The quinjet shuddered with turbulence. "We're just over Kenya now. Won't be much longer. I'd say no more than ten minutes." Nat glanced over her shoulder at Wanda, who nodded. She turned back to Vision, pressing her hand to the damaged portion of his upper chest. He offered her a smile, but it was clearly forced.
"How's the pain?" She asked.
"Not bad."
He could feel every broken wire and it hurt to breathe. But he couldn't let her know that. And with her hand pressed to the damaged portion of his upper chest, it didn't feel so bad... Wanda once again raised a hand, and a few red sparks entered his side. She muttered in irritation when there was little change. "Damnit. It's not having it..."
"Wanda..."
"I'm sure once this is over and the stone is out, they'll be able to fix this." Wanda said. "They're brilliant."
"They are." Vision agreed, with forced optimism. "I need to talk to you -"
"I've patched it up as best as I -"
"At least think about it." Her green eyes moved from his damaged torso to his face. She glanced over her shoulder, where Steve, Natasha, Sam and Bruce were crowding in the cockpit, pretending to be fiddling with the controls, when really they were giving them space. She pursed her lips and her eyes casted downwards.
"We're not discussing it because it won't happen."
"You can't keep denying it. My life is nothing - "
"Don't say that. It's everything to me." Wanda said, fiercely. "Why are we even talking about this? We'll be in Wakanda soon." Vision went to protest once more, but she cut him off. "Do you have any idea what you're asking me to do? And what will I do then? When you're gone?"
The pain in Vision's chest grew worse. He looked behind her, where Sam, Steve, Nat, Rhodey and Bruce were pretending to fiddle the controls and examine the map, so they could have some privacy. "You won't be alone." Wanda followed his gaze and shook her head.
"You know it won't be the same."
"But if it comes down to it, and we have no other option..."
"Promise me." she interrupted. "Promise me you won't bring this up again. I can't do it. Promise me, Vision."
"Wanda?"
She blinked and looked away from the jet ceiling, to find Vision's face hovered over hers, creased with worry. Where was she, again? Where were they going? "What?"
"How's the pain?"
"Spectacular." She said, drearily. Her lower stomach felt as if it were full of glass, and every breath reminded her how much it hurt. Her entire body felt heavy and not there at the same time, as if she were in a dream. She felt like she were dreaming... I'd like to wake up now...
He tried to take her mind off it. "I think we owe Bucky a new sweater. But I think it's stopped... oh, no." He frowned and pressed it back, as a little more blood welled up. Wanda winced, biting her sleeve.
"I really liked these jeans, too." The red stain almost reached her knees. "I wonder if it'll wash out... " Vision forced another smile for her. Inside, he was registering that Wanda had lost enough blood to become delirious.
The hour dragged by. Vision inched upwards to look out of the window; a sheet of desert sand swept out as far as he could see. "We must be over the Sahara."
"Imagine if we crashed here?" Wanda said, absent mindedly. "We would be in trouble..." Her eyes moved back to the jet ceiling, and the amusement slowly died. A shadow casted over her face. She started to talk, both to herself and to him. It was like she was wondering aloud. "They were going to capture us all. Lock us all away again. The Raft is probably all set up for me..."
"I wouldn't let that happen." Vision promised. His free hand moved to her wrist, his fingertips slowly inching across the straitjacket scar. Wanda didn't bother trying to conceal it this time.
"I don't suppose you remember how I got that, do you?"
"It became infected."
"From...?" She looked disappointed when he shook his head. His eyes moved to the sunken grey scar on the side of her neck. "I had a collar too." Wanda chuckled, as if something so horrifying was funny.
"Oh, Wanda..."
"Don't. Please." Her eyes slipped shut again. He scooped up her hand in his. "Stay with me."
"You said that to me in Edinburgh." She mumbled, sounding so tired.
"Tell me about Scotland." He needed her to keep talking - the most important thing was to keep her awake. "Fill in the blank spaces for me."
Wanda couldn't remember much else. Her mind obsessively replayed the night where those two aliens came for the stone, or precious, romantic moments the new Vision couldn't know about. What about the castle?
"We snuck into Edinburgh castle one time after dark. We flew in while there were no tourists around, dodged some security guards, and then we just sat in one of the towers and watched the city from overhead, lit up at night. It was beautiful... but Natasha and Steve had a fit when they found out. Said we were reckless and could have been caught..."
"How did Sam react?"
"He was impressed and asked us how it went. Nat smacked him over the head with a newspaper." Her eyelids sagged.
"What did you like most about it?"
"I loved a lot of things. It was pretty. I loved the cold, the snow, the cobblestone streets. Both of us loved the rain... the sound of it on the windows at night. The best feeling in the world is laying in bed while it rains, and it's completely dark outside. Like we were all that existed in those moments. But I think what I loved most about it was you."
The door to Vision's memory creaked open a fraction. Loved. They were walking down streets. She was laughing, walking as close to him as possible. There was a version of Waverley Station in the daylight, as he stepped off a train in his human form. There hadn't a crater in his torso, and he had been holding some flowers. She ran for him, not to protect him, but to hug him. Other passengers had been grumbling as they shuffled onto the platform, trying to get around them as they took up space; but Vision didn't care. Nothing else mattered when he was with her...
"Roses." Vision said. "Red ones."
"That's right. The most beautiful and shockingly expensive of all flowers."
"It wasn't my money to spend, so..." Wanda laughed, and Vision couldn't help but smile. "They were your favourite. If Tony were still alive I'd find a way to repay him..." His smile slowly faded. He knew Tony was dead; but until now, he didn't have enough memories to know he missed him. Wanda gently squeezed his hand.
"Wherever I went, the place came to life when you were there with me. I missed you every moment you weren't there. Your visits gave me something to look forward to." Her eyelids sagged again. "I never imagined I'd lose you."
"You haven't. I'm here."
"Are you?" She murmured, distantly. Her grasp on his hand loosened.
"I know I'm not who I used to be... but one day I will be. And even if I wasn't... you would have Sam and Bucky, and the others..."
"It wouldn't be the same." Wanda didn't look good. Her gaze had returned to sit vacantly on the ceiling. "This reminds me." She murmured. "This is just like last time, when we flew you to Wakanda. Only you were the one who was hurt." Her voice thickened. "It was worse than what I've told you... I'm sorry I didn't tell you..."
"You've lost a lot of blood. You're not thinking clearly..." Without warning, her wound started to bleed again. Vision frantically pressed the sweater into it.
Why was time going by so slowly?
Vision kept getting up to check the map; each time he returned to Wanda he had to shake her awake again. She was finding it harder and harder to stay conscious.
"I'm fine. I just want to sleep..."
"You've lost over a litre of blood. You have to stay awake. We're a few minutes away now." It had to be more than a litre. The bench was sticky with her blood, trails of it dripping down the side. The smell of it was everywhere, metallic, like rust. "You keep saying you're fine. I know you're not."
Wanda's eyes stretched open again. She had only said it once throughout the whole flight. "I don't want to talk about it. You can't help me."
Her eyes closed. "Wanda? Stay awake, please..." She didn't respond, even when he shook her frantically. The jet controls began to flash; approaching barrier. Vision tore himself away from her; they were flying over rolling savannah toward a rainforest. The trees raced closer.
Is this right? It was an amazing illusion. No wonder Wakanda had stayed so well hidden. It looked so convincing. Almost real...
The leaves raced toward the windscreen. Vision could see them moving in the breeze. His hand twitched toward the controls, wondering if it was too late to swerve. In a brief moment of doubt and panic he closed him eyes, waiting for the thunderous crash of tonnes of metal hitting a dense jungle canopy, but the jet flew smoothly and didn't even shudder. He opened them and a thousand pictures flashed through his mind at the time they did through his eyes.
Almost immediately, there was an incoming call on screen. A woman appeared. She stared at him through the screen, silent, looking so confused it was almost comical. Someone called out in the background.
"Who is it, Okoye?"
"...You're alive?"
The jet was turning and flying of it's own accord as somebody else took over the controls. They were being flown swiftly over the city and toward a mountain.
Vision lifted her from the bench. She was a deadweight in his arms, her entire body limp; there was barely a heartbeat left. Very briefly, she stirred. "You're warm." She murmured.
Wanda was floating. Colour and lights flashed behind her closed eyelids. Was that Okoye's voice?
"Bring her in, quickly! What did this to her?"
"We'll take her into surgery now... I need blood, and -" Shuri's voice faded away. She couldn't hear much now, but she could feel Vision, his hand still in hers. Where were they, again?
"I'll be right here when you wake up."
This was the last thing Wanda heard before she fell into dizzying blackness.
