The opportunity eventually presented itself – but not in a way that one might have expected.
It was a sunny day ; Myshkin was in Stark's lab earlier than usually – having no official existence in this Universe (his self-version here wasn't supposed to have a twin brother), he was temporally housed in one of Tony's secondary residences, not far from Stark's home – and when Tony entered the room, he caught him sticking a perf needle in his arm.
"It'll kill you, you know ? But I've already said it before…"
Myshkin gasped, not having heard the man enter, then nervously and shamefully hid his wrist under his lab coat's sleeve. Tony sighed, tired to see the other man slowly self-destroy in that way ; he softly approached and almost put his hand on the neuroscientist's shoulder – before remembering Myshkin's oversensitivity, which made every physical contact painful. Instead, he simply looked him in the eyes.
"You know, I still don't understand why you don't simply use your power on yourself – you've done a good job of easing my pain ! Well, I also know it'll affect your ability to sense nervous systems… but won't it be the best for yourself ? Our work would soon allow to bring you and Wanda back in your former Universe – or only Wanda : judging by what you told me, you have nothing left home – and are considered as a criminal or a villain which helped the Red Witch. But that…", he pointed Myshkin's hidden wrist, "that can no longer go on like this."
The other man swallowed before answering back in a low voice.
"I… know. But… but I don't want to let it go still. I… have a feeling that… that I shouldn't…
"Damn it, Milo, why do you care so much about this woman who doesn't love you - who doesn't want anything good for you?" Tony couldn't stand it any longer and exclaimed.
Because it was all about that : Myshkin harbored a sort of unhealthy loyalty towards Wanda. In his sick mind, he desserved such a pain because he failed in his mission, because he couldn't bring peace to Wanda – because he didn't love her enough. These feelings were irrational, Tony knew it well, but it was quite impossible to help his friend at this point : what he needed was to let it go, to stop torturing himself – metaphorically and physically – and to move on. He knew what it was like, he had been in a similar situation himself the day when Pepper Potts decided to leave his company and flee the country with Happy, wishing to have nothing more to do with the man she considered to have let a young mother – Wanda – sacrifice herself in his place.
Myshkin glared at him in his warm, compassionate look :
"She isn't like you says, Anthony. All she needs is a little help – a bit of empathy. I… can't let her down.
"Even after what she did to you ?! She harassed and manipulated you telepathically for months… !
"It's not her fault !" Myshkin defended her. "She doesn't control that power !
"For what you said, it didn't seem to me…
"Look, I don't want to argue with you now, we won't be able to find a compromise anyway."
Stark raised an eyebrow.
"So you're going to keep doing drugs while I watch you ?"
Myshkin bit his lower lip and avoided Tony's sharp gaze.
"You're alcoholic… you know how addiction works…
"I was alcoholic, before you came and did your neuro-thingy trick !" Tony argued. "Listen", he added in a softer voice, "I don't have your powers, I can't modify the way your nervous system works… but I can show you something."
Milo gave him an astonished look.
OoOoO
A few hours later, they were both in New York.
Myshkin finally understood what they were doing here when they stopped in front of a bookshop in Brooklyn.
"He… he's here ?" he asked with bated breath.
His alternate version – himself, but in this Universe – was a bookseller, from what Natasha said. Myshkin had always been curious to discover why things went so different for him here, while Tony Stark for example was quite similar to the version he knew – from medias – at home.
"Yes", Tony confirmed. "But we can't meet him directly, it would be a bit odd for him to see a billionaire and a clone of himself walk around…
"Sure", Myshkin chuckled. "It doesn't matter, I'll be content to see him from a distance."
And so they did : sat on a public bench on the other side of the street, they watched discretely the bookseller enter and exit his shop, then walk home – which was probably a few streets further on.
Strangely, it had a soothing effect on Myshkin's mind – to see that in at least one world, he was living happily.
OoOoO
A few days passed calmly, that Stark and Myshkin spent working peacefully, each in his lab – well, "peacefully" wasn't really in Tony's vocabulary – let's just say that the billionaire did not try anything foolishly megalomanic or completely self-destructive, which was unusually restful for everyone. In fact, Myshkin's presence by his side these last weeks had been unexpectedly helpful, like a healing balm on his damaged soul : the rich inventor often though the man really missed his career by becoming a neuroscientist instead of a psychologist ! Strangely, apart from the information he gave to make them fully understand his and Wanda's presence in this Universe, Milo was extremely reserved about himself : Tony came out to the conclusion that the man largely preferred to listen about others' problems than to complain about his owns. It became almost uncomfortable to constantly want to confide in him and let him comfort him, while ignoring what he might be feeling… Fortunately – or unfortunately, depending on the point of view –, Stark wasn't exactly the emotional type, so it did never bother him as much as it may have bothered Christine at the time : he simply genuinely enjoyed the amateur-therapy sessions he and Myshkin shared together.
It resulted that Stark became finally able to stop worrying about the decisions he made five years ago and that led to Wanda's, Thor's and Strange's deaths ; he understood that in each universe, great sacrifices had been done and families' members had been lost. If it ended with Thanos' incapacitation to make a genocide, then it was the good decision. And the fact that Pepper didn't want to talk with him anymore – well, was it really definitive ? After all, he never tried to recontact her, tortured as he was by his guilt.
Myshkin did never have the heart to tell him that in his Universe, Tony died. He only told him that he started a family with Pepper Potts, and that they had a child.
On this evening, they were just sharing a discussion about Tony's trauma when he was firstly kidnapped and almost killed by his own weapon and had to make his suit-armour to escape – there was a lot to say about, Tony never forgot Dr Yinsen who cured him then sacrificed himself to give him more time –, when suddenly, Natasha stepped forward, carrying a tablet in her hand, tight lips and frowning in concern.
"Nat, what's going on ?" he asked, a bit irritated by the sudden burst into his living room.
"Bad new", she shortly answered. "Furry'll be here in no time. We have to discuss."
She then glanced at Myshkin.
"You, stay here. You're involved."
OoOoO
"You're involved."
This could only mean one thing : she decided to resurface !
Myshkin was not really able to say whether he was frightened or ecstatic : for an incomprehensible reason, he missed her… but was also aware that she could wipe the Earth from the whole humanity if she wished so.
It was in a very nervous state that he waited until Furry's arrival in Stark's house in Malibu. Neither Natasha nor Tony dared to speak to him, not wanting to shake him and worsen his emotional state. The spy was obviously reluctant to share her "bad news" – which certainly meant it was really, really bad. Oh gosh, Myshkin hoped so hard that Wanda didn't harm anyone – or herself !
Finally, as Furry entered the room and apologized for his late, it became impossible to postpone the deadline : Natasha sighed, glared at Myshkin for a second time – he was sat on a sofa, his back straight and his right leg agitated by a nervous tic –, then started while looking sometimes down towards her tablet :
"An abnormal amount of chaotic energy had been registered around New York eight days ago, and yesterday, there was a wanted ad published in the New York Times. Guess who ?"
She pointed at Myshkin with her chin.
"Milo Myshkin, bookseller.
"Oh no…" Myshkin whispered, breathless with horror.
There was a silence, as the three others looked at him with various facial expressions : astonishment, pity, dread. Eventually, Stark cleared his throat and said :
"It's obvious that you were the target…"
Myshkin blankly nodded.
"So, an action plan must be determined now", Furry intervened sharply. "From what you said, Myshkin, fight is unthinkable against Wanda. Therefore, we'll have to negotiate…
"To negotiate with what, exactly ?" Natasha angrily exploded. "We have anything to interest her !... It's a crisis impossible to solve !
"Actually, we have something she wants", Myshkin quietly said.
With his warm, brown eyes, he held their unbelieving gaze.
"Bullshit !" Tony shouted. "We will certainly not allow her to kidnap you, again !
"Tony's right, she'll certainly torture you again", Natasha approved.
"We must first consider other solutions before resorting to desperate means" even Furry expressed his protest.
And the three of them threw themselves body and soul into a long and sterile discussion, trying to psychoanalyze Wanda in order to try to understand what she really wanted. It was doomed to failure, since they had absolutely no idea of how she was living now and what were the problems she encountered in this Universe.
Her will to retrieve Myshkin was the only lead they had.
"You all know I'm the only one to propose a rational solution here" he calmly interrupted them about ten minutes later.
"Huh, yeah, sacrifice yourself for the common good – a great idea !" Tony said dryly. "Only idiots and Christians sacrifice themselves – and both categories often overlap –, you should know it !
"She will not kill me… if she wants me, then she needs my help", Myshkin argued. "I know her, she's not… she's not a monster, she's just as human as you and I !
"Blah, blah, blah. You're not allowed to blather your nonsense from now on !" Tony cut him off.
He was afraid to assume Myshkin was perfectly right : offering him to the Witch was their only solution if they wished to negotiate. And they couldn't do anything, but negotiate, with a being like her. Myshkin had been very explicit on this subject in his narration.
However, it was still contrary to Stark's moral rules – "never hand over a friend to a psychotic witch" was more or less explicitly a part of it. As for Natasha, for him, it was definitely out of question to let Myshkin surrender.
Milo did not say anything more ; though, it was clear that he couldn't been convinced.
OoOoO
"Bad news… again."
Tony froze when Natasha entered his living room for a second time this week. The last time, three days ago, she announced them that Wanda kidnapped Myshkin's version in this Universe.
"Please, don't even tell…" he muttered.
She sadly winced :
"It's as I feared : she wants him… and is probably ready to anything for it.
"What happened exactly ?"
She looked around the room before asking :
"Where is Myshkin ?
"He sleeps… bad day for him I suppose, I caught him searching an extra morphine dose this morning."
They all knew his problem with the drug, but since there wasn't another solution to silence his constant pain, they had no other choice but let him continue.
"Look at this" Natasha showed Tony her tablet.
It was a picture of the today's New Yorks Times : the first page was unnaturally glowing in red, with only four words written in large letters on the diagonal of the page : "Milo Myshkin, come back".
"All the today's newspapers were like this one" Natasha specified and Tony only managed to nod with irritation.
"That's bad… that's really bad" he eventually mumbled. "We must avoid at all costs that Myshkin finds this out…
"We can't hide that from him, it's everywhere in the news !
"And you won't have to" said a quiet voice in their back.
They turned on their heels : Myshkin was standing in the door frame, paler than usual.
"One of the advantages of having an absurdly sensitive hearing", he added with a wry smile.
"Milo", Tony started, "that's not only about you : what if she had a plan involving your power – what if she planned to harm, or didn't care of harming someone – she has enough power to annihilate the whole human kind ! It'd be irrational to give her what she wants !
"She is not like you say", Myshkin whispered stubbornly.
"Oh yeah, she isn't ? Then why is she the most wanted villain in your Universe and why would she kidnap innocents – including her children ?!"
Myshkin couldn't answer anything, only managing to shamefully look away.
"I'm tired of you constantly trying to defend this crazy woman !" Tony concluded while angrily storming out of the room.
OoOoO
The next day, nobody found Milo Myshkin in Stark's house and one of the billionaire's cars had disappeared.
Thanks to the security cameras and the car's geolocalisation, Natasha and Tony quickly found out that the neuroscientist reached the nearest airport during the night ; then, it wasn't really hard to say where he flew.
It was really hard for Tony to admit that the man actually fled. With the notable exception of Natasha, who unfortunately could not come to see him often enough, the newcomer had been his only moral support after these last years of loneliness, following the quasi-dissolution of the Avengers and his break with Pepper. And now, he was running away, straight into the arms of a psychotic woman who barely considered him as a human being with rights… It was a difficult situation for the lonely billionaire.
A few hours left, they found him sitting on the bench in front of Myshkin's closed bookshop. He didn't react when he saw them ; in fact, he seemed more dead than alive : paler than yesterday – if it was even possible –, slightly panting and his gloved hands shaking.
Only when they were one meter away from the bench, he articulated in a low tone :
"I… I'm sorry, I need… to go with her.
"Why ?" Natasha asked. "You obviously don't want to… so why ?"
He pointed across the street with an exhausted gesture.
It took them a few moments to see who exactly he was referring to ; they finally saw, in the crowd of people advancing in both directions of the sidewalk, two motionless figures: a man and at his side a girl of ten or eleven years. Both were standing in front of the closed bookstore window. From time to time, the man would affectionately run his hand through the child's hair, as if to comfort and reassure her – it was obviously her father.
It took Tony a few minutes to realize that both were silently crying.
"My alternate version has a family", Myshkin eventually whispered in a shaking voice. "His husband… and his daughter…" he only managed to add while pointing with his chin the man and the girl across the street.
Natasha stayed respectfully silencious while Tony was holding his breath, shocked.
There was nothing he could say now he knew that.
"So… what will you do, now ?" he carefully asked.
"Wait here. Until she comes."
He looked halfway between absolute dread and complete exhaustion.
"She'll eventually come."
OoOoO
Both Natasha and Tony decided to stay by Myshkin's side. There was no way to make him change his mind, and they perfectly understood his decision – both had also more or less a family trauma and considered people with children to be truly blessed.
The night fell on New York. The traffic in the street decreased, but did not disappear completely: the city never slept. The man and his daughter across the street were gone for a few hours now – both with a sad, desperate face that showed clearly their horrible loss. They had absolutely no idea of what happened to their Milo, and the fact that his name mysteriously appeared in the newspapers this morning wasn't at all reassuring. They probably hoped that some superheroes, attracted by the supernatural phenomenon, would search him, as it often was the case when something strange publicly happened.
Tony still had a slight hope : when Wanda would eventually come, he'll try to negociate. He had his nanotech armour with him and an AI connected to his glasses : when the Witch would appear, he'll scan her discretely to determine whether or not she really was that powerfull. Maybe… maybe there still was a chance of beating her down ?
Suddenly, all lights in the neighborhood went out, replaced by disturbing waves of red energy. People around them started to worry about what was happening – some of them even screamed – but abruptly, all of them stoped, as if paralized : only Myshkin, Natasha and Tony were spared by the phenomenon.
And then, she appeared, softly floating a few feets above the ground. Terrific. Her red hair strands undulated like tentacles and her green-blue eyes shone as coldly as ice. Her skin seemed almost white and her veins pulsed with her dark red magic.
Terrific. She was dreadful. There was no way they try to fight her back – how could Dr Strange from Myshkin's former Universe muster enough courage to face her ?! She was not a human anymore – it was a true monster, a demon straight from hell !
She stared at him and Natasha for a long time, thoughfully, as if she was reading their mind – which she probably did. In a smooth, effortless gesture, she landed on the street's ground and immediatly, reality itself around her started to shift : asphalt waved and turned into the purest transparent glass ; cars seemed to melt and some magically acquired legs or claws. When she finally reached the three of them, the street was unrecognizable : it was a weird mix between a fairy tale and a horror story.
She plunged her cold gaze into Myshkin's.
"You finally came", she said in a neutral but somewhat frightening tone.
"What do you want from him, exactly ?" Stark angrily asked.
He supported her sharp gaze for a few seconds when she slowly turned her head towards him.
"Anthony Stark", she eventually articulated. "I know you very well… So here, you preferred let me die instead of die by yourself… I see.
"Wh… what ?" he gasped, caught off guard, before looking at Myshkin. "What is she talking about ?"
The neuroscientist, still sat on the bench while the other were standing, bit his lower lip.
"It… It's not that important… don't pay attention…
"In this Universe, Stark's decision led to my dead instead of his own", Wanda sadistically explained. "Here, I was forced to sacrifice myself against Thanos, because he was unable to do so. It tortured your conscience for a while, didn't it ?
"It could have been otherwise – it certainly was in another Universe !" Myshkin argued nervously. "Anthony, this whole story, the guilt you felt, was destroying you slowly !...
"So… so it means that in your Universe, I never had… a family ?" Tony said in a low, broken voice, deeply hurt by Myshkin's lies.
"You had. And still, you sacrificed yourself." Myshkin explained. "Anthony, you are much more valuable than you think…"
Facing this revelation that changed everything in the way he perceived himself, Tony was taken aback, unable to say anything.
Wanda grinned wickedly, frustrated that she couldn't hurt more the billionaire she hated so much. Though, it wasn't that important…
"Stand out, Myshkin. You're coming with me.
"Wait", Natasha intervened.
Wanda had no reasons of hating the Russian spy, so she decided to listen to her.
"You're holding a hostage. Release him."
She saw Myshkin addressing a relieved look to Natasha and suddenly understood : he wasn't coming with her because he cared about her – no, he only wanted her to free his alternate version (who she kidnapped while thinking it was him).
Fucking hypocrite…
With a small gesture of her hand, she teleported the alternate-Myshkin in front of them. Unbalanced by his sudden arrival and weakened by the few days of imprisonment, he wobbled and almost fell if Natasha had not supported him.
"Where… what… oh…", he only managed to stammer, completely disoriented and without understanding what was happening with him and why he was seeing his exact copy sitting in front of him on a bench.
"I'm so sorry for what happened to you", the other Myshkin said and, standing up, he put his fingers on the temple of his alternative version.
The man immediately calmed down and retrieved his balance.
Wanda watched him stare at her sadly before offering her his hand without saying anything more. She smirked ; then, she grabbed his hand without the slightest delicacy and teleported them home.