Chapter Twelve
"No way we all get through this. If even one tin soldier is left standing, we've lost," Tony looked between Steve, Bruce, and Molpe, "There's gonna be blood on the floor."
"I've got no plans tomorrow night," Steve grinned.
"I get first crack at the big guy. Iron Man's the one he's waiting for." Tony responded.
Molpe nodded and watched as Vision walked by quickly, "That's true. He hates you the most."
Molpe snickered as she walked away from Tony and towards the quinjet, adjusting straps and holsters as she walked. The pain medicine had started to work and now only a dull warmth spread through her cheek, easy for her to ignore.
Inside the jet they all gathered and Molpe stood close to the back of the jet a few feet from where the twins quietly sat, Steve spoke, "Ultron knows we're coming. Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire. And that's what we signed up for. But the people of Sokovia, they didn't. So our priority is getting them out. All they want is to live their lives in peace. And that's not gonna happen today. But we can do our best to protect them. And we can get the job done. We find out what Ultron's been building, we find Romanoff, and we clear the field. Keep the fight between us." He looked at Molpe.
"Ultron thinks we're monsters. That we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right."
When they touched down in Sokovia the twins and Molpe immediately got to work. Molpe walked through the town the microphone on and telling people to leave as quickly and safely as possible. She smiled as a family walked quickly past her, the little boys small fist wrapped tightly around a teddy bears arm. He looked up at her with bright eyes and pink cheeks.
The ground under her rumbled dangerously and a scream had her shoulders tensing. From all over the city iron legions burst out, the ground, the buildings, and flying through the air, "Go, get yourselves to safety!" Molpe yelled to the civilians as she ran to the closest iron legion.
She managed to fight her way to the bridge where Wanda was, another wave of iron legions appeared and started to fire on the civilians. Wanda's shield barely protecting them before she was hit and knocked over.
"Wanda!" Molpe cried and crawled over to her, trying to drag her slowly out of the line of fire. Beneath her feet an even worse tremble started. Molpe looked fearfully to Clint who had seemed to appear out of no where.
She fell to her knees as the ground beneath her feet shifted, she looked around, were they rising? Molpe cursed and grabbed for a light post as the entire ground shuddered and lifted higher into the air.
The ear piece in Molpe's left ear crackled before she heard Steve's voice, "Stark, you worry about bringing the city back down safely. The rest of us have one job, tear these things apart. You get hurt, hurt them back. You get killed... walk it off."
Molpe grinned as she made eye contact with Clint and shrugged as she fired at two iron legion, "You heard the man."
Beside her Wanda breathed heavily, panicking. Clint jumped over a car, flipping backwards before shooting two arrows into the machines, "Knockout."
"I've got her," Molpe nodded and grabbed Wanda's arm and started running her towards a window. The iron legion took aim and fired barely missing them as Clint pushed both Wanda and Molpe through the window. They all rolled and ducked down.
Wanda crawled to the far wall, "How could I let this happen?" her eyes were open but unseeing, she was hyperventilating.
"Hey, hey, you okay?" Clint nudged her with his foot.
"This is all our fault." she mumbled.
"Hey look at us," Molpe grabbed Wanda's shoulder.
"It's your fault, it's everyone's fault. Who cares? Are you up for this? Are you? Look, I just need to know," Clint interrupted.
"Because the city is flying," Molpe tried to add humor to the predicament.
"Okay. Look, the city is flying, we're fighting an army of robots and I have a bow and arrow. None of this makes sense. But I'm going back out there because it's my job. Okay? And I can't do my job and babysit." Clint looked sympathetic
"It doesn't matter what you did or what you were. If you go out there, you fight, and you fight to kill." Molpe leaned over and shot through one of the many holes in the wall, destroying two iron legion as she reloaded.
"Stay in here, you're good. I'll send your brother to come find you. But if you step out that door, you are an Avenger." Clint's voice was firm. Wanda's faced smoothed over as a determined look entered her eyes, Clint nodded, "All right. Good chat."
He and Molpe walked away,Molpe looked back at Wanda and smiled. Clint spoke more to himself than them, "Yeah, the city is flying."
Molpe kicked open the door and raised her gun, her finger squeezed on the trigger. She ran forward and towards a flipped car trying to take cover as another wave of bullets aimed her way. Clint dropped down beside her. Silently they looked to each other, this was not going in their favor.
Molpe jumped as the doors behind them pushed open, Wanda stepped out, an aura of red around her as she shot a beam of energy in the direction of an iron legion. Without even looking she tore one in half. Several others glowed red and exploded.
Molpe grinned and aimed again, shooting through the mass of seemingly unending robots. Thank god Tony had gave her modified bullets. Normal ones would have done little to no damage to their reinforced frames.
" All right, we're all clear here." Clint spoke into the communicator.
"We are not clear! We are very not clear." Steve sounded worse for wear.
"All right, coming to you," Molpe went to start jogging toward Steve when a familiar feeling of weightlessness over took her.
"Keep up old man," Pietro spoke smugly as he scooped up both Wanda and her and ran towards Steve.
Molpe smiled up at Pietro who winked. Within moments they were stopped at a barricade with police behind cars. Pietro dropped her gently down by them before sliding both himself and Wanda closer to the machines. Expertly Wanda waved her hand and sent them flying back and apart.
"Hold your fire!" yelled the captain of the police.
A slower moving officer's bullet flew and shot Pietro in the arm. He looked unconcerned but gave the officer a look that soothed Molpe's previous worry. There seemed to be a lull in the attacks and Molpe used this to start moving civilians to an relatively intact building. A large whirring engine noise made Molpe grin. She looked at Wanda who was helping people climb over rubble, "There's the ride outta here."
She turned and ran out to Steve and Natasha. They both looked at her and grinned, in front of them Pietro looked at the huge aircraft, "This is S.H.I.E.L.D.?" he asked.
Molpe grinned and walked closer to him, her hand resting on his arm, "This is what S.H.I.E.L.D is supposed to be."
He smiled and leaned down towards her, his lips brushed her temple, "This is not so bad." His voice made her shiver.
"Let's load them up," Steve turned towards the civilian filled building as the lifeboats floated down close to the edge.
"Alright everyone quickly, calmly to the boats. Families together," Molpe lifted an older mans arm over her shoulder as she spoke.
Hundreds of people started to spill from the building,those who heard Molpe decidedly more calm and organized than the others. Minutes that seemed like hours passed before Molpe heard Tony speak through the comm, "Avengers, time to work for a living."
Molpe moved quickly to the church. Wanda by her side and when they arrived Pietro held out his hands to both of them, "Are you both good?"
They nodded, "Yes."
Molpe turned to fire on approaching iron legions, further out she saw an approaching truck pushing through the rubble and running over more iron legion, had to be Natasha. She fell into a rhythm, aim squeeze reload.
Ultron flew above them as Thor yelled loudly, "Is that the best you can do."
The insane AI raised his left arm and swarms of the legion gathered behind him, "You had to ask," Molpe almost pouted.
"This is the best I could do," Ultron spoke and waved his arm, "This is exactly what I wanted. All of you against all of me. How can you possibly hope to stop me?"
"Well, like the old man said..." Tony grew quiet before continuing, "together."
The Hulk roared as the entire legion ran forward and Molpe frowned, this was it, "Knockout!" Natasha called to her.
Molpe looked to her and caught the flying electric stick that she threw, "For when you run out." Molpe nodded and tucked it into her boot. Her ammo was running low and she'd need something.
Beside her Wanda moved around artfully almost dancing around. She managed to aim over her shoulder and hit two legion before they could get close enough to do any damage.
"Thank you," Wanda smiled and ducked down as another machine jumped for her. Above them Ultron and Vision fought hard, sending debris down on top of the Avengers as they bounced off the ceiling and walls.
As their ranks thinned and eventually disappeared they all stopped to breathe, "We gotta move out. Even I can tell the air is getting thin. You guys get to the boats. I'll sweep for right behind you."
"What about the core?" Molpe gestured towards it.
"I'll protect it." Wanda nodded, "It's my job."
Molpe and Clint looked at her before turning away, "Nat? This way." Clint and Natasha ran away to help more civilians.
"I'm not going to leave you here," Pietro approached his sister with a grim look on his face.
"I can handle this. Come back for me when everyone else is off. Not before. You understand." one of Wanda's hands was on her hip and the other Wanda pointed at Pietro.
"You know, I'm twelve minutes older than you," Pietro grinned and turned to Molpe.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure he stays safe," Molpe grinned and wrapped her arms around Wanda in a crushing hug, "You be careful." She turned back to Pietro and hugged him around his neck, preparing herself for the rush of running with him.
The thin air flew through her air as Pietro came to a stop by one of the life boats and dropped her down, Molpe slid down the front of his chest. Her arms still around his neck and his around her waist, "As first dates go, this is the best," he grinned down at her.
"If this is a first date I look forward to our second," Molpe blushed but couldn't help smiling.
He looked over her shoulder as the sound of gunfire ripped through the street behind them, he looked terrified, "I love-" but he didn't finish as he took off towards the firing. Molpe turned to see what was happening. For how quickly it all happened time seemed to almost slow down. Across the street was Clint holding a boy in his arms, Ultron over head was firing and heading straight for them, but if Pietro ran towards them Molpe knew someone wouldn't make it out of this alive.
The blood curdling scream that hurt Molpe's ears was her own, her knees buckled for a moment as she saw the dust settle and red stains appear all over Pietro's body. She stumbled to her feet, yelling, "No...no."
She slid down on her knees beside him, dragging his upper body onto her cut open knees, her hands were wet, blood or tears? They shook as she pushed his hair out of his face, "Pietro no, Pietro look at me. Look at me now dammit."
His eyes slowly moved towards her, they had little choice, "You'll be fine do you hear me? You'll be fine."
His arm twitched but didn't move and his brow furrowed, "Pietro you will live do you hear me? Live!"
His eyes closed and Molpe screeched again, "Knockout, Knockout...now is not the time. Come on." Clint handed her the boy and picked up Pietro. Slowly a fog came over Molpe...pain only pain.
