Karma - W. Maximoff

Chapter Twelve

"Alright, what do you see?" A year had passed since the battle with Ultron had struck. The Avengers were on a mission in Lagos, tracking down what remained of HYDRA.

"Standard beat cops. Small station. Quiet street. It's a good target." Alex sat across from Wanda, listening to her speak to Sam Wilson through their coms. Sam was one of the newest recruits to the Avengers and was helping her train, coming from the military himself.

"There's an ATM on the south corner, which means?"

Wanda looked down, pretending to talk to Alex instead of into her coms. "Cameras."

"Both cross streets are one-way."

"So, compromised escape routes."

"Means our guy doesn't care about being seen. He isn't afraid to make a mess on the way out." Steve pointed out, standing near the window of the motel room he was in. "You see that Range Rover halfway up the block?"

"Yeah, the red one. It's cute." Alex took a sip of her coffee. "That would be a perfect-sized family car."

Wanda smiled at Alex's comment. The two girls hadn't been dating for very long, but they were already looking ahead at the future.

"It's also bulletproof, which means private security, which means more guns, which means more headaches for somebody. Probably us."

"You guys know I can move things with my mind, right?"

"Looking over your shoulder needs to become second nature." Natasha looked over at Wanda and locked eyes with her. Even if she had superpowers she still needed to be careful in case she lost them.

"Anybody ever tell you you're a little paranoid?" Alex laughed at Sam's words.

"Not to my face. Why? Did you hear something?"

"Eyes on target, folks." Alex rolled her eyes. Steve was such a buzz kill. "This is the best lead we've had on Rumlow in six months. I don't want to lose him."

Sam scoffed, pulling his goggles down on his face. "If he sees us coming, that won't be a problem. He kind of hates us."

Steve and Sam watched as a garbage truck plowed through the streets, crashing into cars and shops. "Sam, see that garbage truck? Tag it."

Alex watched Redwing get deployed into the air, following the garbage truck. The robot was similar to a drone besides the fact that it could kill people with only the click of a button.

"That truck's loaded for max weight and the driver's armed."

"It's a battering ram," Alex noted. Wanda looked over at her, surprised. "We have to go, now."

"Why?" Wanda placed her hand on Alex's, concerned that she was now calling the shots. It's not that she didn't trust her girlfriend, but she was always hasty to get the job done.

No one had a chance to respond to her before armed forces stepped out of multiple trucks. They shot at the building in front of them, killing anyone that was stopping them from getting inside.

"Body armor, AR-15s. I make seven hostiles."

Alex stood from her seat, wiping her mouth with a napkin. She let go of Wanda's hand, looking down at the witch. "Number one rule of being an Avenger; make a cool entry."

Over the year, Alex discovered a lot more about her powers. She could not only control fire but all of the heat in the air. She took the warmth from the sun out of the atmosphere, using it to propel herself up into the air.

People around her gasped as they saw the flying Avenger. She was gone in an instant, pulling her mask over her face. She never wanted her identity to be released to the public when she became an Avenger, and always having something to cover up with was helpful.

Sam flew onto a bridge that connected to the building, kicking two men on either side of him. He shot one of them off the roof as he stood up. "I make five."

Wanda landed at street level, using her magic to pick a man up into the air. Sam flew down and picked the man up, dropping him beside Wanda. "Four."

Redwing scanned the building, checking for anyone inside. "Rumlow's on the third floor."

"Wanda, just like we practiced."

"What about the gas?"

Alex landed beside Steve, her eyes a blazing red from just using her powers. "I'll handle it."

Wanda smiled briefly before using her powers to hoist Steve into the air. He made a crash landing, avoiding the gunshots that were aimed at him.

The windows on the bottom floor burst open, glass flying out. Alex used her powers to maneuver the gas out, concentrating as hard as she possibly could to not screw this up.

She let the gas float off into the air, turning to Wanda. "Steve needs your help. I'm gonna clear people from the buildings."

Wanda only nodded, quickly making her way to Steve. Alex took off in the same direction but instead found herself venturing into a white apartment building.

"Everybody out! It isn't safe in here!" Alex moved from door to door, knocking and making sure everyone got out of the building safely. Half of the building was still filled and she had to make her way up to the top.

"I am here to help! This building is in danger, everybody needs to-" Alex was about to finish her sentence when she felt sharp panes of glass hit her back. Everything felt like it was in slow motion as she turned around, bracing the people behind her with her body.

Alex screamed, falling to the floor. She could hear her teammates calling for her over her coms, but she wasn't really listening. She had to make sure everyone was safe. That was her priority as an Avenger.

But Alex never got the chance to do that before her mind was overwhelmed and her vision turned black.