With Warmth

I saw Wanda sitting on the edge of Rogue's bed, looking slightly anxious.

"Oh you're here, um... how does this work exactly?" She asked

"Just look into my eyes, and I'll guide you through the process." I said, taking a seat in front of her in a desk chair.

I gazed into her crimson eyes, feeling the deep pain caging her being once again. I let my powers flow, and she started to wince. "Relax, everything's gonna be all right, you're safe now. Just try to relax."

She certainly tried, and slowly she started to go under. It took longer than it ever had before, possibly from her "mental cage", or maybe just natural resilience. Whatever the cause, she slowly drifted into a trance, and the ice pick going through my brain got softer. Suddenly, my vision flashed.

Destroy the X-Men. Listen to the Doctor. Destroy the X-Men. Obey. A glimpse of an unholy man with greasy hair. Fight them, not us. Obey. Destroy the X-Men. The same man, smirking. Let me help you! Me, at HAL laboratories. Can he really help me? Is it just another lie? That fight again, when I was trying to comfort her.

These are her memories, her thoughts. I kept seeing images of this same greasy man with no concept of hygiene, occasionally accompanied by a man in a red and purple suit I assumed was Magneto. Obey and Destroy the X-Men were the prevailing phrases, but there were many.

So she's been brainwashed after all, creating the cage Professor X was talking about. Yippee.

"Listen to my voice and relax, Wanda. I'm here to help you, as long as you'll let me. Just keep relaxing until you feel comfortable. I'll do all that I can to protect and help you, I just need you to relax, can you do that?"

"Yes.." she nodded her head, still not fully under

"You are safe, you are with me, you are relaxing, isn't that right?"

"Yes.."

"What's your favorite color, Wanda?"

"Red.."

"Red? I like red too, it makes me feel warm and alive. Why do you like red?"

"Feels..like..home.."

"Was your home red?"

"No..it...I..don't..know"

"Well we know you like red, and that's the real you. What do you want to do with your life?"

"Sav..Destroy the X-Men..."

"No no no, I know you feel like you should destroy the X-Men, but I'm asking what do you really want to do?"

"Save..people..."

"That's good, that's very good. You don't want to hurt anyone, do you?"

"No.."

"That's right, you're a good person Wanda. You don't hurt people, at least you don't mean to. You don't want to hurt anyone, yes?"

"Yes.."

"You wouldn't want to 'destroy' anyone, would you?"

"...No..."

"You can do whatever you want, Wanda. You don't have to hurt anyone. Not me and my friends, or anyone else. You can help people."

"I..can..?"

"Of course Wanda, you decide what you do. You don't have be the bad guy, you don't have to destroy the X-Men. You can do what you want. You can help people instead."

"I can..help..instead..."

"You don't have to do what the bad man said, do you?"

"....no..don't....obey..."

"You decide your fate Wanda, you can do what you want, isn't that right?"

"Yes.."

"So you don't have to do what the bad man said, right?"

"....right.."

"You don't have to do what he says, right?"

"Right.."

"You decide what you want to do."

"I..decide..."

"You are free."

"I..am..free..."

"You are free."

"I am..free..."

"You are free, Wanda."

"I am free.."

Cage broken. Now what was that about earlier?

I focused on my powers, trying to pull her thoughts into me, and the brain blender came back. Seemingly a product of the void rather than the spiral.

Good life. Raised well. I saw images of that man, assumedly Magneto, playing catch and other games with a little girl. Childhood. Family. More of the same, with brief flashes of a destroyed building and young Wanda all alone. A false life. I pressed on, trying to direct my reading towards her powers.

Some sort of energy manipulation, to achieve control of probability. How does that work? Magic? Is magic even real? I think the professor said it is... Maybe her powers are actually magical? No, she's a mutant. Does she manipulate magic? Something about focusing her mind... I think she manipulates magical energies! Energy blasts, bad luck hexes, I can see it! She really is a witch... Her powers are mental-based and allow her to manipulate magical forces for a variety of effects, that's it. Meager capabilities but massive potential, sounds familiar.

"Wanda, you have confusing memories, don't you?"

"..yes..."

"Isn't it possible they aren't all real?"

"Yes.."

"Would you believe me if I posited that the bad man gave you fake memories?"

"I..would..."

"Well I think that's what happened. Do you know the bad man's name?"

"Doctor..no...Mastermind... Dad..said.. Mastermind..." Her brow furrowed

"Well neither of them are here now. You're safe, remember? You're with me, safe "

"I'm..safe.." she relaxed again

"I think Mastermind gave you fake memories, but I'm not sure which ones. How did you meet him?"

"Doctor..Kalarjian..lied... Said..he..would..help..."

"How did you meet Doctor Kalarjian?"

"Tricked..me... Took..me...from..hospital..."

"Why were you in the hospital?"

"Head..not..right..."

Okay, so the good childhood is fake.

"Well how did you end up there?"

"Father...no..I..was..abandoned.. he abandoned me!" It seemed she would knock herself out of the trance

"Relax Wanda, he's not here. Just relax, okay?"

"Okay.."

"You're relaxing, healing, alright?"

"Alright.." her expression softened and disappeared again

"So you didn't have a good childhood, but you can still have a good life now, isn't that right?"

"..yes..."

"You were abandoned, but you have people who care now, alright?"

"Alright.."

"I want to help you any way that I can, Wanda. And I will, okay?"

"Okay.."

Once more I focused on reading her thoughts, now almost painless in stark contrast to before. I had undone most of the brainwashing but I had to be sure, searching for anything I missed.

Don't think, just behave. Don't worry about what you're doing. Be a good daughter. Don't disappoint us. More of her father now, not just Mastermind.

"Remember you have no obligations to Mastermind or your father. They abandoned and manipulated you. You don't have to do what they want, isn't that right?"

"Yes.."

"You don't have to impress them, do you?"

"No.."

"You can think and act for yourself, isn't that right?"

"Yes.."

"You owe them nothing"

"Owe..them..nothing.."

"You are free."

"I am free."

"I'm going to count to three and snap my fingers. On each count I want you to repeat 'I am free' and when I snap my fingers, you will wake up, completely free of any control by Mastermind or anyone else. One."

"I am free"

"Two"

"I am free"

"Three"

"I am free"

*Snap*

Wanda blinked her eyes a few times. "You did it, I'm really free, it– it doesn't hurt anymore. Thank you."

"Of course. You said you were in a mental hospital, right? Maybe I could help with that?"

"Well, I– I guess you could... Can I be honest with you?"

"Yes of course, tell me anything."

"I think..." she took a deep breath "I think the person impersonating my doctor was looking for you already!"

"Wait, the fake Doctor Kalarjian? Why?"

"She said.. she was looking for someone to help me, cure me.. but she couldn't find him. She told he was special like me, and busy helping other people. That's when she brought up Mastermind instead."

Oh that's fucked up, but it could be true... Wait. Irene! She said she knew a mentally ill mutant girl with incredible power! A secret location and name! It's Mystique! I knew there was something fishy, I should have said something, I'm a damn fool! Jean, Mystique kidnapped Wanda and is working with Magneto!

"What, how? Oh... Shit. Do you want me to tell the professor?"

No, we can explain together in a few minutes.

"Alright"

"Thanks for telling me about this, Wanda. Do you want me to come over tomorrow and see what we can do for your mental health?"

"Yeah.. I think I'd like that."

I said goodbye and made my way to Professor Xavier's study with Jean.