Whatever It Takes [Wanda Maximoff AU]

3- Carter Cole

"You good?" My best friend Henry Adams asked me as headed towards the school.

We graduated last week but since it's Minnesota we had to come back for one extra day to make up a snow day, and I had a bad feeling about it, if I was being completely honest.

"Hey, Earth to Carter." He said waving his hand in front of my face.

I shook my head snapping myself out of my thoughts. "What? Yeah, I'm good."

"You're doing that thing again." Henry said to me as he opened the door and we walked in the school.

"What thing? I don't have a thing."

Henry laughed. "The thing you do right before you have to go save the city."

Henry had known about my abilities for a long time. I had them since the Sokovia Incident when a teleportation device at Godric Towers exploded causing me to absorb all the quantum energy it was emitting.

I was just touring and had found myself in a restricted area of the tour when the accident happened. Turn out the CEO Walker Godric was doing some very shady things and a few months after I had discovered my powers I took him down.

That was when the one and only Captain America and Black Widow found me.

He wanted to recruit me into the Avengers, with Iron Man currently out of the picture moving to a farm to live a little life with Pepper, Hulk, and Thor both off world, they needed hands.

I turned down the offer but Steve Rogers still gave me a gift. It was a suit that was designed by Tony Stark as a bargaining chip to get me on the team.

The suit was able to fold itself into a wrist watch so I'd always have it where ever I went. It came with an abundance of knives including secret hidden blades that were activated by a mechanism under my wrist, two twin silver pistols, throwing knives, and a sword.

I hadn't heard from the Avengers since, but I guess they don't make their way to Minnesota very often. Especially not after what happened with S.H.I.E.L.D.

The tv had been switched on and breaking news was reporting from Vienna.

"A bomb hidden in a news van has just ripped through the UN building in Vienna, at least seventy people are injured and twelve are dead including Wakanda's King, T'Chaka. The suspect behind the attack has been identified as James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Solider. The infamous hydra agent who is responsible for numerous acts of terrorism and political assassinations."

The scene then changed to Bucky Barnes running through a tunnel with the Black Panther and Captain America chasing him down along with the Falcon.

It then showed them being apprehended and taken into custody just before it showed Bucky fighting off T'Challa, Sharon Carter, Tony Stark, and Natasha Romanoff before making his way to a helicopter which Steve Rogers kept from taking flight.

"That's not good right?"

I shook my head.

I unzipped my backpack and pulled out a large booklet of papers. The words "Sokovia Accords" had been written across the front.

"That's where the Sokovia Accords were being signed today." I said putting the booklet back in my bag. "This is very, very bad."

"Are you signing?"

I chuckled. "Right and give my abilities to the government where they'd control where I go and what I do? Not a chance."

"Maybe, it's the best thing to do." Henry said to me.

"It's not."

"How can you be so sure?" Henry said to me.

"What if there is a place that I need to go but they don't let me." I said to him.

Henry sighed. "I just don't want to see you go away."

I let out a deep sigh knowing what was about to happen. Tensions were burning, the Avengers were crumbling into nothing.

I had a feeling I'd need to get involved

"I have a feeling that this may be the last time we see each other for awhile." I said patting Henry on the back.

***
I walked up the stairs to the apartment that my mother and I lived in. My dad had passed away from cancer when we were young and my mom worked nights at the hospital so we moved to an apartment to save on money. My key jingled as I stood in front of the door.

It was already cracked open.

My hero sense became alerted and I slowly walked backwards until I was outside again.

I focused on the top of the building and disappeared in a poof of silver smoke before I reappeared on the roof in the same silver cloud.

Our apartment was all the way on top and fortunately for me, having the only apartment in the building with a sky window was perfect for sneaking in and out at night.

I quietly opened the window and fell down into my living room.

It was dark, pitch black, I could see a thing.

Footsteps quietly echoed behind me.

I spun around and punched through the darkness. The person side stepped my fist and pulled me into an arm lock.

The lights flicked on.

"Steve." I said realizing who the man who had broken into my apartment was.

"Good senses kid."

"Thanks." I said rubbing my arm. "I figured you'd be showing up."

"So, you saw the news."

He was wearing clothes, he was trying to fit in. Sunglasses, ball cap, leather jacket and jeans. He was a fugitive now.

"It was all over the place, you couldn't exactly miss it." I said opening the fridge. "Want something to drink?"

Steve shook his head. "No time. Bucky's innocent."

"I assumed you'd say that." I said grabbing a bottle of water before sitting down in a chair at the table where Steve took a seat across from me.

"He is." Steve said sliding papers over to me. "Yesterday, this man entered a CIA facility and brainwashed Bucky just like Hydra had done a few years ago."

"What did he want?"

"He wanted information on Siberia, turns out there are five more Winter Soliders, worse than Buck." Steve said. "I can't let him get there."

"So, why are you here?" I asked him.

"Tony is going to try to stop us, to bring us in, he doesn't know what's going on and he wouldn't believe us if we told them." Steve started. "I'm asking a lot from you right now, but Tony's bringing a team, it's best if I do as well."

I slid the papers back across to him. "I'm not signing those accords to begin with, I'm assuming it's not just going to be you, me, and bird boy?"

Steve chuckled. "I'm bringing in more people as we speak."

I stood up and put my hand out.

Steve shook my hand.

"I got your back."