Chapter 4: Broadcast

Cynthia and Jimmy head back towards the base camp and approach the now-gathering crowd of agents around the Director. Even if they were gone for what felt like a few minutes, the camp appears to have expanded further with new vehicles and tents being set up, along with a landing platform for incoming supplies and/or people.

Hayward is walking from the helicopter, ordering everyone around due to his high rank and trying to remain level-headed with the developing situation. He's handed a tablet with all the current information and he begins to tap and develop new instructions.

"All right. So, uh… In the meantime, one of you guys check in on Hutch, make sure he's ready to get those drones up in the air. Okay? Give him a hand. Thanks."

"His ambition feeds his ego does it not?" Cynthia smirks.

"I know plenty of guys like this. If the power didn't go straight to their heads, then maybe the world wouldn't be so corrupt and there wouldn't be a need for super-powered heroes or teams to save the day all the time," Jimmy mutters aloud. He realizes who he's talking to. "Sorry… I didn't mean to…"

"No offence taken," the young woman smiles. "Your anxiety around powered individuals is completely understandable, and I do agree with you wholeheartedly. Most things in life can be considered good, it's us humans and the decisions we make that cause corruption and evil... and sometimes it's those with the powers that bring the trouble... but that's neither here nor there at the moment."

Jimmy simply nods as Hayward approaches the two.

"Ms. Roberts, glad you made it all right."

"Same for you Agent Hayward."

"Director," the man corrects. "I see you've met Jimmy Woo. Always a pleasure."

"Director," the agent says, still giving the man respect, perhaps more than he deserved.

Cynthia then flicks her wrist and teleports Hayward's tablet into her hands.

"I imagine that these plans are to drive the drone into the anomaly?" Cynthia asks, scrolling through the images of S.W.O.R.D.'s latest drone designs. "Perhaps you should go with less conspicuous colours."

Hayward does a double-take before taking his tablet back quickly. Thunder is rumbling above and soon the rain comes. Cynthia and Jimmy follow the Director as he goes over to a group of agents who appear to be getting a man ready to enter the anomaly. The man is dressed in a hazmat suit and the crew has removed a manhole cover in preparation for the next phase of their plan. It would not take a psychic like Cynthia to know what they were planning.

"You good to go?" Hayward asks over the rain.

The man, Agent Franklin nods. "Yes, sir."

"These sewers will take you straight into town. Try to find anything you can on Rambeau," Hayward orders.

"Copy that," he says before beginning to climb down into a manhole in the street.

Another man uses a radio. "Agent Franklin. We're gonna keep this channel open for you.

"Copy."

"Keep me updated," the Director shouts over the rain before he and his apparent "entourage" head inside one of the main tents.

"Director Hayward, between you, me, and the bedpost, I am not confident about this mission," Jimmy says with concern.

"Thanks for the feedback, Jimmy. If only my drones were as forthcoming."

"There's no reason to suspect the perimeter doesn't extend subterraneously," the FBI agent points out.

"There's no reason to suspect it does."

Jimmy sighs. "We don't know about the nature of the threat to send another agent when the first is yet to return."

"Someone must miss you back in Quantico?" Hayward says

"No, sir. Softball season's over, sir." Jimmy fires back in annoyance.

The Director has had enough and turns to Agent Rodriguez, who is at a large set of computer monitors. "What do we have up?

"Radar, lidar, sodar, infrared," the woman replies.

"Cycle through. Will, someone get me a useful visual, damn it?"

Cynthia originally laughed at the men's banter and frowns at Hayward's more aggressive behaviour. She turns to look for something remotely more interesting. She hears the sounds of canned laughter like the ones from old sitcoms. She approaches the workstation of a woman… Dr. Darcy Lewis.

However, the moment she sees the images on screen she freezes and gasps.

"Wanda…Vision…"

Darcy looks up to see the young woman watching with her and wonders how she instantly knew the people on screen.

Jimmy and Hayward also notice the noise and come to investigate.

"What is that?" Hayward asks, just as shocked as Cynthia.

Meanwhile, on the television, Wanda Maximoff dressed in what one could assume was a 1950s version of lingerie asks Vision. "Can I see you in the kitchen, sweetheart?"

"Who's doing that?" the director asks.

"Who are those people?" the television continues.

Vision, in his human form, asks. "What are you wearing?"

"Why are they here?" Wanda fires back.

"What are you wearing?" the guardian of the Mind Stone insists.

"Well, it's our anniversary!"

"Our anniversary of what?"

"Well, if you don't know, I'm not going to tell you!"

"Is that…" Jimmy asks.

"Yeah, it looks like her," Darcy Lewis responds.

Cynthia remains transfixed and says nothing, tears slowly forming in her eyes.

"You move at the speed of sound, I can make a pen float. Who needs to abbreviate?" Wanda says.

"Look, I know it's been a crazy few years on this planet, but he's dead, right? Not blipped, dead," Darcy asks.

The words sting Cynthia hard and she just swallows, her hands curling into fists.

"Excellent plan. Where's the tenderizer?" the television continues.

"What am I looking at?" Director Hayward asks. "You?" He indicates Darcy, speaking to her very rudely, not even bothering to learn her name. "What is this? Where's this coming from?"

"Out there," the doctor says vaguely.

"You didn't answer the back door. For your upside-down cake. Oh! Hi, I…" the television continues.

"Is it authentic?" Hayward continues, now focusing solely on the broadcast, but ignoring the cliched banter of 1950s television shows.

"I'm not sure how to answer that," Darcy continues.

"Is it happening in real-time? Is it recorded, fabricated?"

"I don't know. I don't know. And I don't know," she answers bluntly.

"What do you know?"

"Well, my equipment registered an extremely high level of CMBR. That's…"

"Relic radiation dating back to the Big Bang." Hayward finishes.

"Yeah, entwined was a broadcast frequency. So, I had your goons pick me up a sweet vintage TV. And when I plug this bad boy in, voilà, sound and picture."

"Dinner is served," Wanda announces to her husband and dinner guests.

"So you're saying the universe created a sitcom starring two Avengers?" Jimmy asks in confusion.

Another character, an older woman appears on TV. "European." she chuckles.

"It's a working theory," Darcy says.

"Get me a transport back to headquarters now. Are we recording this?" Hayward asks, ready to move out with this new development.

"Never stopped" is the answer.

"I need immediate analysis. Now, people. Let's go!" the director calls out, leaving the trio still in front of the old-looking television.

"He's a charmer," Darcy mutters sarcastically, emulating Cynthia's accurate perception of him earlier.

"Great work," Jimmy says.

"Hey, thanks..."

The canned laughter on the soundtrack continues.

"Maybe I could get that coffee now?" When no one responds. "Or not. That's cool."

It's then that Jimmy notices how quiet the Avenger has been. He gently nudges her shoulder.

"Cynthia are you okay?"

"Who's the ghost?" Darcy asks. She was confused as to why there was this teenager on the base and why she looked like a deer in headlights. There was something off about the girl like she wasn't entirely human… no one had eyes that blue without contacts or hair that pale without it being dyed or heavily bleached.

"Cynthia Roberts, she's a member of the Avengers," Jimmy says, point to the girl's badge.

"Wow, no way," Darcy says, regretting her earlier comment. However, Cynthia doesn't seem to have heard her at all. "An actual Avenger."

"Trainee," Jimmy corrects.

The so-called Avenger trainee continues to stare at the screen as if hypnotized. It's then that both bystanders notice the tears in her eyes.

"Is she okay?" Darcy asks, but Jimmy has no further answers either.

"Vision…" Cynthia says quietly, tears filling her eyes. She reaches forward and touches the screen containing his form.

"You knew him?" Jimmy asks, trying to bring her back to reality.

"How long has it been since you've seen him?" Darcy asks.

"Years at the most… after Steve told me what happened with Thanos, I was heartbroken. I prayed that this version of the future didn't come true but… and Wanda… I can't imagine what she's gone through..."

"The future…" Jimmy asks, looking at Darcy in confusion. "Can you actually…?"

"He was often the only one who was there to comfort me when I had nightmares," she continues. It baffles the other two how vulnerable this warrior from a super-powered team sounds, like a little lost child recalling what had scared them so badly. "I usually stayed away from missions of any kind because my powers were so unpredictable, meaning I was alone when I had precognitive visions…"

"Precognitive?" Jimmy asks in confusion.

"It means she can see the future," Darcy explains, all but confirming that this chick can see the future.

"Multiple futures, all at once and god is it painful."

"Hell of a headache huh?" Darcy asks.

"You have no idea," Cynthia nods, forcing herself to smile. "No amount of Aspirin can help with it."

"So, if you can see the future, can you predict the next lottery numbers?" Jimmy asks, still skeptical of the whole thing.

Darcy smacks him for the comment as this was still a serious situation.

"They usually took the form of nightmares. I saw the fracturing of the Avengers… Thanos…the snap… the war… Tony's sacrifice… Anyways, Vision and I were usually at home base and whenever I woke up screaming, he'd come and try to help me. While he didn't understand what nightmares were or the kind of pain I was in, he was there to listen and provide the comfort I needed. He was also fascinated by my enhanced ability for empathy and wished to be near me more often to understand human emotions. It was kind of funny that the android who ran on logic ended up falling in love."

She points to Wanda on the screen as the episode on the television ends and the audience gives an 'Aw' for the couple affirming their vows.

The music begins to play over the credits, with Wanda and Vision smiling so happily.

"Aw," Darcy says along with the audience. "They look so happy."

"They were always meant for each other," Cynthia agrees. "They deserved happiness… it's just that Thanos ripped it all away."

"But how can Vision be alive again?" Darcy asks.

"I don't know… I know that Wanda is powerful, but she's not a god. No one… no matter the power should ever mess with death and resurrection…"

Cynthia then pauses and frowns.

"I need to go in there."