𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆 ━━━ ❪...

a/n
[ this chapter is rlly
long, also - i swear this is
still a wanda x strange fic ]

WARNING: a smidge
of cursing

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THREE
𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸
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EVERYONE HAD PACKED up their things and had headed out of the door. They clearly weren't eager to stay for an extended amount of time.

Left lying around was Helen Cho, Bruce Banner, and Tony Stark. Helen had stayed around for a few drinks and conversation, mostly influenced by Tony.

"I don't know how else to put this out there...so," Tony put down his glass, "The sceptre wasn't the only thing I took from Strucker."

"What are you...Wh-What are you saying?" Bruce stepped on his words.

"I took some blueprints, designs for something he was working on and I want you to help me make it."

"Make it, Tony? What are you talking about?"

"I want to create Strucker's vision. Make it a reality."

"And, what would you need me for?" Helen asked.

"It needs a body. The Regeneration Cradle is marvellous...But it can do more than patching up boo-boos," Tony stood up, "Walk with me."

Helen and Bruce looked at each other before staring back at Tony and deciding to follow along.

"The Regeneration Cradle prints tissue, it can't build a living body," Helen added, protesting against Tony's imagination.

"It can, you can. All you need is the materials. You're a brilliant woman, Helen. But together, we all can make something amazing."

Tony tinkered around with buttons in his lab, "You see, we were wondering how Strucker got so inventive. So I've been analyzing the gem inside you may recognize."

He brought up a 3D image of Jarvis's consciousness, the yellow lights of coding circled around in a tangled ball.

"Jarvis," Bruce said.

"Doctor," Jarvis greeted.

"Oh," Helen said.

"Top of the line."

"Yes," Bruce agreed.

"I suspect not for long," Jarvis added.

"Meet the competition," Tony brought up another 3D image of another detailed spiral, similar to Jarvis but in blue colour and much more blue and fantastic. It was the Mind Stone, inside Loki's Sceptre.

"Wow," Helen gaped at the image.

"It's beautiful," Bruce complimented.

"If you had to guess, what does it look like it's doing?"

"Like it's thinking, I mean this could be a...I mean it's not a human mind, it..."

"Mm-mm."

"I mean look at this! They're like neurones firing."

"Even I have to admit, this is a lot," Helen smiled slightly, in defeat.

"Down in Strucker's lab I saw some fairly advance robotics work. They deep-sixed most of the data but I managed to get my hands on his plans and...I gotta say it looks a lot like he was knocking on a very particular door."

"Artificial intelligence," Helen answered.

"This could be it, guys. This could be the key to creating it."

"I thought this was a fantasy."

"Yesterday it was. If we can harness the power of the stone inside the sceptre, apply to Strucker's blueprints and place Jarvis inside of it..."

"I'm in," Helen said, "I would love to be apart of something like this. As long as you two can get the sciences in order."

Tony looked at Bruce.

"No," He said firmly.

"Come on! We need you here, we're out of my field. You know bio-organics better than anyone."

"And you just assume Jarvis's matrix is strong enough to withstand malfunctioning as a fully functioning body?"

"Started out, Jarvis was just a natural language UI. Now he runs the Iron Legion. He runs more of the business than anyone besides Pepper."

"I...How would this ever pan out? We're supposed to be running and hiding, remember?"

"I want to apply this to Strucker's program. But Jarvis can't download a data schematic this dense. We can only do it while we have the sceptre here, that's three days. Give me three days."

"That's works for me, the Cradle is in Seoul. I'll need time to bring it over and work hard on building the body...But like you said, I will need a lot of money for materials."

"Done. You can even fly to Korea with one of my planes, get you there in top speed, right?"

"You're going for artificial intelligence and you don't want to tell the team?" Bruce was still wary.

"Right. That's right, you know why? Because we don't have time for a city hall debate. I don't want to hear the "man was not meant to meddle" medley," Tony looked out to the window - his face changed to a solemn expression. "She's gone, Bruce. I can't help but feel like we need to do something, anything to make it up to her. I feel guilty...I see a suit of armour around the world."

Bruce could sympathize with that, his thoughts of doubt vanished as he mentioned Natasha, "I'm in."

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WANDA MAXIMOFF WAS trying to hide, she was doing everything she could to keep herself hidden.

She knew after Pietro had left and she...got rid of the S.H.I.E.L.D agents there was only a matter of time before they would send more people looking for her.

She hadn't seen the Avengers for a while, she didn't know where they had gone. She could only imagine they were devising a plan to capture her. Wanda knew she was wanted, it was all over the news and paper headlines...

'AVENGER KILLED BY DANGEROUS CRIMINAL!'

'ENHANCED SOKOVIAN ON THE LOOSE!'

'HORRIFIC DEATH OF A HERO.'

Long 온라인카지노게임, short - Wanda was panic-stricken. She was a villain and everywhere she went she had to look over her shoulder to make sure no one recognized her.

It had been a few months since the battle in Sokovia...she had to flee the country. Everyone there would recognize her too quickly...

Wanda adjusted the cap on her head as she browsed the small convenience store she had entered. She tapped on the black tinted glass of her shades as she scrolled through the aisles.

She picked up a few bags of chips, drinks and a few bags of bread, she dropped them into her bag as she walked away, checking around her.

The shopkeeper stopped her in her tracks, grabbing her by the shoulder, "Hey, kid - where do you think you're going? You need to pay for that."

"Oh, I'm sorry...I will," Wanda smiled, the shopkeeper still looked angry as he pulled her along. She could notice that he was suspicious of her Sokovian accent but he was clearly distracted with the anger of having a thief to deal with...

"You think this is some kind of joke? I'm going to call the police, then you'll be..."

Wanda used her other hand, that wasn't held captive to send a trickle of red whisps to the man's head, knocking him back and taking over his mind completely. He was in a deep trance as his eyes flashed ruby.

"Hey! What's going on here?" Another middle-aged man in the shop yelled.

She took the opportunity to escape, running as fast as her legs could take her down the street. It had been a couple of days since her last snack run and she had almost forgotten how it made her feel...it was kind of exciting - not the deceiving and stealing from people part, of course, but it was entertaining to see what each shopkeeper would do each time to try and stop her.

She had taken off down the streets of New York, she turned at least two corners and made a risky cross along the street before climbing up the stairs on the side of her apartment building, entering inside the window she had left open.

She dropped her bag on the floor before collapsing on the bed. She threw off her hat and cap before sitting up and dragging her load to the kitchen which was only one footstep away.

Her apartment wasn't anything magnificent, it was actually the complete opposite. It was all she could afford from a runaway salary, and the barest minimum she had in Sokovia which was also basically also nothing.

She threw the food into the cupboards, adding to the unorganized pile before grabbing a chips packet and tearing it open.

She moved toward the pile of junk mail by the door, picking up the newspaper on the floor - she was expecting another headline about her small incident being spotted in Russia a few weeks ago...

But she almost bit on her tongue as she read, 'TONY STARK PROMISES NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART ROBOT.'

Underneath the headline was a picture of Tony, Bruce, and Helen, posing for the photograph, leaving a gap for the Regeneration Cradle in the background and she instantly noticed the faint, grainy image of a body inside it and the mind stone glowing vaguely.

"Shit..." Wanda muttered as she slammed down the newspaper and threw the chips in the bin.

She knew exactly what Tony Stark was building, she remembered every word of Strucker's rants, going on and on about his big creation...

Had Tony Stark really done what Strucker had worked towards all the whole she'd known him? Now, that she needed to see...

*

Wanda managed to sneak into the Avengers Facility, it didn't take too long to distract the guards and knock out a few of them to get to where she wanted.

She felt her heart pound in her chest as she walked past the room where the Avengers were gathered, she could hear them chattering in the room near the lab.

"I'm only gonna say this once!" Steve yelled.

"How about nonce?" Tony questioned, arguably.

"Shut it down!"

"Nope, not gonna happen."

"You don't know what you're doing!"

"And you do..." Wanda heard a few words of Bruce Banner before walking past the doorway stealthily, guessing the way to the lab.

She had managed to walk down only a few short halls before getting there.

She looked behind her before looking into the glass, staring at the inanimate android inside.

She placed her hands on the glass slowly, trying to read it. She was surprised she could read him, he was dreaming.

Helen had added finishing touches before leaving, she started the process of cellular cohesion but she knew that would take a few hours.

She had left Tony and Bruce to initiate the consciousness stream she had set up and they had started loading the cerebral matrix.

Inside the android's mind, she saw flashes of a man she had never met before, the images shot through her head at a mile a minute.

The only words she could use to describe them were horrifying...

Wanda took her hands off the cradle, letting out a piercing scream.

"What was that?" She heard Bruce ask from the other room.

"I'll go," Pietro said, speeding into the room.

She felt her heart drop in her chest as she caught her breath, frantic.

She turned around to see her brother staring at her, his eyes wide with utter shock as his eyebrows creased.

"Hey, Piet," Wanda said, a teasing tone in her voice.

"Wanda?" He mouthed, trying to be quiet, he walked up to her - whispering, "I've missed you."

"So have I," Wanda smiled, going to hug him before being stopped.

"You," Bruce growled, coming into the lab along with the rest of the group - excluding Thor, who's absence was still unknown and Natasha who's absence...was.

"I know you're angry," Wanda reasoned, looking straight at him and seeing the anger in his eyes, she was slightly afraid of what he might do.

"Oh, we're way past that. I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade."

Steve intervened, "Banner, after everything that's happened..."

"It's nothing compared to what could!"

"You don't know what's in there..." Wanda took the side of Steve, what she saw in there was disastrous.

If she was here, she may as well try to stop them.

"Who gave her a say in this?" Tony asked.

"Under normal circumstances, I would agree but she's right...This isn't a game," Steve warned.

"The creature...!" Wanda yelled before Pietro flew by the Cradle, unplugging all the wires.

"No, no. Go on, you were saying?" Pietro crossed his arms.

Tony tapped buttons on his computer, "I'm rerouting the upload."

Steve threw his shield at him but he summoned his hand thrusters, blasting him to the floor.

They both charged for each other, ultimately knocking each other down simultaneously - Tony flying through the glass and shattering it.

Clint grabbed onto Pietro, holding him down before he could move.

"Pietro!" Wanda edges forward to help him, before being grabbed by Bruce.

"Go ahead piss me off," He said. Wanda knocked him back with a flow of her telekinesis, pushing him away.

Before anyone could do anything else, they paused to see the sudden arrival of Thor - flying in and landing on the cradle.

"Wait!" Bruce shouted.

Thor raised his hammer in the air, summoning lighting which filled the room with its bright light before pounding on the cradle with it.

Everyone stared in shock as the cradle was overloaded with power and it burst open.

Steam teamed over the edge of the container and the being inside sat up.

The creature had no hair nor clothes and its skin was a dark vermilion colour, it's entire body was covered with vibranium which was scattered around visibly in some places as plates.

The only distinct change of colour from all the red was the yellow mind stone in its head and it's bright ocean eyes.

Wanda was in awe as Strucker's creation came to life...

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STEPHEN STRANGE SET down a stack of books onto his table, he had prepared himself for the spell he was about to perform.

He had heard many warnings from sorcerers alike telling him it was dangerous to meddle with things of the future but he didn't really care much.

There had been something bothering him, ever since his fight with Dormammu and his tethering to the time stone, he had felt something coming.

He needed to do the spell he had seen from the text Kaecilius stole, he remembered it clearly - his sharp memory helped with that.

"Ok..." He breathed, drawing his hand back over his other arm, controlling the Eye of Agamotto with the mystical green circles that appeared around him.

There was a loud sound of glass snapping as reflective mirrors appeared in front of him, he held his arms in place, staring up at the image on the mirrors.

He saw the face of a young woman, her face was clearly masked with an expression of distress and sadness, he could tell she was somewhere different from Earth because of the orange and yellow landscape. 

He was in confusion as he saw her disintegrate into tiny fragments of dust that floated upwards as she looked to the sky and looked sad but almost peaceful. Who was this?