In Darkness, Be My Light

Tenacity

Vision nervously and slowly paced his bedroom--the bedroom he never sleeps in--and contemplated what he should do about Wanda's terrible condition. He heard of stories of the Raft in the past, how rough the guards were. But he could've never imagined the torture Tony described. Electroshock? How could anyone have a mind to do such a thing? Vision was never one to have strong feelings of hate. He was on the side of life, the side of good. So this feeling of hatred disturbed his conscience. It went against his morals.

But he knew he had to do something, anything to make things right. The horrendous actions at the Raft were much, much worse than the feelings he was experiencing currently.

He stood at ease, admiring the morning rain softly tapping at the bedroom window. Vision felt almost guilty being so at peace while Wanda was going through hell. He wished that it was him receiving torture rather than her. She didn't deserve this, definitely not her. She was too pure.

"Wanda?" Vision walked in on Wanda reaching high into a kitchen cabinet. "What are you doing up at this hour?"

She turned her head and relaxed, pulling her arm down and resting it on the counter. It was a bitterly cold December 15th and it was 2:30 AM. She was wearing a soft, red oversized sweatshirt and grey sleeping shorts. "I would ask you the same thing, but I assume you don't sleep." Her voice was slightly hoarse.

He chuckled.

She sighed. "I um... I'm not feeling that great so I came down to check my temperature."

Vision nodded and walked over to her, reaching for the electronic thermometer on the top shelf of the cabinet. "What are your symptoms?"

"I have a sore throat, I have a headache, and I feel really nauseous. I'm also feeling just really warm."

He noticed she looked flush and tired. He pressed the button to turn on the thermometer and handed it to her. She put it under her tongue for a few seconds and then it started to beep, indicating it had detected her temperature.

Vision gently took it from her mouth and read what it had indicated. "Oh, dear."

"What? Is it bad?"

"You have a fever of 101.8."

"Oh..."

Vision sighed and paused for a moment, then came to the conclusion of what he would do. "Go rest on the couch. I'll make you tea." He smiled at her.

"No, really, you don't have to."

"I insist."

Wanda nodded. "Alright."

She walked towards the couch, sat down, and slouched against it. She pulled the blanket that was folded on the couch and draped it over her, snuggling against the soft furniture. She watched as Vision carefully prepared her favorite tea: chamomile. She smiled softly and decided to scroll through social media for a bit while she waited. She reached for her phone on the coffee table in front of her and stopped halfway when she heard Vision's soft, British accent.

"I prefer you do not use your phone at this hour. The blue light won't help you sleep, and you will need plenty of sleep if you're going to get better."

"So you're my doctor now?" she questioned jokingly.

Vision chuckled slightly. "Only because I wish to take care of you."

"Oh, alright," she sighed.

Wanda leaned back into the couch. She let her mind drift into an abyss of color and imagination as she waited for her tea to be ready. She loved the soft glow of the late night hour. Even if she was sick, it was nice.

She was disturbed by the sound of Vision stirring in two tablespoons of sugar into her tea, just how she liked it. She took a deep breath and turned her head toward the window in front of her.

"Hey..." she said softly, smiling. "It's snowing."

Vision held the cup of tea in his hands and looked out the window. "Indeed it is." He walked over to her, handing her the cup of tea.

"Thank you, Vis. You're so sweet."

Vision couldn't help but admire her bright, soft green eyes for a moment.

"Of course, Wanda. I would do anything for you."

That was a promise he couldn't let go of. He would do anything for her, even if that meant doing a wrong thing to make things right. He made up his mind.

Vision knew that Tony was out at this time in the morning doing whatever he does, so this was the perfect opportunity to start his plan. He nonchalantly walked down the halls of the Compound, heading for Tony's office. He stood in front of the office doorway for a moment, considering his actions, and then let himself in.

He remembered that Tony had received a flip phone from Steve Rogers about a week prior. He carefully walked over to Tony's desk and searched through the drawers until he found it. His anxiety melted away but was quickly replaced with the fear that Steve wouldn't accept a call from Vision since this phone was only delivered specifically to Tony. But he had to try. He just had to.

He opened the flip phone and manually scrolled to the contact list and saw Steve's number. He pressed the dial button. It rang for a few moments before he answered.

"Tony?"

"Vision."

"Oh, Vision. How... Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. I just wanted to ask for a favor."

Vision could practically feel Steve tense up through the phone.

"What kind of favor?" Steve asked cautiously.

"One that involves the Raft."

There was a pause.

"What about it?"

"I... I know this would be going against the agreement of the Accords, but I heard of the horrible conditions and abuse that they are experiencing and... I need your help."

There was another pause.

"It's about Wanda, right?"

Vision sighed. "Really, does everyone know about that?"

"A lot do. But that's not important right now--"

He stopped and Vision could hear what sounded like Natasha on the other end talking to Steve. He waited a few moments before hearing his voice again.

"I hope that I can trust you, Vision."

"I assure you, Captain, I would not compromise Wanda's wellbeing."

"Of course, I know you wouldn't lie about that, and I wouldn't do the same. Anyways, we... we were planning on a rescue mission. Actually, we were planning to leave tomorrow night. I'll... I'll be sending you the coordinates to this phone. Be ready in a few moments. Remember to delete the history of this call and the coordinates once you know them. Sound good?"

"Yes, Captain."

"All right. Goodbye, Vision."

This was it.

He would do it.

He would save Wanda.