Life | Steve Rogers.

ten.

                 

"Where is he? Is he ok?"

Natasha rushed in the room, scanning it in search of Steve, who was unconsciously lying on the hospital bed, needles attached to his body as a scan rhythmically repeated the slow beatings of his heart.

"He's fine, Nat. The injury was extremely bad, but I can only guess Hazel helped enough for him not to die immediately," Bruce replied, his tone sad at the mention of his friend.

"We'll find her. I promise you we will," Natasha murmured, moving towards him to leave a small peck on his lips. He nodded and smiled at her, caressing her cheek for a moment.

As soon as Tony and Natasha had realized Wanda had been taken, they called Steve, only to realize he didn't answer. Not wanting to alarm Bruce immediately, they had called Clint to go and check on him, and he found him soaking in his own blood while Hazel was nowhere to be seen. He brought Steve in the tower immediately and, as soon as they made sure he was okay, they had started their researches on where Wanda and Hazel could have been taken to.

"Why are always the youngest the ones those who are more in danger?" Tony had exclaimed once he had reached his lab room, turning on his computers to be greeted by a slightly worried Friday.

"Sir, I scanned the bodies in the building you, Romanoff and Maximoff had been to. Apart from the guards who had already been there, after your arrival another person showed up, identified as Jason Pole, 26, South Carolina. No whereabouts, no family,  had been spotted multiple times in a lawyer office under the name of Marnikov, often seen with another man, Colton Turner, 30, New Mexico," Friday informed him, the AI's voice steady as Tony felt on the edge of a breakdown.

"Good, I want all the possible information about this Marnikov. Try to track down Wanda and Hazel's coms, if they haven't been destroyed already. And please, reassure me that they are still alive." He almost ended up whining, running a hand through his face. He couldn't stop blaming himself for what had happened, sure that he could have done something more to prevent this from happening. And he wasn't ready to lose yet another Maximoff.

"They are, Mr. Stark," Friday replied immediately, making Tony snort.

"You're too positive for this world."

-

Wanda's eyes remained closed as she tasted the soft material of the surface she was laying on. It was extremely comfortable and smooth and she instinctively felt like curling herself into a ball and sleep some more, when she realized what had happened before her collapsing.

Her eyes shot open as her body stood up, a pang in her head making her eyes close again in pain as she moved a hand towards her temple, taking in her eyesight the bracelet forcedly placed on her wrist. She didn't even try to take it off, already not too fond of the effects it had already had on her.

As she turned around to take in her surroundings, she realized the room didn't look like a cell at all. The walls were painted in a soft blue that reminded her of the calm sea and of Pietro's eyes, and the floor was made of dark wood, extremely relaxing at the sight. The room hadn't much, just a small wardrobe, a bathroom hidden only by a yellow curtain and three beds, on one of which was lying a small figure that she almost immediately recognized.

"Hazel!" she exclaimed, jumping off the bed despite the pain and reaching her, turning her body to find her heavily sleeping, a similar bracelet resting on her wrist.

She felt relieved to see a familiar face in such an unfamiliar place, but the thought of her friend being hurt didn't thrill her. She sat down next to her and started caressing her cheeks and try in the mean time to use her powers, realizing nothing would happen, probably because of the bracelet.