Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Witch and the Widows

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 04:

TRIGGER WARNING This chapter has references and discussions of past sexual assault. It also has quite a bit of violence. Nothing to graphic but if that is not your thing, you can skip the Austria part. Though there is violence before and after, that is the most intense. Its the Scarlett Witch and Yelena Belova. There will be violence. 

Chapter 04:

Klobouky, Sokovia

Neither Yelena nor Wanda knew much about the new capital of Sokovia. It had been the fourth largest city in Sokovia, yet through money passing hands between government and city officials, it was now the capital.

Not that much had changed. Klobouky had all the hallmarks of Sokovian cities. It was old, dreary, most of the buildings dating back to the Cold War. Many areas showed signs of bombardment over the years, though not as intense as Novi Grad. The rich lived in a very secluded part of the city, heavily patrolled by corrupt military to keep out the rift raft.

Unlike most large cities in the world, the middle class were few. The societal structure was split in two, those who had and those who had not.

The poor far outnumbered the rich and the supposed new prosperity that being the capital city would bring, made no difference in their lives.

“This city is shit.” Yelena said as they drove among the neighborhoods.

The two had stolen a car the night before, a black American sports car called a Camaro, and drove through the night. Yelena did most of the driving since it became clear after an hour that Wanda needed to practice. She either drove twenty kilometers under the speed limit and forty kilometers an hour over the speed limit. Yelena couldn’t sleep, having to talk her through steadying her speed, while Wanda insisted she knew how to drive. They had changed two hours ago, and Wanda had fallen asleep immediately, leaving a tired and irritated Yelena at the wheel. She woke her partner up as they entered the city.

Yelena and Wanda had done some shopping before they stole the car, and were now sporting black wigs, brown contacts, and sunglasses. They wore well worn denim jeans and simple t shirts, decorated in band names. Yelena had her vest over her shirt, and it covered her handgun at the back of her jeans. The wigs were long and hung free and Yelena believed if anyone were looking for them on street or security cams, they would be unrecognizable.

If they were recognized, they would fight their way out and find a different plan. It was simply too hard to avoid cameras in this day and age. The disguises would have to work.

“Any idea where we are going?” Wanda asked. “You can find the first shady looking guy and I can take some info from his head. It shouldn’t be hard to find a guy like that around here.”

“We are shady looking guys. You shouldn’t be so judgmental.” Yelena playfully scolded her. “I know what I am looking for.”

An hour later in one of the seediest parts of the city, Yelena pulled over, took a few bills, and approached a man who was obviously a drug dealer. Wanda stayed in the car but kept an eye on her partner and the area surrounding them. Yelena said finding guns would be no problem. Finding someone who could make a passport good enough to get them across quite a few countries including Austria, Switzerland, France, and Spain. Yelena believed she only needed one good enough to fool Austrian border agents and knew a supplier in Austria that could give her all they needed with the right persuasion for the rest of the trip.

Yelena came back to the car and drove off without a word. They drove another ten minutes and then pulled into an underground parking lot. They stayed on the first floor and went to a maintenance door that was locked.

“He only opens for appointments. When I knock their will be a rather large, rather mean man. He will ask our names and give us an appointment. We will leave and he verifies our identities. When we come back, if he is satisfied, we are let in. If we aren’t, he will kill us.” Yelena explained.

Wanda raised an eyebrow.

“No cameras in this garage. You know what to do?” Yelena asked.

Wanda smiled, raised her hand, and threw a red ball of energy into the door, blowing it and the man who had been standing guard behind it into a concrete wall, unconscious and likely having several broken bones including his skull.

They stepped inside and heard footsteps running towards them.

Four men turned the corner with guns raised. Four headshots from Yelena and they were no more.

“I hope one of these isn’t who we needed.” Wanda said. She had long become used to violence and death in her vendetta against Hydra but was used to dealing it herself.

“They were the muscle. The talent is hiding under a desk, trying not to piss himself and failing.” Yelena said confidently.

They stepped around the bodies and walked slowly, keeping an ear for more footsteps. They reached a curve and Wanda stood still, her eyes glowing red and tendrils of red energy flowing from her body into the unseen room on the other side of the curve.

She felt the boy inside, under a desk as Yelena had predicted and holding a gun with a shaky hand. She projected her essence to him, whispering in his ear to put the gun down and relax.

She had control and he did as she said, stepping out from under the desk unarmed.

The relaxation stopped when Yelena introduced them and placed a gun to his head as Wanda let go of her hold on his mind.

“I understand there are guns here.” The blonde said. “You are also very skilled at forging documents. If you tell us where the guns are and provide us with new passports, we will be on your way. You can find new protection, maybe better fighters, and continue on with your business. If you don’t, I will shoot you in the gut and my friend will make your worst fears run over and over in your mind until you are hoping the gunshot kills you quickly. In case you didn’t know, a gut shot won’t kill you quickly.”

The man kept shaking, staring at them with wide eyes.

“I need you to concentrate. We need your best work. Your life depends on this. Calm yourself and lets get busy. We don’t have all day.”

Yelena slapped his face, and he began to move, showing them where the gun locker was, opening the room for them then returning to his desk to begin working on documents. Wanda watched him while Yelena went through the weapons. She walked out with two large duffel bags. Wanda suspected one was filled with guns of every shape and size and one was filled with ammo. Things would get ugly if their car were searched when they crossed the border but that would be a problem then. They would take it one step at a time.

After the man was done and Yelena was happy with his work, she knocked him out and dragged him to the gun locker where she tied him and then locked the door behind him.

“Even if he is found soon, he can’t alert authorities.” Yelena pointed out when Wanda expressed discomfort with leaving him where he could easily be found. “He won’t know what car we were driving and there are three different countries we could be entering. They are a small town outfit. They will take it as cost of doing business and move on.”

The next problem was the Austrian border agents.

They were stopped for inspection. The agent saw two hot brunettes and couldn’t resist.

“Open your trunk.” The man said, projecting authority.

“Did you ever see that Star Wars movie when you were child?” Yelena asked. “The one with the old man who walked around in his pajamas?”

Wanda nodded. It had been one of Pietro’s favorite American movies.

“Want to give it a try?”

Wanda closed her eyes and projected her mind into his, whispering soothing commands.

“You don’t need to search us. You will wave us through.”

The man flinched and began rubbing his head.

Wanda pushed a bit harder this time. She hadn’t wanted to scramble his brain, but she had apparently been too gentle. She showed him a glimpse of his worst memory at the surface, walking in on his wife in bed with another man and then told him again to let them pass. She then projected herself beside him, his vision seeing her where she wasn’t.

“Let us pass or suffer eternally.” Her astral form whispered in his ear.

The man shivered, a deep cold engulfing him despite the warm weather. He wrapped his arms around himself and looked inside the car, fear on his face. He saw Wanda in the passenger seat. She took her sunglasses off and raised an eyebrow.

“Problem officer?” she asked, and he recognized the voice as the one in his ear.

“Go. Get away from me devil.” he whispered.

Yelena patted him on the cheek and drove on as he waved them through the checkpoint.

“Do I want to know what you did to him?”

Wanda laughed and shrugged her shoulders. “Just know that I swear I would never do it to you. He isn’t the first to call me a devil. I’m mostly called a witch though. I prefer witch.”

Wanda took over driving at one point as Yelena talked her through driving on an open road and swore to steal a car with cruise control next.

She slept as soon as she felt Wanda had it under control and woke up a few hours later when they entered Innsbruck. The two pulled over and switched drivers. Yelena also took her wig off.

“They know you are with me. I don’t want them to see us in our disguises. Beside, they will need to recognize me unless Dreykov has already told them to look for me. I doubt he would suspect me of coming here or bothered to tell them. He wouldn’t want anyone knowing one of his widow’s went rogue.”

“They know Dreykov?” Wanda asked, surprised Yelena would bring her someplace associated with the Red Room.

“They are an independent contractor and work with many terrorist organizations. If a widow is in this country, Maris is the man we visit for weapons, identities, and any other needs. I have done business with him before. They will think you are a new widow.”

“And then we kill him before we leave.” Wanda knew this was the plan, but she didn’t realize he was someone who worked directly for Dreykov.

“You want information first.” Yelena understood Wanda’s desire. “He wouldn’t know where the Red Room is, and I don’t believe HYDRA works with independents. Not their style. They like to use sleeper cells in each country who are already in place. I will check his computer for intel. I need to use his internet regardless, but we cannot waste time. Once this goes down, the cameras will catch us. I’m not sure if there are any widows in the area or how long the Red Room can send a response team. We will need to move fast.”

Wanda didn’t like the sound of that. “Will he have time to make new passports?”

“I will encourage him to work fast. You can put widows to sleep, yes?”

Wanda nodded. “Yes. Perhaps if there is only one, we can convince her…”

Yelena shook her head, following Wanda’s train of thought. “Dreykov is no fool. He is very smart. You took me instead of killing me. I haven’t reported back. That means he knows you have likely freed me. He won’t let another mind controlled widow near you. Whoever comes will be an older generation, meaning we can search her head for information on the Red Room, but she will not join us unless you can undo years of manipulation and psychological conditioning. Out of thousands of widows, Natasha is likely the only one who ever has.”

Wanda understood. Get in, get what they needed and get out. There was no time for heroics or recruiting.

This time they approached an apartment building. Two men stood at the door guarding the entrance, a hand behind their back, no doubt on guns.

They relaxed slightly when they recognized Yelena, one even smiled, though it was not friendly. It was predatory and sent a chill through Wanda.

One opened the door and the two women walked in. As soon as they were inside, Wanda used her power to grab the men and toss them into the hallway. As soon as they hit the ground, Yelena stabbed them both in the heart.

They cleared the first floor. Wanda noted that though it appeared to be a three story apartment building from the outside, inside, the floors were gutted, large open spaces.

The two continued to the second floor.

Once there, three other men sparring with each other on a mat in the middle of the floor must have recognized Yelena then looked over Wanda salaciously. They stopped what they were doing and began walking towards them, side by side.

Wanda felt Yelena’s emotions radiating outward. Anger, disgust, humiliation.

Wanda made a ball of red energy and threw it at the men, splitting in three and burning them to nothing, not even bones remaining. She felt a rush of joy, a burning thirst for justice, no different than when she freed HYDRA experiments after killing their captors.

“When we get what we need, Maris is mine.” Yelena told her. Wanda noted the conviction in her voice and agreed.

They took the stairs to the third floor and Yelena knocked on the door. A man in his fifties opened it. He was of medium build, close to two meters tall and had grey hair, tanned skin, and cold deep blue eyes.

“Yelena! The boys downstairs didn’t tell me you were here. Dreykov didn’t let me know there were any widows coming my way. Who is your beautiful friend? A new widow?”

“Yes.” Yelena answered. “We have need of assistance. I need to leave the country and Red Room extraction is not available at this time.”

Wanda was taken back, then chilled at the tone of Yelena’s voice. She sounded like a robot.

The man stepped aside and the two walked in quickly, so he wasn’t at their backs for more than a second. Wanda reached out to his mind gently just in case she needed to lock him up tightly in less than a second, the same as she had done to Yelena when they first met.

“I hope you understand the price is the same. I am assuming you still abide by Dreykov’ s agreement with me. You widows are still good girls who have to do as I say, right? You and your friend make yourselves more comfortable. You know the drill, Yelena.”

Wanda nearly vomited. How many times had Yelena been here? Dreykov had told the widows to do as this man asked. They didn’t have a choice. Her blood boiled but she had promised Yelena that Maris was hers. Wanda understood now.

“Things have changed.” Yelena told him, her voice no longer dead. “I’m a free agent now. I no longer obey anyone.”

Maris’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth to call for help. Before he could, Yelena had kicked him in the gut, sending him to his knees. She grabbed the back of his head by the hair and forced him to look at her.

“Don’t bother. Your men are dead. I’m going to disable the silent alarm under your desk and the cameras, then you are going to make us new passports. I will also use your computer. While my friend watches you, I will be taking your weapons and explosives. If you do well, I will only maim and disfigure you. If you misbehave, I’ll kill you in the most painful way imaginable and you know widows have good imaginations. Do we understand, or will your pride cost you your penis?”

The man unconsciously covered himself and nodded quickly, true fear outweighing his anger.

Yelena left him on the floor and got onto his computer, disabling the cameras and alarms.

Maris stayed on his knees, looking up at Wanda.

“You don’t carry a weapon?” he asked quietly.

Wanda’s eyes lit up in a deep red, the glow lighting up his face. A look of terror crossed his face, even deeper than before.

“I would suggest you do as she says. She doesn’t appear to like you very much. I don’t either. Just so you know, there are worse things than death and I am one of them.”

An hour later, they had what they needed. Wanda had brought their wigs and they had passports with photos of their true appearance and their disguises each.

Wanda began nervously carrying bags that Yelena had gathered to the car trying not to think about how many explosives were likely inside them.

When she returned, she heard the man squealing, begging for mercy in between sobs.

She found Yelena kneeling over his prone body, a knife in her hand, dripping blood.

Yelena screamed and began swinging, over and over with each stab.

When he was long past dead, she finally stopped swinging and tried to catch her breath but was close to hyperventilating.

Wanda gently helped her up and hugged her closely from behind. Yelena turned and fell into her arms crying in anger and pain.

Neither said anything. Wanda knew what Yelena had felt, knew why, and knew it was needed. Yelena wasn’t just driven by a desire to free her sister widows. She was on a mission of revenge against everyone who had ever hurt her.

“I’ll bring us a change of clothes. We needed to get changed and hit the road, right?”

Yelena nodded and turned to look at the mutilated body on the ground.

“Yes, we are done here.”

The next two days went smoothly, as far as trouble from law enforcement or risk of search. Before they had left Austria, the two had stolen a late model BMW sedan and found a like modeled car in a hotel parking lot to change plates with. The traffic was light, but the conversation was sparse, and the mood was somber. Yelena had been lost in her thoughts and Wanda had left her be, knowing there were many things she could not help her with, besides being an ear to listen and a shoulder to lean on.

The two made their first overnight stop in Paris. Yelena had set up two overseas accounts while Maris had been making their passports and after checking into a cheap motel that took cash they went to the Suisse bank to deposit the large sum of Euros and other currency Wanda kept in a suitcase next to the guns, grenades, and explosives in the trunk.

The banking agent did not appear surprised to see two teen girls dressed casually, walking into a banking establishment with a suitcase containing over one million dollars U.S. to deposit in a secure, offshore bank account. Wanda supposed this must happen often or they were trained to not ask questions or perhaps both. After being given cards, pin numbers and offers for several investment funds the two went back to the motel to get some much needed sleep even though it was daytime.

Once they were settled as much as possible, they each sat down on their double beds and lay back in silence. The journey they had taken from Sokovia to here was intense and it felt like it had been months. Wanda wondered when the next time she would see her small home. This was the longest she had been gone. She had become quite adept at flying and would simply fly to a HYDRA base in Europe, invade it and kill the HYDRA soldiers inside. If she felt prisoners inside she would free them before destroying the base.

If she didn’t feel prisoners inside she would simply destroy the base from above, until the survivors were stumbling out. Then she would go into their heads for information before killing them.

Her concerns about the flowers on Pietro’s grave dying, were the only distraction she had stop her from asking Yelena to talk. Wanda instinctively knew not to push. Yelena would open up if or when she was ready but not before, no matter how impatient Wanda might be.

They slept in the afternoon and woke as the sun was setting.

Yelena sat up, a haunted look in her eyes, and wrapped her arms around her knees, hugging herself.

“How many of my memories did you see when you saved me?” she asked quietly.

Wanda rolled towards her and lifted herself on an elbow. “Enough to know I wasn’t going to leave you there. I saw bits of Ohio, you having a red headed sister named Natasha. I put that together with the whole Black Widow thing. I saw torture and other things that caused you pain. I felt what it was like to be a passenger in your own body but have no agency. Most of your memories were muddled because of the drug. I suspected most would come back to you while you slept and after you woke.”

Yelena nodded. “Have you seen any since then?”

Wanda sighed and sat up, throwing her legs over the side of the bed to the floor and faced Yelena.

“I have never, and I swear I will never, go into your head without your permission. You never have to worry about that, Yelena.”

“I know. I just thought when I was asleep and you were calming me, you may have seen… bad things.”

Wanda rose from her bed and sat next to Yelena, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. The blonde leaned into her.

“It was a common practice Dreykov liked to use. He didn’t need the discounts. He enjoyed reenforcing to us that we were slaves as well as assassins.” Yelena explained.

Wanda stayed quiet, holding her tighter.

“As long as the suppliers didn’t scar us or do anything to impair our ability to do our jobs, we would obey them for an hour.”

“Maris.” Wanda said aloud.

“And others, all over Europe. I never made it back to the United States since I was trafficked by my fake parents. Maris was one of the worst one. He liked to share. His men obviously recognized me. Maris would regularly break the one hour rule, but Dreykov never did anything. If we broke he always had more weapons ready.”

Wanda fought back tears and did her best ot keep her breathing steady. “I’m sorry I killed those three before you could.”

Yelena shook her head. “It was for the best. If I had killed all three, one would have screamed and alerted Maris. He was the one I wanted. I only wish I could kill him again.”

“There will be others.” Wanda promised. “Dreykov is at the end of the path. He will be yours. No others, I swear.”

Yelena grinned. “If my sisters are free, we will all do it. We have so much pain to give in return. He won’t be the end of it though. It will always be there. Some things can’t be forgotten. He will always be there. Then there are others. HYDRA and other terrorist operations that used us. The older Black Widows that allowed this to go on. The widows who were never controlled, who believed in him, in Madame B, in the Red Room, they must die too. Everyone who stood by who had the ability to do something and did nothing. I may well spend the rest of my days in a quest for revenge that will never end.”

Wanda took a deep breath.

“You may find a different path though. I thought I would spend my days killing HYDRA agents. That was all that was important to me. Now I only want to save young women who are captives in their own bodies. Nothing is more important to me than that. You never know what will cause you to decide something is more important. Whatever we decide to do next, we will do it together, after taking a long rest when this part is over.”

“Yes, I still must train you to fight and improving your driving skills is necessary.”

“We will also have to figure out where to keep your sisters. We cannot simply free them and abandon them. My one bedroom house isn’t big enough to fit us all. They will be lost. We cannot leave them to the mercy of this world unless they wish to leave.” Wanda reminded her.

Yelena smiled. “We will figure it out. I have a red witch by my side. Anything is possible. Right now, I need a drink.”

Wanda shook her head. “You think it’s a good idea for us to go to a bar?”

“Of course. We put on our wigs, try out some of those stylish clothes we have and go to a busy club. It is harder to recognize someone in a crowded club in disguise. I need to get out for a bit and drink. I’ve never been to a dance club for the purpose of dancing. It looked like fun.”

Wanda thought for a moment and shrugged. “Screw it. If we get in trouble, I’ll just start blowing things up. I’m good at that.”

The two girls dressed, Wanda in a red bustier and black leather pants, with a short black blouse over the top hanging open and knee high combat boots. Yelena dressed in black denim jeans, a tank top and an open black top that hung low enough down her back to conceal a gun and extra clip.

Wanda decided to go with a dark red lipstick while Yelena went with black lip stick and dark eyeshadow, making her appear even more intimidating considering her already raven like wig.

They decided to take the car rather than a taxi, wanting a quick escape if necessary.

They arrived at a busy dance club that looked like it had once been a train depot station. It was out of the way, just off the center of Paris nightlife District but very loud and crowded, perfect for a night out.

After parking in the huge lot across from the club, the two women walked in side by side, past the line as if they owned the place. The doorman gave them an approving appraisal and opened the door to the protests of many in line.

“Attitude and confidence go a long way.” Yelena told Wanda loudly over the music. “Act like you own the place and people will assume you do.”

“I’m pretty sure my breasts had something to do with it as well.” Wanda told her dryly. Yelena chuckled.

“Yes, the red leather bustier was a good choice. I’m not sure how you can breathe in that thing.”

“Its more comfortable than it looks.” Wanda defended her fashion choice.

“Then why are your boobs trying to escape?” Yelena asked.

Wanda pushed her to the side and marched to the bar, a chuckling Yelena following.

They ordered shots of vodka and then took to the dance floor, blending in and for once, acting like girls their age should, dancing as if no one were watching.

After they had worked up a sweat and turned down several offers to dance by both males and females, they retreated once more to the bar and ordered a bottle of vodka and two shot glasses.

They leaned back against the bar and people watched. There must have been five hundred or more stuffed into this club and while not overly crowded in the large place, the dancefloor was packed.

Then Yelena saw him. Wanda felt her sudden tension.

“What is wrong?” she asked, wondering if they had already been found.

Yelena slightly nodded across the dance floor and Wanda followed her eyes to a dark haired man in his late twenties with a goatee and a very thick jacket for such a warm night. His eyes were trained on someone on the dancefloor, not them.

“Who is he?” Wanda asked, leaning closely to Yelena, and speaking softly into her ear to not be heard by others.

“He works for Jacques Tolliver, leader of a hit squad that specializes in high profile kidnappings. They take children of wealthy parents and hold them. They are never after a ransom. Instead, they want favors. They will keep the child alive as long as the parents play ball. When they get what they want, they kill the children. The parents have no choice but to obey. They have eyes everywhere. The group is large. He is not the only one here.”

Yelena paid close attention to the ones who were not moving among the crowd and followed their eyes. They all centered on two girls on the dance floors, a blonde with short hair and a brunette in a tight black party dress. Both had no idea they were being watched. Yelena doubted they wanted both girls. One of them was important.

One of them had an important parent. It fit Jacques operation.

“They will have a car or van in front.” Yelena told her. “They won’t care about crowds. They may use them to cause pandemonium as an additional cover. They won’t hesitate to fire into the open. They will also have back up vehicles. This is no petty kidnapper. He operates with military precision. I know. Dreykov sent me to collaborate with him once. He found a place he couldn’t get into without his men being slaughtered. They sent me in to thin the opposition before I was killed. Instead, I opened the door for them after I had killed all the guards.”

“Those girls don’t look old enough to be here.” Wanda said then realized they were probably fifteen or sixteen, not much younger than Yelena. For that matter, Wanda probably wasn’t old enough to be here.

“They want the pretty brunette. Most of them are positioning to keep an eye on her. One is on the dancefloor behind her and approaching. They will make their move soon.”

Wanda groaned and took another shot from the bottle they had just bought.

“We can’t stop them without causing a scene.” Wanda pointed out.

“It wouldn’t be good for us. It isn’t our business.” Yelena agreed.

“We aren’t superheroes. If we start this fight, we are going to make the news.” Wanda reminded her. “We could have more difficulty getting out of France. The Red Room, Hydra, they will all be watching the borders closely. It would change our plans considerably.”

Yelena nodded. “You are right. We are not superheroes.”

Once man stepped in front of the blonde girl separating her from her friend while two men grabbed the brunette teenager. To Yelena’s surprise and delight, the brunette turned and flipped the man over her shoulder and twisted his arm on the floor, causing a scene. Another man shoved a gun into her back and grabbed her, no doubt threatening her and her friend if she did not come along.

The brunette nodded and allowed herself to be dragged along off the floor. The blonde girl was tossed to the floor and more men made their way to the front, surrounding the young brunette and forming a barrier between her and the other civilians.

“So, we are doing this, right?” Wanda said, slamming her shot glass on the bar.

“Yes, we are.” Yelena agreed, pulling her gun from her back.

Both women followed the wake the men made as they moved to the front. Once they exited the building, as Yelena knew, there was a van that pulled up. The side door opened, and a man inside reached for the girl.

Yelena fired, shooting him in the head before he could grab the girl. Wanda lifted three of the men and snapped their necks. Yelena continued firing, taking down the remaining gunmen. The driver of the van made to get out, but Wanda lifted the van with her power and flipped it over into the street.

The girl to her credit was not screaming. Her face had a bit of blood on it from the man Yelena had killed in front of her, but she remained somewhat calm.

She met Yelena’s eyes and then looked at Wanda whose eyes and hands were glowing red.

“That was awesome!” the girl, an American by accent, shouted. “Wow. You just flipped that van and snapped those guys necks in midair! Are you like an Avenger? Hey, they were trying to kidnap me. What did I do?”

Tires squealed on both side of the road, and engines roared.

“This is going to get messy. We need to leave.” Yelena told Wanda.

“What about her?”

“We need to get her to safety and find a way to deliver her back to where she belongs.” Yelena turned to the girl.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“Kate. Kate Bishop.” she said. “More are coming, aren’t there? I have to go. I can get my friend killed. She is literally the only one in my social circle I can stand talking to. I need to draw them away.”

Yelena groaned. “Hero complex and no survival instincts. Wonderful. Lets go Kate Bishop. Until we can get you home you are staying with us.”

The trio ran across the lot and jumped into the car. Yelena took the keys from Wanda pointing out that she was a horrible driver.

Yelena’s driving skills would be needed. As soon as they pulled out of the lot, one SUV began chasing them and another turned around and followed as well.

The chase was on.

“This is so cool.” Kate shouted. “A real car chase with superheroes!”

“We aren’t superheroes!” Yelena and Wanda shouted.

“Still cool. I wish I had my bow. I could take them all out. I’m the top ranked fifteen to sixteen year old amateur in the world. I started when I was six but really kicked it up after the alien invasion of New York. Hawkeye saved my life and became my idol. A lot of people believe I will soon be the world’s greatest archer.”

“Are you one of those people?” Yelena asked, swerving the car across lanes, and keeping an eye on the vehicles closing in.

“I’m… yes I am. Hey, since you are superheroes you both probably know Hawkeye, right? Do you know if he offers any internships, or apprenticeships? My mom thinks I am training for the Olympics but that isn’t why I got a black belt and became a state ranked fencer and am varsity gymnastics. My goal is to one day be an Avenger. Have you guys ever thought about joining?”

“You are a very strange person, Kate Bishop.” Wanda said.

“Can I borrow your phone?” Yelena asked

Kate handed her phone to her quickly. Wanda rolled down the window and Yelena tossed it out.

“Hey!”

“If that man is after you, then you can afford to buy a new one.” Yelena pointed out. “He will no doubt track your phone. Do you have any other devices? None of those silly watches or electronic pads, anything electronic?”

“No. I’m… I could have turned it off or removed the memory chip!”

“That phone is the least of your problems!” Yelena shouted, focused on driving.

They heard gunfire and ducked, but no glass was shattered.

“What was that? Are they bad shots?” Kate asked. “In the movies the glass always shatters.”

“No, they don’t want you dead.” Yelena explained. “They are trying to take out the tires. Not so easy for one moving vehicle to do to another directly behind. Why do you think I am swerving, Kate Bishop?”

“I don’t know! This is my first car chase!”

A second shot struck the car, likely in the bumper judging by the sound.

“Yelena?”

“Yes Wanda?”

“In hindsight, it may have been a bad idea to keep the explosives in the trunk.” Wanda reminded her.

Yelena’s eyes widened as she looked at Wanda having forgotten that little detail in the ensuing gunfight and car chase.

“You have what in the trunk!?” Kate shouted.

“Get us to a side road, Yelena. I need to take them down as far away from collateral damage as possible. Just find an exit ramp and give me some distance.”

Yelena floored the engine, no longer concerned with swerving to avoid the gunshots. Once she had gotten enough space she made a reckless sudden turn into an off ramp, that declined a half mile to the highway below.

“Good enough.” Wanda said, rolling down the window and jumping out of the car.

Yelena slowed down and Kate turned with wide eyes, watching the girl whose wig had blown off standing in the sky, a red glow around her.

Wanda raised her hands and the pavement and ground lifted in front of the trailing SUVS. The first car slammed into the immovable wall that had sprung up in front of it and the second slammed into the first. Two giant balls of fire lit up the night sky.

Wanda flew back to where Yelena had parked just before entering the highway. She landed, got back into the car and the trio took off.

Kate cleared her throat. “You guys were telling me how you weren’t superheroes. What exactly are you?”

Yelena smirked. “I’m an assassin and she is a witch. Nice to meet you, Kate Bishop, world’s greatest archer and wannabe Avenger. Wanda has met Hawkeye. They are close, personal friends. Tell her all about it Wanda.”

Wanda scowled at Yelena as Kate started rapidly firing questions.