Chapter Four:

Third Person's POV

Ultron enters the lab. Helen Cho walks into the room, she's looking down at some files, figuring out the plan for her new genetics research. When she looks up, she jumps at the sight of Ultron.

"Scream and your entire staff dies." Ultron threatens. "You're working on a project, a project that I need."

"The cradle." Helen Cho says a statement not a question. "No one knows about that."

"I do. This…. Is the next me."

"The regeneration cradle prints tissue, it can't build a living body."

"It can… with some help." Ultron chuckles. "And with some upgraded material."

"Why would I help you?"

"Well, if you don't then everyone in this building will die a slow and painful death. I don't think you want that. Caring… a human flaw, I suppose."

Steve's POV

The vision of Peggy slowly subsides. I lean against the wall, taking in what just happened. Peggy… what my life could have been. I see someone come around the corner, I get into the fighting mode. Then, I realize it's Clint and Natasha.

Clint looks fine, but Natasha… she looks shaken. Clint has his arm on her shoulder.

They look to me, "She got you too, huh?" Clint says.

I push myself off the wall, "yeah." I answer. I don't give more detail. "Where's the rest of the team?"

"I don't –" Clint starts.

"I'm right here." Thor says gruffly, appearing from another doorway. "I haven't seen Stark. Hopefully Banner and Elena are still at the quinjet."

"Actually, there was a situation with Banner." Clint informs the team. "That girl got to him and he hulked out, Tony went to calm him down."

"Oh great." I mumble. "Let's move out."

We arrive at the Quinjet, Tony and Bruce are not around. Who knows where that fight led? I look around for Elena, but she isn't anywhere. "Where's Elena?"

Clint answers. "I didn't hear her on the comms, I assumed she was hit by the girl, too, but that means she would be here."

"If she didn't get hit, maybe she went after Bruce." I suggest.

"Sounds unlikely." Natasha says. "I'll check the cameras."

She types on the keypad at the computer. The image of Bruce and Elena on the ship appears. They start of talking. Bruce moves inside the ship as Elena waits by the entrance. A minute or two passed by when suddenly a flash appears on the screen and Elena is on her back.

She kicks the speedster and manages to tase him, but the girl- Wanda- has already snuck by her in the fray.

Elena quickly gets up and turns around, towards the inside of the jet. Bruce had hulked out and was out of the ship.

We watch as Wanda uses her magic and Elena collapses to the floor.

Wanda then helps her brother up. They speak to each other, there's no audio on this so there's no way to know what they are saying. Pietro then picks up Elena and they walk out of the camera's view.

I clench my fist in anger, "why would they take her?" I ask to no one in particular.

"I don't know." Natasha says, placing her hand on my shoulder. "But we'll find out."

We sat around the Quinjet waiting for Bruce and Tony to return. They did with Tony carrying an unconscious Bruce and laying him on the table.

As if on cue, Bruce starts to stir. He wakes up, rubbing his head. He looks around the room to our grim faces. "Oh no, what happened?" He asks.

"Nothing good." Tony says, explaining the rampage he just went on.

Bruce puts his head in his hands, groaning. He jumps off the table and paces.

Tony turns to me, "what's the plan now?"

"I don't know. I—"

Suddenly a realization comes to Tony. "Wait, aren't we missing someone? Where's Elena?"

"Tony…" I hesitate, swallowing hard. "Ultron and the twins have her."

"What?" He shouts. Then his voice gets lower. "I didn't think this mission could get worse. We need to—"

Suddenly, the Quinjet intercom rings. "It's Maria Hill." I say answering it. "Hello, Ma'am."

"The news is loving you guys, but that's about it." She says. "Bruce did a lot of damage, but they haven't called for his arrest- yet. How's the team?"

"Everyone's…" I look around the room, it's not pleasant. "We took a hit."

"Well, for now, stay away from here."

"So, run and hide." Tony says.

"It's the only move for now." She replies.

I end the call.

Pietro's POV

I saw the girl wake up, gasping for air. I wondered what my sister's visions made her see as I stared at her. She can't see me, as I am looking through a one way mirror. She surprised me a lot. The first time I had seen her it was at a distance. She was standing at the Avenger's jet. She was prettier than I had imagined, but she was still the enemy's daughter.

I watched her sink to the floor. I felt a little bad, but these are the consequences of war and she has not been innocent. No one really is.

I walk into the room after about 10 minutes. "Good morning, Princessa. How'd you sleep?" I say cheerfully, hoping to get on her nerves.

I succeed as she immediately shouts her questions at me, "What am I doing here? Where are the Avengers?"

I frown at the mention of the Avengers. Disdainfully, I reply, "I don't know where the 'Avengers' are. As for you, Ultron thinks you will be useful."

"Ultron?" The crazy robot man?" She says angrily. "Why are you even working with him?"

'The crazy robot man', the way she says it reminds me of Stark, which makes me tense and angrier. "You ask a lot of questions."

"And you make a lot of dumb choices."

That really sets me off. "What of your choices?" I shout. "My sister and I were not the only ones in Hydra, you were too. Then, you joined the Avengers. Do you know how many people the Avengers- that Tony Stark- has hurt?"

"First of all, I didn't volunteer to join Hydra. Second of all, the Avengers help people- even Tony. Everyone deserves a second chance."

"No, not everybody." I say, my words getting away from me as I walk closer to her. "Some people's hands are too red. Like yours. But perhaps it's in your blood."

She gives me a confused look, "What does that—"

The conversation is interrupted by the door opening. It's Wanda. "Pietro, it's time to go. Ultron is ready."

I angrily walk out the door, passed Wanda. I let her deal with this girl.

We walk into the room with Ultron, Helen Cho, and this mystical cradle, or whatever. Ultron was looking over Helen Cho's shoulder as she works on the screen, but looks up as we walk in.

"Ah, our guest is awake." He says.

"What do you want?" She asks.

Ultron laughs, "Ha. Straight to the point. Although I doubt Hydra would be so keen on your boldness."

Elena tries to brush it off, but I can tell he has struck a nerve. "I don't care what Hydra would think."

"I suppose." He says pondering. "And yet, someone is looking for you. Well, he already knows where you are. It just depends on how he plans to go up against the Avengers."

"See, they protect people. They want to help." She interjects.

I scoff at her naivety.

Ultron continues. "The Avengers are a disease that people have yet to realize is destroying the host from the inside."

"Why am I here? What is your plan?" She asks, clearly annoyed.

I find Ultron a bit chatty for my tastes as well.

"I need to create a host. Ms. Helen Cho, here, has part of the answer, I just need you to use your healing factor to wrap the tissues around the vibranium. A piece of the puzzle she has yet to work out… scientifically."

"I'm not going to help you."

"I could help you, protect you from Hydra and tell you who you truly are."

"I know everything I need to know." She stands firm.

I scoff again. I'm about to say something when Wanda speaks up, "This is getting us nowhere."

Ultron sighs, "Well, I wanted to do this more civil, but I will give you the same threat I gave Ms. Cho. You will help, or there will be even more blood on your hands." He gestures to the people in the next room through the glass, working.

She looks to Wanda and I with disgust, "You two are okay with this? He's threatening to kill innocent people."

"Casualties of war, if need be." I say. "But it doesn't need to be. Just help us."

She turns away from us, towards Ultron. Angrily she tells him, "I will help you, but just know, there's nothing either one of us can create that the Avengers won't work together to stop."

We'll see about that.