I'm so sorry. I've been gone for so long. I explain more at the end, but here's this chapter!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Alana and the guilt I feel over not posting in so long….
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"The moral of this story is that no matter how much we try, how much we want it...some stories just don't have a happy ending." -Jodi Picoult
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"Oh," Alana stopped in her tracks as she made her way downstairs later that evening, a hand poised on the banister. As usual, her presence alone grabbed everyone's attention. Clint's kids even stopped playing with their toys to watch Alana's eyes widen.
"Long time, no see Mercer." Nick Fury was probably the last person she had expected to see standing in the Barton's kitchen. His words seemed to break the trance she was in and Alana made her way all the way downstairs, a small grin on her face as Fury met her halfway, pulling the agent into a hug.
From the other side of the kitchen Tony elbowed Bruce in the ribs, speaking lowly under his breath, "Have you ever seen Fury hug anyone?" Bruce just shook his head.
S.H.I.E.L.D's ex-director pulled away from her, keeping one hand on her shoulder, "You doing okay?" his question was sincere. After working under him for nine years, she knew better than to lie to Fury.
"Been better." She tilted her head with a twist of her mouth, walking past him and taking a seat beside Natasha. Alana grabbed a piece of bread off one of the plates, stuffing it in her mouth. From the doorway, Steve grimaced at her manners.
Her eyes drifted around the room, noting that Laura, Clint, and their kids were all in the living room together; Tony had moved away from Bruce, leaving the scientist to attempt throwing darts with Bucky.
Alana and Bucky hadn't spoken to one another since the night before.
"You have any ideas on Ultron?" Alana folded her arms atop the table, watching as Nick stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking around at each Avenger as he spoke.
"Ultron, after you guys outta play to buy himself time." He started, Alana looking over at Lila as she jogged into the room. The little girl nudged Alana's arm, grabbing her attention before slipping a drawing in front of her.
"My contacts all say he's building something." The agent smiled, looking down at the butterfly picture before nodding to the girl. Lila beamed back at her before scurrying away again. "With the amount of vibranium he made off with, I don't think it's just one thing." Fury carefully placed his coffee mug in the sink before turning back around.
Steve's eyebrows were drawn together, arms crossed over his chest, "What about Ultron himself?"
"Oh, he's easy to track. He's everywhere. Guy's multiplying faster than a catholic rabbit." Alana let out a snort, earning a glance from Bucky, who was waiting for Tony to retrieve their darts from the board and go back to their throwing spot. "Still doesn't help us get an angle on any of his plans though."
The latter was the one to respond, "Still going after launch codes?" Tony threw one of the darts, glancing back at Bucky after, who was smirking at the missed shot.
"Yes he is," Fury continued, "But he's not making any headway." That got Stark's attention momentarily.
"I cracked the Pentagon's firewall in high school on a dare."
"Well, I contacted our friends at the Nexis about that."
"Nexis?" Steve and Bucky looked confused.
Bruce supplied the answer, "It's the world internet hub in Oslow." He looked down at his shoes, "Every bite of data flows through there, fastest access on Earth."
By then, Laura and the kids had gone upstairs, Barton twirling a dart between his fingers, "So what'd they say?"
"They're fixated on the missiles, but the codes are constantly being changed." Alana's gaze drifted between Tony – who now stood with his head directly in front of the dart board – and Clint. She made eye contact with the archer, giving him a humorous shake of her head.
"By whom?" Tony flinched backwards when Clint's dart flew inches away from his nose, hitting the bullseye perfectly. Stark threw him a look to which Clint just shrugged his shoulders.
"Party's unknown."
For the first time since she'd came downstairs, Bucky spoke up, "We have an ally?"
"Ultron's got an enemy," Fury corrected him, "That is not the same thing. And I'd pay folding money to know who it is."
"We might need to visit Oslow." Tony put in, "Find our unknown."
From beside Alana, Natasha let out a sigh, "Well, this is good times, boss, but I was kinda hoping when I saw you you'd have more than that."
"I do." Fury seemed surprised, or as surprised as Nick Fury ever seemed, "I have you." Nobody commented, "Back in the day I had eyes everywhere, ears, everywhere else. You kids had all the tech you could dream of." Alana remembered back when she first joined the Avenger's Initiative. How new everything seemed, how she didn't take a single moment of it for granted.
Things sure had changed since then.
"Here we all are, back on Earth. With nothing but our wit and our will, to save the world. Ultron says the Avengers are the only thing between him and his mission. And whether or not he admits it, his mission, is global destruction. All this," Alana looked around the room, her eyes meeting Clint's once before she looked away, "laid in a grave."
She glanced down at her hands, absently picking apart a slice of bread, "So stand. Outwit the platinum bastard."
Alana and Natasha shared a look before the younger of the two spoke up, "Steve doesn't like that kinda talk." She saw Bucky and Tony shake their heads in amusement as Steve leveled her with a gaze, a grin playing on his lips.
"You know what, Mercer?" Alana just smirked.
"So what does he want?" Fury continued. Alana looked back at the drawing Lila had given her. The butterfly.
"A suit of armor around the world." Ultron's playback of Tony's words bounced through her head.
"A body." She said in revelation. Bruce was looking over her shoulder now, eyebrows drawn together.
"He's building bodies," Bucky pointed out, taking a few steps into the room more, "Hundreds of those robots."
'When you two programmed him to protect the human race you amazingly failed." Natasha glanced between Tony and Bruce as she spoke. Bruce Banner was still staring at the picture, a hand over his chin.
"They don't need to be protected," He thought aloud, and then he looked up at everyone, "They need to evolve." A weight settled in Alana's stomach, "Ultron's going to evolve."
"How?" Fury tilted his head slightly.
Banner looked around at everyone, "Has anyone been in contact with Helen Cho?" There was a beat of silence, Tony and Natasha looking between Alana and Steve.
"What?" Alana didn't understand the looks.
Steve Rogers spoke in an even voice, "I sent the twins to go check on her." Alana's hands clenched into fists before he had even finished his sentence, Natasha placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"You did what?!"
They hadn't reported back to Ultron following the previous battle. Ultron would find out they'd been in contact, he was everywhere, he was in the internet. Fear for their safety crept into her brain; fear and anger. She was furious that Steve sent them off without telling her, without first consulting with Alana.
"Alana," Steve said her voice softly in an effort to calm her down, "I'm in charge, I call the shots. They can get in and out of there the fastest. Ultron already trusts them."
"Wanda and Pietro are my responsibility!"
"It was their choice to make. I asked if they wanted to help. Both of them said yes." Alana had stood up from the table, a hand running through her hair once as she paced.
"If anything happens to either one of them."
"Agent Mercer," Alana's gaze snapped over to Fury, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched her, "If you were the one who trained them, they should be just fine." She knew not to argue with the man. Fury knew she would listen, and looked to Steve, "What're your orders, Captain?"
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It only took the team a few hours to formulate a plan and have everyone ready to go. Steve had his suit on, his shield strapped to his back as he ran through it again, "Natasha, Clint, and Alana are strictly recon,"
"I'll hit the Nexus joint as soon as I can." Tony nodded as he spoke.
"If Ultron's really building a body-"
"He'll be more powerful than any of us." Stark continued, "Maybe all of us. An android designed by a robot."
Steve sighed, glancing at Bucky as the ex-Hydra soldier came down the stairs, also suited up. "I really miss the days when the weirdest thing science created was me." Bucky cracked a grin at Steve's words.
"People thought he was strange." Bucky stopped beside Fury, watching the old director put on his coat.
"I'll drop Banner off at the tower," He looked to Tony, "Mind if I borrow Miss Hill?"
"She's all yours," Tony agreed before adding, "Apparently."
"What're you gunna do after that?" It was Bucky who asked, still trying to decide how he felt about Fury. He remembered being assigned to kill him, but not much else.
"I don't know. Something dramatic, I hope." Fury turned and walked out the door, leaving Bucky with raised eyebrows. He hooked his metal thumb in the direction Nick had gone.
"I like him."
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"Have fun, boys." Steve cracked a grin as he and Bucky jumped out of the quinjet, leaving Clint, Natasha, and Alana on board. From her spot in the co-pilot seat, Alana watched the two World War II veterans make their way across the rooftop before Steve's voice crackled through her earpiece.
"Two minutes," There was a pause, Alana simply scanning the surroundings below before Steve's voice came again, "Doctor Cho!"
"Doctor says Ultron's uploading himself into the body," Alana and Natasha shared a look at Bucky's words, "Power's in some gem. It's in the cradle. Don't blow up that cradle."
"Copy that." Clint started to turn the jet around, looking towards the exit of the medical facility.
"Got a private jet taking off across town, no manifest." Natasha worked the controls directly behind Alana, "That could be him."
Alana shook her head, "There," She pointed out the window, "Truck from the lab."
"Buck?"
"Already on it." Alana watches as Bucky lands on top of the lab truck a moment later. He climbs across the top, moving to balance on the side. His foot slips from it's hold on the side, half of Bucky's body swinging away from the truck. "Shit!" Bucky's arm shoots out in time to grab a hold of the truck, the super soldier pulling him back onto the roof.
"Watch your language, Barnes!" Clint snaps, watching as Steve joins his comrade on the truck.
Alana keeps the quinjet's gun trained on the truck as Steve climbs around back, the truck door blasting out as soon as he tries to enter. "Well, he's definitely unhappy! I'm gonna try and keep him that way."
"You're no match for him, Cap."
"Thanks, Barton." Ultron blasts Steve again as he tries to enter the truck. As the robot is distracted, Bucky leans over the top, firing a few shots at the robot.
Back in the quinjet Alana straps a pistol to her side before climbing aboard a motorbike, Clint looks back at her from the pilot's seat, "We got a window." He smirks at her, lowering the jet's bridge. "Four, three…give'em hell."
Alana drops out of the Quinjet on the bike, racing towards the lab truck. She leans hard to the left, snatching Steve's shield as she speeds past and secures it to the front of the bike. Clint's voice is clear in her earpiece.
"They're heading under the overpass, I've got no shot."
"Which way?" Alana's voice is short and clipped as she weaves around the traffic.
"Hard right…now." As soon as she's turned Alana looks for the truck below her. She spots Bucky, making eye contact with him for a split second before throwing him the shield. Bucky tosses it to Steve, who uses it to knock Ultron off himself.
Alana continues chasing the truck on the bike, weaving through pedestrians as she goes. "Move it! Out of my way!"
"Can you guys get the guards out?" It's Bucky's voice that comes through next, his breathing labored as he fights the guards inside the truck.
"Let's find out." A few seconds of silence pass, "Tasha you find anything?"
"Where's Natasha?"
"Dropped her a few minutes ago." Alana shrugs, watching the Iron Legion leave the truck she speeds up, standing up on the bike for a second before leaping inside.
"Found the twins." Natasha's voice slips through, "Coming to you, old men."
Alana swears under her breath in the next second as she feels the truck being lifted into the air. "The package is airborne. I have a clean shot."
"Negative. I am in the truck."
"What the hell are you…?"
"Just get ready, it's coming to you."
"How do you want me to take it?"
"Uhhh, just be ready, this'll be fun."
"You're version of fun usually isn't," Clint's eyes widen when he sees what's happening, "Fuck! Alana!" The younger agent lands perfectly inside the Quinjet in the next second. "You're lu-" Clint's words die in his throat as the semi-truck explodes behind Alana, the blast pulling the her backwards. "Lana!"
"Take the cradle and get it to Stark." Steve's words leave no room for discussion.
"Do you have eyes on Alana?!" Clint's response is panicked, the archer glancing backwards as he still flies the jet forwards. "Any confirmation on Alana!?"
"Go, Barton!"
"I'll find'er Clint, get outta here."
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The End.
Surprise? So I think an apology is in order. I haven't updated in like…months…like five months. I'm really sorry about that. College life caught up to me and I became super busy, not to mention a serious case of writer's block. I figured out why though, I tried following the movie exactly, which sucked the fun out of it. But lucky for you guys I fell off my horse two weeks ago and broke my ankle! Can I get a hooray for not being allowed to walk for six weeks!? Anyways I started reading fanfictions again and now have a ton of ideas for the sequel for this story…I just couldn't get a good ending for this one, so I decided to leave it with a cliff hanger and cut it shorter. I know, sucks I'm not writing through the whole battle but I was getting so bored with it and didn't know how to exactly tie Alana in and don't hate me but y'all will love the sequel, I promise.
Please please forgive me but the sequel will be up within a few days I PROMISE. Seriously I have nothing to do but write. And like I won't be able to ride a horse for at least three months so I've got lots of time.
As an apology gift I'll let you guys know that the sequel will be a continuation of this story with Bucky and Alana!
Please review, either to yell at me for my disappearing on you guys or to tell me how this chapter wasn't good (I'm not happy with it but god I need to post SOMETHING and wrap it up) or to say you liked it…maybe. Say anything you want I'll reply (I PROMISE THIS TIME I WILL)