Reina walked to the back of the quinjet, standing in front of the large crate. She peered forward to Clint.
"Don't tell Nat I borrowed her bike" Reina hit the button as the crate shifted apart, Reina straddling the bike.
"No promises. We got a window. In Four, three… "Clint paused a moment. "Give them hell"
The bottom of the plan parted, Reina revving the motorcycle as it dropped. She sped down the street, dodging the cars. She looked ahead to the shield laying in the middle of the road, shaking her head. She leaned down to the left, catching it as she sped past.
"They're heading under the overpass. I've got no shot" Clint sounded in her ear.
"Which way?" Reina asked.
"Hard right…now"
Reina turned right, barely missing the car as it slammed on its breaks. She sped up, meeting up with the truck. She looked up to the robotic body, sneering then threw the shield as it bounced off its head. Steve caught the shield as it rocketed, slamming it into Ultron's back as he fell against the roof. Ultron looked to Reina, holding his hand up as the chunk of road pulled from the ground in front of her.
Reina swerved behind the truck, dodging as the androids fired at her.
"Clint, try to draw the guards out!" Reina yelled. "I'm taking a little detour"
Reina whipped the bike to the side, driving up the stairs. The people screamed, dodging out of her way.
"Sorry!" Reina yelled as she sped past, turning the corner again.
"They're on their way back to you, whatever you got planned so it now"
Reina shot down the overpass, speeding up behind the truck.
"Steve, keep Ultron occupied for me?" Reina asked.
"What do you think I've been doing?" Steve asked breathlessly.
Reina got up behind the truck, leaping into it as the motorcycle crashed into the pillar.
"…Tell Nat I'll buy her a new bike" Reina mentioned, walking to the cradle.
She peered through the window at the face, enthralled in it. She shook her head, looking down to the access panel. She swiped through it, typing in the code. Access denied flashed across the screen. The truck shook, Reina catching the cradle to steady herself. She looked back, watching the city become smaller.
"Package is in the air" Clint's voice sounded.
"Yea, I saw" Reina looked to the straps, snapping them. "Clint I'm sending the package your way"
"What? How?"
"Open the ramp and wait" Reina instructed.
She set the pipe bomb on the back wall, switching it as the timer started. She grasped the cradle, snapping the last strap off as the cradle rolled out the back of the truck. The cradle slammed onto the ramp, rolling into the quinjet as the explosion basted out. Reina felt something wrap around her ankle, yanking her back. Something metal bashed against the back of her head, knocking her out.
!
"You lost her?!" Tony yelled, his anger bubbling over.
He stood by the cradle, glaring at Clint.
"We'll get her back" Clint held his glare, looking to Natasha. "Let's scan the radio signals. I'm sure she'll send a message somehow"
Natasha nodded, looking to Tony. "We'll find her"
Tony watched the two leave, looking to Bruce.
"I can work on tissue degeneration, if you can fry whatever operational system Cho implanted" Bruce rounded the cradle.
"Yeah, about that" Tony turned.
"No. no" Banner saw the look on Tony's face. "No way"
"Listen, that ally? The one protecting the military nuclear code?" Tony pulled out the remote. "I found him"
He pressed the button, casting the hologram. Jarvis's voice sounded from the hologram.
"Hello, Dr. Banner" He greeted.
"Ultron didn't go after Jarvis because he was angry. He knew what Jarvis could do. So he went underground" Tony crossed his arms. "Scattered, dumped his memory. But not the protocols. He didn't even know he was in there, until I pieced him together"
Bruce scoffed, looking to Jarvis then to Tony.
"So, you want me to help you put Jarvis into this thing?" Banner gestured to the cradle.
"No!" Tony exclaimed, throwing his arms out. "Of course not…"
Tony pointed to Bruce. "I want to help you put Jarvis into this thing"
Bruce shook his head, stepping back.
"We're out of my field here. You know bio-organics better than anyone"
"And you're just assuming that Jarvis' operational matrix can beat Ultron?" Bruce asked.
"He was beating him from the inside without knowing it" Tony walked around the cradle. "We can make Ultron's perfect self, without the homicidal glitches he thinks are his winning personality. We have to"
"I believe it's worth a go" Jarvis pipped up.
Bruce glanced to Jarvis, slamming his hand on the cradle.
"I'm in a loop. I'm caught in a time loop" Bruce sneered. "This is exactly where it all went wrong"
"I know, I know. We're mad scientist. We're monsters, buddy. But you gotta own it" Tony clapped Bruce on the shoulder. "It's not a loop. It's the end of the line"
"Why is this so important to you" Bruce shook his head.
"I want to end the fight. So we can go home" Tony shook his head. "Reina she…her war ended back in 1942. Yet she's still fighting. If nothing else I owe it to her to be able to stop the fighting"
!
Reina groaned lowly, feeling the cold cement under her cheek. She shifted, trying to bring her hand up to rub her throbbing forehead. She grimaced, looking down at the metal pipe wrapped around her wrists. She cursed to herself, pushing herself onto her elbow and sat up. She glanced around, her eyes falling on Ultron standing a few feet from her.
"I knew you'd wake up" He stepped closer to her, watching her. "You're resilient"
Reina narrowed her eyes, looking past him to the androids then looked to him again.
"I wanted to show you something. I don't have anyone else and you…" Ultron shook his head. "Tony thinks very highly of you…I think a lot about meteors"
Ultron looked back to the androids. "The purity of them. Boom!" Ultron looked upwards. "The end, start again. The world made clean for the new man to rebuild"
Reina leaned back against the brick wall, listening quietly.
"The world would've looked to the sky and seen hope, seen mercy. Instead they'll look up in horror because of you. You've wounded me. I give you full marks for that. But, like the man said…what doesn't kill me…"
Reina flinched as the robotic fist smashed through Ultron's head and tore him apart. She looked up at the larger robot standing over her.
"Just makes me stronger…" Ultron stalked towards her, Reina rolling to her feet.
She yelled, putting all her energy into bringing her arms up and smashing them into Ultron's head. His head snapped back, his arm shooting out to catch the metal binding her wrists together. He picked her up, her feet dangling. His red eyes glared at her.
"I can't kill you. Not yet at least. I have to wait for him, for Stark" Ultron threw her against the wall beside him, Reina's body breaking the bricks.
He dropped her, walking off towards the androids. Reina laid there, black spots forming in her vision. She grimaced, clinching her fists to stave off unconsciousness. Reina shifted her body, slowly pulling her leg forward as she pulled the device from one of her pockets. She held it tightly, feeling herself slipping away. She clicked the device, focusing on her message. When she finished, she finally let the darkness engulf her.
!
Reina slowly came to again. She rolled her head back, blinking as her vision cleared. She looked up through the broken stone roof to the sunrise. She tested her joints, nothing seeming to be broken. She lifted her arms, the metal pipe now gone. Reina shifted against the pillar she was leaned again, looking around at the dilapidated church.
She looked over, watching the Iron Man suit land.
"Tony?" Reina asked.
"Come to confess your sins?" Ultron walked from behind the pillar.
"Depends. How much time you got?" Tony asked.
"More than you…"
Tony looked him up and down, pointing to him. "You been juicing? You're looking a little puffy"
"You're stalling to protect the people"
"Well, that is the mission. Did you forget?" Tony asked.
Ultron scoffed, walking around him. "I've moved beyond your mission. I'm free"
The metal tube blasted from the middle of the ground, Reina throwing her arms up to protect her face from the spray of rocks. She lowered her arms, watching the tube as the legs slammed down.
"What, you think you're the only one stalling?" Ultron asked.
The explosions rang out from outside. Reina stood, staggering on her feet. Tony shot forward, catching her as the two blasted off. Reina clutched onto Tony, keeping her eyes shut until he set her down.
"Reina?" She looked back, looking to Steve and smiled.
"Hey. Little late to the party…" She sighed.
Reina peered down to the robotic parts scattered around, then to the other androids as they flew overhead. Tony took off again, Reina looking to Steve.
"Come on, we'll get you evacuated with the other citizens" Steve held his arm out to her, gesturing her.
"No"
He looked back to her. "Reina-"
"Don't say my job is done, Steve. It's not" Reina shook her head. "I'm not leaving until we all go together"
Steve watched her, sighing to himself. The ground quaked, the two staggering on their feet. Reina looked back, the line of smoke coming up from the forest.
"What is that?" Reina asked, the ground quaking again. "What's happening?"
The two hurried towards the bridge. It gave way, half falling down. Reina and Steve walked to the edge, looking down as the earth they stood on seemed to levitate up.
"Aliens…androids…" Reina shook her head, looking to Steve. "Can we go back to the time were a super soldier was the only thing you had to worry about?"