The Scarlet Puppet

Part 1.

By

Skytower

" That was Wanda Maximoff’s only thought as her world imploded. The overwhelming smell of cinnamon filled her nostrils as her body shrank. The identity of the smell was the only thought the Avenger managed to hold onto. She watched too shocked to respond as Janet Van Dyne, one of her closest friends, again sprayed her with shrinking gas. The move was so unexpected, so completely was Wanda taken by surprise, that she breathed in twice before she realized it. As Wanda’s body grew hot and light at the same time the heroine tried to understand what was happening.

It was a Sunday afternoon and she was in the Van Dyne mansion. Janet had brought her there to show her some new costume designs, despite Wanda’s insistence that she liked her heroine costume. She had changed once, from a pink swimsuit body stocking to a halter top, bare midriff and sheath-slit skirt. But Janet Van Dyne, also known as the heroine called the Wasp maintained that having only one outfit to save the world with was "so 1940’s". Janet had changed her costume a total of 29 times since the formation of the Avengers and was constantly trying to convince the others to do the same. Wanda was reluctant, but an afternoon of peace and quiet luxury was too appealing to pass up. So she had come to the mansion, had a nice lunch and then followed Janet into the dressing room. Once her costume was off and her Scepter of Transference leaned against the wall Wanda had reached out to accept the bundle of cloths in Janet’s hands. That was when the Wasp pulled a small can from the bundle of fabric and sprayed Wanda in the face twice. The shrinking gas worked at near instantaneous speed. One moment Wanda stood five feet seven inches the next she was barely up to Janet’s knee.

Even taken by surprise Wanda Maximoff was still an Avenger. She reached up to the Broach of Displacement that still hung about her neck and triggered it. There was a brief sensation of intense cold, then reality reformed. But now instead of being in front of Janet she was behind the other woman. It was as far as she could go and the Scarlet Witch started to run. With a quick move Janet turned around and grabbed Wanda, pinning the now diminutive mutant’s arms to her side. Wanda screamed as her friend squeezed hard enough to force the air from her lungs. Desperately she called upon both her physical strength and mutant powers to protect her. Both failed. She could sooner have picked up a car than forced Janet’s fingers apart and her mind was still reeling from the shrink gas to focus on any spell. Helpless she felt consciousness slipping from her as Janet carried her out of the room.

Wanda had no real sense of time for a while after that. When she next struggled to consciousness Janet was slipping her into some sort of transparent tube. The sweet smell of chloroform wrapped her into its embrace and Wanda found herself knowing the world only when something around her changed. She felt the sun on her face and realized that Janet was driving. Top forty tunes filled the car and the Beatles’s song "Lucy in the sky with Diamonds" added a surreal element to Wanda’s peril.

It was late afternoon when she woke once more. Janet was carrying her into some old house. It was a ramshackle Victorian badly in need of a paint job. Wanda pinched herself, trying to defeat the chloroform with pain. She was sure it worked, until Janet walked through a solid wall and into a laboratory.

"I am here." Janet said.

"Good. Bring her over here."

Wanda focused on the voice and saw a thin little man with a large head. He was bald with huge pale eyes and teeth stained yellow from years of smoking. Dressed in a pair of gray pants with a yellow shirt he looked like a desk clerk. One who hadn’t been out of his office in years.

"The Puppet Master." Wanda whispered to herself. In his left hand the man held a little doll that looked exactly like Janet. Made Wanda knew from radioactive clay it gave Phillip Masters the ability to control peoples’ minds.

Fresh air brought more clarity of thought to Wanda as the top of the tube was opened. The puppet master reached and took hold of her. Wanda grunted as his rough fingers closed around her nude body. Helpless she was lifted out of the tube and placed onto the tabletop. Her powers were still numb from the gas. Fighting vainly Wanda was strapped into a chair. Small electrodes were pasted to her head, neck, arms, breast, stomach and legs. She gasped as the Puppet Master forced open her legs and eased a small probe into her vagina.

When it was done the Puppet Master stepped back and looked to someone else. Someone Wanda hadn’t noticed.

"She is ready my lord."

"Begin." The figure ordered, stepping out of the shadows. Wanda felt her heart leap into her throat as Dr. Doom entered the light. She only had a moment to realize who he was when a switch was thrown and energy forced its way into her body. Wanda screamed in pain as her body, her mind and her spirit were invaded. The energy was ruthless and determined. Where it met any resistance at all that resistance was agonizingly crushed. Wanda screamed just before she passed out.

When Wanda came to she was lying on a cold metal surface. Her body ached and her mind was clear, or nearly so. Her powers were sluggish, almost non-existent. Wanda opened her eyes and saw her self-standing next to Janet. Or at least it looked like her. Taller than the Wasp by a head the Wanda robot had the same full breast and wide hips that Wanda had. The dark brown nipples and red bush between her legs were the same. Even her/its blue eyes held the same life as Wanda’s.

Am I really that tall?" Wanda whispered to herself.

Size is a relative concept Miss Maximoff." Dr. Doom said. He did something inside the robot and then stepped to one side. "Robot Scarlet-14, activate command program A. Run."

The robot Wanda blinked and looked around. Wanda was amazed at the craftsmanship Doom had put into the replica. There was no defects, no mechanical traces of any kind.

"Awaiting orders master." Robot Wanda said. The voice was perfect.

"Run test program A." Dr. Doom ordered.

While the robot glowed with green power Wanda surreptitiously reached up to trigger her Broach of Displacement. She vanished only to re-appear a foot to the left.

"Your powers were dealt with when my machine transferred a copy of your mind into my Scarlet Witch robot." Dr. Doom said noticing her efforts. "They have either been nullified or significantly reduced."

"Test completed." The Scarlet Witch robot announced. "Systems clear."

"Do you have cloths for her?" Doom demanded of Janet.

"No master, cloths were not included in my instructions." Janet replied.

"Unfortunate." Doom replied.

Scarlet blushed, suddenly remembering that she was not only naked, so was her robot double. Resolutely she did not try to cover herself with her hands. That would be a sign of weakness and with Doom she dare not show weakness.

"What is your plan Doom?" she demanded.

"My plans are my own." The armored figure said turning to her. Cold blue eyes looked at her from behind a grey metal mask. Wanda realized that for all her nude beauty Doom could have been looking at a lab specimen. Not that she was happy to be standing nude in front of him, but even a little distraction would have helped.

"Master I have little time." Phillip Masters said walking back into the room. He held up a threadbare T shirt with a faded "Jaws" logo. "I found this for the robot to wear until they return to the mansion."

"Good." Doom said. "Put it on." He ordered the Wanda robot. The robot put the shirt on and Wanda found herself blushing again. Her/it’s nipples clearly showed through the fabric and the shirt was only long enough to cover half of her/it’s pubes. The result was the height of immodesty. Wanda quickly decided it would have been better if the robot remained naked.

"Return to mansion." Doom ordered Janet and the Wanda robot. "Once there run program B. Miss Van Dyne you will support and cover for Scarlet-14 if there are any defects in her program. Go."

Both Janet and the Robot bowed and walked out. Reaching down Dr.Doom picked up Wanda and handed her to the Puppet Master. Wanda felt her bones chill as the cold metal touched her skin. The sensation was brief but there was no relief as the Puppet Masters rough sweaty hand griped her body pinning her arms to her side.

"Return to your shop and continue your plan." Dr. Doom ordered.

"Yes master." Phillip Masters said. Turning he walked into a closet like space and Scarlet felt reality shudder around her.

When reality reformed Wanda found herself in a cellar. She and the Puppet Master stood in a closet at the corner of a large room. The room had a stone floor and walls with dusty crossbeams lining the ceiling. Over to one side was a long workbench. Sitting at the bench was a double of Phillip Masters. With Wanda in hand the Puppet Master pressed a button mounted on the side of the closet. Wanda watched as his double rose from the workbench and walked over to the closet. He blinked out of view as the real Phillip Masters left the closet.

"My parole requires that I am closely watched." The Puppet Master said walking over to the workbench. "Even in my own home. The hologram fools them."

"Why are you working for Doom?" Wanda demanded.

"Because I am on parole." He said putting her down on the workbench. Wanda staggered slightly as he let her go. Grit and sawdust irritated her already sensitive skin. The workbench was littered with small arms, legs and other body parts. Gigantic tools and blades surrounded her as well. She tore her eyes from them and the images they brought forth in her mind. Masters had put a cigarette into his mouth and the flame from the match he used to light it was as big as her head.

For years now I have been on parole or in prison. Or hiding. I am not a young man anymore." He took a long drag from the cigarette. "I am old." He laughed bitterly. "I am an old looser."

So why risk prison again?"

"Because I am not dead." He leaned forward and Wanda took a step back as tobacco and bad breath assaulted her. "And as long as life remains within me I will not let the one person I love in this world debase herself with that orange lump of rock!"

"Ben Grim is an honorable man." Wanda said.

"He’s not a man!" the Puppet Master yelled slamming his hand on the table with enough force to knock Wanda off of her feet. "He’s an accident. A THING! He should be put into a freak show or dissected on some scientist lab, he has no business anywhere near my daughter!" Visibly getting himself under control the old man lit another cigarette. "He can not make her happy. They could never comsu… he could never make her happy."

But he could and had made her happy Wanda knew. A few months before one of Janet’s ‘girl parties’ had gone on far into the night and the wine had flowed freely. Coaxed on by the She-Hulk’s bawdy stories both Sue Richards and Alicia Masters had described Reed Richards and Ben Grim’s bedroom antics. At first they had provoked riotous laughter and then later awed and somewhat envious silence. Wanda had never been able to look at either man the same way.

Wanda stayed silent as Masters calmed himself with more drags from the cigarette. It had nearly burned halfway when he addressed her again.

"I have Doom’s word that my daughter will not marry or see Ben Grim again, and I have his word that she will be happy. Doom’s word is an absolute."

"And how many times has he won?" Wanda demanded coldly.

"He rules his own country." Phillip Master’s countered.

Wanda opened her mouth but then closed it. She had no answer for that.

"I have visited Latveria. The people are happy, safe. There is no crime."

"There isn’t any freedom either."

The Puppet Master shrugged.

"She will be happy there. It is a place for artist."

"What now then?" Wanda demanded. "Why keep me here? With you?"

"There are too many spies in Castle Doom. SHEILD, AIM, HYDRA, ROXXON. Doom knows them all, but lets them stay. However one of them might see you. Here with me you will be safe and usefull."

"Usefull?" Wanda wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that.

"If all works well very usefull." He said laughing. The laugh devolved into a racking cough and he steadied himself on the workbench.

"Now you will sleep, for I need to sleep." Masters said picking her up. The stench of the cigarette smoke that lingered on his fingers was nearly intolerable and Wanda had to struggle to keep from gagging. He carried her across the room and turned on a light. A Victorian dollhouse appeared. It was three stories with basement and attic. The Puppet Master put Wanda into the master bedroom on the second floor and held her onto the bed. Wanda squirmed as his fingers found their way onto every part of her body. "Tomorrow we will begin training you."

"For what?"

"Your performances." The Puppet Master said. He pushed a button on the side of the house and a low thrumming filled the room. Wanda wasn’t even aware of that she was falling asleep until she woke up the next morning.

End part one.

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