Chapter Text
No ad-hoc get-togethers in cramped hotel rooms for this meeting. They get a room at the London Sanctum.
Classy U-shaped boardroom table. High-tech projection equipment. Also, ancient dark paneling weathered in runic patterns, and rows of lamps without any obvious power source. Or, in most of them, obvious bulbs.
A group of sorcerer-adepts scurry around, putting water and little notepads at every seat, removing furniture and decorations that would be dangerous for non-magical randos to poke at.
(Not that most of these people would go around poking unidentified magic stuff...but, well, let's just say there's a reason Wade has a new baby-sized hand growing out of one arm.)
Shang-Chi and Katy help Darcy get her laptop connected to the projector. Wong has a solemn hushed conversation with Strange. America, now in her own set of sorcerer-adept robes, lurks nervously beside them.
Bucky brings Sam Wilson around the group, making introductions. He takes most of it in stride, though he looks pretty overwhelmed by Wade. Jean-Paul also looks like he's keeping cool around all these powerful/famous faces, but stays unusually close to Layla's side.
And, just as they're all getting to sit...one of the adepts opens the door, and ushers in a man who needs no introduction.
"All right!" he exclaims. "Who's in charge here?"
There's a moment of confusion when some people point at Wong, a few at Layla, and the rest at Darcy.
Since Wong and Layla both pointed at Darcy, Nick Fury turns to her. "Dr. Darcy Lewis? From the Hammer incident, and the Westview Anomaly investigation?"
"That's me, Director Fury," says Darcy. (Trying not to blush like an intern, but, wow -- Nick Fury has read her file.) "Please tell me you have good news."
"Good news and bad news," says Fury. "Monica Rambeau is really, seriously, profoundly not available."
He gestures with a nod, and two more people follow him into the room.
One is unmistakably Carol Danvers, radiant even in casual clothes, bits of gold light flaking off her blonde hair.
The other -- a girl around America's age, with a long red scarf and wide brown eyes. She whispers "omigod" when she catches sight of Strange, then again for Shang-Chi, and when her gaze falls on Bucky and Sam she looks about ready to pass out.
"...But I brought you the rest of the Marvels," continues Fury, unbothered by the kid's enthusiasm. "They've worked closely with Monica. Just got back from a whole space mission with her! There's gotta be something they can do for you."
☽︎
The original Powerpoint is hopelessly deprecated after yesterday's revelation, so Darcy's just gonna wing it.
With screenshots, though. (She's got a lot of them.)
"A week after the Battle of Earth, Wanda Maximoff went to the town of Westview and had a severe PTSD fugue," she begins. "Because Wanda is off-the-charts magic, she unconsciously made it everyone in town's PTSD fugue. And because sitcoms were always her comfort watches, she built it out of sitcom episodes."
Shots from the WandaVision credits. A range of episodes, showing off all the styles at play.
"The sitcom plot involved Wanda and Vision having kids. As far as we can tell, she created them from scratch, and they disappeared when she came back to reality! But they weren't just puppets acting out whatever lines she wrote. They were surprisingly autonomous, and she took the loss pretty hard."
A slideshow montage of Billy and Tommy. The cutest and most heartwarming moments Darcy could find.
"Outside Westview, there was this whole power struggle between people who wanted to get Wanda to a better mental-health place, so she'd roll back the sitcom world on her own...and people who wanted to antagonize and provoke her, so she would keep putting out absolutely bonkers levels of uncontrolled power, and they could take advantage."
A few outside views of the Westview Hex. From the later days, since its borders were invisible at the start -- unlike the current one, whose walls have been ominous red since day one.
"Oh!" exclaims Carol. "Is that the witch hex Monica got her powers from?"
"Yes! Very good. Gold star for Captain Marvel," says Darcy brightly. "Monica -- who was on Team Mental Health, by the way -- is the only person who ever got through those walls without Wanda's express invitation. Picking up new density-control and radiation-manipulating powers along the way."
She pauses, turning her focus on Carol and Fury at the right side of the table. The kid, now introduced as Kamala, sits up straight between them.
"Level with me. Is Monica dead?"
"No," says Carol flatly, at the same time as Fury says "Classified" and Kamala says "We really hope not!"
(Wade, whispering to the readers: "Oooooh, do you see how good I am being, not saying anything at all.")
"Great. Clear as mud," sighs Darcy. "Oookay, moving on. The whole Westview scenario played out in at least two universes. At some point in the years afterward, though, they diverged. Our Wanda reconnected with her pre-Thanos friends, made a few new ones, and went to therapy."
The next few images aren't from Darcy's archives -- they're from the camera reels of the people around her. With Shang-Chi and Katy, karaoke machines in the background. At Bucky's Brooklyn apartment for dinner, telekinetically setting the table.
"The other Wanda isolates herself from everyone...does some studying from an evil book, I'm still not sure I understand this part..."
"The spells in the Darkhold inevitably corrupt any sorcerer arrogant enough to use them," says Wong stiffly.
He's in the middle section of the U-shaped table, facing forward, with the other traditional-magic-users (plus Katy) lined up on either side. All of them are in similar outfits. Darcy keeps feeling like they should start a Gregorian chant, and/or invite her to join a cult.
Next to Wong, Strange complains, "What are you looking at me for?"
And next to Strange, America in her cute mini sorcerer outfit pipes up, "The serious bald guy in that one world did say, eighty percent of your variants who find the Darkhold try to use it at some point."
"Variants of me, sure!" protests Strange. "Don't I get any credit for being me me?"
Wong raises an eyebrow. "Our universe's Darkhold is in secure storage, and I have not told you where."
"That...probably helps, yeah."
"Okay, okay! Back on topic, people," urges Darcy.
(Everyone in the room listens to her. Captain Marvel. The Sorcerer Supreme. Director frickin' Fury. It's...pretty cool.)
"So the Wanda with the Darkhold goes on...can we call it a multiversal crime spree? She can't physically cross over, but one of her new tricks is called dreamwalking, where you connect with variants of yourself in other universes, and basically mind-control them. It's very uncool. No surprise it's in the evil book. Ultimately, Evil Wanda's goal--"
America raises her hand. "Um, I don't really subscribe to a strict duality of good and evil?"
Jean-Paul, from the left-hand side of the table, replies. "An admirable position, mademoiselle, and I salute your idealism, but: this is the Wanda who had you fleeing across universes from terrifying non-denominational demons, oui?"
They do have images of the demons, which, in retrospect, Darcy shouldn't have been surprised about. Their own Strange met America while saving her from one, as it chased her down the streets of NYC. (Then went MIA because he followed her through her next panic-portal, not realizing it led to the next universe over.) These days, New Yorkers take "building-sized eyeball-tentacle-creature going on a rampage" as a cue to whip out their phones and start livestreaming.
Darcy runs through some on-theme words, and offers, "Is everyone cool with us calling them Local Wanda and Import Wanda?"
A chorus of nods.
"So say we all. Right. Import Wanda's goal is to get to some universe where her twins still exist. Not just dreamwalk there, actually physically go live there. So she went after our girl America -- who can make portals between universes."
Small gasps from Carol and Kamala. Even Fury can't suppress an eyebrow-raise.
Darcy folds her arms and gives them her sternest look. "Come on, folks, give me something."
Kamala sucks in a breath--
Carol puts a gentle hand on her arm and takes over. "It's just that we recently tangled with a similar, uh, supervillain. She started out punching unstable new holes in the intergalactic jump network. Then got a power-up, and was briefly able to punch holes through the multiverse."
Looks of horror all around the table.
"I said briefly!" protests Carol. "We fixed it! It's totally fine now!"
"It would be an incredible coincidence if these incidents were unrelated," says Wong solemnly. "We must consider the possibility that they are not."
At which Wade -- at the near end of what is otherwise the Cool Space Avengers side of the table -- says, "I guess technically they're related, yeah? But it's not like they're doing a villain team-up or anything! It's just all tying in with the overarching theme of the saga."
That gets him a whole wall of blank stares.
"Wade here has a thing where he perceives the real world in terms of movie and comic-book tropes," explains Darcy. "Turns out, that gives him some really valuable insights into Wanda's fake world which is made of tropes. Also...all my surreptitious testing supports the theory that he has genuine precognitive abilities! He just gets his real knowledge filtered through this confusing, non-literal, media-franchise metaphor."
Wade beams, clasping his hands together. "Aww! You've done surreptitious testing?"
"Little bit, yeah."
His eyes go misty. "You are my favorite person who's ever experimented on me."
Fury keeps his focus on Darcy, cutting right to the point: "You think if Weird Wilson over here says these people aren't working together, we can take it as reliable intel that they aren't working together."
"Exactly."
"Also, um," puts in Kamala. "Even if they were having some kind of team-up -- our one is dead? Like, super dead. Like, she full-on vaporized herself."
"That's a good point," says Carol. (The approval sends Kamala into full-on heart-eyes.)
So yeah, Darcy proceeds, on the theory that she is not suffering for lack of intel about the vaporized space villain.
"Import Wanda's quest is going great -- great for her, terrible for everyone else. Ask Strange after class if you want more detail about the, uh, casualties."
Local Strange got the whole backstory of the body count (including what sounds like a non-zero number of his own alternate selves) during his and America's excellent adventure. Understandably, he doesn't want every new team member pushing the teenager to personally re-explain it all. Living through it was bad enough.
"Until Import Wanda makes a fatal mistake. She tries to catch up with America in our universe -- by dreamwalking into the mind of our Wanda. Who turns out to be strong enough to mind-wrestle her, pin her down, and run for backup."
The next few images are...blurry. People on Regent's Park Road also tried to get the exciting superhero moment on-camera when Wanda touched down, but the footage came out glitchy at best. You can barely see the two people running up to Wanda, let alone ID them.
"The new fun-size Hex is containment. Local Wanda, her backup, and her new nemesis are all sealed inside. Import Wanda can't break out. She can't even force-quit dreamwalking and try a different universe. You might say she got...an unexpected mid-season cancellation."
Look, Darcy thought it was funny.
"Who's the backup?" asks Carol. Over Kamala's head, she addresses Fury: "Any humans psychic enough to make any difference next to Wanda Maximoff, they've gotta be on your radar, right?"
"The person who flew away to get the rest of you was me," says Layla, across from her. "And the person who stayed with Wanda is Moon Knight."
Darcy switches to a set of (much clearer) shots of the various Moon Knights.
Orthodox Moon Knight, on TikTok, an unexpected guest-star on Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur's official channel.
Dark Mode, on CourtTV, hauling a previously-missing witness into the middle of a Jen Walters trial.
Reform, on shaky handheld phone videos, when other tourists noticed him walking around Disney World with Thor and Love.
Layla gazes up at the projections, eyes suddenly wet, fond and proud and missing them terribly. Wordlessly, Jean-Paul rests an arm around her shoulders.
Carol watches the images too, but with a very different expression. "Seriously? One of these guys?"
"...Well," says Darcy.
Before she can explain the DID, Sam jumps in, to fill in another layer of backstory: "Danvers, Fury, if I remember right -- you met them in, uh, an altered mental state?"
(Mostly to himself, Wade whispers, "Volume 1, chapter 20, true believers!")
"So you didn't catch them at their best. If you saw them on a normal day, you'd be impressed. I promise."
"Their psychic and spiritual abilities are remarkable," adds Wong, serious and intense. "Very...particular, it is true. But in a situation that requires those particular skills, they are an invaluable asset."
"They've actually tangled with our Wanda before!" says Katy proudly. "Not that they were enemies -- total innocent misunderstanding, they laugh about it now -- and, like, the guys weren't going to win, but? She was seriously impressed at how well they held out."
Strange leans around Wong to give her a skeptical look. "Wait, how exactly did you get her to tell you that?"
"Dude, we took her out for drinks and were nice to her," says Shang-Chi. "It's not hard."
"All right!" exclaims Fury. "The Moon Knights are weirdly good at mind stuff, when they're not high on moon vibes. We believe you."
(Kamala wordlessly mouths, moon vibes?)
"Which one did Wanda grab for the Regent's Park Hex? And is there a reason the rest of them aren't with us? Unless two of you folks have cape identities I don't know about."
Layla gestures the go-ahead, so Darcy says, "All three of them are in the Hex."
A nervous high-pitched laugh bursts out of Kamala. "Hahaha, what? No! That was definitely one guy on the video, psh, what are you even on about."
The room briefly descends into chaos, as Wong says "This is a ruse they put on for the general public" at the same time as Katy says "so, listen, they have this mental health condition" and Sam says "okay, you know the Hulk?" and Wade says "oooh, big reveal!"
They all break off as Layla transforms -- her Avatar vestments appearing in a flash of gold and scarlet -- the better to leap over her side of the table in a single bound.
Carol and Fury both tense as Layla lands in front of them. (Darcy is at the right angle to see Carol make a glowing fist under the desktop. Not raising it, just having it ready.) Kamala whispers "omigod you're their awesome wife, omigod."
"That's me." Layla sinks into a half crouch, so she's at eye level with the seated Kamala. "And you're the sparkly Jersey girl, right?"
"Uh-huh!" squeaks Kamala.
"The one who does the hands?"
The girl raises one hand, expands it to three times its normal size with a shell of glowing purple crystal, and gives her a shy wave.
"Got it. And thank you. For defending the guys as much as you have, and for helping them protect their private lives for so long." Layla clasps Kamala's hand (the non-crystal-shelled one) in both of hers. "But you don't have to do it here, all right? Everyone in this room either knew the guys are a system already, or I've decided that, for the sake of the rescue mission, we're bringing them into our confidence."
She gives the kid's hand an extra pat, then stands up and turns to face the other two sides of the table.
"And the rest of you can quit worrying about how to explain it to her! Because, with only two exceptions? She's known for longer than anyone in this room."
(Wade to himself again: "Volume 1, chapter 7!")
Out of nowhere, a short breeze ruffles all the papers and tousles Layla's hair.
"With three exceptions," amends Layla. "Sorry. I shouldn't have left Khonshu out."
☽︎
Darcy has a ton of screencaps from the Regent's Park broadcast, but she resists the urge to recap the plot. They're just a useful visual, while she goes over what they've deduced about why it's happening.
It probably wasn't hard to prompt Local Wanda to recreate a sitcom-pleasant suburban world. She even reused a bunch of her old interior sets from the Westview broadcast.
Since this season is (more or less) Live From The Astral Plane, the Moon Knights show up as their separate astral bodies, instead of their shared physical body. They still look almost identical, so the obvious solution was to cast them as triplets.
The fake setting is keeping Local Wanda and the guys busy...but it's also keeping Import Wanda busy. Making awkward cuts. Smoothing over inconsistencies. Retconning more details into the lightly-sketched backstory. Even if there's some way she could break out of Local Wanda's Hex, she hasn't had enough free time to find it.
"It's a happy setup for everyone inside. Family fun, wholesome shenanigans, no new looming apocalypse every month. Import Wanda clearly hoped they wouldn't want to notice the plot holes," reflects Darcy. "But if she takes her attention off the editing process -- even just to have a creepy telepathic conversation with Strange here for five minutes -- the whole thing starts to break down, real fast."
"Do we think," says Fury, twirling a London-Sanctum-branded ballpoint pen in his fingers, "that if Strange made that connection again...trying to distract her...it could free up Local Wanda enough to remember what the hell her actual plan was? And then maybe say it out loud on a broadcast?"
"I am putting it on our list of things to work on." (Strange barely got out of her magical grip last time -- but they can try to fix that.)
"And that's why she asked for you, Dr. Lewis. Because you're the Earth's top expert on picking up WandaVision broadcasts."
"That is our leading and only theory, yes."
"Do we know why Strange?" continues Fury. "It's pretty significant that you're protecting the exact kid Import Wanda is after--" (Next to Strange, America stops doodling on the notepad in front of her and tries to look serious.) "--but Local Wanda didn't know that when she asked for you, right? And the psychic thing is obviously useful, but are you the Earth's top expert on psychic things? ...I'm not throwing shade, I honestly don't know."
"It is hard to capture magical skills with objective measurements..." Wong sucks in a deep breath, looking as if this next part is physically painful to say: "...but Strange is among the best of us, yes."
"Guy's got some pretty singular achievements under his belt, too," adds Sam. "I mean, your strategy was a key part of how we beat Thanos. Not many people in the whole universe can say that."
For what might be the first time in his life, Strange looks uncomfortable with praise. "Okay -- true. But. It involved the Time Stone, and while I am arguably the Earth's top expert in using the Time Stone, it doesn't help when we don't have the Time Stone."
"Um," says Kamala.
She startles a bit when everyone looks at her, until Fury says, "All right, kid, what've you got?"
"I was just thinking...you're a pretty big expert at the thing Local Wanda's doing? As in, making complicated long-game plans, to deal with universe-level threats...even if they involve really big personal self-sacrificing risks?"
In the silence while the rest of the room processes that, Wade lets out a low whistle. "Ooh, she's good."
"So...no one killer theory," summarizes Darcy. "But a lot of awfully solid ones."
Fury nods. "And Monica? Do we think that's because she's the Earth's top expert in entering Hexes?"
"We sure do. Guessing the plan was for Monica to bring in whatever Avengers we assemble to confront Import Wanda. Since that leaves the Hex intact, she can't just peace out to another universe and dodge the whole fight."
Darcy switches from an end-credits screencap to a real-world photo of the Regent's Park Hex, the big glowing lump blocking the road.
"Plus -- Monica only only interacted with Local Wanda for a couple days, but she did stuff like stand in front of Billy and Tommy when armed S.W.O.R.D. agents were trying to shoot them! So. Kind of a big trust factor there."
"Not to take any kudos away from Monica," says Fury, "because those are major kudos, but: can we do this plan with anyone else? We have other people out here Wanda trusts. Some of you folks are pretty resilient. Carol here flew into a sun last month! I bet she could handle going through a witch hex."
"Maybe." Darcy starts pacing in front of the projections. "The thing is...everyone else who went into Westview, they immediately got cast in the sitcom. We don't know how Monica got to be an exception. Maybe she built up a resistance after going in and out a couple times? She was doing spacewalks before the Blip; maybe it's from exposure to cosmic radiation? Or maybe it's something she was born with, some kind of mutation--"
Wade claps both mismatched hands over his mouth.
Darcy stops short. "Something you want to share with the class, buddy?"
"Nothing! It's just. You said the M word!"
"...mutation?"
"Ooh! I have a mutation!" exclaims Kamala. "A friend of mine who's really into genetics looked at my DNA, and that's what he called it. You think that's related?"
"I mean, it is now, thanks to an extremely ballsy retcon," says Wade. "Like, we all knew the original distinction was just because they wanted a new all-purpose gimmick generator that they hadn't sold away the film rights to, but -- no, nope, that's not important right now! Augh, I thought I was just here to do funny quips and references, but this might actually be important to the plot? Give me a sec! I gotta think about this."
His brow furrows in concentration. Impressive that it's noticeable, given how much of his face is just naturally furrows, all the time.
"What's important is," he says at last. "Since this continuity can't just explain literally any power they feel like by saying the M-word, they always need some other plot device to be the excuse. Monica Rambeau, her excuse was the Westview Hex. Kamala Khan, yours was...actually, you have, like, five different excuses?"
"I'm a part-human part-jinn who's been electromagnetically altered and can access energy from another dimension and has an unexplored mutation and a legendary space-and-time-bending bracelet?"
"Exactly! That is just narratively muddled! Somebody needs to teach the writers about overkill."
"Don't know why you guys think he's hard to understand," mutters Kamala. "This makes perfect sense so far."
"Thank you! You get me. Sooooo. Who doesn't have their powers yet? Who still needs the handy plot device? Who--"
He stops. Lights up. Breaks into a slightly manic grin. The rest of the room is riveted, hanging on his every twitch.
"Ooooh," he says. "Oh, I am not going to say this out loud. Readers, leave your theories in the comments."
Huge, world-weary groans from both Layla -- who slumps forward on the tabletop, muttering something that would probably make Darcy's hair curl if she understood Arabic -- and Jean-Paul -- who throws up his hands and exclaims, "Mierde, Wilson, can you not say anything straightforward for once in your goddamn life--!"
"No! I can't! Because suspense!" yells Wade. "Look, I will go find this person and/or persons myself, okay? The cast here is getting way too unwieldy anyway. This chapter is so long, and it's all just us talking, while that last Hex cliffhanger is still hanging! It is way past time for some of us to get shuffled off on side quests! Well, this one's mine."
He stands up, knocking over his chair, and strides to the door.
With one last look over his shoulder, he adds: "If you need any emergency fourth-wall-breaking jokes while I'm gone, call Jen!"
☽︎
While most of the room gapes at the closed door (and Strange does a quiet little flicker to reset Wade's abandoned chair), Layla picks herself up from the tabletop with another, more-exhausted groan.
"We're not relying on Wade Wilson coming up with a sensible day-saving solution, are we?" she demands, of nobody in particular. "That's not our only plan? It's not our only plan."
"It does seem a teeny bit sketchy," agrees Katy. She turns to Fury, doing her best innocently-plaintive look. "Listen, are you really, really sure we can't get ahold of--"
"The villain punched an unstable hole in the fabric of the multiverse and Monica had to go to the other side to use her powers to un-punch it and she didn't make it back in time so now she's stuck in an alternate universe we know nothing about!!" yells Kamala.
Another silence, except for Fury muttering, "Why do I even classify anything."
"Well, gee," says Strange, at a more normal volume. "If only we had somebody around here who could punch stable holes in the fabric of the multiverse."
America's pen stops doodling again, face going beet-red, as all eyes turn to her.
"I don't -- it's not -- I can't control them!" she pleads. "It was super lucky I got you back to this world at all, remember? And the path we took to get here went through about five different worlds that almost killed us! My unstable portals probably did kill my moms! You shouldn't count on my powers to fix anything!"
"So we work on them," says Strange. "You're not being chased anymore. You're safe to hang out in this world for a while -- and our Kamar-Taj is full of great teachers. We train you."
"You've never even seen powers like mine before!"
Shang-Chi leans forward on the table to wave at her. "They never saw powers like mine before either," he assures her, sending five of the Ten Rings swooshing off his forearm. No combat moves, they just do an elegant circle in the air. "But we studied them, and came up with some bespoke practice routines, and it's helped."
"This might be a long-game plan," admits Strange. "But I'm good at those, remember?"
"How long?" demands Layla, voice cracking. Her eyes are wet. "How long?"
Strange suppresses a flinch. "Again, uh, not having the Time Stone..."
"Can we perhaps revisit the idea about sending in the lovely sun goddess?" asks Jean-Paul. His gesture toward Carol is polite and graceful as ever, but he sounds hoarse and frazzled. "Along with the aid of any who are here, and ready, and willing, right now?"
"--Can I say something?"
That was Bucky. And, huh, Darcy's pretty sure it's the first thing he's said all evening.
"Sure," she says, waving everyone else quiet. "Go for it."
"There's a lot of people in here," says Bucky slowly. "And I'm not familiar with everybody's backstories, so I have to ask. Is there anyone else in here who ever had to decide whether to lock yourself up in stasis -- maybe indefinitely -- because it was the only guaranteed way to block a supervillain from controlling your body to kill a bunch of people?"
He scans back and forth a couple times, taking in the responses.
Lots of shaking heads. Not a one of them nodding.
"See, I think I might be the world's top expert in that situation," he says. "And it's something Wanda and I have...talked about. Maybe she even thought about those talks, when she realized what Import Wanda was doing to her head."
Under the table, he and Sam are holding hands.
"Any plan we try to get our Wanda out of there...if we're not a thousand percent prepared to keep it from turning back into a multiversal murder spree? She won't thank us." He turns to Layla. "If we pull Marc and Steven and Jake out of there, and people start dying -- they won't thank us."
Layla hiccups on a choked-back sob, but nods in unhappy agreement. Jean-Paul pulls her into a full-on hug, and manfully hides his face in her hair.
"...which is exactly why we are working on multiple plans," says Darcy. "Get enough of these things cooking, only one of 'em's gotta rise."
Gesturing to America: "Magic-portal rescue training plan."
To Strange: "Telepathic distraction research plan."
To the closed door: "Suspenseful new mystery for the audience to theorize about plan."
And to Fury and Carol: "You guys are already working on science-based efforts to get our girl back, right?"
Fury doesn't even try to protest this time, as Carol says, "Well, obviously."
"Good. Okay. Cool space science rescue plan."
"And in the meantime...we trust Wanda and the Moon Knights to take care of each other," says Bucky. Mostly toward Layla and Jean-Paul. "That's why Wanda went to our guys. Forget the mysterious moon powers. Forget whatever other godly or psychic or magic stuff they have going on. They are experts in being a team, who support each other, in the face of all kinds of memory-altering and reality-bending situations. They'll get each other through this one."
