Fandom Running In Your Shoes (MCU Avengers)

[FarFlungDreamer]

Running In Your Shoes
​

Civil War has broken out among the Avengers. Torn down not by a man scorned with the loss of his family, but by the Avengers themselves. Their fears, self doubts, and senses of obligation has torn the defenders of the earth apart and scattered them. Some are branded as outlaws, criminals, some are held up in the now political game of super powered beings, and a few have gone into hiding.

Wanda Maximoff, The Scarlet Witch, found herself settled into life as an Avenger. After watching her family killed, barely surviving at the hands of a nameless war and branded weapons, she and her brother were experimented on. Locked up and studied, after her world fell to pieces and she fought off killer robots she lost her brother. In his place, she got as close to as a family as she could ever be again with the Avengers.

But sometimes, you can't save everyone. It wasn't something she knew how to live with, and from the moment her powers caused an accident the world rose up again. She was feared and hated for what she thought was helping people.

The Avengers rose into conflict and defected to different sides of a war none of them asked for. Eventually she chose a side, and found herself once again locked up by a different government. Steve Rogers freed her, never one to leave a soldier, or friend, behind. Just as she looked for a new place in the world, now alone... she found herself faced with an unexpected reappearance. That of her twin brother Pietro.

When he'd died, or had been near death, he was taken away by a group hoping to continue the work Hydra had done with the twins. It did not work out for them, but they did save the other Maximoff twin. He broke free and awoke looking for his beloved sister, and upon seeing her on the news has finally tracked her down.

Reunited in the most unexpected and impossible way, Wanda decided she would not give up on her second family either. It may seem impossible... but the twins have a new goal... to reassemble the Avengers. The world needed them now more than ever, and the twins have just the thing.

Premise
​

This Rp obviously takes place after Civil War where the Avengers are all split. Only exception to Avengers canon will be that Bucky won't be going into stasis and Pietro Maximoff survived bullets (as only a speedster can). Wanda has called each of the characters to one location, unknown to the others. When they arrive at an old warehouse they're taken off guard by the sudden appearance of Pietro. He speeds around them and subdues them while they're off guard.

Wanda explains why she brought them all here, that the Avengers can't be divided in a world that needs them. They're all a family and she knows they just need to see that again. Using her reality warping powers she creates a link between all the present Avengers and draws all of them into the group's consciousness.

The effect? They all wake to find themselves thrown into each other's memories. Wanda's decided that talking won't cut it with this group. To truly understand each other, and see they all want the same thing Wanda and Pietro decided they'd have to live it. Make them walk in the other's shoes. See their fears, their struggles, their previous lives.

So all the characters will be thrown into one of the other character's memories/mind until they uncover what their fears/regrets/impacts/defining moments. Or those with grudges against one another, they'll uncover what happened to create the grudge and see it from the opposite point of view.

So for example, the Avengers will show up in Steve's memories and see the 1930's r during the war. They'll all find themselves in Bucky's mind and see the torture that led to his brainwashed state that he killed Tony's mother in, they'll see Nat's time in the Red Room, Tony's time kidnapped, Thor when he's young, ect, ect.

When they get through that character's mind, and understand that person they'll be transported into the next Avengers mind.

The How
​

So this'll be a clear plot to follow and very easy to move along so it doesn't become stagnant. If someone drops out or if a section gets boring we have an in game explanation for why we can skip to the next player/character memory. If someone wants a new character or someone else wants to enter the Rp it's just as easy to integrate them.

It'll also be a fun way to really explore the characters and have surprising reactions.

For an example of what I'm thinking is that when they enter a character's memories, let's say it's Tony, Steve, Bucky, and Nat in the first memory. Whoever is playing Steve will be in control of the environment/setting because it's their character's memories. (If you don't want to/or don't like plotting those things I can switch the settings through my characters) During the time in Steve's memories, Steve will be replaying through those moments. The group will be integrated into the scene, if it's Steve in his early years they'll be neighbors, if they're there during the war they'll find themselves soldiers and be able to interact with Steve when he's younger. In Bucky's case I guess he would be in those memories as his old self since he was there? I'm not sure on that one. (Or we can have it where they just are watching it go by, but that seems less fun in an Rp. I'm open to changing it up per memory, or per character, or whatnot!)

Anyone who's read through all this and wants to join in, feel free to send me a message! So long as you know you're able to post consistently and you enjoy going into depth with characters!

The Cast
​

Clint Barton aka Hawkeye: FarFlungDreamer
Natasha 'Romanva' Romanoff aka Black Widow: Jessy753
Steve Rogers aka Captain America: Hammy
Tony Stark aka Iron Man MePersonally
James 'Bucky' Barnes aka Winter Soldier FarFlungDreamer
Pietro Maximoff aka Quicksilver FarFlungDreamer
Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch Jessy753
Stephen Strange aka Doctor Strange MePersonally
Samuel 'Sam' Wilson aka Falcon Shadow
Vision Archon​

Thor Odinson Hammy
Loki Laufeyson ClintBarton

 

[Jessy753]

Wanda concentrated on her surroundings. She needed this to work. It was quite obvious that her former team wouldn’t be able to talk things through on an objective base. Of course they could try and talk but Scarlett Witch knew they were over that stage. Ever since Pietro had found his way back to her, she had thought about it. Even researched a way to make it happen. Eventually she had told her twin that the world needed the Avengers even though the team didn’t seem to see it itself. So both of them decided to start mission Running-In-Your-Shoes.

It was funny for her to think that way. Wasn’t it her who wanted to tear the Avengers apart. In a way Ultron had been right. She had torn them apart from the inside. Her mistake in South Africa had sparked the last bit that had resulted in the Civil War. So it felt like...like it was her job to make sure they would work as a team again. They owed it to the world. After all who would take care if things went wrong again. If Barton had been correct about one thing in Sokovia, they needed to act like Avengers, now. Even if they didn’t feel like a team anymore.

Her twin brother and Wanda had worked weeks to get to this point. Laid out bread crumbs for the spies including the Winter Soldier, made it look like something illegal was going on to lure in the Captain and Falcon. But also spread rumors for Stark to spark both his paranoia and curiosity enough so he would come to investigate. By now she was waiting for her brother’s signal. The signal for her to start her spell and do some explaining. They all would be stuck here until the spell decided itself that they understood each other’s motives.

FarFlungDreamer Hammy MePersonally Shadow ( someghostinthecorner )

 

[FarFlungDreamer]

“Simpletons,” Pietro sighed, scoffing internally at his sister’s Avengers. “I really can’t believe this is working, sister,” He called over his shoulder, down into the warehouse his twin was standing ready in. Some of the greatest forces of nature, intelligence, and strength in the world - universe - and they were all tricked here easily. Of course it likely had much to do with a trust they had gained for Wanda. In the case of Doctor Strange- aptly named- it wasn’t Wanda but other carefully crafted plans that brought him here. Still… they all came running to the flock!

He ought not tease, he knew that. This was important to Wanda. It made it important to Pietro. These people had grown important to her since his… time away. A few had even taken care of his sister. Given her comfort and safety. For that… he owed them something. What that would be, he wasn’t quite sure. Perhaps this would suffice. His sister had always been the more susceptible of the two of them.

He blamed her powers. They were nowhere near as straightforward as Pietro and they caused her as much grief as good sometimes. But Wanda also cared for people more than he did. It wasn’t that he didn’t care sometimes, like in the case of Wanda, but most were just so painfully slow to him now. It was difficult.

They were on perimeter. Slow indeed, he thought, scoffing. It was imperative to their plot that they did not know of each other until inside and contained. That’s where Pietro came in. He whipped down from his perch and stopped next to Wanda, setting his hand on her shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze. If possible he’d become more protective of her since he found out… so much since his time after Sokovia.

“It’s time dear sister,” He nodded seriously to her and removed his hand before digging his feet into the ground. The world slowed comically around him as it always did, and he sped past the heroes, nothing but a blur the color of his pale blue shirt.

Unsuspecting he took them off guard. Sweeping them all into the warehouse at different times. It was difficult with Captain America, Mr. Black Ops and the Bird-Man, whoever the last two were. After his time, he supposed. They were all together and after he’d knocked the Captain and his friend down, the Bird-Man reacted quickly. At least quick for him, some sort of device coming off a pack on his back. The flying robot pestered him after he’d taken them into the warehouse too.

But once they were all gathered inside, dumped unceremoniously into chairs, he slowed finally next to his sister in the center of the chairs. He breathed heavily, strained from fighting with a group as savvy as this bunch. Even caught off guard and slowed ten times to him, he still had a hard time with a few of them.

“Are you ready Wanda?” He whispered quietly, raising a silver eyebrow. He frowned, especially Stark with his suit. A scowl raised on his lips, even if Wanda had worked with him, he was still the one who started all of this. Pietro did not forgive any easier for his time away from the world. Much the opposite.


( Jessy753 Hammy MePersonally Shadow I managed a little time before work So we're officially started now, so feel free to post any intro posts. Getting word from Wanda, coming to the warehouse, any resistance to Pietro sweeping them into the building. But for the sake of them all going under Wanda's spell they can't win any fight they try to start. Once everyone has a starter post for their character we'll jump into the real fun stuff, the start of the spell!)

 

[MePersonally]

Tony sneaked around the building. This was his first solo- mission since their Avengers assemble. He was nervous and felt naked, uncovered.
"Friday... scan the surrounding again. Something's off here....", he told his AI, as he moved forward. It was quiet, too quiet. There was something wrong, he felt that...
'There are other people around, Tony. This might be a trap...', the computer system warned him.

Just as Tony was about to turn around and fly away, something hit him and he stumbled around. A light blue flash hit him and his first thought was that he was having a dejavu. Sokovia all over again. But Pietro was dead, wasn't he? That man was dead...

Something hit him from behind and he fell, but his suit caught him and put him onto his feet again.
"What the actual hell?!", he exclaimed, as he looked around, "Where is he?! I can't see him!"
'Me neither. It seems to be moving pretty fast', his AI answered, 'But it seems like it is destroying the suit.'
Just as FRIDAY warned him, he noticed something on his boot. The next moment he went down. The rocket was gone.

"Can you predict it, Fri?", Tony asked, his heart beating way too fast, as he turned around and around, but couldn't make out any enemy.
"Shit!", he bursted out when something took him and suddenly he had changed location. He was sitting on a chair, opposite to Steve and... the Winter Soldier. He was about to get up and use his weapons against him, but a millisecond later he was tied to his chair.
"What... is this?"
Panic started kicking in and he started fighting, kicking, screaming... He needed to get out of there!!!

Pictures were running through his head. Pictures of torture and death, of terrorists and weapons and a cave. His PTSD started to hit in and he panicked. His whole body trembled and he stared into the distance, going through the torture, the dangers.

Clinging onto the chair, Tony tried to calm down again.
"What's happening? Where am I...?"
Tony counted to ten and tried to breathe steadily.
"FRIDAY... get me outta here....", he begged, "please, get me outta here..."
He closed his eyes and focused on breathing again.
"Get me outta here...."

FarFlungDreamer Jessy753 Hammy Shadow

 

[Hammy]

Steve led the way into the warehouse he and his team had been tipped off to. Apparently a terror cell had taken up residence in the warehouse, or so their anonymous tip had said. Funny thing was, though, the place didn't seem inhabited. Even for a place that was supposed to seem uninhabited, it was disturbingly untouched. Steve was starting to think that maybe they'd been duped.

Even so, he led his team to the place. Bucky and Sam had their own positions, he had his, and sooner or later, they'd rendezvous. Steve slowly combed through the halls of the warehouse, keeping a safe distance from the larger chambers. It was all too quiet. Not to the mention that he was sorely missing his shield. He'd felt pretty naked since leaving it behind, but that was what he'd had to do. And what could he do from there but move on?

Before he could even comprehend what he was seeing, a silvery-gray flash rushed by him. If he'd so much as blinked, he wouldn't have seen anything at all. What in God's name? There was only one thing that reminded him of and Steve wasn't sure if he liked it. He wasn't sure if he liked the entire situation anymore. Nonetheless, he followed the trail.

It led him down to a small-ish chamber, big enough for maybe a dozen or so people at a time. Seats were strewn about, but only one was full so far. And its occupant made Steve do a double take.

Tony. Tony was there, tied up, and looking to have been captured. The sight was a jab to Steve's heart.

They'd hurt each other, hurt each other beyond any sanity, and Steve was still so damn angry about the whole thing. But he couldn't just ignore that Tony was hurting right then. His pained pleas called Steve's old affection for that friend he'd lost to the forefront. He didn't say anything, didn't do much beyond give him a vaguely sympathetic glance before looking around for a sign of anyone else. Or signs of someone having been there just seconds before. Things were piecing themselves together in his mind, the entire suspicious situation. It was a setup, for sure, but Steve couldn't say if the intent of it was malicious or not.

"Whatever's going on here, I don't want to fight," he called, keeping his hands at his sides and a steadfast posture. "Did you call us here for a reason?"

FarFlungDreamer MePersonally Shadow Jessy753

 

[FarFlungDreamer]

It smelled wrong, this place didn’t add up with their intel. Besides that, it was clear if it was a terrorist cell they’d have more advance security and would have some defense set up. This was a trap, as he glanced at Steve and Sam before splitting up separate ways to check it out, he could tell they knew it too.

He crouched low, as he walked through the warehouses stock rooms, pulling a gun from the holster on his leg and the second from the strap on his vest. He didn’t like the looks of this. Paranoia was creeping in and he wished he’d stuck with Steve.

Paranoia wasn’t a thing if you were right, he decided, as something suddenly swept him off his feet. He fired a shot at what he could only describe as a blur of some sort, the light refracting in some crazy way.

He hit the ground, hanging onto one gun and the other rolling away. He reached for it, but found it suddenly gone. He’d just been staring at it! Bucky grunted, but rolled onto his stomach and just as he was shoving up with arms he felt something hit him hard in the gut. Harder than anyone should be able to. He fell backwards and before he could move he was being dragged. His metal arm shoved outward for what had him but he couldn’t get a grip quick enough.

He was suddenly tied to a chair and it only took him a second to process everything going around them. Steve caught, Sam too, his drone thrown into a pile of equipment, his two guns included on the floor in front of them. Stark was there… most of the Avengers. This was a bigger trap than he’d thought.

“Arh!” Bucky roared, metal arm ripping through the rope he was tied down with like butter. He bent down and tugged his thick combat knife from his boot. A snarl on his face, he pulled the knife up to chest height in case the guy moved. But no sooner had he taken a single step towards Steve to free him, did he feel himself being thrown backwards through the air. He’d been hit from the side,

With a hard grunt he landed in the chair, and instinctively swung his knife out to try and catch the light. But it hit metal or something, and was ripped from his grip. The blur was back this time with a rattling. It seemed like he’d no more than blinked when he was tied back down to the chair with chains instead of rope this time.

“Forgot about the arm, didn’t I?” His attacker hummed. He had a clear sight of him now, the color had been a shirt… and that had been him?

“What the hell is this?” He growled, eyes flickering towards the two in the center. The girl, he knew the girl, she’d been at the airport, he didn’t know this magician though. How had he moved like he had? He threw his shoulders against the chains but they were thick. Maybe he could work the knife he had hidden in the back of his vest out and pry one of the metal links open with his metal hand…

"Oh calm down Stark," The boy said venomously. "You're in no danger."

 

[Jessy753]

Natasha was on her way the intel had told her. She had double and even triple checked it and knew something was foul with it. The only reason why she had even appeared was to get to know who framed her. She was on her way through the forest as she heard voices. More importantly familiar once. Her body tensed even before she recognized whose voices that were. Rogers, Wilson and Barnes not even a few yards in front of her. They were fighting with something that didn't seem to be more than a blur. The same blur that reminded her of Ultron and a dead pain-in-the-butt. She reached for her gun, arming herself but she didn't shoot.

Instead of running to their aid, Natasha quietly backed off. They were not her team anymore. If that fight between Rogers and Stark had proved anything at all, she was better off alone. Like Zemo had described perfectly An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one which crumbles from within? That's dead... forever. And so were the Avengers. They might still be some kind of acquaintance but that didn't make her feel the urge to help and risk her own safety and life. If anything working in a team for both SHIELD and the Avengers had proved her, she was better off a loner. A double and even triple agent how Stark had formulated it perfectly. That's what she was an assassin, a spy... No the one to save lives. Natasha had tried that and all of them knew how that ended.

Just as everyone including James, Wilson and Rogers seemed to be gone, taken by the blur, Natasha ran as fast as she could. But it was no use. Within seconds the blue blur seemed to have gotten her. She kicked and punched into air and soon she was confined against a chair. That didn't stop her though. Just like she had done lots of times, she toppled the chair over and somehow managed to get on her feet. The redhead attempted to do a back flip but landed so on the wooden chair that it broke. Still somehow confined by being the bindings, she moved awkwardly but not slow nevertheless. She instantly grabbed a lose chair leg and through it to where she thought the blur was going. It was the right direction but the familiar red light surrounded the leg before it was able to even hit the blur. "What do you want Wanda?", she called out looking for the witch. But the blur stopped moving and revealed...revealed someone she had thought dead.

 

[MePersonally]

Stephen Strange entered the room and looked around. He closed his eyes, searching for the human beings in his surroundings. There were six of them. He could see them before even actually seeing them. He hid behind a mirror he had formed to bend reality. He was there but he wasn't. Just like an invisible man.

The girl had sounded sincere when she had told him about her problem with the Avengers. That the world was in danger if they didn't unite again. But if the empire crumbled from the inside... Wanda was right. They needed to restore their trust in each other. And he needed to admit, the world needed them. He couldn't do everything on his own, he couldn't save the world again. With a frown he watched the split group, as they were being tied to chairs. There was so much fear and mischief in all of them, they were unbalanced in a way that seemed to jump onto him.

He also felt a strong force holding them down. He could feel it radiate like sunrays, when it formed a wall to protect the man who moved so fast. Too fast for anyone to see, at least in this dimension. When he stepped back into a higher one, he could see him clearly, having way too much fun with his talent. A part of Stephen wanted to challenge him, show him he wasn't all that good. But he didn't. This wasn't a competition, it was about saving a team the world needed.

So the former surgeon went straight toward the girl and made himself visible to her.
"You were right. They need to see", he stated, putting a hand onto her shoulder, "You said you had a plan, tell me about it and I'll help you. You can form the memories and I will keep them inside as long as necessary."
He looked at the young man who had fun speeding around.
"Does he talk, too? Or does he prefer to run?"

 

[Shadow]

Sam stuck the landing carefully, taking a quick glance around as his wings closed. He had to admit, it felt good to be back out in the world trying to do some good. His little stint in a maximum security prison had been a bit of an eye-opener, but it hadn't changed him much. He still went running every morning, still slept on a mattress that felt too soft, and he still came running whenever Steve called.
He shook his head, refocusing on the mission. Honestly, Steve had been a bit sparse on the details, but he was used to being out of the loop. Not to mention, anonymous calls rarely gave details. A cold shiver ran down his spine as an unusual breeze whipped by and he tilted his head, wondering if he was imagining things. He waved his hand, signaling Red-wing who detached from his back. "Go on perimeter search and guard." He commanded, not wanting to leave anything to chance. He trusted Steve with his life, but not even Captain America could have eyes everywhere.
Suddenly something slammed into him, making him stumble sideways. "What the--" Before he could finish the sentence it hit him again. He quickly signaled Red to come back and attack whatever the blur was. He saw Red hit something momentarily, but then he blinked and found himself tied to a chair. He jerked against the ropes, looking around a bit desperately. "Well this is comfy." He growled sarcastically when he saw Bucky in chains, several of the Avengers tied up, and Stark...
Sam looked away, jaw tight, glancing around the room to see if there was something else to focus on. An almost comical gasp echoed out of him when he saw his drone lying dead on the ground. "What the hell did you hurt Red for?" He called out, trying to see exactly who should be the object of his anger. He frowned when he caught sight of the blur, who stopped to reveal a man. He saw a flash of surprise on Natasha's face, which made him feel like he was missing something. The man wasn't familiar, however, so Sam quickly turned his attention to the knife he kept tucked in his suit, hoping the man would be too distracted by any one of his multiple captives to notice the escape attempt.

 

[Jessy753]

“Of course, it works. It was my plan after all.”, she told her twin and deadpanned “I’m not you and not thinking fast enough so bullets pierce my body!” Wanda seemed worried for her brother more than she was for herself. Ever since she had thought she lost him, Wanda was worried about Pietro. At first it was immense grief because she had no family left. When he came back and...and it had sparked this idea. To get her family back and working completely. “Be careful.”, she called after him, showing some of her concern for her brother getting hurt.

In the meantime, Strange approached her. It startled her for a second as he simply appeared next to her. She was not used to have people around her who seemed to have familiar powers like she had. He asked about her plan and finally offered his help. “You are here to stop things, if I make it worse. But they do need to learn first. I have found an ancient spell and you will travel with us from now on.”, she replied quietly.

He came back and squeezed her shoulder. Wanda was one of the few people, who wasn’t startled by the speedster sudden appearance. In face she was so used to it since they were kids. She looked at him as he tried to comfort her. It was obvious that she was becoming nervous and a little afraid of what would follow. Despite of what she had told Pietro, she had wanted Strange to be there in case her plan backfired. Who would save them if she lost control again? No one but Strange seemed to be actually able to do so. “Okay, let’s get this started.”, she agreed trying to get a silence reassurance that their plan wouldn’t backlash again.

Again he only became a blur and soon was gone. She stared at the spot where he had vanished within seconds and slowly her iris started to become red and red light appeared on her fingers as she was getting ready to say the spell. One by one popped up with an accompanies blue and white blur. Steve and his best friend, Tony and the others appeared suddenly one by one. Once everyone was their, she looked at him already surrounding each of them with a red circle which only seemed to expand into a large tube which slowly connected the ground with the roof of the warehouse. It was to protect each of them from each other but also to prevent them from moving in case they would be able to break their binds and hence stopping the spell from working properly. She wasn’t used to manipulate two or three unmoving objects at once. So hexing several living and unwilling human beings at once was quite demanding for her.

Wanda looked down with her red eyes at Pietro and placed her hand as practiced on his shoulder. He would balance her and in a way grounded her to this - the real world. She spoke loud so all of the superheroes would hear and listen. “Pietro and I brought you here because we are going to settle this fight once and for all.”, she spoke and continued “I’m going to transport each of you into each other’s past. Let’s see how you do.”

Without any more explanation or warning, one by one slowly were enveloped by black. She reached her hand forward in direction of Rogers. She mumbled ancient words and one by one slowly appeared far away from an infamous camp. It was dawn of the sun and foggy. Slowly a crowd was gathering on a big open space.

Wanda and Pietro were the last to appear. She looked around and in the background one could hear the soldier of the Allied Forces whispering. The atmosphere was loaded with anticipation but also fear of what would lie ahead of them. A soldier approached Captain America, who was back dressed in his old iconic uniform. "Ready when you are, Sir.", the man saluted in front of Rogers. The rest of them were dressed in the typical uniform of an Allied soldier except for James Barnes. He seemed to have both arms and the somekind of blue jacket. She stared at both than at the gate with the lettering ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ and she knew what would follow.

Something that their father had told the twins once. And only once. She cast a side glance to her brother, taking his hand into hers. Wanda knew what would follow: the liberation of the concentration camp Auschwitz Birkenau.

FarFlungDreamer MePersonally someghostinthecorner Hammy Shadow

 

[Hammy]

Before Steve could so much as open his mouth again, he found himself sat down in a chair and restrained. Well, that ruled out talking about this whole ordeal. He wasn't surprised at all.

Everything went by in a blur from there. Sam was near him, Bucky was chained up, and Pietro Maximoff, that gray ghost, made himself known. Then Wanda was in the room - hadn't even walked in really, just was there out of nowhere - and started to explain the situation. She talked about wanting to settle the fight through- experiencing each other's memories? What exactly that entailed, Steve wasn't sure, but he didn't want to jump into it without at least a little more context.

"Whoa, now, hang on, what-"

An invasive force pushed its way into Steve's head, cutting him off. He tensed up against it, just as uncomfortable as the first time Wanda had snaked her way into his head. He had some idea of where he was going, but that didn't make the experience any less violating.

Steve blinked a few times and found himself outside again, boots in pliant mud. He wasn't alone, though; no, he was surrounded by a squad. Not his current team, but something older, familiar but distant. Army men. Commandos. He glanced behind himself and his heart lurched.

Oh no. Oh no, no, no, Wanda wanted them all to see this? No one needed to see this. Certainly no one deserved to experience this, that hive of death and human suffering. He'd done what needed to be done and hoped never to see anything comparable. Even the smell was called back to him, that sickening, ashy burning smell. Steve wasn't sure if he was up for redoing this, and if he couldn't do it, he doubted that Sam or Wanda or, God forbid, Tony could take it. And Bucky had already seen the entire thing, he sure as hell didn't deserve a redo.

But it wasn't up to Steve. So he took in a breath and nodded to his familiar troops.

"You all know your formations," he said. "Move out."

With that, Steve turned to lead the way into the camp, retracing the steps he'd taken so long ago and doing his best not to think about what he was about to see.

 

[Jessy753]

Natasha stared at the Maximoff twins as soon as they appeared. It was odd seeing them together again. It almost felt like they were back to fighting Ultron. Those two together had never meant something good except for the one time that Pietro had moved in front of Clint and the child. She crinkled her mouth staring at them. Wanda went to explain and all Natasha wanted to do but instead she stood motionless and hard faced inside that weird tube. She threw one of her chair legs against the wall but it only bounced back at her not even leaving the slightest scratch in the energy field.

She was about to duck away so the chair leg wouldn't hit her. She felt like her body was paralyzed until she was suddenly somewhere else - far away. A sudden sharp pain on her shoulder told her where the chair leg had hit her. Natasha rubbed the place on her body unconsciously as she took the scene in. So many different soldiers under one man's commando. Her gaze almost instantly flicked to Rogers and Barnes who were dressed in their old uniform. The one, which had been displayed at Smithsonian. She wondered if the rest of the rest of the Howling Commando was somewhere around.

Her gaze eventually rested on the buildings away from them. She could smell the keen smell of burning skin. It brought back memories of her own, which she instantly tried to shake off. Despite of knowing they were in a memory, it felt too real for Natasha's liking. Rogers started moving like he most likely had around 70 years ago. For a moment, Natasha wondered what would happen, if she decided to simply stayed behind. But almost instantly her feet walked on their own accord. She looked over her shoulder at the former Avengers, who had obviously not seen something like this before. This would turn out interesting. Her gaze fell on Wanda and she decided that moment. Whatever it would take her, Wanda would never get the chance to dig into her memories again.

The woman sped up her steps and soon was next to Rogers. "How many did you rescue?", she asked out of nowhere, trying to appear positive about what would obviously unfold. It was the number that counted not the one how many had fallen that day. Still everyone only talked about the deaths.

 

[MePersonally]

The billionaire was still trying to fight the panic that was sitting in his veins, making him unable to move. He had his eyes closed and heard Wanda's voice. But he was too focused on himself to actually make sense of what she was saying. Later, when he opened his eyes, he was somewhere else. When he saw Steve in his old uniform and that man, that man who had killed his mother, the meaning of Wanda's words started to get through to his mind. This was a memory. He was caught in a memory.

Tony held a gun and followed. He felt like an intruder, misplaced here. This was Steve's privacy, Steve's head. He wasn't supposed to be here in any way. Not even watching. But the fact that it wasn't real made him feel better. None of this was real, it was just a memory, being replayed. So what happened here had happened already and there was no way someone he knew- including him- could get hurt.

The gun in his hand was old, really old. And heavy. Stark Industries had produced lighter ones under his lead. He looked at it and explored the material with his knowing fingers. It was a simple one, but still it was familiar...
Stark, was written on it. He gritted his teeth and loaded it, just in case. It felt odd to follow Steve into that concentration camp. No iron suit, his clothes... that all felt odd.

The smell almost made him puke. He knew what had been going on at those camps, but that smell...
He gaged and tried to cover his nose to keep the smell away. Useless. He looked around and saw... death, hurt, desperation. And then they started to fire at them.
"This is just a memory...", Tony told himself, lowering his weapon and refusing to shoot, "It's just a memory.
I'm not even supposed to be here. I'm not here. And I can't get hurt."

Stephen watched from a distance. He wasn't involved in this battle, so he could just walk in. They didn't see him anyway. He couldn't change the memory, couldn't take action. So what use was it following the group?
The further he moved away from Steve, the more blurry the surroundings became. The pictures were surrounded by the red magic of Wanda, the energy she had put into this spell must be enormous.
The group of Avengers didn't stick together. They just followed because they had no other choice. With one step he was right in the middle of them. This memory was even easier to manipulate than reality.

"Your illusion is unstable", he told Wanda, who was obviously strained already, "You have to focus."
He didn't really want to show off but... no, actually he did. That was exactly what he wanted. He touched Wanda's shoulder and let some energy run through her to strengthen the illusion that only existed in Steve's head and expand it with some details from the past, the reality. It wasn't really bending time, he wasn't changing it. Just looking.

The expansion of the memory made the situation more lifelike. It wasn't only the simple sight of a young soldier now, it was reality. Well, a part of it. A very small part. One of the good things was that he could walk around now and watch everything happen. Just like a movie he was stuck in. People moving around him, not knowing he was there. Because he wasn't. This was a replay of something that had happened years ago. And it couldn't be changed, because it was inside their heads.

 

[someghostinthecorner]

With a mighty boom Thor landed back on Midgardian ground after months of absence. He straightend up, wiped away an imaginary speck of dust and griped Mjölnir tighter. The Asgardian looked around taking in the abandoned warehouse and the silent forest surrounding it. His eyes could not make out any sentient beings and his other senses agreed. He seemed to be alone.

Moving forward, Thor searched for an entrance. A strange intensity hung in the air, the stench of magicks seeping out of and through the walls of the building in front of him. Seidr wasn't his speciality - no that was his brother's - but he knew enough to recognize the sizzling in the air. His mother had thaught him a little bit after all.

Finally, halfway through his check of the perimeter and his way around the building he found a closed door. He smirked and pushed forward, almost sad that he would not have to make his own doorway. With a groan the door gave away under the pressure of his hands.

There was no light inside, fading sunlight flittering through small dirty windows high up the walls. There was a stagnant smell of decay and rusting metal in the air but underneath...Thor could smell the magic. After his nose, his eyes adjusted to the loss of sunlight from outside and the shadowy insides of the warehouse.

The sight that awaited the Asgardian froze him in his tracks.

His team. His companions. His friends!

Mahal no!

Arranged in a circle and bound to chairs sat his teammates. In the middle stood the twin pair they had encountered in Sokovia - and how did the boy come back? Steven was flanked by two unknown men, one dark, the other with long hair. Natasha and Tony unmoving on the other side. But they weren't complete. Both Bruce and Clint were absent, somehow leaving a gaping hole. Next to the girl twin - the witch - stood another man, older and equally as unkown to him as the other two. Now that he thought about it maybe he knew the darker one. All of them were unmoving, a glassy film covering their eyes.

Thor circled them, frowning as he searched for the reason of their entrapment. They seemed to be in some kind of magical trance. The spell seemed to be originating from the witch but he couldn't tell more. Seidr eluded him beyond the barest essentials. He frowned some more.

When Heimdall had approached him hours earlier to inform him about happenings on Midgard he had been curious and maybe even a bit bitter. Of course he would help Midgard - help his team - but after having heard nothing from the others for months... Nevertheless his place was on their side.

At least he took a step forward into the circle to get a better look at his friends and their situation - and then there was only black and the flicker of magic in his ear.

 

[FarFlungDreamer]

"Well this place gives me the creeps," Clint muttered to himself, deciding to pull his bow out now instead of later. All there needed to be was a creepy fog and he'd be inside this mornings new episode of Scooby Doo. Clint cringed at himself, he was getting lame.... not just Dad jokes but now he was referencing cartoons. Damn kids. Although missing out on game night was actually a let down. It'd be better than being out here. Inspecting creepy warehouses.

He turned the corner and darted across the lawn. Truth was though, it didn't matter how much he didn't want to do it. Wanda got ahold of him and said she needed something. So Clint came to the call, just like he'd come for Cap. Out of the game or not, family man or not, Clint would never be so settled down he wouldn't come to help those he'd befriended. Wanda especially, he'd gotten close to the kid and if she was in a rough spot he'd be there.

He slipped through the doors, broken doors he might add. It didn't take Hawkeye long to spot the problem, although it didn't take his keen eyesight to see it.

It was the Avengers. At least... it was the people who used to be that. Not that it mattered in this second, they were tied to chairs, and that red light that was Wanda... Tony, the martyr, Cap, the winter soldier, Sam, wait Tasha was trapped too! He moved forward to see more past the red lights, and saw someone standing off away from it.

"Wait, Thor?" He stopped as he saw the bulky god standing in the middle of the room not far from him. "Seriously? What are you doing here? A little far from Asgard aren't we? Or wherever you flew off to," He commented, raising his eyebrows. A lot had happened since he last saw this guy. Running off on some nine realm nonsense whatchamacallit. Not that he was going to complain. The 'Mighty Thor' would come in handle to free the rest of them. Except maybe Tony, his double crossing ass could stay tied down there.

He glanced at Thor again, was he why Wanda called, he rounded in front of Thor and towards the far side so he wouldn't be blocked from whatever was inside the circle.... it was Wanda.

Had she done this? Clint refused to believe the kid did this intentionally. He knew Wanda better than to believe she had some ill intention towards them. She was a good girl, with a solid heart, despite her own concerns over her erratic powers.

"Wanda!" He called out to. "What’s going on here Wanda!"

"You're late to the show old man, I can't say I am surprised," A snide voice called out and Clint blamed his bad hearing but... it was like hearing a ghost. He forgot things for a moment as the annoyingly familiar blur slowed down in front of him.

"P-pietro?" He stammered. "What the actual fuck?" He blinked hard, seeing if it was a mirage. Some sort of head thing, maybe Wanda... this couldn't be the kid. The kid… the kid who died for him. Who died so that little boy could live. Who saved his own children from growing up without their father. Who made him realize he needed to retire. Who, every once in awhile, tormented him. He didn’t even know what to think right now….

"Your vocabulary leaves a lot to be desired."

"Hey, you're dead," Clint argued, raising his bow. With a flash his back was tugged at and he blinked once to find all his arrows scattered across the floor, far from his reach.

"He's slower, if possible sister," The boy scoffed, but he sensed some bit of affection in his voice.

"Don't need to be quick to see you two are doing this," He barked, however he was here... he was still irksome. "Why?" He asked, more of a plea to understand from Wanda. He didn't want to believe she'd do anything like this. They'd met under similar circumstances, but... it had been more hurt. Clint understood rough circumstances as well as the next guy, he understood being a bad person for selfish reasons, or not seeing it so bad. That's why he'd warmed up to these two. Besides Wanda's good heart, it was possible her brother could lead her into something. But he didn't want to believe that either. Pietro... her brother died… he’d thrown himself in front of Clint like a true idiot…. but also a true hero.

 

[FarFlungDreamer]

"For some reason you think you're the smart one," He quipped with a small smirk to his sister. He shrugged off her comment of the bullets. Yes, well, he did heal rather fast. He thought he was close enough to snatch them out of the way and continue on, but Clint turned at the last minute. To shield the child he'd been holding and there just... hadn't been time.

He hadn't meant to hurt Wanda, to scare her, he hadn't meant to die. But it was a short decision, even as fast as he was, bullets moved quickly... and he had held enough affection towards Clint. Who had sought to help the two troubled twins despite who they'd been developed under... it was simply a reaction, more than a decision, he decided. But the meddling people who 'saved' him, coupled with his natural quickened metabolism... what did it matter as long as he was back standing side by side with his sister. Supporting her in bringing these ninnies back together.

He crossed his arms over his chest and dealt with their reactions, keeping a close eye on his sister. This was emotional for her, and her powers could be taxing... they both knew it would be, but he had faith in her. This... magician was here to help her with that. He'd better. Or he'd deal with Pietro!

He smirked as she said how they'd do. Yes, well they would see, wouldn't they? But Wanda and he weren't able to really sink into the illusion. She couldn't be stressed, he had to help her bring these two into the illusion, and he sped towards them to deal with Clint's arrival and the apparent god. Bringing them back to the circle, so it would be easy on Wanda, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it to assure her things were under control. He didn't need her worrying over Clint's inability to stay quiet.

"Don't fret, we're helping." He told the man.

"Oh yeah, I can totally see that," Clint said before barking loudly. "Locking up the Avengers? Wanda I know what Tony did was shitty, but this isn't an answer!"

"So slow!" Pietro complained, before simply grabbing Clint by his vest and tugging him along to be thrown into the circle in front of his sister. He eyed up Thor before deciding to go around behind him and shove him forward. He remembered trying to catch that hammer and he had that god strength, or whatever it was. Pietro just didn't feel like being beat up further in this circumstances. Besides, his sister shouldn't pull her focus, she was already straining herself farther than he liked. "We're getting you stubborn lot back, ending your petty fighting."

"Well you're doing a hell of a job, especially being dead and all," Clint snorted, motioning to the group locked down.

"Well we can't risk any of you being idiots," He huffed, or taxing Wanda. As much as he wanted to help her with her plan, and could see the importance of it. None of it was worth her being hurt by it. "You'll see," He said smugly and turned to Wanda. She could pull them into the spell herself.

 

[FarFlungDreamer]

Natalia lunged, making use of her flexibility and strength to break the chair and go for their attackers. But the girl's powers... whatever they were, were seemingly impossible to get out of. He gritted his teeth, reworking his mental plan. If he got loose he had to throw the knife at the girl. Somewhere not vital, get her out of the equation, while he had surprise on his side because of the speedy one.

See? He worked the knife out of his vest as they explained this was some plan to get them to all not fight? Why? Because of the airport, because of Stark? Because of the things he'd done and the road Steve went down for him? He gritted his teeth and wiggled his metal finger back and forth in the loop of the small knife to twist it down and around into his palm. All he had to do now was hope he had enough leverage against one of the chain links... wait, their pasts? What did that mean? A heaviness settled into his chest and with gritted teeth his eyes took in the girl chanting. His thoughts were forgotten as she stretched her hands, being covered by a weird red mist towards Steve.

Bucky snarled lowly and pulled hard at his restraints, knife forgotten as he tried to pull them apart with his arm's strength alone. What was she about to do to Steve? He growled lowly, ramming the knife into where he could catch, not while he was sitting here she wasn't.

But he couldn't fight in time, he couldn't even break free of the chair much less the red force field. No... instead he felt something in his head, and it was such a familiar feeling. Like the trigger words, the way they took ahold of him and slid into his mind so cooley. He swallowed, grimacing against the sickening feeling, and worried. Worried he'd.... if this was part of someone's plan again, if he was, if they didn't... really get everything out in Wakanda... how could he be sure... James just... couldn't go back to that...

Then... the pain started to lift, and his panic eased with it. No, he couldn't feel anything and suddenly he could. He could sense everything, the stench of the air, the equally familiar sound of boots and the heaviness of war in the air. It wasn't something you could touch or smell, but you could feel it in your shoulders, see it in your guy's faces. They'd fought so long... just to be faced with what they couldn't reach in time. Never in time...

His stomach curled and he shook his head, feeling it lighter, hair hair wasn't in his face. He reached up and felt his hair cut freshly, army regulation... Bucky jumped suddenly, his hand caught in his peripheral. He held them in front of them and stared.... his... hands. Flesh and blood, he curled his hands, feeling his fingers rub against the palms of them both. He cupped his left hand, shaking his head a bit. This was impossible... not... possible, James didn't understand...

His... hand... why... why was he staring at it anyways? James shook his head and lowered it, glancing to Jim as he walked up to Steve. Ready... he hung his head and couldn't be bothered to come up with some salute quip towards Morita. Even Dugan was pulling his hat from his head as he hung his own at what were truly the gates of hell. The devil himself mounted above this graveyard of sin.

James raised his head and set his jaw, although the uneasiness couldn't be erased from his gaze. Steve called for them to move and he set his shoulders.

"You heard him, boys, this ain't our baptism a fire!" He called again to rally them together. James nodded his head forward and encouraged them to stop their mutters and second thoughts. There didn't get second thoughts out here, they put their boot to the mud and trudged on through it. Do their battle watches and get through it best they could. People here with a whole lot worse, anyhow.

One of the privates, surprisingly a bam, came up to them and spoke to Steve. He shook his head at her.

He couldn't blame her if the dame was jumpy, he still didn't understand why they let women into the army. Not that a few girls he'd gone around with couldn't have the gal to do it. But, if James could make the decisions, well, not a girl in the world should have to take a look at any of what they'd seen. Even as officers like Carter. Unusual as those were, this gal had snuck through into a private somehow. Regular old grunt, and James couldn't help but dislike it. He understood she must be shaky, understood that as a woman she had to have signed up, not drafted. That took some steel, sure, but even the rest of the men were shaken, so of course she must be.

"We'll do our best," He explained, and reached out with his left hand to set it on her shoulder. He did his best to smile at her reassuringly, before squeezing and letting go. "But we can't save everyone, remember that when we're in there doll." He spoke somberly, and looked away from the red head and towards his friend.

Sadly, he wished he had the ability to make Steve see the sense in those words. He'd always wanted to save the whole world, and if this war taught them all something it was that you couldn't do that. Could just try to save those still alive and not stretcher bearing. But he knew his best friend took it to heart each time... hell even Bucky for all his talk, did the same thing. So they'd just had to muscle through another torment of this second great war together.

 

[Jessy753]

"Because I am the smart one of us. I even was blessed with beauty. You are the one walking around with white hair.", she smirked at her brother. The friendly quarrel between the siblings felt so good to Wanda. It meant that her brother was back for good. Someone to relie on forever...

Her gaze turned to the magician. It took a moment for her to realize what he meant. She looked around thinking it looked rather real to her. Yet he was the one who had more experience in this than she had. The former doctor told her something. But Wanda...she couldn't hear him. Something was going on in the real world. The way her brother moved and...and it slipped her back out of Rogers's memory.

Wanda could feel or rather hear something before she had even slipped out of what was happening. It was an odd sensation to know there were two worlds existing at once. One she could easily manipulate and the other one so foreign but it was the real world. Once Pietro was out of the memory again, Wanda did her best to stay in but was pulled half out of it as well. It was such a foreign feeling to be at the places at once. But she saw what had caused the noise and strange movement to cause. She shook her head a bit as her eyes had turned completely red by now indicating that her spell was still working.

Almost instantly her attention was caught by her brother and how he acted around Clint. A smirk was playing on her lips. So her plan had worked out after all. Instead of explaining what was going on she reached out for him. She reached out. "I'm sorry, old man. But you are part of the Avengers and so you need to go through this as well.", she spoke. Almost instantly the archer was surrounded by the red circle and pushed into the supersoldier's memory. It seem to drain more and more energy, the more people were part of that little reunion of her and her brother. But suddenly it felt like someone was helping her, giving her more energy. It helped her stabilize what was going on and even making things more lifelike. So if the Avengers would get shot, they would feel the pain of the wound. The only thing missing was that none of the people were able to die.

Next was the stranger. Her gaze went to the Asgardian. The idiot had been nice enough for her not to have much to do. He was already in the circle. A smile appeared on her lips. Without a warning or whatsoever her attention was on him. Thor could feel a shove as he was pulled into the memory. He was almost too easy to manipulate, just like the last time she had sneaked her way into his mind. Almost every Avenger had come to her aid by now. Except for Banner but she hadn't expected him to help her. Not after what had happened in Sokovia. someghostinthecorner

"It's time for us to go as well, Pietro.", she told her twin and rose her hand so he could take hers and they could both be pulled into the spell. It was a lighter version though, which allowed the two to move back and forth between memory and reality. FarFlungDreamer

 

[Jessy753]

Natasha turned to...to who she could only describe as Bucky Barnes. She had read so much about this man: lots of files and memorabilia. She had helped trying to form a shell of this man back in Russia and both had gotten punished so badly for it. He looked so young and less taunted by what would lie ahead of him. For a moment, she was caught off guard. It wasn't the way he spoke, trying to spend her comfort about what was lying ahead. No, it was that he seemed almost carefree here.
A short but dry laugh escaped her lips over his choice of words. Little did he know that she had both done and experienced worse than what lied ahead of him. "It shouldn't be me, you should be worried for, Soldier.", she spoke calm and collected. The smell might've been nauseating but it was comforting to know that whatever she saw wouldn't form her more than her own experiences had before. Yet there was the urge to punch the man in his face for calling her doll. He hadn't earned himself that priviledge yet. To her it was more than just a random nickname to put on people. Yet this version of James Barnes didn't know about that.

But his words also made her realize that perhaps even Rogers didn't recognize her. She was dressed as a random soldier, a private or something. She should be the one, who showed respect towards higher ups like Rogers and Barnes. Yet technical the Captain wasn't a military Captain but it had been a rank given to him with his serum. She looked at the two men for a second before turning around to look at the other former Avengers to see how they were doing. Yet her eyes widened as Clint appeared out of nowhere. She left the two soldiers to their own. "Clint...", she breathed out showing a short glimpse of sympathy as she hurried over to the blond.

 

[FarFlungDreamer]

"It's very distinguished," Pietro sniffed, giving his sister a sour look. She knew very well he had gotten his father's hair, rather curse, of silvery hair. When he was very young he'd been a very light blonde, and then his hair just kept getting silver- he refused to call it grey- he was young after all. It only seemed to grow worse when his speed came into play. Strange, but likely there was some uninteresting biological explanation.


"What's with the old man jokes," Clint complained, really though, he was a father, not a grandfather. Clint had a long walk still to the grave, he certainly didn't look that old! Besides, he was still young, sort of... he shook his thoughts. There were more pressing matters right now. But Wanda was being disillusioned clearly. What was the ominous 'this' anyways.

He gasped at the sudden intrusion in his head. His skin crawled, making old wounds open back up. Back when Loki had taken ahold of him... and he'd thought he was fine against this stuff... and yet whatever Wanda did this time around... he felt unable to fight it. Just like with Loki, and he felt himself struggling as the feeling seemed to grab ahold of him and wash him in darkness.

No! He swore he'd never be used like this again! Before his panic could do much more Clint felt like he'd been released, or something. This mental mumbo jumbo gave him a headache, in more ways than one. He could feel again, though, like he was in control of his body though, and not like he was watching through a glass he couldn't respond to, like Loki had been. No... he could still feel a pinch in the back of his head, except it slowly faded away as his surroundings grew and expanded.

Clint was... incredibly confused. It was also way too early for crazy shit to start happening! Standing in the middle of what looked like a horrifically realistic reenactment of world world two. Was this what Wanda was talking about? If so she was crazier than he ever thought she could be. He jumped as he looked down for his bow and realized, that instead of his gear he was dressed up like some old fashioned soldier. He'd tried the military, not his thing, and this was... definitely all mental mumbo jumbo.

But why?

"Tasha! Thank god," He exclaimed and ran up to his partner. "What in the hell is going on?" As he looked around Clint started to recognize his once teammates all dressed in the same garb as him. He just.... felt like he was missing the big gag here. What did Wanda hope to accomplish with this fake mental image? What sense did it even make?

 

[FarFlungDreamer]

Pietro nodded solemnly and moved to take his stance next to his sister too, so he'd be able to protect her if need be while she was stuck performing her spell. They needed to keep an eye on her spell, and this group's minds. They couldn't be counted on to make it work themselves obviously. It was going to take a lot of prodding.

Apparently, as he stepped around, the mental images his sister had launched them into, they had wound up in the time displaced poster boy, Captain America's memories. A Nazi camp in World War 2, it made him unexpectedly uncomfortable as he remembered a short yet impacting story from their childhood. From their father... when they'd been in school and had the realization what the small string of numbers on his forearm meant something. Something very awful.

He sent a questioning look to his twin. "So, why do we need to be in these as well?" He pestered, deciding in an unusual way, to stay still. That wasn't exactly something he wanted to go marching through. It did impress upon him just how old Steve Rogers was. Jessy753

 

[someghostinthecorner]

In hindsight, stepping into the loose circle of chairs - a ritual? conjuration? - seeping with magicks hadn't been one of his greatest decisions, especially with so many unkowns around him. Was the witch conscious? Was there something moving behind him? Loki wouldn't have been caught dead in such a primitive trap, Thor thought sardonically. His brother would have recognized the incarnation immediately - and then he would have let Thor walk right into it with a smirk on his face...

Alas, as soon as he had stepped onto the invisible ritual ground the Asgardian had been caught up inside the spell. And what a grand enchantment it was!

In a blink of the eye there was darkness all around and pressure under his skin and the sizzling of magic in his ear and in the next blink it was gone. He was gone and back again but still somewhere else.

It was disconcerting.

Thor straightend his posture, readying himself for an attack from this unkown surroundings. Several facts came to him in this first glance: Another forrest, but this time he was not alone. He stood amidst an unit of soldiers, preparing to march towards a group of dark stone buildings. The soldiers wore those strange midgardian suits, no sturdy armours from Asgard, but their gaze told him of their determination for the oncoming battle to begin. And third Mjölnir was not with him. Oh sure - he could still feel his companion, still a part of him and his might but the magnificent hammer was not here in his hand.

What had the witch done? Was it a vision? Manipulation of the physical world? Simple teleportation?

Thor did not know and the uncertainty left him with nothing else to do but to march in sync with the other soldiers. They hadn't noticed his otherness, he was clothed like them and beeing a warrior was nothing new to him. Under his fathers command he had fought many a battle. None of the faces surrounding him where familiar but the leaders at the front were preparing to move and somehow something pulled him to them. Maybe they could recognize him whoever they were. Maybe he knew them? But he could not break formation if he wanted to be unnoticed, gather more information...until he could discern where he was, he would keep up this act.

That left him with only one last question without an immediate answer: Why was this midgardian cloth so scratchy?

 

[Hammy]

Steve was vaguely aware of the familiarity he had with the soldiers in his memory. They weren't all the same as he remembered; some had been switched, but maybe it wasn't even that. What really tipped him off was the dame among them. No way would a lady have ever been put out on the front lines, not back then. As an agent, maybe, but a private? Not a chance. That was Nat, if his gut was steering him right. If she was there, everyone else had to be in his squad too. What Steve wouldn't give to hide this from them, to keep them from having to live with it.

He opened his mouth to answer her question, but wound up allowing Bucky to speak for him. Bucky was right anyway; they couldn't save everyone. They'd already lost so many, civilians and soldiers alike. It tore Steve up on the inside.

Steve led the move into the camp, directing his own group while the others fanned out. The operation was two-fold: get as many people out as possible, and kill any enemy soldiers in the way. It should have been simple, but as things proceeded, Steve's mindset had only decayed.

Doors were broken down and guards killed as they let people of this hellhole. Even as many walked out, though, emaciated bodies laid already dead in many of the buildings. God, the pure human destruction of it all. It had made Steve question so many things, about the world, about people, about himself. On some level, he'd never believed that people could be so flagrantly deranged and evil. No matter what he told himself or what Bucky said, he couldn't help but feel to blame for not getting there sooner, for not doing enough now that he was there, for how much pain the future held for these people and his own.

Steve couldn't just do his best. He had to do better than his best, for everyone's sake. He was a leader and couldn't afford to be anything short of perfect. Anything less left too much room for error, too much potential for suffering, too much of a possibility for him to fail. Fail everything and everyone. There was no well enough, there was no ceiling, there was only the need to do more and more and more and never slip.

Maybe that was why Wanda had brought them all there, to subject all of them to that sense of never doing or being enough. Steve had failed them all so much, tried so hard and still let everyone down. He'd broken the Avengers apart being so damn stubborn. It was his fault and he'd shoulder that blame. If he didn't, someone else would have to, and he couldn't bear the thought of Clint or Wanda or Tony carrying that burden. It was his responsibility, his fault. Even if it ripped him apart, he'd bear it for them.

 

[MePersonally]

Tony tripped. As he looked down, he saw a woman lying on the floor, her baby in arms. They were both starved and half dead. The mother still moved, but the child... it was dead. Flies sitting on its eyes and mouth, the kid couldn't be alive... could it? But it was. And it let out a small whimper, that nearly tore Tony's heart in two.
"It's just a memory....", he told himself as he stepped right over the half dead bodies and continued straight. They had been monsters... so maybe it wouldn't be wrong to kill some? Even if it was just a memory... maybe he could do something. He needed to do something.

Steve just lead them through hell. It seemed like he didn't blink an eye, but Tony knew better. They had been friends, after all. They had known each other, before that thing with Barnes had happened. Tony had tried to protect his team, the world, from a man who had killed his mother. And what had he gotten in return? Steve had nearly killed him out there. The man he thought he could trust had nearly killed him!

An escapade of bullets tore Tony right out of his thoughts.
"THE HELL! They're shooting at me!", he exclaimed, awaiting at least some help from his teammates, "Guys! I need some.... ou..."
Tony looked at his shoulder, where a bullet had hit him. It wasn't bleeding. It just hurt as hell. Maybe this was some kind of trick. He didn't have to shoot... but who didn't want to kill some Nazis? When the good and bad was so easy, it was easy to forget the humans behind the weapons and just shoot. Shoot them all dead...

"Thor!", Tony shouted, more bullets hitting him. And it hurt, dammit. It hurt really bad.
Thor was standing there, looking like he was planning some great escape or something. Wait, Thor? What was he doing here? Why was he even here...?
"Hey Shakespeare! Over here! Thy friend does need some help!", he tried again.
someghostinthecorner

Tony stumbled backwards, hiding behind a wall, while he loaded the old and heavy gun.
"Crap Dad, that thing is unhandy", he grumbled and aimed, then shot. He had never been good at using guns. So he didn't hit the man immediately. But well, who cared? This was a dream. An odd dream, but still. A dream.

 

[MePersonally]

Being in that suit again felt odd, Rhodey had to admit that to himself. He walked around the building, his weapons at full alarm. The desperate cry for help of Tony Friday had sent him hadn't been the most informative thing. Just that there was a danger somewhere and that Tony was trapped. He had gotten up from his wheelchair- Jesus that sounded like a wonder, but with the suit he could walk- and hurried to the rescue. Flying that thing still gave him chills, but he could handle it. And it was the only way he could help his friend. Who knew what that stupid guy had gotten himself into now. Why was he always the one to clean up Tony's messes?

"Where's Tony now?", he asked the computer, which was still connected to the Stark server. That was also the reason he could see Tony's location. Slowly, very slowly, because he knew he didn't have any backup if anything went wrong, he approached the destroyed door. That didn't look like a repulsor had done this. More like the work of...

"What the...?"
They were all tied up. The Avengers were sitting in a perfect circle of chairs, surrounded by red mist. And the center was... Wanda. The Scarlet Witch. They had all seen what she was capable of, but what was this....? Carefully he moved around the circle, observing the room. Next to Wanda, there was a man... the boy... Pietro...? Her twin brother. How the hell was he still alive?! He had been dead.
"He's dead... isn't he...?", Rhodey asked himself quietly.
Well, apparently he was not as dead as he had been supposed to be.
But what were they doing here? And what did all that red fog mean? Was that gas...? Some kind of distraction? Or a sedative? Luckily his helmet had an air filter inside. So it didn't hurt him... but the others...? Their weapons were all at one spot, as if they had been disarmed and then tied up. What was going on?!

Whatever it was, he had to be quick. If that really was gas, his friends would die soon. They were unconscious already. So Rhodey stepped into the circle, grabbed one of the ropes that tied Tony down and... zoomed out.

The surrounding wasn't familiar. Where the actual hell was he? Was that some kind of magic trick? Some kind of bad joke? Wait, the gas. It must have gotten into his helmet and now he was unconscious, too. This must have been a really odd dream.

Now that he looked around more closely, that all seemed even worse. He saw the buildings and he was in the middle of a group of soldiers... at the liberation of Auschwitz. He had seen enough pictures to recognize the place. The smell of burning skin reminded him of the battlefields he had served at. Bad times... he had been happy to get back home again. Now he was here, carrying a gun. He shortly inspected the piece of metal, then out of instinct loaded it and put it up. Just in case...
He covered the front Soldier's back, not recognizing that man, though. But the guy in the very front, that was Captain America. Steve. Rhodey smiled bitterly.
"Okay, what is this here?"
There was Natasha, Clint and Steve. What was going on? Wanda's work? Mind manipulation? That wasn't good, not good at all...

He took a step and felt a stone underneath his shoe. He looked down on himself and froze. He wasn't wearing his suit... but still he... his legs were...
"Oh crap..."
That was too much for him. He jumped and made an undefinable noise, which pulled all the attention at him. But whatever! He could walk again! And if this was just a dream, it was an awesome one. Enjoying every step he took, he took his place in the formation.