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Chapter Text

Chapter 1: The Raft

“And what do you want?”

“For them to see you, as I do.”

Getting locked up in prison, Wanda had expected. The surveillance cameras as well. She’d been wary of something similar to the straitjacket, but a shock collar? That was overkill, especially for the government, but maybe not Ross.

After the Avengers’ so-called “Civil War,” and being locked up in the Raft for two weeks now, Wanda Maximoff, or as the world knew her, the Scarlet Witch, was starting to lose hope. Sure, Sam and Clint knew Steve a lot better, and they believed that he was coming for them, told her to trust in him and to remember that he would never leave his team behind.

Even the new guy, Scott, the shrinking or, in some cases, largening guy, had faith in him, but that was probably just because Captain America was famous and he was still fanboying over him. If they had all experienced life the way she had in Sokovia and with HYDRA, they would know not to rely on false hope, especially after this long of a wait, and she was accustomed to let-downs from countless others.

Even if they did escape, the Raft had already done a huge number on the team. When they were locked up, the guards would constantly taunt them, hurling insults at them and calling them names their parents would slap them over the head for saying. The wretched and soggy atmosphere they were in every day didn’t help them either.

When everyone would fall asleep, that was if they could, the nightmares would come and overtake them. One after the other, the terrors came, at least one of them awakening, screaming in the night, and most of the time it was Wanda. Neither Sam, Scott nor Clint were treated as she was in the Raft. Wanda had it the worst out of any and all of them.

As soon as they had landed, Wanda had been thrown into a straitjacket and gotten a shock collar slapped around her neck. The others had been furious when they had first seen her as she had been led to her cell and got a glimpse at what measures had been put in place to keep her locked up.

Clint, who hadn’t yet been placed in his cell, had begun yelling and protesting, even attempting to fight the guards off just to get to her. Sam and Scott, who were already in their cells, had started to bang against the plexiglass, yelling,

“C’mon, she’s just a kid!”

“Dude, she has rights, y’know!”

“Take those off her!”

The guards had paid no mind and ever since then, she hadn’t been able to stretch nor use her arms, nor even move an inch, for that matter. Any movement Wanda would make was seen as a sign of aggression, or her trying to use her powers to escape, and she would get electricity pulsing at her neck.

She couldn’t stand up, she couldn’t lie down, heck, she wasn’t even able to talk or even feed herself without getting a 20 amp jolt to her neck, for God’s sake. So Wanda would stay perfectly still.

When Clint realized what was happening whenever he, or one of the other two, attempted to start a conversation with her, he secretly tapped out to her in Morse code. He had taught her in case they were in a situation where they couldn’t communicate, such as now, and told her to blink once for yes and twice for no. This worked for a little while, letting Wanda join the conversation amongst them, but all too soon the guards picked up what they were doing and shocked her for conversing with them.

Guess the guards had to destroy her dignity and her right to socialize in that prison too. While some guards were sympathetic at first, they eventually realized who she was, and nowadays, the guards wouldn’t even treat her as a person anymore.

To them, she was a monster, and maybe, she thought, just maybe, they were right. Wanda knew deep down, no matter what the Avengers had told her nor the actions she had made to try to atone herself, she had created Ultron.

Indirectly, sure, but Wanda had put the idea in his head. She had let him take the scepter. She had driven the Avengers apart. Wanda was the reason the Accords were created and she was the reason her brother was dead. Through Ultron, Pietro had been shot down by 47 bullets. She didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye or realize what was happening until his mind just disappeared and slipped away from existence.

Wanda, in her guilt, begun to think about the aftermath of the Avengers, all of them split up now because of the Accords, and because of her.

Steve and Bucky had hopefully completed their mission and stopped HYDRA from taking over the world. Wanda really missed Steve and actually had wanted to get to know Bucky. He seemed like a genuinely good person and she had wanted to help him. Steve was like an older brother to her, but he could never replace Pietro and he knew that and he didn’t try to be Pietro, which she was thankful for. He was just Steve and cared about her, but probably not enough to risk getting her out of here.

Natasha, she hoped, had gotten away after letting Steve and Bucky go, maybe in one of her many safehouses. She was the Black Widow after all and was basically the older sister she’d never had.

Wanda assumed Tony was already attempting to create some new kind of technology to help out Rhodey and let him walk again, considering he had been shot out of the sky by Vision. She wasn’t as close with them as the others but they had still been friends and would talk to each other from time to time, although Vision, on the other hand, was a different case.

It was Vision who became her first real friend amongst the team. Mainly understandable though, considering she had made everyone else see their worst nightmares and the others didn’t understand him back then. Wanda wondered what he might be doing now, with the Avengers compound practically empty and all that.

Maybe he was trying to learn how to cook again. Lord knows how badly that would go. It would probably end in him, at the least, blowing up the kitchen again or setting something on fire.

Wanda remembered the time, 2 weeks ago, when Vision had attempted (no, he hadn’t cooked, he had attempted) to make her some paprikash, a native Sokovian dish he had found on the internet.

While the gesture had warmed her heart, he really, really was a terrible cook and the paprikash didn’t even have any actual paprika in it. He claimed he didn’t know the exact measurements of a pinch, but Vision’s act of kindness during that bleak time was greatly appreciated all the same.

Wallowing in her cell, Wanda mourned for her freedom, missing all of her friends, no, wait, her family, and she knew it could never, ever be the same.

Once the thought popped into her head, Wanda had begun to willingly take the electricity of the collar. To her every shock made up for a life she’d ruined, including her own, while it also reminded her that she was still alive to earn them.

This wasn’t quite HYDRA, but Wanda kind of wished it was now. To her, the Raft was arguably worse. At least she was with Pietro in HYDRA with just a wall to separate them. They let her use her powers so she could feel his mind and they were still able to communicate, despite their cells and the wall.

Now, Wanda was at the mercy of the guards and Ross. It was a feeling of helplessness she couldn’t shake but despised the effects of.

After all those horrors, she knew that that couldn’t be everything. If the prison was worse than the experiments would be awful as well.

Wanda had had a nagging feeling about Ross and that he was the type of person who would want to experiment on other people, so she had prepared herself the minute she was captured.
Unsurprisingly, her intuition hadn’t failed her and she had been taking into a test lab the very next day.

By then, she had known what to expect. Honestly, she had been locked up by HYDRA for 3 years. If Wanda didn’t know the gist of these tests by now, then she’d probably be dead already. Mental preparation had been key to staying alive under the Scepter’s powers once.

When she first was brought in by Ross, standard medical procedures were run. Her vitals were taken, blood tests were performed, whatever medical she’d had were looked through, then updated, geez, they even had an MRI performed on her, which HYDRA had only done once on her, so this must be big. Ross was casually observing the situation the whole time.

When the scientists had all they needed for the day, Wanda was taken back to her cell and Sam, Scott and Clint had immediately started assaulting her with questions.

“What happened?”

“What did they do?”

“Are you alright?”

No harm had come to her, so she had reassured them that she was fine, but that wasn’t the last time she was brought in. After the 2 weeks she had been there, they had taken her to the lab about 7 or 8 times. She couldn’t tell anymore, after the fourth time, when the lab scientists had begun to give her some drugs to deal with some insomnia and pain. Nothing excessive, just a light mix of tranquilizer, morphine and ibuprofen to keep her drowsy and pain-free

Since the third or fourth day they had brought her in, they had begun some of the more painful procedures. They stuck larger needles into her, drew more blood, asked some questions that most likely checked her mental health, read her brain waves and all that jazz. A few skin samples were taken and used to test how she would react to certain chemicals. They ran a cardiac stress test once, noting her reaction to pressure on the lungs as well. Wanda was always sore by the end when they took her back to her cell.

The guards reported her being in pain every time after the lab visits, so Ross’ team decided to give Wanda a stronger mix of sedatives than what she was already being given. Instead, of coming back in pain from the tests, Wanda came back lethargic and incredibly tired, falling asleep as soon as the guards left and she was in a comfortable position.

After the tests started, the guards weren’t as trigger-happy with the shock collar as they usually were. Most of them felt bad for their situation and saw how the others cared for Wanda like a little sister or in Clint’s case, a daughter. One day, however, they would bounce back, letting the team know the interlude was over, as well as to not let Ross become suspicious.

A week had passed without Ross and his lab team returning for her. That was good, wasn’t it? The guards in charge of measuring the dosage had even started to lower the amount of drugs going into her bloodstream. Wanda was able to look ahead of herself now without the world spinning around her. Things were looking up for her, for once, and Sam, Scott and Clint’s hope was beginning to become infectious. Maybe she would get out. Maybe she should have hope.

Wanda couldn’t have been more mistaken.

Sam and Scott had been fighting about if cats or dogs were better for at least 15 minutes now, and it didn’t seem like the argument would end very soon.

“Sam, if your house was getting robbed, what could a cat do? A dog would start barking and attacking the robber,” hollered Scott.

Sam, looking slightly annoyed, smirked and fired back, “Dude, a cat’s bite is known to be more dangerous than a dog’s. A cat is smaller and more agile and it would claw the dude’s face off.”

“Scott, I’m not taking sides or anything, but I know from experience that dogs can tend to eat ants.”

That was Clint, casually inserting a quick remark, even though everyone knew that he himself was a dog person and loved his golden retriever, Lucky.

“Hey, c’mon, that’s not fair! If you get Clint on your team then I get Wanda,” Sam grumbled, turning towards Wanda, “Right? Cats are so much better than dogs.”

Wanda, seeing that the guards around them were amused by the conversation. The one that seemed to be head of the guards and held the remote to the shock collar nodded at her, seemingly giving her permission to speak, smiling. With this encouragement, Wanda decided to take a chance and join in. 

“Yeah, guys. Cats are more calming than canines and are stealthier than a loud, rambunctious dog.”

The playful dispute went on for at least half an hour longer, but it never became anything serious. It never came anything close to a civil war, thank goodness and the guards even seemed to enjoy listening to their banter. They let Wanda continue to speak with them without shocking her silly, the other guards possibly seeing her in another light, which procured a smile on her part.

Clint, Sam and Scott all noticed that she was talking, smiling and even laughing again. This was a welcome change and they shared a look that said to keep this thing going, even cracking a few jokes along the way. Clint had noticed the guard who let her speak and threw him a thankful smile. He returned a nod.

“Wanda, this is a ruff conversation,” said Scott.

With an entertained look in her eyes, Wanda replied, “You’re right. This is barking mad!”

They all burst into laughter, albeit not for too long.

The guards weren’t exactly disturbed by their socialization, smirking and whispering amongst themselves. Clint even heard one mutter,

“Let’s hope Ross isn’t furry-ous.”

This one guy had jinxed it.

All of a sudden, the elevator opened and the guards realized who was there. Immediately, they jumped back to their posts, the head saying to all of them to keep quiet while pretending to shock Wanda without actually doing it.

She pretended to wince, trying to protect the guard from getting called out. Thankfully, it worked and he wasn’t caught. Ross began to step out of the elevator briskly, his team of scientists on his heels.

“What are you all doing? Back to your stations! We don’t pay each of you for incompetence!”

Briskly walking over to Wanda, Ross motioned for them to bring her out, soon met by the protests of the others.

“Ross, she’s been through enough!”

“You can’t take her again!”

“What has she done to deserve this?”

Unfazed, Ross continued down the hall towards the prison’s lab, Wanda in tow, accompanied by the guards that had been kind to her less than 5 minutes earlier.

Wanda looking back solemnly, with tears streaming down her face, gaze meeting all of the team’s. She could tell that this would be bad and she might never get to see them again. Wanda, with an immense amount of effort, was able to send out one last message with her powers, before the guards had to unwillingly shock her until they were able to drag her away.

I’ll miss you guys.

Goodbye.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Loneliness

Vision had been wandering around the Compound and suddenly found himself at the door of Wanda’s room. It’s not her room anymore, he reminded himself. Vision still thought of it as her room and all of her old things were still inside of it.

It wasn’t the first time he had ended up in her room. After the battle, Vision’s mood had visibly changed and he was more reserved and just generally, sad.

He missed her, and frankly, he didn’t know that was possible. Vision shouldn’t have been able to feel sorrow, much fewer, emotions. Wanda was the one who helped him discover he had feelings, first encountered when she was able to make him laugh. Vision was lonely, wishing Wanda was there and worried about her a lot more now that Ross had captured her.

Vision was really the only person to know this, but Mr. Stark and Mr. Rhodes had their suspicions. This ‘civil war’ had all affected them differently, the most noticably impacted by it being Mr. Rhodes, who was now paralyzed from the waist down. They still had hope though. Mr. Stark was set on getting Mr. Rhodes up and walking again, building prosthetics to help him.

Vision tended to avoid them, as he had caused Mr, Rhodes disability, but that soon became unavoidable. He was walking across the room, picking up Wanda’s guitar, lightly strumming the strings. Vision was reminiscing on when she'd begun playing when an announcement came over the speakers.

“Avengers meeting in the common space. Now, if you’d please.”

Great, Mr. Stark was calling a team meeting, not that there was much of a team left. Slightly irritated but mostly nervous, Vision made his way slowly to the common space. When he got there, he saw that Mr. Stark and Mr. Rhodes were already there.

“You called, sir?,” Vision asked, looking down at the floor.

“Vision, how many times have I had to tell you not to call me ‘Sir’?”

He didn’t say this in an angry tone, but lightly, like this wasn’t the worst of their worries.

“Anyways, Rhodey and I have been noticing that you haven’t been around so much. We only ever see you floating around the place, like a ghost.”

Vision looked ashamed and embarrassed, meeting their gazes briefly before looking away again. They were mad at him, of course. They have the right to be, anyway.

“I’m sorry if I’ve been disturbing you. I’ll stop it if you so wish, Mr. Stark.”

Mr. Stark and Mr. Rhodes both shook their heads, exasperated. Tentatively, Vision looked at Mr. Rhodes. Vision approached them, apologizing.

“Mr. Rhodes, I am sorry about your legs. You both have a right to be angry at me. I will leave if you want me too.”

Immediately, they both began to protest, trying to end his train of thought.

“Vision, that’s not what we meant!”

“Dude, we’re not mad at you!”

Wait, they weren’t mad?  Vision had spent all this time thinking that they both harboured ill feelings towards him when they were okay? His train of thought was broken when Rhodey decided to speak up.

“Look, man, we’re worried about you. You’re distant, you constantly look lost and F.R.I.D.A.Y. told us that you’ve been spending a whole lot of time in Wanda’s room.”

Oh, that’s what this was about. They wanted to know if he was alright. Shouldn’t they really be asking themselves that question?

“Sirs, I’m really not sure why you both are concerned about me. I am perfectly fine and have just been patrolling the compound. Frankly, this is none of your business.”

Mr. Stark and Mr. Rhodes gave each other a knowing look. They led Vision down to the couches, taking seats beside him. Tony cast him a sympathetic look or at least the closest thing he could manage to that.

“Look, Vision, we all miss the others. Fighting them at Leipzig and Siberia was one of the hardest things I have had to do. But now they’re criminals, fugitives from the law. Consequences of their actions, I’d say, but they aren’t coming back.”

Mr. Rhodes placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, helping him even after what Vision had done to him. The action made Vision feel a bit better, daring to look them both in the eye.

“Look, man, we’re here for you. We are all that’s left of the Avengers and we need to stick together. I don’t hold anything against you. We are all friends here.”

Rhodey began to stand up, making his way to the kitchen. He poured himself a cup of coffee accompanied by a brownie before he approached the door.

“By the way, friends don’t use titles, okay. Call me Rhodey and him Tony, m’kay?”

With that Mr. Rho-, no, Rhodey, took his leave, walking to his room, leaving him alone with Mr. St- Tony.

Vision turned back to him, ready to thank Tony for his concern, but the other beat him to it, taking his chance to speak.

“You know, I meant to do this myself but I think you might handle this better. They don’t deserve to be locked in the Raft. Help them out, why don’t you. Friday, wipe surveillance.”

"Got it, boss."

Smiling, Tony pressed something metal into his hand before following Rhodey and walking away. Vision smiled gratefully at him before looking down at his hand, finding a small grey flip phone enclosed with a note saying, ‘I’ll need this back later. Go get 'em, Tiger.’

He made his way back to his room, not too far away from Wanda’s to discover why Tony gave this to him. Vision’s room was plain with just two chairs and a painting in it. Wanda had promised to help him decorate it but then...well, yeah.

Sitting on one of the chairs, Vision opened the flip phone and checked the contacts. He found one phone number inputted into it under the name of Steve Rogers.

Vision gasped. Captain Rogers could get them out. He could get Wanda out. Eagerly, Vision turned his head up to the ceiling, calling out for F.R.I.D.A.Y.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., what are the coordinates for the Raft prison?”

A moment passed before F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s voice came back, saying,

“The Raft is located just east of Riker’s Island, New York.”

Quickly, Vision called the number on the contact. It took two rings before Captain Rogers picked up.

“Tony?”

“Captain Rogers, I am sorry to disappoint. This is Vision.”

Chapter Text

Project Noctis:

Immediately after they entered the room, Wanda could tell this time was going to be very different. An immense amount of unfamiliar equipment she had never seen before was in this new lab, including a particularly intriguing glass tube. The bright lights shone down on the sterile white room, illuminating all the scientists scrambling around the different stations that were set up around the lab.

Ross began to bark orders at his team who all looked uncharacteristically stressed. Wanda had always seen these people poised and calm, no matter what occurred around them. One of the scientists directed the guards to strap her down to the table in the middle of the active room.

When the guards moved to leave the lab, they looked back at her sympathetically, promising to tell her friends about what was happening. For this she was grateful, offering them a small, brave smile in return, hiding her fear. At least Wanda knew the guards were warming up from their initially cold selves. In their current situation, that was a small victory, if only to her.

A shaky, scared-looking scientist, most likely new to the team, came up to her. Wanda couldn’t blame him. She was basically echoing his feelings. He was carrying a clipboard with him that listed her medical records on it, probably preparing to ask her a few questions.

Wanda’s suspicions were correct, thanks to Natasha training her on reading body language. The scientist, Dr. Schmitt, nervously met her gaze, pushed his glasses up with a trembling hand and began the questionnaire.

“S-So Miss Maximoff, um, I will just be asking you a f-few questions, uh, about your medical records… just to clear them up, anyway... um...”

She gazed at him sympathetically. He reminded her of Vision. They were both just so naively innocent and similar that Wanda couldn’t help but ease up a little with him, despite her blatant fear. She gave him a small nod, encouraging him to continue but meriting a shock from her collar.

The questions posed were simple, just going over the list, making sure that nothing was wrong. Dr. Schmitt inquired about her medical and miscellaneous allergies, her past illnesses and injuries, her family’s medical history and her general medical info. When everything was covered and confirmed, Dr. Schmitt excused himself and passed another scientist the clipboard.

Another of Ross’ team came up to her, a serious expression plastered on her face. She looked like the one running this whole gig, understanding and surveying the lab around her. This scientist, Dr. Shepherd, approached her in a calm manner, seemingly unperturbed by what was to occur, approaching her calmly.

“Hello, Miss Maximoff. I’m Dr. Shepherd, chief of neurological surgery at Grey Sloan Memorial. I was brought in to this special case as an old favor to my friend, Thaddeus Ross.”

She spoke all this like it was common knowledge, which it most likely was. What surprised her the most was that Dr. Shepherd and Ross were on a first-name basis, considering the circumstances in which they were in.

“So, what my team and I have been working on was as if we were weeding out something that has a strong hold on the brain, similar to removing an unreachable tumor. Instead, we will be relieving you of your abilities, containing them in this capsule for studying and observation. We may also use it for improvement of similar procedures.”

So that’s what the glass tube was for, Wanda thought. She spared a glance at the shiny container before turning her head back to this Dr. Shepherd person or whoever she was supposed to be.

“With the brain scans, we’ve been able to develop a method of removing your telekinesis from your brain. The mist has been found linked to your brain, specifically the amygdala, which is the part of the brain that controls emotions. We will use different frequencies attacking the mist at the same time. Again, this is a new and untested method, so there are extreme and unknown risk factors to remember.”

The scientist was completely unfazed that she might kill Wanda. This made her even more irritated, glaring at Dr. Shepherd and questioning her.

“So, why are you telling me this when I have no say whatsoever in my own future?”

This made Dr. Shepherd chuckle like she expected someone in her situation to be more afraid. Then again, all Wanda could control was her own fear.

“Habit and medical procedure, mixed with what small influence Tony Stark has. He convinced the UN to at least let you know what was to happen to you.”

What?  Tony Stark had cared enough about them, about her, to negotiate for them a few rights, or at least, the equivalent of that in prison. That wasn’t something Wanda had expected him to do, especially after their battle.

Maybe, Stark wasn’t too bad but just misled and made some mistakes. Either way, she owed him an apology and even some gratitude.

Apparently, their conversation was over though, Dr. Shepherd leaving to do some final checks before the procedure was underway. She came to Dr. Schmitt, saying,

“Stop shaking so hard, blood bank.”

Seemingly embarrassed, Dr. Schmitt turned away and looked at her, his face flushed with colour. Wanda felt sympathetic with him, making the same mistakes he was when she had just become an Avenger. She gave him a knowing look, trying to make him feel better while also distracting herself from the problem at hand.

They were going to attack her brain. Ross and his team didn’t even know what the results would end up being. Wanda could die today, or lose her memories, or mind, maybe even worse.

Ross was there as well, observing everything in the chilling manner he always had. He even dared to meet Wanda’s subtly terrified gaze, giving no impression that he cared. Soon, Dr. Shepherd called over to him, saying,

“Thaddeus, we’re all set!”

He looked back appreciatively, sending a message through his eyes. Ross resumed his professional expression right after he responded,

“Yes, thank you, Amelia. Commence Phase 1.”

Turning back to the lab team, Dr. Shepherd started barking orders at them, making the scientists scramble around to get to their stations. Dr. Schmitt moved back towards her, letting her know what was going on.

“Miss Maximoff, just to let you know, we are starting the procedure and it might help if you try to, um, 'un-tense' and relax a small bit.”

Relax? How was she being expected to relax right now? Giving him a grimace, Wanda shook her head at him, unable to speak due to anger but mostly, fear. He nodded at her, understanding her reasoning for which she couldn't. It was a terrifying environment to be in during her current situation.

Dr. Shepherd surveyed the scene around her, before turning back to Ross and giving him a nod.

“Everything ready? Begin countdown from 5….”

Wanda began to think of all the people she would miss if she was killed by this. Clint, who had become a father to her. He had even brought her to his farm to meet his family.

“...4…”

Steve, her surrogate brother. He helped her after Sokovia and to fit in with the team.

“…3…”

Natasha, her mentor and friend. The Black Widow had made sure that Wanda was eating, brought her new clothes and had girl’s nights with her, considering they were the only female members of the team.

“…2…”

Sam and Scott, her friends who had become a protective family, especially because of the Raft. Tony and Rhodey as well, who she held no anger against and had finally chosen to forgive at least a little bit.

“…1…”

But, Vision. Vision, she would miss the most. He was Wanda’s best friend after Sokovia, helping her cope with the nightmares that plagued her every night following Pietro’s death.

Eventually, the dreams had faded with the help of endless nights awake, staring up at the stars with tea in their hands and just talking to each other. His naive innocence and curiosity drove him to Wanda as she was the only one left answering his questions about the world. They were also the newest and youngest superheroes on the team, so they ended up watching each other’s backs and having inside jokes the rest of the team could never understand. She hoped that Vision could forgive her for driving him through 40 storeys of floors.

“Begin the Noctis procedure.”

Chapter Text

The Nightmare Realm:

Everything went completely silent before Wanda felt a searing pain in her head. It felt like someone was ripping apart her brain. Her ears were ringing and she couldn’t hear anything, not even her screams.

Soon, everything around her began to disappear and she was no longer in the lab. Wanda found herself on the ground, in a broken, desolate city where the sky was red and dark, like blood but thicker. It looked similar to Sokovia after Ultron had attacked it. Wanda decided that she couldn’t possibly be the only one in this abandoned city, so she decided to call out.

“Hello?”

No response was returned to Wanda, just the echo of her voice reverberating into the distance. Seeing as this was the only option for her that Wanda could see, she began to explore her new surroundings to try to find out what happened to her.

Strolling down the streets of whatever this place was, Wanda had begun to hear shouts from a distance. She reached out with her mind and powers to sense who they were and where the screaming was coming from. Wanda was met with an impossible answer.

Running in the direction of screams, Wanda dove through alleyways flying up onto buildings until she saw someone she never thought she would ever see again. Impaled by a spike that cracked through the ground, bloodied and bruised was her twin brother.

“Pietro!?!”

She ran up to Pietro, taking him into her arms and looking at what injuries had been dealt to him. There was a gash running up the side of his leg to his stomach, deep cuts and dark bruises on his arms, his eye was blackened and there was a freaking spike impaled through his chest. Blood was pooling around him and it didn’t look like he had much time left.

“Wanda? Where were you?”

Pietro’s voice came out raspy and broken, but it was his all the same. Wanda knew that he was dying and she wasn’t about to lose him again. She tried removing the spike from his back but it just made him scream louder and bring him closer to death. His gaze shifted past her and his face filled with fear.

“WANDA, WATCH OUT!”

Pietro pushed Wanda away just a split second before a very familiar arrow landed where she had just been. She turned her head in the direction of where the arrow had come from and to her surprise, Clint was there in his archer’s stance. He had a completely different demeanour than what she was familiar, with his menacing intimidation and cruel glares shocking her to the core. Clint would never do this, especially not to them. Smirking maliciously, Clint spat out,

“Great, now both the wicked punks are here for me to kill.”

He looked her in the eye and Wanda could tell this wasn’t him, that he wouldn’t kill them. He even gave his son the middle name ‘Pietro’ to honour what her brother had done for him. On that note, how was Pietro even alive? She'd felt his life and mind slip from existence when he was shot by Ultron. There was no way that this could be real, not for a second.

It felt so realistic though and she could sense their minds, Clint’s being visibly more malicious than the Hawkeye trapped in the Raft. Tears were streaming down her cheeks by now. Clint pulled out another arrow and shot it straight into Pietro’s heart. Wanda saw the surprise in Pietro’s eyes before the life seeped out of them for the second time. She screamed and sobbed at Pietro’s second dead corpse as Clint docked another arrow and cocked his head sadistically at her.

“Oh, come on, sweetheart. All I did was put him out of his pathetic misery. Now, it’s your turn.”

Before Wanda could register his words, Clint sent an arrow sailing into her heart. She felt the impact and the searing pain in her chest as the world around her fading. Soon, the burning in her chest ended and a floating feeling came upon her. The world around her changed and shifted as if reality itself was morphing. Everything around her was red and mist-like, similar to her powers. Wanda felt her feet finally touch solid ground and she realized she was never dead. An ordeal like that had exhausted her, both mentally and physically but unfortunately, there was no rest offered to her.

A scene appeared before her. All of the Avengers, even Pietro and Bucky, were bound to chairs or bars by metal chains that were welded together. They all had captors that surrounded them handling different death methods prepared for each and every Avenger, including Vision, specifically targeting their fears. For Steve, hypothermia and ice but for Bucky, an electrocution chair was brought in. Those were just some of the many scattered around the giant warehouse. It had no sky in sight but the roof was the exact color the sky had been.

Their abductors were most definitely HYDRA, but how Wanda knew, she couldn’t say. No member of the team was left out in their abduction. Even the infamous Black Widow, Natasha freaking Romanoff, was compromised and held captive by these agents. She was glaring at them but it was evident to even the newest agents that she was terrified of the surgery table laid in front of her. Baron von Strucker came up to her in his chillingly creepy manner and gestured out towards the group.

“Half of them will live and half of them will die. Choose.”

Horror flooded onto her face as the other Avengers heard about their situation as well. Almost immediately, everyone started shouting to let themselves die and save the others. There were 10 there and only 5 would make it out. The tears were back and soon enough, she was sobbing hysterically and collapsed on the ground.

Wanda met the gazes of Pietro, Vision and Clint first. All of them filled with acceptance and love, they were ready for whatever her decision may be. She looked at Steve, Bucky, Natasha, Bruce and Tony, each of their gazes pleading with her to sacrifice them to save the others. Sam, Rhodey, Scott and Thor held no malice for her potential verdict but were truly terrified. Wanda knew there had to be some way out of this and when she saw Natasha looking pointedly at her whilst surreptitiously eyeing the HYDRA agents, she knew she had found her way.

Picking herself up off the ground, she turned confidently to Strucker. He seemed bored, cleaning his nails waiting for her. When he saw Wanda had decided, he came alive with a buzz and gestured for her to pick the half.

She stood up straight and looked around, determination in her gaze.

“Baron von Strucker, the half I choose that will die is yours. HYDRA is who will die.”

As soon as she stated those words, Strucker’s expression immediately darkened. Natasha gave her a final pride-filled look and nod as he called out to his agents.

“Kill them all, one by one.”

Everyone in the room jumped into action, the HYDRA agents scrambling to proceed as the Avengers were struggling and crying out.

“No, please, no.”

“I’m not going back in.”

“Pozhaluysta, ne vozvrashchaysya v Krasnuyu komnatu.”

Slowly, each and every Avenger was killed in front of her eyes, letting out blood-curdling screams. It was a terrifying sight and one that she wouldn’t easily forget. She couldn’t help but think that it was her fault, that she was to blame. Wanda watched them die, one by one, in every way that they feared.

Once HYDRA was finished, Strucker turned to her. He was poised to strike and brought out one object she had never thought she’d see again. Holding Loki’s scepter in his hands, he stalked towards her, screaming,

“Now, child, it’s your turn!”

Wanda was frozen, unable to move. Whether that was due to the powers of this world or sheer terror, she couldn’t tell. As soon as he reached her, the same disorientating, reality-warping redness restarted and sent a lightness across her.

Wanda soon felt herself falling into a hallway with so many open doors that she couldn’t count. She slammed down into the eerily red hallway, wincing at the impact. Straightening up, Wanda found the urge to investigate the entrances building up inside her. Curiosity got the better of her and she walked up to one and inside saw Thor’s old vision playing out inside.

The next Wanda saw was Steve’s, then Bruce’s and Natasha’s. Wandering down the hall, she soon realized what had happened.

The redness, the nightmare-reminiscent realities, the fears of others. When they had ripped her powers from her brain, they couldn’t have possibly trapped her consciousness as well, could they?

That was the only reasonable outcome she could think of and she was right. She was trapped by her powers and her nightmares turning on her. But, if these were her powers, why couldn’t she use them as well?

Tentatively, Wanda attempted to bring out her powers. It resulted in a small flicker but they were there nonetheless. She reached out around her and felt the bustling minds of the lab team she had been with not too long ago.

With this spark of hope, she stretched out further and recognized the consciousnesses of Sam, Scott and Clint. Wanda knew that if they heard what had happened, they would only get worried and be unable to do any good, so she refrained from sending them a message.

She had to find someone who could find her and get them all out. Wanda only knew one person she’d trust enough with this who was currently capable of doing so. After several failed attempts and an exertion of effort on her part, she finally wrapped her mist around his mind at sent out a message.

“Vision?”

A beat of hesitation passed between them as Wanda felt his surprise and remorse bubble up into his thoughts.

“Wanda? Are you alright? I have been so worried about you. I am so sorry about what transpired between us. Please forgive-”

“Vision, it’s fine. We apologized at the airport, there are no hard feelings. As to how I am doing, that is a different case entirely.”

Worry and fear clouded his brain as he struggled to put his sentiments into words. Luckily for him, Wanda was able to settle his thoughts enough for him so that he was able to stutter a few words out.

“Ah, yes, you are in the Raft, right. What have they done to you there? Sorry, that came out oddly. How are you faring? No, that isn’t quite right either-”

“It is alright, I understand what you are trying to say. They had put me in a straitjacket accompanied by a shock collar. The epitome of fashion, right, Vizh?”

“Wanda-”

Sensing the apologeticness, she swiftly interrupted him.

“Vision, what did I say? We have settled this already."

“Right, sorry. Continue on, then.”

“Well, they had this team of lab scientists to examine my powers and brain and they came up with a project. The Noctis procedure, I believe-”

Vision’s thoughts became instantly more concerned and angered, especially those related to the Raft.

“Wanda, the Noctis procedure was never meant to be used. The United Nations banned its use after Ross’ project had killed over 60 artificially enhanced volunteers. The research was believed to be burnt, along with its equipment. Jarvis had even been responsible for deleting any remaining files left from it.”

“Vizh, somehow they have recreated it and made it functional. They removed my powers but also my consciousness. My abilities are stronger than they were before, yet they still seem to turn on me.”

Realizing how confusing this must be, even for someone as intelligently advanced as Vision, Wanda explained more of it, her voice breaking and tears from her eyes.

“Vision, they trapped me in nightmares, not just my own but others’ as well. Vizh, I have seen you die and it was all my fault. Natasha, Steve, Bucky, Pietro, all of the team. All of them, even that spider kid from Leipzig. It was all my fault, Vizh, and there was nothing I could do about it. Before that, Clint was evil and he hated Pietro and I. He killed us both with no hesitation, it was awful but deep down, I know that it is all because of me.”

Tears were now running down her eyes and she was surprised at how much weight she had just gotten off her chest. Vision’s dismay pricked from afar but it was still there. He was wishing to comfort her, he just didn’t know how.

“Wanda, you are possibly the furthest person from blame in our current situation. It is not real but just your mind playing tricks on you. Do not worry, for you will not be left to face your demons for long. We are coming for you.”

Wanda felt Vision slip away to set to work and find out how to bring her back. Deciding to at least try and find somewhere to rest, she slipped through one of the doors to her right and into a new reality.

Chapter Text

Return and Rescue:

Clint

Clint, Sam and Scott had been pacing back and forth in their cells for the last few hours, waiting for Wanda to return from whatever torture she had been subject to. Their anxiety was through the roof and only got worse the longer she was gone.

At first, the men had been yelling and banging against the glass but as soon as Ross was gone, the guards had come into their respective cells to try and relax them. Eventually, a higher ranking agent then the head guard walked into the prison block and ordered for them to be sedated. The guards had to obey and Clint, Sam and Scott were all lightly sedated.

Once it had worn off, they had realized that fighting wasn’t going to do them any good, which was hard to accept. The pacing picked up soon after and by now, what was left of Team Cap had been at it for hours. The guards had been popping in and out, giving them what little information they knew. Soon, Clint, Sam and Scott had picked up that an experimental procedure was underway and it involved tampering with Wanda’s brain.

They had also picked up that it was known as the Noctis procedure, which had made Clint pale at the sound of its name.

“That project was banned 15 years ago.”

Everyone turned towards him and Clint could see he had the room’s undivided attention.

“I don't really know too much about it but, Ross created an experiment to attempt the removal of an enhancement from a person. It failed horribly and killed all the volunteers.

“There were some rumours that he had begun to go mad and was in a giant rage when it got shut down. Most people think that he had some kind of personal investment in it.”

Clint took in the realization that seeped into the faces around the room as they absorbed the information they had just been given. The guards had just realized what they had subjected Wanda to and their guilt was quite evident, really, anyone could tell.

Everyone in the room was frantic to find out what had happened to her, even those who knew what she had done in her past. She was barely even old enough to be an adult when the Civil War had happened. Speculations and theories flew across the room non-stop, leaving Clint to get much more nervous the more it was talked about.

The chatter completely cut off when they heard footsteps coming down from where Wanda had been taken. Everyone in the cell block turned to see two lab scientists walking back from the lab with Wanda and 2 guards tailing them, her uncharacteristically at ease.

She was as pale as ice, the harsh light of the Raft showing her veins through her skin, and Wanda’s expression was simply indifferent to what was happening around her. It was like she wasn’t aware of anything happening around her. Wanda’s gaze was blank and never really focused on anything. Clint didn’t even think that she had noticed them, much less recognized them. The change was so drastic from the girl they had seen just hours before, which meant something had messed up in the procedure.

“What did you do to her?!?”

One of the scientists, most likely the lead by the way the others spoke to her, turned to reply. The other seemed quite new and he was clearly freaked out by what had happened.

“We initially had planned on removing her powers from her brain, specifically targeting her limbic system as it was deeply rooted there. Since it is surrounded by and connected to many other parts of the brain, upon removal of powers, the activity in the frontal lobes, temporal lobes, the hippocampus, the hypothalamus and many other parts of the limbic system has ceased or significantly decreased.”

As everyone took in what that meant, Clint snuck a glance over at Wanda. She was now in her cell, on the bed and unaware of being the center of attention. He used Wanda to fuel his fire before he exploded.

“WHAT? You turned her brain off and just went with it? Look at her! She’s practically a mindless zombie now because of you guys!”

The second scientist, the one with glasses, looked away with shame and guilt for what he had been a part of. The one that Clint had been speaking with had a neutral expression and had most likely been trained in keeping an even face.

“We are attempting to correct our mistakes and use the results in her procedure to create a way to reactivate her brain. For now, she will receive proper nutrition but this is all we can do right now.”

With that she took her leave, motioning for the other to follow her out. That one at least offered an apologetic gaze for which Clint forgave him. The kid was most likely unaware of the true nature of what he had signed for, much like Wanda.

After a few hours of turmoil and observing Wanda, there had been no change. The guards, Sam and Scott had long accepted the fact that nothing they could do right now would help. As much as Clint hated it, they were right. They just had to wait.

----------------- 3 days later---------------------

Vision

Vision had to agree that stealth was not a strong point for Captain Rogers. When they had initially planned the break-out at the Raft, it had been plan A. Once he, the Captain and Agent Romanoff had tried to test out the plan at an abandoned HYDRA base, they all soon realized that it wasn’t going to work.

Now the plan was for Vision and Captain Rogers to be the diversion while Agent Romanoff snuck into the prison blocks and go from there. Vision had told them all he’d known but it had left them with anger and more questions than answers.

As always, he and the Captain came in with a bang. Bullets were flying left and right with no end approaching whatsoever. Vision took down the guns as Captain Rogers incapacitated them and knocked them unconscious. They moved quickly as Agent Romanoff slipped by without a trace. By the time the pair had taken down the surveillance and most of the guards, they received a new update from Agent Romanoff.

“I'm in.”

Both of them let out a sigh of relief as she updated them on her status. She’d found them. As he and Captain Rogers subdued the last stragglers of the Raft, Agent Romanoff hacked into the Raft. A door beside them opened and they saw her standing there, smirking in the doorway.

“You boys finish playing around with the guards?”

They looked at her, confused and Agent Romanoff shook her head as she turned and walked back. As Vision followed the Captain into the cell block, he could see the relief on Agent Barton's, Mr. Wilson's and Mr. Lang’s faces. As he continued to scan the room, Vision found that Wanda was nowhere to be seen. When his eyes met Agent Barton’s, he could tell that something worse had happened.

“Agent Barton, where is Miss Maximoff?”

His eyes clouded with worry as he replied,

“Ross had done this lethal procedure on her. When she had come back, Wanda was just a shell. She wasn’t really there. Eventually, her powers tapped back in, she started screaming at nothing and they took her away. We don’t know where she went.”

The mood around them visibly dimmed as the others unlocked the cells. Agent Romanoff had begun planning on how to find Miss Maximoff before the Raft’s back-up came but it would take some time. An idea appeared in his head and he decided to contact her with their telepathy.

‘Wanda? Wanda, where are you? We are here to break you out.’

The bickering around him was getting more and more heated as the tension grew. Vision thought that Wanda probably didn’t hear him until he heard her faint reply.

‘Vizh? I’m here. They have my powers trapped as a mist and locked in a glass container. I don’t know about me though.’

His relief fled onto his face as he informed the others of what just happened. They yelled at him to keep it up as everyone scrambled around the Raft to find her.

‘Wanda, the others are coming to find you. Meanwhile, do you know where your powers are?’

‘Yes. They are in the lab down the hall from Clint’s cell.’

He looked around and saw the lab across the corridor. Vision walked down and opened the door. He was met by a red, aether-like mist lashing out in a glass containment tube. The glass was beginning to crack as he heard Agents Romanoff and Barton in his ear.

“We found her.”

“Two cell blocks down from where we were. Hall 3-A.”

As he heard the news, he transmitted the info to Wanda.

‘We’re almost there. What should I do with the mist?’

There was a small pause before her response.

‘Open the tube near me. And soon, Vizh. I can’t hold on much longer.’

‘I will go as fast as I am able.’

Vision flew across the prison, soaring through walls with the mist in his grasp. He found Wanda surrounded by everyone else. The sight struck him to the core. Her eyes were completely unseeing and she just looked generally blank. The shock collar had been ripped off by Captain Rogers and was dangling in his hands but the straitjacket was still on her. Agent Barton had removed the IV pumping sedatives into her and Agent Romanoff was examining what kinds they were. He couldn’t stand it and quickly released the mist.

It raced towards her and absorbed itself into her. The mist seeped into her skin and enveloped her. It swirled around like a protective barrier before rushing back into her with a gasp. Blood rushed back into her cheeks and her eyes unglazed as they locked onto Vision. He met her gaze and smiled.

She was back.

Chapter Text

Flight of the Rogues:

As soon as they had brought Wanda back from the Nightmare Realm, Team Cap had hightailed it back to their quinjet and escaped before the Raft’s reinforcements had arrived. Wanda had been extremely exhausted when she had returned and could barely get up before passing out.

Captain Rogers ended up carrying her all the way to the quinjet, to Vision’s dismay. He had laid her down on the medical cot before taking a seat in the cockpit.

When they were finally up in the air, Agents Romanoff and Barton began tending to Wanda’s neck. With the shock collar gone, it was easy to see what Vision knew to be third-degree burns across her skin.

She also had dark bruises and lack of blood circulation in her arms from the straitjacket in addition to deprivation from many essential nutrients but not enough to kill her.

“Clint, hook her up to a nutritional IV. Get some fluids in her now!”

Agent Romanoff was scrambling around their small med bay with the slightest tremor in her hands and voice, barely noticeable to anyone but Agent Barton and himself.

Mr. Wilson was piloting the jet with Captain Rogers whilst the others from the Raft were forced to change clothes get some rest as they patched up Wanda.

“Nat, we need to restore the blood flow in her arms quick.”

“I can’t, I have to treat the burns on her neck.”

Vision came up to them and offered his assistance, which was immediately accepted. He and Agent Barton began rubbing her arms while Agent Romanoff began to clean Wanda’s neck.

Once the blood flow was restored to her arms, Agent Barton grabbed an ice pack for her darkest bruises and pressed it against her.

“Vision, pass me the rubbing alcohol.”

As soon as she got the bottle in her hands, Agent Romanoff gently poured about half of the bottle onto Wanda’s neck before wrapping it in moist bandages.

Half an hour later, all of Wanda’s injuries were treated and those helping her could finally step back and rest.

She was thankfully still asleep and didn’t look like she was going to wake up anytime soon, so they didn’t have to use anesthesia on her.

"She might face withdrawal symptoms from the high level of medication they put in her."

Agent Romanoff saw how wound up Vision still was and tried to comfort him.

“We’ve done the best we can, for now. When we get to where we’re going, she’ll be in much better hands.”

“Agent Romanoff, where could we possibly be going that would warrant such surety?”

“You’ll see. Oh, and call me Natasha. Agent Romanoff gets tacky after a while.”

She walked into the cockpit of the jet and he followed her in. Once Vision could see through the windshield, he realized that they were heading straight for a mountain.

He couldn’t possibly know why or how they were to crash into it when his shocked expression changed to one of amazement as they passed straight through it.

Vision looked at everyone else as Captain Rogers called out,

“Welcome to Wakanda.”

Mr. Wilson looked at him, concerned, then met Natasha’s gaze and asked,

“Do you really think we should have told Vision that? Didn’t he sign the Accords?”

“Relax, Sam. If he wanted to rat us out, he would have done it already. Right, Vision?”

Vision noticed that everyone on the plane who was not yet asleep had turned their attention to their conversation. He nodded to all of them as Mr. Wilson chuckled at Natasha.

“Fine, but Nat, you’re dealing with the king.”

Vision became more worried at the mention of this.

“King?”

Natasha glanced at him, smirking at his nervousness.

“Vizh, he’s the guy in the cat suit from Leipzig. You know, the Black Panther. He was on your team. He switched sides, much like you, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

He heard Captain Rogers call back at him while he began their descent.

“Since we’re trusting you, would you at least use our actual names, like Nat asked you too? The formalness is more stuffy then we’d like. Plus, Captain doesn’t really apply anymore. Call me Steve.”

“Sure…Steve.”

As they landed, he could see a regal-looking man surrounded by a troop of warrior women and a teenage girl. Steve greeted the man Vision assumed was king and nodded to one of the warriors.

He moved to carry Wanda down but Clint had already beat him to it. They were obviously still wary of him despite his efforts to regain their trust in his motives, Clint more than the others, despite how he had helped them.

“King T’Challa, Okoye, Princess Shuri. Thank you for letting us stay here. And for the Quinjet”

“We owed a debt. Besides, you are welcome to visit anytime. You are friends of Wakanda. As for the jet, that was no problem. We have no need for it. You may keep it if you would like.”

The king acknowledged Vision's presence but spoke nothing of it. They walked towards a magnificent palace, Steve conversing with the king and Natasha with a warrior. The golden highlights engraved in the walls shone a brilliant light into Vision’s eyes.

Sounds from the bustling marketplace below caught Vision’s attention and he looked over the edge of the landing pad to see it. Soon, the group entered a hall of windows, brightly lit as the king turned back to address them.

“Okoye and the Dora Milaje will direct you to your rooms. Those of you who are injured may follow me and my sister to the hospital wing. Please, do not come if you are not injured. It may slow down the doctors when there are more than the necessary amount of people and you all look to need rest.”

A team of doctors came in and a medical cot was brought into the hall with them. Clint laid Wanda onto it and they wheeled her away. He and Clint clearly wanted to follow them but, as the king had said, they couldn’t follow her.

Steve followed the doctors into the med bay, as he had been grazed by a few bullets and broken some bones himself. They turned back to the rest of the group and followed them off to their rooms, the rest of the Dora Milaje trailing behind.

He caught up to the woman in the front, which he assumed was Okoye and the general of the warriors. She caught his gaze but continued walking.

Vision could feel the gazes of Natasha and Clint burning into him, on the way there. Eventually, Okoye’s curiosity got the better of her and she decided to speak to him.

“So, you are the Vision? The synthezoid my king fought beside?”

He nodded.

“Then, how did you end up here?”

Vision pondered for half a second if he should really tell her. Clint and Natasha’s suspicions would probably lower if they heard, as well. They were spies, so they would obviously overhear his conversation and he decided to spill to the general.

“When Wanda had been trapped in a place we decided to call the Nightmare Realm, she was able to contact me and send out information on where they were being held captive. Later that day, Tony Stark entrusted me with a device containing contact information for Steve and I helped break their team out of the Raft. They let me onto their quinjet and I was brought here.”

Okoye nodded and Vision could feel the spies’ glances avert from him. Relief spilled from him and he could finally relax a little. Suspicions had been quelled and all he had left to do was wait.

As everyone began to choose their respective rooms, Okoye tried to offer him one, to which he declined. As she insisted, Vision heard Sam call his name and he went to go find him as he bid farewell to the general.

“Yes, Sam?”

“Dude, you might want to see this. Ross is getting suspicious of you.”

He entered Sam’s room and saw the TV lit up with the news. Sam was flipping through multiple channels, all displaying something related to the Raft. All the news reporters were demanded the governments on the public’s safety.

“How could they have broken out of-”

“Where were the Aven-”

One displayed a photo of Vision proceeded by footage from the Raft.

“Witnesses say they saw the Rogue Avengers rescuing them. One said they saw a brightly coloured figure fighting with them.”

Sam looked at him in concern as the others began crowding into the room. Clint caught his gaze and he saw that it held not malice but worry. He motioned for them to talk privately, in the hall.

“You have to leave and talk to Ross. If he finds out what you’ve done or where we are, we’re all gonna get thrown back in that garbage hole under the sea. Now, I have nothing against you but you saw what they did to Wanda. She will get thrown back in.”

Clint understood his concern for Wanda and knew why he had come. He knew. He knew how much Vision cared for Wanda and loved Wanda as his own daughter himself. At the very least, he understood his worry. Vision understood that he had to leave, knowing that when Clint had come to talk, he'd had everyone's best interest at heart. 

“Please tell Wanda why I have to leave. Tell her that I didn’t want to leave.”

Clint stared him straight in the eye for anything remotely threatening.

“Please, take care of her.”

He didn't see anything and nodded. They shook and Okoye met him at the end of the hall. King T’Challa had seen the news as well and sent her to meet him. Vision informed her of his course of action and she directed him towards the landing pad, seeing him off.

“Goodbye, Vision. I hope to see you again someday.”

“You as well, General.”

He took off, flying, leaving the one place in the world he wished most to be.

Chapter Text

In The Lab:

Wanda opened her eyes to find herself on a bed in an unfamiliar hospital wing, which looked more like a lab in her opinion. On second thought, maybe it was a lab. Fear flooded over her and she saw a girl, about a few years younger than her, who turned when she realized that Wanda was finally awake.

“Miss Maximoff, how are you feeling?”

Her head was pounding and the light was way too harsh for her eyes to take. She was dizzy and everything was blurry, her arms sore and bruised from the straitjacket. Her whole body just hurt and she was starving. Everything around her seemed strangely futuristic and there were some pieces of gear scattered around the room. She slowly sat up and looked out onto a beautiful savannah sunset, rhinos and other wildlife running free.

“My name is Shuri. My brother is a friend of the Captain and allowed your friends to bring you to Wakanda, so you could all heal and recover. Captain Rogers told us that you might be uncomfortable with a team of doctors, so I opted to oversee your healing.”

Wanda opened her mouth to speak but instinctively shut it soon after, flashbacks of Raft rushing to the front of her mind. The phantom presence of the shock collar was still there and her throat hurt enough that she couldn’t make a sound even if she wanted to.

Worry flooded over her while as Shuri realized what was happening. She brought over a pen and paper so that Wanda could communicate as it was the closest thing she could find. She was surprised that they even had any paper in such a futuristic place. Shuri noticed her expression and chuckled.

“I know. Paper in Wakanda, the most advanced country in the world. Anyways, I noticed that the electric burns on your neck may have affected your vocal chords. Don’t worry, it is not permanent. The lack of use locked the chords up but they’ll loosen when if you keep exercising them. You may want to wait a few days before doing so to let your throat heal properly. It was a bit raw when I last checked.”

This girl was surprisingly smart for her age, smart enough for her friends to trust and heal Wanda. That made her relax a bit, but she was still nervous.

She couldn’t see anyone else from her team nearby and decided to ask Shuri where they were. Wanda found out that they were in the guest rooms and she could go find them when she was more recovered.

“If you would like, I can call in a few people at a time. We can’t have too many people here BECAUSE THEY COME IN TO KICK THINGS AROUND!”

She winced at the loud sound and heard a voice coming from across the hall as she noticed footsteps from afar.

"That was one time, Shuri!"

She asked for Vision, Clint and Natasha. Shuri bit her lip and Wanda could tell something was wrong. She raised her eyebrows in a questioning manner and the teen sighed.

“Vision had to leave. The UN was getting suspicious and he had to return to New York. My brother sent General Okoye to see him off. Agents Barton and Romanoff should be available so I will send for them.”

Sadness flooded over her and she dropped Shuri’s gaze, not that Wanda held it for long periods anyway. She knew that Vision would have to leave again, but that soon? Wanda didn’t even get a chance to thank him… or say goodbye.

She remembered that she couldn’t let Shuri realize her melancholy and soon put up another facade. Wanda began to get curious about who Shuri and her brother were, having so much authority. She decided to ask Shuri about that and to her surprise, Shuri grinned.

“Well, I guess it’s time to let the cat out of the bag. BROTHER!”

A man dressed in what she assumed was royal attire rushed into the lab, accompanied by the woman she assumed was the General, charging with a spear in hand.

“Shuri, what’s wrong?”

She smiled innocently and said,

“You’ve met Miss Maximoff, right?”

He and General Okoye began to glare daggers at Shuri, the warrior scolding her.

“That was not funny, my princess.”

Wanda’s eyes widened and she tapped Shuri’s shoulder. ‘Princess?’, she had written down. Shuri nodded.

“Wanda, this is my brother, King T’Challa, ruler of Wakanda. Oh, and this is General Okoye, the leader of the Dora Milaje, the personal security and bodyguards of the King and the royal family. By the way, my brother’s also the Black Panther.”

Okoye nodded respectfully at her and the King turned towards her, extending his hand. She quickly shook it but it was evident how uncomfortable she was about contact.

“Miss Maximoff, I don’t believe we have formally met.”

Wanda looked down and nodded.

“Your Highness, General, it's an honour. I’m sorry about Leipzig.”

“It is already forgotten. It was not a pleasant time for the both of us.”

They fell into some uneasy conversation until Shuri remembered about Wanda’s friends.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Wait here. We will go find Agents Romanoff and Barton.”

Wanda nodded and watched as Shuri took Okoye and left the room. She was left with the King and a sense of guilt flooded over her. Wanda was standing before the King of Wakanda after she had killed the relief workers they had sent to Lagos. He noticed her discomfort and decided to address the situation he thought might be hanging over her.

“Miss Maximoff, you are not to blame for Lagos. Rumlow decided to blow up that bomb and any repercussions should be assigned to him.”

“But your father-”

“My father believed differently, but I am not my father. These issues are left for me to decide and I believe you carry no guilt. You tried to help and we are grateful for it. The families of the workers have forgiven as well.”

His statement brought her to tears and Wanda had to tear her gaze away. The guilt had hung heavy on her chest until then. The King’s words had relieved some of the weight and brought her some closure. She nodded her thanks as he proceeded to leave the lab. Before he exited, he turned back towards her and smiled.

“And, Miss Maximoff? When we’re not in a formal setting, please call me T’Challa.”

A hint of a smile was etched on her face and T’Challa left. A few minutes later, she heard footsteps coming down the hall and the voices of her friends approaching. They turned into the lab and stopped. Clint and Natasha, both smiling softly, met her eyes, which were stinging with tears.

That's when everything came crashing down on her and she broke. 

They rushed over to her and hugged her, holding her as she cried. The prison and her straitjacket flashed into her mind and she squirmed out of their arms.

"Please, no hugs," she asked.

Wanda saw the sadness in their eyes as they nodded. Another way she was broken, she guessed. Clint and Natasha both laid a hand on her shoulders and comforted her as Shuri and Okoye left to find the King. Wanda couldn't control her emotions anymore and her powers began to lift things around them without her noticing, even creating a forcefield around them. She opened her eyes and hastily pulled back her powers. Wanda winced in anticipation for a shock that wouldn't come. The two spies noticed and whispered to her.

“It’s okay, Wanda. You’re safe.”

“We’ve got you. Don’t worry.”

After a while, she was able to calm herself down enough and looked back up at them, her face shining with tears.

“Thank you.”

Clint smiled at her as Natasha pulled her in.

“Anytime.”

Chapter Text

Recoil:

It was raining when Vision got back to the compound in New York, landing inside as Tony and Rhodey came into view. They were in their suits flying straight for the landing pad as they spotted Vision. Tony stepped out of his suit as Rhodey followed suit, heading towards Vision, both with fire in their eyes. Rhodey reached him first, beginning the oncoming outburst.

“What the hell, Vizh?”

Tony glared at him as he led all three of them into the common area, safeguarding the room and privatizing their conversation. He went into the kitchen and grabbed some glasses along with a bottle of whiskey. As soon as they were all seated, Tony looked Vision in the eye and took a shot.

“When I gave you that phone, I thought you’d be at least a bit more careful.”

Rhodey entered with a heat of his own.

“Dude, the government’s all on us because of what you did. And Tony, what do you mean ‘gave him that phone?’ The one Steve sent with that Tony Stank guy?”

“Rhodes...I can explain.”

“You know what? That’s what you are. You stink, Mr. Stank, you suck.”

He began to die down a bit, unintelligible mutter spewing out of his mouth. Tony turned back to Vision and continued.

“Vizh, what’s going on with you? You left without telling us, the government spots you at the Raft and the UN is on our tails-”

“I do apologize, sir.”

“Damn right, you do.”

Rhodey looked back at them and sighed.

“We’ll talk later.”

He left the two of them to settle their dispute. Tony got up to get a beer, returning the glasses and whiskey, assuming he was the only one who was going to drink. Turning towards Vision, Tony clapped his hand onto his shoulder and stared him down before softening up.

“Look, whatever you’re doing, be careful. I’ve already lost most of the team to the Accords and well, I hope you’re not the next to jump ship because that would suck.”

With that, he walked out of the room, leaving Vision speechless. He sat in silence, contemplating about what had just happened when he remembered about the UN. Rushing to find the remote, Vision turned on the news.

Everything from positive ideas to conspiracy theories was being covered as he flipped through each of the channels. One argued upon his moral alignment while another suggested he was Ultron 2.0. He had come across that had interviewed Secretary Ross just hours earlier.

“Hello and welcome to Anderson Cooper 360. I’m Anderson Cooper, here today with a one-on-one interview with Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross from this morning’s series of responses to the suspicious sightings of the Avenger known as Vision at the Raft during the Rogue Avengers’ breakout.”

The screen changed and showed Cooper in a boardroom across Secretary Ross. What Vision was able to gather from the interview was that he was wanting to interrogate him and discover his motives. The government was suspicious of him and wouldn’t let him out of their sights until they were completely sure of his allegiances.

Vision had dug himself a hole to that would affect not just him but the Rogue Avengers and Wanda. He blanched as he took in what he had done. Vision realized he was so blinded by emotion that he had forgotten about the consequences.

What a mess it had become.

Later, in the evening, Tony had spoken to Rhodey and explained what had happened. He understood why they had done it but he was still slightly upset.

“Next time, lemme know, got it?”

They both agreed and he began to cook them dinner. Of course, Vision would not be partaking in it but Rhodey still made more than enough pasta for three of them. They were just finishing up when F.R.I.D.A.Y. brought them a message.

“Sir, Secretary Ross wishes to speak with you over a video-call. It’s an urgent matter.”

Tony sighed as he replied to F.R.I.D.A.Y.

“Bring it up.”

She proceeded to create a hologram screen of the call, displaying a frustrated and aggravated Ross. He was presently glaring at Tony and began to speak.

“Finally, Stark, you answer the calls. The UN is holding an emergency summit in Bali to discuss The Vision and the remaining Avengers. You and Colonel Rhodes are required to be there.”

His locked onto Vision and he proceeded to stare him down.

“And you have to go too. Be glad you aren’t in one of those cells yourself. Don’t you dare pull one of those stunts again and you’d better be prepared to explain yourself in front of the UN. One wrong move and you'll land yourself in that watery prison. This is your last chance.”

Glaring, Ross turned back to Tony and continued.

“Also, you’ll be escorting King T’Challa of Wakanda along with a small air force team. He signed the Accords and right now we need to know we can trust those that signed.”

With his final, pointed remark, Ross nodded and disconnected from the call. They all looked at each other as Tony rolled his eyes.

“I thought he couldn’t get any saltier but, hey look, I was wrong. Ross went from really salty to super salty.”

Salty? Vision was confused. How could a person be salty? Tony and Rhodey saw his expression, the former bursting into laughter while the latter chuckled and shook his head.

“Look, Vision, salty is a term which means a person is upset, hurt or grumpy. You know, like Tony over here.”

Tony looked mock offended while Vision nodded, adding it to his vocabulary.

“Secretary Ross does seem to fit these requirements, therefore he should be identified as salty.”

The two men smiled at him, glad he finally understood one of the millennial terms he had been introduced too.

Once, when Peter Parker had visited, he had attempted to explain what ‘spicy memes’ were to him, resulting in Vision’s utmost confusion.

Tony looked at them, realizing they should probably head out.

“Okay guys, go get ready for the UN council. I’ll call King Panther and we’ll fly to Wakanda before heading to Bali. We leave in half an hour, ‘kay?”

He walked away to the boardroom for his impromptu call while Rhodey went to pack a bag, leaving Vision in the kitchen. He knew this was the perfect opportunity to warn Captain Rogers and his team of the impending UN escort and headed off to his own room.

When Vision got there, he pulled out the same burner phone Tony had just recently lent to him and dialled the Captain.

“Hello?”

Vision quickly relayed the information to him. He told him of Secretary Ross’ response to the press and released an exasperated sigh when he told them they’d have enough time to prepare.

“Thanks for telling us, Vision. We'll leave as soon as we can.”

He hesitated before asking the Captain a quick question.

“…Steve, could I ask for a favour.”

“Sure, what do you need?”

“Could you pass a message along to Wanda for me?”

Vision could practically hear the smile in Steve’s voice when he replied.

“No problem, but make it quick. What do you want me to tell her?”

Chapter Text