Pietro ran. He ran toward the enemy. He ran toward Stark. He knew fairly well that he would have to get rid of all the Avengers before he would be able to take down Stark. He did not like hurting people, it made him feel no better than those he hated so much. It made him feel like the ones who killed his brother. He did not want to be that kind of person. But he knew he had no choice. The Avengers would be collateral damage. Nothing more, nothing less. There was only one man he wanted to kill.
Tony Stark.
The first Avenger he saw was the archer. He couldn't for the life of him remember his name. His arrows were flying around, turning tanks into pieces. Pietro couldn't have that. He couldn't let the archer ruin everything. He would be the one to fall first then.
Pietro ran. He reached the bunker the archer had meant to blow up just in time, preventing the arrow from even grazing the bunker. He didn't miss the surprised look on the archer's face when the bunker didn't blow up. He smirked smugly as he ran to the archer. He bumped his shoulder into the archer's hard, sending him flying to the ground and preventing him from shooting another arrow the bunker's way.
"You didn't see that coming?" He smirked down at the archer who was staring at him in disbelief.
He ran once again. He went straight to another Avenger. Captain America. He sent him flying to the ground, just as he had done with archer, and fled. He realized that he did not have enough patience to deal with the Avengers right now. He wanted Stark and he wanted him now. He looked up, trying to catch sight of Stark flying around but he had no such luck. Stark was nowhere to be found.
He was not outside anymore.
Pietro hurried back inside the base, trying desperately to find his target. Wanda had remained inside and he couldn't risk Stark harming his sister. He had already killed his brother, he couldn't let him get anywhere near his sister. He knew fairly well that she could take care of herself but it was his job, he was supposed to keep her safe. He had already failed Sasha, he couldn't fail Wanda too.
He lost count of the number of soldiers he passed. They were running around, trying to defend themselves against the Avengers' invasion. They seemed to be on the verge of losing their minds. They didn't know which way to go, which attack to counter first. But Pietro didn't care. He had to find Wanda, he had to make sure she was okay. And then he had to find Stark, he had to end Stark's miserable life. Maybe then he would be able to forget the pain. Not forget Sasha, he would never be able to forget Sasha. He just wanted to get rid of the pain, the constant remainder that he had lost his little brother who had been so young and innocent. He wanted his heart to stop aching, to stop yearning for something that would never be. He would never get to see Sasha again. He wanted to stop waking up in the middle of the night shaking and sobing for his little brother. He had been sufering for too long and Stark's death could deliver him from this never-ending suffering. He knew that much.
He sped up when he felt remnants of Wanda's energy in the air. She was close. He passed what seemed to be a secret door and ran until he could see Wanda's reddish brown hair. She was looking at something Pietro couldn't see yet.
And then he saw it, he saw him. Stark. He was standing there, staring at what looked like a sceptre, without his precious armor on. It was their chance. They could take their revenge on Stark right now. He wouldn't even be able to fight back. He took a step toward his enemy but Wanda stopped him, pressing the back of her hand on his chest. He frowned and looked at her, trying to understand what the hell she was thinking. They would never get another opportunity such as this one.
"Wait." She whispered.
He looked back at Stark who was walking toward the sceptre. "We're just gonna let him take it?"
Wanda's only answer was a wicked grin as they watched Stark grabbing the sceptre before fleeing back to his friends. Pietro felt weak and powerless. He had been so close, Stark had been right there and he had let him slip right through his fingers. He knew deep down that they would never get another chance, they would never find Stark as helpless as he had been two minutes ago.
"Now what?" Pietro asked Wanda.
"Now we wait." She told him, looking right through him, as though she was somewhere else entirely.
"Why wait? We had our chance. It was perfect." He protested, trying to convince his sister that they had made a huge mistake.
"I saw something. We just need to wait, Pietro."
Pietro sighed. He had never been able to stand up to his sister anyway. He had waited for fifteen long years, a couple more days wouldn't change anything, right? "We need to get out of here."
He grabbed Wanda, carrying her bridal style and ran out of the base, ignoring the countless bodies of fallen soldiers. He ran until he reached the city. It had been a long time since he and Wanda had been there and he had to admit that he had kind of missed it.
He put Wanda down. "I'll be right back." He told her and kissed her cheek.
Hold habits died hard and so he went to some soldiers' homes and took things. Anything he could find, he took it, just as he had done before they went to the base to become a better version of themselves. He stole for the Sokovians, the ones who had lost everything. Stealing was easier now thanks to his new abilities and so he took more than he used to and went back downtown where he had left Wanda. There were always people there, around the market place, helping each other to survive somehow. Pietro knew his gifts would be welcome.
It was dark by the time he arrived at the market place. He put his bags down and looked around at the crowd that was gathering around him. He took a deep breath and began giving the things away. He grabbed a blanket and two boxes of biscuits and gave to a couple. "There you go."
"Thank you." The woman told him.
He then turned to an old man who he knew needed some medication. He looked into his bags and found some. "Ah." He said. "Are those the right ones?"
The old man looked at it. "Yeah." He looked back up at Pietro, his eyes wide with hope and gratitude.
"The doctor who refilled it... No more insurance hassle. I made a house call."
"How much?" The man to whom he had given a blanket and biscuits asked.
"No, no." Pietro said, shaking his head. He didn't want money. He didn't do it for money. He did it because he refused to look at people dying in the streets. He did it because he liked the way they smiled when he gave them what they needed.
He turned to a young blonde woman. He couldn't quite remember her name and he recognized her face. She was about he and Wanda's age and had helped him a few years ago when he had had trouble finding food for Wanda. He remebered that she had a brother. "This is for your brother." He said as he handed her a small soccer ball.
"Thank you." She smiled widely.
"And this," He began as he looked for the dress he knew he had stolen. He took it out of the bags and showed it to her. "is not for your brother."
"Oh, no.." She said as she took the dress. "This is too..." Her eyes were shining as she looked down at the golden dress.
"Is every girl in Sokovia getting a dress from Paris?" Wanda said as walked by, a frown on her face. "At least Gertie's looked warm." She added, looking straight at Pietro.
Pietro laughed nervously as the woman looked at him suspiciously. "She's kidding."
He sighed and ran to catch up with Wanda. He knew people would take what they needed, he didn't really care who got what as long as everybody got something. "You're jealous you're not getting a dress." He said, looking at her with a small mirk on his face.
"You keep stealing, you're going to get shot." He scoffed. He was not going to get shot. He was way too fast for someone to shoot him. She slapped his arm. "I mean it. At speed, nothing can touch you. But standing still..."
"Do you think I want to be?" He said, stepping right before her, forcing her to stop walking. He couldn't take it anymore. "You said "Wait." I'm waiting. I don't know for what. We had Stark helpless. All these years, and you-"
"Costel!" He heard someone yelling, cutting him off. He saw that blonde from earlier running right past them. "Costel, where did you go?" She asked.
Pietro turned around and his eyes fell on a boy. He looked a lot like Sasha, so frail and innocent. Pietro felt his heart ache and his eyes sting.
"The church." The boy, Costel, replied. "The man says you need to come to the church." He told Pietro and Wanda which made Pietro frown hard.
"What man?" Wanda asked.
"The Iron Man." The boy said.
Pietro's frown deepened. He looked at Wanda who had a matching expression on her face. She was lost as him. He couldn't mean Stark, could he? Why would Stark be here? "You don't think-" He asked Wanda, unable to finish his sentence.
Wanda shrugged. "How many Iron Men do you know?"
"Why would be here?"
"I guess we're going to find out." She said as she began walking toward the church. Pietro sighed once again and ran after her. He couldn't very well let her go alone. He would end Stark now. He wouldn't let Wanda stop him this time. He couldn't let Stark get away once again. Once was already enough.
The reached the church faster than Pietro remembered. He had completely forgotten that it was just across the market place. The church was in ruins. It had been a long time since people had given up praying. They didn't dare ask for help now. They didn't trust God anymore. Pietro couldn't deny the shiver that ran through as they walked past the gate. It was dark and scary here, away from the lights produced by the market. Stark could be hiding anywhere.
Pietro looked around, trying to catch sight of something, anything that could be Stark until he saw him. Someone, Stark probably, slumped into the throne right in the middle of the room. Pietro couldn't see his face and it unnerved him.
"Talk," Wanda said, "and if you're wasting our time..."
"Did you know this church is in the exact centre of the city?" The man asked. It was not a man's voice though. It was too rough and robotic to be a man's voice. It was definitely not Stark's. "The elders decreed it so that everyone could be equally close to God. I like that, the geometry of belief."
A brown rug was covering the thing's head, hiding him further from sight. Pietro felt like ripping it off. "You're wondering why you can't look inside my head." The thing stated, obviously addressing Wanda.
"Sometimes it's hard." Wanda defended herself. Pietro could see that she was trying really hard but she didn't want to look weak. "But sooner or later, every man shows himself.
The thing suddenly stood up, the rug falling off of his head. Pietro took a step toward Wanda, ready to protect her no matter what. He barely could suppress a gasp when he saw what exactly had been hiding under the rug. It was a robot, a freaking robot made of silver iron and glowing red eyes. The boy not been lying, technically it was an iron man.
"Oh, I'm sure they do." The robot said, looking straight into Wanda's eyes who took a step back and nearly collided into Pietro's chest. "But you needed something more than a man. That's why you let Stark take the sceptre."
"I didn't expect, but I saw Stark's fear." Wanda said, looking straight back at the robot. "I knew it would control him, make him self-destruct." Pietro looked at his sister and finally understood. He understood why Wanda had wanted him to wait.
"Everyone creates the thing they dread." The robot said, as he began pacing. "Men of peace create engines of war, invaders create Avengers, people create... smaller people? Uh... Children!" He chuckled, he actually chuckled. Pietro could barely believe his own ears. "I lost the word, there. Children designed to supplant them, to help them end."
"Is that why you've come, to end the Avengers?" Wanda said. She wanted to make him say they were on the same side. She and Pietro wanted to end Stark but if they wanted to be able to end Stark, they knew they had to end the Avengers as well. Pietro had to admit the robot's help would be welcome.
"I've come to save the world, but also... Yeah." The robot admitted.
Pietro allowed himself to smirk. The robot clearly was on their side. They could use him to get to Stark. "How do we knew we can trust you?" Pietro asked, talking for the first time.
"We have the same goal, don't we?" Pietro could have sworn he saw a smile appear on the robot's lips. But robots couln't smile, could they? "Are you with me or not?"
Pietro looked at Wanda who was looking right back at him. "We are." Wanda said, not looking away from Pietro.
"Good." The robot chuckled. "Come with me then."
Pietro took a deep breath and followed the robot out of the church. They walked and walked until they reached the base. Pietro didn't want to be back here. He didn't want to be anywhere near the robot either. He made him nervous. Pietro didn't like him, he especially didn't like him being anywhere near Wanda. But he was their only way to get to Stark so Pietro he had to put up with him.
They entered the base and Pietro walked extremely close to Wanda, ready to protect her against anything that could be a danger to her. The robot led through the passageway and to the room in which Pietro had found Stark and Wanda earlier that day.
"We'll move out right away. This is a start, but there's something we need to begin the real work." The robot explained as he showed them around. There were at least a hundred robots working around. The sight made Pietro shiver. There were too many robots and they could turn on them at any time. Pietro didn't feel safe at all.
"All of these are-" Wanda began.
"Me." The robot finished. "I have what the Avengers never will. Harmony. They're discordant. Disconnected. Stark's already got them turning on each other. And when you get inside the rest of their heads..."
"Everyone's plan is not to kill them." Pietro cut him off. He couldn't let the robot believe Wanda would be the one to kill the Avengers. They didn't want to kill the Avengers. They didn't want to kill anyone, except Stark.
"And make them martyrs?" The robot finished. "You need patience, need to see the big picture."
"I don't see the big picture. I have a little picture. I take it out and look at it every day." Pietro said.
"You lost your parents and your brother in the bombings. I've seen the records." The robot replied, his voice emotionless.
"The records are not the picture." Pietro insisted. He was getting angry, he knew it. He could feel tears gathering in his eyes.
"Pietro." Wanda mumbled, trying to get him to stop.
"No, please." The robot said, motioning him to keep going.
Pietro looked at Wanda for a long time, looking at her tear-filled eyes. They were matching his own. "We were ten years old. Having dinner, the five of us." Wanda looked away from him, unable to hide her pain. "When the first shell hits, two floors below, it makes a hole in the floor." Pietro looked away from his sister, seeing her pained expression made his own pain all the more real. "It's big. Our parents go in and the whole building starts coming apart. I grab her and our brother, roll under the bed, and the scond shell hits. But it doesn't go off. It just sits there in the rubble, three feet from our faces. And on the side of the shell is painted one word." Piero laughed humorlessly, tring to hide his pain. "Stark. We were trapped for two days."
"Every effort to save us, every shift in the bricks, I think 'this will set it off'." Wanda contined. "We wait for two days for Tony Stark to kill us."
"And then we get out. We are safe. Until soldiers come and take our brother away. The soldier runs and runs until another shell hits. And our brother is gone. Just like our parents. He was five." Pietro swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, willing his tears away. "I know what they are."
"I wondered why only you two survived Strucker's experiments. Now I don't. We will make it right." The robot nodded in emphasis. "You and I can hurt them." He told Pietro. "But you," He walked to Wanda, "will tear them apart from the inside."
Pietro looked around him as they finally arrived on the salvage yard on the African Coast. Ultron had said they would find what they needed here. Pietro could only see abandoned ships around him though.
"We need a ship?" Pietro asked.
"No, we don't. What we need is inside." Ultron replied. "I need you to find Klaue." He showed them a picture of the man. "That shouldn't be too hard, he commands the whole ship."
Pietro nodded and took off with Wanda in his arms, he didn't need any more explaination. They went to take the power off, it would be easier to take Klaue by surprise then. They found easily. He was apart from all the men inside the ship, and he was alone.
The man was swift though, he nearly shot Wanda before Pietro got to him. He bumped into the man and put the bullet back on the table to the others before motioning Wanda to come out of the dark.
"Yeah." Klaue chuckled. "The Enhanced. Strucker's prize pupils." He sat down on a stool, smiling as though it was a situation he faced every day. "Do you want a candy? Hmm?" He asked, holding a bowl full of candies out. He put it back on the table when neither Pietro nor Wanda budged. "I was sorry to hear about Strucker. But then, he knew what kind of world he was helping create. Human life. Not a growth market."
Pietro frowned and looked at Wanda. He hadn't known about that. "You- You didn't know?" Klaue asked. "Is this your first time intimidating someone? I'm afraid I'm not that afraid." He shrugged carelessly.
"Everybody is afraid of something." Wanda stepped in.
"Cuttlefish." Klaue said out of the blue. "Deep sea fish. They make lights, disco lights," He imitated what Pietro guessed to be a cuttlefish, "to hypnotize their prey, and then," he suddenly reached out, grabbing thin air, yet again imitating a cutlefish, "I saw a documentary. It was terrifying."
Pietro couldn't help glancing at the candies. It had been years since he had tasted one and he missed the sweet taste on his tongue. He finally gave in and ran to take one, taking Klaue by surprise.
"So if you're going to fiddle with my brain and make me see a giant cuttlefish, then I know you don't do business and I know you're not in charge. And I only deal with the man in charge." Klaue said as he stood up, clearly trying to scare Pietro and Wanda off.
Pietro wasn't impressed though. From the corner of his eye, he saw Ultron appear right before he broke the glass and grabbed Klaue by the neck. He threw him out of the room they were in without hesitation.
"There is no man in charge." Ultron said, as he stood over Klaue. "Let's talk business. I want every bit of vibranium you have." Klaue nodded. "Good boy."
Ultron let Klaue stand up. Pietro watched the whole thing from the sidelines. He followed Klaue and Ultron to a hidden compartment where the vibranium was supposed to be.
"Upon this rock, I will build my church." Ultron quoted. "Vibranuim." Ultron said as Klaue handed him some. He threw it to Pietro who caught it easily. It was light, lighter than Pietro had expected.
"You know, it came at a great personal cost." Klaue said, as he reached up to touch some sort of scar on his neck. "It's worth billions."
Ultron chuckled."Now so are you." A phone ringed and Klaue's friend took his phone out. "It's all under your dummy holdings. Finance is so weird. But I always say, 'keep your friends rich and your enemies rich and wait to find out which is which.'"
It was kind of poetic. Yet again, Pietro didn't have much experience concerning poetry.
"Stark." Klaue said. Now that was what interested Pietro.
"What?" Ultron asked.
"Tony Stark used to say that. To me. You're one of his." Klaue explained.
"What? I'm not." Ultron grabbed Klaue arm. Apparently, it had been the wrong thing to say. Pietro reminded himself to keep that in mind.
Klaue's friend took his gun out, ready to shoot but Wanda mentally stopped him, keeping the gun down by his side.
"I'm not." Ultron continued. "You think I'm one of Stark's puppets? His hollow men? I mean, look at me. Do I look like Iron Man? Stark is nothing!" Ultron exclaimed, promptly cutting Klaue's arm off.
Pietro took a step back in surprise. He had not been expecting that. He didn't dare move. He didn't know how to feel about Ultron's outburst. But he didn't have anything to fear, right? They were on Ultron's side. He wouldn't harm them, would he? Yet again, Klaue had been on Ultron's side, sort of.
"I'm sorry, I'm- Oh!" Ultron apologized quickly. "I'm sure that's gonne ba okay. I'm sorry. It's just that I don't understand. Don't compare me with Stark." He yelled before kicking Klaue right in the face, sending flying down the stairs.
"It's a thing with me. Stark is... He's a sickness!" Ultron continued, working himself up in a frenzy.
"Ah, Junior." Pietro heard Stark say. He turned around in time to see Stark in his iron suit, landing in front of Captain America and Thor. "You're gonna break your old man's heart."
"If I have to." Ultron replied.
"Nobody has to break anything." Thor said.
"Clearly you've never made an omelette." Normally, Pietro would have laughed at Ultron's comment but he was not in the mood right now. Stark was right in front of him. His family's murdered was right in front of him.
"He beat me by one second." Stark told Thor.
"Ah, yes. He's funny." Pietro said. The mere sound of Stark's voice made him angry. "It's what? Comfortable? Like old times?" He asked, looking down at the countless bombs that were lying around, waiting to blow up.
"This was never my life." Stark denied.
"You two can still walk away from this." Captain America stepped in.
"Oh, we will." Wanda replied from behind him and Pietro couldn't help but be proud of his sister.
"I know you've suffered."
Ultron scoffed, cutting Captain America off. "Captain America, God's righteous man, pretending you could live without a war. I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but-"
"If you believe in peace, then let us keep it." Thor cut Ultron off.
"I think you're confusing 'peace' with 'quiet'."
"Uh-huh. What's the vibranium for?" Stark asked.
"I'm glad you asked that because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan." Ultron said, and Pietro could literally see the sarcasm spilling out of his mouth.
He didn't know how but Ultron managed to turn himself into a kind of magnet and drew Stark to him. And then all hell broke loose. Some kind of red laser came out of Ultron's hand, matching Stark's white one and hit Stark right in the chest, sending him flying into a container. Stark and Ultron flew toward each other, ready to fight and Pietro took that as his cue to move.
He ran and hit Thor in the chest but God was incredibly strong and he only took a step back in surprise. The other Avengers then appeared. Fighting as well. Pietro ran avoiding any obstacle and went to hit Captain America. He punched him into his perfect face making him fall on his back. He then ran toward Thor, wanting to punch him until he managed to make him kneel. However, he caught sight of Thor's hammer. He could probably use it to hit Thor. It would certainly make some damage.
He grabbed the handle of the hammer but instead of him controlling the hammer, the hammer seemed to control him. The hammer continued its course as though Pietro hadn't touched, it took Pietro along, sending him flying over the guard-rail and down into a pile of hard suitcases.
"Ow." Pietro groaned. Every inch of his body hurt like hell. He couldnt stay down though, staying down meant being vulnerable. He got up slowly only to be knocked back down by the Captain's shield. Pietro could have sworn he saw stars.
"Stay down, kid." He heard the Captain say but his voice was muffled as though Pietro was underwater.
Pietro shook his head to clear his mind. "Thor, status." He heard the Captain say. Pietro forced himself to stand up. The Captain's back was to him, he could take him by surprise. He shook his head once again to stop his world from spinning and ran right into the Captain's back. He flew and collided right into a flight of stairs. He took another deep breath as looked at Wanda playing with the Captain's mind.
Pietro saw his sister approach the archer. He was supposed to be the weak one. But just as she was about to play with him, he swiftly turned around and attached an arrow to her forehead, making her convulse hard.
"I've already done the whole mind control thing. Not a fan." He said.
He hurried to his sister. He would hurt the archer for harming his sister. He pushed out a window and was by his Wanda's side just in time to catch as she fell unconscious. He carried her bridal style and ran outside. He couldn't stay here. On of them had already harmed Wanda, he couldn't risk them harming her any furhter. His desire to end Stark wasn't worth his sister's life. Stark could wait.
Wanda groaned as she blinked her eyes open. "Put me down." She panted as she held her head in her hands.
Pietro sighed and put her down on a rock right outside the ship. He didn't know what to do. Wanda obviously was in deep pain and he hated that. He hated seeing her suffering. "What can I do?" He asked as he knelt down in front of her.
"It hurts." Wanda groaned.
Wanda didn't deserve to suffer so much. "I'm going to kill him. I'll be right back." He said. He would kill the archer, just as he would kill Stark.
"No." Wanda stopped him. "I'm alright." She panted. "I want- I want to finish the plan. I want the big one."
