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MISADVENTURES IN PARADISE
iii. WELCOME TO WESTVIEW

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   RILEY KNEW IT WAS horrible to think, but she was almost expecting something terrible to happen to Roman. It was the budding pessimist in her.

   After her phone call with Director Hayward, she was in Westview, New Jersey by daybreak. She didn't say much about it to Peter or her family, only that she had a new assignment that required her immediate assistance.

   It was admittedly difficult reassuring Peter that everything was fine. She did have a rather explosive reaction to whatever Hayward said on the phone, and it worried him, even more, when she refused to utter a word about it to him. But Riley kept these details away from him to protect him. He just didn't realize that.

   Tony and Pepper, on the other hand, didn't mind the lack of details, only telling her to be safe and sending her off with a hug and a kiss. This wasn't abnormal for the family. Riley recently stopped telling them the details of whatever missions were going on out of respect for them. They didn't need to worry about the safety of the world anymore.

   (Sometimes, however, Tony asked her for little details on whatever she had going on when he was feeling particularly nosy. It was nice gossiping with him without worrying about how he was going to use his billionth suit to save the day).

   It was early in the morning, a cool breeze crossing the world as the end of August neared. The sweet colors of the sunrise were concealed by fog. A gloomy start to the day. Despite hardly sleeping last night, Riley was wide awake. The adrenaline from spending the night overthinking fueled her as she sat in a fully packed van, courtesy of S.W.O.R.D.

   She wondered what she would be dealing with in Westview. Hayward didn't mention too much on the phone, to her dismay. Whatever it was, it was strong enough to overpower Roman. The thought alone made her nervous.

   Whenever she got like this, she found herself thinking of Vision. He never fully understood the complex myriad of human emotions, always acting like they were a symptom that could be treated. He always said that anxiety and nervousness were caused by a response in the amygdala, and then he'd suggest doing something calming, like going for a stroll or playing chess with a friend. They often did these things together as a way to bond and waste time.

   If Riley closed her eyes, she could bring herself back to those days with ease. Back then, it felt like Vision was the only one she would never lose. She thought she'd always have someone to play chess with or debate silly things with. And yet, here she was, living a life without him. It was hard adjusting to him being gone.

   "Hey." One of the women in the van had spoken up, destroying the group's silence. A gray beanie sat on her head, barely containing her brown curls. Her thick-framed glasses magnified her blue eyes. "What's your field?"

   The man sitting across from her hesitated. "We're not supposed to talk to each other."

   Beanie rolled her eyes. "Hm, Boy Scout Leader. Got it. What about you?" She looked at the other two. They said they specialized in Nuclear Biology and Artificial Intelligence. She motioned to herself and said her field was Astrophysics. "What about you, Valor? They call you in for the whole superpower thing or something else?"

   Riley didn't reply, not at first. The hardened expression scarring her face made her look older, wiser. It was hard to believe she was the youngest person on this investigation.

   "...I'm not sure," she eventually confessed. "Hayward said he could use someone with my range of specialties, but that was it. I'm as clueless as the rest of you."

   "Specialties?" Boy Scout Leader sneered. "Don't you just... shoot lasers out of your hands?"

   "I specialize in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, cell mutation, radiation, and if it's a rainy day, time travel," Riley calmly corrected. He flinched and tried to sink into his seat.

   "Huh, we got the full clown car," Beanie noted. "That means whatever the threat is, S.W.O.R.D. clearly has no idea what we're dealing with."

   Boy Scout Leader tried to chime in again in hopes of salvaging his first impression with the group. "I'm a chemical engineer," he said.

   But Beanie just remarked, "No one cares."

   Riley eyed Beanie, curious. She had a point. If this started as a little FBI investigation, why were they bringing in S.W.O.R.D. and all of these other scientists? What the hell was in Westview?

   They soon arrived at a response base nestled on the outskirts of Westview. Rows of deep green tents stood, the yellow glow of the sunrise peeking behind them. The camp swarmed with agents and vans, much like a beehive. Riley stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets and walked ahead in search of Hayward. There was a sense of purpose in her walk that cleared her path. She didn't move around the people, but rather, they moved for her.

   Director Hayward stood between a circle of agents, calling out orders. He was an older man, yet there was a freshness on his face that made it clear he hadn't been doing this directing thing for too long, only a few years. He was domineering, eager to assert his power whenever and wherever he could. Riley had met many men like him in her day.

   She started to approach him, but she halted in her tracks when something in the air caught her eye. Across the base near Westview, there was a large hexagonal dome reaching toward the skies. It stood over the small town of Westview, its size rivaling small mountains. She almost didn't see it at first, for it blended in with the other ultraviolet rays in the atmosphere. An unusual energy buzzed around it.

   Hayward didn't notice her startled reaction, greeting her politely, "Miss Stark, it's good to see you!"

   "What the hell is that?" When he didn't understand what she was referring to, she motioned toward the dome. "That. The big dome of energy sitting over Westview. What is that?"

   His graying eyebrows pinched. "Interesting... I'm afraid the rest of us cannot see what you're seeing. Your powers allow you to see the unseen, correct?"

   "Yeah, any and all ultraviolet rays. Sorry, sometimes I forget I'm the only one who can see 'em. Point being, that dome is huge. Is that what took Roman?"

   "We aren't entirely sure. This entire investigation started as a missing person's case. The FBI managed to lose someone that was part of the Witness Protection Program."

   Riley knew it was unprofessional of her, but she snorted. "They lost someone in the Witness Protection Program?"

   He shrugged. "They sent an agent from out west to look for him in Westview. That was when they discovered the entire town was missing. When we asked some locals about the town, they claimed Westview didn't exist. Everyone within a five-mile radius shares selective amnesia. From where we stand, Westview looks like a normal ghost town. Inside seems to be a whole other story. Can you see past the dome?"

   "Nope. Looks like it's shielding whatever's inside," Riley reported. They started to walk together. "It's like a mirage or something. It seems so normal from over here. Do we know what we're dealing with?"

   "Unclear, but our guess is it's extraterrestrial," he informed. "The dome you described... We're unsure how long it's been here or how it appeared in the first place. All we know is that there's a force inside that's unresponsive to our attempts at communication."

   "You think it's hostile?"

   "For now, we're assuming it is. We've been sending drones inside to try and get a visual of what we're facing, but all attempts have failed. We can't see anything once it's in there. It's like there's another world in there," Hayward recalled. "When the idea of sending people inside was brought up, Roman was the first to volunteer. He claimed that if it was extraterrestrial, it wouldn't hurt him as much as it'd hurt the rest of us humans."

   "It was the strangest thing," Hayward added. "He walked up to it, only to get sucked inside. We haven't seen or heard from him since then."

   "I'm gonna guess no one else has gone in then," Riley said.

   "Well, there was one other person, just a few days before Roman went in, but it was an accident. Captain Monica Rambeau," Hayward revealed. Riley recognized the name. They'd met a few times, but she was more familiar with her mother, Maria, who just so happened to be the best friend of Riley's idol, Carol Danvers. She was sad to hear Maria passed away three years ago due to cancer. "I sent her out here to oversee the FBI's usage of one of our drones. This was in the early stages of the investigation. She got sucked inside trying to get a closer look at Westview."

   "Strange," Riley admitted, gazing at the dome. Roman was in there. So close, yet so far away. "Where do you want me?"

   "I need you with our team to analyze that dome. We need to study it and its energies as much as we can. There aren't many people who understand energy and radiation the way you do," Hayward ordered. Before she left his side, he added, "Oh, and Miss Stark? I'm glad we have you on this investigation. I know it's been a while since you've been out on the field, so I say this on behalf of S.W.O.R.D. We're glad you're back at work."

   Riley offered him a tight-lipped smile. She wanted to say it was good to be back, but she was too concerned about the Westview Anomaly and Roman to celebrate.

   She was brought inside one of the small laboratories, where she found Beanie talking to one of the many agents. He motioned to a designated area, showing her where she could work for the time being, but Beanie was more interested in what was going on outside. Through the windows, one of the drones disappeared into the energy dome surrounding Westview. One second it was there, and the next, it wasn't.

   "Those drones you're sending in," Beanie said, "what kinda data are you getting?"

   "I'm afraid that's highly classified," the agent — his name badge read Monti — sharply said.

   Riley rolled her eyes. "I'll answer that. Absolutely nothing." Agent Monti shot her a stern look. "What? It's true."

   "Can't say I'm surprised," Beanie admitted, setting her bag down. "FBI, Army... I saw the Air Force of Special Investigations out there... Search Lab, Space Command, too. Bonafide, joint, multi-level response. Really looking forward to the commemorative t-shirt. We've even got the freaking Avengers here. By the way, huge fan of your work, Valor. I'm Dr. Darcy Lewis."

   "Thanks, Doc. Looks like we'll be working together," Riley said.

   "Call me Darcy." Darcy tinkered with her equipment as she asked Monti, "Is there somewhere a lady could get a cup of coffee? You guys look like you get down with those little pod things. Horrendous for the environment—"

   "Make your assessment, please."

   Darcy sighed, studying the small device in her hand. The screen flickered with all sorts of colors and numbers right away. It looked like illegible nonsense if you didn't have any experience studying this kind of thing.

   Riley whistled in awe. "Looks like a surplus of CMBR."

   "CM—?" Monti started.

   "Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation," Darcy impatiently explained.

   "We've been told the radiation is within a safe limit," he said.

   Yeah, that's what my parents thought, too. Riley had to hire her tongue to stop herself from snickering at her own joke.

   "Uh, it is... for now," Darcy said. He tried to ask what that meant, but she shushed him. "There are longer wavelengths superimposed over the noise here."

   Darcy scrambled out of her seat and lifted one of the machines sitting on the ground. It was a physioscope, a bulky and heavy tool that looked like it was built a million years ago. It had several switches and dials on it, and toward the top, there was a small circular screen. She struggled to carry it before dropping it on the table with a bang.

   As she did so, Riley wondered, "My question is what kind of person or thing can produce energies of this magnitude? Even my powers aren't strong enough to do that... I think."

   Darcy hooked up the physioscope to the tool in her hand, tweaking the dials. The tiny sepia-tinged screen suddenly flickered with life, buzzing until an image appeared. It faltered unsteadily, the quality similar to that of a gritty old TV. But then, among the noise of the screen, there was a face.

   It belonged to... No, that can't be...

   "I need a TV," Darcy eagerly told Monti. "An old one. Like, not flat. I think I just found a way to see what's happening inside Westview."

   Ignoring her, Riley drew closer to the screen, eyes wide. It was almost impossible to discern the features of the woman's face, but once the screen's quality became clearer, Riley was certain.

   The woman on the screen was Wanda Maximoff.

○ ○ ○

   As crazy as it seemed, Riley supposed that this, at least, sorta made sense.

   No one had seen or heard from Wanda in weeks. Everyone assumed she was privately grieving Vision and Pietro. But what if the truth was that she was stuck in Westview? What if Wanda was one of the many people who'd been taken hostage, just like Monica and Roman?

   Riley and Darcy were later able to get their hands on an old TV, one that could support the specific wavelengths and energies being emulated by Westview. They hooked it up to some machines, and like magic, the TV flickered on just as the physioscope had. On the screen, entirely in black and white, played a 1950s-inspired sitcom. The sitcom appeared to follow the lives of a newly married couple living in a quirky small town.

   And the stars of the show? They were Wanda Maximoff and Vision.

   Yes, that Vision.

   "Is this... real?" Riley slowly asked.

   A small crowd gathered around the TV as they watched the sitcom, which was self-titled as WandaVision. The episode that played showed Wanda and Vision as they attempted to cook a nice dinner for their guests — emphasis on attempted. It was the most bizarre thing. Two superheroes (one of whom was supposed to be dead) were starring in a sitcom, one with a theme song and laugh tracks and cheesy one-liners. How was this possible?

   Vision was supposed to be dead. She watched him die. She heard his final breaths. She mourned him, cried for him. And yet, Wanda and Vision were standing together on TV, chatting and laughing like nothing was wrong. Like nothing was ever wrong.

   "Look, I know it's been a crazy few years on this planet, but he's dead, right?" Darcy inquired. "Not blipped. Dead."

   Hayward stood over their shoulders. "What am I looking at? What is this? Where's this coming from?"

   Darcy motioned to Westview. "Out there."

   "Is it authentic? Stark?"

   "I don't know how to answer that, Director," Riley said. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Wanda and Vision are on TV right now."

   "Is it happening in real-time? Is it recorded? Fabricated?" he asked again, his irritated tone growing heavier and heavier.

   "If I knew anything about whatever this is, I wouldn't be standing here wondering how Wanda's gonna save her dinner party," Riley snapped. "Darcy's equipment registered extremely high levels of CMBR. That's—"

   "Relic radiation dating back to the Big Bang," Hayward interrupted.

   Darcy nodded. "Yeah. Entwined was a broadcast frequency. So I had your goons pick us up a sweet vintage TV, and when I plugged this bad boy in, voilà, sound and picture."

   On the screen, Wanda wore a big smile as she announced, "Dinner is served!"

   "So you're saying the universe created a sitcom starring two Avengers?" an FBI agent by the name of James E. Woo (or as he preferred, Jimmy) queried. Riley and Jimmy met earlier that day. They bonded over a shared acquaintance: Scott Lang.

   "It's a working theory," Darcy said.

   "It... could be anything," Riley admitted. "This radiation isn't like anything I've ever studied before. There's radiation superimposed here that isn't even on our scientific scale, and everything that is, like UV radiation, is entwined with it. That's another problem for us because we have to familiarize ourselves with a whole new scale of energy. We don't even know if Wanda, the people of Westview, or... Vision are aware of what's happening. But this is a start."

   Hayward had heard enough. Urgency flared through his voice as he ordered the agents, "Get me transport back to headquarters now. Are we recording this?"

   "Never stopped," affirmed Darcy.

   "I need immediate analysis. Now, people. Let's go!"

   Riley supposed Hayward's urgency was warranted. This was the first visual inside the town they'd gotten after countless attempts throughout the past few days.

   There wasn't much S.W.O.R.D. knew for certain. Between the locals' selective amnesia and the cosmic radiation triangulating on Westview, they were throwing darts in the dark. The list of uncertainties was endless. Why was the view inside of Westview showing them a sitcom? What was the origin of the energy source around the town? Was Vision somehow alive again? How did time and space affect Westview? Riley couldn't help but wonder if the people of Westview were even aware of what was happening. Were they asleep? Mind-controlled?

   Every attempt at communicating with Westview, like calling the phone lines and sending in drones, failed. Sending people inside was risky. After Monica and Roman went in, most were hesitant to volunteer themselves. There was one other agent who volunteered to go in through the pipelines, but that resulted in failure again. It seemed that everyone who went into Westview was lost, never to return. It was impossible to control.

   Riley soon got to work on helping identify the people who appeared in the episodes of WandaVision. Their main objective was to gain intel on Captain Rambeau and Roman, but since this whole investigation originally started as a mission person's case, they needed to handle that, too.

   She busily tapped away at a laptop, stealing glances at the TV every so often. She tried not to do it too frequently though, as WandaVision was strangely addicting to watch. Riley could see herself watching this with Wanda and the others back at the Avengers Facility. When she wasn't focusing on her assignment, she imagined what they would say about the show. For a moment, Riley thought Wanda being stuck in a sitcom was actually kind of funny. The Sokovian always liked sitcoms. Back in the day, Riley and Wanda would sometimes alternate their movie nights with sitcom nights.

   One by one, the identities of the "characters" were revealed. With every role that was announced, their face and a few defining traits about them (such as their role in the sitcom) were hung up on the whiteboard in one of the conference rooms. It was almost like a game to Riley. While she couldn't take credit for discovering everyone's identities, she found that she was pretty damn good at it for the most part. Some were easier to identify than others. Some didn't seem to exist in society at all, like Wanda's nosy neighbor, Agnes.

   A tiny part of Riley was getting frustrated over the fact that she hadn't seen Roman yet.

   Darcy looked impressed as she noted, "You're breezing through this. Is this stuff something you learned in... Avengers school?"

   "Huh? Oh, S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't teach me how to do this. Not entirely. They taught me the basics, but Natasha Romanoff taught me every trick in the book," Riley proudly said.

   Darcy offered a small smile. "Cool."

   They'd only spent a few hours together, but Riley decided she didn't mind Dr. Lewis. She was a little odd and rather blunt, but so were most of the people in Riley's life. It helped that Darcy was pretty damn smart and they happened to share a few friends: Thor and Dr. Erik Selvig. When they took their break earlier, Darcy told Riley about how she once tased Thor (which was hilarious. The dude could conjure thunder and lightning, but he couldn't handle getting tased?).

   Riley sighed. "It'd be cooler if I could just see Roman. I just need to know he's okay."

   "You guys are close?"

   The smile that graced Riley's face came without her realizing it. "Yeah, we are. Maybe I'd relax if he showed up in the background of an episode, at least. I love Wanda, but how many times do we need to watch her wash her dishes?"

   Darcy hummed. "I didn't know you Avengers were, like, real friends. I always thought there was a weird coworker vibe between you guys."

   "That's how it was at first, but... I dunno. When you nearly die with the same people so many times, you're kinda forced to be friends," Riley said.

   She watched Wanda on the TV. Her smile seemed so genuine, so oblivious and free.

   "I still remember when I first met Wanda and Pietro. We hated each other," Riley chuckled. "Clearly, I didn't hate them that much because I took a few bullets for Pietro, but... we didn't get along. But then they joined the team and I got stuck helping them with their powers and... I guess we bonded faster than I was expecting. When I think of them, I don't think about HYDRA or Ultron anymore. I just remember the good things. I think they'd prefer it that way."

   The TV started up another episode of WandaVision, and Riley took a second to blink away the tears rimming her eyes.

   Something Riley also noticed about WandaVision was that the decade the sitcom centered around changed. What once was a 1950's-style sitcom was now inspired by the '60s. The clothes, the houses, even the theme song of the show changed.

   After a minute, Riley said, "There's something really weird about this. I can understand that something could overpower Rambeau and everyone else that got stuck in Westview, but Roman and Wanda are some of the strongest people I know. I mean, Roman can literally read and possess the souls of anything he encounters. And Wanda... Well, Wanda can do anything. Why haven't they tried to leave?"

   Suddenly, she looked back at Darcy, a keen determination in her eyes. "I need to go in there," Riley declared. "Westview. I need to get into the town."

   "Er, I mean no disrespect, Valor, but you realize that's a terrible idea, right? Once you go in, you can't leave or communicate with the outside world. You'll be stuck," Darcy retorted.

   "Or I'll be able to figure this out from the inside and save Westview," Riley suggested. "The hexagonal dome surrounding Westview is composed of different cosmic energies, one of which being ultraviolet energy. Maybe I could turn invisible, bypass the dome by making it think I'm just an extension of it, and do some digging without anyone realizing I'm there!"

   "Woah, slow your roll, boss lady," Darcy insisted. "If they can't get out, who's to say you can? What if they're being mind-controlled? You can't exactly fight your way around that."

   Riley sighed. "I just hate being on the outside of these things."

   "We'll figure it out," assured Darcy. "But it'll take time. Luckily, we've got all the time in the world."

   Riley didn't like how that made her feel. Time wasn't an ally, it was an enemy. It was forever fleeting, unpredictable. The present often felt like a prison sentence rather than life's blessing, and the past was a punishment to lament over for the rest of time. But the future? The future was the worst. The future was unknown. The future was a dark shadow that loomed over her shoulder. Sometimes, that shadow looked like the shaky hand of the Grim Reaper.

   'They just don't get it,' Riley thought. 'There will never be enough time.'