The Life of Hadley Maximoff

The Next Mission

I am walking with Steve and Maria to the lab to see what research has been found regarding Ultron. "He's all over the globe. Robotics labs, weapons facilities, jet propulsion labs. Reports of a metal man, or men, coming in and emptying the place." says Maria as the three of us walk. "Fatalities?" asks Steve. "Only when engaged. Mostly guys left in a fugue state going on about old memories, worst fears, and "something too fast to see." says Maria. "Maximoffs. That makes sense he'd go to them. They have someone in common." says Steve. Seriously Wanda and Pietro I think to myself. "Not anymore," says Maria as she shows us a picture on her iPad of Strucker dead in a prison cell with Peace written in his blood on the wall. I smile, happy that the man who caused me so much pain is gone, although I know I shouldn't smile when someone is dead. Maria and Steve don't notice. We get upstairs and we hear Clint on the phone. Probably Laura I think to myself. "Barton. Might have something," says Steve. "I gotta go," says Clint. "Who was that?" asks Steve. "Girlfriend," says Clint. We walk into the lab and Steve hands Thor Maria's iPad. "What's this?" asks Tony. "A message. Ultron killed Strucker," says Steve. "And he did a Banksy at the crime scene, just for us," adds Tony. "This is a smokescreen. Why send a message when you've just given a speech?" says Nat. "Strucker knew something that Ultron wanted us to miss." says Steve. "I agree," I say. "Yeah, I bet he... Yeah. Everything we had on Strucker's been erased." says Nat. "Not everything," says Steve. We get all of our old file boxes and start going through them. "Known associates. Baron Strucker had a lot of friends," says Steve. "Well, these people are all horrible," says Bruce going through pictures from various files. "Wait. I know that guy. From back in the day. He operates off the African coast. Black market arms. There are conventions. All right? You meet people. I didn't sell him anything. He was talking about finding something new, a game-changer. It was all very Ahab." says Tony. "This?" asks Thor looking at a picture of the guy. "Ah, it's a tattoo, I don't think he had it," says Tony. "Those are tattoos, this is a brand," says Thor. Bruce scans it on the computer and a match comes up! "Oh, yeah. It's a word from an African dialect meaning "thief." In a much less friendly way." says Bruce. "What dialect?" asks Steve. I am looking over Bruce's shoulder and I recognize the word from old files I have read and I say "Wakanda." Everyone stares at me dumbfounded "Well, while all of you are going over files, mission reports, building suits, etcetera I occupy myself by reading old files." I say. "If this guy got out of Wakanda with some of their trade goods..." says Tony to Steve who says, "I thought your father said he got the last of it." "I don't follow. What comes out of Wakanda?" says Bruce. I look at Steve's shield and say "Vibranium, the strongest metal on earth." "Dang Hadley, what else do you do that we don't know about?" asks Clint. "A couple of things," I say smiling thinking about my off campus teleportation trips while everyone is out on missions or something. "Where is this guy now?" asks Steve.

We all suit up and fly to the African coast. I am amazed at myself for not needing to sleep on the jet ride over. I guess my body is used to functioning on little sleep since the age of 5 when my life became what it is today. We arrive and decide to have Bruce stay on the jet on comms. The rest of us meaning Nat, Steve, Clint, Thor, Tony, and I will go on the ship. I am sort of excited because I get to see Wanda and Pietro again, the only thing is that they are on the opposite side as me. I know that they have to do whatever they have to for their side and I have to do what I have to do for mine. We get on the ship and Nat and Clint hide, while I go with Steve, Tony, and Thor. "Stark is... He's a sickness!" says Ultron in a new metal body. "Ah, Junior. You're gonna break your old man's heart," says Tony. "If I have to," says Ultron. I have my powers ready because that's what Tony told me to do but I see Wanda and Pietro and I want to put my powers away and run up to them but I know I can't, at least not now, not on this mission. "Nobody has to break anything," says Thor. "Clearly you've never made an omelet," says Ultron. "He beat me by one second," says Tony. "Ah, yes. He's funny. Mr. Stark. It's what? Comfortable? Like old times?" says Pietro looking at the bombs on the floor below us. "This was never my life," says Tony. Really Tony? I think to myself. "You two can still walk away from this," says Steve. "Oh, we will," says Wanda. "I know you've suffered," says Steve. Ultron scoffs and says "Captain America. God's righteous man. Pretending you could live without a war. I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but..." "If you believe in peace, then let us keep it," says Thor. "I think you're confusing "peace" with "quiet," says Ultron. "Uh-huh. What's the vibranium for?" asks Tony. "I'm glad you asked that, because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan," says Ultron as he uses his powers to bring Tony forward to him before using his laser powers to send him flying backward into a wall. Then Ultron and Tony fly up and start fighting. Wanda and Pietro stay exactly where they are and robots appear and Steve and Thor start fighting them. I wait to see what my siblings are gonna do. Steve and Thor slam a robot to the ground and Pietro runs and bumps into Thor and keeps going down the hallway of the ship. Steve runs at Wanda with his shield and she uses her powers and sends him flying backward. I start fighting the robots and then people start shooting at us. Great now there are extra people involved I thought to myself as I fight trying not to lose sight of Wanda. Thor throws Mjolnir and Pietro grabs it and he isn't worthy so he goes flying and lands on the lower level of the ship. Steve and Thor work together to destroy the robots, Nat and Clint fight Klaue's armed henchmen, Tony who is fighting Ultron flys up and out of the ship with Ultron, and I try to keep track of where my siblings are while fighting. "It's time for some mind games." says one of the robots to Wanda and she disappears. I say on comms "I'll handle my siblings as best as I can, you guys worry about Ultron and the other robots." Then I run off to find Wanda. "Guys? Is this a code green?" asks Bruce on comms. "No, it's not. Stay there!" I say. I watch in horror as Wanda uses her mental manipulation on Thor. "Thor, status," says Steve. "The girl tried to warp my mind. Take special care. I doubt a human except maybe Hadley could keep her at bay. Fortunately, I am mighty." says Thor. Steve fights more henchmen and robots only to be rammed into by Pietro sending him crashing into a staircase. I watch but don't engage as Wanda uses her mental manipulation on him too. I see Pietro stand behind Wanda as she sneaks up behind Nat at the bottom of a staircase and I stop her with my powers just before she uses her powers. "Wanda stop!" I say. Wanda looks at me and says "Hadley?" "Yeah, it's me!" I say raising my left wrist to show my brand which is something no one knows about except for a select group of people consisting of Wanda, Pietro, Nat, Steve, and Clint. Because I showed mine, Wanda and Pietro show theirs too. "Nat you can leave, I've got this." Nat leaves and I say "Please at least spare her." "Hadley, I am really, really sorry about this." Then she uses her powers on me and I am immersed in my worst memory, the one that made my life the way it is.