Chapter 35: Peace in Our Time
Ultron spared nothing as his army charged at the Core, and the Avengers spared nothing in return. Standing resolute around the core, they fought as hard as they could against the seemingly endless horde of machines, never allowing a single one near. Steve's shield ricocheted around the church, Adora managing to catch it and smash a drone's head apart, before passing it back to him and continuing to hack at Drones with her Sword.. Hulk and Catra were quite literally tearing drones apart with their bare hands. In fact, Catra's claws were practically shearing through them like butter. Natasha focused on her firearms and stun batons to damage any drones nearby and set them up for another to finish off. Pietro raced back and forth around the area, finishing off any wounded drones with his sheer speed. Wanda's magic was working wonders on restraining drones or just straight up dismantling them. Thor's Lightning would fry their circuits as he crushed their metal frames under his hammer. Tony flew around the church, picking off drones with his repulsers one at a time, even managing to save Adora's skin on more than one occasion. Clint was alternating between his various trick arrows to destroy swarms at a time, and when he didn't have time to notch another arrow, he used his bow as a melee weapon. Vision was flying overhead as well, crushing Drones with his strength, or phasing his hands into them to tear out their circuitry.
Ultron, growing frustrated with his army's continuing failure, raced in on his own to join the battle. He immediately tackled Vision, and the two began to brawl in midair. After magnetically blasting Vision against the wall, he was caught off guard by Vision blasting him with a concentrated beam of energy from the Mind Stone. When the Robot recovered, Thor rushed in and added a continuous blast of Lightning to Vision's attacked, followed swiftly by Tony firing beams from his palms. The combined force of all three blasts began to actually melt, and heavily damage the Vibranium body Ultron was now inhabiting, which forced Ultron to his knees. Once the assault finished, Ultron slowly got to his feet, sparking heavily, and his face now disfigured. "You know…" He began to say, "With the benefit of hindsight-" Hulk never let him finish however, running over and sending him flying with a punch.
The sight of Ultron being sent over the horizon caused his Drones to begin a full retreat. Thor took notice of them beginning to fly and called out to the rest of the team. "They're trying to leave the city!"
"We can't let them, not even one." Tony replied. "Rhodey."
"I'm on it!" Rhodey shouted back, flying over in his War Machine armor and beginning to shoot down any Drone he caught sight of. "Oh no, I didn't say you could leave. War Machine coming at you right-" Adora heard his voice drop as Vision joined the fight as well. "Okay, What?"
Adora chuckled a bit, looking at Catra. "Guess he's still not used to being in the big leagues, huh?"
"Is that boasting Adora?" Catra teased. "Guess being with the Avengers let you out of your shell."
Steve then walked over to the others. "We gotta move out. Even I can tell the air is getting thin." He told them. "You all get to the boats. I'll sweep for stragglers, be right behind you."
"What about the core?" Clint asked, motioning to it.
"I'll protect it." Wanda chimed in, sounding confident in herself. "It's my job."
"I'll stay with you." Catra added, walking over to her. "You're powerful, but it'd be good to have someone watching your back." Everyone else nodded and headed for the Lifeboats, Adora remaining. "Adora, move your ass."
"I'm not leaving you two here!" Adora sternly told her.
Pietro then ran over as well. "We're not leaving either of you."
"We can handle ourselves." Wanda stated, casually blasting apart another Drone. "Come back to get us once everyone else is off."
"NOT before." Catra added, glancing at Adora who was getting worried. "I'll be fine Adora. Trust me."
"You stay alive, you hear me Catra?" Adora said, starting to head to the city. "I'll never be able to forgive myself if you die." Though she left, Pietro remained, groaning before starting to walk away.
"You understand?" Wanda asked her brother, who turned around with a smirk.
"You know, I'm 12 minutes older than you." He snarked.
Wanda simply returned his grin, chuckling. "Go!" He nodded and zipped off into the city.
"You know Maximoff. You're lucky." Catra deadpanned, ripping off the head of a drone.
"What makes you say that, Catra?" Wanda asked her.
Catra looked back at her. "Pietro. You've got a good family." She explained. "My only family is a brainwashed killer and my late mother."
"You lost your mother as well?" Wanda asked. "Pietro and I were pinned beneath a Stark Industries missile that destroyed our house. Killed our parents."
"My mother was possessed by an Eldritch God and abused me Physically and emotionally for my entire life." Catra admitted, Wanda looking at her in shock. "Turns out it was to 'protect me' from the God trying to steal my body."
"That is still terrible, Catra." Wanda told her, her voice going gentle and almost motherly.
"Yeah, yeah it is." Catra sighed, looking to the sky. "Even still, I try to remember the good times I had with her, before that monster took over."
"You still have Adora." Wanda pointed out.
"You're damn right I do." Catra laughed, sitting down on a part of the church.
"She is important to you?" Wanda asked her.
Catra smirked. "More important than the world. I love her."
Adora had fallen behind Nat and Clint as she ran through the city, headed for the Lifeboats. She continually worried for Catra as she ran past the market. On her way, though, she heard the screaming of a terrified Child. Her mind went right into Mission mode, and she bolted in the direction of the crying, finding a lost boy in the rubble, hanging from a railing. She quickly pulled the boy up, who was briefly panicked at being grabbed. "Hey, look at me, you're safe." The child looked up at her. "My name is Adora, what's yours."
"C-Costel." the child told her.
"Alright, listen Costel, we're going to get you back to your family okay?" Adora said, reaching for her communicator. "This is Adora, I've found a lost child in the Market. I'm gonna bring her to the lifeboats with me."
"I'm coming your way Adora!" Clint shouted. "Keep your head down! Ultron's hijacked the Quinjet!"
Adora's heart began to race, terror gripping her. She knew what the Quinjet was armed with, and her fears were made even worse as she heard the roar of its engines. Turning to see the other Avengers nearby having to duck for cover, the Quinjet closed in and fired its Miniguns. Everything seemed to slow down as the bullet impacts got closer and closer to her. Adora decided that if this was going to be the end, she's make sure at least the child was safe. She turned her back to the bullets and placed her body between Ultron and the young boy, bracing for the bullets.
Until a gust of wind shot past her, and she heard the bullets impacting flesh, but felt no pain. She slowly opened her eyes in confusion, and realized she had been moved behind an upturned car. She looked around in shock, wondering how she had moved. And then she noticed Pietro standing over. Her eyes widened, tears forming when she saw his body riddled with bullet wounds, the young Sokovian looking at her.
He smiled weakly at Adora, visibly struggling to stand. "You didn't see that coming?" He managed to say, before breathing his last and collapsing to the ground, dying right in front of her. Adora was left in stunned silence as the other Avengers quickly ran to her side. Thor took off into the sky after Ultron, as Steve and Clint checked for any signs of life, only to find none. Adora was in too much shock to move, so as Clint grabbed the child from her arms. Steve gave Adora a shake, bringing her to her senses. He reached to pick up Pietro's body, but Adora stopped him.
"Please, let me…" She quietly said, lifting Pietro's body in her arms and following behind Clint and Steve silently. Once they made it to the lifeboats, Adora laid Pietro down on the ship's floor, and stared silently at the blood on her now trembling hands.
Poor Adora was devastated. Another ally had been killed in battle. Just like Coulson five years ago…
Catra noticed something strange with Wanda as they fought. She had an utterly distraught look on her face all of a sudden. "Maximoff, what's wrong?" She asked, only to get no reply. "Wanda?!" In response, Wanda fell to her knees and let out a scream of grief, her powers fluctuating and firing off around her, knocking Catra off her feet and destroying several charging Drones. Catra slowly stood up and nervously approached Wanda, resting a hand on her shoulder.
Wanda looked up at Catra, her eyes red from tears. "Pietro…" She quietly said, hanging her head. "Pietro is gone…" Catra was completely speechless, and the only thing she could think of doing was to hug Wanda, who returned the hug.
"I'm sorry…" She said back. When they broke from one another, Wanda looked to the sky, where she and Catra saw Ultron dropping out of the sky, thrown from the Quinjet by the Hulk, into a nearby bus. With a look of quiet fury, Wanda began to head for him. "Wanda? We need to guard the core!" Catra said, but Wanda wasn't listening. With a quick look around, Catra groaned and rushed after her.
Within moments, the two came across Ultron's landing zone. The Once proud machine god now lay in a head, struggling to stay functional, and body heavily damaged. As Wanda slwoly approached him, he could only look at her. Catra could have sworn he had a look of concern on his cold Vibranium face, and he addressed Wanda. "If you stay here...you will die…" His voice carried genuine concern for Wanda's safety. Catra was rather shocked to see the machine was capable of feelings for anyone, but it seemed that it genuinely cared for Wanda.
Wanda however, was unmoved. She glared at him with eyes of hatred. "I just did…" She coldly told him. "Do you know how it felt?" With a single motion, she used her powers to tear out Ultron's Core, his 'heart,' and looked at it, before turning her gaze back to the now inactive Ultron. "It felt like that." She then crushed it in her hands. While the two stared at Ultron's corpse, suddenly everything around them felt lighter. A drone had reached the core, and the city was falling.
"Well, guess this is it…" Catra said. "Tony's gonna set the city off and we're going with it."
"I'm sorry Catra, But with Pietro gone, I had to-" Wanda began to say, as gravity lost its hold on them.
"Don't." Catra told her. "I'm far from Stable myself when I get emotional. You're not half bad Wanda. It was nice knowing you."
"Likewise, Catra." And As Tony fired his Unibeam into the City's core, the two braced for death.
Until Vision appeared from the sky and grabbed Wanda in a bridal carry. "Catra, grab onto me." He calmly said. Not waiting another second, Catra gripped into his waist tightly. Vision then flew away from the city, just as Thor added his own lightning to the City's core, utterly vaporizing the collapsing rock.
Aboard the Helicarrier, Adora was walking by herself, trying to process the day's events, and hoping Wanda and Catra made it off safely. She passed by her mother, who she overheard speaking on a nearby console.
"Hey big guy, we did it. The job's finished. Now I need you to turn this bird around now, okay?" Natasha said, clearly trying to contact the Hulk, who Adora realized was still aboard the Quinjet. "We can't track you in stealth mode. So help me out, I need you to come on back." Before she even finished, communications with the Quinjet were cut off. Adora quickly walked over, and gave her mother a hug. Natasha returned the hug, but never took her eyes off the console.
Pretty soon, Vision arrived and set Wanda and Catra down on the Helicarrier, Catra quickly rushing off to find Adora. Vision however, flew back to the crater where the city once was. As he had expected, he found one final, heavily damaged Ultron drone crawling out, intending to flee. The two stared at one another for several seconds, before Vision addressed the pitiful sight. "You're afraid."
Ultron tilted his head. "Of you?"
"Of Death." Vision specified. "You're the last one."
Ultron took a few steps towards him, mournfully speaking. "You were supposed to be the last. Stark asked for a savior, and settled for a slave…"
"I suppose we are both disappointments." Vision replied.
Ultron gave a bitter chuckle and looked up. "I suppose we are."
"Humans are odd." Vision admitted. "They think Order and Chaos are somehow opposites, and try to control what won't be." Ultron looked on silently as Vision spoke. Vision continued, trying to get through to the being that he held pity for. "But there is grace in their failings. I think you missed that."
"They're doomed." Ultron replied, scoffing and turning his gaze away.
"Yes." Vision conceded, before continuing. "But a thing isn't beautiful because it lasts." Ultron looked back at Vision. "It's a privilege to be among them."
Ultron groaned audibly. "You're unbearably naive…"
"Well...I was born yesterday." Vision noted. Ultron decided then and there to make his final stand and charged at Vision, who powered up his Mind Stone and blasted Ultron apart with a single blast. Giving the charred remains one final, solemn look, Vision flew off to reunite with his new companions. Unbeknownst to him, another figure, clad in grey and purple armor, had been watching the events, and quickly moved over, picking up and examining the head of the drone. She smiled under her purple, bug-shaped helmet and typed something into a gadget on her wrist, teleporting away in a flash.
"And...HOW long has this been in production?" Catra asked dumbfounded, as Adora showed her around the new Avengers Compound, being set-up in Upstate New York.
"I just found out myself. It's a nice place." Adora admitted. "Got nothing on our New York penthouse though."
"Commute's gonna be a bitch." Catra deadpanned, causing Adora to roll her eyes.
"Can't be optimistic about anything can ya?" She asked.
"I can be optimistic about my chances in bed tonight." Catra replied with a smug grin, causing Adora to stifle a laugh. "Ah, got a laugh outta you."
"Shut up Catra." Adora said, still giggling. "You are such a tease."
"But so worth it."
Adora sighed and walked inside with Catra. "You gonna be good with her being part of the team?" She asked.
"Wanda? Yeah we're cool." Catra replied. "Having a near death experience with someone helps build strong bonds." She then looked over at Adora. "What about you? You gonna be okay? Between what she did to you, and watching her brother die…"
"I'll definitely need some time with Doctor Plume." Adora admitted. "Did you see the Garden she's setting up out back?"
"Yeah it's incredible. I swear the woman's got superpowers of her own." Catra replied.
"Superpowers to grow plants?" Adora asked incredulously. "No, I doubt that. That kinda power would be too awesome for her not to join us. I think she's just got a green thumb."
"Suuure she does." Catra rolled her eyes. "You willing to put money on that Adora?"
"Hell no!" Adora laughed. "I'm gonna go check on my mom, why don't you chill with the others in the main hall, Catra."
Not far away Tony, Steve and Thor were having a unique conversation. "Oh the Vision is Artificial Intelligence." Steve had said.
"A Machine." Tony reiterated.
"So it doesn't count?" Steve asked.
"No, it's not like a person lifting the Hammer." Tony replied, shrugging.
"Right! Different Rules for us." Steve said, motioning between himself and Tony.
"Nice Guy. Artificial." Tony added.
"Thank you."
Thor simply grinned. "He can wield the hammer, he can keep the Mind Stone." He stated as they came to a stop. "It is safe with the Vision. And in these days, safe is in short supply."
Steve nodded, and then after a moment of thought, continued. "But if you put the Hammer in an elevator…"
"It would still go up!" Tony said, motioning to Steve.
"Elevator's not worthy." Steve added.
Thor rolled his eyes and chuckled. "I'm gonna miss these little talks of ours." he declared, putting his hand on Tony's shoulder.
"Not if you don't leave." Tony suggested, hopeful.
"I have no choice. The Mind Stone is the fourht of the Infinity Stones to show up in the last few years." Thor replied, continuing to walk. "It's not a coincidence. Someone has been playing an intricate game and made pawns of us." They made their way out onto the lawn of the compound. "And once all these pieces are in position…"
"Triple Yahtzee." Tony finished.
"You think you can find out what's coming?" Steve asked the God.
"I do." Thor replied. "Besides this one, there's nothing that can't be explained." He motioned to Tony as he spoke, before stepping forward. Raising his hammer to the sky, he called upon the Bifrost and left Earth once more.
"That man has no regard for lawn maintenance." Tony quipped, seeing the Bifrost sigil burned into the grass. As he turned away with Steve, he continued. "I'm gonna miss him though. And you're gonna miss me. There's gonna be a lot of manful tears." He hit his car starter as they walked.
"I am gonna miss you Tony. Adora will too, even if she doesn't act like it." Steve told him.
"Ah Blondie always liked me." Tony chuckles. "Still, I've gotta tap out. Maybe I should take a page from Barton's book. Build Pepper a farm, hope nobody blows it up."
"The simple life." Steve said.
"You'll get there one day. You already have a daughter." Tony replied, more genuine than his usual banter.
"Yeah, I know."
"You both will." Tony reiterated.
"Family, Stability….the guy who wanted all that went in the ice 75 years ago. I think someone else came out." Steve said. "Finding out Adora's my child is the happiest I've been since I was woken up."
Tony nodded and began to climb into his car. "You alright?" He asked before getting in fully.
The sounds of soldiers running drills in the distance carried over the wind as Steve smiled. "I'm home."
"You know he'll always be thinking of you mom." Adora reassured Natasha,m the two staring wuietly at a wall.
"I know he will." Natasha replied. "I just wish I knew where he was.."
"Are you two gonna keep staring at the wall, or are we gonna get back to work?" Steve said, walking in. "I mean, it's a pretty interesting wall."
"I thought you and Tony were still gazing into each other's eyes." Natasha quipped, her and Adora walking over to Steve as Natasha took what he was carrying.
"How are we looking, Dad?" Adora asked, following behind them.
"Well we're not the '27 Yankees." Steve deadpanned.
"We've got some hitters." Natasha pointed out, reading the pad she'd taken.
"They're good. They're not a team." Steve added.
"Well, let's beat them into shape." Natasha commented, as the three walked back to the Main hall, overlooking their brand new team of Avengers.
Catra was leaning against the wall, looking up with a smile that let one of her fangs show. Rhodey slid his faceplate up and was standing at attention professionally. Vision turned around to ace the three as they entered. Sam dropped from the sky and landed, happy to be a part of the team. Wanda hovered her way to the floor, changed into her new uniform.
Adora looked over the new Avengers and smiled brightly. This was her team. Her Family. And she was going to make sure they were all kept safe.
In an Unknown Location…
Emily set up the Ultron head she'd acquired into a scanning machine, taking off the helmet of her newly designed suit of power armor. She'd been inspired by image of Iron Man to craft her own power suit, even managing to replicate Tony's Arc reactor from scavenged Chitauri technology. She began to run the scanning device on the Ultron head, curious about how such an advanced Artificial Intelligence came to be. As she used her hair to grab her nearby drink, a signal was detected in the inert head.
"Whoa, this Gamma signature." She said to herself, typing in the device. "It seems to resemble a power source found in New York during the big Battle. Or at least connected to it." She began to type faster and faster. "And if my calculations are correct, it's similar to a residual energy signal I detected in deep space." A smile came across her face as she wheeled her chair across the room and grabbed her tools. I need to update my Teleporter! If I follow this signal, I can find real, actual alien life! This is gonna be sooo cool!"
To Be Continued…
Hey, been a while! I've kinda just accepted that every second month or so I probably won't get as much work done as I'd like. Couldn't really tell ya why, might just a lack of motivation. Anyway, Age of Ultron is at its end! We've caught up with Emily's little project as well, and another Cameo has made a return. I'm sure by now it's obvious who that is.
Next up will be a minor filler episode dealing with the Current Generation of Avengers. After that however, we're gonna be stepping into Captain America: Civil War. And oh boy have I been excited for that chapter and beyond.
NEXT TIME: Catra's Embarrassing Fight