Winning Wanda Over

Baron Strucker stood behind the one-way glass, watching the two figures inside the experimental chamber.

Wanda and Pietro Maximoff.

The siblings were his most prized test subjects. The Mind Stone in Loki's Scepter had awakened the latent power within them.

Wanda had gained Chaos Magic, while Pietro had gained superhuman regeneration and extreme speed.

But ever since Fury had taken the stone, their powers had stagnated.

Wanda's magic worked only intermittently, and Pietro's speed was far below expectations.

"Doctor Li, are you ready?" Strucker turned to the man in the white lab coat before him.

"Yes, everything is ready. But without the Mind Stone, I can't guarantee this experiment will succeed," Doctor Li answered truthfully.

Strucker waved a hand. "It doesn't matter if it's an experiment. S.H.I.E.L.D. is too busy dealing with its own problems right now. We have plenty of time."

"We really have that man who calls himself Shendu to thank for that." Doctor Li shrugged. Hydra's intelligence network had already made them aware of what had happened in New York.

"Hm? Did someone call for me?"

As the two continued flattering each other, the laboratory doors opened automatically, and a white-haired man in a green suit appeared before them.

Strucker instinctively raised his pistol at Shendu. "You're the one who challenged S.H.I.E.L.D.! How did you get in here?!"

Shendu glanced at the unconscious bodies behind him. "You mean them? Mere mortal obstacles."

Shendu raised a hand, and Strucker's pistol turned into a banana. "I don't intend to kill you yet."

Two ninjas behind Shendu stepped forward and restrained Strucker and Doctor Li.

Shendu entered the experimental chamber. Wanda sat on a metal bench, her hands folded across her knees as she watched him warily.

The beast-like power he had sensed earlier was emanating from Wanda's body.

"Do you want power?" Shendu walked up to Wanda.

Wanda turned her head aside and did not answer his question.

Shendu had expected this reaction and continued, "Your parents were killed by a Stark Industries missile. You and your brother lived among the ruins every day, terrified that the missile would explode. Am I right?"

Wanda's eyes widened, her pupils abruptly contracting. "How do you know that?"

Shendu continued, "You hate that Iron Man who is basking in the limelight now. I can help you get revenge."

Hearing that Shendu could help her take revenge, Wanda turned back toward him. "Are you sure?"

"It's simple. You've been in this laboratory all this time, so you don't know that New York is already in chaos." Shendu patiently coaxed her. "As long as you're willing to follow me, I can grant you unmatched power."

Wanda lowered her head without speaking. She was considering whether Shendu's words were true. Doctor Li and the others had worked for so long without any obvious results. Could this man really do it?

Watching Wanda think, Shendu smiled and held out his palm. An orange-yellow gemstone appeared in it.

The instant the gemstone appeared, Wanda's breathing became hurried. She could feel her body's craving for that stone. She desperately needed it.

"I don't have much patience. You only get one chance to answer." Shendu withdrew the stone back into his body.

"I agree. As long as you're willing to help me get revenge!" Wanda said through clenched teeth after steadying herself.

"Very good. Your answer is wise."

Shendu stepped forward and placed his hand atop Wanda's head. The power of the Mind Stone flowed from his hand into Wanda's body.

Wanda's body began to tremble, cold sweat uncontrollably breaking out across her back.

"Relax. Let it take root in your consciousness." Shendu's voice appeared in Wanda's mind.

Wanda's consciousness fell into an infinitely expanding space, without direction or time.

Shendu's phantom appeared within that space.

"You're afraid." Shendu's voice echoed through the space. It was not loud, yet every word reverberated in Wanda's heart.

"Fear is normal. Anyone feels fear when facing the unknown."

"What are you going to do to me?"

A figure of Wanda condensed within her consciousness, red light representing Chaos Magic swirling around her body.

"Set you free."

Shendu raised a hand. The power of the Mind Stone swirled in his palm, transforming into a thread that shot toward Wanda.

"Hydra's training only strengthened your superficial abilities. They overlooked one fact: your true power isn't how much energy you can release, but what you believe in."

The thread pierced Wanda's forehead and merged into her body.

The fear in Wanda's heart magnified without limit.

"No..."

Wanda tried to retreat, but the thread had already established a connection between her and Shendu. She could not move far.

"Don't resist." Shendu's words carried an irresistible authority. "Resistance will only make you suffer."

Wanda felt as if a branding iron had touched her consciousness. The searing pain left her unable to utter a single word.

She remembered the ruins of Sokovia, her parents' corpses, and that missile bearing the Stark Industries logo.

Her hatred was magnified infinitely by Shendu.

Shendu's voice sounded in her heart. "The Avengers and the world government are the true oppressors."

The power of the Mind Stone planted the first brand within Wanda's consciousness: liberation.

Wanda tried to resist. Chaos Magic erupted in her consciousness, but Shendu unleashed more of the Mind Stone's power and suppressed her resistance.

"Your resistance is tenacious, but that only proves my choice was correct. Only those with strong wills deserve this power."

The thread burrowed deeper into Wanda's consciousness.

A second brand formed in Wanda's mind: the Divine Capital is the liberator.

Shendu's voice rang out again. "The ones who destroyed your home became Avengers. Hydra treated you as a test subject. But I—I can grant you power."

Shendu's image began to grow in Wanda's eyes, and a feeling of submission rose within her heart.

The thread invaded Wanda's deepest core, and her final line of defense began to collapse.

The final brand appeared: obey the Divine Capital, embrace freedom. Divine Capital, your master.

Wanda's eyes snapped open. They had turned deep red, and a flicker of golden light occasionally flashed through her pupils.

Doctor Li and Strucker, still restrained, trembled. Their faces held both terror and wild joy.

"It worked..."

Pietro had witnessed the entire process at Wanda's side. "Wanda! Are you okay? What did he do to you?!"

Wanda looked at Pietro, the corners of her lips rising slightly. "I'm fine, Pietro. Really. Better than I've ever been."

Listening to Wanda's calm voice, Pietro felt a chill run through his entire body. The woman before him felt unfamiliar.

He had never seen that kind of presence in Wanda before. She was no longer his sister.