A mile in my shoes

Chapter 22

Vision realised it was time to go back home. The extraordinary experience he had just gone through had left him perplexed to say the least, a sensation that even an advanced android like him found difficult to rationalise. All of the world's knowledge was instantly accessible to him as long as it had been uploaded to the internet at some point. Vision had come to understand that certain vital truths were not available online.

Despite the vast expanse of his knowledge, there was one person Vision held in high regard, a person who understood the world better than any other. Their relationship was strained since the very day of his creation. The android didn't know much about emotions or the depths of grief. In his early days and for a long time afterwards, his understanding of these profound human experiences was limited.

From the moment of his creation, Vision had wanted to be his own person, to have his own identity, to forge a path distinct from the ones who were there before. On the other hand, Tony and some of the others were always thinking about Jarvis while interacting with him. The AI shared an exceptionally close bond with Tony Stark. Vision didn't know much about their relationships and he didn't feel like he could ask.

Vision knew nothing about relationships. He simply didn't have any personal experience that could offer him insight into the complexities of human interactions. He couldn't have understood what the AI and Tony shared. It felt like a puzzle he yearned to solve. Steve Rogers always said there was no need to mourn over scraps of metal. Those words wounded Vision, damaging his new sense of self. He, too, was made of Vibranium, a rare material that possessed immense strength and power. However, it took time for him to find the words to express how those kinds of comments made him feel.

An inexplicable and immediate connection had forged between Vision and Wanda, an undeniable magnetism that he found himself unable, and more importantly, unwilling to resist. She appeared to understand him on a level that no one else did. Vision couldn't quite explain the origin of that connection, whether it came from the stone and the power they shared, or from the birth of love, on his part at least. He wasn't entirely sure, but he held an unwavering certainty that Tony Stark would be able to explain everything. Vision couldn't approach Wanda directly about those things, unsure she would be willing to discuss their relationship openly and truthfully with him.

He remembered the moment when Wanda had propelled him through layers of revisited concrete, believing herself trapped within the confines of the Avengers compound. It was a trying experience to go through. While he had not experienced physical pain from the encounter, he had felt his metaphorical heart shatter, marking his mind forever. The significance of this event, its true meaning, eluded Vision's understanding, leaving him lost and sad.

In the blink of an eye, Vision's perception shifted abruptly. As he looked down upon his own body, he heard the calls of Clint Barton summoning Wanda's name, urging her to leave quickly. The archer had said they had to go, so he had followed in a haze.

The world was different from Wanda's perspective. Vision's eyes weren't seeing the same number of colours, almost dull. The sounds that reached his ears didn't make the same impression, not reaching as far. Even walking felt different, a little lighter, even though he missed gliding a lot. It was an out-of-body experience, disorienting and foreign, leaving him to struggle to understand how it could even happen.

Although initially perplexed, Vision gradually pieced together the reason why Clint had come to fetch Wanda in the compound. Vision supported the accords, and now was with the people who were against. He didn't desire to fight against his own family, those he had come to regard as allies. Tony Stark, while in his armour, attempted to talk Captain America and his team down but Steve Rogers remained resolute in his stance, ready for a fight. Clint, Steve and the others on that side of the conflict were fighting with all they had. Tony, Rhodey and those on that side were still hoping for peace.