Dhabar; November 23, 22:11 UTC+2
They snuck into the mansion undetected by the guards. Robin, KF, and SB went through the vents only coming out once they've confirmed that Harjavti was alone. Wanda walked down the hallway, deciding to be the one who kept watch in case the guards came. It wasn't long before she felt a familiar presence in her head. At first she was just going to ignore it but the closer she got to where Harjavti was, the louder the mind became. So she stepped back, deciding to go after it. She opened a door to another room to find Pietro going through a computer. "What are you doing, Pietro?"
"Looking for my memories," he said simply.
The door shut behind her making her turn around to face Psimon. "If answers are what you're looking for, you won't find them there. Remember what Queen Bee said? Complete the mission and then i'll give them to you." He backed away from the computer with his head down. "That's it."
"Pietro, look at me. Don't do this, this isn't you-"
"How do you know this isn't me? I don't even know if this is me." The speedster looked at her. "What i do know is that at the end of this i'll get my memories."
"You don't need them-"
She was cut off by Psimon laughing. "Oh, i'm sorry to interrupt but this is really getting old. You're the one who doesn't want them. You're the one who just wants to forget. I've made you forget before, so how about i just make you both REMEMBER!" Her eyes widened as her mind flooded with memories.
~~~~~
"Leave her alone!" Pietro shouted as they pushed Wanda to the ground, surrounding her. The kids ran off and he turned to look at her. "Are you okay-"
"I never asked for your help, Pietro! I could've handled it just fine before you showed up!" She pushed herself up from the ground, turning to walk away but ended up walking into a pole. He went to help her but she just pushed him away once she felt his arm grab hers."I'm fine! Just leave me alone!"
At home, Wanda threw her backpack on the floor as soon as she walked through the door. "Sestra, i was just trying to help-"
"But i didn't ask for any! I don't want people to help me as if i can't do anything on my own!"
"But you can't. Look, i know it's hard-"
"No you don't, Pietro," she turned to, what she thought was his way, with tears streaming. "You don't know what it's like to have people pick on you just because you can't see. Or have people treat you as if you can't do anything on your own. It's hard and it's not fun! Do you know what i'd give just to be like you? To be able to do something, anything, by myself without someone's help-" Wanda was cut off by the ground shaking. "Bratr? What's happening?"
Her brother looked back at the kitchen to find his parents standing there worried. "Matka? Otec? What's going on?" Before they even got a chance to respond, a shell crashed through the roof into the ground creating a hole which their parents fell through. "Matka! Otec!" Wanda fell to the floor, crawling around for someone.
"Pietro! Where are you?!" He covered her with his body so nothing would fall on top of her. He guided her to the bed, pushing her underneath before following. Everything went quiet until another shell hit making her scream. It rolled to them, stopping three feet from their faces. "Pietro, i'm scared."
"I know. I am too but it's gonna be okay." He held onto her, bracing for impact. When it never came he looked at the shell, staring at it. "Wanda, can i tell you a secret?"
"Mhm."
"Sometimes i wish i was blind."
She lifted her head. "Like when?"
Pietro stared at the shell with tears streaming. "Right now."
~~~~~
Wanda fell to her hands and knees as tears weld up in her eyes. "Well, would you look at that? You were blind. So helpless and so pathetic." Psimon watched as she just sat their, motionless. "What i don't understand is why you never gave your brother his memories back. You had them just locked up in the back of your mind." Pietro looked at the telepath. "Oh, did she never tell you? She could've saved us the trouble and just gave them to you."
Pietro looked down at her. "You had them? This whole time i've been looking and you had them with you!" He sped around her, switching directions to take away her air. She grabbed her neck trying get air into her lungs.
"Pietro! Please!" His eyes shut tight as he heard her beg. Suddenly he came to a stop just in front of her.
The eldest Maximoff looked at her on the verge of tears, feeling hurt and betrayed. "Wanda, you lied to me. You knew how badly i wanted them and you just didn't care. The sleepless nights i've spent wondering, the energy i've wasted running is all because of you. You told me to trust no one, when i really should've never trusted you. How do you live with yourself knowing that i ended up like this, because of you?" She didn't get a chance to answer as he phased through the wall, leaving her on her hands and knees as she cried.
She punched at the ground. "Get up..." her whispers were barely audible but they were not for anyone but herself. "...stop crying and get up! The others need you." Wanda wiped away her tears and stood, making her way out of the room immediately running into the rest.
R-There you are! What happened?
W-I'll explain later, right now M'gann needs us.
They ran down the hall into what looked like a conference room but the moment they were close enough, Kid, Superboy, and Robin were all brain blasted.
M-Wanda i need your help.
She looked at Psimon, taking a hesitant step back.
P-How is she supposed to help you? Look at her she's terrified. Scared that i'll make her remember all of the terrible things that she's done in the last four years. Maybe this'll jog her memory. Psimon says REMEMBER!
The brunette clutched her head as more traumatic memories filled her mind. "Please...make it stop..." Her mind felt overwhelmed and before she knew it, she was out like the others.
.....................................................................
Wanda groaned as she sat up, automatically looking around the messed up room. "You're awake." She looked to Megan who was back in her bodysuit. They looked over the others who were still unconscious. "You won't tell them, right?" The brunette looked down at her slightly shaking hands.
"You keep my secret," she clenched them, looking up at her, "i keep yours."
The two nodded as they heard the others coming to. Wally groaned, putting his hand to his head. "And there's the headache."
"Psimon?" Robin asked as he too rubbed his head. The martian looked down before speaking.
"He brain blasted you. I stopped him." They looked to the telepath who was lying in a row of broken seats. Wanda could tell Robin's eyes were on her as she stared down at her lap.
.........................................................................
KF, SB, Robin, and Wanda all waited in Harjavti's rundown office for their little skit to be done. The boy's heads turned to the door when Queen Bee walked in, immediately turning back to Miss Martian. "Sorry you had to lie to everybody like that but i couldn't think of any other way to convince the public Queen Bee was behind this."
"Dude," Wally lightly punched the Boy Wonder's arm. "Saving a country, pretty big win for your first term as leader."
"Yeah, thanks."
You did good, Robin.
Then how come it doesn't feel like it?
..........................................................................
Back at the animal sanctuary, everyone else sat inside watching the news while Wanda sat on the floor of the porch, looking out across the field. Even though it seemed as if her mind was there, it wasn't. Her mind was stuck replying all of her memories over and over and over, not being able to even think about anything else except for the fact that they were there. That they were now fully part of her, which was the last thing she ever wanted. She must've been so deep because she didn't even feel Robin's mind coming until the door opened. Quickly, her hand wiped the tears away and she continued to look at the sunset as if she hadn't been crying.
He sat next to her staring at the sunset as well. "M'gann told us. Turns out she was just bald so i don't understand why she thought we wouldn't have accepted her the way she was." The brunette didn't say a word as she pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. Robin looked down at his lap. "I'm sorry for snapping at you like that earlier. It's just after what you said before we left and then this happening, i got scared. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."
"If not me, then who else?" His gaze went back to the now set sun. "You were right to get mad, i was reckless-"
"And it's good that you were. Like you said before, things could've turned out differently." He went quiet until he remembered something. "You never said what happened, when you disappeared."
She felt his worried eyes on her, making her crack. "Pietro was there. I thought i could reason with him this time but he didn't want to listen. Then, Psimon came and told him the truth, that i could give him his memories, that he could've avoided this whole thing if i had just told him."
"You have them?" Wanda nodded as she felt tears weld in her eyes. "Do you remember-"
"No! I-I mean no, i don't have them like that i just have them locked up in the back of my mind. I never told him because i knew that i'd give them to him in a heartbeat if he had asked. The reason i didn't is because if he gets his memories back so do i."
It took a moment until he realized. "Because you're twins. You basically lived the same life, experienced the same thing."
"Right. I don't think i can get through to him anymore, he's too far gone."
"Hey Rob! Come check this out!" Wally called from inside the house. The Boy Wonder looked at her to find the tear slip from her eye.
"Go, i'll be okay." He didn't know why but he found himself leaving even though he knew she was lying. Wanda wiped her tear away, letting out a long breath.
P-This is just a blast to watch.
Wanda's head shot up, looking around for Psimon but he was nowhere near her.
P-I wonder how long you'll lie to your little boyfriend until the pressure finally blows up in your face. Trust me, they won't like what you've done once they find out. How about we keep this between the both of us? I'll even take your little memories off your hands and in exchange you help me with something when the time comes. For now, i'll let the thought linger in your mind for a while. We'll see each other real soon.