Heart Of Stone

Chapter 13

"Rot in the dark realm, merciless bitch."

After I said that, Natasha looked to Wanda. "Go ahead." Wanda nodded. "Sorry, Lexis," she said honestly. She raised her hands. I quickly surveyed her mind and realised what she was planning to do to me. I put my mental walls up just as she shot red magic or whatever it was at me.

Like I predicted, it did nothing. They all looked shocked when I just glared at them all and spat out more Tamatari curses at them. "H-how did you...?" Wanda looks at her hands as though it was her fault that her powers didn't work.

"You can not control me, Wanda Maximoff," I hiss, snaking around the water with an almost unnatural speed. "My mind is too advanced for you to take control of it. It is not yours to claim. Leave me in peace or I shall force you to."

"We'll just come back and we'll have to bring Fury with us," Steve pointed out. "A pity you shall have to wait another century before you may be able to convince me of anything," I reply, earning confused looks.

I attempt to enter their minds and remove them from here, but before I can Wanda sends another wave of magic towards me, this time lifting me from the water. She holds me in the air for a few moments while I attempt to escape, then I'm grabbed from behind by metallic arms. Stark was here, too?!

I decide that it's about time I ended this.

I open my mouth and start singing, causing them all to freeze, save for Stark who just hovers in place. I sing for a moment more before stopping. They're all completely under my control now. "Put me down," I order. Stark silently obeys, moving towards the ground and placing me on my feet.

"All of you leave this instant," I order them. "Once you have returned to that tower of yours, you will be released exactly five minutes later."

They all leave without protest. "Oh, how I love hypnosis," I murmur to myself, knowing they heard. "This was one of the powers I didn't want to share with you, but I will if I must."

Once they're gone I head back inside and change into my usual clothes, not feeling like going back out into the open for now. What should I do? They'll come back, I just know it. I guess I can always just hypnotise them again so they stop, but they might develop some of that technology that prevents my interventions.

I can always use my escape route, but I really don't want to. I hate it. Plus that would require human intervention, of which I can't risk. Not at this point in time, anyway. Hopefully the next century will be better, more accepting of people like me. Maybe - who knows? - there will be more people like me.

I spend so much time mulling over what I should do that I'm completely unprepared for the day turning to night again. I sigh. Such a beautiful day wasted. I have no money to leave and hide within the clutches of civilisation and it would be unsafe anyway. I can't run and hide; I have nowhere to go. I have no escape from them. No escape at all.

I'm about to get ready for bed when there's a knock at my door. What in the dark realm?! I'm instantly on the defence, prepping my elongated barb for battle. I check for any additional minds. Only one. I slowly open the door.

Two men are there, both dressed in all black. One has an eyepatch on, the other is in a suit that looks like it was inspired by a panther. "Good to see you again, Miss Grey," the one with the eyepatch says briskly.

"I wish I could say likewise, Mr Fury," I hiss, trying to slam the door, but he wedges his foot in it. "May we speak with you?"

"Testro lackzi mindez!" I snap at him. "You sent them to kill me!" "I didn't send them to kill you, I sent them to talk you into a little visit," he retorted. "By any means necessary?!" I huff.

"I meant within reason," Fury sighed. "They took it the wrong way. Should've seen it coming, to be fair. Now we're here to talk. May we come in?"

I try to tap into the other guy's mind, but I can't reach it. I immediately don't trust him. "State your name," I say to him. He takes off his headpiece. This allows me to reach his mind. His headpiece must block my powers or something. "I am King T'Challa of Wakanda," he states, bowing slightly. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

I realise he is being sincere and has no real clue what is going on here, other than that he is here to help if I get too out of control. He doesn't know what Fury means when he says I get like that, though, as right now he's thinking that I seem nice enough.

This calms me down as far as my trust towards him is concerned. "My apologies, I was not expecting to be among royalty tonight," I say, giving him a slight bow in return. He's amused by it. "You may enter if you so wish, King T'Challa."

"You can simply call me T'Challa," he brushes me off, entering when I somewhat reluctantly step aside for him. Fury quickly enters as well in case I was planning to slam the door behind T'Challa before he could follow.

"I'm afraid I do not have much in the way of places to sit," I say. I only have one chair next to a small table. That's all I've ever needed. I've never actually hosted a king before, or, come to think of it, anyone at all.

"That is not a problem," T'Challa smiles to me. "Now, shall we begin? I for one would like to know what is going on here."