Two of a Kind | Wanda Maximoff

Chapter 10: Moving

Wanda, having at first found herself not wanting to leave the Avengers compound and was slightly angry with them for sending her away, was now grateful that Jemma took her in. She identified more to the woman than she did with the Avengers, though she still considered them family. Wanda found it easier to confide in Jemma when things bothered her or when she was caught up in a nightmare. Jemma was already there, dropping everything she was doing, ready to listen to her, unlike the Avengers, who sincerely wanted to help her, but couldn't just ignore the world.

Wanda took comfort in the fact that Jemma was going through a similar type of grief as her. She had people in her life like Steve who have his best friend, but to Wanda, it didn't feel the same, not that she wanted to downplay his grief. Steve lost Bucky back in 1945. He had spent 71 years without him. Wanda lost her brother only a year ago, which is clearly less time, so she listened to his advice, but it hit her differently than when she listened to Jemma.

"Do you have training today?" Jemma's tired voice shook the girl from her thoughts. Jemma was now sitting at the island eating a bowl of cereal; the milk and a boxes of Frosted Flakes and Cheerios sat on the smooth granite counter. Jemma couldn't resist the sugary taste of Frosted Flakes, but through their time together, she learned that Wanda was more of a fan of the classic Cheerios. Wanda grabbed herself a bowl and spoon, then poured herself a bowl of cereal and ate her breakfast.

"No, today Steve said that we have a mission." Her voice held the mix of a Sokovian and an American accent. At first Jemma was confused at what was happening with her voice, but she quickly learned that part of her training (done by Natasha) was learning how to blend in; hence the accent. It needed work, since the Eastern European accent of Sokovia still stuck out, but Wanda was practicing. Jemma was always interested in her training and her missions, mostly out of fear, but also out of pride. She was proud of the progress that Wanda made both in her confidence and in her training. She was skilled with her powers and had the potential to be a skilled fighter in hand-to-hand combat, though she still got scared and used her powers.

"Where are you going?" she asked, looking up from her cereal and looking at Wanda who was sitting next to her.

"Steve said Lagos, Nigeria," Wanda said taking a bite. "He got a lead on Rumlow." Jemma nodded. She had heard of him from Steve, but if she was honest, forgot most of the story. She knew he was bad news though.

"When do you leave? How are you getting to the compound? Do you need a ride or are they picking you up on the way?"
"Jemma, relax," Wanda said stopping the woman's ramblings while laughing. "Steve said they'll pack my stuff and pick me up on the way. They'll be here in a little bit."

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, Jemma. I'm ready, I'll be safe, and I'll call when I'm done." While Jemma was proud of Wanda and the progress she made, Jemma didn't think she should be going on serious missions. She worried a lot about her when she left, much like how she worried about Lily, except this time it was much worse because she now knows what that pain feels like.

"I know you get upset that I treat you like a kid," Jemma started, feeling the tears come. "It's...it's just that...I care about you Wanda. I care about you very much, and...I-I can't lose you too." Wanda hugged the woman to her tightly. She did get slightly annoyed with Jemma always treating her like a child, but understood where the caution and fear came from, and always tried not to make her annoyance known, but deep down appreciated the sentiment.

"I know, Jemma." The two women pulled away and Jemma wiped her tears. They finished their breakfast in comfortable silence. About twenty minutes later, Wanda got a text from Steve telling her that they arrived, and she gave Jemma one more hug before leaving.

"Remember to call. Oh, and don't forget your gloves!"
"I won't," Wanda said as she pulled out of the hug and started for the front door. "I'll call as soon as I'm done, I promise. Bye, don't wait up." And she was gone.

"Please be safe," Jemma said after Wanda closed the door on her way out.

○○○

Wanda sat alone at a table. She fiddled with the cup in front of her, adding sugar and stirring it. Natasha sat near her, but at a different table, also alone. A lot of people were gathered in area where the team was stationed. Steve stood alone in a building a little way away from them, and Sam stood waiting on a roof. They all surveyed the area, trying to identify the location of the trouble that Rumlow wanted to cause. Across the street from the café that Wanda and Natasha were stationed at were a couple of local police officers who looked to be enjoying a break. Steve's voice came over the comms quietly.

"All right, what do you see?" he asked talking to Wanda, using this as a quiz to test everything she had learned. Wanda looked over her shoulder slightly, looking at the officers.

"Standard beat cops. Small station. Quiet street. It's a good target." She took a sip of her hot drink.

"There's and ATM in the south corner, which means..."

"Cameras," Wanda answered, as she observed the scene and worked out the problems in her head. Steve kept testing her.

"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. You see that Range Rover halfway up the block?"
"Yeah, the red one? It's cute," Wanda said jokingly as she took another sip. Natasha eyed her from her table.

"It's also bulletproof, which means private security, which means more guns, which means more headaches for somebody. Probably us," Natasha said into the comms. Wanda put her cup down and raised an eyebrow.

"You guys know I can move things with my mind, right?" she asked somewhat seriously.

"Looking over your shoulder needs to become second nature," Natasha said, starting to lecture.

"Anybody ever tell you you're a little paranoid?" Sam joked into the comms, joining the conversation.

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

"Eyes on target, folks. This is the best lead we've had on Rumlow in six months. I don't want to lose him," Steve said, trying to bring his team back to the task at hand. Everyone once again paid attention to their surroundings.

"If he sees us coming that won't be a problem. He kind of hates us," Sam said as he noticed a garbage truck moving through the traffic. It was bumping into other cars and not showing any regard for pedestrians; it was highly suspicious.

"Sam, see that garbage truck? Tag it." Sam listened to Steve's order and released a small drone from his jetpack. The drone, which Sam had affectionately named Redwing, flew down from the roof to the garbage truck.

"Give me X-ray," Sam commanded Redwing. He analyzed the data and reported it to Steve and the team. "That truck's loaded for max weight. And the driver's armed." The team thought this over, but the answer came to Natasha first.

"It's a battering ram," she said with realization.

"Go now," said Steve, ushering the team to mobilize against the truck. Natasha got up from her table and ran, leaving Wanda confused.

"What?"

"He's not hitting the police,"Steve said as he was in pursuit. Wanda too left her table and began to followafter the truck.