Wanda Maximoff Multiversal Harem Hunter

The silence after Eska's words—*"You're terrible at lying"*—was deafening. Lars's mouth opened and closed as though he wanted to speak but couldn't find the words. His wide eyes darted between Eska and Wanda, his hands shaking visibly as they clutched the edge of the console.

"I—I'm not lying!" he stammered, his voice cracking under the weight of the accusation. "I swear, I was working for the resistance! Dmitri can vouch for me!"

Wanda tilted her head, her crimson eyes narrowing. "Oh, Dmitri, huh? Convenient how he's not here to back you up."

Lars flinched, his face pale. "Please, you have to believe me. I've risked everything to help you—"

"Liar," came a growling voice from the corner.

One of the Hydra guards, still slumped against the wall, stirred. His voice, ragged but strong, cut through the air like a knife. "You dirty double-crosser. Hydra doesn't put up with double agents."

Lars froze, his breath catching in his throat. "No, wait! I'm not—"

The guard didn't hesitate. He raised his pistol with a shaking hand, aiming directly at Lars. "You think you can betray Hydra and walk away?"

"No!" Lars screamed, stumbling backward as the shot rang out. The bullet hit him square in the chest, and he crumpled to the ground, blood pooling around him. His wide eyes stared up at the ceiling, frozen in shock.

Wanda's magic flared instinctively, her hand shooting forward as crimson energy coiled around the gun, yanking it from the Hydra guard's grip. "Big mistake," she hissed.

The room erupted into action. The second Hydra guard, still disoriented from earlier, scrambled for his weapon. Eska moved like a shadow, her pistol snapping up as she fired a clean shot into his shoulder, sending him sprawling back against the console.

The remaining guard snarled, lunging at Wanda with a knife. She sidestepped effortlessly, her movements fluid as chaos magic flared around her. The blade glanced harmlessly off the shimmering barrier that surrounded her.

"You're seriously bringing a knife to a magic fight?" Wanda said, her voice dripping with mockery. She gestured sharply, and a tendril of crimson energy coiled around the guard's wrist, twisting it until the knife clattered to the floor.

Eska moved in swiftly, slamming the butt of her pistol into the side of his head. The guard crumpled to the ground, unconscious. "That's two down," she muttered, holstering her weapon.

Wanda stepped back, her gaze flicking to Lars's lifeless body. The blood pooling beneath him seemed to glisten in the flickering light of the ruined monitors. "Guess Hydra's idea of loyalty doesn't include second chances."

Eska crouched beside Lars, her jaw tight as she inspected the body. "Dammit," she muttered. "This was a setup. They were never going to let him live."

"No kidding," Wanda said, her voice sharp. She knelt on the other side of Lars, her crimson eyes scanning his frozen expression. "But now we'll never know if he was telling the truth."

Eska looked up, her blue eyes dark with frustration. "You think he was lying?"

"I don't know," Wanda admitted, though doubt gnawed at the edges of her mind. "But Fracture doesn't seem to think he was an innocent bystander."

***He wasn't,*** Fracture murmured, her voice cold and measured. ***Lars played both sides, but not for himself. He was working for someone else.***

Wanda frowned, her gaze shifting to the unconscious Hydra guard. "And now we've got no way to figure out who."

Eska stood, brushing her hands on her pants. "The guard called him a double agent. If Lars was feeding Hydra bad intel while helping us… it fits."

"Or," Wanda said darkly, "Hydra just wanted to clean up loose ends."

The remaining conscious Hydra guard groaned, stirring as Wanda's magic forced him upright. Tendrils of crimson energy bound his arms to his sides, leaving him helpless. Eska stepped forward, her pistol trained on his head.

"Talk," she snapped. "Why did you kill him?"

The guard spat blood onto the floor, his sneer never wavering. "Because he was a rat," he snarled. "Lars thought he could play both sides, feeding your little resistance scraps while pretending to be one of us."

"And what about you?" Eska growled, pressing the barrel of her gun to his temple. "Got any useful intel, or do I just pull the trigger now?"

The guard laughed, a wet, ragged sound. "You think this changes anything? Hydra's bigger than you can imagine. Kill me, and nothing changes."

Wanda crouched in front of him, her crimson eyes glowing faintly. "Last chance to say something helpful," she said, her voice low and dangerous. "Or I'll let Eska get creative."

The guard's lips curled into a bloody grin. "Cut off one head, and two more will take its place."

Eska sighed. "You guys really need new material."

Without waiting for a response, she struck him across the face with her pistol, knocking him unconscious. "So much for answers," she muttered.

The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the faint hum of the ruined monitors. Wanda stared at Lars's body, her mind racing. ***Fracture,*** she called silently, ***was he really playing both sides?***

***Yes,*** Fracture replied, her voice calm but cryptic. ***But the real question is: who was he playing for?***

Wanda's lips thinned. Her gaze shifted to the Hydra guards, now crumpled and lifeless, and then back to Eska. The anger and frustration boiling in her chest demanded an outlet, but there was no time for reflection.

Eska broke the silence, her voice sharp. "This was a mess, Maximoff. We should cut our losses and get out before more Hydra goons show up."

"No." Wanda stood abruptly, her grip tightening on the Chitauri Scepter. Her crimson eyes burned with renewed determination. "We still have work to do."

Eska frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"The supplies," Wanda said firmly. "And the prisoners. We can't leave them behind."

Eska hesitated, then let out a frustrated sigh. "This place is crawling with Hydra. You really think we can make it out alive if we push farther in?"

"We don't have a choice," Wanda said, her voice steely. "If we leave now, everything Lars died for will be wasted. We finish the mission."

Eska studied her for a long moment, then nodded reluctantly. "Alright, Maximoff. But don't say I didn't warn you."

"Come on," Wanda said, turning toward the deeper corridors of the bunker. "Let's finish what we started in this hellhole."

With that, they stepped into the shadows, leaving the blood-stained control room behind.

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