Chapter 44: Mission Start
"Good Morning!"
Wanda's face was that of confusion as she looked at a young blonde woman posing cutely in front of the stove. She was wearing Harvey's black apron and had a spatula in her hand.
"…you must be Amy."
Wanda stated with an awkward smile. Harvey told her and her brother about his other roommate, who lived with him whenever she was in town. He told them that she had a very bright and cheery personality, a personality that you could either love or find annoying. Oh, there was also the fact that Amy was actually an Archangel.
"Bingo!" Amy cheered as she turned around and flipped a pancake over. "You must be the beautiful and magical Wanda! Harvey told me so much about you and your brother!"
"B-Beautiful? He said that?" Wanda asked, her cheeks felt warm.
"He didn't outwardly say that, but I know that's what he's thinking!" Amy teased with a laugh. "I can ask him what he really thinks of you when he gets down!"
"NO! I mean- that's okay." Wanda held her hands up and shook them around. "It's nice to meet you, Amy."
"It's nice to meet you too! Now go wrangle the boys so we can have breakfast before the mission." Amy stated as she continued cooking, Wanda peered down and saw that a few of the pancakes were burnt.
"…Right."
Wanda walked up to Pietro's room and knocked. Hearing she could enter, Wanda opened the door and looked at her brother. Pietro was tying his shoes, a serious look on his face. Once he was done, Pietro stood and looked over to her.
Pietro was wearing a black and blue windbreaker over a silver and blue compress shirt with white lining. On his lower half were black and white joggers with a holstered knife on his right thigh. His new grey and blue running shoes shifted as he stood. Finally, a pair of goggles rested over his forehead.
"Amy is here; she's making everyone breakfast." Wanda said lowly. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Pietro nodded and let out a sigh. He then smiled at her. "Don't worry about me, let's go eat."
Wanda nodded and turned to go get Harvey. She stopped when he saw his door open. Harvey stepped out dressed in his vigilante outfit. He noticed her standing in the hall and turned to her.
"Wanda, Pietro." Harvey smiled, causing her stomach to feel weird. "Good morning."
"Morning." Pietro smiled and nodded.
"Good morning. How was your night." Wanda asked. An uncomfortable feeling rose in her chest.
"It was nice." Harvey answered while looking to his right. A light blush was on his cheeks. "I had fun."
Wanda forced a smile and nodded; she then told him about Amy making breakfast. Harvey cringed and nodded with a defeated smile. The three all made their way downstairs and saw four plates with a sizable stack of pancakes on each of them.
"Good morning, boys!" Amy smiled and walked up to Pietro. "The silver speedster! I heard you have a huge appetite, So I made you two stacks!"
Pietro nodded dumbly, and Wanda shook her head. Of course, her brother was bewitched by the angel's beauty. It was inhuman; even Wanda could admit she didn't hold a candle to the blonde woman.
"Alright, team." Harvey spoke. "Let's dig in."
•••
"Natasha."
"Harvey."
Pietro arched an eyebrow at the woman parked in front of Harvey's home. Natasha was a very attractive woman; how does Harvey know her?
"When Sharon told me she was having an agent come pick us up, I didn't think she meant you." Harvey then crossed his arms. "A bit below your pay grade, don't you think?"
"I wouldn't say that." Natasha smiled as she leaned back on the black SUV. "I'm more than your driver. I'll be joining you four on this mission."
"That wasn't part of the agreement." Harvey stated as he stepped forward; this was a side Pietro hadn't seen of his friend. "Fury agreed on him supplying my team and me with transport. Not a plus one."
"Well, if you and your team are gonna take one of SHIELDS quinjet's, you'll need someone who can fly it, Don't you think?" Natasha smiled challengingly at Harvey.
"...point taken." Harvey relented and turned away from the red-headed woman. "Alright, everyone, file in."
Pietro nodded and walked to the back of the SUV to load everyone's luggage and bags. A large black crate was in the trunk, probably Natasha's gear.
"So, who are you exactly?" Pietro asked, looking over to Natasha.
"I'm Natasha Romanov, an agent of SHEILD." Natasha said as she walked in front of everyone. "I'm afraid that's all I can really say."
Pietro nodded and closed the trunk. Harvey told them all about SHEILD, an extra-governmental counter-terrorism and intelligence agency tasked with maintaining both national and global security. They were also trying to recruit his friend into a group consisting of super-powered people—an annoying bunch.
"Okay, We should hit the road." Natasha told them as she looked down at her watch. "The airfield is an hour away, so the sooner we leave, the better."
Everyone nodded and started to enter the vehicle. Pietro sat in the back with his sister and Amy, while Harvey sat up front with Natasha. As they were about to leave, Harvey told Natasha to wait and exited the car.
"Whose that?" Natasha asked them all.
Pietro stretched and looked over her shoulder. Harvey was running up to Alex, who was out of breath as she stopped running. It seemed she ran all the way here from her home.
"Ah, that's his girlfriend. I think she is at least."
"Oh, how nice." Natasha smiled and nodded.
"Yes... very nice." Wanda grumbled and whispered to herself.
"She's cute!" Amy said as she leaned forward and watched Harvey and Alex talk. They both then hugged each other for a minute. "This girl is radiating love like crazy!"
"What?" Natasha asked in confusion as she turned to look at Amy.
"It's kinda her thing." Pietro answered as he looked over to Amy. "She can sense stuff like that."
"Yup, Jealous?" Amy grinned.
Natasha chuckled and turned around. "Perhaps."
Pietro looked back up at his friend and saw Alex kiss his cheek. With one final hug, Harvey returned to the car and got in. Natasha started driving towards their destination; the car was silent as everyone looked at Harvey.
"Very nice." Pietro said slowly with a grin.
"Indeed." Amy patted Harvey's shoulder. "You got yourself a good one, Harvs."
"Okay, that's enough." Harvey said in slight embarrassment.
Pietro chuckled and nodded. Turning to the window, he smiled at the passing buildings and cars. Suddenly, Pietro's smile was replaced with a frown. It was time to focus. He needed to prepare himself for the mission ahead. It was time for him and his sister to finally get their vengeanc-
"Yo, Nat. Got any good music?" Amy asked with a bored voice. "It's too quiet in here."
•••
"Nice plane."
Harvey heard Amy say as they all looked up at the large jet. It was unlike any other jet he had ever seen; It was definitely an impressive sight.
"Wait... Who's that?" Wanda asked as everyone turned to look at a white 2012 Bugatti Veyron driving up to the runway.
Harvey expanded his senses and realized who this was. Shaking his head, Harvey felt a headache come. Walking forward to the now parked car, Harvey saw Tony step outside and close the door. The billionaire smiled at him as he slid his hands in his pockets.
"Stark." Harvey greeted.
"Miller."
"What are you doing here?" Harvey asked as he stood next to Tony. The man looked uncomfortable and looked over to his group of friends.
"That them?" Tony asked.
"...yeah. You sure about this?" Harvey questioned.
"I'm sure. I won't be able to sleep at night if I don't." Tony answered as he took a deep breath. Harvey nodded and started walking over to the small group. Once they were a few feet away, they stopped.
"Stark." Pierto growled.
Harvey looked down and sighed. Even after the twins learned that Tony had no deeper involvement in the bombings, They still slightly resent the man. Even if they knew it was unreasonable. After all, one does not simply forget year's worth of hatred.
"Romanov." Tony said to the spy. The woman nodded back at the man. She realized there was some tension in the air and decided to stay silent.
"...Why are you here?" Wanda said in apprehension.
"I'm here to... apologize." Tony spoke honestly. "My weapons... Took away your family."
"I know there's nothing I can do or say that will make what happened any easier. But I know what it feels like to have lost your parents." Tony coughed. "I'm sorry. And if there's anything you two need, anything at all. Just let me know. Let me try and make things right."
Harvey looked over to the twins and saw them look away from Tony the whole time he spoke. They had angry, sad looks on their faces. Clearly, they were having a tough time listening to the man. Wanda then took a deep breath and nodded.
Harvey walked in front of Tony and nodded. The man understood his silent message and nodded back. The two then walked back to the Bugatti and stood beside each other.
"...think they'll ever forgive me?" Tony asked.
"I'm not sure." Harvey answered. "They just need some time. Hopefully, when we're done in Sokovia, they'll have the closure they need."
"That mission of yours. I can help." Tony turned to him and spoke. "I'll grab a suit and meet you there."
Harvey shook his head and looked over his shoulder. Everyone was boarding the jet; Pietro and Amy were carrying everyone's luggage. Natasha noticed his stare and nodded to him.
"No, this something they have to do on their own." Harvey said as he looked up at the cloudy sky. "But if we run into more than we handle, I have your number."
Tony forced a smile and nodded; he walked over to his car's side and opened the door. "See you around, Bone head."
Harvey smiled and nodded. He watched the expensive car drive off with a thoughtful expression. Perhaps Tony wasn't as bad as he thought; maybe there was a good man under all that ego and narcissism. Turning around, Harvey headed to the quinjet.
•••
"He was being genuine."
Amy said as she sat in front of the twins. The two of them sat silently as they stared off to nothing; Stark's words seemed to have affected them deeply.
"...another of your angel abilities?" Pietro said slowly. "You can detect lies?"
"Actually, yes."
"I know he was; I could sense it in his mind." Wanda whispered. "I just can't help but still feel so much anger towards him."
Amy nodded and smiled sadly. Harvey told her about what happened to the twins when they were children last night. It was such a traumatizing event for such young kids. They wouldn't heal from this so quickly.
"That's understandable. One cannot move on from such hatred so quickly." Amy said soothingly. "But holding on to hatred is dangerous. It's like a poison. It will only serve to destroy you."
"It's not an easy journey, to get to a place where you forgive people. But it is such a powerful place, because it frees you."
Wanda and Pietro looked at Amy in awe. Slowly, they both nodded and thanked her. Amy smiled at them serenely. She was proud of them.
"With the way you act, I almost forget you're a centuries-old angel." Wanda smiled and laughed. "Thank you, Amy."
"Yes, thank you." Pietro said as he stood up.
Amy smiled and nodded. She could see the oppressive waves of hatred start to lift away from their shoulders. She hoped they could become free of it by the end of their journey. Amy stood up and lost her dignified aura. She placed her hands on her hips and beamed at the twins.
"Okay! Enough with this depressing energy!" Amy then pointed at Harvey, who stood beside Natasha in the pilot seat. He turned around at her sudden yell. "Okay, team leader, what's our plan!"
Harvey nodded and walked over to the table at the center of the jet. Natasha turned on the autopilot and walked up to stand next to Harvey. Amy and the twins approached the table and looked at several documents and maps. A lone blurry picture of a man sat in the middle. Harvey bent over and picked it up. His face became intense and focused.
"This man, Baron Strucker, is our main target." Harvey then threw down the image back in the middle of the table. "From the documents Fury gave me, He is directly involved in the bombings in Sokovia. We don't know why, but SHIELD's intel indicates he has a major hand in it all."
"Strucker used the bombings as a cover to abduct the orphaned children from the fallout." Natasha continued; she then pointed at a large circle on a map. "The local police were tracking the disappearances behind the children until they were ordered to stop by the city's mayor. It's unknown why, but we believe Strucker has someone inside Sokovia's government."
"Why were children taken in the first place?" Amy asked in a deadly tone, all playfulness forgotten. "This is a pretty elaborate plan. There must be a reason why he needs them."
"You two got caught up in the bombings. How did you two avoid being taken?" Natasha asked the twins.
"O-Our mother's brother found us in the rubble; he took us to his home and watched over us until he died three years ago." Wanda said shakily. "We could have been abducted..."
Amy saw Pietro's face become shocked and fearful. It seemed he realized how lucky they were not to be part of whatever Strucker was plotting. Amy walked over and held his hand; she squeezed it to try to comfort him.
"Regardless, we must find any possible connections to Stucker in this area." Harvey pointed down inside the circle on the map. "This is where the local police stopped their investigation; it's possible they were getting too close for comfort and got shut down. Our objective is to find anyone working with or for Strucker."
Amy and everyone else nods at that. It was a good start. She turned to the side and saw Wanda glare down at the blurry image of the man. Slowly, Wanda's eyes glowed red.
"We find them, we find Strucker."