Chapter Text
Healing is a complicated process. Especially when mourning is involved. Usually people go through the five stages of grief.
First people are in Denial, not believing that this has happened.
Next, they may feel Anger.
Then they may try and Bargain, despite knowing that nothing will change the outcome of reality.
Then there is Depression; allowing their sadness of the loss to take over.
And lastly, Acceptance.
That's typically how it goes, with time.
But when you're a hero and millions of lives are on the line randomly. You don't have the luxury of time. In the 3 weeks since they've held Tony's funeral, since Thor and Steve left, since Natasha died; it was left to the remaining avengers, well the ones who were still on earth, to help explain how they saved, well, the universe.
Asta spent her time trying to go through a whole new segment of grief. So many of her friends were gone. Her brother left to also grieve in his own, healthier way. Her S.H.I.E.L.D. family were now going on their own seperate ways in life, no longer going out on misisons. Natasha, Vision, and Tony were dead but their was only a funeral for Tony. And the most stressing thing of all...
The headaches were back.
She new that ment a copy of the Darkhold has resurfaced, being used... And now it was calling to her. Haunting her. Taunting her. She needed a distraction to help ignore the pull in her mind.
And the universe heard her.
Darcy Lewis called Asta with what she referred to as a "Minor Magic Emergency". If you call a magical barrier trapping a town with Wanda Maximoff in the middle of it a "Minor Magic Emergency".
So now, here Asta stood on the outskirts of Westview, New Jersey. She stares at the red and grey Hex that surrounds the town. "What do you think?" Darcy's voice gains her attention.
"It's strong, and not a minor emergency. How long has this been going on?" Asta asks with a look of concern.
"A couple days. Come on, you'll learn some more at the breifing." Darcy says waving the goddess to follow her as they enter one of the work centers that everyone who is watching the Hex is working around in.
Once everyone was in, a handlfull of people glancing at the blonde goddess in the room along with Monica who recently escaped the Hex and was standing to Asta's left, the breif began. "Morning." Hayward greets as he's last to join everyone at the center. "We are now assessing a more clear picture of this crisis. And thanks to Captain Rambeau, we now have first-person intel from inside the Westview Anomaly. Our initial theory had Wanda Maximoff as one of many victims. We now know she is the principal victimizer. Jimmy." He begins, nodding over to the other man that was standing next to Darcy.
"Quick history on our subject. Born in Sokovia in 1989 to Irina and Oleg Maximoff, both killed during an air raid when Maximoff and her twin brother, Pietro, were ten." Jimmy Woo begins to explain to everyone, gesturing to one of the screens that shows old newspaper clippings come up and footage of the twins at a protest.
"The twins were subsequently radicalized, volunteering at HYDRA." Hayward cuts in. Causing Asta bites her tounge at his tone but crosses her arms as she continues to listen.
"It's an oversimplification of events, but, yes. After unspecified experimentation with the Mind Stone, Maximoff gained telekinetic and telepathic abilities." Jimmy continues on with his explanation.
Hayward cuts in again, "Back up, Jimmy. Does Maximoff have an alias?"
"No, sir." Jimmy replies.
"No funny nicknames?"
Jimmy shakes his head, "Not a one."
Asta holds hack a smile, remembering all the late nights trying to think of nicknames or looking up comic books and picking apart the fictional names with Wanda. But they were never able to figure out a code name for one another.
"And earliest tracking had her using her powers against the Avengers. Is that correct?" Hayward questions making Asta frown again.
"That's correct, until she earned our trust, proved herself, and became an avenger herself. She was working with me, if that's needed information." Asta spoke up making the room look at her, but her eyes was on the one 'in charge'.
Monica and Darcy look at one another with an impressed look before joining the blonde in staring down Hayward, and Jimmy nods giving the princess a smile. "Thank you Princess." Jimmy says before clearing his throat and continuing before Hayward inturupts.
Hayward returns the unamused stare, "Lagos and Germany, we all know how that turned out." then he looks to the man text to him, "Thanks Jimmy." dismissing him. "Now that we have the lay of the land, let's talk about strategy."
Jimmy rejoins Darcy's side, leaning in to whisper. "I try not to speak ill of people..."
"Then allow me. Hayward's a dick." Darcy says, making the two next to her to surpress a laugh.
"If it's anything, I prefer you speaking then him." Asta whispers over.
Before anyone could reply Hayward says the word "Terrorist" making them all stop and look at him.
"Wanda's not a terrorist." Monica speaks up.
Hayward looks her way, "By your own account, you described the experience of being under her mind-control as 'excruciating, terrifying, a violation'." he brings up reading from a file before playing the 'episode' she was just in when she was in the hex.
"My point is, I don't believe she has a political agenda or any inclination toward destruction." Monica argues.
"Wanda is not a violent person unless provocted. We should be looking for whats making her act this way." Asta adds.
"She blasted Monica halfway across New Jersey." Hayward argues back.
"And I survived because she chose to protect me." Monica brings up.
Hayward wasn't giving in, "She's holding thousands of people hostage."
"And it could have been thousands more if she hadn't put up her own quarantine. Listen, I don't believe this is a premeditated act of aggression." Monica says calmly.
"Like I said, she's not a violent person." Asta adds, crossing her arms.
He looks between the two, "You don't? Bring up the visual." he instructs, and on the table screen in secutirty footage. "This morning, I received authorization to share this highly-sensitive material from S.W.O.R.D. headquarters. Until very recently, it was the top-secret location of the Vision's corpse." he explains, as they watch Wanda force herway in using her magic, breaking windows and making 2 camera's go offline before going to see Vision.
"When did this happen?" Asta questions quietly as she watches the footage glitch.
"Nine days ago. Maximoff stormed our facility, stole the Vision's body, and resurrected him." Hayward explains making the blonde look up, confusion on her features.
"No.. Wanda's powerful but, she can't resurect anyone. I can't even do that." Asta denies, but there on the screen was Vision in Westview.
"That's in direct violation of Section 36 B of the Sokovia Accords." Jimmy brings up.
"And the Vision's own living will." Hayward adds.
"But- But Vision was made with the Mind Stone... We-We can't handle the mind stone to bring him back... She couldn't have..." Asta stares at the screen in disbelief.
"Well she did." Hayward tells her.
"He didn't want to be anybody's weapon." Jimmy adds as the blonde looks away from the screen feeling overwhelmed.
"Maximoff, in her grief, disregarded his wishes. All right, that's it for now. Let's work the problem, people. Dismissed." Hayward says walking off.
"But how did she even do it? Bring him back without the Mind Stone?" Jimmy questions the three women around him as everyone went back to work.
Darcy glances at her blonde friend who was still thinking before replying. "Who knows? But she has the world's only vibranium synthezoid, playing Father-Knows-Best-In-Suburbia. What happens when he learns the truth?" she replies.
_______________
Asta stood outside, looking at the hex. "Wanda... What have you gotten yourself into." she mumbles to herself before letting out a sigh.
She lifts her hands and allows her magic to flow out her hands and connect with the Hex to try and understand it, to feel it, to just simply connect with it. Her eye glow blue as her magic expands.
"I hope you don't plan on making your own Hex." a voice breaks her concentration making her drop her magic and turn around.
Behind her was Hayward with his arms crossed. "No, I'm scanning her Magic. Nothing to worry about." she says looking at him from over her shoulder.
"We already scanned her magic." he tells her, not enjoying that Darcy called an avenger to his case.
"You scanned with Science, I'm scanning with Magic. I'll find out more and report it when I'm done." she says facing forward again to start over. Hayward huffs before going back inside to start with Monica's plan, and hopefully take out Wanda before Asta can stop them.
Asta closes her eyes and starts again, her magic slowly spreading and covering the red with her blue. She could feel what Monica had descirbed, the sadness and grief. The blonde thought it similar to her own but in magic form... it's so much more.
She stood there for quite sometime, in a medatative state that she didn't hear the alarms in the distance or the cars that pulled up. What broke her concentration were the sounds of the safety being switched off on guns.
"Back away Princess!" Hayward demands.
Asta doesn't move, but slowly retracks her magic. She could sense the guns on her form. "I haven't done anything." she calls back.
"Back away, Now!" he demands, more agression in his tone. But it was to late, the Hex wall begins to glitch a few feet from where Asta stood and the guns move to there. Slowly Wanda exits dragging a broken drone behind her.
The red head glances at her blonde friend but continues towards the group that had their guns on her. Asta slowly turns and watches her walk towards Hayward.
"Is this yours." she asks, tossing the plane drone at his feet. It was fizzing a very broken, her red magic still on it.
"The missile was just a precaution. You can hardly blame us, Wanda." Hayward tells her making Asta's eyes go wide.
"You sent in a missile? Are you insane!" she shouts at him in anger, making some of the solders shift their guns at her, the green lasers now on both witches.
"Oh, I think I can. This will be your only warning. Stay out of my home. You don't bother me. I won't bother you." Wanda tells him in calm anger.
"I wish it could be that simple. You've taken an entire town hostage." Hayward tells her.
"Well, I'm not the one with the guns, Director." Wanda argues back.
"But you are the one in control." Monica argues.
"Tell us if you aren't in control so that I can help you." Asta chimes in. Wanda pauses, almost turning to look back but instead looks at Monica.
"You're still here." she says, raising a hand and summons magic as Monica slowly walks towards her.
"Wanda, I didn't know the drones were armed. But you know that, don't you? A town full of civilians. And you, a telepath, brought a S.W.O.R.D. Agent into your home. You trusted me to help deliver your babies. On some level, Wanda, you know I am an ally. I wanna help you." Monica reasons with her.
Wanda tilts her head. "How? What could you possibly have to offer me?"
"What do you want?" Monica offers.
"I have what I want and no one will ever take it from me again." Wanda says angrily.
"Wanda don't!" Asta pleas but it's to late, Wanda shifts her wrists, gets in the soliders head's and have them all shift their guns at Hayward.
Wanda walks away, heading back to the hex as the two behind her panic.
"Please, you're my friend." Asta says standing in her way making her stop. "Let me help. What's going on? I can help you." she says grabbing her hands. "Remember, our magic lets us help each other." she tries to reach out and Wanda accepts entertwining their hands.
"We're friends." Wanda says looking at their hands, their magic connecting around their grasp.
"Yes.. Yes, Wanda I can help. Just let me in to help." Asta tells her.
"Okay." Wanda says, lifting up her free left hand and lets her red magic affect the hex.
"Wanda what are you-" but her questions is cut short as Wanda drags her friend into the Hex with her.
Jimmy and Darcy watch in disbelief. "Did we just lose an avenger?" Jimmy asks.
"Not just that... We lost another witch." Darcy replies with a sigh.