Wanda switched on the kettle and looked through the small selection of complimentary tea bags as she waited for the kettle to boil. Deciding that peppermint might calm her nerves, she dropped it into the mug before moving over to the window to open the curtains of the hotel room.
Where are you?
A wave of disappointment washed over her as she thought about how little progress she had made. For three days she had been searching, and nothing. She could sense him out there somewhere, but she couldn't get a lock on him amongst the thousands of other busy minds.
What did you expect? To run into him in front of Starbucks? Maybe she should have thought this through more before dropping everything and flying halfway across the world...
"I'm sure he's fine." She murmured, trying to ease her heartbeat. Ever since she had stepped off the bus on Prince's Street, there had been a put in her stomach, and her heart had been beating a little faster than normal, constantly. It felt as though a panicked bird was trapped inside her ribcage. She was worried about Vision, yes, but that wasn't all.
She used to love Edinburgh. She loved the cobblestone streets and the rain, the history and beautiful buildings. Some of her most treasured memories with Vision had happened here. Now though, all Wanda could think about was the attack. She raised her hand to trace the faint scar above her eyebrow. She was still unsure whether it was from being thrown through the window, or whether the alien woman had caught her with her spear...
She was so distracted trying to remember this little detail, so when her phone began to ring, she nearly jumped a foot.
"Hey, Sam -" she frowned. "Isn't it five am in America right now?"
There was a tired chuckle on the other end of the phone. "We got called out at two in the morning, just got back. Don't worry - we just foiled a robbery from the biggest bank in New York."
"Robbers? What a boring mission. How was it? You're both okay?"
"We're good. No cuts or scrapes with this one. I thought I might as well check in with you before I go back to bed, seeing as it's morning in Scotland. Bucky would say hi, but you know what old men are like - he's out like a light."
"Tell him I said hi when he wakes up. How is Goose?"
"Crookshanks is fine. He's glaring at me right now." There was a pause as Sam's tone grew serious. "So how's it going? By the sound of you, you haven't found Vision yet."
"Well..." So far, Wanda had been to the castle, the train station, and she had walked dozens of streets. "I've been to places we went to, places that should hold some significance to him."
"And?"
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." She covered her forehead with a hand. "I'm an idiot, aren't I? I should have made a plan of some kind... "
"No, you're not. Anyone in your shoes would do exactly what you're doing now."
"I'm an idiot for not thinking this through. I'm on a wild goose chase, and I didn't think it would bother me being back here, but it does..."
"Hey, it's only been three days - it was never going to be an easy task. Try not to think about what happened, and I know, that's easier said than done. But I'm sure he's alright, and that's the most important thing. I'm sure you'll find him soon."
"I hope so." She cradled her tea in her hands, looking into the streets. The day outside was grey and icy, puddles frozen over from the frosty night before. Where has he been sleeping? Is he still sleeping on roofs? Had he been sleeping rough in the freezing nights? Vision couldn't be physically harmed by cold temperatures like a normal person, but he would certainly feel it.
Wanda knew how it felt to sleep rough. She and Pietro had been homeless for most of their teenage years and adulthood. Winters in Sokovia were dangerously cold, and they would huddle together under discarded blankets, trying to stay warm. She had been lucky - at least she had Pietro. Vision had nobody...
"Wanda? Still there?"
"Yes, sorry... what did you say?"
"I'll let you get on with your search, because my battery's dying. And also, a heads up. We had a call from Ross. He was wondering why you weren't with us for the robbery, so like you said, I told him you're on vacation. He's not happy, so I'd expect a hologram call from him when you come back." Wanda rolled her eyes.
"Is he ever happy?"
"It's because he's scared of you."
"Good." Wanda said, before a thought came to her. "Sam, before you go, have you heard anything from Josephine?"
"No, not at all, nothing from Siren. Why?"
"I don't know. Just a feeling..."
Vision stood in an exhibit, hands in his pockets, looking at a rather frightening wax figure of a Scottish soldier in battle with a Roman invader. People took pictures and stopped to look at it around him, oblivious and not taking much notice of him.
Getting into the museum was easy. He found that if he decreased his density enough, he was barely visible as he phased through walls and past security. Being careful not to phase directly into the line of sight of cameras or people, he had spent the last few days wandering through Edinburgh - growing more and more frustrated.
Wandering aimlessly through a city, alone, could actually be rather boring when he wasn't remembering anything. No matter how many streets he walked or tourist attractions he snuck into, no more actual memories were coming to him. Occasionally he would hear a single question or fragment of a conversation whisper to him, but he didn't see any images to go with them. It was like he could hear the memories, but not see them.
Think. He pushed his mind, desperately searching for something, anything. Today he wasn't concerned by actually trying to remember things - he wanted to know what had caused the lines in his head. He had developed an obsession with the mark, and namely, how he came to be this way - how he had lost his memory.
Vision may have had a supercomputer brain, but it didn't take a genius to figure out a morbid possibility. This possibility, being that he had died and come back to life somehow. It was a horrifying idea, and he didn't want to believe it. But it explained his apparent amnesia, how everything before he woke up surrounded by scientists was black...
The fruit stall owner had said two things that were troubling him. One, the casual comment about a birthmark being the cause of death in a previous life. It wasn't a birthmark, more of a scar, but what if it was true?
He didn't believe in superstition, his mind was one of logic, but there was no other explanation for his memory loss. His first thought was that Wanda had been the one to end his life. The image of her doing just that was enough proof...
"Excuse me sir, are you alright? You've been standing there an awfully long time."
"I'm fine, thank you." Vision replied, and the staff member hesitated before turning and walking away. Realizing how long he had been lost in thought for, he quickly headed in the opposite direction. He ducked behind a cabinet, glanced about for any cameras, before phasing through the wall.
Vision cautiously stuck his head outside, glancing up and down. Once he was happy he was alone, he stepped out into the alley way.
He trudged down the thin alley, arms folded to try and maintain some warmth. He looked about his surroundings - at the end of the alley people hurried past, ignoring the insignificant side street full of bins and trash. He stepped over a broken bottle, only to gasp in surprise when a fox dived out from under a bin, a few feet in front of him.
The fox leapt onto a trash container, before frantically jumping onto the wall and disappearing from view. Vision shook his head, hand on his chest, absent mindedly looking at the container the fox had jumped onto. He came to a stop, a piece of glass crunching under his shoe. He tilted his head to see it better.
There was a sentence written in bold. One word was, 'Decimation'.
He kept hearing that word in conversation as he passed people. It was a headline on a newspaper sticking out from underneath the bins, sodden and grey from rainwater. Looking around first, Vision went over to the container and pulled out the newspaper. It had struggled to survive the elements, but he could still read it.
The faded letters were hard to read, blurred by rainwater and running ink. Vision narrowed his eyes, managing to make out a single word. The word was, 'Thanos'.
Vision dropped the newspaper as the stone blazed sharply.
As Vision remembered that name, Wanda found herself standing in front of a jewellery shop. She stared at it in confusion, before putting two and two together. The kebab shop was now a jeweller's; like so many other shops, it had probably been shut down and boarded up for five years.
They had stood here. The television screen was gone. There were now shelves draped with blue velvet, silver and gold jewerelly on display with small white cards showing the prices. This was where their hidden, comfortable life had come to a brutal end. Where the both of them had been dragged into the fiery flames of hell by a blade forged in outer space.
Suddenly Wanda was consumed by a desperation. In that moment all she wanted was to speak to Vision, to at least hear his voice. She closed her eyes tightly, casting out her mind yet again, calling out to him. Please. Answer me.
"Vision?" There it was, her voice. Vision looked around like a lost child, wincing through the pain of the stone. He kept hearing her voice, but it was louder this time. As if she were closer. He wondered what would happen if he answered. Probably nothing.
"Wanda?"
Wanda had already began walking away from the street, thinking her attempt was in vain. She stopped abruptly, hearing Vision's voice. Was that her imagination, or was he responding to her? "Can you hear me?"
Vision froze. That wasn't another memory. That was her voice, right now, inside his head. "You're - you're speaking to me? How did you find me?" A mixture of fear and confusion washed over him. What was she doing here?
"Look. I know this must be confusing, but - hear me out. I know what you remember might say otherwise, but I don't want to hurt you."
"Who are you? What do you want?"
"I was your friend, before those scientists... I just need to know you're alright. I can help you. Where are you?" Vision paused. His mind screamed no, that she was dangerous - he saw her in his mind again, forcing her powers into his head until he cracked. But something inside him wanted to see her. She could give him answers...
"How do I know this isn't a trap?"
"It's not a trap, I promise. It's just me, nobody else."
It could be a lie. He remembered when she released him from the collar. Even with feet of space between them he could sense her power, knew she didn't need anyone else to trap or kill him. She could do it single handedly. But she sounded so... scared. Pleading, almost.
"If you come to me, I'll tell you everything you want to know. Please, Vizh. Give me a chance to explain."
Vizh. Vision felt something within him stir, like a lightbulb being switched on. He hesitated, before he responded.
"Where will you be?"
