The scent of scorched metal and ozone still lingered in the air. Emergency responders milled around the ruins of the demonstration hall, keeping their distance from the collapsed reactor chamber, its remains now nothing more than warped metal and smoldering debris. The crowd of spectators—investors, academics, and press—had long since been evacuated, but the weight of their panic still seemed to echo through the empty hall.
But for Wanda Maximoff and L.U.S.H., the work was just beginning.
Gwen Stacy leaned against a fractured support column, still catching her breath. Her body ached under her civilian clothes, her Symbiote suit having receded minutes ago after her quick change in the hallway. She had slipped back in before anyone noticed, but her pulse was still racing.
Otto's dead.
Vee is gone.
Across from her, Wanda stood tall, though her shoulders carried the weight of failure.
Jean Grey wiped a bit of dried blood from under her nose, her psychic strain from containing the explosion still evident.
Storm's silver hair was slightly disheveled, though her face was as calm as ever—stoic, powerful, but quietly concerned.
Natasha Romanoff, her Symbiote suit still flickering along her arms like living shadows, stood with her pistols holstered but ready.
Talia Ivory Stark twirled one of her stun batons absentmindedly, her eyes constantly flicking to the exits.
They were battle-hardened and victorious, but it didn't feel like a win.
Otto's body had been taken away, covered in a simple white sheet.
Vee's screams still echoed in Gwen's mind.
"Alright," Wanda broke the silence, her voice calm but edged with finality. "We need to talk."
They gathered in a corner of the ruined hall, away from prying eyes.
Natasha produced a small drive from within her Symbiote armor and handed it to Wanda.
"No other copies," Natasha said, voice cool and precise. "The fusion blueprints are ours. Sokovia holds the future."
Wanda took the drive, fingers tightening around it.
A small nod. The victory felt hollow, but it was still a victory.
"Good," Wanda said, though her tone was more out of obligation than celebration.
Gwen watched the exchange, arms crossed over her chest.
We saved the city.
We secured the fusion technology.
But we lost Vee.
"I should've seen it," Gwen said suddenly, her voice quieter than she intended.
Everyone turned to her.
"I thought we had time," she continued, her eyes locked on Wanda. "We said we'd destroy the arms after the demonstration. We thought we could save her—stop it before it got this bad. But… we were wrong."
Jean stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on Gwen's shoulder.
"You trusted her," Jean said softly. "That's not weakness. That's what we do."
Wanda's eyes softened.
"We all thought we had more time," Wanda said. "We didn't. But we're not done."
"Will bring her back," Wanda declared, holding the flash drive in one hand like it was the weight of the world.
"Dead or alive—alive if we can help it. She's one of ours. We don't leave our own behind."
Fracture slithered beneath Wanda's skin, whispering its approval.
**"Reclaim what is broken. Make her whole."**
Storm nodded, her voice smooth and confident.
"We'll find her."
Jean's telepathy brushed against Wanda's mind softly.
"When she surfaces, I'll feel her. I'll know."
Natasha checked her pistols, her eyes sharp.
"She's not getting away from us."
Talia's smiled sweetly.
"Broken or whole, we'll retrieve her Wanda."
Gwen finally exhaled, the tension in her chest easing—just slightly.
They were in this together.
Their huddle was interrupted by MJ Watson, who approached in her wine-and-cake-stained dress, clutching her heels like weapons.
"So," MJ started, deadpan, glancing at the rubble around them.
"Was this supposed to be a good day? Because my dress is ruined, my hair is a disaster, and I'm pretty sure I saw someone's spleen."
Harry Osborn trailed behind her, looking pale and deeply disturbed.
Peter Parker stood to the side, staring blankly into the distance, clearly still processing the violence he'd seen.
"I swear to God, if this gets into Page Six with a bad angle of me, I'm suing someone," MJ muttered, though her bravado was thinner than usual.
Gwen let out a choked laugh despite herself.
"Glad to see you have your priorities straight."
MJ grinned. "Oh, babe. Always."
She paused, her expression softening—just slightly.
"You okay?"
Gwen nodded.
"We will be."
MJ tapped her phone. "If you need me, I'm here."
Harry, still pale, muttered: "Are we just going to act like… someone didn't get murdered in front of us?"
MJ looked at him and sighed.
"Yes, Harry. We are."
Later that evening, as the team gathered back at Stark Tower to plan their next move, the television blared in the background.
J. Jonah Jameson appeared on-screen, veins bulging, face red as a tomato.
"LOOK AT THIS CARNAGE!" he roared, pointing at images of the ruined reactor hall.
"One dead! Millions in damages! AND WHO'S TO BLAME?! THE MASKED MENACE! THE SORCERESS OF SOKOVIA! THOSE MUTANT DELINQUENTS!"
His new mustache twitched, curling into loops like a cartoon villain's as he shouted.
"But mark my words—THIS CITY WILL NOT SUFFER FOREVER! My mustache is BACK! STRONGER—BETTER—VERSION TWO POINT OH! NEW! IMPROVED! MOBILE!"
The mustache did a full 360-degree spin as his voice cracked.
"And SPIDER-WOMAN—who STILL has a 5 MILLION DOLLAR BOUNTY on her head for shaving my ORIGINAL MUSTACHE—WILL PAY!"
His rage boiled over—frothing at the mouth—until he collapsed on his desk, unconscious.
The feed cut to commercials.
Gwen buried her face in her hands.
Natasha shook her head.
"You know… part of me respects his commitment."
Storm raised an eyebrow.
"Did… did his mustache just spin?"
Jean blinked.
"Like… fully rotated?"
Talia smirked.
"New York is… always interesting."
Wanda, exhausted, just shook her head.
"That man is going to give himself a stroke."
Gwen grinned through her grief.
"Hopefully before he catches me."
"We own fusion technology. With that done."
She raised her gaze to the group.
"We need to save Vee. Will bring her home."
Jean. Storm. Natasha. Talia. Gwen.
L.U.S.H. was ready.
Fracture whispered one last time.
**"Claim what is yours."**
Wanda's eyes gleamed red.
"We will."
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