The jet landed near Avengers Tower, and Happy drove the limo as quickly as he could without getting pulled over. The group sat in silence. Kayla had a smirk on her face as she looked around at the uncomfortable people, but Steve was able to push his feeling to the back of his mind for the time being, focusing wholly on the problem before them.
Wanda looked out the window of the car as it moved through the streets of New York. They arrived at a tall building with a giant A at the top. "So this is it? This is the Avengers?" She spat, disgusted by the lavish display of power.
"We need to hurry. Stark has the cradle, we have to make sure he and Banner are working on destroying the body." Steve explained as Happy stopped the car, and the soldier lept from the backseat, leaving the door open for the others to follow. Once they entered the building through the garage, Steve started sending the elevator to the lab floor, tapping his foot impatiently as it moved.
Finally, the doors dinged, and through the glass, Steve could see Tony working on a computer and Bruce at the cradle. Definitely not destroying it.
"I'm gonna say this once..." Steve started, standing at the head of the room, looking between the two men.
"How bout nonce," Tony responded bitterly, already knowing Steve was about to shut him down.
"Shut it down," Steve ordered, and Banner looked up at him suspiciously. "You don't know what you're doing."
"And you do? She's not in your head?" Banner motioned to Wanda accusingly, his jaw tight with suppressed anger.
"I know you're angry..." She started, taking a step out from behind Steve to face the man she'd wronged.
"No, we're way past that." Bruce told her, staring at her lightly, "I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade."
"Don't talk to her like that. We've all made mistakes. We've all done things we aren't proud of, I tried to kill Steve." Kayla came out from behind the soldier, crossing in front of him to stand in front of Wanda. "They are here to help us defeat Ultron. We can't do it without them."
"Yes, we can, with this!" Tony snapped, walking around frantically working on the cradle.
"What happened to you?" Bruce asked, looking Kayla up and down and taking in the gash on her head and the tracks across her chest. "Did you get run over?"
"Yeah, by a Kia, so I'd really appreciate it if we could all just get along!" Her voice raised with her words, her own temper rising as she faced off against Banner.
Steve and Tony started bickering and Wanda tried to cry out, getting them to understand the power of the stone within the cradle.
Pietro rolled his eyes and zipped around, unplugging all the cords and effectively stopping the upload from happening. He stood there as alarms went off around him, warning the two scientists that the upload was failing. "No no. Go on. You were saying." He urged, now that their work was crumbling apart. Suddenly his eyes focused in, and a bullet flew up through the floor, shattering the glass he was standing on causing him to fall below the lab. Wanda cried out for her brother, but Kayla caught her as she lunged forward, not letting the girl get into the fight.
"I'm rerouting the upload," Tony told Bruce and turned to his computer, but Cap threw his shield into it, destroying most of the lab's computers as it flung around the room. Tony called his Iron Man hand, and blasted Steve, sending him flying back. Kayla, in turn, jumped over the cradle to get to the billionaire, but he blasted her too, sending her crashing into the machine violently, knocking it around even more as her dense body hit it.
Bruce grabbed Wanda by the neck, and Kayla turned her attention to the psychic, not going to allow the Hulk to decapitate her. She pushed her self away from the cradle, barely missing another blast from the Iron Man suit. She slid to a stop in front of Bruce, not wanting to push him farther to the edge.
"Go ahead, piss me off." Banner threatened as he grasped her shoulder tightly, keeping her arm around her neck. Wanda's eyes were wide with fear, knowing what the man could do.
Steve had gotten up and flung himself at Tony, punch the arc reactor of the suit just as Tony blasted from it, causing them both to fly backward. Steve was flung out of the lab, and Kayla looked between the girl and the soldier, unsure of who needed more help. Wanda used the distraction to push a blast of power through her own body at Bruce, loosening his hold on her enough for her to turn around and push him away with the red magic. Kayla stayed by her side though, protecting her as Tony scrambled to get back up from the glass he shattered.
Thor slid into the lab, seeing the fight. He had a determined look on his face as he charged towards the cradle, jumping up onto it. Kayla blocked Wanda from the blonde, unsure if his rage would become directed at her.
"No! Wait!" Bruce cried out as Thor summoned electricity from the lab into his hammer, then sent it flying into the cradle, bringing the creature to life. The body crashed up through the cradle, sending Thor hurtling backward.
The red body with the glowing yellow stone knelt on the cradle for a moment, looking around at the team. Thor looked up from the floor at it, scrambling to regain his footing slowly. Tony hid behind a monitor, ready to attack if it wasn't friendly. Wanda stared up at it in wonder, and Kayla turned her head over her shoulder to look at the witch like she was crazy. Perhaps she was bonded to it since her powers were born from the stone as well.
The thing looked around and finally set its sights on Thor, flying at him with terrifying speed. Thor grabbed it though, and flung it over his shoulder, sending it through the glass into the party deck, where it stopped itself before hitting the glass to the outside world. It stared at its own reflection for a moment.
Thor was the first to arrive on the scene, followed by Cap flinging himself over the railing. Thor held up his hand to the Captain, telling him to wait and see what the creature's intentions were. Steve watched it carefully hang in the air, looking over New York. He created clothes for himself, a grey scaley suit, then floated his way down to the group.
Kayla arrived with Wanda and Bruce, Tony having beat them to the deck. Pietro zipped his way to join them, stopping in his tracks when he saw the creature for the first time. Kayla made her way over to Steve, standing behind him with her hand supportively on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, that was...odd. Thank you." The creature thanked Thor, creating a golden cape to match Thor's red one.
"Thor." Steve accused, "You helped create this?"
"I've had a vision. A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life and at the center is that. The mind stone. It's one of the six infinity stones, the greatest power in the universe. Stark is right." Thor interrupted as Steve began to ask why he brought it here.
"Ohhh, it really is the end times." Bruce moaned quietly.
"Steve?" Kayla whimpered behind him, seeing something bigger looming before them. Infinity Stones. Greatest Power in the Universe? Her universe was studying chemistry and the craziest thing she'd dealt with was the super soldier serum. This, this was beyond that. It was even beyond Ultron.
"The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron," Thor stated simply, defending the creature.
"Not alone." It added.
Steve and Tony walked towards it, Steve eyeing it carefully as he looked at the body. "Why does your vision sound like Jarvis?"
Tony explained that he'd used Jarvis to create something new, but Steve scoffed at the idea, and Kayla furrowed her brow in frustration. Her soldier could be so pig headed sometimes, and she was getting tired of his pessimism. Steve turned to look at her, a betrayed look on his face, but she simply motioned for him to continue. "I think I've had my fill of new." He bit back, seeing that he was the only one opposing this new Vision.
"You think I'm a child of Ultron?"
"You're not?" Steve accused him, and Vision turned to face the soldier.
"I'm not Ultron. I'm not Jarvis either. I am." Vision tried to explain, but Wanda took her turn to inspect him.
"I looked in your head and I saw annihilation." She incriminated, feeling no fear toward the creature before her.
"Look again." He told her easily, meeting her eyes gently.
"Their powers, the horrors in our heads, Ultron himself, they all came from the Mind Stone." Thor advocated for his decision, and Kayla turned to face Vision.
"That thing in your head, it gave the twin's their powers. Do you understand why we saw what we saw? Do you understand why she knows me?" Kayla gestured to the brunette woman, and both girls stared at Vision with baited breath. Kayla needed to know why she saw Steve dying, and Wanda needed to know why Kayla's voice haunted her dreams. Whether or not the twins and Vision were tethered, one thing was certain. Wanda and Kayla were now.
"Her powers may have come from the stone, but her power is quite different from mine. I don't know your dreams. And I don't know how you know each other." Vision answered simply as Thor continued to fight for the android.
"Is it? Are you? On our side?" Steve asked Vision, to see if he would turn against them as Ultron had. The mind stone had taken Kayla's mind, and Barton's before, how did they know this creature wouldn't turn them against each other. How did they know he wouldn't control them.
Vision looked from the Captain to the other Avengers. "I'm on the side of life. Ultron isn't. He will end it all. He's waiting for you." Vision looked to Stark.
"He's in Sokovia, he's got Nat there too." Clint added, answering the question of where the robot was plotting.
"If you aren't on our side if you are the monster that Ultron made you to be." Bruce stood up to the android threateningly, twisting his hand in his palm the way he did when he was trying to stay calm.
"What will you do?" Vision asked, but Bruce did not answer. Vision saw his threat as Steve waited with bated breath, watching them interact. "I don't want to kill Ultron. He's unique, and he's in pain. But that pain will roll over the Earth, so he must be destroyed. We must act now, and not one of us can do it without the others." He turned to Steve, telling the soldier that they needed him. "There may be no way for you to trust me, but we need to go." Vision turned, handing Thor his hammer.
The team stood there, disbelief taking over their emotions. Stark was impressed, Banner confused. Steve looked worriedly at Thor who just looked at his hammer, not believing his eyes. Kayla stifled a happy laugh, her hand jetting to cover her mouth as she contained her joy. He was good. And he was going to help them. Thor took the Mjolnir, then his eyes scanned the room of his teammates, confusion on his face as Vision casually walked away. "Alright." He said, then began to follow the android. "Well done." He added to Tony with a pat on the shoulder.
Steve turned to the team, "Three minutes. Get what you need."
"Can we make it five?" Kayla asked as she raised her hand.
"Three minutes," Steve repeated to the girl, and she smiled wickedly as everyone scattered to get ready. She walked towards the soldier as he watched them go, putting her hand on his strong shoulder.
"You disobeying orders again Ellis?" He asked, keeping his jaw tight but his lips betrayed him as they tweaked up into a smile.
"Always Captain. Always." She murmured as she reached up to kiss him gently.
"We have to go Kay." He whispered into her kiss, cradling the back of her neck gently. "You should stay here."
"What?" She pulled away, disgusted at his suggestion. "I'm not staying while you go to Sokovia.
"You are hurt. I hurt you. I can't risk you getting hurt again." He argued, releasing his grip on the woman.
"But I have to help. I got the twins to come, if they are going, so am I!"
"Why are you so protective of her?" Steve asked suddenly, the question coming out more bitter than he had planned.
Kayla stood a little taller, taking a step back. "Because we are connected somehow. She knows me, and I need to know how. And because they are kids Steve. You can't drag teenagers into a war and be selfish enough to leave your girlfriend behind."
"I'm not strong enough Kayla. We both know this is my life, but it doesn't have to be yours. I could get you a home, in Brooklyn or on a farm. We could have a family like Clint and Laura and I'd know you are safe."
Kayla looked up at him, her head tilted and eyes squinty, "Who's Laura?"
Steve's eyebrows shot up in realization and he had to backpedal to explain what she'd missed, "Clint's married. He's got a wife named Laura and two kids, Cooper and Lila. They have a farm somewhere secret. Off the books. They are safe. I want that with you."
"I imagine it's very lonely knowing her husband could die any day," Kayla said thoughtfully, looking at Steve's hands as he held her own. "I don't think I could do that. I don't think I could be left behind, even if you are doing this for the greater good."
"How about a compromise? You come to Sokovia today, and you think about my offer?" Steve bartered, knowing he wouldn't win, and it had been over two minutes.
"Deal." She sealed it with a kiss, then they turned when they heard Stark clearing his throat behind them.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I couldn't help but notice the tire tracks. I made you back up suits if you'd like to wear one?" Tony offered, gesturing back towards his lab.
Kayla turned to Steve, smile on her face, "I better go change."
She followed Stark to the lab and Steve made his way to the quinjet. "Tony!"
"Yeah Kayla?"
"I understand why your vision upset you so much." Kayla informed the man, and he turned to face her as he reached a closet filled with Avenger's suits. "I had one of my own, and, and it was awful. I never told your secret. I just wanted you to know that I get it. But just because its a vision doesn't mean it comes true! I was supposed to kill Steve under Ultron's mind control and I didn't. So my vision didn't come true. And yours won't either." She explalined optimistaclly as Tony pulled out a brand new suit for her, identical to the one she was wearing.
He didn't smile, or laugh, or acknowledge her comfort in anyway. He just turned to her, face expressionless, "You better get changed. We have to go."