Living In Time And Space (Book Six of The Bad Wolf Chronicles)

An Unlikely Ally

Three guesses to who it is. ;)

***

Wanda woke with a cry, sitting up in bed, eyes wide, a shock wave of red magic sending what little belongings she had flying. She whimpered, wrapping her arms around her knees, hugging them to her. "It was a dream," she whispered to herself in Sokovian. "It was just a dream."

A gentle knock on the door made her turn. "Enter," she said, quickly checking to make sure she was presentable in a black tank top and shorts.

It wasn't Pietro who entered. It was instead the Vision, who did not seem bothered by her lack of clothes. He did, however, look around at the mess she had made. "I heard your mind," he said. "I came to check on you."

"You heard me?" Wanda frowned, stepping out of bed and working on cleaning up. "Your room . . . do you have a room?"

"I do," the Vision nodded. "It is rarely used, however."

"Oh," she pursed her lips. "But it is on the other side of the complex, is it not?"

"It is."

He must have flown and used that density manipulation of his to get to her room. "How could you hear me?"

"I believe it is the stone," the Vision pointed to the Mind Stone. "I could hear your mind."

Wanda stiffened. "Did you hear what it was?" she asked as nonchalantly as she could, reaching out to find Pietro. "Come here," she told him telepathically. "Vision is here."

"I believe I heard snippets," the Vision tilted his head, the gears in his eyes whirring. "But I remember hearing Bad Wolf."

THUD.

"Wanda?" Pietro pushed past the Vision as Wanda dropped the books she had been holding, her eyes wide in terror as the words caught up to her. "Wanda, look at me. It was a dream."

"The words," she whispered, gripping her head with her hands as Pietro helped her sit on the bed. "Those words . . . "

"What words?" Pietro frowned at the Vision. "What did you say to her?"

"It was not him," Wanda shook her head. "He came to help."

"Her nightmare reached me," the Vision explained.

"Not a dream," Wanda bit her lip. "It was a vision of my own."

"What was it?" Pietro asked, frowning. "What did it say?"

Wanda whimpered. "Tick, tock, goes the clock," she whispered. "Even for the Bad Wolf."

Pietro's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth, turning to the Vision, but the android cut in. "I am aware of the file, Mr. Maximoff."

"You know?" Wanda's eyes widened.

"I have access to the entire SHIELD database in my head," the Vision reminded her. "After I learned who helped bring me to life, I could recognize the Lake Silencio file."

"And you never said?" Pietro's eyes narrowed. "You knew she would die, but you never said a word?"

"I was once JARVIS, Mr. Maximoff," the Vision gave him a look. "Mr. Stark spoke about fixed points more than once, as did Miss Harper and the rest of the team. I know that her death could not be changed."

"No one else knows?" Wanda asked, looking between the three of them. "It is just the three of us?"

"I believe so," the Vision nodded.

"Wanda," Pietro frowned, "you are not trusting him?"

"I will let another determine that," Wanda stood. "Where is the phone?"

***

Sure enough, when Wanda explained what she was thinking, the two people in her room and the one she had called were all speechless. "You trust me to do this?" the Vision asked carefully.

"I don't," Pietro said bluntly.

"I do," Wanda countered. "But it is not our decision."

"No, it's mine," the Bad Wolf sighed. "I've set the first biocode already. I've still got to set the others, and it's only a time before everyone wonders what exactly I'm doing."

"I will agree, if you feel it is acceptable," the Vision told her.

"All right," the Bad Wolf said. "The next time we drop by, I'll find the three of you for the biocodes. And - "

"Don't tell anyone else," Wanda pinched the bridge of her nose. The Time Lady had said that at least three times already. "We know."

"Right. Well, I'm heading back, and I'll make sure we drop by. I'll set the codes then."

"We understand," Pietro said. "Good luck, Bad Wolf."

"And you."

Wanda hung up the phone and looked to the Vision. "Thank you for doing this," she told him.

"I am aware of its importance to both of you and to the Bad Wolf," the Vision nodded. "I will do what I can to help."

The Vision took his leave, and Pietro immediately turned to Wanda. "I don't trust him," he said.

"I know you do not," Wanda sighed. "But I wish the others would trust him more."

"If he keeps this secret, then perhaps I will," Pietro considered. "But not until then."

"I understand," Wanda smiled. It was better than nothing. "Good night, Pietro."

"Good night, Wanda."

Wanda laid back in her bed as Pietro left the room. It took her some time to fall asleep, as those words kept drifting through her head.

"Tick, tock, goes the clock, even for the Bad Wolf."

***

Yep. The Vision is in on it, too. I loved him in "Age of Ultron," how he could keep Ultron out of the nuclear codes. If he could do that, he could have access to the report Saleen wrote about Lake Silencio. You can bet on seeing him come "The Wedding of River Song."

So, enough about Kasterbel and this Bad Wolf. We're on to the long run to ending "Apocalypse Rising," and I mean that literally. To get to where I want to be, I'm treating the last three episodes as a three-parter, with one last interlude between "Turn Left" and "The Stolen Earth," and I bet everyone can guess what happens then.

See you for Caly's finale!