Amazed

Chapter 40: What's the plan?

After leaving Y/N's cell, Yelena met with Wanda who gathered everyone to meet in the conference room while Vision kept watch on Y/N and Bucky.

The team made their way into the room taking their seats around the table. Steve brought Nat up from the med bay and sat with her next to Yelena. Not long after they got comfortable, Wanda brought Tony, Bruce, Clint, Darcy, and Sam in. She had tried to get messages out to Carol and Thor, but both were on rescue missions in space and unable to receive the calls.

It had been a very eventful and exhausting few hours, which was easily seen on everyone's faces. Clint and Darcy had been assisting Rhodey and Sam in searching the area but had not found anything out of the ordinary.

Once they all sat, Tony started to speak but was quickly interrupted by Yelena who stood, slamming her hands on the table, "I know that I haven't been here long. I know that you all don't know me super well. I get that but you all know Y/N," As she looked around, everyone had been clearly been shocked by her exclamation but were in tune and listening.

Yelena straightened her body a bit now that she could see she had their full attention, "I got through to them back there and before Steve threw the brace on them. They knew me. They're still in there, I'm telling you. We just have to coax them out somehow."

Steve sat forward to add in, "I felt the same way with Bucky. The look in his eyes... He knew me. He remembered me."

Finally feeling heard, she looked around at everyone and then back to Steve, "YES! Yes, they're still in there. I know it. Y/N had just been telling me about the trigger words that HYDRA said to them to get them in this brainwashing form and I'm sure that's exactly what is happening with Bucky too."

"It is," Wanda interjected, drawing everyone's attention, "When I went to go and check on Vision in Bucky's room, I sifted through his thoughts as well the way I had Y/N's. They both had the same trigger words. Russian... and very random."

"Alright, trigger words. Brainwashing. Great," Tony started, "But how the hell do we get them out of it? Does anyone know how Y/N got out of it before?"

"Wait, what about the agent you all found? He might be able to give us something to work with, right?" Wanda asked.

"Nope, nothing. He won't speak. Not even sure if he understands English, but he's probably just fucking with us," Tony responded.

Yelena was sure she'd been the only one who even knew of their past with HYDRA and hadn't had the opportunity to talk to them about what brought them out just yet.

"I think I'm the only one who knew what they'd been through," Yelena jumped in, "But I think that if seeing someone that they have a strong relationship with starts bringing them forward, then it's clear they're in there. Y/N also had said that they remembered every face of..." She trailed off.

Though she felt like she'd already said too much, she knew that she had to continue with what she knew in order to get through to them, "... every face of the innocent people they'd killed."

The room quickly fell silent. No one had ever known this side of Y/N and also didn't think they'd ever be capable of doing something so heinous. 

"The point is that if they can remember those things, that means they're in there. They saw the things their brainwashed self did, so they're still there," She ended.

Everyone was still processing the past of Y/N that they'd just learned about, trying to think of what they could possibly do. It wasn't until Darcy finally had something click from something she had once done with Wanda.

"Wait, I don't know if it's possible, but I remember once when Wanda and I were a little tipsy, she was able to sift through my thoughts and bring up memories from my childhood," She started, "We were trying to find a movie I had seen as a kid but couldn't remember the name of."

Tony leaned forward waiting for her to continue, "Well... Did it work?"

Darcy laughed at the memory of the movie, "Yeah it was Matilda."

Everyone looked to Wanda to see what she was thinking, but she had zoned out trying to process Y/N's past with HYDRA. 

"Earth to Wanda," Tony said as she finally snapped back from her thoughts, "Did you hear any of that?"

She hadn't, so Darcy quickly reminded her of the movie story. She barely remembered doing this and wasn't sure if it would work.

"They don't even respond to their own name," Wanda started, "How do you think bringing up their memories will work? Their brainwashed self is a completely separate identity."

"Honestly Wanda," Yelena interjected clearly annoyed, "Anything is better than nothing at this point. Can you do it or not?"

Wanda shook her head as she was still trying to set her mind straight, "Yeah- Yes. I'll try my best but when I did this with Darcy, I had to be touching her temples. I've never been able to do that with someone without touching them."

The idea of allowing anyone inside the cell with Y/N was terrifying but there was no other way to try. Yelena could sit there and continue talking to them but who knew how long that would take or if it would even work. So far, Wanda was the only one who was powerful enough to hold Y/N down when they fought but she could not try and bring memories forward while also holding them down.

"We'll have to open the cell. They're still strapped in and I know those locks won't break, I designed them myself, but we'll have everyone in there ready to get them down if need be," Tony responded.

No one seemed to disagree with this plan but they also didn't have any other viable options at this point. Yelena was sure that they were beginning to recognize her and if someone could just bring those memories forward, they'd be able to bring Y/N back.