Chapter 28: Taking down the Base!
The moment Wanda stepped out of the jet, the entire atmosphere of the environment changed. While previously, the surroundings could be called a storm of cold wind.
But now with her introduction, it was like a beacon of heat was released. As she walked around, the environment itself got warmer, the cold wind turning into a warm breeze.
Wanda's mind was a storm of controlled chaos as she moved forward, the crimson red chaos magic crackling at her fingertips. Looking forward, she could see Pietro, a blue blur weaving through the Hydra base's defenses.
However, her task was very different from his, while Pietro focused on taking down the defenses and all the guards, Wanda wasn't there just to break through the walls and punch through ranks, she needed to unravel secrets, to pry out the dark twisted thoughts in the mind of any Hydra commander's present.
As Wanda's boots touched the forest flooor, her eyes glowed red and A.N.G.E.L's voice chimed softly into her ear, "You're clear for entry. Proceed with caution. Pietro's handling the remaining sentries along the perimeter."
Listening to A.N.G.E.L's instructions, Wanda gave a short nod, and began walking forward, her movements silent. As she neared the entrance that Pietro had just cleared, the steel doors loomed ahead, heavy and imposing.
Without wasting another second, Wanda extended her hands, crimson tendrils of pure Chaos Magic shooting out of her palms and immediately crashing into the locked and reinforced doors, which immediately began to creak under the pressure of her Magic.
The metal doors groaned and twisted, the bolts holding them up loosening with a screen until finally the doors crumpled inward like paper with a deafening crash.
Wanda immediately stepped through the opening, her eyes scanning around the corridor's ahead, as her Chaos Magic breezed through the base, sending signals to Wanda, allowing her to sense the various locations of persons inside the base, like a beacon.
"First sector, clear," she whispered into her comm, her voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through her veins.
A.N.G.E.L. responded almost immediately. "Proceed to the command center. Hostiles detected on the second and third levels."
"I know," Wanda said as her lips curled into a slight smirk. 'Hostiles' as A.N.G.E.L had said, as if they could ever be a threat to her.
The sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the far end of the hallway. Wanda raised her hand, and the crimson energy surrounding her intensified. The guards came into view, four of them, heavily armed, marching toward her with their rifles raised.
Without a word, Wanda flicked her wrist, and a wave of chaos magic swept through the corridor. The guards froze mid-step, their eyes wide as their weapons were torn from their hands and suspended in mid-air.
For a moment, they hovered there, helpless, and then, with a snap of Wanda's fingers, the rifles twisted and crumpled, the metal warping like clay. The guards themselves staggered, clutching at their heads as her magic pierced through their minds.
She stepped forward, her voice a low whisper laced with magic, "Be a good dog and show me what you know."
As Wanda spoke, she entered their minds, browsing their thoughts and memories. The minds of the Hydra agents were a total chaotic mess, full of fear and confusion, but Wanda pushed past it.
She sifted through their thoughts like flipping through the pages of a book. Flashes of images assaulted her, maps of the base, patrol schedules, orders from their commanders, but nothing important. They were pawns, nothing more, it was disappointing but expected.
With a flick of her wrist, she released them from her grip, and they crumpled to the ground, unconscious. She didn't bother to check if they were alive.
The next part of the base was heavily patrolled. Wanda could sense the guards before she even saw them, and she could already invade their minds on the surface level.
Wanda could sense that the minds of the guards were buzzing with tension, their thoughts were completely filled with Hydra propaganda and blind loyalty, totally brainwashed, and it disgusted Wanda.
Some of these guards were even citizens from Sokovia, working unknowingly under the very people who were working to destabilize and destroy Sokovia from within, and that made her even more furious at Hydra.
As she thought of this, Pietro's voice crackled through her comm. "Took care of the east wing. You should have a clear path to the central command. How's it going on your end?"
"Just getting started," she replied coolly, her eyes narrowing as she approached the second level.
The base's architecture was more complex here, with branching corridors and staircases that led deeper underground.
Surveillance cameras tracked her movements, but before they could alert anyone, Wanda raised her hand and twisted her fingers. The camera lenses shattered instantly, sparks flying as the systems short-circuited.
As she moved further into the base, the tension in the air grew thicker. She could feel it in the walls, in the footsteps of the soldiers marching toward her, and most of all, in the minds of the Hydra officers.
From reading their minds, the soldiers knew someone was coming, and hey were afraid, though they tried to hide it cheering each-other up for the inevitable battle.
Wanda stepped into a large, open hall, and the doors slammed shut behind her. She was met with a squad of elite soldiers, heavily armored, their faces hidden behind helmets, their rifles trained on her.
But Wanda wasn't fazed.
With a flick of her hand, she sent a shockwave of energy surging toward them. The soldiers fired, but their bullets disintegrated before they could even reach her, dissolving into sparks of crimson light.
One by one, they were lifted off the ground, struggling against the invisible force that bound them. Wanda's eyes gleamed as she walked forward, her voice soft and dangerous, "You don't know what real power is."
The soldiers convulsed in the air, their minds overwhelmed by the chaos magic that coursed through them. She didn't need to probe their thoughts; they were puppets, just like the others.
She discarded them without a second thought, flinging their limp bodies aside like broken dolls.
Wanda continued walking through the halls, crushing legions of Hydra soldiers as they chased her, trying to stop her with no success.
Finally, she reached the central command room. The doors slid open with a soft hiss, and inside, she found them, the Hydra officers, the masterminds behind the base's operations. They stood frozen, their eyes wide with fear as they stared at the red glow that surrounded her.
Wanda stepped into the room, her gaze locking onto the commander, a tall man with sharp features and cold, calculating eyes. He was trying to hide it, but she could sense the fear radiating off him like a beacon.
"You're going to tell me everything," Wanda said, her voice like ice. "Every secret, every plan, every name."
The commander opened his mouth to protest, but Wanda didn't give him the chance. She raised her hand, and his eyes glazed over as her magic took hold of him.
His mind was a fragile fortress, layered with attempted mental defenses built over years of Hydra training, but they crumbled under the weight of her power, like glass shattering upon impact.
She pushed deeper, tearing through his memories, sifting through every dark corner of his mind. He had secrets, but they were buried deep, hidden beneath layers of loyalty and fear.
Hydra's operations were vast, spanning across continents, but she needed specifics. Although A.N.G.E.L could give them many things, there was still some off the internet info that could be useful that only commander's had access to.
After all, no top tier organization had all of their information online, due to all the dangers that had, some things needed to be kept secret offline.
"Where are they?" Wanda demanded, her voice cutting through the fog of his mind.
Wanda peeled back the layers, her magic burning through his defenses until finally, she found it, a hidden facility, deep within Eastern Europe, where Hydra was conducting experiments.
Experiments on people, still trying to recreate the Captain America Super Soldier serum after all these years.
Wanda's lip curled in disgust, but she didn't stop there. She dug deeper, pulling out names, locations, every scrap of information she could find.
The commander's mind was unraveling, his thoughts fraying under the strain of her power. He whimpered, but Wanda's face remained cold, indifferent.
Satisfied, she released her hold on him, and he collapsed to the ground, his body shaking. Wanda looked down at him, her eyes glowing with crimson light.
"You're done," she said softly.
With a flick of her wrist, the room filled with a blinding flash of red energy, and when the light faded, the officers lay motionless on the floor.
Wanda stood in the center of the room, her breathing steady as she surveyed the carnage around her. Hydra's secrets were hers now, their plans exposed, their power broken.
"Pietro, Maxim," she said into her comm, her voice calm. "It's done."
Maxim's voice crackled through the earpiece, his tone low and approving, "Good work, Wanda. Let's get out of here."
Wanda glanced down at the commander's lifeless form, her expression unreadable. Then, with one last flicker of crimson light, she turned and walked out of the room, leaving Hydra's shattered remains behind.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone