Chapter Three:

Steve's POV

Elena, Maria Hill, and I are in the meeting room, waiting for the others to arrive.

"He's all over the globe. Robotics labs, weapons facilities, jet propulsion labs, reports of a metal man, or men, coming in and emptying the place." Maria says to us.

"Fatalities?" I asked, wondering how many people have been hurt by this… this thing.

"Only when engaged. The twins seem to be helping him out."

"The Maximoffs? Why would they help him?" Elena asks, "Perhaps Ultron is teaming up with Hydra."

"Strucker. They do have that connection." I say.

"Not anymore." Maria informs us as she shows us the tablet of Strucker's dead body.

The rest of the team arrives, with the image still on the screen. "What's this?" Tony asks, crossing his arms.

"A message." Steve says.

Natasha chimes in, "Why send a message when you've just given a speech? Strucker must have known something. I wonder…"

She types on the keyboard for a second. "Yep. Everything we had on Strucker has been erased."

"Not everything." Tony says. "There's the physical files."

Combing through the physical files, I come across something "Here's something." I say to the group. "Known associates."

I flip through the photos with Tony over my shoulder. "Wait, I know that guy." He points at one of the photos. "Operates off the African coast, black market weapons." I give him a look, which he quickly becomes defensive, "I didn't sell him anything."

"Ulysses Klaue," Banner says the name out loud. "He has a bunch of tattoos…"

"No, those are tattoos, this is a brand," Thor identifies.

"From where?" I ask, hoping to gain a clue.

"Wakanada… no, Wakanda." Bruce answers

"Oh no." I say, turning to Tony. "I thought your father got the last of it?"

"what?" Bruce asks. "I don't follow. What comes out of Wakanda?"

Tony answers, "The strongest metal on earth."

Third Person's POV

The Avengers arrive at the compound that Klaue is at. When they enter, they hear Klaue scream when Ultron cuts off his arm. Ultron immediately apologizes, then says, "Don't compare me with Stark! He's a sickness!"

Tony, Thor, and Steve reveal themselves. Tony starts talking as usual. "Ahh, Junior. You're gonna break your old man's heart."

Steve is not interested in the back and forth banter. He turns to the twins, "You two can still walk away from this."

Wanda responds. "We will."

Steve keeps trying. "I know you've suffered."

Ultron interrupts. "Ugh. Captain America. God's righteous man, pretending you could live without a war. I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but…"

Soon, the fighting starts.

Ultron turns to Wanda, "It's time for some mind games."

Wanda starts using her powers to mess with the minds of Thor, Steve, and Natasha. She goes for Clint, but he's one step ahead, putting an electric arrow on her forehead, "I've done the whole mind control thing, not a fan."

Pietro speeds in, knocking down Clint and picking up his sister.

He speeds off to a door that leads outside. "What can I do?" He asks.

"It hurts." She speaks.

"I'm gonna kill him. I'll be right back."

"No." She states. "I'm over it. I want to finish the plan."

Elena's POV

I'm waiting at the Quinjet with Bruce. We haven't heard anyone in a while and I'm getting a little worried. I can tell Bruce is too.

"Do you think it's time for Code Green?" He asks, although I can't tell if it's to me or to himself.

I answer anyways, "No. Something's wrong. I'm worried about the girl's power. If she gets in your head and you're the Hulk, it could be bad."

"The fight may come to us." I say. I walk over to the weapon's stash. I eye the guns, but Steve's voice comes back to me, that's not what we do. So, I grab one of the tasers. Lethal force is not the answer. "Do you want one?"

"A taser?"

"Or anything, there are other weapons. I don't think going all Hulk is a good idea."

"Okay," He grabs one of Natasha's staffs.

"Also, step closer inside. It's best if you're not an easy target."

Bruce comes inside the jet and I stand guard at the door. I just have a bad feeling. We still haven't heard anything from the team. I could hear Bruce calling them on the comms, but no response.

Next thing I know I'm on my back. I see the guy, it's quick, but I kick out instinctively and get him in the shin.

It must have hurt because he grabs his shin. In this moment, I use the taser. He wasn't prepared and it hit him in the arm. He shakes and hits the floor.

I get up and I'm about to say something, when suddenly I remember his sister. I turn around looking for Bruce, but he's not there. She must have gotten to him while I was distracted. I turn again to confront the speedster, but instead I see a glimpse of red and then blackness.

Except, it's not blackness for long.

I see glimpses.

At first I'm standing in a field at night. I know this place. It's my home. It was my home. I turn around, where I know the house should be. It's on fire. Just how I left it.

I can feel that I need to go. The last thing my mother said to me, "run." Did she know who was attacking us? I don't know.

When they entered the home, they had shot my stepdad right away. My mom and I had been close enough to the hallway to run for the back door. When she told me to run, I knew she would stay and fight to buy me time.

I was eight. I didn't know what to do, so I ran. I made it to the tree line. Only to look back and see the house on fire.

I kept running.

I saw flashlights all around me. Looking for me.

I see a flash. A metal arm. Darkness.

The scene changes and I'm sitting in a concrete room. Me and the chair I'm sitting on is all that's in the room. Someone enters.

It's Julian Zamfir. My first handler. In some ways, he was like a father to me. In other ways, I hate him. He was sometimes kind and sometimes harsh, but he was all I had.

He doesn't say anything. He just walks around, looking at me. I see a flash, his face starts to turn, shifting into his son, Nikolai. I try to scream, but I can't.

Nikolai laughs. It's cold and arrogant. I grew up seeing him around, he was only about four to five years older than me. I remember him as a young teenager. He was always cruel and self-absorbed.

The scene shifts again. I'm in the forest. I can't tell if it's the forest outside my old home or somewhere else. I feel something following me. I run. I feel a sense of panic.

I pass faces along the way. They don't say anything, perhaps they don't have time as I run by them. They just watch me.

The scary part is that I recognize the faces. They have always haunted me. The people whose lives I sacrificed, killed, for my own.

I want to stop and do something, but I can't.

I don't know what I'm running from, but I know I can't let it get me.

I can't breathe. I start suffocating, my running slows.

I wake up, gasping for air.

My eyes shoot open to see some lab room. I'm alone. I try the door and it's locked. I feel trapped. I lean against the wall and crumple to the floor.