New Avengers: The New Initiative

CHAPTER VIII

WANDA MAXIMOFF'S POV

Wanda didn't understand how it happened. So many questions were invading her mind, desperate for attention and an explanation. What had freed her from the miseries of the Soul Realm? What had returned her powers? What had made this man offer her the deal of a lifetime? As she mindlessly played with her abilities, making an effort to realign with them again, Wanda inadvertently thought back to the recent conversation. It didn't make any sense. Why didn't it make any sense? Stark had ruined her life, had thrown her back into the RAFT, and had gotten her killed, so why did she defend him the way that she did? Why did she no longer want to seek revenge against him? She was supposed to hate him?! Didn't she still hate him?

"Why is it so confusing?!" Her once calm and relaxed energy of red mist burst in various directions, each charged with anger and frustration.

"Wanda?" Steve called out to her, concern evident in his voice as he walked inside the room and sat down on the bed. "Are you alright? I heard a sound."

"I'm fine. Just trying to make sense of the situation."

"I understand, but think about it, Wanda. The whole world will finally recognize us as the real heroes."

"What is even the point anymore, Steve? The world saw what we did and how much we didn't care. We will be seen as criminals way more than we will be seen as heroes. As if that hadn't already happened," Wanda whispered that last statement.

"Wanda, what happened to you? You promised that you would tell me."

"I know, but it is a long story."

"Take all the time you need." Wanda explained the whole story from the moment she returned to Sokovia. At first, Wanda wanted to hate her people. They had betrayed her, treated her as a traitor, and refused to defend her in court, but at the same time, it was understandable as she never lifted a finger to aid in the cleanup and was the one responsible for destroying a section of the capital, resulting in numerous casualties. Even now that she thought about it, she might have deserved the death penalty and most likely even worse than that. As she continued on to explain what happened in the Soul Realm, it brought back her terrible experience with the victims of her Avenger endeavors, her parents, and the manifestation of her brother. It had destroyed her mentally and emotionally; it left her feeling vulnerable and exposed without her powers, but it allowed her to rethink everything. What was the matter with her? "I am so sorry that happened to you, Wanda. You never deserved that." Why didn't she believe that herself?

"Thank you for listening, Steve."

"Anytime, Wanda, but you should consider taking the deal that Parker is offering. He genuinely wants to help us out."

"But wouldn't it be better to leave Stark alone? Clearly, he always had better advantages and the upper hand against us. Also, we may have misunderstood and misinterpreted the Accords. Maybe Stark had a good point."

"What are you talking about, Wanda? We made the right choice. Whoever told you any differently is wrong."

"But Steve, haven't you ever thought of that possibility? We never even gave the Accords a chance! And look what happened! Stark came out on top while we were thrown in jail!"

"Wanda, you have to trust me. Have I ever lied to you before?"

"The Accords? The fact that we did more damage and killed more people than we all thought? The truth about what happened in Siberia and to Tony Stark?"

"Wanda... I did what I had to do for everyone's own good. The Accords were the government's way of controlling the Avengers, limiting and preventing us from protecting the world."