Philophobia ➤ W.M.

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If you happen to see Philophobia on Ao3 then that's me! (My user is Chinchilla_Sama, same as here)

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The Warehouse; With Wanda's POV

  Wanda crouched below one of several windows the warehouse possessed. She was waiting for Steve's signal, which would signify for her to extract Astrilde quickly and efficiently. The Scarlet Witch had to be precise, otherwise Ari would know she had entered the building. Even Steve and Sam wouldn't be able to hold back the crazed hunter for long, so she had to put all of her training into this moment.

  "Breach in 3... 2... 1... Go!" Steve whisper-shouted, before Wanda heard a bang inside the warehouse. At the same time, Wanda shattered the glass, shards clattering to the ground. She couldn't use her powers, or their red glow could alert Ari. However, it wasn't long after before the warehouse was plunged into silence yet again.

  Adjusting the night vision goggles on her face tentatively, Wanda sleuthed through the warehouse, careful of her footing. A sudden bang, which she could pinpoint as a pipe being hit, broke the silence. That was when fighting noises ensued, which allowed Wanda to quicken her pace slightly.

  Despite Ari's inability to see, Wanda knew her friends were outmatched. That assumption was confirmed by a pained groan coming from Sam's com. Wanda winced, whispering into her com,"Sam, Steve. Do you guys need backup?" She had stopped in her tracks, breathing heavily, as if she had been fighting with them. There was no response, and that was when she noticed the eerie silence. 'That will be her downfall.'

  At least, that was what Ari thought. Wanda sensed his mind before she heard him, but that was enough for the woman to dodge his attack with a move Natasha had taught her. She watched him closely, noting how even when the room was void of light, his green eyes glimmered dangerously. She looked away, making it her goal to avoid his eyes, even if he couldn't use his powers on her in the dark.

  Wanda prepared to use her powers, like she did every fight. She stopped just before they made an appearance, reminding herself that her powers would create light, which would consequently be her doom. Natasha hasn't taught me much in offense. We've been so focused on my powers... How am I going to do this? Shaking her head, she reminded herself that she still had the upper hand with her night vision goggles, which allowed her to see several feet around her. However, that shred of hope was washed away when she remembered that she had less than ten minutes before the power came back to life.

  This is like that spy movie Astrilde forced me to watch. What was it? Subconsciously, Wanda smiled at the thought of Astrilde. That was quickly broken though, as she was hurled toward the ground. In the split second of her thoughts, Ari had managed to pinpoint her position.

  He straddled her, smiling mischievously down at her. She was unnerved when she realized he was looking almost directly into her eyes. His hand raised, before heading towards the place where the goggles set on the bridge of her nose. Horror filled her veins as she struggled, but his strength rivaled that of Cap's. There was no way that she would be able to lift him normally, and her powers were already off the table.

  Just as she prepared to give up on struggling, another person barreled into Ari. Wanda could clearly see Astrilde, whom, with a matching pair of goggles, was seething. Wanda didn't have time to question how the Asgardian had night vision goggles, a chuckle interrupting her before she could even speak. It was dark and humorless, and Wanda cringed at the unwelcoming sound.

  "Look who's finally brave enough to face me," The man's voice, unlike his chuckle, was filled with sickening sort of happiness, sending unwelcomed shivers down Wanda's spine.

  "We all know you can not see, so drop the act," Astrilde responded, her voice strong. Wanda pushed herself to her feet while the Asgardian spoke. Her shoes scuffed the ground, and Ari's head turned toward the noise.

  Wanda was about to join Astrilde, but the goddess shook her head, nodding towards a direction Wanda assumed Steve and Sam were. 'Go,' Astrilde mouthed. The Scarlet Witch hesitated for a moment, before leaving. Stay safe Astrilde.

The Warehouse; With Astrilde's POV

  Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding, Astrilde let her eyes trail from Wanda's figure and back to Ari. If Astrilde didn't know any better, should would assume he was bored. She grabbed the sword that was- thankfully -still in it's hilt, holding it in front of her.

  "Steve? You have two minutes before the power comes back on, get out of there," Natasha's voice filled Astrilde's ears, causing her to startle. She cursed her time limit mentally, before running forward. She wasn't about to pass up this opportunity to end him for good.

  Ari was taken back by her attack with a weapon, which was clear as he nearly missed parrying her sword. How he had managed to block her attack when he couldn't see her worried her immensely. It was impossible for him to see, so Astrilde assumed he was relying on sound alone. She had no idea of the extent of his senses, for all she knew he could have better senses than any Asgardian.

  That would leave her at a bigger disadvantage than she was already facing though, so she pushed the idea to the back of her mind. There was no reason to assume the worst.

  With that mindset, she sweeped at his legs while pushing his weapon closer to him with her own. He managed to duck out of reach in time, taking her split-second surprise to his own advantage.

  Barreling into the woman, Astrilde could feel pain echo through her ribs, but the adrenaline started to kick in. She was sent towards the ground, so she slid her sword away from her. She wasn't about to give him a chance to use her own weapon against her.

  The metal clattered as it hit the ground at the same time her back struck the concrete. The breath was taken away from her body, but she recovered quickly- so that Ari wouldn't land on top of her.

  Normally, that move wouldn't work very well on an opponent such as Ari, but the darkness aided her. Bring herself to hiss as he hit the ground, already pushing herself to her feet to scoop up her sword. Without thinking, she threw the sword straight at Ari. It didn't even register that she was about to kill him. She was going to kill him. At least, that's what she thought before impossibly bright light filled her vision.

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