Chapter 47

There's a certain...

Tense, atmosphere in the air.

To be honest it probably came from me.

Yeah, it's definitely coming from me. 

Even as I sat there.

In that lonely, damaged office.

I still feel empty.

Like a shell of the person who was once bright, shining, glowing--

Rising.

Where was she now?

Where had she gone?

She's nowhere to be found.

There's a small click, the sound of the door knob twisting. Then the door swings, coming in contact with the broken chair that had been tossed in that direction. 

It makes a screeching noise against the floor as the door is swung wider, bathing the room in light, and revealing me in a frozen state, with damaged furniture surrounding me.

Some lights in the office had burst when my powers sought their outrage.

Only a few flickering ones remained.

It doesn't take an idiot to see that something happened here. Something very bad. 

The door creaks open louder and I felt him stand there. Unsure if he should come in or not.

I know for a fact that he was steadily scanning my tear-filled face, silently doing his own analysis of what had occurred. 

Whatever the conclusion.

It wasn't good.

"Blues...?"

I raise my head, allowing my brother to see my broken state and my weak stance.

Tony walks in, carefully sidestepping the mess so he could stand before me, one hand resting on the pocket of his slacks.

His eyes held a knowing glint and his emotions tell me he knows exactly what happened even if I don't have to say it out loud.

It was funny.

Of course, he would know.

The first thing I would do was to try and find them. After all, I'd been the only one trying to convince them that fighting wasn't an option. 

Look where that got me. 

"Steve?" He asks softly, even though he already knows the answer. 

The very name sends a fresh wave of tears rolling off my cheeks.

"H-He..." I choked and cleared my throat, swiping away the tears. "No." I shook my head, not wanting to explain it in detail.

The conversation still brings pain to my heart. I couldn't stop Steve. And I know for a fact my brother's going to go against him.

Tony quietly sighs and runs both hands through his hair. At the same time, he looks sad. He doesn't want this to happen but in his mind, it needs to.

"Blues, I need you to know that this has to happen." He tells me in that way of his that wrings my heart out. 

I simply sat there.

Frozen.

Like a statue. Only there for show.

"Ross wants me to recruit you in taking down Capsicle."

They always needed me. They always use me.

"I can't force you, but... I just need to know if you'll be okay."

There it was. The decision. The ultimatum. 

He knows he can't force me but at the same time, he's trying to convince himself that his sister will make the right choice.

What is the right choice?

The choice to fight?

For who? For what? 

How will any of this end?

"What's your plan?" I spit out the words bluntly, effectively avoiding the question. My tone was blank and cold, not giving anything away.

Tony frowns and clears his throat. "Nat's got a guy. We're gonna band together. Get a group running."

Looking at him I raise an eyebrow. "T'Challa?"

Tony nods in reply and I don't stop my fists from clenching even as pain radiated out from my wrists at the burn of the veins. The soon-to-be King was only helping them so he could get Bucky.

"You?" I was suspicious.

"Eh..." Tony shrugs. "I'm heading down to Queens to pick up an insect."

"Insect...?" I repeated, openly frowning.

He stares at me knowingly, a trigger-happy look on his expression. 

"Oh hell," We've been through this. He was off limits.

He's still young!

"Tony, he's a kid."

"Well, sometimes you gotta run before you walk right?" He defends, sounding like a child.

"You run and what?" I demanded. "Fall flat on your face after?"

I was exasperated.

Tony came to my room one day and showed me this video of a person swinging around buildings with webs.

He's been rather diligently monitoring the kid's progress and suggests putting the kid in training for the next generation of Avengers.

I told him it was a; No. Because one, he's a kid. Two; He's a kid.

The battlefield was no place for a kid. Let alone this fight we're having.

"Well I've made up my mind, I'm leaving in..." He pulls up his watch. "Five minutes."

Exasperated, I lean back in my chair, shaking my head at how ridiculous this all was.

Tony grins at me cheekily, the corners of his mouth curving into dimples and he looks so excited and downright childish that I can't help but laugh softly.

There we were. Two Starks.

A little broken, a little torn, but still hanging in there.

"Alright, I'm gonna head out first." He walks over to the door, hesitating in his steps. He stops and turns back around to face me, one hand out. "There's... room in the car."

He lets the sentence hang between us.

In those few seconds of silence, I bitterly smiled.

He was still asking me to choose.

I shake my head, committed to my decision.

Tony's eyes narrowed in disappointment and the hand that was held out dropped into a fist. 

"I know... I'm asking a lot from you--" He scratches the back of his neck and his voice is just filled with so much frustration, with so much anxiety that I can't help but stare at him even as he goes on. "Fighting against Steve, I get it, hell, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes--"

"You wouldn't Tony," I mumble. 

He still doesn't get it.

Raising a hand I place it over my heart. "You're asking me to fight against the man I love and he's asking me to fight against my brother."

Something pricked at the back of my eyes and I hastily squeezed them, trying to hold it back. 

"Blues," Tony shuts his eyes, teeth gritted, hands clenching and unclenching. "Look I just--"

"What more do you two want from me?" The very heartbreak in that tone, sent Tony to a screeching halt, his words cutting off halfway.

We hold gazes, brown to brown, neither one of us looking away.

But Tony's guilt is building, it's eating away at his mind, at the fact that he built that collar, at the fact that he's going to be fighting against our friends so he looks away first, finally seeing my decision for what it was.

He turns to the door, back hunched, hand placed over the doorknob. "You know I'll always be there for you right?" 

I hitch in a breath as the words come between us and he leaves the room, the door slamming quietly close.

It's agonizingly silent, but I smile despite it and look down at my fingers. "But this time you weren't."

Clenching my hands, I did a circle of the damaged room and observed the walls that enclose me.

The gears in my head were already turning at the idea that was brewing.

If I can't choose, then I'll do the one thing I do best.

Stop them before they kill each other.

Fix it before it gets worse.

Then maybe, just maybe, after it all stops.

I can finally tell them the secret I've been hiding.

And then I wouldn't have to be alone anymore.

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

The freaking clock, which was the only thing that survived the aftermath of my powers was really starting to annoy me.

I've been locked up in this office for the past 6 hours.

Give or take, night had already fallen.

I was going with my gut here and it's never let me down before.

So here we were, waiting, biding our time. I haven't been slacking at all the past few hours.

I've been listening.

Gathering bits of information of passing guards and Agents.

From what I know, considering I can feel their emotions and slight thoughts, Tony and Nat are with the new recruits. They're rendezvousing elsewhere. My guess is they want to be nearby when Steve's team hits. 

Not only that, Vision was attacked at the Avengers Facility, and at first, I thought whoever was behind this mess in the first place was now targeting the Avengers directly until more intel trickled in and it was revealed that Barton broke Wanda out.

Apparently, my brother locked her up too which was why I spent the last half hour fantasizing about how to kill Tony when I grabbed a hold of him.

Clint had supposedly chosen to go into retirement but the fact that he helped Wanda escape meant exactly what it meant. It doesn't take an idiot to know the two of them were on Steve's side.

I can almost feel, Tony's anxiety from thousands of miles away.

All that's left is to find each other and battle it out.

Whoever wins will change the outcome of the Avengers, or whatever is left of it. 

Steve isn't going to stop. He'll want to stop the Winter Soldiers from ever seeing the light of day. Tony won't care about that. He'll only try to bring Steve down because all of our lives will be dependent on it. 

By my calculations, by late morning tomorrow, they'll get a hit.

And when that happens.

War.

It's all shit really.

Here's the kicker, because I haven't signed the Accords or made my decision, the rest of the team has resolved into leaving me behind. 

No one has broken me out or even attempted to force me to choose. 

Why? 

Well, let me break it down.

I was an enhanced that could level a city.

Both Steve and Tony want me on their side, and having me on their side would ensure victory.

That's what they wanted.

But I wasn't joining either of them. This means they're at ease with that fact, hence the-leaving-Lorelie-behind-thing.  

Each side now has a chance of winning.

What a load of bull.

Who do you think I am?

I won't take sides on this but I won't sit still either.

If they think they could fight without me, they were hopelessly wrong.

I was the Dark Witch and my title deems it all. I'm gonna make sure they're all sorry for fighting. 

So, you might be wondering what my plan is here. It's simple.

Escape.

I opened my eyes, smiling at the energy shift in the area.

For the past few hours, I've been silently observing the guard rotation for this facility.

New guards usually take longer to be informed of what's happening. Which leaves a gap.

Now it's the midnight crew.

Which meant.

Time to break out.

Standing up, I moved forwards toward the door and bent low so I could see the crack of light beneath the metal frame.

A shadow looms behind it and I knew it was my guard. A new one was going to replace him soon to keep an eye on me. 

Stepping back, I knocked on it silently, informing the guard I needed to speak to him.

He opened the door and greeted me with a nod which I blankly accepted.

I vaguely glance outside the hallway, trying to see if there were any other guards.

When I found none, I had to resist a grin.

With the fiasco that happened earlier today, it's not a surprise that they would be understaffed. Plus the blackout had severed communications and they were relying on backup generators that poured electricity into the more critical part of the facility. 

In this case.

No CCTV here. 

"Can you do me a favor?" I asked, keeping up my charade of anger.

They've seen me angry all the time and becoming all smiles, would send off red flags.

The guard raises an eyebrow in question.

"Tell my brother, his sister wants to see him immediately. I've made my decision."

The guard's eyes widened in shock. I can feel his surprise. After all, I'd been the only Avenger to relentlessly reject making any choices. 

He flips open his walkie-talkie, thumb about to touch the button. 

"Oh, and tell him he can suck a truck," I added before grabbing onto his collar and jerking him into the room. I'm too fast for him to react and by the time the walkie slipped from his fingers, I've slammed into the wall, instantly knocking him out cold.

I let out a sharp hiss, one hand clasping at my bandaged neck. 

Shit, that hurt.

The guard slumped to the ground and I let out a whistle as I dusted my palms and bent down to check his pockets. 

"Alright Lorelie, step one complete."

I relieved him of his gun, and a couple of bullet ammunitions before dragging him over to the chair I'd been sitting on for the entirety of the day.

"Jesus Christ, what the hell do you eat?" Huffing, I manage to haul him up by his shoulders and didn't give two shits as his head hit the table with a bang. 

Whoops.

No time to waste, I had to do this quickly before someone realized there was no guard stationed outside.

Ripping out his wallet and a couple of keys, I pulled the guard uniform off his shoulders and slip it off his body.

I didn't strip him naked, but I did leave him in his singlet and boxers.

"Group A switch rotations."

The walkie-talkie crackled.

Looking at the clock, I released a curse before slipping on the uniform over myself, making sure to tie up the baggy areas so it looked like it fit me.

Pulling off his uniformed cap, I tucked it on my head and pushed my brown hair into a bun before hiding it from view.

I also took off his military boots and laced them up.

I stared at his unconscious state and let out a sigh. He was going to wake up with a wicked headache.

Holding out my hand, I weave the black lights to fill the area, transforming him into a mirror projection of myself.

With his head down on the table and hands covering his face he looked like he was sleeping.

Now that the mirror projection covered him, the fake me looked to be at peace.

I grabbed his walkie-talkie and slipped it in its holster before heading out the door and stationing myself in his spot before.

5

4

3

2

1

On cue, another guard was rounding the corner and walking towards me. I stood stately still, silently holding my breath but that came to naught when I scanned his energy and felt it as clear as day.

He's a bit unsure as to what he should be doing.

Just because they were new guards didn't mean they were experienced enough to handle certain hostiles. They probably pulled him from another Base and dropped him here to replace the casualties.

"Hey, we're supposed to switch right?" He asked me, hesitantly. "What's my job here?"

"You're gonna keep an eye on the Dark Witch until the higher ones say differently," I say, keeping my head down. "Be careful though, I heard she's vicious," My tone is nervous, purposely trained that way. 

"Yeah," He sighs tiredly before pushing the door slightly open, revealing my mirror projection, knocked out cold.

The new guards had to make sure I stayed where I was whenever they switched.

"Why did they even put you here to watch over her? Surely you aren't strong enough."

"Orders are orders," I shrugged openly hoping he didn't dig into it. "Alright, I'll switch out of rotation."

He took over my post and I walked away, making sure to keep my head low so he wouldn't stare for too long. 

It wasn't uncommon for female soldiers around here but I still needed to blend in with my gender group before it gets too suspicious.

"Step two," I mumbled, walking past numerous guards and heading toward the control room where all the screens were.

I just needed to get out of the building without being detected.

It was late at night and although there were guards stationed at every corner of the Facility, they all looked sleepy and drowsy. I suppose the good ones were sent out in preparation to take Steve and the others down.

The ones that are left were only the leftovers. 

Looking down at the pair of keys I swiped, I headed towards the elevators and down the basement.

It wasn't hard blending in with the others.

When someone walk past me I just had to nod, without making eye contact, and keep moving.

The building was filled with unfamiliar energy which tells me the guards in the morning and afternoon had long switched out.

They wouldn't recognize me unless they were looking for me.

The elevators opened and I stepped out, keeping my footsteps low and quiet.

Vehicles and bikes alike are parked in the basement but I headed toward the weapons area by the right.

It was surrounded by chain link, with metal bars that hung the weapons up.

If I wanted to retrieve my lost materials, they would be here, standard protocol.

Since the capture in Romania, I'm sure they've ransacked the motel.

I also couldn't leave without that serum.

A guard was stationed there, talking with another male that seemed to be inspecting the weapons.

"Hey, it's time to switch out," I tell the guard, smiling weakly. I pretended I was bored and oblivious.

His eyes scanned mine before nodding. "Alright, next shift's in six hours."

When he leaves, I positioned myself in the same spot he stood, quietly watching the man who sat, engrossed in his chair, hands twinkling with the weapon on the table. 

My eyes did a scan around the room for any familiar objects and found none.

Dammit.

Alright, step three.

"Hey did you hear what happened today?" I asked, sounding excited.

The male grunts. "The Avengers are all going to war."

I read his emotions and deduced exactly what to do. He was just bored of hearing the same thing over and over again. 

"No, I'm talking about the Dark Witch." I huffed. "Seriously you didn't hear about it?"

He turns in his chair and gives me a raised eyebrow. "What about her?"

That caught his interest and judging from his emotions, he's never seen the Dark Witch before but had heard of the stories.

Who wouldn't want to know about the Dark Witch?

"She's made her decision." I nodded, slowly and deliberately trying to exaggerate.

"Against who?" He asked eagerly, both hands on his lap as he stares at me almost comically.

I shrugged. "I don't know but word is, Tony Stark's coming back to the facility."

"Wow," He whistles, smiling widely. "Can you believe it? I heard she's been pretty adamant about not choosing."

"Right?"

No. I'm still not choosing.

"But hey, since she came here I'm sure you had a chance to inspect her belongings right? Did she have any bombs that connect her to Vienna?"

To anyone, I sounded like a curious person, eager for information.

The man scoffed before shaking his head. "Yeah, I've inspected her gear."

He walks towards a locked panel and expelled out a briefcase.

The same briefcase where my serum lay.

He gently set it open, revealing my suit and other attributes.

Carved daggers, the injector.

And the purple liquid.

"No explosives?" I whined, disappointed.

He nods and drags his fingers across my beloved daggers. I eyed those fingers with a glare but had to keep a straight face.

"At least she chose. If she hadn't made a decision, Secretary Ross would have wanted me to plant a similar ballistic in her briefcase to link her to the bombing of Vienna." He tells me coolly like he did not just confess to tampering with evidence.

If it wasn't for years of training, I would've cracked.

"Really?" I grit my teeth and held my breath, fuming silently.

They were gonna frame me for things I didn't do. Why was I not surprised?

"It's what I've been working on but the ballistic is hard to come by." He sighs tiredly, picking up the purple vial in the suitcase.

"What's that?" I feign curiosity, despite the voice screaming at the back of my head in warning.

He tosses it in between his fingers, uncaring that, that little vial was my last lifeline. I needed that to get through this fight. 

"Don't know, but my guess is she needs this badly. If not she wouldn't have brought it with her."

"Hmm," Walking towards the array of weapons, I casually slipped a wrench from the hanging tools. His back was to me so it was easy doing it while he was distracted. "Drugs maybe?" 

Patting the weapon against my palm, I checked the weight and swung my wrist a bunch of times to test how much force will be needed so I don't accidentally kill this guy. 

"I don't think she's a druggie," The man shakes his head. "Either way, we should keep it for leverage. Who knows right?"

These types of people make me sick.

They were the Government and yet they chose to do people dirty like this.

This is why I will never side with them.

Never.

"You're right," I comment sweetly, raising the wrench.

In one swift brutal move, I hit it over his head and grabbed the vial before it could slip past his fingers.

He slumps against the table, his entire body becoming slack.

I watch his unconscious state with venom.

"People like you, disgust me," I tell him plainly before throwing the wrench away and closing the briefcase with the vial inside. "Sweet dreams, prick."

I exited the area and walked quickly toward the parked cars.

The keys I'd swiped earlier from the guard are still in my pocket so I took them out and pressed the button numerous times in hopes of hearing a car ring.

No luck.

Tilting the keys in my hand a bit more, I frowned and headed toward the bike section.

There was an engraving on the side, I just had to look for one that was similar.

And boy did I come out with a victory.

Smiling like a Cheshire cat, I saw the all-black bike and hummed in approval.

Steve's bike had nothing on this Ducati.

"Step four." I put the keys in the bike and twisted it, feeling the motorcycle roared to life. The power behind the engine is surreal, so much so that I couldn't help but grin even more. 

It would be so easy.

To just escape.

To leave everyone behind.

Find a life for me before my time runs out.

If I stay I will only die trying to help those that don't deserve it.

Is this what I wanted? Is this what my life has come to? 

Despite the selfish bit inside me that begged me to do just that, I know I'll never be able to turn my back on them. They're my family and right now, my family is in trouble. They need help even if they won't say it out loud. 

Quickly, I clambered onto the Bike before I can change my mind and placed the briefcase in between me and the handles.

"Time to get the hell out of here," There was no time for a helmet so I twisted the handle and gunned right out of the parking lot, straight through the basement, and onto the freeway above.

When I'm a couple of miles away from the Facility I finally release a sigh of relief, knowing that no one caught me leaving. 

My hold on the mirror projection was getting weaker and weaker too, but by the time they realize I'm not there.

I'll be long gone.

Step five; Stop them.

~~@ @ @~~

A/N

Go easy on my character okay? She's been through a lot and you can't blame her for not choosing.

Until she figures out how to stay alive, she isn't going to just jump in and take a side.

bUT, she is going to kick some ass

XD