself to lower her guard.

Only when she shut the car door closed on her rental, did she finally allow herself to breathe out and relax her shoulders.

Grabbing the steering wheel with both hands, she sighed deeply as she let her head hang. "Note to self; do not reuse old aliases. Bad choice." But she had become lazy, and the passport for a Julia Huxley had already been created years back. Closing her eyes briefly, she shook her head.