Hey guys SO sorry about the long wait! wouldn't let me post for some reason! Hopefully it works now, so enjoy!
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The first thing she noticed was the darkness.
Wanda searched all around her, but there was no trace of light to be seen. However, she didn't need to illuminate the area with her powers to know there were no objects around her. She would have been able to sense them.
That was when she noticed there was no floor.
Wanda knew the feeling of flight. She quite enjoyed the rush she received soaring above her fellow Avengers as they moved into battle. It made her feel free and confident. But this was nothing like that. She had no control here. She was floating aimlessly through a void of darkness, and it scared her. She felt trapped and helpless. She tried using her powers multiple times, but there was nothing around her to control. She was stuck.
"Wanda, can you hear me?"
It was Vision again, only this time his voice was more clear than Wanda had ever heard it before. He sounded as if he was right next to her, though Wanda couldn't sense his presence.
"I can hear you," she replied uncertainly.
"Thank goodness," Vision said, sounding relieved. "I have been trying to contact you for days, Wanda. The Avengers have been severely compromised."
"Compromised how?"
"A man who calls himself Mastermind has taken the Avengers captive and put your bodies in a catatonic state. He then used his powerful telepathic abilities to trap your minds in a parallel universe of his own creation. Nothing you have seen in the past few days has been real."
Wanda's eyes widened, and her heartbeat quickened its pace. It wasn't true. It couldn't be. It was impossible.
Wasn't it?
Suddenly, a flash of light appeared in front of her. Once her eyes adjusted to the sudden abuse, she saw a strange man in front of her. He couldn't have been human, with his purple skin and metallic composition. And though she was quite surprised by his unusual appearance, the biggest shock was that she could sense his mind even though she no longer had telepathy.
"I am sorry it took me so long to appear to you. Mastermind has constantly been strengthening his hold on you. I was just recently able to break through when you started working against him yourself."
"Why can I sense your mind? I was told I could no longer use my telepathy," Wanda questioned.
"Mastermind is a clever man. He knew allowing you to keep your telepathy would only result in giving you a way to break his hold on you and the other Avengers should you discover his treachery."
"If the lives we have now are false as you've said, what are our real ones like?" Wanda had a feeling she already knew the answer, but she desperately hoped she was wrong.
"I believe you will find all the answers you seek in my mind. I must warn you, however, you will find some things to be very upsetting," Vision warned gently. He sounded sympathetic, which only made Wanda more nervous. She took a deep breath, and slowly entered Vision's mind.
She quickly regretted it.
Buildings were crumbling. People were screaming. Fire consumed the world around her, its poisonous fumes invading her lungs and causing them to burn. And blood. Blood was present nearly everywhere she looked.
It was everything she feared.
Everything from her nightmare had been real. The destruction of Sokovia. The battle against Ultron. The death of Pietro. She searched deeper into Vision's mind in hope that she would find he was lying to her, but there was no trace of deception to be found. He was telling the truth. It had all really happened.
Wanda had never felt so violated. Who could be so cruel as to think he had the right to inject their souls with false happiness like this?
Clint and Natasha didn't own a gym; Steve wasn't director of SHIELD; Bruce wasn't a college professor; and, worst of all, Clint was the only one who was married and had kids. That meant the other children – Claire, Thalia, and Tony's unborn son – had never existed. They were merely puppets designed by Mastermind.
And so was Pietro.
The Pietro she had spent time with over the past few days – that had laughed with her at Thor's party, comforted her after her nightmare, and teased her about being a slow cook – had not been hers. Her Pietro was dead.
He was dead.
Wanda was sure she would have collapsed if she wasn't floating. The realization was just too horrible. Her twin brother was dead. He was the only family she had left, and he was gone. Tears of anguish filled her eyes and started making their way down her cheeks.
She didn't think she could live without him. Pietro had always been the one to take care of her, whether she had wanted him to or not. When they were twelve, they had had to sleep outside one night during the winter. Pietro had taken off his jacket and – despite Wanda's protests – wrapped it around her. He hadn't cared that it was one of the coldest nights of the year. He hadn't cared that it was snowing heavily. All he cared about was that Wanda was slightly warmer in the harsh weather. Of course, she had tried to give it back to him, but he had adamantly refused. A week later, he had gotten pneumonia. He most likely would have died if a Good Samaritan hadn't driven them to the hospital. Wanda remembered how she had felt while watching him fight for his life. He had been extremely weak, and his ashen skin had looked frighteningly similar to the white bedding. She had cried nearly constantly. She had been so afraid that he was going to die and leave her to face the cruel world alone.
And now he had.
"Wanda," Vision began, sympathy evident in his voice, "I cannot imagine the pain you are facing, but I must ask that you be strong. The Avengers need you to help them wake from their illusions. I, along with all the help I could muster, am working on freeing you all from the outside, but I need you to free everyone from the inside."
Wanda took a few deep breaths in order to gain control of her emotions. Vision was right. She could mourn later.
"What can I do?" she asked.
"Make the others believe all that I have told you. The lives they are currently living are not real."
"How am I supposed to do that? They already think my mind is broken!"
"You can do this, Wanda. I believe-"
Suddenly, Vision vanished. He reappeared a few moments later, but his form wasn't nearly as solid as before.
"Wanda," he said, his voice now sounding far away. "I don't have a lot of time. Mastermind has found me, and I cannot fight him much longer."
"But, Vision, I do not understand how I can make the other Avengers believe me!"
"Mastermind will try... convince... his world... real. Do not let...! Remember... truth!"
Vision's voice was scattered as his form continued to flicker, but Wanda was able to understand the gist of the warning. She was in for a fight.
In more ways than one.
Suddenly, a man appeared beside Vision. He was large and muscular with grey hair and deep, black eyes. The most frightening thing about him, however, was that he seemed to be encased in some sort of sparking green energy. Wanda yelled out a warning to Vision, but it was no use. The man put his hand through Vision's form, and it immediately dissolved into smoke.
Mastermind.
Though Wanda had never seen him before, she knew it must be him. Who else could have invaded her consciousness and driven Vision out with such ease?
He turned to face Wanda with a malicious look in his eyes. "Now, Wanda," he began, his voice filled with arrogance, "don't let what that bothersome robot said confuse you. It was just a dream. Everything is okay."
As he finished, he reached out towards Wanda. She instinctively summoned her powers to protect her, but they had no effect on Mastermind. His hand grabbed her head, and she found herself instantly paralyzed.
Then everything went black.
When Wanda next achieved consciousness, she was in her bedroom. Or, more accurately, the bedroom Mastermind had created for her. Wanda slowly sat up as she reflected on what had happened. The last thing she remembered was being paralyzed by the villain. She was positive his intentions were to brainwash her once again, so why did she still remember everything Vision had told her?
Just thinking about Mastermind and the massive task before her made her head ache. She had no idea what to do, and she had a feeling Vision would not be able to assist her again. She was completely on her own in a world created by her enemy.
Before she could come up with an answer, her door opened.
"Hello, Sleepy Head," Pietro said with a small smile, "are you feeling better?"
It took all of Wanda's willpower not to lose her composure. Seeing Pietro reminded her how hard it was going to be to wake up and have to live without him. Tears of grief began to fill her eyes, but Wanda blinked them away. She couldn't break down now. She had a job to do.
"I'm going out," she said coldly as she got out of bed.
Pietro looked confused. "Wanda, it is almost ten o'clock at night, and you can't drive."
"I can fly," Wanda replied. She grabbed her coat then pushed past Pietro.
Unsurprisingly, he was waiting for her the front door. "Wanda, let's talk about this," he said. "I'm sure wherever you want to go can wait until the morning."
He actually had the nerve to look worried about her, but Wanda knew it was just an act. He didn't really care about her. He wasn't even real.
"I will give you one chance to get out of my way," Wanda warned through gritted teeth. She wanted nothing more than to rip the imposter apart.
"Wanda, please, you're scaring me," Pietro begged. His emotion seemed so real Wanda almost believed him. Almost.
"You are not my brother," she hissed. As Wanda summoned her powers, she saw Pietro's eyes widen. He begged her to stop and think about what she was doing. If she didn't know better, she would've thought he even had tears in his eyes.
She told herself she didn't care. That he wasn't her brother and therefore didn't deserve her sympathy. She intensified her focus on her powers and threw Pietro into the next room. She heard him scream in pain as he collided with something – probably the dining room table – but she didn't allow herself to look. She heard him feebly call out her name once more before she took off into the open sky.
She landed behind a convenience store several miles away. It was becoming harder to keep herself together, but she was determined not to succumb to her emotions. The other Avengers needed her.
If only she knew where they lived.
Wanda almost punched a nearby wall in frustration. She wished she had paid better attention when Pietro had driven them to Thor's house, but unfortunately she had no idea how to reach him or any of her other teammates. She walked around to the front of the store, hoping to find something that could help her. The first thing to catch her eye was a payphone.
In the real world, Wanda knew several of the Avengers' cell phone numbers by heart. But wouldn't they be different in this universe? Mastermind seemed to keep many small details from their actual lives in order to make his illusion more believable. Perhaps he wouldn't change their phone numbers.
She decided it was worth a try. Since she didn't have any money, she used her powers to rig the payphone. When the dial tone came on, Wanda contemplated whom she should call. The first person she thought of was Clint. Clint seemed like the perfect choice. His life had been changed the least by Mastermind, so Wanda figured he was most likely to believe her. Also, he was the Avenger Wanda had grown closet to during her time on the team. She thought of the moment during their battle against Ultron where he had first inspired her to be an Avenger. She had wanted to hide from the terrible situation she had helped create, but he had convinced her to fight instead. He had always supported her and encouraged her.
Wanda nervously dialed Clint's number, hoping desperately it would work.
"Hello?"
Wanda could have cried in relief. She had never been so happy to hear Clint Barton's voice.
"Clint, it's Wanda," she said.
"Wanda? Where are you? Pietro called and said you took off. Everyone's out looking for you."
"Clint, you have to listen to me. I will tell you where I am, but you must not tell Pietro."
"But, Wanda, he's worried sick about-"
"I do not care!" Wanda replied sharply, the words coming out more harshly than she intended. She took a deep breath before continuing. "This is very important, Clint. Can I trust you?"
Clint paused for a moment, as if he were considering Wanda's plea. "Okay, Wanda," he responded finally. "Where are you?"
Wanda narrowed her eyes and searched for a street sign. "I am in front of a convenient store at the corner of Wilson Street and Baker Street."
"I know where that is," Clint said. "Just hang tight. I'll be there in twenty minutes."
As she waited for Clint to arrive, Wanda found herself getting very impatient. She didn't like waiting. Waiting meant thinking, and she didn't want to think. She just wanted the whole thing to be over so she could properly mourn for her brother. Again.
She only hoped Clint would believe her.
When he finally pulled up to the store, Wanda was more than thankful. "You look like you could use some ice cream," he observed. "There's a diner a few blocks away. Get in the car and I'll buy you a sundae while you tell me what's going on."
Wanda nodded and did as she was instructed. She wasn't surprised at all that Clint had suggested ice cream. The frozen treat seemed to be his solution to nearly all of life's problems. The fact that Mastermind had thought to include even this small detail reminded Wanda of just how carefully he had crafted his world. She didn't say another word until they were both seated in a corner booth with large hot fudge sundaes in front of them.
"Okay, Wanda," Clint said, looking expectantly at her. "What's on your mind?"
"Nothing is real," she replied, staring at her sundae. When Barton didn't answer immediately, she slowly looked up.
As she suspected, he looked confused.
"What do you mean, 'nothing is real'?" he finally asked.
Wanda took a deep breath then explained everything she knew about what Mastermind had done to them. She didn't leave out a single detail no matter how painful it was to recount. Her voice broke when she got to Pietro's death, but she managed to keep the tears at bay.
Clint never interrupted her. He simply sat back with his arms crossed and a conflicted look on his face, his sundae long forgotten. Wanda wondered how hard Mastermind was having to work to stay in control of his mind. She knew he had overcome mind control before, so she hoped Clint could find a way to overcome the villain's illusions.
When she finally finished, a stiff silence fell over the two. Wanda was tempted to look inside his mind to see what was going on, but then she remembered she was back in Mastermind's world where using her telepathy equaled terrible pain. Not something she was too eager to experience again.
She just wished that he would give her some indication as to what he was thinking.
"So what you're saying is," Clint began uncertainly, "this robot named Vision came to you in a dream and told you that everything around you is fake and that the happy lives we are currently living are the result of this guy Mastermind screwing with our heads?"
Wanda sighed. It did sound pretty crazy.
Clint continued. "And I'm the only who actually has a family? The others' just don't exist?"
"I know it is hard to believe, Clint," Wanda said, "but it's the truth. I know it is. I would show you, but Mastermind has disabled my telepathy. You're going to have to trust me."
"Wanda, I'd trust you with my life any day of the week. We all would. But this... This is huge. We're talking earth-shattering, not to mention heart-breaking. If this were true –"
"It is!" Wanda pressed. "Tell me, Clint. What is Nathaniel's second name?"
"Bernard, after my older brother," replied Clint, "but I don't see how that's relevant to the situation, Wanda."
"It's Pietro."
"What?" questioned Clint, confusion oozing into his tone.
"Nathaniel's second name is Pietro. Not Bernard," Wanda clarified.
Barton seemed caught off guard. "Why would I name my son after your brother?"
"Because remember how I mentioned Pietro died during our battle against Ultron? He was killed saving you."
Clint sighed. "Wanda…"
"Clint, I know this is hard to believe. If I were in your position, I probably wouldn't believe me either. But please, you have to find a way to see the truth. Can you really say that nothing feels off?"
"I'm sorry, Wanda, but you haven't shown me any real proof. If you want me to go tell all of my best friends that their families don't exist, I'm going to need something more concrete."
"Fine," Wanda said sharply. She knew she would most likely regret what she was about to do, but she didn't see any other way to convince Clint of the truth. She closed her eyes, and slowly imagined a red hand slithering from her mind and grabbing onto Clint's.
The pain started immediately.
Wanda couldn't stop the cry of agony that erupted from her throat. It felt as if someone was hammering nails into her skull.
"Wanda, stop!" she heard Clint yelling at her. She couldn't stop though. She had to make him see the truth. Dark spots started dancing across her vision, but she persevered.
"Wanda, I believe you! Please stop!"
Wait.
Did Clint jut say he believed her?
Wanda ceased trying to use her telepathy. The pain faded, and she slowly looked up at her friend.
"Y-you believe me?" she asked, hoping desperately that she had heard him right.
"I saw something when you tried using your telepathy," Clint admitted. "Some things are still pretty fuzzy, but I've seen enough to know you're definitely on to something."
Wanda sighed in relief, the dizziness and residual pain quickly pushed aside. He believed her. He actually believed her.
"So what's our next move?" he asked.
"I don't know," she confessed. "To be honest, I wasn't sure I would get this far."
But she had. She had achieved the first step in getting them home. Now that Clint was on her side, everything seemed much more manageable.
Clint nodded in acceptance. "I suggest the first thing we do is go back to your house and interrogate Pietro. Since he's obviously a creation of Mastermind, maybe he give can tell us a way to get out of this hellhole."
Wanda raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't we try to get the others on our side first?"
"Telling the others their entire lives are a lie is probably not the best idea. At least not yet. I mean, I'm barely holding it together, and my wife and kids actually exist."
"You have a point," Wanda conceded, "but how can we be sure he will tell us anything? I cannot control him here."
"Trust me. I have my ways of getting people to talk," Clint assured, his eyes darkening just enough for Wanda to notice.
She mentally gulped. Here she was about to go interrogate – and probably torture – her own twin brother. She kept reminding herself he was fake, but the comfort he had provided her the night she had first encountered Vision had not been. She could still feel the warmness of his embrace as he held her tightly. She could still hear his soothing voice as he assured her all the bad things were a merely a dream, and that everything would be okay. He had actually made her feel safe and loved, and real or not, she truly didn't want to cause her brother any pain.
Clint must have noticed her reluctance because he reached over and gently grabbed her hand. "Everything is going to be fine, Wanda," he promised, the darkness in his eyes replaced completely by concern.
"I know," she whispered.
"Good," he smiled. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. "You go ahead and wait in the car. I'm going to go wash up."
Wanda nodded in response and slowly slid out of the booth. As she got in the car and waited for Clint, a feeling of uneasiness swept through her. She didn't know where it came from, but it told her something was very wrong.
"Everything about this is wrong," she reminded herself. She did her best to ignore the feeling and hoped the whole ordeal would be over soon.
Clint came out a couple minutes later. When he got in the car, Wanda immediately noticed something was off. She wasn't sure what it was, but it allowed that uneasy feeling to return to the front of Wanda's mind.
"Are you ready?" he asked. Wanda could hear sadness and even a little regret in his voice, but she attributed that to the great sense of loss he was probably feeling.
"I am if you are," she replied.
The sixteen minute drive was burdened with a heavy silence. Clint didn't seem to want to talk anymore, and Wanda didn't try to make him. He really seemed to be struggling with the whole situation. Wanda didn't blame him. She was struggling just as much if not more.
When they finally arrived, Clint visibly stiffened.
"What's wrong?" Wanda questioned.
"Wanda, whatever happens, I just want you to know that I really care about you. We all do, okay?"
Wanda was getting nervous. "Clint, what's going on?"
"I'm just not sure how this whole thing is gonna go down," he admitted with a sigh.
"Me neither, but the important thing is we stick together. I don't think I could do this without you."
Wanda's words were meant to be encouraging, but Clint seemed to feel worse after hearing them. He wouldn't even look her in the eye. Now Wanda really missed her telepathy. Something was definitely off with her friend.
Clint threw his door open. "Let's get this over with," he said with hardened resolve.
"Are we just going to walk in the front door?" Wanda asked as she got out of the car.
Barton nodded. "There's no point in being secretive. You can keep him from running away, right?"
Wanda paused. She had never thought about using her powers against Pietro. Sure, she had thrown him out of her way earlier, but that had been different. He hadn't been moving. It would take a lot more energy to hold him if he tried to run away. Energy Wanda wasn't sure she had.
"I will do my best, but you'll need to tie him up quickly," she answered.
As they reached the front door, Wanda's anxiety grew. Every instinct she had told her to run away. Clint, she noticed, now walked as if a giant burden rested on his shoulders. When they reached the front door he looked to Wanda, and she assured him it was unlocked.
"We'll go in together," he said. Wanda nodded in agreement then watched Clint slowly open the door.
When they reached the living room, Wanda was surprised to see the rest of her teammates waiting for her. Pietro was there too. His arm was in a sling, and he had a butterfly bandage on his forehead. His eye was bruised a deep purple. She briefly felt guilty for injuring her brother, but then she remembered the situation she was in. She looked around at her fellow Avengers, but there was no levity like the last time they were all together. It had been replaced with a tense silence.
"What's going on?" Wanda demanded. She was beginning to regret not listening to her instincts. She looked to Clint, but he quickly averted his eyes.
He had led her into a trap.
It all made sense now. He must have called them all while in the restroom. He had never really believed her. Or if he had, Mastermind had quickly regained control and fixed that. What exactly happened didn't matter though. All that mattered was she was standing in a room with a bunch of people who probably thought she was crazy.
"Wanda, we need to talk," Steve began softly.
"How did you guys even get here? I didn't see any of your cars," Wanda questioned, trying to stall. She knew exactly what they wanted to talk about.
"We parked down the street, but that's not important right now," Tony said sternly. The seriousness of his voice caught Wanda off guard. Tony Stark was never this serious. Even in the heat of battle he cracked jokes. That was definitely not a good sign.
Pietro stood up. "Look, Wanda, we just want to help you. I know you are under the impression that nothing around you is real, but –"
"Stop it!" Wanda exclaimed, her eyes glowing red. "Mastermind may have everyone else fooled, but I know you are nothing but a puppet of his creation! How dare you masquerade as my brother and pretend to care about me!"
She went on to call him every insulting name she knew in both Sokovian and English. When she finished, everyone else was staring at her in shocked silence.
She turned to her fellow Avengers. "You must believe me," she begged. "Mastermind has control over you, but you have to fight it! Please!"
"Wanda, you need help," Bruce said, his voice full of worry.
"I am not crazy! I know what is real!"
"We know you're not crazy, Wanda," Natasha assured. "But you are sick, and there are people who can help you get through it."
Wanda froze. Surely Natasha didn't mean...
"What kind of people?" she asked shakily.
"There's a quinjet on its way to take you to a nearby SHIELD facility for psychiatric treatment," Steve explained. He seemed to hate himself more with each word. "They're going to run some tests, and then they're going to get you the help that you need."
Wanda shook her head. This couldn't be happening. She couldn't believe they would do this. She kept telling herself Mastermind was making them do it, but she had never felt so betrayed. It felt like her heart was being ripped right out of her chest.
"How could you all?" she questioned, tears burning behind her eyes. "I am your friend! We're supposed to be a team – a family! You're supposed to trust me!"
"We are going to be with you every step of the way," Thor spoke up. "I give you my word that no harm will come to you."
"But I am telling you the truth! None of this life is real!"
Suddenly, Wanda heard the whirring sounds of a quinjet landing in the street. She didn't have much time left. She didn't know why, but she had a grave feeling that if she went to SHIELD it would all be over. Mastermind would win.
"This is only temporary, Wanda. I still love you. We all do. We just want you to get better," Pietro said sincerely. He put his free hand on her shoulder, but she quickly jerked away.
"No," Wanda shook her head. "I'm not going. You can't make me!"
"Wanda, please don't fight. The sooner you cooperate, the sooner they can help you," Clint pleaded.
There was a knock on the door.
Wanda had to get out of there. She started running towards the kitchen, but Pietro blocked her way. She turned around and ran the other direction only to be grabbed by Thor.
"We are only doing what we feel is best for you, Wanda," he said gently. "Please do not hate us."
She tried to pry herself from his grasp, but she was no match for his Asgardian strength. Desperate for a way out, Wanda used her powers. Thor was thrown across the room and crashed into Bruce. She tried to use the chaos as a way to cover her escape, but it was no use. Before she could take three steps towards the door, she was grabbed once again. This time by two SHIELD agents. They slammed her down on a gurney and restrained her wrists. Wanda tried using her powers to free herself, but she quickly discovered the restraints were programmed to electrocute her whenever she released energy. So much for not letting them hurt her.
"Please, don't do this," she cried, tears from both the physical and emotional pain streaming down her cheeks. "I'm not crazy! Please, I'm not crazy!"
"Don't worry, Ms. Maximoff, we are going to take good care of you," a somewhat familiar voice said from behind Wanda. She stop struggling long enough to look at the voice's owner as he came into view.
It was Mastermind.
"No, no, no," Wanda chanted. She looked desperately to her fellow Avengers. "You can't let him take me. Please, you can't! It's Mastermind!" She was practically screaming at this point, but she didn't care.
"Wanda, please calm down," Steve begged. "This is Dr. Jason Wyngarde, one of the best psychiatrists in the world. He's going to help you."
"No, it's him! It's Mastermind! You have to listen to me!" Wanda was struggling now more than ever. She couldn't let Mastermind take her. Not without a fight. She tried using her powers again and again until she almost passed out from the pain the electricity caused. She felt utterly helpless.
"We'd better get her out of here before she seriously injures herself or someone else," she vaguely heard Mastermind say. She felt the gurney start to move, which only increased her panic.
"No! You can't let him take me! Don't let him take me!" she continued to scream. "I trusted all of you! We were a family! If you love me at all, please don't let him take me!"
She looked up at her friends as the agents rolled her to the quinjet. Bruce was holding Natasha. Tony was covering his eyes with his hand while Thor simply stared at the ground. Steve was comforting Pietro, who looked like he might cry, and Clint looked like he absolutely despised himself. But despite their feelings, not one of them stepped forth to save her.
They were handing her over to the enemy.
Suddenly, Wanda had an idea. It was a long shot, but it was her only chance. She had to make them see the truth. She took a deep breath and prepared herself for the hell she was about to go through. Then, using all the energy she had left, she summoned her telepathy.