Where They Are: A Wanda Maximoff and Vision Story

The Scarlet Witch

It seemed like the night had been full of energy and action. An epic showcase of powers and abilities to outmatch the other. But now, it seemed like in one moment, everything stopped and left the rest of the night uncertain in how it would end. The only known thing was that Vision's synthetic body laid motionless in the rain against the rocky cliffs outside the castle walls. Morgan was blown back away from the scene, and Wanda was still standing on the edge of the cliff. However, something had changed. Matter of fact, it was a new type of energy that was like a newly reborn phoenix, waiting to grow and unleash its fiery spirit.

As soon as Vision hit the rocks, something snapped in Wanda's mind. Almost like she had temporarily broken free of Morgan's hold. Or perhaps it could be suggested that her heart stopped and dropped so fast, that it provided the right emotion and feeling to burst free of Morgan's influence to grieve for her friend. She ran to his body urgently, a tear or two forming in the well of her eyes, and collapsed onto her knees as she came upon him. She inspected him from his chest up, searching for any hint that he could be still living, or operating. "Vision..." she says, but the android does not respond. Wanda looks to his mind stone and can see little burn marks from the blast that sent Morgan flying. She groomed her hands across his face to the back of his head, almost to the point where she was cradling his body. On the back of his head, she felt the damage she had caused to him in their fight. She flexed her finger against the ruptured material and could feel how her hexes would have torn them apart for every millimeter. The well in her eyes starts to overflow, and a pair of tears stream down her cheek, joining the many raindrops that have splashed onto them.

"Wake up, Vision" she cries. "Vision!" The anguish in her voice is tragic and from a heavy, yet hollow, heart. She didn't want to be responsible for this, but she was, and Vision was truly dead than it was all her doing. As much as Morgan influenced her, all her pent-up angry emotions toward Vision were dialed up when engaging him. Making her want to destroy him more than anything. Still, as much as Wanda hated Vision for bringing Ross and his troops and betraying her trust, she never wanted Vision to die. But now it seemed like she had just ended his very short life. As she lifted him higher in her arms, his head wanted to dangle from his shoulders, but Wanda made sure to keep it safely level. "I'm so sorry, Vision. I never meant for any of this. All I wanted was a friend." She hugged his lifeless body meaningfully crying into the material of his skin. She wept for her mistakes, for her how things would turn out for her, but mostly, she wept for Vision.

Morgan suddenly emerged from the large hole in the wall. She was brushing off all the little pieces of dust and rubble off her raggedy gown. When she looked up, she found Wanda cradling her former teammate. She frowned in slight sympathy for the young enhanced. "Oh, Wanda" she sympathized, "I know this is difficult, but one must change and sacrifice if they are to grow." Wanda picked her head up, still looking down at Vision's face, but listening to her. "You need to learn to let go of the past and do what's best for yourself. He was never good for you."

"You don't know that" Wanda answered, "you didn't know him." She said it as if he was really gone, even if she didn't want to and that it would hurt her to say it.

"I did," the Arthurian sorceress said, "I knew him as you knew him, through your memories. He lied to you. He betrayed you. He denied you any chance of freedom."

"No!" the auburn silently fumed, "you saw only saw what you wanted to see, just as you made me do what you wanted me to." Morgan was stunned to hear such a contention. "You manipulated me to do things that I didn't want to do."

"Nonsense! Everything you did, said, or felt was all you."

"Maybe..." Wanda said, setting Vision's body to the side and pushing herself to her feet. "But whatever I said or did, was only elevated by your control of me. And because of that, you have made me more of a threat than Vision has ever done." A brief pause fell between them, as well as a strong bitterness. "In the end, it won't matter. After we have..."