A/N: Officially we have caught up to my writing speed unfortunately lol. I am going to continue to try and get a chapter out every 4-5 days, but just in case I don't I'm sorry in advance! I have a test coming up that I'm studying for right now (which is why we've caught up on my writing) but once that passes I'll be focused back on this! Leave me comments! I need the serotonin lolol
Chapter #30:
End of the Line
"Luck is my middle name. Mind you, my first name is bad." –Terry Pratchett
"How do you feel?"
It took every ounce of my small frame not to roll my eyes at the question. From the moment we woke up in the hostel from hell, that's all Bucky has said to me. Every twenty minutes or so he'd ask for my status as if I was going to spontaneously drop dead.
"Oh, I'm dying." I replied dryly. "Definitely dying right now unlike half an hour ago when I was completely and totally fine."
Bucky shot me a glare over his shoulder, and I raised an eyebrow at him in response. To be honest, I really wasn't completely and totally fine. My shoulder ached something awful, I had a headache, and every time I was dumb enough to try and move my left arm I'd get a shooting pain down to my fingers. That was worrisome, but I wasn't going to bring it up in conversation.
"Bucky, where are we going?" I pressed and hurried my steps so I was in stride with him. He had ditched the bike, claiming we needed a new vehicle, and since I didn't have the experience to know any better, I just followed along with his plan. That left us walking though which was less than ideal at the moment.
"There." Bucky replied and nodded ahead. Down the street was a small clinic nestled between two other buildings. "I called ahead this morning. Offered the doctor a lot of money to clear out the clinic and just see you."
"I thought we agreed that I was fine."
"You are not fine, doll." Bucky shot me another hard look. "I see you wince every time you move. You nearly cried this morning when you tried to put your book bag on."
I twisted my lips and just silently walked beside him. It wasn't like I could argue successfully with him on this. Bucky was an observant guy. Plus, if he already went through the trouble of getting me a sketch ass appointment then I might as well go. The shooting pain was suspiciously nerve like, and I was worried the bullet might be pressing on something it shouldn't be.
"Come on." He held the doors open and ushered me in. When he stepped in behind me, I had hoped he'd offer me his hand or arm like yesterday, but Bucky kept a good foot of distance between us this morning at all times.
Bucky barked out something in Romanian and I just glanced around the tiny foyer we stood in. There was a staircase pressed to the wall to my right and an open archway in front of us past the stairs. Chairs lined the wall of the room, it must have been the makeshift waiting room, but like the rest of this part of the city it looked rundown. This building was very obviously not designed to be a place of healthcare. People were just making do.
A man walked down the stairs. He was chubby and balding with eyebrows that seemed to furrow together naturally, but the brown eyes behind his wire rimmed glasses held a kindness in them. He wore business clothes and a stethoscope around his neck. The doctor said a few lines in Romanian and Bucky replied back in ease.
"My name is Dr. Escu. Follow me, miss." The doctor said suddenly, and it took me a minute to realize it was English and directed at me. I jogged after him down a dim hallway with Bucky only a few steps behind me. The doctor stopped outside a door and turned to me, "Can you tell me what happened in your own words?"
I glanced back at Bucky in worry, but my grumpy friend just nodded once. I turned back to Escu, "I was shot. In the shoulder. Entry wound, but no exit wound." He nodded at me patiently, but I was sure he had heard all that from Bucky. I hummed, "Uh, symptom wise… pain, obviously. My shoulder is really sore—" I glanced at Bucky briefly before looking back. "—and, I, uh, I think I'm having nerve pain now. Anytime I move my shoulder I get pain down to my fingers."
"Like electricity?" He pressed and I nodded.
Escu opened the door and motioned me in and left Bucky in the hall. The room had a large x-ray machine. It was definitely an x-ray. However, it was as old as the building it sat in and had obviously seen better days. It was the kind of device a hospital probably got rid of, but a small rundown clinic would cherish.
The doctor positioned me in a chair and went into an adjoining room telling me not to move. I was 100% going to get radiation poisoning from this thing. There was no way this machine wasn't leaking it out. A few minutes later, he stepped back out with a film in his hands.
"Let us go to my office."
Escu opened the door to let me out and Bucky, who had been leaning against the opposite wall, shot up straight at the sight of us. I gave him a reassuring smile before the doctor led us down a few more doors and into the room. This room was larger and filled with light from the many windows. Off to the side was a messy desk, and on the other side were a few exam tables.
"See here." The doctor motioned me to come closer. He lifted the film up to the window so I could see it easily. My bones looked like bones, but there were two bright, glaring features on the film. One was my necklace and the other was the bullet. The bullet was right under the lateral aspect of my clavicle. "You are very lucky, girl."
"Debatable." I mumbled.
"Still, I cannot see muscle damage or if a nerve was damaged with an x-ray. Location wise it is possible."
I shook my head, "The nerve pain is new. Last night, I was fine. Could the bullet have shifted? And now it's just pressing down on one?"
Escu nodded, "Perhaps. I would recommend getting the bullet removed as quickly as you can."
"Can you do it? Here?" Bucky pressed and I assumed he spoke English for my sake.
"I can…" Dr. Escu looked skeptical. He shook his head, "It would be safer at a hospital. They could put her under, take the bullet out, check the structures, and debride any damaged tissue surgically."
Bucky clenched his jaw then nodded, "Alright. I'm taking you to a hospital—"
"Hold up!" I took a step away from him. "That seems like a bad idea."
"Didn't you hear him? You need to be put under for this. It's the safest option." Bucky shook his head. "I should've taken you last night immediately."
I turned on my heel to face Dr. Escu, "I want you to take the bullet out. Here."
"Miss, you should listen to your boyfriend."
"My boyfriend—" I didn't know if this was some sort of cover or if the guy was just assuming, but I ran with it regardless, "—is being a dumbass." I shot Bucky a look and he just glared at me in return. "Please, Dr. Escu?"
The doctor nodded once, "Let me prepare. Remove your sweater."
He walked out of the room to grab supplies and I began to struggle with the sweater I had on. Bucky sighed, dropping both our bags to the ground, and walked over to help me just like he had helped me put it on this morning.
"This is a bad idea." He hummed.
"You brought me here."
Bucky carefully pulled the sweater over my head leaving me in a bloody tank top. He shook his head, "Because I'm desperate, Aj." There was an awkward pause between us. He sighed and set my sweater down onto the bags, "This is my fault."
"You didn't—"
"I didn't shoot you, but this pain?" Bucky motioned to my arm. "That's on me. I let you sit in a dirty hostel with a hunk of metal in your arm."
I shook my head at him, "Hey, I thought it was a good plan."
"Yeah, you also thought coming to Romania was a good plan and look where that has gotten you, doll." He argued.
"Still don't regret it." I replied back softly. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat."
Bucky looked frustrated, like he wanted to argue, but Dr. Escu came back in with a handful of supplies. He motioned for me to lay down on one of the exam tables. Bucky stood by my head as I watched the doctor rub alcohol over his hands. Not an ideal sterilization. He came back over with more gauze, alcohol, and some metal instruments.
Escu peeled off the wrapping that Bucky had done last night and looked it over, humming to himself in thought. I glanced around at his supplies and sat up a bit, "Where's your local anesthetic?"
"What part of this clinic makes it look like I have access to local anesthetic?" Escu raised an eyebrow at me.
I frowned, "You have an x-ray machine."
"It was easier to come by that than medicine." Escu replied. "All I have to offer you is antibiotics for after."
"Jesus." I mumbled and laid back down nervously.
Escu began to speak Romanian and Bucky argued with him in the same language. That wasn't reassuring either. After another minute, Bucky sighed and came around the table so he stood over my head. He leaned forward some, his hands on either side of me, and I was looking up at his upside down face.
"I have to hold you down, doll." He quietly. "Are you sure about this?"
"Yes." I replied even though the answer was 'no'. Going to a hospital was for sure a bad idea, too many risks, and the more I bumbled through this the more Bucky would blame himself. Better to get it out now, fast, and let it be forgotten.
Escu said something else I couldn't understand. Bucky sighed again and set his hands on me. His gloved, metal hand clamped down on my left upper arm pushing it down into the table and making me hiss in pain. He set his right hand on my right shoulder and pressed down there as well.
"I will be as quick as I can."
I felt my fingers began to tremble as my heart raced in my ribcage. Bucky leaned down further, "Hey, you can do this. You're so strong, doll."
Then, pain.
Hot, white, searing pain.
Instinctively, my body tried to jump from the table, but Bucky held down tightly. I gnashed my teeth together trying to hold back a scream as Escu dug around in my wound looking for the bullet.
"You're doing so good. Almost there, doll." Bucky whispered comforts to me. Another sharp jab had me crying out and Bucky looked away only to yell at the doctor in Romanian. His eyes were back on mine. My vision went blurry as my eyes filled with tears.
The sharp pain swapped to an ache when Escu pulled out of my shoulder while speaking in Romanian. I gasped, "Did you get it?"
"Where's the bullet?" Bucky pressed.
"When did you say you got shot?" Escu asked with a look of confusion on his face.
I lifted my right hand to swipe away the tears before answering, "Last night. Why?"
Escu narrowed his eyes at me, looked to Bucky, then back to me, "You've already begun to heal. There's tissue over the bullet. That may be why it shifted. The tissue is pressing it down."
The doctor mumbled to himself and stepped away. My eyes shot back to Bucky just as he looked at me. Bucky shook his head, "I know you say you heal fast, but…"
"That's crazy, right?" I whispered back. How was that possible? The fact that my body was already healing wasn't surprising, human bodies were incredible, but the fact that I had healed enough to have tissue that blocked the bullet in was… That was impossible, right? My thoughts were interrupted when Escu came back with a new tool in his hands. "No!"
"Aj!" Bucky was caught off guard when I sat up and tried to climb off the table. He kept me from scrambling off entirely.
I shook my head, "I don't like—"
Knives. Technically, I knew it was a scalpel and it was in the hands of a professional, but a blade was a blade. Bucky wrapped his metal arm around my back to keep me from falling off the table when I leaned back as far from Escu as I could.
"I'm going to use the scalpel to cut some of the tissue and pull the bullet out. It will hurt, but I have a clear view." Escu explained.
"It's okay." I shook my head again. "I've actually grown kind of fond of the bullet." I turned my head to look up at Bucky, "It'll be like a—like a Romanian souvenir! That's better than a postcard."
Bucky said something to Escu in the doctor's language before turning back to me. He squeezed my arm lightly, "You have to get the bullet out. We've already gone this far. Aj…"
"Buck, I can't." I whispered. "I can't let it touch me. I hate knives. I hate—"
He kept his left arm around me and lifted his right to cup the side of my face, focusing my gaze only on his face, "I know. I know. I understand." Bucky didn't need to hear my reasoning. He had seen the evidence on my back. That was enough. "But… I'm not gonna let anything happen to you, doll. You gotta believe that."
I could feel the cold, palpable dread begin to loosen its grip from around my heart as I stared into his stormy eyes. Bucky was here. Bucky wouldn't lead me wrong. He wouldn't let me get hurt. It reminded me of being in that bunker, hearing the gunshots, and Bucky knelt by the cot with determination in his eyes.
He had asked me if I trusted him.
That answer hadn't changed for me.
I nodded once and Bucky laid me back down on the table. We got back into the position with him leaning over and pressing me down into the exam table. Dr. Escu came back into view with the scalpel in hand and I couldn't help but stiffen.
"Hey, look at me. Only at me." Bucky said softly. My eyes snapped to his and he gave me a small smile. "Just right here. Don't look away. I got you, alright?"
"Okay." I replied meekly.
Escu said something, I missed it, then I felt the cold, sharpness of the scalpel. I gasped but there was no telling if it was from the pain or the memory of a knife carving into my back over and over and over and over—
"You're doing so good." Bucky cooed as another cry of pain slipped from my lips. Escu removed the blade to swap it back with the blunt scissors. Tears built up again, blurring my vision, but I didn't look away from the upside down face above me. Another sharp pain then a cry of success in Romanian. Bucky gasped in relief, "That's it. That's it, doll. You're done."
I forced myself up quickly, Bucky moved his arms to allow the motion, and Escu pressed gauze to my bleeding wound. I took it from him to hold it as the doctor scrambled away and took in deep, gasping breaths. I was crying. Tears dripped down my cheeks and I could feel my hands shaking.
Bucky shifted so he stood in front of me. Despite trying to keep distance between us earlier in the day, he didn't hesitate to come in close right now. He lifted his hands to swipe away my tears, "Hey, you did it. I'm sorry. It's all over now." I shook my head, trying to calm myself down, but it was hard to find stability in my tilting mind. My eyes shut tightly, and I could feel Boss' hand tracing bare skin on my back. I could feel his lips on my ear as he whispered cruel words to me. "Aj…"
"I hate him." I sobbed. "I hate him so much. I hate that he broke me. I—I hate—"
My words tangled with gasps. Bucky quickly pulled me forward so my head rested against his chest. His right hand cupped the back of my head, holding me as close as possible, and his left rubbed my back soothingly.
"You're not broken. You're so strong, Aj. Strongest woman I've ever known, doll." Bucky whispered. I felt him press his lips to my hair and focused on him and him alone. His metal hand was tracing back and forth over my scars like he could wipe them away. His right hand was a heavy weight on my head that kept me grounded. I heard him whispering in Romanian to me, the same phrase over and over again. With my face pressed against his chest I could smell the floral scent of the soap I had stolen from the hotel, lavender, but underneath it was something stronger. Smoke and trees with copper as a faint note. "I'm so sorry, doll."
Those words came though clear. My hands had stopped shaking and my breaths were coming out even again. I swallowed the lump in my throat and spoke against his chest, "Nothing to be sorry for."
"I disagree." He mumbled. There was a beat of silence before he followed it up with a question, "You okay?"
"Yeah. That wasn't so bad." I joked, my voice still muffled by his chest. I felt the rumble of him chuckling at my poor attempt at humor. Slowly, I pulled away from him and Bucky shifted so I was looking directly at him. Bucky held my gaze, looking for something, and then he rubbed my cheek with his hand one last time. "Thanks, Bucky."
He shook his head, "Don't thank me." Dr. Escu came back with some bandages, pills, and a sling. Bucky tapped under my chin once, "I'll be right back. We've been here a minute. I wanna walk the perimeter."
I nodded and he said something to Dr. Escu before walking out. It was silent in the room as he bandaged up my shoulder. He hummed lightly, "How does your shoulder feel?"
"Hurts still." I replied and moved my shoulder a bit. There was no more electricity. "Nerve isn't compressed anymore. That's cool. Thanks."
"Of course. The muscles that make up your rotator cuff are still damaged. Your best hope is to not use it for a few weeks and hope no permanent damage is done."
"I'm a fast healer." I said out of habit then tilted my head at the words. Apparently, I was a very, very fast healer. Like, a suspiciously fast healer.
"And a non-compliant patient from what I can guess." Escu argued, and I let out a small laugh. The man was smart. "Stay in the sling."
After wrapping up my shoulder, Escu helped me back into my sweater and then put me into the sling. He gave me a pill to take now and a pack of a few more to take later. I stood up and walked over to my bag. The front pocket had my leftover cash. It probably came out to be around $600. I handed it over to him, "It isn't much considering what you've done for us, but I'll remember you. When I get stateside I'll send you more."
"Thank you." Dr. Escu replied. "Anything helps us."
The door swung open and we both glanced over to see Bucky rush in and grab our bags. He nodded to me, "What was the name of your friend who showed up yesterday?"
"Daisy?"
"She's here. Camped outside." Bucky said.
My eyes narrowed in thought. I hadn't put my phone back together again so she didn't track that. My eyes drifted down to the maroon and gold bands around my wrists. With a groan, I rolled my eyes, "Tony damn Stark."
"What?" Bucky pressed.
"He put trackers in my bracelets. I just know it." I replied and began to try and unlatch them. I got the watch one off easy enough but trying to get the right one off with my arm in a sling was tougher.
Bucky sighed, "Is there any way I can convince you to stay here and let your friend find you while I leave?" I snapped my gaze up to him in a glare. He nodded in defeat, "That's what I thought."
"Can I borrow a piece of paper?" I asked Escu who had moved to his desk. He nodded and offered me a scrap of something he didn't need. As I finished writing, I heard a gunshot below us, and my eyes widened. "What was—?"
Bucky's eyebrows furrowed in worry, "We gotta go."
I set the bracelets and the note on the exam table while Bucky spoke to Escu in Romanian. The doctor gave me a firm smile and wished me well as Bucky dragged me out his window out onto a fire escape. Bucky grabbed the ladder and shoved it down to the ground floor then cursed when it made a loud noise. He got to the ground then looked up at me.
"Jump."
"Jump?" I asked. "Why can't I just climb?"
"Your arm, doll. Come on. I got you."
He wasn't wrong. The distance wasn't too far. I could probably jump down on my own, but the risk of rolling my ankle was too high. I climb onto the top of the ladder then sucked in a sharp breath and let go. I fell through the air for a second, but instead of hitting the hard ground I landed in Bucky's arms. It jostled my shoulder and I hissed, but the pain was gone as quick as it came. Bucky grabbed my good arm and hurried down the back alley away from the building.
"Now what?"
"Now, we find a car to steal, doll."
The coordinates Clint had given her took her and Lucky straight to the outskirts of Bucharest, Romania. Just like he had said, all she had to do was punch them in and enjoy the ride. However, he had never clarified how landing would work? So, the fact that the quinjet's wing was ajar and the landing wheels were bent was not Kate's fault. She would not be taking on that blame whatsoever. Kate had some issues to work through in life and owing SHIELD a bajillion dollars to buy a new jet did not need to be one of them.
"Lucky, no." Kate called out and the dog stopped sniffing around the trash and strolled back to her side. He whined and she reached down to pet him, "I promise I'll get you food soon, bud. I'll buy you a big ol' pizza, okay?"
First things first, she had to find the missing Instagram star/criminal/avenger's buddy. It shouldn't be too hard with the fancy tracker that had been in the quinjet. Clint had told her how to hone in on the woman's signal and then just follow it. Kate wasn't entirely sure why this woman was giving off a signal? She hoped it was just a cell phone she was tracking, but she wouldn't put it past the paranoid Avengers to actually put an actual tracker in someone.
Kate turned on the busy corner and continued to follow the directions that the handheld machine gave her. So far, it had led her to a rather unsavory part of Bucharest. Already she had gotten a number of strange looks, but no one had approached her yet. Though that might have something to do with the bow and sheath of arrows she wore on her back.
Ten more minutes of walking and she finally made it onto the same street as the signal. Kate waited on the corner, tucking the machine into her coat pocket, and glanced around. It was coming from a building centered in the middle. It was small, only two stories, and a bit run down. She didn't know any Romanian but based on the big red cross on the sign it was probably a clinic.
Kate's eyes scanned the streets looking for anything that stood out. Clint always harped on her that she needed to know every inch of her surroundings. On a mission as an archer, she was the eyes. If the eyes missed something then it was over. Or something like that. The analogy he had used had been weird, but she got the gist of it.
The only thing that stood out to her was a woman, maybe a little older than her, standing on the sidewalk across the street from the clinic. Her clothes were too nice to be from around this part of the neighborhood and she stared at the clinic while talking on the phone with someone. Suspicious. Kate inched a bit closer with Lucky sitting beside her tongue hanging out and tail wagging.
The woman's hair was dark and short, a wavy mess that brushed her shoulders, and she had on a black leather jacket with jeans and boots. She had something on her hands. Fingerless gloves? Kate squinted, trying to pick up on more detail, but the woman started moving. She began to cross the street to the clinic.
"Come on, Lucky." Kate whispered and hurried after her. It was hard to be sneaky on a mostly empty street in the middle of the afternoon, but she did her best. Which granted wasn't great, but the woman didn't notice her so it was fine.
Kate got to the front door and stepped in.
"Who the hell are you and why did you follow me in here?"
She glanced to her left to see the woman holding an odd-looking gun to her head. Most guns didn't glow blue at the handle. Kate frowned at the turn of events. What was that other rule Clint told her? Oh, right. Check the doors before busting in.
"How do you know I followed you in here? Maybe I just need a doctor?" Kate replied.
The woman raised an eyebrow at her, "If that were the case, I think you'd be a little more surprised by the gun to your head."
"That's a…fair point." Kate mumbled. "Here's my counter point—"
Kate swung out to knock the gun to the side. The woman fired, but it blew past her. Kate disarmed her entirely, tossing the weapon aside, then lunged forward with her knee to shove her into the wall. The woman hit the wall hard but grabbed Kate by the arms to flip her to the side. Lucky barked out as Kate slid across the floor, "Lucky, hide!"
The dog ran off, a trick Clint taught him ages ago, and Kate slung her bow off quick as a whip with a notched arrow. The woman stood across from her with a hand raised at her threateningly. Kate nodded at her, "You know there's nothing in your hand, right?"
She smirked and suddenly an invisible force slammed into Kate's chest and knocked her back. On her way to the floor, she fired the arrow she had notched. Her aim was true and when it got close the tip blew up like a flash bang. The woman cried out, and Kate rolled back after hitting the floor to land on her feet. She sprinted forward again to swing the bow like a staff.
The woman was quick to recover and ducked under it. They parried back and forth for a moment blocking blows and trying to gain the upper hand. Kate kicked out only for her foot to be caught and spun hard. With a grunt, she hit the floor face first. Kate shoved herself back to her feet just to whip around and come face to face with the barrel of the gun again.
"Shit." Kate sighed. "Clint's gonna be pissed."
"Clint?" The woman lowered her gun, "Clint sent you? Clint Barton?"
Kate nodded, "Yeah, about yay-high", she held her hand above her head, "Absolute disaster blond. Do you know him?"
"I'm an Agent for SHIELD." She snapped.
Kate's eyes widened and she let out a low whistle, "Oh. Well then."
On the floor above them there was a loud crash. The woman sprinted up the stairs to her right and Kate was quick to follow. She let out a loud whistle and Lucky showed up on her tail. As they got to the floor and searched through rooms Kate began to wonder why this clinic was so empty.
The woman kicked open the last door and her shoulders slumped. Kate peeked her head in behind her. A man sat behind a desk counting money. There was a stethoscope around his neck. The window at the wall behind him was open and led out onto a fire escape. He glanced up and in a heavy accent spoke, "You are the ones who chased my patient away? She left you a message."
He pointed to an exam table off to the side. Kate leaned against the doorway as the woman crossed the room to pick up said message. There were two maroon and gold bracelets on the bed, one looked like a watch of some kind, and a note beside it. From here she could see the writing, 'Go home, Daisy'.
"Fuck." Daisy mumbled and shoved the bracelets into her leather jacket pocket. She turned to the man, "Where did they go?"
He just shrugged and went back to counting money. Daisy's jaw clenched and Kate chose this time to raise her hand. Dark eyes darted to her in exasperation. Kate just grinned sheepishly in response, "Hey, yeah, Daisy, right? I'm Kate. Kate Bishop. Hawkeye to some. Sort of. Listen—" She walked forward with hands held up in mock surrender, "My bad for what happened downstairs. Clint sent me to find his friend."
"Aj. Her name is Aj Bradshaw." Daisy replied. "And she's just being overly stubborn at this point."
"Well, you want an extra set of eyes on this search and rescue mission?" Kate offered with a smirk. "This is my first time out of a farmhouse in four months and I am not coming home empty handed. Clint will kill me."
Daisy nodded, "Yeah, and he'll kill me if I don't find her."
"Yay! Teamwork, eh?" Kate gave her a thumbs up. "Now let's go, what was your plan B? Because to be honest I really don't have one."
Daisy gave her a skeptical look, but Kate just grinned. This was the start of a beautiful friendship. She just knew it.
Pietro had made a number of bad deals in his life. In the third grade, he made a deal with another boy to trade his toy cars for a yo-yo only for the string to break ten minutes later. When he was ten, he made a deal with his father that if he ate all his vegetables they would go out to play catch, and then he watched his father fall through a hole in the floor and disappear forever. The deal he made with Strucker had given him speed, but it cost him his freedom.
The deal with Ultron?
It had been a bad deal.
Wanda sat beside him, slumped over in distress, and he could only offer her comfort with a hand rubbing circles on her back. They had come to South Korea with Ultron to help him find the doctor that could build him a body. It had all come to a screeching halt when his sister was finally able to read the robot's mind through the new body being created.
She had shown him what she saw in Ultron's mind. Fire and brimstone. Death and destruction. The world turning to ash. This was not what they wanted. This was nowhere close to what they wanted. The Maximof twins craved revenge, but they would not burn the world to take it. The images had sent him staggering, but it was nothing compared to what Wanda felt. The visions, people's internal desires and fears, were always more potent to her.
The powers she gained still gave her headaches. The sensory overload of absorbing emotions and thoughts from everyone around her was draining. Wanda always described it as the world swirling around her in a red storm that she had to pick thoughts from. It was funny, because his powers did the opposite for him. Pietro's world had slowed significantly. He knew he was a blur to the world around him, but when he ran it felt like time around him had nearly stopped.
"What have I done?" Wanda murmured in Sokovian.
Pietro pulled his sister to stand and shook his head firmly, "You were not alone in this. Ultron tricked us both."
"I put Tony Stark on this path." Wanda replied. "And now between him and Ultron the world will go through the same fate as our family. Dead or wishing they were."
He pulled her into a tight hug, "That won't happen. I won't let it."
Wanda suddenly stiffened in his arms. She mumbled something he didn't catch then pushed away on the search for something. Pietro followed, a step behind, until she came to a screeching stop. Pietro followed her gaze to a television where a Korean news anchor spoke. The screen flashed to a traffic camera that showed Ultron and Captain America fighting on top of the truck the Cradle had been put into.
Pietro knew what they needed to do. He turned to Wanda only to see her already staring at him. His unspoken question was answered when his sister's eyes flashed red. Pietro leaned forward to pick his sister up and she instinctively held his neck and tucked her head into his shoulder to keep from getting sick.
They had a robot to catch up to.
Steve was having a bad day. Then again, the last two days had been pretty shitty too. At this rate, he was going to be able to chalk it up to a bad week. Unless something really, really good happened really, really fast. Steve wasn't holding his breath.
Ultron swung his arm out and Steve ducked under it and swiveled in time to catch the next punch thrown at him. With a grunt, he swung and threw Ultron as hard as he could off the top of the van. The homicidal AI slammed into a concrete pillar making it explode in pieces of rubble and dust. It gave Steve the time to take one exhausted breath. Ultron activated his rockets and blasted forward. Steve mumbled a curse and crouched to catch the robot. The force of Ultron slammed into him, sending him flying backwards, but Steve managed to get his arms on Ultron's shoulders so he could twist their bodies around. The two of them crashed through the doors of a passing train with Steve on top.
"They're heading back towards you." Clint's voice called over the comm line as he kept the quinjet in the air around them. The drones that had been attacking him apparently lost interest. "So, whatever you're gonna do, you better do it fast, Tasha."
With a roar, Ultron threw Steve off. He felt his back slam into a silver pole, bending it in half, as Ultron rose to his feet and sent him a glare. Ultron scoffed and motioned as if he was brushing rubble off himself, "You don't seem to learn, do you Captain? This isn't a fight you can win!"
Steve got back to his feet, passengers were screaming behind him in panic, and he stepped forward, "We'll see."
He slammed his foot down onto his shield, flipping it up to him, then threw it forward with all his strength. Ultron batted it out of the air like a frisbee and sent it right back to him. Steve caught it just as Ultron rocketed forward and he threw himself forward to flip over the robot and land on his feet. Steve spun on his heel to face Ultron again just in time for red lasers to hit him in the shield and throw him backwards into a row of seats.
"I'm going in." Natasha called over comms. She was supposed to still be on the truck's tail on mission to get to the cradle. "Rogers, can you keep him occupied?"
Steve caught his breath, still leaning against the seats he was thrown in, then grunted, "What the hell do you think I've been doing?"
"Someone sounds grumpy. Did you miss afternoon nap time?" Clint called out. Steve ignored the archer and shoved himself up. Ultron was trying to leave the train car so Steve tackled him in the side sending them both to the ground. Ultron threw him off, but Steve was up again and trying to get his shield jammed somewhere in the robot's frame. Clint spoke up again, "Uh, the package is airborne? Was it supposed to do that?" Ultron punched him to the ground. "Well, I got a clean shot."
"Negative. I am still in the truck!" Natasha shot back. Steve got up, grabbed Ultron by the shoulders and slammed him into the opposite wall of the train car.
Clint scoffed, "What the fuck are you—"
"Just be ready! I'm sending the package to you."
"Alright. How do you want me to take it?"
"Uh, you might wish you hadn't asked that."
"Regret it already."
Ultron kicked Steve in the gut, making him crash into the train wall near where they had fallen through initially. He grunted in pain then immediately ducked when Ultron went to punch his head clean off. A shower of sparks from the wall behind him filled the air between them. Ultron followed it up with a right hook, but Steve lifted his shield in time to take the force of the blow. He blocked one more hook, but it gave Ultron an opening to uppercut him in the ribcage. Steve cried out in pain and braced for the follow-up blow, but Ultron was suddenly thrown off of him and down the aisle a bit. Steve stumbled back in surprise and his eyes landed on Pietro Maximof who stood at the end of the train car in a slight crouch.
Ultron stood up quickly, took a step forward, but the railings at the top of the train bent down, glowing red, and blocked the robot from approaching Pietro. Steve sat up from where he had stumbled and spotted Wanda at the end of the train car behind him.
"Please don't do this." Ultron pleaded. He actually looked distressed at how this had turned out.
Wanda spoke up, "What choice do we have?"
Ultron turned and raised a hand. Steve yelled out a warning, but Pietro was already ducking out of the way. Red lasers shot from Ultron's fingers and blew a hole straight through the door, into the front controller's booth, and out the front windshield. Ultron didn't wait around to see his work complete. He kicked down another set of train doors and flew out.
"Shit." Steve grabbed his shield and leaped over the barrier Wanda had created. He needed to get to the front. "I lost him! He's headed your way!"
"Tash, we gotta go!" Clint warned in Steve's ear. Steve glanced down at the sparking train controls and checked for a pulse on the conductor who was passed out on the floor. His eyes darted up to see the end of the tracks approaching quickly. Right behind the end barrier, was a street market that was crowded with people. "Natasha!"
Steve grabbed the wall just as the train slammed into the final barrier. The momentum carried it forward through wooden pallets, an empty booth, and some trash. The concrete below did nothing to slow the spinning wheels.
"Steve, do you see Natasha!?"
He tried to look out the front, up at the sky, but he could see nothing through the smoke pillowing from the train's engine. Steve yelled, "If you have the package, get it to Stark! Go!"
"Do you have eyes on Natasha!?" Clint yelled back.
"Clint, go!" Steve barked out the order.
Steve turned to meet the gazes of the twins who stared at him in shock. He hurried toward them and pointed behind himself, "There are civilians in our path. Can you—" Pietro nodded once and in a blur he was gone. Steve focused his attention on Wanda, "Can you stop this thing?"
Wanda blinked at him, panic evident on her features, but it slowly morphed into a firm determination. Her gray eyes beginning to glow red. The young girl threw her hands to the side and he watched the red glow drift to the floor. The train lurched and Steve threw his arm out to catch a woman who nearly fell. He turned his body completely and lifted his shield to block the debris that was rocketing in through the broken front windshield.
Up ahead was a wall and his eyes widened.
"Get down!" He barked to the civilians beside him. Steve held his shield up just as the train went straight through the brick wall. Something heavy hit him dead on and it sent him flying back. Steve shakily got back to his feet and felt a breath of relief fall from his lips as he noticed the train slowing significantly. Another moment passed and they came to a complete stop in the middle of a busy street. He leaned against the wall to catch his breath and prayed that Pietro had managed to get civilians clear of the train.
Steve pushed himself up and stepped off the train. His eyes darted up, looking in the sky for something, but the clear skies put dread in his stomach. Clint didn't have Natasha on the quinjet, and she sure as hell wasn't with him. He clenched his jaw in frustration then whipped around to look for the twins.
They were off to the side. Pietro was bent over, leaning against the wall, trying to catch his breath while his sister held him up and spoke softly. The boy stumbled back and dropped to sit on a bike rack with a shake of his head, "I'm fine. Just need a minute."
"I'm tempted not to give you one." Steve called out. Both twins stiffened at his voice. Wanda took a step to stand in front of her brother who was still struggling to catch his breath. The kid had pushed his powers to the extreme it seemed.
Wanda held a hand out, a warning not to come closer, "The cradle. Did you get it?"
Steve slid his shield onto his back and held his own hands out as a message that he meant no harm. Wanda relaxed a bit and allowed him to step closer. Steve nodded his head to the girl, "Stark will take care of it."
Wanda's eyes widened, and he watched a flash of red circle her iris, "No, he won't."
Steve glanced over at Pietro who looked at him with the same alarm as his sister. He glanced back at Wanda, "You don't know what you're talking about. Stark's a good man."
"He will do anything to make things right!" Wanda argued. She wasn't wrong about that. Tony was the kind of guy to go to extreme measures to right a wrong. Steve knew that. He stepped away and tried to hail someone on the comm line. He got no response from anyone though. Worry began to bubble up in Steve's gut. Tony's words from two days ago rang out in his mind, 'I have to keep trying. It's who I am. I can see a better future, for us, for the world, and I'm not going to stop trying to build it.'
Steve sighed, "Shit."
"Ultron can't tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it. Where do you think he gets that?" Wanda questioned.
Steve looked back at her at the statement, firm in his resolve, "You don't know Tony Stark."
"We know all we need to know about Stark." Pietro finally stood up.
Steve glanced from one twin to the other. They were kids. The file said they'd turn 18 later on this year. Kids shouldn't have to be dealing with the kind of bullshit he had to deal with. Steve thought by dealing with all this it would keep it out of the hands of people like Wanda and Pietro, but that's not what fate had in store for them. They had been dealt a bad hand, a fucked-up hand, and both kids were just trying to do the best they could with it.
"I know what happened to you. To your parents." Steve said slowly. "And I know you blame Tony. Hell, I know that Tony blames Tony. But the world is bigger than you think, and it's filled with terrible people. People who actually deserve that kind of blame." Steve shook his head at them. "Stark's name may have been on the weapon, but he didn't pull that trigger."
The twins glanced at one another, but they didn't say anything back to him. Steve sighed again and tried to get his head on straight. Ultron was still out there. The Cradle was on its way to Stark. Natasha was MIA.
Steve motioned for the twins to follow him, "Come on. You're riding with me."
We spent the rest of the day driving around and staying on the run. Bucky didn't feel comfortable staying in one place, but I was okay with that. Staying on the road, driving around Bucharest, wasn't so bad because it calmed Bucky down. It broke down that wall he seemed to have built over night and we were laughing again at small jokes and talking like old friends.
In fact, I was really starting to relax and enjoy this odd moment on the run until I spotted a familiar sign on the side of highway. I couldn't read Romanian, but luckily, they put pictures of a plane on signs for idiots like me.
"Bucky." I said and glanced over to see his face had become solemn as he stared ahead at the road. The sun had already set so I only saw his features every few seconds with the passing of a streetlight. "Don't."
He shook his head, still looking only ahead, "You knew this had to happen."
"Not like this." I replied. "Not yet. I haven't…"
I haven't figured out how to take you home with me.
There was still too much I needed to convince him of, and I didn't have any idea where to start. What was the magic sentence I could say that would get him on the plane with me? Was there any way I could knock him out and drag him on with me as carry on? I spent the next ten minutes trying to think of something, but even when he parked our stolen car in a large lot I had nothing.
"Aj…" Bucky said.
The car was parked at the edge of lot, far from a light, so the only thing we had to light our faces were from the car's dashboard. Bucky's face was blank, but there was that old sadness in his eyes. Staring at him from this angle, it reminded me again of being in the bunker. The first time I ever saw him, seeing that deep sadness that seemed to radiate from him. All I wanted was to chase that sadness away.
"You have to go home."
"We have to go home."
"Aj, no."
I turned in my seat to face him head on, and I pleaded with him, "Come with me."
"I can't."
"Yes, you can!"
"Aj—"
"Listen to me." I held out my right hand to touch his chest. He stiffened but I ignored it. "I get it, okay? You think you're some monster undeserving of love, but you're wrong. You think you aren't worth the effort, but you're wrong. You think Steve could never forgive you, but you're wrong!" I sucked in a sharp breath and shook my head. "Bucky, it took me ages to figure it out but—but—I learned that you can't heal alone. That's what the Avengers gave me. They gave me the environment I needed to heal. Support and love and understanding. That's what you need, that's what we want to give you!"
Bucky clenched his jaw once then climbed out of the car. I turned to sit back on the seat, facing forward, and watched Bucky walk around the hood of the car. I was half tempted to lock the car door, but I knew it wouldn't keep him out for very long and it'd be nice to not look like a petulant child as I tried to argue for him to come home with me.
He pulled the door open and leaned against the frame. I looked up at him, and Bucky offered me a small smirk, "Are you gonna make me carry you out of the car, doll?"
"If you promise to get on the plane with me then I promise to actually walk." Maybe I could be a little bit of a petulant child.
Bucky chuckled and leaned back then offered me his hand. I took it and let him pull me up and out of the car. He kept hold of my hand and pulled my bag over his own shoulder. As we walked across the parking lot I kept trying to find the right set of words to say.
"You need people, Bucky." I said, squeezing his hand once. "You won't be able to heal if you just keep wandering the European countryside all alone."
Bucky didn't even act like he had heard me. We got into the crowd right outside the main doors of the airport. It was well lit here, but his face was still just as blank. He dragged me into the building and didn't seem to be bothered at all by my unhurried feet.
With a huff, I dug my heels into the ground and he finally stopped. I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to use such a low blow, but I was getting desperate. Bucky raised an eyebrow at me, and I nodded, "Steve wants you to come home. More than anything. You being out here alone with HYDRA on your back is killing him."
Bucky's face flinched like I had physically hit him, and it made me wanna throw myself off a building for doing it to him. He nodded once, "I know. I know." God, I hated myself. I opened my mouth to argue, but he stepped closer and continued, "But the last time I saw him, I tried to kill him. I nearly did. Aj, I shot him. Twice. The second time was in his back right through his gut."
"That wasn't you. You didn't shoot him. That was the soldier." I shook my head. Steve had told me this story more than once. It was a late night/early morning conversation topic after our Netflix binge and goofing off. "Bucky Barnes saved his life. You pulled him out of that river."
Bucky let out a sad chuckle, "Doll, that's a nuance. He was in that river because of me."
"Buck—"
"Let's go." Bucky continued to pull me across the crowded lobby until the ticket desks were in sight. Before he could drag me into the line, I yanked my hand out of his. Bucky sighed and turned around to look at me, "Please."
I shook my head, "What's your plan here? Have me buy a ticket and then leave me in the airport alone?" Another low blow. "What if someone comes for me? Vincent?"
Bucky shook his head, "Did you see the car that followed us here?"
"W—What?" I narrowed my eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"Your friend." Bucky responded. "The one from the clinic. Her and some other girl were following us in a silver honda. I let them."
My eyes widened in shock, "Why would you—?!"
Bucky shrugged, "Like you said. I can't have you here alone, but I can't come with you."
Now, I was just angry. The frustration and desperation had boiled down to my default emotion. I shoved his chest with my right hand, "Why? Bucky, why? Why are you being so stubborn about this? Why can't you let me help you?"
"I don't—"
"Don't deserve it?" I scoffed. My lower lip quivered, and I bit down on it hard to try and reign in my emotions. "You said you wouldn't leave me alone, and here you are trying to do it again."
Pain flashed in Bucky's eyes again and guilt settled in my gut. He shook his head slowly, "That's not fair, doll."
I crossed my right arm over the arm in a sling in a poor attempt to try and bring myself comfort. I couldn't hug my chest properly though. Not without making my shoulder ache. Bucky still looked hurt and I hated that I caused it. I shook my head, "Just… Give me a real reason, Bucky. I don't wanna hear that you think you don't deserve it. You're a good man who deserves the chance to heal, and every Avenger wants that for you."
"You're wrong." Bucky said softly. "Stark doesn't want me there."
I blinked in confusion, "Tony? You're wrong. Tony is—is—he's amazing. He's the kind of guy who do anything for the people he loves. Just because you're friends with Steve I know he'll do everything and anything to help you, Bucky. Tony is—"
"You don't understand. I can't be around him."
"Do you not like him?" I asked. It never felt that way when Tony came up in conversation, but then again we didn't talk about him often. Bucky always seemed to avoid asking about that Avenger. I shook my head, "Why? He isn't what the media portrays him as, I promise. I know he gets a bad rap, but—"
Bucky nodded, "I know."
"Then what is it? I don't understand—"
Bucky suddenly reached out and grabbed the sides of my arms. He squeezed lightly with a look of guilt-stricken horror in his eyes. Bucky spoke so quietly I almost didn't catch it, "I killed his parents, Aj." It felt like the air had been sucked out of my lungs. Hell, out of the damn room. I misheard him. That wasn't right. "Howard and Maria Stark. I killed them."
"No." I shook my head, "No. Tony's parents died in a car crash. He told me about it when I was—was mourning my mom, I— It was an accident. A car crash, Bucky." The man in front of me just shook his head and a cold, dawning realization settled in me. Oh my God. Oh my God. "The Winter Soldier…"
"HYDRA sent me to kill them. To frame it as a car crash. I killed his parents." Bucky repeated. "That's one of the many reasons why I can't go back to New York. How can I face Howard's son knowing what I did? He'd shoot me on sight, and I would deserve it."
I shook my head, "Bucky, no—"
"Some people aren't meant to heal, Aj. I think some people are supposed to suffer. It's the price to pay, and I have a never ending debt to pay." I wanted to argue otherwise, but my brain was still reeling. Tony didn't know what really happened to his parents. To his mother. Oh, God. I felt like I was going to be sick. Bucky's hands pulled away from me. He took a step back. "You're going to go back home. I'm not going with you. And… And I don't think we should keep in touch with one another."
Another solid blow that had me spiraling.
"What?"
"Talking over the phone like we do. It isn't good for you—for either of us." Bucky said firmly. "I got rid of the phone. You need to live your life separate from me."
Desperate, I stepped forward and cupped his face with both my hands. Sling be damned. I could feel the burn in my shoulder, but I didn't care. I just cupped his face like I had done last night. Bucky refused to meet my eye line though. I held on tight. As if he would slip away if I didn't, "Don't do this. Bucky, I'm sorry for pushing, I just wanted to—I wanted to try and help you, but it was too much too fast and I'm sorry. I'm sorry." I was pleading now. Losing this last connection to him didn't just mean I was losing a friend. It meant I was losing Steve's family. He'd slip away in the wind and God knows what would happen to him before Steve found him again. If he ever did. "Please. I am so sorry, Bucky."
"You don't have anything to be sorry for." He smiled but still refused to look me in the eyes. I babbled more pathetic apologies and pleaded more and more, but it did nothing. Finally, he lifted his gaze to look me straight in the eyes. All I saw was resolution. Determination. I saw an unspoken good-bye. "Aj?"
I shook my head, "Bucky, don't do this."
"I know I don't deserve to ask, but can you promise me something?" Bucky asked softly. He paused, his eyes tracing all around my face before coming back to my eyes. He gave me a sad smile, "Promise me you'll keep yourself safe."
I swallowed hard and bobbed my head up and down once. Bucky's smile grew, but I just felt sick. He set his hands on top of mine. Bucky turned his head to press a kiss to my right palm, his lips hesitating there for just a second, then he pulled my hands away from his face. I shook my head, calling out to him again, but he just carefully tucked my left arm back into the sling and set my bookbag down by my feet.
"Stay safe, doll."
He walked past me, and I felt frozen. How had I fucked this up so badly? Panic slammed into me and I whipped around to try and find him. This isn't how this would end. I wouldn't let it. Bucky wasn't in sight though. Quickly, I threw the bookbag over my right shoulder and went searching. People glanced at me, shooting me worried gazes, and it was probably because I looked like a mad woman.
A hand gripped my right wrist, spinning me around, and a part of me hoped it was Bucky coming back because he regretted the good-bye. Instead, I came face to face with an unfamiliar face. Her black hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail and her brown eyes were wide and excited. She had a bandage on her jawline and a bow and arrow hanging from her shoulder. Beside her sat a happy-go-lucky golden retriever.
"Wow! You look just like you do on Instagram, you know?" She chirped with a grin. "I figured it was just filters, but you're a babe!"
I couldn't even bring myself to snatch my hand away or slip into attack mode. I just stared in disbelief. The disbelief turned to relief when a familiar face popped around her shoulder. It was Daisy. She looked tired and she had a black eye from where I elbowed her in the nose.
"If you run again, I swear to God I'm using my powers on you." Daisy threatened.
"What…What are you doing here?"
The stranger shrugged and let go of me, "Looking for you, duh."
"Who are you?" I furrowed my eyebrows at her.
"Oh!" She chuckled. "My bad, my name is Kate. Kate Bishop. I'm Hawkeye."
Suddenly, the bandage on the jaw, chipper attitude, and the bow slung over her shoulder made a lot more sense. I shook my head, "Oh my God, there's two of you."
"You know, that's what Mr. Stark said, but I don't see it?" Kate crossed her arms. "I mean, that can't be a compliment. Clint's a walking trash fire."
Daisy held her hand up with a frown, "I'm here with Mac and Fitzsimmons going after Vincent Morgan. Clint sent Kate to get you when I wasn't doing it fast enough."
"Clint sent you?!" My eyes snapped back to Kate. "He knows I'm here?"
Daisy sighed, "Yeah, he called me asking if you were in Romania and I couldn't exactly lie to him." I opened my mouth, but she seemed to catch my question before I needed to voice it. "I don't think the other Avengers know you're out here. I'd be getting a lot more phone calls if they did."
Kate clapped her hands once, "So, we heading out now or are you gonna make us wrestle you in a very public airport? I'm cool with either, not gonna lie. This is the most excitement Lucky and I have had in four months."
At his name, the dog perked up and glanced at his owner. I took a second to look around the airport again. The crowds were still milling about, at their own leisure and business, but Bucky was nowhere in sight. I knew I had no chance at finding the man unless he chose to let me. The burner phone sitting in my bookbag felt like a useless paperweight.
"Aj?" I whipped back around to see Daisy shooting me a look of worry. She repeated herself, "I asked if you were ok?"
Her eyes darted to my arm. I nodded once, "Got hit in the shoulder. It's fine now."
"And…Bucky?" Daisy added. My eyes widened in alarm and she reached out to set a hand on my non-wounded shoulder, "I did some research into who you might be with. Where did he go?"
"He left." I replied quietly.
"I'm sorry." Daisy offered. She knew he was important to me. It was something we had talked about through text messages once ages ago. "Is he okay?"
I gave her a tight smile, "I don't know."
Daisy, sensing my slowly crumbling resolve, stepped forward and pulled me into a tight hug. I wrapped my right arm around her and melted into it. They weren't the arms I wanted, but comfort was comfort.
"I'm sorry I hit you in the face." I mumbled.
Daisy pulled away with a smirk, "I forgive you, but do it again and I'm not holding back." She reached into her leather jacket's pocket and pulled out my bracelets. I chuckled and took them from her just as her phone began to ring. Daisy pulled that out next and gave me a sheepish look, "Uh, it's Clint. Do you wanna talk to him or…?"
"I think I'll push off our reunion a little longer." I replied. She nodded once and stepped away to answer the call. I struggled to try and get my bracelets on and Kate was kind enough to step forward and help me out. I shot her a curious glance, "So how do you know Clint?"
Kate shrugged, "He saved me from a tight spot. My life was kind of in shambles at that point anyways, so I decided to get into the saving people business. Long story short we then took out the guy who kind of ruined my life and I got stuck in a safe house."
"He adopted you then?" I asked with a chuckle.
"That's one way to phrase it."
I resisted the urge to make a 'sisters' joke. She must have been in the safe house the Avengers went to after the shitshow with Ultron. Lucky leaned forward to lick my right hand which was resting at my side. I gave the cutie a small smile and began to scratch his head.
Daisy came back a moment with a look of worry on her features. My eyebrows furrowed and she hesitated before speaking, "Okay, so, I told Clint we got you. He was relieved. But…"
"But what, Daisy?" I pressed, my hand going still in Lucky's fur.
"Ultron has Natasha." Daisy replied and I felt my blood run cold. "She's okay, she got a message out to Clint. Apparently, he took her to Sokovia. That's where the final fight is gonna be it looks like."
Ultron had Natasha. The final fight was coming. I had never hyperventilated before but it sure as hell felt like I was about to start. Daisy grabbed my hand and tried to drag me away, but I snatched my hand away, "No."
"Aj—"
"You have to help them." I shook my head. "Where are they now?"
"Clint called me from the quinjet. They're on their way to Sokovia now."
I nodded once, "You and Kate have to go to Sokovia. They're gonna need all the help they can get. Take Mac and Fitzsimmons too and call Coulson and the others."
"Aj, my mission is to get you home. Between Kate and I we only have one working quinjet here." Daisy replied firmly. "And I sure as hell can't take you to Sokovia with us. The Avengers would stop fighting Ultron just to kill me."
I pointed behind me, "I'm at the airport. I'll take a flight home like planned." Daisy looked like she wanted to argue further but I shot her a look. "Daisy, you know I'm right. Ultron isn't going to stop until he destroys everything. Babysitting me is a waste of time."
There was a tense moment where Daisy and I just stared off at one another while Kate let her own eyes dart between us. Finally, she caved. Daisy sighed and stepped forward to put her hands on both my arms. I tried not to think about the fact that Bucky just said good-bye to me in a similar fashion. She shook her head, "Aj, please. Get on a plane and go home. No funny business. I'm calling someone to meet you at the airport in New York. Okay?"
"No funny business." I nodded in agreement. Every part of me wanted to run and stay in Romania. I wasn't leaving this country without Bucky, but… I couldn't do that to the others. They were about to go into a huge fight and the last thing I needed was any of them distracted by me doing something stupid. As much as I wanted Bucky, I also wanted to be home to greet them when they got back.
If they got back.
If I got them back.
Bruce let his eyes gaze over the Cradle again. It sat in the center of the lab. The same place where only two days ago they all fought over the creation of Ultron in the first place. There was something about these past three days that felt like both the shortest and longest of his life. His eyes lifted to Clint who sat quietly in the corner and deep in thought. Clint had come back and he had come back without Natasha.
The doors slid open and Bruce glanced back to see Tony come in. He stepped away from the cradle, "Any news on Nat?"
"Not yet." Tony shook his head. "She's not with Steve, but if Ultron has her she's gotta be alive. He'd be rubbing our faces in it if she wasn't."
Bruce nodded in disappointment and motioned back to the cradle, "It's sealed tight. We'll have to access the program and open it from the inside."
Tony crossed the room to stand beside Clint. He clapped his hand on the archer's shoulder, "You alright, Barton?"
"I asked Steve if he had eyes on her and he told me to go." Clint replied in a dangerous tone. Hawkeye was angry, that was clear, but more so he was scared. Bruce could see it from all the way over here. There was a tension in his frame that he didn't see often. Bruce knew he was worried about Natasha, but he also wondered if there was something else bothering him.
"Hey, come on, man. Think. Past is past." Tony said firmly. "Any chance Nat would leave you a message? Outside the internet? I know the two of you have a billion different ways of getting in touch with one another."
Clint swallowed hard then stood, "Yeah. Yeah, there is. I'll find her." Clint turned to leave the room, "I'll find her."
Bruce sighed and activated the program on the screen in front of him. He went back to the cradle to key in a code, "I can work on tissue degeneration if you could fry whatever operational system Cho implanted."
"Yeah, about that."
Bruce's head snapped up at the familiar tone that Tony used. The man stood at the end of the cradle with a hand scratching the back of his neck. His brown eyes stared at him, unblinking, and Tony raised one eyebrow. Bruce immediately stepped back from the cradle, "No."
"You have to trust me." Tony held a hand out.
"Kind of don't." Bruce held his own hands out and began to backpedal away.
"Our ally, the guy protecting the military's nuclear codes—" Tony began, and Bruce leaned onto the cradle's side in exasperation. "I found him."
Tony threw his hand out, and a golden light filled the room. Bruce looked up and his eyes widened at the sight of JARVIS. His program was no longer shattered into pieces and Bruce suddenly understood the grin Tony wore.
"Hello, Dr. Banner." JARVIS greeted.
"Ultron didn't go after JARVIS because he was angry. He attacked him because he was scared of what he can do." Tony said. He shrugged, "So JARVIS went underground. Scattered, dumped his memory. But nothis protocols." Tony raised his eyebrows at that, and Bruce began to walk closer to where JARVIS was in interest. Tony pointed to the golden orb, "He didn't even know he was in there until I pieced him together."
Bruce scoffed and shook his head. Tony didn't need to explain any further. The doctor knew exactly what his friend wanted to do. Bruce readjusted his glasses before speaking, "So you want me—" He pointed to himself, "— to help you—" He pointed to Tony, "—put JARVIS into this thing?"
"No! Of course not!" Tony scoffed then pointed to him. "I wanna help you put JARVIS in this thing." Bruce threw his hands up then let them bury into his hair. Tony gave him a sheepish grin, "We're out of my field here. You know bio-organics better than anyone."
Bruce shook his head, "And you just assume that JARVIS's operational matrix can beat Ultron's?"
"JARVIS has been beating him from inside without knowing it." Tony argued defensively as he began to walk around the cradle. "This is the opportunity! We can create Ultron's perfect self without the homicidal glitches he thinks are his winning personality. We have to!"
"I believe its worth a go." JARVIS added.
Bruce opened his mouth, but only noiseless breaths came out. He finally let out a loud laugh and threw his hands up, "I'm in a loop! I'm caught in a time loop. This is where it all went wrong."
"I know, I know. I know what everyone's gonna say. But they're already saying it." Tony grabbed Bruce's shoulders. "We're mad scientists. We're monsters, buddy. We've gotta own it." Bruce let out a slow sigh as he weighed the pros and cons in his head. This was what he meant when he called these days the longest of his life. Tony shook his head once, "This isn't a loop, Bruce. It's the end of the line."
Bruce paused, mumbled a curse under his breath, and then the two went to work.
The moment the quinjet landed in the spare location, Steve was on the move. Both Wanda and Pietro tailed behind him. All of his messages to the Tower had been ignored or dismissed and that almost irritated him more than the idea of Tony going for Ultron 2.0.
As he got to the lab floor, he could hear Tony and Bruce talking. Steve picked up his pace until he got to the edge of the lab where he saw Tony working on a computer and Bruce working over the cradle which was plugged into various electronic towers and other machinery.
"Stark!" He barked.
Tony looked up casually, not halting in his typing, "Oh hey, Cap. I thought I told you I wasn't a fan of that tone of voice."
"And I thought I told you not to build another Ultron." Steve retaliated.
"This isn't another Ultron, and I told you I wasn't going to stop so…" Tony shrugged. He gave him a sheepish smile, "I also sent you a memo it's just in the mail. Give it 3-5 days."
Steve felt his anger bristle, "Tony, shut it the hell down."
"Nope." Tony replied and moved to work on another machine.
"You don't know what you're doing!"
Bruce stepped forward with narrowed eyes, "And you do?" Steve was surprised by the tone, but then he watched Bruce's eyes shift to the people behind him with a glare. "She's not in your head."
Wanda stepped out from behind him, "I know you're angry—"
"Oh, we're way past that." Bruce scoffed. He pointed the glasses in his hands toward her, "I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade."
Steve shook his head, "Ultron is—"
"Ultron is the end of us!" Tony yelled. "This is the answer, Steve. Don't you get it? This isn't a fight we win."
The words were so similar to what Ultron said to him on the train. It gave him pause, and for the first moment in a very long time, Steve felt doubt toward his friend's intentions. He hated it. He hated that his mind went there, but it couldn't be helped. Steve shook his head, "I'm not letting you do this, Tony."
"I'm not going to let you stop me, Steve!" Tony barked back.
A blur blew past him, flew around the room tossing up papers and trash, and then it stopped. Pietro stood by the end of the cradle holding a large power plus, and all the other plugs and machines were undone or off. He shrugged and tossed the cord in his hand aside, "No, no. Go on. Keep arguing, please."
The sound of one shot being fired filled the air and Steve watched Pietro fall through the glass with a surprised cry. Wanda called out for him and ran over to the broken glass he had gone through. Steve jogged forward just to check on the kid, and he spotted Pietro on the ground with annoyance on his features as Clint stood over him.
"What? Didn't see that coming?" Clint scoffed. He looked up and the moment their eyes met, the archer shot him a narrowed glare then turned and disappeared. Steve didn't have long to focus on that though. Alarms began to go off around the lab.
"I'm rerouting the upload."
"I said, stop!" Steve threw his shield and it bounced around the room sending sparks from the machines it hit. The shield came back to him just as Tony called for one of his gauntlets and then they stood off against one another. Steve's shield at the ready and Tony's gauntlet glowing in his direction.
It was disheartening.
Steve knew they were in for a lifetime of arguments but this was different. He didn't like facing off against Tony like this and, based on the look Tony wore, his friend didn't like it any better. At the same time though, neither one would lower their arms.
They didn't want to fight one another, but they refused to defer to the other.
It was an unstoppable force meeting an immoveable object.
Clint suddenly entered the room and stepped between the two of them. Tony lowered his arm and Steve lowered his shield. At first, he thought that was Clint's entire goal, to stop them from killing one another, but the archer didn't stop. He crossed the space and Steve's eyes narrowed in confusion for a second before Clint's fist slammed into his face.
Steve staggered back with eyes scrunched in pain and hand to his nose. Clint stepped toward him again, Steve opened his eyes preparing for more, but pointed at him instead, "I asked if you had eyes on Natasha." He growled the words out between clenched teeth. "I asked if you had eyes on Natasha and you should've fucking answered me, Rogers."
Guilt slammed into his chest. Steve couldn't even bring himself to be angry. Natasha was in the hands of Ultron, and if the roles had been reversed, if Steve had asked about Aj only to get a command to flee the scene… He'd be throwing punches too.
"I'm sorry, Clint." Steve said firmly. He could see the anger simmering from Clint's features. The punch had helped. Steve's eyes darted to Tony who was working again.
Wanda scoffed, "Tony Stark."
She threw out her hands and the red glow shot out to hit both Bruce and Tony. It threw both men onto their backs and Wanda's glowing red eyes glared down at the cradle. She slowly began to press her hands together and Steve watched as the cradle began to crumple. It was Bruce who was the first up, and surprisingly it was Bruce who sprinted across the short space to tackle the girl to the ground. Pietro was back on this floor quick and Steve saw the beginnings of another fight brewing.
It was all interrupted when rumbling thunder echoed in from outside and a familiar figure crashed through the glass wall and into the room. Steve narrowed his eyes in shock, "Thor!?"
Thor didn't hesitate or offer explanations. He leapt onto the cradle and held his hammer in the air to collect lightning. Pietro covered his sister as the bright, crackling flow of electricity was absorbed into the hammer. Thor swung Mjolnir down and sent all of the lightning straight into the cradle. Everyone in the room just watched in shock as the god of thunder worked. Steve couldn't tell which side of the argument Thor was currently working for. Was the lightning bringing life or ending it?
Silence filled the room when Thor stopped. Steve's question was answered when the cradle exploded outward throwing Thor straight into the ceiling then back onto the ground. Steve stared as a man crouched on the edge of the cradle surrounded by a cloud of smoke. His skin was a an odd red-purple with accents of silver following the lines of muscles he had. The figure slowly stood, looking around the room like a startled animal, and Steve's eyes darted between the blue of the man's eyes and the glowing yellow stone in the center of his forehead.
The man suddenly leapt forward at Thor and the god of thunder caught him briefly only to swing him around and through the lab's glass wall. The man went careening through the air only to come to a jarring stop by the penthouse's viewing window.
Everybody rushed out of the lab to get closer. Steve jumped from the window with his shield and landed on his toes ready to fight. Thor, who stood only a few feet ahead, threw his hand back signaling them to not approach.
The figure floated in the air for a moment, staring out the window, then it turned and drifted toward them. His skin changed to a dark, textured gray. It made him look like he had on a body suit of some kind. He landed beside Thor and slowly looked at everyone in the room, "I am sorry. That was odd." Steve felt his eyes widened in surprise as he listened to this man speak in JARVIS's voice. "Thank you."
The man shrugged and a golden cape descended down his back. Steve shook his head, "Thor? What's going on?"
"I had a vision." Thor replied. "A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life and at its center—" He pointed to the glowing, yellow rock. "—is that."
Bruce stepped forward, "What, the gem?"
"It's the mind stone. One of the six Infinity Stones."
Tony crossed his arms, "Why does that sound like something you'd collect from various cereal boxes?"
"They're the most powerful forces in the universe. Unparalleled in their destructive capabilities."
Steve shook his head, warily looking over the mysterious figure now wielding one of those unparalleled destructive forces, "Then why would you bring it to life?"
"Because Stark is right." Thor replied.
Everyone slowly glanced over at Tony who also looked equally as surprised at Thor's statements. Clint shook his head, "Oh God, the world really is ending."
"The Avengers can't defeat Ultron." Thor continued.
"Not alone." The man walked forward.
Steve didn't let his guard down, "Why does your vision sound like JARVIS?"
"We reconfigured JARVIS's matrix to create something new." Tony met the vision halfway and they both glanced at one another. He kept walking, turning to face Steve, but Tony just continued to stare.
The vision shook his head, "You think I'm a child of Ultron."
"You're not?" Steve questioned skeptically. He couldn't risk it all on this new guy. He needed to know for sure that the creature now wielding this infinity stone wasn't going to turn on them mid-battle.
"I am not Ultron. I am not JARVIS. I am… I am."
Tony and Bruce shared a skeptical look with one another. Wanda was the next to speak up, her hands were held at the ready, red light dancing between her finger tips, and her brother stood only a step behind her, "I looked in your head and saw annihilation."
"Look again."
Clint scoffed loudly, "Yeah, glowstick's seal of approval means jackshit to me."
"Their powers", Thor called attention back to him, "The horrors in our head, Ultron himself, they all came from the mind stone, and they're nothing compared to what can be unleashed. But with it on our side—"
Steve tilted his head, "Is it?" He focused his eyes on the vision. "Are you?"
"I don't think it's that simple." His face scrunched up in thought.
"It better get real simple, real soon." Clint snapped.
"I am on the side of life, Ultron isn't. He will end it all."
Tony crossed his arms again, "What's he waiting for?"
"You."
"Where?" Bruce pressed.
Clint turned to look at the twins, "Sokovia." The kids' eyes widened in alarm. "He's got Tasha there too. She's okay right now, but we need to get there yesterday."
Steve stepped forward so he was right in front of the odd man. He narrowed his eyes, "If you are a threat—if you are what Ultron designed you to be, I'll—"
"You'll what?" The man tilted his head curiously. There was a tense pause before he spoke again. "I do not want to kill Ultron, but his pain will decimate this Earth. He has to be destroyed, every trace of him, and we cannot do so without one another. All of us. Together."
Another tense moment of silence passed when the man reached over and scooped up Mjolnir without missing a beat. Steve's eyes widened as he casually handed it over to Thor, "We must leave as soon as possible."
Thor, mouth agape, took the hammer and nobody followed after the vision as he stepped out of the room. Thor tapped his hammer in his hands a few times then nodded, "Right then. To Sokovia?" He turned to leave and as he passed Tony he clapped him on the shoulder with a smile, "Well done."
Tony still looked startled by this turn of events and by the sudden approval of those around him. Steve sighed and motioned with his hand in a small circle, "Three minutes. Get what you need."
The group hurried to get ready and Steve pointed the twins to some of the lockers where he knew some extra gear would be. He readjusted his shield on his back and sat down on the bench in the locker room. Tony walked up to him and rested one foot on the bench beside him.
"Earlier was…awkward." Tony said. Steve chuckled at the understatement. A beat passed before Tony nodded, "I should, uh, say—"
Steve shook his head with a smirk, "I don't do chick flick moments, Tony."
Tony snorted at the familiar words and clapped his hand on his shoulder. A universal sign that the two of them were good. He pointed at him with his other hand, "That's a damnable lie, Rogers. We all know you live for that gooey emotional shit."
Bruce came over to join them and they began to quickly go over mission specs. After a moment of this Tony cut in, "No way we all get through this." It was the phrase Steve couldn't deny, but was too afraid to voice aloud. "If even one drone is left standing, we've lost. There's gonna be blood on the floor."
"I got no plans tomorrow night." Steve joked and prayed that it really was just a joke. In a perfect world, tomorrow night he'd be sitting on a couch in the new compound watching a new episode of the Walking Dead with Aj. He knew this wasn't a perfect world though.
"I get first crack at the big guy." Tony nodded. "Iron Man's the one he's waiting for."
"That's true." Thor's vision said in passing as he walked by them without missing a beat. "He hates you the most."
Tony blinked in disbelief then slowly turned his head to watch the vision walk into the quinjet casually. He shook his head, "I know it, but does it need to be said?"
Bruce slapped him on the back a few times, and they both boarded the quinjet as well. Steve watched Thor get on followed by Clint, and then the twins passed him. Pietro had changed into a new pair of sneakers and slipped on a new mesh shirt. Wanda had put on Natasha's red leather jacket. He stepped on behind them.
"Ultron knows we're coming." Steve said as Tony lifted them into the air. Clint handed the twins comm pieces to place in their ears. "Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire, but that's what we signed up for. The people of Sokovia? They didn't." His eyes darted to the twins who both glanced down at their feet. "So, our priority is getting them to safety." Steve set his hands on his belt buckle, "We find out what Ultron's been building, we find Romanof, and we clear the field. Keep the fight between us. Ultron thinks we're monsters. That we're what's wrong with this world. This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right."
The quinjet grew quiet as everyone settled down for the long flight ahead of them. It'd take most of the night and they'd get to Sokovia right before dawn. Steve glanced over at Tony who had pulled out his phone. The man tapped it against his hand then nodded to him, "I gotta call Pepper. Always do before…" He paused. "Maybe you should call Aj. She needs to get caught up to date on what's happening anyways."
Steve hadn't thought of that. A part of him didn't think he had the right to call her like that. A pre-mission, 'God I hope this isn't out last talk' call. Once Tony had said it though, he couldn't shake the thought away. Steve took a seat towards the back of the quinjet away from the others. He pulled out his phone and hit her number. The dim background of his screen showed her caller ID picture. A picture he had taken of her when they went out to lunch once and she wasn't paying attention.
The phone rang a multitude of times before going to voicemail. For a second he considered hanging up, but something in him stopped him. Steve cleared his throat and took in a steady breath, "Hey Aj…"
Daisy and Kate had stayed with me until I got a plane ticket then after wishing them luck they disappeared. That had been about half an hour ago and now I sat in coach in a daze. The last minute flight had only had coach tickets left, but I didn't give a damn. It didn't matter anyways. As I sat in my row alone, I felt the weight of the situation actually hit me.
I had lost Bucky. He was gone in the wind and there was no telling how long it would take for someone to find him again or what state he would be in once they did. The Avengers, my makeshift family, were on their way to fight a robot hell bent on their extinction. Natasha was already in the hands of the homicidal program and God knew what he had potentially done to her. My eyes drifted down to stare at the braided bracelets sitting right beside my watch on my left hand. Black and red. Navy and brown.
Regardless of what happened, at the end of this flight I would step off to learn the truth. Either they'd be victors, safe from harm, or I'd never see one of them again. I hated this. Never in my life had I ever felt so useless before. The one thing I had always been able to pride myself on was being a fighter, but there was no fight for me here. There was nothing I could do in this situation except sit on a plane and pray I still had a family when we landed.
I forced my eyes to look out the window to my right. People were still boarding the plane, but they were trickling in now. A few people took the empty seats around me, but my row stayed empty thankfully. Finally, the plane began to peel away from the airport and the stewardess walked the plane through safety procedures. I faced forward and leaned back in my seat for take-off.
We were only in the air for a few minutes, still rising, when I began to look around the cabin to try and catch the eye of a stewardess. They had to have a first aid kit and I wanted all the medications. Something to knock me out for the next 10 hours. I hated any kind of medication that could do that trick, but anything would be better than sitting here stuck in my own head with an aching shoulder.
There was shifting in the row behind me, but I ignored it until a man came to sit at the end of the row, leaving the middle seat empty. I turned to complain, this was my row the guy could take a hike, but my eyes landed on a smug face.
Vincent settled in the seat with an amused smirk. He nodded once at me, "Hey, Small Fry. How're you doing?"
There was a war between panic and disbelief waging in my head. Vincent glanced down the aisle before moving a seat closer so I was trapped between him and the window. He buckled his seatbelt, his smug look not faltering, and I could do nothing but gape at him.
"I'm glad I caught up to you finally. We should talk."
"There is no way my luck is this fucking bad."
