Hello guys! I first and foremost would like to apologize for making you wait horrendously for the next chapter - but I got married and was celebrating my honeymoon. However, I did want to come back and finish this up for me and for you guys! Thank you for following and for making it a favorite. I am truly happy and will not make you wait longer. Enjoy!
The trip to Lofoten wasn't pleasant. They were ten minutes from their destination; every Avenger in the plane anxious to get into the fray. He wasn't going to deny it. Steve was tired and sore; thankfully, the bleeding had stopped early in the flight. But, tired and sore was not going to stop him from giving Ultron a dent in his metal skull for having bombed him in the face.
Not a very Steve Rogers attitude, he mused, but Natasha was rubbing off on him.
At the thought of her, he turned his head. She was fidgeting with her widow bites - tightening and moving the deadly bracelets until she was comfortable.
"Don't think because they know about us, you can stare at me like a lovesick puppy, Captain Rogers," she said, without turning her head or giving the slightest indication she was talking to him.
"I wasn't...was I?" Steve asked, shaking his head in a soft laughter, "I wasn't even thinking about anything in particular...except throwing my shield at that metal head."
"Just like you did with ol' Hitler about 300 years ago, huh? Just like the good old black and white days," she sighed in mock nostalgia.
"You know what, Romanoff…" Steve started saying, before his weak grin turned into a full smirk aimed at the beautiful redhead sassing him.
"I hate to break up my favorite couple's intimacy, but Cap - we've got eyes on the target site, and Stark is making for one hell of a light-show," Barton said from the cockpit.
"Why am I not surprised?" Steve said, walking over to the nose of the jet,
"Now it seems our favorite metal head, Ultron, is also sporting new gear. You guys remember him being able to shoot out repulsor beams just like his daddy?" Barton said, the straight line of his lips forming into a scowl.
"Then we'll steer clear of that. Bring the jet as close as you can. Falcon, Vision, get ready to fly out. We're making a quick exit here and a hell of an entrance over there," Steve said, grabbing his shield and helmet.
"You do have a weakness for the dramatic," Falcon mumbled, earning a glorious eye roll from the super soldier as they all put on their com pieces - Falcon, Vision and Cap getting new ones.
"Eyes on the target," Barton said, "Damn, he looks like shit; you know, aside from shooting lasers now."
"Let's just hope his tech is shit, too," Nat added, "What about those who can't fly or jump off without a parachute, Cap?"
"Hawkeye will stick to the jet. Fire it up whenever you get eyes on any unfriendly. Nat, you and I are joining the rest. Wanda might be the only one on the ground right now. Any sign of Hulk?"
"Nothing yet."
"Then we still have him controlling signals and monitoring any trace of Ultron tech. Let's make sure we keep it that way," Steve said, opening the hatch of the jet.
"You still haven't informed me how we're getting down there," Nat said, hands on her hips.
"They'll take us down there," Steve said pointing to Vision and Falcon, "Unless, you want to pull another Wakanda jump off the jet?"
"I'll take Vision."
"Did you go big breakfast this morning or will it be a nice flight for me?" Falcon said as they jumped off, "Damn it...big breakfast again."
"Get us as close to Wanda as possible," Nat yelled out, "Just look for something scarlet."
"I was aiming more for the witch looking stuff that shoots out her hands," Falcon said, spotting her easily, "There she is. North side of the ruins, our lonely scarlet witch."
"I would prefer Wanda," she said, through the com piece, "But Scarlet Witch has a nice ring to it."
"Dropping off Agent Romanoff and Captain Rogers now," Vision said, letting go of Natasha as she hit the ground running towards Wanda. Beams shooting from above as War Machine, Iron Man and Thor wrestled with a flying Ultron.
Natasha was already shooting down drones when Steve landed besides them - right before a flock of bots exploded out of the ruins. Falcon took most of them before focusing on keeping the jet area with Dr. Banner secure.
"Stark, update," Steve said, punching through the chest of a drone.
"Ultron is weak. Consider him like the Iron Man suit I used to get out of the cave compared to the ones I have now. That's him. But less cool. And with considerably less aim."
"Out of where?"
"Right, you were still ice-napping. Like the guns you used in WWll compared to the ones now. My baby had seriously downgraded last time we stopped him from destroying the world."
"Then why is he still shooting at us?"
"We're giving Banner time to figure his tech out. Destroying from the inside out."
"And then we'll only have Hydra - got it. Stark, priority is to take out whatever is making him fly."
"Roger that, Rogers."
"They're coming from inside, Steve," Sam said, destroying a drone behind him, "I don't know what's making them come in small hordes, but I'm willing to bet there are many more coming."
"Then let's drive them back in. Hawkeye, keep eyes on everything. Aim to destroy anything that leaves that building"
"My genuine pleasure," Barton answered, "Just make sure you don't forget to kill the big one."
"Captain America! You're harder to kill than I thought," Ultron yelled out in anger and surprise, "No! I will finish you now!"
"That's our cue," Steve said, taking out a few more drones in the process, "Nat, Sam, Wanda, go ahead and make sure no more come out. Hawkeye and I will handle the ones out here."
"Steve."
"Nat," he said, sparing a second to look at her, "Go."
She nodded as Steve turned back in time to dodge a shot from Ultron himself. Thor, followed by the rest of the flying group followed quickly.
"Get to destroying the drones. We shall make sure he goes nowhere near you, Captain," Thor said, in a grunt as his hammer went flying through the air, knocking Ultron back a few miles.
Steve did as the Norse God said, throwing his shield left and right as the drones dropped to the grassy field they were standing on while avoiding shots and fires from above.
That is, until the whole metal body of Ultron fell near him.
"That was quick," Steve said, as the four flight worthy Avengers came down around him, "Why fight in the air for so long?"
"Because it's awesome," War Machine said, earning an enthusiastic nod from Vision.
"Showoffs," Steve said, before getting back to business, "Hawkeye?"
"Reading you loud and clear."
"Scan the surrounding area except the North. Pay close attention to the south gate of the building - the drones have an easy exit there. Thor, keep eyes on the North perimeter and Dr. Banner. Nothing should get close to him."
"Nothing will," Thor said, before swinging his hammer and taking off to make sure they didn't have to call in V.E.R.O.N.I.C.A. again.
"Stark, Rhodey, Vision, you keep Ultron steady. I'll be grounded with the rest to take out the remaining drones inside."
"Got it, Capsicle," Tony said, turning to Steve and Vision, "Bruce might take a while. The tech isn't very advanced but it is new. The artificial intelligence is renewing and rebuilding slowly but surely every time he takes a hit. We need to cut that off first to get rid of him for good."
"Oh, you won't get rid of me so easily," Ultron said, making all Avengers turn to him as he lifted himself off the ground.
"Shit, regenerated already," Tony whispered.
"I will destroy the wonderful Avengers," Ultron said, in a tone dripping in hate and sarcasm, "Starting with Captain America."
Firing a shot, Steve took to his shield. Dodging was easy. Hitting Ultron was the hard part. Tony, Rhodes, and Vision blasted him with their beams, deterring him for a moment - long enough for Steve to strike. Throwing his shield, Steve aimed for his head, sending it whipping back violently.
Vision struck again, disabling tech in his chest that caused him to fall, while Tony and Rhodey destroyed incoming drones.
"How 'bout that? Teamwork," Iron Man said, turning to his companions.
"Looks like some bots are escaping like you said, Cap," Hawkeye said.
"Take them down. Make sure none are left."
The Avengers turned upward to see the jet fly off close by and begin to scout and demolish the fleeing drones. Much to everybody's surprise; however, Ultron regenerated faster, striking Tony and War Machine square in their chests. Iron Man tumbled back several yards, Rhodes the opposite way.
"Stark! Rhodes!" Steve said, shield ready.
Ultron's laugh was loud and sincere - as if he were playing a game. Seeing his distraction, Vision struck hitting straight in Ultron's chest. The angry A.I. however, counteracted the beam, firing back his own until it was a tug of rope game between the two.
Vision was struggling as he aimed for Ultron and divided his attention to the drones that came at the group. Steve tried to keep them away from Vision, taking out any who dared come close to them. Meanwhile, he hear War Machine and Iron Man strike down bots from the ground.
"He needs more firepower, Cap. Half my armor is down. This is like a one-night stand nightmare," Tony said, "I can only do so much from here - damn it, half my armor down right now? Seriously?"
"Stop complaining and shoot at me," Steve said, prepping his shield before Tony.
"Good thinking, Capsicle. Just like the first time," Stark said before raising his metal armor to strike Steve's shield. The force sent him back a few inches, but Steve managed to deflect the beam back to Ultron.
"Looks like it's working," Tony said, "Rhodes! A little help here!"
"Last of these bots down. Ready to help," War Machine said before starting up his firepower to hit Ultron. Attacked on all sides, it looked like the Avengers were going to call victory. Steve aimed Tony's beam to his chest, Vision hitting his head while War Machine was set on making his limbs useless.
Steve turned to the ruins, but saw nothing - hopefully they didn't need him in there.
In that moment, Falcon broke through the roof as he tumbled into the air - guns ready as he prepared to dive in again.
"Looks like they're having fun in there too," Tony yelled out, "Reminding me of fun, now would be a great time to share some good news, Banner!"
"Give me a second...I've almost got it."
"We have less," Steve said, feeling his shield grow hotter by the second. Sure, Ultron was trapped, getting far more damage done to him than time to regenerate.
"Almost…I simply need to catch him. His tech knows I'm attacking. Just a little more..."
"Out of time, Avengers," Ultron yelled out, blasting them all. Tony was once again brought down by the weight of his suit - Rhodes, Vision and Steve flew back by the impact.
War Machine was knocked back into surrounding boulders, shutting off by the impact while Vision was sent crashing through nearby trees until he fell face down on the debris filled land.
And Captain America crashed into the ruins. Steve's back suddenly felt the hardened rock of a ruin wall as it crumbled with his impact. What hurt the most, though, was the sickening thud that filled his ears when his head collided.
Falling on his knees, Steve tried to get back up. His vision now blurry as the heat of blood dripped down his forehead, he searched for his shield.
"Rogers, watch out," Tony screamed, pulling apart his armor as fast as he could to get up.
Before Steve knew it, Ultron had smacked him across the chest, sending him flying again. Ultron's body burned from the heat of the beams he had been shot with - and now Steve could feel it as the sting of the blow ached.
Note to self, Steve thought, avoid getting touched by the burning maniac.
Calling his shield to him, Cap dodged the next hit maneuvering to get Ultron back. Back and forth, like in the highway before, Steve and Ultron fought. This time, Ultron was aiming to kill and it showed.
He was precise - hitting Steve hard enough to break bones if he wanted. And if it hadn't been for the trusty shield, it may have ended that way. The relentless fight seemed to go on for hours for Steve - mere seconds for Ultron.
Steve stuck him again, using all of his force to sink his shield into Ultron's shoulder. When he realized what it meant, Steve pressed harder; metal arm completely detaching it. The A.I. turned, not believing what had happened.
"That should take a while to regenerate."
"That is rude, Captain."
"You're not the most charming either, tough guy," Steve said, dodging Ultron's angered attempts at breaking him and kicking the discarded arm farther away.
"I suppose an arm for an arm is the way to go," Ultron hissed, using his legs to kick Steve against the ruins again.
"Not gonna happen," Steve said, blocking several kicks and strikes before Ultron finally caught up to him. The A.I. was fast and big; in one powerful strike Ultron aimed for Steve's arm, dropping the shield in the process. Before Steve could strike again, Ultron had his hand around him.
"There's nothing to do now," Ultron said, his white-hot metal hand tightening around Steve's neck, "You hear that, Captain Rogers? Your team is dispersed fighting the very bots you destroyed in Sokovia. Hear it. Hear the fires, the explosions, the chaos. The beauty of it all."
"You won't get away with this, Ultron," Steve said, as the grip of the A.I. tightened.
"Oh but I will - destroying you will destroy their spirit - their hope - from there it will be easy. One by one, I shall pluck the nuisance you call Avengers...one...by...one."
The grip tightened, and Steve knew he had to act quick if he wanted a chance to survive this thing. And then, he saw it.
"You still won't win this thing," he said, trying to pry Ultron's hand from his neck, "There's 10 of us and only 1 of you."
"You don't count my bots. That hurts me. "
"You've got a Norse God, a killer marksman, an elite soldier, and two lethal ladies," Steve said, pointing to the ruins, "destroying them all. My guess is you shouldn't count them either."
"You have a death wish, Captain America," Ultron hissed, tightening his grip.
"You know, Ultron, the bad guys always talk too much…"
"And it will be the last conversation you have."
"Doubt it," Steve said, before using all his might to pry Ultron's fingers off his neck before Vision struck against Ultron's neck with his discarded arm.
The surprised Ultron tumbled to the side as Vision struck again, denting the side of the A.I.'s chest. This gave Steve time to breath again and try to ignore the pain of the burns around his neck.
Steve turned to his teammates, Rhodes and Stark finally out of their suits, salvaging a weapon to defend themselves. They were fine - he thought - time to fight the bad guy, again.
"Now, I've got it now!" Bruce yelled out through the com, "He cannot regenerate anymore. Damage done now is permanent."
"Music to my ears," Tony said, with only his Iron Man arm armor. Without hesitation, Tony struck, sending Ultron flying to the side, "Now I'm all out. Take him down, guys."
Vision blasted out a powerful beam enough to melt Ultron's other arm - stopping to give Steve the necessary time to strike again - shield piercing through the body with enough strength to detach it.
Ultron screamed in anger as he was torn apart by Vision and Captain Rogers.
"I will come back. You know I will," he yelled before Steve kicked him back against the ruin wall he had been pushed to earlier.
"Yeah, we're going to be ready again. Don't worry about that," Steve said, as Vision struck again this time aiming for Ultron's chest. The heat and power of the beam was strong - and without hesitation, Steve aimed for Ultron, shield striking and cutting through the metal until it was embedded in the ruin wall.
Ultron's scream pierced their ears, ringing loudly - or maybe Steve heard it because of the hit in the head.
All of a sudden, he felt weaker - the adrenaline from the fight disappearing as quickly as it had come. He didn't let the A.I. notice - Ultron metal body twitching and unwinding until the red glow of his eyes was nothing but black.
"No more," Tony said, falling back on the ground, breathing out heavily, "Definitely calls for a drink."
"Bots are done here," Hawkeye said, over the com, "How are the ladies doing?"
"Wanda just simultaneously smashed the last dozen to bits - it was much easier now that they weren't coming back up again," Nat said, "Heading out once Falcon makes a round to secure the area is all clear."
"Thor?" Steve asked, trying to shake off the weakness in his voice. Nat was going to give him the look once she saw his bloodied face.
"It is all well here. Dr. Banner and I are preparing to bring the jet over to you all. Another battle well fought, my friends!"
"Bringing the jet around as well. Hey, can you smart guys make sure he's really dead this time?" Hawkeye said, earning a few choice curse words from Tony that made Steve want to glare at him.
"Alright Avengers, regroup in the field. We're bringing in Ultron with us for Director Coulson and S.H.I.E.L.D. to analyze," Steve said, setting his shield against a boulder as he peeled off his broken helmet.
"Suits are down. We'll have to haul those up as well to get tinkering with them," Tony said, leaning on the boulder next to Steve as Vision and Rhodes came closer.
"You'll haul those up, Stark," Steve teased, earning a glare from Tony.
"I'll ask my good buddy, Thor, God of excellent hair and muscles."
Laughing, Steve wiped his face with his sleeve as he tried to get most of the blood off his face. Mixed with the sticky oil that had sprayed out of Ultron when he ripped of his arms, he ended up looking worse than before.
Steve tried again - hurriedly - before his beloved red-head came out of the building in front of him to give him the look. The Look.
He managed to make it better - although his hair was a total mess, sticking out in odd places and dried with blood and oil and sweat. Steve shivered - he needed a shower. Out of the corner of his eye, Steve saw them come out - Wanda, Natasha and Sam. They looked tired, somewhat bloodied and covered in what he believed was the same kind of oil - black and thick. Drone blood? Steve shivered again.
He really wanted a shower.
All it took was one glance, eyes locking together for a split second, and there it was.
Natasha eyed him up and down; her lips turned into a restrained frown. Then, there it was - as beautiful as it was terrifying - she was giving him the look.
And there was no avoiding it.