Power and Pain • SCARLETVISION

Chapter Eight

My eyes flicker open at the sound of curtains opening. I sit up and see Vision looking out of a window. After a short moment, he turns away in agony and puts his hand on the mind stone.

"Vis? Is it the stone again?" I ask as I get up and go to him.

"It's as if it's speaking to me."

"What does it say?"

"I don't... I don't know. But something..." He flinches again and I instictively put my hands on the side of his face. Vision turns his head so he can kiss my left palm, then presses my hand to the Mind Stone. "Tell me what you feel." I lift my hand and allow the energy to sink in to the stone. 

"I just feel you." 

---

"So there's a 10 AM to Glasgow to give us more time together before you went back." I say as we walk along the cobbled streets.

"What if I miss that train?"

"There is an 11."

"What if I missed all the trains? What if this time, I didn't go back?" He says, turning around.

"You gave Stark your word."

"I'd rather give it to you."

"There are people who are expecting me too, you know." I say, thinking of Natasha, Steve and Sam, "We both made promises."

"Not to each other." He puts his hands on my shoulders, "Wanda... for two years, we've stolen these moments, trying to see if this could work. And... I don't know." He starts stammering and I smile slightly. "You know what, I'm just gonna speak for myself -- I, I... I think..."

"It works." I reply, nodding.

"It works. Then stay. Stay with me." I look down, uncertain. What if they come back and need me? What if Tony needs Vision? I see flashing lights out of the corner of my eye and look up. My vision drifts to the side and I focus on a TV in the kebab shop window. "Or not. If I'm overstepping..." I step towards the wndow and he follows. We watch footage of New York, aliens and the disappearance of Tony.

"What are they..?" I ask, horrified.

"What the stone was warning me about." He kisses my hand and starts backing away, "I have to go."

"No, Vision. Vision, if that's true... then maybe going isn't the best idea." I beg.

"Wanda, I-" An alien appears behind him and stabs him in the back. 

"Vision!" I shout, my hands instantly covering my mouth. He screams and returns to his android appearance as he's thrown down on the streets. I conjure up some energy to attack but another alien blasts me from behind, throwing me across the street and through a window. I quickly blast the two aliens away and lift myself and Vision away. We land in a nearby courtyard and hide in an alleyway.

"The blade. It stopped me from phasing." 

"Is that even possible?" 

"It isn't supposed to be." His voice distorts slightly as he speaks, "My systems are failing." Like needlework, I sew the wound closed. "I'm beginning to think... we should have stayed in bed." He jokes. Before I can reply, Vision pushes me aside as the alien that attacked him earlier grabs him.

"Vis!" The two fly away as they fight. The other alien attempts to hit me with her weapon, but I duck and dodge around a pillar. She strikes the other side of the pillar, and I duck under it and engage.

---

"Give up the Stone, and she lives." The alien says to me as he grips me by the shoulders. I know Wanda can handle herself, so I don't. Below us, Wanda fights the other alien with her magic. I push the alien off me and we fly towards another building. The other alien manages to knock Wanda meters away and brings her weapon down on Wanda, but she holds it off. I kick the one attacking me off and a beam of energy from the mind stones fires at him. He brings up his weapon to block it, causing the one beam to become four. 

---

I hear Vision scream in agony and manage to fling the alien over my head and in to a truck. I instantly fly up towards Vision and Glaive as he attempts to remove the stone.

"Hands off." I cast a bolt of magic towards him, throwing the alien through the wall. We take off to take cover, my energy supporting Vision's weight. Proxima casts a bolt of energy from her weapon at us and we fall through the air and in to the train station. With Vision against the railings, I crawl over to him but he can't stand.

"Come on. Come on. Come on, you gotta get up. You gotta get up. Come on. Hey. Hey. We have to go." I plead in a hushed tone.

"Please. Please leave."

"You asked me to stay.... I'm staying."

"Please."

"Get up..." The two aliens crash through the roof and advance, so I get up and build power in my hands. Before either of us can attack, Proxima Midnight cocks her head as a train passes. I look behind me as well and, as the last car passes by, we see a figure in the shadows. She throws her weapon at the figure, but he steps aside and catches it. She steps back in shock as Steve walks out. I smile in gratitude and relief. I turn back around as I hear the familar sound of falcon wings. Just as predicted, Sam swoops down and kicks Proxima across the station. He begins firing at Corvus as Natasha runs in, catches Proxima's weapon and engages. She skids across the floor and swips at his legs and then stabs him in the gut. She flips over to the other side as he attempts to hit her before she performs a flying kick on him and knocks him backwards.

As Proxima runs back to the fight, the weapon flies out of Natasha's hand as she goes to attack. Steve rolls in, grabs the weapon dropped by Corvus and blocks the attack. Natasha grabs her escrima batons and begins attacking Proxima with Steve. As they fight, Sam flies back towards the fight. He flips through the air and kicks Proxima towards Corvus. Sam draws his pistols as he lands and Proxima scuttles away.

"Get up." Proxima says to her alien companion.

"I can't."

"We don't wanna kill you. But we will."

"You'll never get the chance again." They depart as they're beamed up and the weapon leaves Steve's hand."

"Can you stand?" Sam asks Vision as the trio walk over.

"Thank you, Captain." He replies as Sam he gets to his feet.

"Let's get you on the jet." Steve says with a nod.

"I thought we had a deal. Stay close, check in." Natasha says as she closes the jet doors. She turns around and looks at me, "Don't take any chances."

"I'm sorry. We just wanted time." I reply. 

"Where to, Cap?"

"Home."

---

A/N: Since I'm going off the script, I can publish a new chapter every day or so.