Displaced

chapter seventeen

Omg its been awhile since I updated! I am so sorry. Here is an update, there will probably be two more parts after this, I think?

"What?! What do you mean we aren't allowed to be there when you question her?"

Batman sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I didn't say you couldn't be there, I said you couldn't be in the room. There is a difference. You are all emotionally compromised."

Zatanna huffed. "Fine, but we are watching from the observing window."

"I expected as much." Batman nodded.

"How are you going to get Wanda to cooperate? I mean she is insanely powerful." Wally scoffed.

"And she is also emotionally drained." Black Canary pointed out. "We are going to have Zatara use a truth spell on her and the cuffs on her dampen her powers, so we should be good."

The team nodded, watching as the few Leaguers left to go question their ex team member. They solemnly went to the observatory window, watching as Wanda stared blankly down at her restrained hands, her eyes emotionless. She barely flinched when Zatara cast his spell or when Black Canary and Batman sat down across from her.

"Since you now have no choice but to tell the truth, let us begin with a test. Who are you?" Dinah asked coolly.

"Wanda Maximoff, once known as the Scarlet Witch."

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Do you have any siblings?"

Everyone held their breath after Batman asked his question, staring at Wanda as she showed the first sign of emotion since they brought her back to the mountain. Her face was overcome with pain and she involuntarily shook her head, much to everyone's surprise.

"No. I thought I did but...it turns out my whole life has been a lie, a fabrication. A tale of sorrow woven by cruel people to make me do their bidding, to ensure I would not stray from the path they carved for me." Wanda bit her lip, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "I...I don't know what is real anymore, if this is even real or another trick of the Light."

"Do you really believe this is a false reality, Wanda?"

Wanda hesitated before sighing. "I'm not sure...no, this is real."

"How are you sure?"

Wanda smiled a small, wry grin. "Because while Miss Martian and Psimon were trying to stop me from killing the Light, I erased all information I had given them from their minds, so there is no way they would have known that Batman is Bruce Wayne."

Black Canary returned her smile, a small flicker of hope for the girl growing in her stomach when she heard what she did. "Wanda, if presented the opportunity, would you kill the Light?"

Wanda's mood instantly soured and she narrowed her eyes at Dinah. "As much as I would love to watch the light -pun fully intended- leave their eyes, I would not be able to kill them any longer."

"And why is that?"

"It would be pointless to kill them if they did not know why I was killing them, if they did not know of the crimes they committed against my friends and I. It would not be satisfactory to end their miserable lives if all I saw was confusion in their eyes instead of fear and regret." Wanda snarled.  "So, if you are worried about me going after the Light, don't.  I have no intentions of killing them, as long as they keep their distance from me."

"Very well. Wanda, while working for the Light they ordered you to kill Robin and Zatanna, but you refused. Why?"

Wanda flinched at the memories flooding her mind. "I...I didn't refuse to kill Jason, only Zatanna. I only stopped Jason from being killed after he was severely beaten. I led him into a trap, deliberately, knowing he could very well not make it out alive just to save my brother - who it turns out doesn't even exist."

"How did you convince the Light they were dead?"

"I...falsified my own memories for the Light when they read my mind via Psimon. I used the images of Jason laying bloodied on the warehouse ground and the blown up warehouse as 'confirmation' that he was dead. For Zatanna, I used my powers to make her fly one day and imagined I was choking her with them. I just made the images more real for the Light." Wanda shrugged sheepishly. "It was the only way to ensure they could survive and Pietro wouldn't be harmed...pointless now, it seems."

The room fell silent as everyone pondered their next words and gathered their thoughts. The team on the other side of the wall were watching carefully, eyes never leaving Wanda as she shifted nervously in her seat.

"May I ask a favor? I know I am nowhere near your good graces right now, but I believe what I am about to propose will be beneficial to everyone involved." Wanda spoke up after a few more moments of silence. Batman nodded for Wanda to continue. Wanda took a deep breath, steeling herself for her proposal. "If you would allow it, I would like Miss Martian to erase my memory completely. Wipe me clean of everything except my name."

Dinah gasped. "Wanda-"

"Please! Think about it, I don't even know what is real anymore and with powers like mine, I am very dangerous to both sides of the game. I have hurt people on both sides, numerous times. Plus, Pietro...I-I just can't bear to think about how my whole life has been false. I would much rather just start over."

"Wanda..."

"You know its the truth, I can tell nothing but the truth right now." Wanda pointed out, a small, sad, smile making its way onto her face. "Like I said, I know you do not owe me any favors whatsoever, but please, just think about it. Please."

Batman cleared his throat. "Well, I think that is enough for right now." He turned to Zatara. "Zatara, if you will."

Zatara lifted the spell and Dinah led Wanda out of the interrogation room, past the team and back to her holding cell.

Batman approached the team, all of whom were bouncing on their toes with anticipation. He looked straight at M'gann and nodded.

Zatanna screeched. "You can't be serious!"

"Zatanna, it is what she wishes. And like it or not, the Justice League played her just as much as she played you guys. We could have helped her much sooner than we did, but we did nothing. We at least owe her this one wish."

Zatanna threw her hands in the air. "Unbelievable!" She began to stomp away.

"Where are you going?" Artemis called after her.

Zatanna paused, looking over her shoulder to call back to her team and Batman. "To say goodbye to the Wanda I know."