scarlet_chaos | Illuminati Headquarters

When Stephen woke up from his Mordo-induced unconsciousness the first thing he heard was America yelling about how much this universe sucked. Then he opened his eyes to see he was in a sterile-looking environment. Trapped in a glass box. Then he noticed that both America and Annie were also in their own boxes.

Well, at least they were together.

"Cloak?" Stephen mumbled, touching his shoulder. Great, they had to take that too. He knocked on the glass. "Hey, hey, Labcoat, where the hell are we? Look, I don't know who you are or what you're trying to do here, but these situations don't usually end well for you."

Then, to his surprise, he recognized one of the lab coat people. "Christine?"

Dr. Christine Palmer	"Stephen," Christine said, giving him a nod. "Miss. Chavez, Mrs. Hargreeves. To answer your question, you're in a highly secure research facility. The three of you, along with your sentient cloak, are here for surveillance and testing." At least she knew it was a cloak, not a cape.
Annie Hargreeves	"Excuse me -- testing?" Annie prompted, not even asking how this woman (who she recognized from Stephen's memory, now that he'd addressed her as such, but her hair was a different color than Annie remembered seeing) knew her name. "I didn't consent to being tested." Just in case this universe cared about that kind of thing.
Dr. Christine Palmer	"You're visitors from another universe," Christine explained with a sympathetic smile. She knew that this wasn't cool at all, but rules were rules. "Your magnetic signatures could be radioactive. You might be carrying diseases we don't have cures for." She gestured. "Hence the amazing polycarbonate fishbowls."
Dr. Stephen Strange	Ugh, Christine, you were so cute when you were being sciency. "So I have you to thank for these then?" Stephen asked, lifting up his cuffed hands.
Annie Hargreeves	Annie, meanwhile, was more than happy to let those two keep talking and lifted her own, totally uncuffed hands and looked over towards America, who was also uncuffed. Hmm. She didn't want to risk attracting Christine's attention just yet, but Annie could already feel how much power was in this building and those machines -- she met America's eye before pointedly glancing down at her free hands. America couldn't control her powers, no, but Annie absolutely could, and the second she had an opening here, buddy, she was busting the three of them out of here.
Dr. Christine Palmer	If Christine noticed Annie trying anything, she didn't show it. Instead she was more interested in talking about her work. "I developed those myself using the Sands of Nisanti--one of the other you's relics," she said. "If you're all curious, this is Earth 838. We've designated yours 616." Well, not yours, Annie, but Christine didn't know that. "I specialize in multiverse research. Volunteered to work here after your funeral."
Dr. Stephen Strange	"Thanks for going." Stephen, be nice. "Christine, you have to let us out of here. Everyone's in real danger."
Annie Hargreeves	Kids, kids. "He's not kidding, Christine," Annie contributed, letting her hands dangle harmlessly at her sides for the moment. "Like, I really do respect that you're trying to make sure we don't give your whole universe, like, smallpox or whatever, but we have very limited time." And no offense, Christine, but you did not look like you could take the Scarlet Witch.
Dr. Stephen Strange	"Someone from my universe wants that girl," Stephen said, pointing to America. "And she's going to rip this place apart, bit by bit, atom by atom, until she gets what she wants. So I don't care if you're the Avengers, or SHEILD--"
Baron Karl Mordo	"They're neither," Mordo called from the doorway. "They're the Illuminati, and they will see you now." Just Stephen, if that wasn't evident from his glass cage being the only one opening up right now.
Annie Hargreeves	"Nope." Annie had been pushed around and yanked through universes and had her best friend drop her from a horrifying height today. She had been helpless at Kamar-Taj, and at this asshole's candlelit house or whatever, but she was thrumming with electricity here. And she was already mad at this guy -- now he wanted to take her new grumpy friend and, more importantly, one of two people Annie knew in this entire fucking universe? "Nuh uh, you're not taking him." She acted quickly, raising her hands and illuminating both of them and her eyes so quickly that the power in the room noticeably surged. She fired at the glass wall of her cage -- and promptly slammed into the opposite wall as her blast reflected back on her. Ow. Whelp, that explained why she and America weren't cuffed.
Dr. Stephen Strange	Stephen looked touched at the attempt to save him. Not many people would go to the trouble. "I appreciate the thought," he said to Annie. "Take care of the kid. It's going to be okay." Famous last words.
America Chavez	America watched as Stephen got led out of the room, feeling even more useless than usual. At least Annie had been able to try to do something. "Please, ma'am," America said, pleading to Christine. "You have to let us out."
Annie Hargreeves	Annie was fully over 'please,' right now. "Hey, Dr. Christine," Annie called, just before punching her fist against the glass as hard as she could. It rattled, at least. That was probably just physics, but Annie was going to take it as a sign of progress, anyway, and try punching again. "You don't happen to have magic or superpowers or anything, right? Because even if you do, you're going to be fucked when Wanda shows up unless you let us out." Again: Annie was not from the MCU.
Dr. Christine Palmer	That was indeed not MCU language, Annie. Tsk. Christine opened her mouth, perhaps to argue the futility of what Annie was doing, when a large explosion occurred. Everything in the room shook a little, though everything stayed in tact, including the cages. "Everybody out," Christine ordered. She waited until colleagues were out of sight before she hit the lock on Annie's enclosure. Christine couldn't do anything about whatever caused the explosion, but it looked like Annie could.
America Chavez	America gasped as the lights suddenly went out for a moment, then the emergency lights flickered on. "Ultron command, Ultron command--" "Annie," she said, almost whispering. "It's Wanda."
Annie Hargreeves	Annie wasted no time in rushing out of her cage, immediately crossing over to America's even as she looked off in the direction of the explosion. Shit was on fire, cool. Cool, cool, cool. "It's going to be okay, America," she promised, basing that on -- you know, fuck-all. "I've got you. I promise." Like, Annie did not even need to fight Wanda. She and America could flee, and maybe backtrack for Stephen, or maybe Christine would remember she had a soft spot for him and help out there, or -- actually. "Open hers, too," she told Christine, gesturing to America's cage. "Wanda wants her." And having her available in a big glass display like she was a collectible figurine seemed like a bad strategy to Annie.
Dr. Christine Palmer	"I'm trying--" Christine fiddled with the computer some more, hitting errors with everything she tried. "Shit--" She slammed her hands on the console, frustrated. "I'm going to do everything I can to get her out, I promise." Another explosion happened, closer this time.
America Chavez	America slammed her fists against the glass, feeling it wobble. Maybe--maybe for once her powers would kick in when she needed them. "Go, Annie," America said, slamming her hands against the glass again. "Find Stephen." Maybe with the cuffs off he might be able to do something.
Annie Hargreeves	Annie hesitated a moment longer before putting one hand up on the glass, in lieu of being able to reassure America further than that. "Be safe," she said quietly, blowing out a breath. America was a hero, just like she was. And for better or for worse, her powers seemed to kick in under stress, and -- well. This was pretty fucking stressful, so maybe she'd pull through. Annie glanced at Christine as she turned to go, offering her a respectful little nod. She had not been her coolest while in the cage, but...well, she felt that was pretty fair. "You, too." And with that, she turned to run straight towards all that smoke and fire and chaos.
The Scarlet Witch	If Annie followed the noise of explosions and the sound of metal crushing, she'd be able to find Wanda, who had actually been on her way to find her. Or America, rather, but she had the feeling where Annie went America wouldn't be too far behind her. Wanda had looked better. Not that she didn't look good as a brunette, but she had obviously been hijacked while in the comfort of her own home, not wearing shoes and covered in oil from when she wrecked the Ultrons she came across. It seemed silly to have been afraid of Ultron all those years ago, looking back. "There you are," Wanda said. "You're supposed to be helping me, you know."
Annie Hargreeves	Annie's first instinct, weird as it was, was that Wanda looked like she needed help. She'd been hurt, and she wasn't wearing shoes, and Annie was struck with an urge to, like, wrap her up in a blanket. She wasn't struck for very long, though. "You left out some details when I agreed to help," Annie replied, keeping her voice as even as she could.
The Scarlet Witch	"You knew I'd do anything for my children," Wanda said. "Now get out of my way, or you're not going to like what happens next." Even now Wanda was more than willing to give Annie the chance to walk away. She was still her friend. It was just her children took precedence, always.
Annie Hargreeves	Annie planted her feet exactly where she was, reaching out to pull the (beautifully abundant, thankyouthankyouthankyou) electricity into her body. "Please don't make me fight you, Wanda," she said softly, her eyes and palms beginning to glow. "We don't have to do this." She didn't think Wanda would kill her, but she also knew she was absolutely risking as much, right now, and as such Annie was stamping down panic about whether she'd get out of this, and be able to go home to her husband. Maybe actually be allowed the privilege of meeting her own children, someday, instead of dying in a far-off universe before they'd ever even be conceived.
The Scarlet Witch	"You're right," Wanda said. "We don't." Even before Westview, Wanda had a personal rule about messing with the heads of those she cared about. It was a violation; a breach in trust that couldn't ever really be mended. Not really. Even now, knowing what had to be done, there was a twinge of guilt that settled in Wanda's chest. Still, it didn't stop her from reaching into Annie's mind, letting her magic flow into her head until Wanda's words would be the only thing she could hear, and obey. "Help me."
Annie Hargreeves	It was almost instantaneous, no matter how strong-willed Annie liked to think she was. Her eyes faded (though not before replacing that golden glow with red, just for a moment), and suddenly, America was forgotten. Stephen was forgotten. The idea that Annie had ever been anything but a vessel to assist Wanda faded away entirely. None of that was important. This was. "She's this way," Annie said, and those three words would probably appear in her nightmares for months to come, as a result.
The Scarlet Witch	"Thank you, Annie," Wanda said, though something about all of this felt so wrong, even to her. She had to shake it off. The boys were the only thing that mattered, and she couldn't get to them until she got to America. The sound of metal against the smooth marble floor indicated that there were more Ultrons on the way. Sure enough, a group of about six made their appearance a moment of later, all primed to shoot the both of them. "Those are for you," Wanda told Annie. "Should provide you with some real battery life." That was some prime Stark engineering, after all.
Annie Hargreeves	"Thank you," Annie replied, genuinely grateful. That had been so thoughtful of Wanda, when Annie was here to help her. She stepped forward, lifting her hands out at the half-dozen robots. "Watch your eyes," she told Wanda. She was about to get very, very bright. Without much effort, she yanked all the energy she could out of them, absorbing it all into herself so quickly as to actually knock out one Ultron with the force of her siphoning alone. That was convenient. (And also not, since it meant that one was dead and she couldn't use it anymore.) Her feet left the ground, just a few inches -- until twin blasts rang out from her hands at the remaining five Ultrons, and Annie dropped to the ground again. And -- once more, conveniently! -- the Ultrons were no longer shooting, and had taken instead to sparking and smoking. Plenty there for Annie to use, though. Wanda had been correct. Not to mention the power in the walls, and under her feet, and in that room full of controls where she had left Christine and America. Back to the matter at hand. "This way."

The Scarlet Witch	When Annie led the way to where America was, Wanda had not expected her to be in a glass box, just there for the taking. That was extremely convenient. A little too convenient, it turned out. She had barely gotten a step in towards the cell America was kept in when someone literally flew in her vision. Huh. Peggy Carter. Wanda recognized her from pictures. Here she was, with Cap's shield and a jetpack. Now that was an interesting twist in the multiverse. She was followed by three more costumed superheroes that Wanda didn't recognize.
Mr. Fantastic	How dare you not recognize the smartest, stretchiest man on the planet, Wanda. Reed approached Wanda and Annie carefully, hands up, not wanting to appear to be any sort of threat. "Wanda, stop. You possessed an innocent woman, but you can still do the right thing. Let her go." Then, he went and said the wrong thing. "I have children of my own. I understand your pain."
Annie Hargreeves	Annie had no idea who you were, sir, but she did know that you just done fucked up. It was the strangest, most horrifying thing she had felt. It was like her mind was a blank page that Wanda was writing on -- Annie couldn't muster a thought of her own for long, because each individual protest that rose up was immediately chased off by instructions to help Wanda. She wasn't in control, but she still felt the satisfaction of pulling all that power from those robots. Annie knew she would sooner have thrown herself fruitlessly between Wanda and America and died in the process than lead her there, but here she was, anyway -- and it didn't take long at all for a sense of righteousness to settle over her in the process. She was helping Wanda. It was what she needed to do. On every level, though -- subconscious and horrified, superficial and in Wanda's grasp, all the way through -- Annie's mind flared with the knowledge that that, dude, was the wrong thing to say. And now we were all going to just watch you die. Annie didn't even bother illuminating her eyes, because Wanda didn't need her help here, at all. She was just a witness.
The Scarlet Witch	Wanda had no outward reaction to Reed's words, but any chance this guy had of dying painlessly went out the window with those words. "Is their mother still alive?" Wanda asked, tilting her head slightly.
Mr. Fantastic	Reed nodded an affirmative. "Yes, she is."
The Scarlet Witch	"Good," Wanda said calmly. "Then there will be someone left to raise them."
Mr. Fantastic	This was not going as smoothly as he planned. Wonder why? "Wanda, Black Bolt can destroy you with one whisper from his mouth." The man beside Reed, indeed dressed in all black, stepped up, crossing his arms over his chest.
The Scarlet Witch	Oh yeah, like she was going to be afraid of a guy with a tuning fork on his head. These people really had no idea who they were dealing with. "What mouth?"
Black Bolt	Black Bolt blinked in confusion for a moment. Then he realized, horror written on his face, that somehow Wanda had taken away his mouth. He grabbed at his face in a panic, involuntarily calling up a scream in his throat. Which was all that was needed for his own voice to work against him, causing his brain to explode. Blood dripped out of his eyes and nose before he fell to the floor, dead.
Mr. Fantastic	Reed took an abrupt step back when Black Bolt's body hit the ground. He looked in horror for a second, but that was all he could spare before he was stretching his arms out towards Wanda. They had to stop this-- Nope. Nope, he was going to be grabbed by Wanda's magic. Reed was lifted into the air, and then screamed out in pain as Wanda literally tore him to ribbons. Hopefully Sue Storm owned a black dress.
Captain Marvel	Maria and Peggy looked at each other in shock, not able to spare much more emotion than that until after Wanda was taken care of. Peggy immediately raised her shield and jet packed to the side as Maria blasted a wave of energy at Wanda and Annie.
The Scarlet Witch	Wanda raised her hand, shielding both Annie and herself from the blast. She was pushed back an inch or two, which was slightly worrying. She had seen this kind of power before, from Carol. Who was one of the few people Wanda thought could take her in an even fight. There was a whistling through the air as Peggy launched the shield, but Wanda was able to deflect it, burying it in a marble column. "You take her," Wanda said to Annie, nodding at Maria. "I'll take Peggy."
Annie Hargreeves	Internally, Annie was all but actually screaming as she watched what looked like Steve's shield -- you know, aside from the Union Jack -- go whizzing into that column. Kamar-Taj and the Sanctum had been nothing, in terms of feeling helpless. Despite how electricity was abundant and flowing through her body and she could feel every current of it, Annie had never felt this trapped. She had known Wanda could do this, of course. She'd heard the whole Westview story, and there had been hugs and sympathy. But Annie had never once considered how horrifying it would be to experience your body being effectively puppeteered by someone else. The worst part was how good it felt, still. She was still responding to the directive to help Wanda. And thus she didn't hesitate at all when commanded, drawing power from the Ultrons (and sending them sparking again as she went blindingly bright) and rising into the air to go after Maria.
Captain Marvel	Oh sweet, air fight. Maria was always up for that. Maria's cowl went over her face, effectively becoming who this universe knew as Captain Marvel. She flew up into the air, higher than Annie and launched a blast of energy at her.
Annie Hargreeves	Annie dodged it swiftly -- swifter than she'd known she could, actually -- and fired her own return blast, which dropped Annie a few feet in the air. She pulled again from the Ultrons, from the walls, and gained her elevation again, swerving to make herself hard to hit. When she'd fought Soldier Boy from the air, and those troopers out in space with Rey, she hadn't had this kind of precision, or speed, or...any of this. She hadn't been able to fly, no matter what she told people (or Maggie had told her.) It had mostly been levitating. But under Wanda's control, it was like every safety measure her mind kept in place had been released.
Captain Marvel	Maria dodged Annie's blast, but since she was a seasoned vet at flying and fighting she was able to keep her elevation, even rising up higher. No matter what the universe, it was generally a good rule to keep the high ground. And so began a fight that was mainly dodging and blasting light at each other.
The Scarlet Witch	Meanwhile, on the ground, Wanda was getting really tired of Peggy Carter dodging her blasts of energy. She had never, not once, imagined what it'd be like to fight Captain America. Now that she was fighting Captain Carter, she realized it was really very annoying.
Captain Carter	With the shield embedded into marble, Peggy really was just trying to hold her own against Wanda's attacks until she could get a hold of said shield. The jetpack helped, allowing her to move quickly through each blast of red. Soon she was able to get to the marble column with the shield, sliding on her knees and grabbing it as Wanda shot a blast of energy right over her head. Peggy had picked up that Wanda was probably physically weak, especially in a body not her own, so she raised the shield and charged toward her for a tackle.
The Scarlet Witch	It was always unfortunate when someone realized Wanda was a glass cannon. The shield protected Peggy from Wanda's next couple blasts and the next thing Wanda knew she was sprawled out onto the floor. Wanda pulled herself up off the ground, immediately realizing that she might've broken this Wanda's body a little bit. She suddenly couldn't walk without a limp. "Haven't you had enough?"
Captain Carter	Peggy spit some blood onto the floor from where a tooth may or may not have been knocked loose from tackling Wanda. "I could do this all day," Peggy replied with a smile. Then she launched the shield at Wanda's head with all the strength she had.
The Scarlet Witch	Wanda caught the shield in mid-air again, letting it hang there momentarily before launching it back with all the power she had. Which was quite a lot, even in this broken body.
Captain Carter	Peggy had caught the shield maybe a thousand times before, but this time she hadn't anticipated the speed of which it came hurtling at her. Before she even had an arm up to catch it the shield went whizzing past her. Then she realized, no, it hadn't gone past her. It had gone through her, cutting her right in half at the waist. Peggy fell to pieces, literally, with her torso hitting the ground first followed by her legs
Annie Hargreeves	Meanwhile, up in the air, Annie was kind of getting her ass handed to her. She was holding her own better than she would have ever thought she could against someone this powerful, but she'd already been blasted into the walls twice, and her body was feeling the effects. But she'd gotten a few good blows in herself, and while she whipped around another blast from Maria, she returned fire with enough energy that Annie dropped a good ten feet in the air from the loss of power. Good effort. Great effort, even. Probably not enough to actually take this woman out, but Annie was glad to have been a distraction to help Wanda.
The Scarlet Witch	With Peggy taken care of, Wanda could focus on the last thing standing in her way. She was impressed with how well Annie was handling Maria; but she could see that this would be a losing fight unless she intervened. Wanda threw her hands out, blasting an entire section of the wall out, and dropping it onto Maria as she was flying by. There was also a chance it could have hit Annie too, but Wanda had every confidence in you to dodge it, Annie.
Annie Hargreeves	Dodge she did, though it was by a narrow enough margin that Annie would probably have additional bruising from wall shrapnel in addition to Maria's blasts. Annie landed near Wanda, stumbling a little on impact but straightening quickly. She was aware she hurt -- that had been like fighting Soldier Boy, or being thrown through that wall by Viktor, but in motion and constant -- but it didn't matter right now. Help Wanda. "Is that all?" Annie asked, glancing around for further opponents.
The Scarlet Witch	"For now." She knew Stephen was still wandering around somewhere. Wanda limped ahead, where she could still see Christine and America struggling to get her out of her cage. "Come on." Both of their bodies had been Through It. The Illuminati had put up a good fight. Well, two of them, anyway.

America Chavez	America's eyes widened as she watched Wanda and Annie approach. She had been able to see enough of the fight to realize Wanda had done something to Annie, and that she could no longer be trusted. "Come on--" America slammed her hands against the glass again and, to her surprise, a star-shaped crack appeared. Maybe she'd be able to get out of this after all. Just maybe not in time to avoid Wanda.
Professor X	Don't you worry, kid, Charles Xavier was there to save the day. He wheeled out to block Wanda's way, holding out a hand to stop her in her tracks. "Enough!"
The Scarlet Witch	Wanda had tried to prevent any mental assault from happening, but this guy was too quick. She only managed to get her hand in the air before she went completely still. To an outsider's point of view, it just looked like two people staring very intently at each other.
America Chavez	America worriedly looked over at Christine, because what the hell was happening right now? Christine didn't seem phased, so she must have known this guy, and whatever he was doing was keeping Wanda at bay, so hurray for that. She slammed her fists the glass a couple more times, causing it to crack and break. America was still keeping a careful eye on Annie, because she didn't think the bald guy had a hold on her.
Annie Hargreeves	He didn't. But Wanda still did. But...maybe it wasn't as strong as it had been before, now that she was preoccupied with the bald guy. Annie's gaze flicked over to America and Christine and that broken glass, taking it in impassively, and her eyes glowed bright -- and sputtered, going out again. Her hands glowed -- and then clenched at her sides, balling up slowly into shaking fists. Help Wanda. Help Wanda. Help Wanda. Help Wanda. Annie couldn't do anything to stop Wanda, no. She wasn't that strong. But she could stop herself from helping long enough to let America and Christine go. With obvious strain, she whispered, "Go."
America Chavez	America hadn't known Annie for long, but it still upset her to see her trying so hard to fight against Wanda's hold. However she didn't hang back to try to help Annie, obeying her directions and leaving with Christine as soon as she crawled out of the glass-covered cell. Soon they'd meet back up with Stephen and then maybe they would have a shot helping Annie.
Professor X	Meanwhile, the stare down between Charles and Wanda continued, as he desperately tried to free the other Wanda from this Wanda's hold. Judging from the way his neck snapped abruptly and he slumped into his chair, it was a fight he lost.
The Scarlet Witch	Wanda blinked a couple of times as she was released from Charles' hold, momentarily disturbed by what had happened. Nobody had ever been able to get into her mind like that. She only had a moment to think about it, however. Soon she realized that America had gotten out. "Which way did she go?"
Annie Hargreeves	As soon as Christine and America had cleared the exit (but with a long enough pause to give them a good head start), Annie stopped fighting. It wasn't that she couldn't keep straining against Wanda's hold; it was that she could feel the well of her internal strength draining so, so quickly. She couldn't run out her (figurative, for once) batteries yet. America needed her. Hopefully Stephen would need her, too, if they were able to find him. But with her mind lost to the fog of Wanda's control again, she lifted her hand and pointed towards the door where they'd left, already starting in that direction. (And definitely not moving as gingerly as Annie would have if her conscious mind had been driving.) "They won't have gone far."
The Scarlet Witch	Annie hadn't been wrong. Even with Wanda limping it didn't take long to catch up with America and Christine, who had met up with Stephen. Once they were in sight Wanda moved faster, blasting any objects that were in their way. It was not unlike stalking people in a horror movie. "Get them, now!" Sorry about being bossy, Annie.
Annie Hargreeves	On the list of things Wanda had done to Annie over the last few days, being bossy was honestly at the low end as far as things warranting an apology. Annie didn't need to be told twice (which was actually probably part of the beauty of mind control.) She took off towards the group, both hands out in front of her and glowing as she, too, started blasting fairly indiscriminately. America needed to be alive. The other two were whatever.
Dr. Stephen Strange	Hey, not cool, Annie! Stephen thought you were friends! Or acquaintances that didn't completely hate each other. He shot off a few blasts of his own, but wasn't really aiming. They mostly needed to focus on getting out of here. Tunnels weren't exactly the best place to be lost. Up ahead he saw what looked to be a water-tight door. Didn't Christine say these tunnels were under a river? Stephen looked above them, noticing that the bricked ceiling had better days. That would work. He raised his arms up and used his powers to bring the river down on top of Wanda and Annie so they could get through the water-tight door. He didn't think it would stop them, but he did think it could buy them some time.
The Scarlet Witch	Wanda was quick enough on the draw to be able to shield her and Annie from the water and keep the door from shutting completely, but it was clear she was struggling. Trying to keep an entire river off of you was not easy. "The door--go. Do whatever you have to to get the girl." She'd be right there. You know, after she figured out this river thing.
Annie Hargreeves	Annie surged forward, barely minding the water overhead as she ran after the trio. She could see them stopping at a door with a wheel lock, and there was clearly some deliberation. Maybe they didn't have a key. Excellent. Annie would help with whatever they were figuring out by firing off a blast or two -- though, notably, she was getting weaker by the second. Those Ultrons had been awesome and provided her with quite a boost, but with the fading proximity, her reserves were draining. Annoyingly, they got through the door before Annie could reach it, and the door...was not a normal door, she realized, when she got there. The door revealed floating platforms in some kind of pink-hued space, and the door itself was idly moving around the platform on which she could now see Stephen, Christine, and America. She didn't hesitate. She didn't even think about how fucking cool this place was, because the Annie who would or could consider these things was buried deep, now. This Annie, instead, leapt easily down onto the platform, and wasted zero time in grabbing America by the roots of her hair. Got you.
America Chavez	America screamed as she felt herself being forcibly pulled back by the hair. There was a brief moment of relief when she realized it wasn't Wanda that had a hold on her, but then figured this was just as bad, since that meant Wanda was soon to follow. "Annie, please--" America begged. "Please, stop--"
The Scarlet Witch	Wanda had sorted out her river issues (and, no, you weren't going to find out how), and was happy to see that Annie had done what she was told. She floated down to where America was being held and brought her hand up to her temple. After controlling Annie for the better part of the last hour, it was easy to get inside America's head and pull her strings until a multiverse portal opened up. Not the one she needed, but one she could throw Strange and Christine into to get them out of her way. Then she had America open up a portal to Mount Wundagore. She could see the proper version of herself meditating in the temple, looking pale and clammy from the toll Dreamwalking took. "Take her," Wanda ordered Annie. "I'll be right there."