The cold wind howled against my ears and nipped at the open wounds that littered my skin, but I didn't even flinch. The pain and the cold was a welcome distraction from the battle that I had just endured. I never thought I'd have to fight against my own friends. My own family. The doctor had won. We had torn ourselves apart just as he had planned.
The ramp of the Quinjet was lowered down onto the snowy ground, Steve had his arm around Bucky as the two men started to enter the ship. I couldn't help but think of Tony, how was he supposed to get home with a broken suit.
The sound of footsteps approaching from behind me brought me out of my thoughts. I turned my head with my hands balled into fists, ready for whoever was coming. The sight that greeted me wasn't what I expected, however, the now king of Wakanda, T'Challa, was leading the doctor who had handcuffs around his wrists.
"Your highness?" I heard Steve say in a questioning tone. All three of us felt cautious, especially since the last time we saw him he was trying to kill Bucky.
"Stand down, Captain. I am here to help." T'Challa said with a calm tone of voice. I turned my head to see that Steve had his fists balled up, ready for another fight.
"Why?" Steve asked cautiously
"I heard what happened, what this man did. He was the one who killed my father, and he will face justice." T'Challa said with a tone of calm authority
"What about Bucky?" I asked him cautiously, wondering if he still planned to punish him as well.
"I believe that I can help with that, too." T'Challa stated. I tilted my head curiously and glanced between Steve and the king in front of us. A small amount of hope glimmered in my chest, that maybe something good would come out of this day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I stared at my distorted reflection in the fogged up mirror. I could make out several healing scratches and wounds on my face and the deep purple bags that lined the underside of my eyes. My hair was damp and dripped onto my shoulders ever so slightly.
I sighed gently and crossed my arms across my chest in an attempt to comfort myself. The long sleeves of the clean hoodie added to the comfort. After a moment of staring blankly at myself, I moved to grab the hair dryer that sat on the bench below the mirror.
Once my hair was no longer dripping down my shoulders, I opened up the bathroom door and stepped out into the corridor. I walked down the hallway while occasionally staring out the window in awe. Wakanda was one of the most beautiful countries I have ever seen. The architecture and the technology alone was enough to blow my mind. I couldn't help but think about how much Tony would love it here.
The door at the end of the hallway slid open to reveal Steve Rogers. He was standing with his hands in his pockets as he glanced around the medical facility of Wakanda. He had a large bruised cut on his cheek that stuck out like a sore thumb against his skin. I walked into the room and stood silently besides Steve.
"How are you feeling?" Steve asked me quietly. Ever since the fight that happened yesterday, there has been tension between the two of us.
"Fine. Better, I guess." I said with a slight shrug. I glanced around the room, my eyes darting from monitor to monitor, until they landed on Bucky.
The man was sitting on the edge of a medical bed, he had been cleaned up since the fight and his face was no longer covered in blood. He wore a white tank top and a pair of joggers. His left arm was wrapped up since it had been cut off by Tony. A doctor was wrapping up Bucky's hand with a white bandage.
In front of Bucky there was a large tube, they were planning on putting him back under until they had figured out how to redo the damage that Hydra had done to his mind. The doctor moved away after he had finished bandaging Bucky's hand, so Steve and I approached him.
"Are you sure about this?" Steve asked him
"I can't trust my own mind." Bucky said with a sad smile. "So, until they figure out how to get this stuff out of my head...I think going back under is the best thing. For everybody."
I nodded in understanding, even though a small part of me would miss him for the time that he would be under, I knew that he was right.
"Are you ready, Mr Barnes?" One of the doctors asked him politely. Bucky nodded with faux confidence and stood up from the bed.
Bucky then stepped into the long tube that was perched in the centre of the room. The doctor strapped him in so he wouldn't fall forward when he was under, and the tube closed securely. The air inside hissed loudly as ice rushed into the chamber. Bucky's breathing slowed as the ice crawled up the glass and sent him to sleep.
"So, what now?" I asked Steve as I stared at Bucky's frozen, sleeping form.
"Well, I have a jailbreak to plan. But you don't have to come with me if you don't want to..." Steve trailed off, giving me the option to walk away now that Bucky was safe.
"No, count me in." I stated firmly. I glanced up at the man and shot him a small smile which he returned happily.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The small light on the panel turned green as I swiped the stolen security card through the machine. It softly beeped and the door opened for Steve and I. I shot him a glance over my shoulder before I cautiously stepped into the section that held most of my friends. The room outside was dark, while the cells were lit with an intense fluorescent bulb that made it difficult for any of the heroes to see out.
The light burned my sensitive eyes and made me grateful that I hadn't been placed in one of the cells myself. The cold medical look reminded me too much of the cell I had been held in at Hydra.
Steve was quick to approach Sam's cell. He had his hands in his pockets as he walked straight up to the glass. I glanced around at everyone in the cells. Everybody seemed to be accounted for, all but one person was here.
"Where's Wanda?" I asked in confusion.
"They took her to another floor. Apparently she's too much of a threat." A voice said from beside me. I turned my head to see Clint leaning against the glass cell door.
I nodded and clenched my jaw tightly. "Have you got this?" I asked Steve.
"Yeah, go. Meet us back at the chopper." Steve stated with a firm nod. I returned the gesture and turned on my heels, making my way back out into the hallway towards the elevator.
I pressed the button to call the lift to my floor when I suddenly heard someone's footsteps approaching me from behind. I could tell that they were trying to sneak up on me, their footsteps were light and cautious. I spun on my heels and raised my hand out in front of me in Defense. A soldier stood with his gun raised, his knuckles were turning white from how tightly he was grasping onto the weapon.
I used my powers to throw his gun to the side. The man gasped as I pushed him back against one of the dark gray walls.
"P-please." The man stuttered, his eyes were wide with fear and panic.
"What floor is Wanda Maximoff being held on?" I asked him firmly, tightening my grip on him just slightly.
"I-I don't...I don't know." The man stuttered. His heart rate increased when he spoke and I could sense that he was lying. I tightened my grip on him again ever so slightly.
"Don't lie. Tell me where she is." I questioned him further.
The man squeezed his eyes shut and sighed shakily. "Floor 6."
"Thank you." I said with a kinder tone. Reluctantly, I slammed the man up against the wall with enough force to knock him unconscious. I didn't want him telling all the other guards that Steve and I were here and were trying to break our friends out.
"Sorry." I said quietly. I stepped away from the unconscious man and up to the now open elevator. I stepped inside and pressed the button that was labeled 6. The lift doors closed gently and I began moving down.
It didn't take long for the lift doors to open back up again at level 6. I frowned at the wall in front of me, there was a large sign that read "warning, danger to life." Like Wanda was a wild animal or something like that. I stepped out of the lift and walked straight up to the first door I saw. I swiped the card and it turned light green, allowing me to enter.
I stepped into the room that was practically identical to the one where the others were being held. Several bright lit cells lined the walls in a semicircle, but only one of them was occupied. Wanda sat on a bed with a sullen expression on her face. She had a deep blue and black straight jacket on to stop her from moving her arms, and there was a collar wrapped around her neck. It had a red light on it to show that it was active.
I walked up to the cell door and swiped my security guard through the panel on the side. Luckily it beeped and the door unlocked. I pulled open the door and caught Wanda's attention. Her expression lit up ever so slightly.
"Well, this time I'm opening your cell door." I said with a small laugh, remembering the time when she opened up my cell door in the Hydra facility. Wanda cracked a smile at my joke.
I stepped into the cell and approached Wanda. I bent down in front of her and unfastened the straight jacket. I helped her pull it off and then dropped it onto the cold tiled floor.
I then moved my attention towards the black collar that was around her neck. "Do you think you can get it off?" Wanda asked me
"I hope so." I said as I raised my hands and looked for a mechanism that would unlock it. I could feel a strange power coming off it, it seemed to be able to dampen our powers. It stopped Wanda from using hers and it would definitely stop me from using mine. It's like the government was preparing for us to go rogue and mess up.
I pressed a button on the side of the collar and the red button turned off. I could feel the power from the dampener switch off and gently die down. I pulled the collar off of Wanda and threw it on the ground beside the straight jacket.
I stood up and offered my hand to Wanda. "Come on, the others will be waiting." Wanda smiled and took my outstretched hand, allowing me to help her up. The two of us then exited floor 6 and headed for the helicopter so we could escape as quickly as possible.