Selina sat with her legs crossed on the maroon-leathered couch in the penthouse's modern-esque living room. It was just her and her thoughts. Her brother Tony was out and about–doing who knows what, while Pepper, his now long-term girlfriend, was in her prominent role at Stark Industries. Selina's hand shook as she clicked the button on her recorder.

"Today is day seven of the Bio-Compatible Implant in the right ventricle of the heart organ. I feel better than ever. I don't feel as fatigued as before the surgery regarding the device's implementation. I have been breathing normally. However, my heart rate is still higher than usual, 130 beats per minute. The cardiologist said that the high heart rate after the procedure was expected, given the brain's reaction to the trauma from the surgery itself. I guess it's all part of the body's fight-or-flight response. The chemicals in my body, hormones, and organs are still getting used to their new reality. He said," Selina paused and then gulped. "He said I should make gradual changes to my return to exercise. He recommended taking walks in Central Park or doing some lighter stretches. But I feel like my body is ready for more than that." Selina paused the recording on the device as her older brother, Tony, flew into the penthouse with his Iron Man suit on.

"Selina," he started. Selina smiled at him until she realized he was not smiling back.

"Tony, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Something's. . . something's happened. . ." The tone of his voice was solemn.

"What has happened? Tony, you are scaring me," Selina said, standing up and walking closer to her brother.

Tony let out a deep breath. "Hydra has Loki's scepter," he said.

"Oh no," Selina said. "That's not good. The scepter is a powerful tool."

Tony nodded. "Yeah. So, um, I and the others will try and get it back."

"Do you even know where it is?"

"Sokovia," Tony replied. "It's in one of their facilities there. I can't tell you how I know that, but. ."

"So you're going to Sokovia then?" she said.

Tony nodded again and clenched his jaw. "Yeah."

"If you're going, you know what that means—I'm coming with you."

"Selina, no. You're not coming," he said.

"Why not?"

Tony laughed. "You know why. You're still recovering from your open heart surgery."

"I'm recovering, yes. Tony—I feel so much better than before—"

"And I'm glad, Sel, I am," Tony said, strongly interrupting her. "But healing takes more than a week. Your heart mostly isn't strong enough to—"

"Tony, stop it. I'm coming with you. I have to come. I'll be worried sick about you and the rest of the team if I just sit here and worry all the time. That won't be good for my heart either, you know."

Tony took in a deep sigh. "Sel, I can't have you coming with us this time."

"There's no way in hell that I'm staying here, Tony. I'm grateful you care about me, but I care about you, too. So, I'm coming. End of story."

"Fine," Tony grumbled. "You can come as long as you follow my rules."

"I was going to come whether you said yes or not," she said. "And I don't give a shit about your rules. You aren't Dad."

Tony rolled his eyes. He then said, "Promise me you won't come on the raid with us," he kept his voice low. "I need to know that you'll stay out of this one. You're. . . you're just not ready yet."

Selina's pout deepened, her eyes flashing with defiance. "Not ready? I've trained so much before the heart surgery—I can handle myself. I'm not some kid you need to protect."

Tony sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Oh, my dearest sister, it's not about protecting you. It's about not losing you." The room fell silent as the words hung between them, his concern heavy in the air. "After everything that we have gone through — I can't. I can't lose you over there. I nearly lost you to your surgery. You are the only family that I have left, okay?"

Selina didn't say a word. Instead, she stepped closer to her brother–who was still wearing his armor and hugged him tight. "I promise," she said. She hugged him a little longer until she awkwardly moved apart.

Tony nodded slightly before saying, "I have to go tell Pepper."

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The Maximoff siblings stood next to each other—staring at one another as they heard explosions off in the distance. They knew that the American Avengers were here. They knew they had to avenge the death of their parents. They had to do whatever it took.

"Report to your stations immediately," said Strucker on PA. The brother, Pietro, reached out for his sister's hand, and she took hold of it without hesitation. Then Strucker continued, "This is not a drill. We are under attack!"

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Selina had worn her Arclight Phoenix suit, which was similar to Tony's Iron Man suit in design. However, burnt orange was the dominant color of the suit, representing the flames and vibrant energy of the mythological Phoneix bird. Underneath her eyes were the colors of gold, and the wings were shaped more like a Phoneix's and had an outline of scarlet red. On her chest, she had designed an emblem of a Phoenix bird, but the symbol was a metallic grey.

She had always been so fascinated by the Phoneix bird since she was a little kid. She couldn't believe that they were supposed to live for a thousand years and that a new bird would always arise from the ashes of the original phoenix.

Selina had been thinking about the complex designs and symbolism behind her suit. And since her thoughts were trained on this topic, she had been so distracted that she nearly flew into a tree. "Selina, watch where you are going!" Tony yelled.

"Sorry! I got distracted!"

"Of course you did," Tony said. "I can't believe you convinced me to let you come along." Selina was too annoyed to respond, so she continued flying behind him. They were in the Sokovian woods. The snow covered the ground, and the trees were tall, towering over them like skyscrapers. They were fighting Hydra soldiers who did come prepared with their guns.

Below her, Clint was using his arrows to shoot the soldiers in the army vehicle while Thor stepped onto a wooden platform tower and started fighting some soldiers there. She nearly gasped as she watched Steve drag one of the soldiers against the ground before throwing him into the air. Steve then threw his shield, hitting some of the trees. His shield automatically came back to him.

They were almost at the Hydra facility. Selina could see it in the distance. "Is that it? That's it, right?" Selina asked.

"Yes, it most certainly is," said Steve.

"It looks so depressing, doesn't it? It looks like it is deteriorating like a decaying tooth—hollowed out and crumbling at its roots. . ." Selina commented.

Tony got even closer to the building, and Selina heard a bang. "Shit," Tony said.

"Language," Steve commented. Selina laughed. She needed someone to take a stab at her brother like that sometimes. "Jarvis, what's the view from upstairs?" he asked.

Jarvis, an Artificial Intelligence created by Tony, said, "The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield. Strucker's technology is well beyond any other Hydra base we've taken."

"Well, that's just great," Selina complained. "I guess it's not deteriorating. It's being preserved."

"So, if the building is being preserved, Loki's scepter must be here," said Thor as he fought off some soldiers. "Strucker couldn't mount this defense without it."

Selina smiled as Thor reached for his hammer but moved away, letting the hammer smash into the soldier behind him. That was a clever move. Selina knew that was a type of move or tactic she could never pull off.

"At long last," Thor said, his hammer being magnetically attracted back into the palm of his hand.

Selina then heard a random German soldier shout, which made it more of a reality that she was in another country.

A soldier was approaching her, hooting at her with his gun, but she smirked, knowing that she was bulletproof. She raised her arm, aimed the palm of her hand at him, and blasted him with blue energy.

"Nice one," said Natasha.

"Thanks," Selina said, finally feeling a little more confident with herself.

After Natasha took out a few more soldiers, through combat, she said, "At long last is lasting a little long, boys." She then took out her gun and began shooting at another soldier nearby.

"Yeah," said Clint, as he hid behind a tree. "I think we lost the element of surprise."

"Wait a second," said Tony.

"What?" Selina asked.

"No one else is gonna deal with the fact that Cap just said 'language'?"

"I know," said Steve, riding his motorcycle. He did the craziest backflip on the bike, using the shield to attack a group of soldiers coming at him. All the soldiers grunted. He sighed. "Just slipped out."

"Well, I quite enjoyed it," Selina said.

"Of course you did," said Tony.

"Yep," Selina replied.

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"Who ordered the attack?" A man who seemed of great importance stepped into the headquarters.

"Herr Strucker, it's the Avengers," said one of the boys working in the headquarters. He stood up immediately as the man came in. "They landed in the far woods. The perimeter guard panicked."

"They have to be after the scepter," the man whispered. The man had an eyeglass covering one eye. He then turned to face the other workers. "Can we hold them?"

"They're the Avengers," said the boy, who seemed flabbergasted.

"Deploy the rest of the tanks," said the man of importance. "Concentrate fire on the weak ones. A hit may make them close ranks." He then walked over to the other guy he was talking to earlier. "Everything we've accomplished. . . But we're on the verge of our greatest breakthrough."

The Maximoff twins were in the entryway of the headquarters, waiting for a command, listening to what they were saying.

"Then let us show them what we've accomplished."

"Send out the twins," said the guy with the eyeglass.

"It's too soon," said Strucker.

"It's what they signed up for," said Dr. List.

"My men can hold them."

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"Sir, the city is taking fire," said Jarvis. Selina could hear the people screaming in the distance.

"Well, we know Strucker's not gonna worry about civilian casualties," said Tony. "Send in the Iron Legion."

"Are you sure sending in the Iron Legion is a great idea?" Selina asked. Jarvis connects Selina and Tony's suits so they can hear what each other says to the AI.

"What do you mean, Selina? Of course, it's a good idea! The people are in danger. This is the best way to keep them safe."

"Is it really, though?" Selina questioned.

"What are you getting at, Selina?" Selina could tell he was becoming frustrated and annoyed, but she was concerned.

Selina gulped. "I think you're becoming too reliant on these machines, Tony. We don't always need to send in a robot to save the day. The people might feel a little overwhelmed by its presence—maybe even freaked out by it."

"I am not becoming too reliant," said Tony. "I'm doing what I have to do to keep them safe."

"I get that. But there are other ways to keep them safe," Selina argued.

"Like what, sis?"

"By having one of us go and help, for starters," Selina said.

"We're too busy trying to get into the facility," said Tony.

"How many of us are there?" Selina asked.

"Seven of us," he responded.

Selina smirked. "That was a rhetorical question, big brother."

Tony rolled his eyes. "I still think the Iron Legion is our best option. . . The Iron Legion has more power than all of us combined."

"I understand that, but—"

Tony interrupted her and sent out a voice command to Jarvis, ignoring her sisterly advice. "Send out the Iron Legion."

Selina rolled her eyes. He didn't listen. Again. Typical.

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"We will not yield! The Americans sent their circus freaks to test us. We will send them back in bags. No surrender!" Strucker yelled at his soldiers. He then turned to Dr. List again once they all yelled, No surrender!

He then whispered to Dr. List, "I am going to surrender. You delete everything. If we give the Avengers the weapons, they may not look too far into what we've been. . ."

"The twins," Dr. List interrupted him.

"They are not ready to take on. . ."

"No, no, I mean. . ."

Dr. List and Strucker turn to see that the Maximoff twins have left the corridor.

"The twins," Strucker whispered.

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"We have an Enhanced in the field," said Steve through the mics.

"Clint's hit!" Natasha then said.

Selina's heart rate started beating faster than her usual 130 bpm. Selina's chest started to feel tight, and her muscles were tense. She began to breathe heavily. Jarvis spoke into her ear. "Miss, your heart rate has spiked to 190 bpm. Would you like me to call emergency services?"

"N-no," Selina said. "It's a panic attack."

"Selina, hey, Selina, can you hear me?" Tony questioned her through the mic.

"Yeah, I can hear you," said Selina, her breathing getting faster and faster.

"Clint is going to be okay; he's in good hands; Natasha has him," said Tony. "Alright? You understand?"

"But—"

"No, buts. Natasha has him. He is going to be okay. You are going to be OK."

"My heart rate is close to 200 bpm; that has never happened before," she said, nearly out of breath.

"Stay calm, my little Glowbug; you will be okay. Can you take a few deep breaths with me?" Over the mic, Selina hears him take in a deep breath. "In through your nose and out through your mouth."

Selina started doing what he said, and she could already feel her heart rate decrease. Her breathing was still a little fast, but it was getting there. "In through your nose and out through your mouth," Tony repeated.

She did it again and again, and her breathing finally slowed down. Jarvis spoke up again. "Miss, you should know your heart rate is back to its usual 130 bpm."

"See? What did I tell you, Sizzle?"

Selina cracked a smile.

"Hey, Starks," said Steve into the mic. "We really need to get inside."

"I'm closing in," said Tony.

Selina was shortly behind Tony, and they were at the location. Tony had blasted two men who were bound to attack them. He then said, "Jarvis, am I closing in?"

Selina was able to blast another soldier with her blue energy, one of the soldiers was going after her brother, but she got there just in time. "Do you see a power source for that shield?" Tony asked Jarvis.

"There's a particle wave below the north tower," Jarvis replied.

"Great, I want to poke it with something," said Tony.

Tony flew through a military vehicle, and Selina followed him, ensuring no soldiers were in the way. Selina watched as her brother used his suit to breach the Hydra Facility by blasting through the defenses and disabling their protective systems. He then used a targeted repulser blast to destroy the bridge's support system. Selina was in complete awe of what Tony had just done and thought, yet again, that she could never do anything like that. She could never do something as complex as that. All she can do is blast down soldiers with her blue light energy. Not as impressive.

"The drawbridge is down, people," Tony said.

"Clint's hit pretty bad, guys. We're gonna need evac," said Natasha through the Mics.

"I can get Barton to the jet," said Thor. "The sooner we're gone, the better. You and the Starks secure the scepter."

"Copy that," said Steve.

"Looks like they're lining up." The soldiers were indeed lining up and coming towards the two heroes.

"Well, they're excited," said Steve.

Thor used his hammer to hit the shield, causing an energy wave to knock the soldiers to the ground. "Find the scepter," said Thor. He whipped his hammer around and flew into the air.

"And for gosh sake, watch your language!" Tony said. Selina chuckled.

Steve sighed. "That's not going away any time soon."

"No," Selina smiled. "No, it is not."

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Tony and Selina broke into the facility by smashing through the windows. The soldiers were shooting at them, but since their suits were bulletproof, they could not get hit. "Guys, stop. We gotta talk this through."

"Like they are gonna listen," Selina said as they both shot them all down to the ground.

"It's a joke," Tony whispered to her.

"I know," Selina rolled her eyes.

All the men groaned on the ground. "It was a good talk."

"No, it wasn't," said one of the soldiers.

Selina smirked.

One guy was left by the computers, trying to access something. Selina saw him first before Tony and blasted him out of the way. Tony ejects his suit and comes out of it. "Sentry mode," he said, walking up to the computer.

Selina was about to get out of her suit when he looked at her and shook his head. "No, you're staying in that suit."

"Tony, you aren't the boss of me," Selina argued. "Plus, it is hot in this suit; I need a breather."

"You need to stay in the suit to take watch, make sure no one else is coming—"

"I can do that from outside the suit—"

Tony rolled his eyes. "If you get shot at, don't blame me."

Selina rolled her eyes too, and ejected her suit before leaving it. Just like Tony, she told her suit, "Sentry mode."

"Okay, Jarvis," Tony started. "You know. I want it all." Tony was by the computers now. "Make sure you copy Hill at HQ." As he began to type, Selina leaned against one of the desks, her eyes shifting everywhere, making sure no one else was coming. "I know you are hiding more than files. Hey, J, quickly give me an IR scan of the room."

"What do you think they're hiding beside the Loki's device?"

Tony shook his head, signaling he didn't want to discuss it.

Jarvis scanned the room with a red light. "The wall to your left," said Jarvis. "I'm reading steel reinforcement. And an air current."

"An air current?" Selina questioned out loud, furrowing her brows. "That's weird, unless. . ."

She sees Tony going to the wall. "Please be a secret door, please be a secret door," she heard him whisper. Selina still furrowed her brows as she watched him press his fingers against the stone wall. "Yay," he said as the door opened. Selina chuckled at the sound of her brother's high-pitched voice. "Selina, I want you to follow me, be close by," he said as he went in. Selina followed him through the 'secret' door.

Selina and Tony walked down a set of stairs into the darkness. "We have a second Enhanced. Female. Do not engage," said Steve into the comms. "Guys, I got Strucker."

Tony and Selina walked down into the creepiest space Selina had ever been in, so much so that it had given her the chills. There was this large figurine made out of different kinds of metals–it was in the shape of a dinosaur—no, it was in the shape of those things that took over New York City last year.

"Yeah, well, Selina and I got something bigger," he said.

Tony and Selina looked around. Selina squinted her eyes at something that shined a little brighter. "Do you see that?" Selina mumbled. "It's the scepter; it has to be." Selina walks up to the scepter with Tony but feels slightly uneasy. The hair on her arms sticks up, and she gets goosebumps. "Tony," she said. Tony was staring at the scepter, his eyes almost glowing like the blue of the weapon. "Tony," she said again, this time a little louder.

"What?" he asked, annoyed.

"I don't think we're alone anymore."

"What do you mean?"

Selina's pulse quickened momentarily as she thought she saw a shadow shifting in the corner of her eye. She tried to focus and catch a clear glimpse, but it felt like something was just beyond her reach.

Ignoring his sister's unease, Tony lifted his hand to the comms. "Thor," said Tony into the comms as he approached it. "We've got eyes on the prize," he said, moving closer.

Wanda comes up behind Selina, her wrists glowing bright red, and her hands move around Selina's mind. Tony does not notice what is happening to his sister as he is still in awe of Loki's sceptor. Selina becomes paralyzed, and she finds herself not being able to move or even speak.

Wanda left Selina, now knowing that she was fully paralyzed; she approached Tony and started doing something similar to his mind. Her wrist continued to glow red, and Tony stared off into space. The red energy from her wrist expended into her hand and left her fingers, sparking at Tony's skull. The red energy encapsulated Tony's mind; he couldn't move either like his sister.

Selina desperately wanted to call Tony out to help him return to reality. As she tried to open her mouth, even just to say his name, she could feel this sudden tightness in her throat and jaw, as if some sort of invisible force was constricting her muscles.

She couldn't believe that she didn't see Wanda sooner. If she had seen her, she could have stopped her before getting to Tony.

Selina observed her brother; his facial expression seemed more vacant. He seemed frozen and unresponsive, more than her. She knew something was profoundly wrong with him, but she didn't know exactly what.

Frozen and paralyzed like his sister, Tony was experiencing something much more than she would ever know. Tony started to hear a loud screeching noise, and he turned around to see the creature made out of metal opening its jaw and letting out a breath of air. The beast started flying through the sky, and Tony was back in outer space, with Earth overhead; bodies were everywhere in this hollowed ground.

Tony felt like he was sweating that he had just run a mile.

But he didn't care about that feeling; it wasn't the worst of them. The worst of them was they were all dead.

His sister and the other Avengers were all dead. He couldn't believe it. No. It couldn't be.

Tony walked up to his sister's dead body. She had blood running down from her skull, and her neck was bruised. She looked so pale, so weak, so lifeless.

Selina's eyes suddenly shot open, and they were bloodshot. Tony was shocked, his jaw dropped as she quickly grabbed a hold of his wrist. "Tony," she coughed. "Remember when we were kids, we pretended to be superheroes, and–and we thought that nothing could hurt us?" she said, smiling. "What happened to that?"

Tony gulped as he watched her eyes close again and blood dripping down her nose. He should have been able to save her, to protect her. He could have done something more. He was one of the most powerful in the world — a billionaire, tech–guy, and MIT grad. He could have used his influence to save her. Why didn't he?

He clenched his teeth. "I-I'm sorry," he said.

He then looked to his right to see Captain America's shield cracked right down the middle, with dirt on it.

Why didn't you do more? A voice echoed in his head. There was low rumbling and screeching in the distance.

He looked up, to see all the monsters flying in the sky, the Earth bright from the sun's reflection.

Selina finally broke out of her paralysis, and Tony was still in his mind's imprisonment. He didn't look too good.

Despite her muscles aching from the paralysis, she rushed over to Tony.

"Tony," she said, grabbing hold of his body and bringing him in a hug. "Tony," she said.

Tony, still looking at the Earth, heard the sound of his sister's voice. She was saying his name over and over again. This wasn't real.

Tony finally snapped out of it.

"Tony?" Selina questioned. Tony's eyes met hers.

"Selina," he said.

"Thank god," she said, hugging him tighter. "I thought I lost you."

"You haven't lost me yet," he said, smiling slightly. "Though, if you keep squeezing me like that, you just might."

Selina chuckled and loosened her grip on him, still holding him, not truly wanting to let go.