“I really don’t want to sound rude, Miss Maximoff, but I’m starting to think that you just don’t understand the government’s position, here.”

  I pced the palms of both of my hands ft on the polished wood of the conference table, trying—for now—to keep my reaction as controlled as possible. Seated to either side of me were Rhodey and Natasha, and across from us was Thaddeus E. Ross, US Secretary of State.

  Even as a blue-tinged hologram, Ross was all sharp lines and stiff authority. He’d chosen to stand instead of ‘joining’ us at the table—his posture was straight, his bearing that of a career military man, and his face was a map of hard years: deep furrows carved into a granite expression, his jaw square and locked beneath a thick moustache. His salt and pepper hair was precisely trimmed, and he wore a dark suit that fit him like a uniform, tailored and expensive. Something about him seemed almost too well-presented, like he spent a lot more time specifically cultivating a particur appearance than I’d normally expect from someone like him.

  I took a deep breath before responding. “I understand it perfectly. You, on the other hand, are having a little bit of trouble grasping the reality of this situation. You’re operating under a fundamental misconception as to what our retionship is.” Nat shot me a concerned look, like she was hoping I’d give some sign to let her take over, but I ignored her and continued to meet his gaze evenly. “I am here as a courtesy. I do not need to be. I know you’re not used to being in this sort of position, Secretary Ross, but I don’t need the US Government. You need me. You have little to offer that I care about and you have no meaningful leverage over me. I am not here, hat in hand, to ask concessions from you—you are here to ask them from me.”

  I’d been pretty much spot-on with how I’d predicted Ross would approach things, though I was pretty annoyed by the particurs. Ross had framed this conversation from the start as though it were a job interview—I was here to answer his questions and, if he deemed them satisfactory, to accept whatever terms he dictated in order to continue to operate.

  The angle he’d been approaching things from was that, if I wanted to continue to work with the Avengers, I’d either have to join the team or they’d need to vet me formally as a registered independent contractor and, coincidentally, that would mean that any legistion applying to them would therefore flow down and apply to me as well. This was the exact thing that I’d been trying to circumvent with the artificial separation I’d cultivated with the Avengers, and he was trying to circumvent it, which was very rude.

  “I’m going to be patient with you, because I know that you’re not used to these sorts of negotiations,” Ross said dismissively. It was a bit rich, him calling these ‘negotiations’ when he had been basically just trying to dictate terms the whole time. “If you want to continue your association with the Avengers—use their facilities, benefit from their technology, fight alongside them—then the only feasible outcome here is for you to abide by the same rules as them. That’s the entire point of the legistion. You can’t operate uniterally, without oversight. You need to be held to account, just like your friends will be.”

  “You’re framing this as though I’m the one benefiting the most from the current arrangement, and that’s simply not the case,” I retorted. “Again—I don’t need the Avengers, Ross. You’ve gotta offer me a hell of a lot more than that if you expect me to py ball with you.”

  “You seem to still be having difficulty with this, so I’ll say it pinly: You are not special or unique, Miss Maximoff. The United States is well used to dealing with petty egos like yours, and we certainly don’t need you, either.”

  I bit back my initial, extremely rude response and my jaw worked silently for a moment as I tried to choose my words carefully. “I know you’re used to dealing with people like Tony Stark, but this isn’t that. Stark’s not even remotely in the same weight css as me. Neither is the Hulk. Neither is anyone on the pnet. If you’re willing to actually negotiate with me, I’m more than happy to engage, but—in order to do that—you need to understand that I am a strategic-level ally and start treating me like one.”

  Ross shook his head in disbelief. “You can’t seriously be this arrogant.”

  “Secretary Ross,” Rhodey interjected, a little hurriedly. “With respect… In my opinion, Wanda’s not entirely off the mark. She’s one of, if not the, most powerful Enhanced individual in the world, and that obviously should have some impact on how we engage with her. I’d recommend—”

  “I’ve read your recommendations, Colonel,” Ross interrupted tersely. My eyes flicked over to Rhodey and I fshed him a quick smile—he responded with a look of consternation.

  “Wanda’s not asking for much, Secretary Ross,” Natasha added. “She’s already an independent actor and just wants to continue as she is. We have a lot to gain from working with her.”

  “Is that your unbiased opinion, Romanov?” he said, looking at her dubiously. “You’ll forgive my doubts as to your objectivity, given the nature of your retionship.”

  My fingers curled, both hands clenching into fists. Oh hell no. None of that. “Our retionship is none of your concern, Ross. That aside, you don’t get to legiste me, regute me or uniterally dictate terms to me for the same reason you don’t get to do it to Russia or the EU.”

  “You’re not a country, Maximoff,” Ross scoffed. “You’re an individual. And after New York, after San Francisco—the American people simply can’t afford to have Enhanced like you running amok. When you do, people die. It’s as simple as that. Regardless of what you might think, your days of doing whatever you want, whenever you want, are numbered.”

  “Yes,” I quipped back. “That’s how calendars work.”

  He really wasn’t impressed with that joke. “You need to start taking this conversation more seriously.”

  Nat started to say something and I shot her a pointed look. She closed her mouth again.

  “I’m actually taking this conversation completely seriously,” I said, my tone firm. “Once again, as a gentle reminder, Secretary Ross: I am here because I am choosing to cooperate with you. I’m more than happy to explore my other options, if I feel that cooperation is not working out. I hear China’s looking to put together an Enhanced team. There is no US boot on my neck, forcing me to come to the table with you—I’m not beholden to you in the same way the Avengers are. I’m not an Avenger. I’m not even a US citizen.”

  “You don’t have a VISA, either,” he pointed out. “You’re in the country illegally.”

  I let out a small ugh at that utterly surreal attempt at him trying to get some measure of control. I couldn’t help myself. Rhodey shot me a pleading look and I shook my head. “Oh, please, Ross, by all means—try to deport me,” I said. “I can literally step from one side of the pnet to the other as easily as you walk through a door. There is nothing keeping me in the US and nothing can keep me out if I want to be here.”

  “If you want to operate on US soil—”

  I cut him off. “Then I will continue to do so, at my leisure, while generously offering my aid and support to the Avengers. As a strategic ally. Not a… a contractor.”

  “Just saying something over and over again doesn’t make it true,” Ross argued. “You can’t seriously be arguing that the United States needs to treat Wanda Maximoff as a peer. You’re an individual who needs to be held accountable for your actions, not a nation unto yourself.”

  “Colonel Rhodes,” I said, keeping my tone level. “In support of your recommendations, did you provide Secretary Ross with a frank threat assessment of a hostile Wanda Maximoff?”

  Rhodey’s eyes widened a little. “Wanda, don’t,” he said quietly, gncing over at Natasha for support, but she was looking at me with a steady gaze, her expression carefully neutral. I wasn’t sure what she was thinking.

  I took a breath, turning to look fully at Rhodey. “I’m trying to point something out diplomatically. I don’t think Secretary Ross really understands what I am actually capable of. If I am the one expining it to him, then it will sound like I am threatening him. I do not want to threaten him.”

  “And if Secretary Ross thinks he needs to start cssifying you as a threat rather than a resource, then this whole conversation falls apart,” he hissed back at me, gncing worriedly in the holographic politician’s direction.

  I leaned back in my chair, letting my shoulders sag a little. What would Eliza be saying right now, if she were here? I could almost see her, sitting across the table from me, ughing.

  “If I’m being completely honest, Rhodey, I’m just getting really sick and tired of people underestimating me and trying to push me around,” I said, a rueful expression on my face. “Maybe I’d be better off if people really understood how dangerous I am. I’d rather be the threat than sit here while other people threaten me.”

  Ross still looked unimpressed. “I don’t really find this to be a particurly compelling line of argument, Maximoff. Where are you going with this?”

  “That’s my point, Secretary Ross—anywhere I goddamn like. And there is nothing you or the entire United States military could do about it.” At that, Nat kicked me gently under the table. It was just a warning tap at the ankle, though, and honestly I was surprised that she’d let me get this far without trying to rein me in a little more.

  Ross glowered at me, a deep frown etched into his features. “Maybe I haven’t been clear: I’m not asking. I’m telling you how this is going to work.”

  I ughed again, genuinely fbbergasted by the set of balls on this man. “No, Ross. Let me tell you how this is going to work: You ain’t gonna tell me shit.”

  “You’re not doing a very good job of convincing me that the US needs to work with you. If you want to operate alongside the Avengers, you need to obey US ws. End of story. If you want to keep pying games with your girlfriend, then you need to come to the table on this, and—trust me—you want me in your corner when you do.” He shook his head derisively. “It’s not my problem which you choose. It’s your call. I can be your friend, or I can be your worst nightmare.”

  “You have no idea what my nightmares are like,” I said, my tone suddenly deadly quiet. The frustration was starting to turn into anger, pooling hotly in my chest.

  Nat reached over and touched my arm gently, an apprehensive expression on her face. “Wanda,” she said quietly.

  “Frankly, Maximoff, I just don’t really care.” Ross leaned forward, a hard expression on his face. “Cut the crap. I’m giving you the opportunity to be part of the solution, here, rather than staying part of the problem.”

  I shook Nat’s hand off my arm, eyes bzing faintly with chaos magic. “If you don’t back the fuck off, Ross, I’m going to be the whole problem.” I didn’t quite snarl when I said it, but it was close.

  “I think what Wanda’s trying to say—” Rhodey started, trying to bring us back under some sembnce of control.

  Ross ignored him completely, staring at me. His face had gone a little red, a vein starting to visibly throb in his forehead. “You clearly have no idea who you’re dealing with, here. I’m trying to safeguard our national security—more than that, the security of the globe—and I don’t have the time nor the desire to compromise either by pandering to a little girl’s temper tantrums.”

  Rhodey looked a little armed. “Secretary Ross—” he started to say something again, but I interrupted him.

  “Oh, we’re just straight-up being rude now? Awesome. My fucking turn,” I hissed. “I know exactly who I’m dealing with, Thunderbolt Ross. You turned Bruce Banner into a fugitive to cover your failures and protect your career, then you created the Abomination trying to bring him in. You can’t spin that with me—I know exactly what happened with Emil Blonsky, I know exactly how you pushed him right where he needed to be to become the Abomination. All of that mess should have rested squarely on your shoulders. You should have fucking retired in disgrace.”

  Ross scoffed, but his scowl had deepened and he rose to the insult, unable or unwilling to let it go unanswered. “Samuel Sterns—”

  I bulled ahead, talking over him and cutting him off. “Sterns might have been the one that pulled the lever, but it was that or die—he had no choice and you’re the one that put Blonsky in the room with him. What even happened to Sterns, anyway? It is unbelievably lucky that you managed to shift the narrative and make him take all the bme. I honestly don’t know how you managed it.” I unclenched a fist so that I could make a dismissive gesture with my hand. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter—the point is, you just keep on making the exact same stupid mistakes over and over again. Man, talk about failing upwards. You were a fucking terrible general then and you’re a fucking terrible politician now.”

  “You have no idea how hard this ‘terrible’ politician could make life for you, Maximoff.”

  I scoffed. “Is that supposed to be a threat? There is nothing you can do to me, Ross, and—if I’m completely honest—it would be fucking stupid of you to try. I’ve been trying to keep myself out of the spotlight so far, but man, wouldn’t the media fucking eat that up? Thunderbolt Ross, the Hulk Hunter, going after another hero for no reason? You think that’ll spin well in the press? Another witch hunt?” I smirked at the turn of phrase. It was rather appropriate, in the circumstances. “You’d be surprised at how ugly I could make this for you. Maybe your career would survive, maybe it wouldn’t—go ahead. Flip that coin.”

  He was visibly getting angrier and angrier as I spoke, his face bright red by the time I was done talking. Once I did, he responded in a low, clipped voice. “You want to make this personal? We can make this personal, if you want.”

  “Oh, sure! Speaking of, how is Betty doing these days? Is she still not talking to you?” My mouth said, without any sort of conscious decision on my part. “Do not piss me off, Ross—I will rip your fucking world asunder.”

  Rhodey immediately interjected, almost jumping forward out of his chair in full damage control mode. Nat jumped in at the same time, grabbing my shoulder firmly and pulling me back a little bit, so that Rhodey could recentre the conversation on him as he spoke and I was dragged into the background. “Okay, I think we’re done here,” he said hurriedly. “I am so sorry for that, Secretary Ross, but I think it’s best we terminate the call now and reconvene at a ter date, once everyone’s had a chance to cool off.”

  Ross stepped forward angrily, mouth open, and the hologram dissipated.

  “I just hung up on the Secretary of State,” Rhodey said dully, mostly to himself.

  There was a moment of silence. I fumed quietly as Nat and Rhodey looked at each other, something unspoken passing between them.

  “Honestly?” Natasha said slowly. “That could have gone worse.”

  “Oh really, Nat? You think that could have been worse?” Rhodey snapped as he rounded on her, his tone tight. “Wanda just threatened the US Secretary of State.”

  Nat had a focused expression on her face, clearly already deep in thought about how we might be able to proceed from here, so I responded instead, trying to inject a little bit of lightness into my tone. “He threatened me first. I could have opened a portal, kidnapped him, and mind controlled him into calling off the whole stupid thing.”

  Rhodey just looked at me. “Oh, yeah, you’re right, sorry. I guess it wasn’t so bad—you could have outright decred war on the United States, after all.”

  “Rhodey,” I said, my jaw tight. Again, people just kept underestimating me. “It wouldn’t be a war. That’s what Ross needs to understand—he’s not negotiating with me from the US’s usual position of strength. I could take over the entire fucking government if I really wanted to and it wouldn’t even be hard.”

  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Please don’t say things like that in front of me.”

  “I’m not threatening the United States, Rhodey. I’ve been very specifically and very patiently trying extremely hard not to do just that. I’m just…”

  “Frustrated,” Nat supplied absently, the majority of her thoughts still clearly preoccupied elsewhere.

  “That’s an understatement. I fucking genuinely hate that fucking dickhead shitfuck.”

  Rhodey exhaled, long and loud. “Wanda, I know that Ross can be an asshole, but he’s still the Secretary of State. We need to be able to work with the government as a whole, even if we don’t like certain individuals.”

  “No, Rhodey. You do. I don’t! This is the entire reason I’m not on the team! I don’t care about these political fuck-fuck games. They’re a pointless, meaningless distraction.” This entire fucking thing had been exhausting. I had absolutely nothing to show for it, and I wasn’t sure a positive outcome had ever even been on the table at all. “I’m trying to coordinate us against threats to the pnet—to the entire universe—that no one else is positioned to be able to deal with, and petty dickheads like Ross just can’t help but get in my way!”

  “He’s just doing what he feels is right. He wants to protect people, same as we do.”

  “No, he doesn’t! Ross doesn’t honestly care about accountability and doing what’s best for the country. Not really. Like I said before, if he did, he would have retired when he realised just how badly he’d fucked everything up with Bruce. But instead, his first instinct was to protect himself and make sure someone else got the bme, then leverage it into advancing his own career. Ross is a piece of shit.” I shook my head. “Do you know how the man treated his own daughter? Look, politician’s going to politician. I get that. I don’t bme the clown for acting like a clown, but I am really questioning why I even bothered to show up for the circus.” I stood up, thrusting my hand into my pocket and retrieving my sling ring.

  Rhodey held up a hand, a surprised look on his face. “Woah, hey, where do you think you’re going? We need to talk through what just happened.”

  “Nowhere,” I agreed, nodding. “I’m staying right here, so we can properly discuss this.”

  With that, I turned, spun up a portal, and stepped through, letting it close behind me before he had a chance to respond properly.

  I was standing atop a cliff near the southern edge of New Zeand, waves crashing against the rocks far below me, the scent of salt spray filling my nose. It was dark—still hours before dawn in this part of the world—but the moon and stars were bright. My eyes glimmered with power as I took a deep breath, staring out at the ocean, then opened my mouth and screamed as long and loud as I could. A wave of chaos magic bsted outward from the cliff, sending up plumes of salt spray dozens of meters tall to either side of me.

  Again, I pictured Eliza standing next to me and turned slightly to stare resentfully at the imaginary figure. She wouldn’t say anything, if she were actually here—she wouldn’t need to. She’d just look at me with an amused expression on her face.

  My phone vibrated in my pocket. I turned back toward the horizon and listened to the roar of the water below for a few moments before I retrieved it and looked at the message. Please warn me if you’re about to topple the government. Love you xx.

  I smiled, fantasising for a moment about how much easier my life would be if I was willing to just systematically mind control the US President, his Cabinet, and whoever else I needed to to get the outcome I wanted. After a little while, I tapped out a brief response. Won’t do anything you wouldn’t do, promise xx.

  That’s less reassuring than I think you meant it to be :P, Nat replied.

  I let out a sigh and tapped out a response before tucking my phone away and staring out over the water for a little while. Not going to do anything dumb. Just need to be angry for a little while. Talk ter xx.