Re: DAY ONE-- Homebase, Opent to Tony
Wanda awoke with a start, jolted from what felt like the deepest sleep of her life. She was groggy at first, but felt rested and surprisingly serene. Her tranquility, she realized, sprang from the familiar and too-long-lost fire of her energy burning comfortably in her chest. The realization, as memories began to seep back to her sleep-addled brain, that she was still alive was rather a nice one. Sitting up in bed, Wanda rubbed at her eyes, noting the i.v. in her arm and the hospital gown she wore, and then examined her surroundings. The "hospital room" she lay in looked suspiciously like a corporate office; this particular impression was underscored by the desk shoved against a wall and the water cooler in a corner.
She'd been awake for a little over five minutes when a harrowed looking man in a white coat passed by her door, glancing in with a desultory look that seemed to be a habit, there was no expectancy in his gaze. When he saw that she was conscious he stopped and doubled back to enter the room. With a terse smile he introduced himself as her doctor, a S.H.I.E.L.D. physician, and expressed his professional pleasure at her recovery. As he went about examining her, Wanda asked how long she'd been unconscious and the doctor gave her an overview of what she'd missed- quite a lot, apparently. The doctor finished his examination and- despite her protests that she was perfectly fine- instructed her to continue resting. When she asked, sullenly, if she could at least have real clothes to replace the hospital gown she was wearing, he pointed to a bag in a chair beside her bed and then departed.
The mysterious bag was a welcome distraction and within it Wanda found a few outfits that she'd left in the closet at the Avengers Tower as well as sundry toiletries in unopened packages, there was even a worn novel from the still-filled bookshelf in her Tower room. She could think of several people who might have done her this favor and the fact that someone had thought to grab the bag when she'd been transported from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s medical ward to this place was momentarily overwhelming. That people cared so much about her was a reminder of just what she needed to do.
Wanda chose a pair of blue jeans and a black blouse from the bag and dressed slowly, taking time to mull over everything she'd been told. What it all came down to was that the world and, more immediately, the city, was in a lot of trouble. Despite the doctor's avowal to the contrary, Wanda was actually in a position to help, which was a refreshing change. Now it was a matter of finding out exactly where she could help the most, so she left her makeshift hospital room in search of someone in charge. The rooms relegated to medical care were so out of the way in this large facility that it took her several minutes before she finally found her way to the "command center." S.H.I.E.L.D. had for this purpose commandeered one of the larger technological laboratories in a central location and conveniently filled with computers and useful gadgets. Wanda crept inside and surveyed the room from the doorway.
The computer banks were manned by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in uniform, none of whom she immediately recognized. She did, however, recognize a lone figure standing before a large screen. She knew him without having to see his face; the way he held himself, the confident line of his back, the curve of his shoulder beneath a wrinkled white dress shirt. Wanda knew how his blue eyes could spark when he bubbled over with a manic giggle, how they would darken when he scowled in disapproval and the way they could look so tragic when he didn't know she was watching him. Without touching him she knew the heat of his skin, how his hair felt beneath her fingertips, the press of his lips and the taste of his mouth. Everything she knew about him left Wanda aching, made her breath catch and her heart stop for a half second. It was enough to make her forget that the world had gone insane. Almost. She smiled wryly to herself and shook her head- this was no time to be distracted, there was a city to save after all. Still, she couldn't keep the smile from her voice or her lips as she approached him from behind and murmured, "Tony. Hello."