Novi Grad, Sokovia…
Danica sat on the front steps of an abandoned building, shivering as the cool, crisp night air tickled her face. She didn't mind, though. Wanda sat beside her, idly flexing her fingers and looking at the swirling scarlet energy.
It had been three days since they'd fled the base and abandoned HYDRA. The group may have been responsible for their powers, but in the end they owed loyalty only to themselves, not HYDRA and certainly not to some costumed freaks. So, free to make their own decisions, Danica and her friends decided to come back to Novi Grad. No roof, no money, and no jobs.
Home, sweet home.
None of them complained, however. For Danica, freedom was sweeter than all the money and mansions in the world. She spent hours at a time sitting or walking outside, relishing the wide open spaces. Spending nearly two years underground in a cell had been a hellish experience, one that she'd endured for the greater good. Getting her powers was a fair trade for constant nightmares and heightened anxiety from the tight spaces. But now, she enjoyed every moment of simply being outside.
Wanda felt similarly content with their current situation, passing the time with conversation. Her brother, on the other hand…
Danica turned and saw Pietro streak from the far side of the square, stopping in front of a small crowd. He'd gotten restless, as he always did, and decided –without consulting either of them– to steal in order to provide for them. Food, clothes, even a few pieces of jewelry. The afternoon of their first day back in the city, he'd offered to retrieve a dinner for a poor couple and their young child. Word of his benevolence spread like a virus, and by lunch of the second day, Pietro was stealing for half the people in the neighbourhood.
"Look at him," Danica said. Pietro zipped and zoomed back and forth, handing out clothes and food and toys to an exuberant crowd. "Days after we get back, and he's already turned himself into a hero."
Wanda scoffed, shaking her head at the sight. "One of these days he's going to get himself killed. And for what? Fame? Appreciation?"
Danica smiled, reminded of an old memory. "Remember when he'd sneak us into the market after curfew?"
"How can I forget? I almost had a heart attack when he snatched that cheese wheel from the stand."
Danica smiled. "I still can't believe the police didn't know it was him, even when they came to the relief centre and every one of us had cheese on our lips."
"It's not like they could arrest 37 kids at once," Wanda said with a reluctant smile of her own. "The idiot's always been too generous for his own good."
"Well, then it's up to us to keep him out of trouble."
"That, Dany, is a job not even the gods could do." They looked at each other with serious expressions, then broke into full-belly laughs as they laid back on the stone steps. It felt good to laugh, to enjoy life with the ones who mattered. After a minute, Wanda said, "Come on, we should find some shelter for the night. Let's go get the generous idiot."
They stood, dusting each other off, then walked over to Pietro's adoring fans. After handing a bottle of pills to an old man, he grabbed a football and gave it to Zrinka, a local girl a few years younger than them. The ball was probably a gift for her younger brother, Costel. Then, he held out a glittering dress with tiny shoulder straps. "And this…is not for your brother," Pietro said, giving her a charming smirk.
Danica's step faltered as she frowned at the sight. She had no reason to be jealous; after all, she and Pietro weren't dating. He was unattached, and therefore had the right to flirt with any cute girls he came across. But despite knowing that, it still hurt watching him flirt so shamelessly with someone else. Danica shoved her hands into her jacket pockets and looked at the ground as she stormed past the crowd.
"Oh," Zrinka said, blushing as she touched the dress. "No, this is too…"
"Is every girl in Sokovia getting a dress from Paris?" Wanda asked, her voice raised as she deliberately walked past her brother and the latest target of his affections. "The skirt, it looks worn."
Danica did her best to suppress a giggle. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Zrinka give Pietro a pointed look as she handed the dress back. He nervously chuckled and said, "She's kidding." But the damage was done, and he turned around to leave his fans behind. Wanda caught Danica's gaze and gave her a wink.
Danica mouthed 'Thank you'.
Pietro jogged until he fell into step with his sister. "You're jealous you're not getting a dress."
"You keep stealing, you're going to get shot," Wanda admonished in a more serious tone. While her brother made himself responsible for her, she sometimes had to call out his reckless behaviour. He scoffed, and she slapped his arm. "I mean it!"
"Are you going to let her talk to me like this?" Pietro asked Danica.
Turning, she walked backwards and shrugged. "Nothing can hit you at speed, but you're vulnerable when standing still. Don't make enemies that can–"
"You think I want to be making enemies?" Pietro asked, venting his frustration. "You said 'wait', I'm waiting. I don't know for what! We had Stark, helpless. All these years, and–"
"Costel!" Zrinka called, rushing past them to embrace her younger brother. "Costel, where did you go?"
"The church," he replied. "The man says he needs you to come to the church," he added, pointing to Danica, Wanda, and Pietro.
"What man?" Wanda asked.
Costel looked at the ground, then said, "The…Iron Man."
Danica's eyes widened as she took in the boy's words. Iron Man? He and his Avenger friends had supposedly gone back home to America after defeating Strucker and HYDRA. She looked at her friends, who were already hurrying to the city centre. If it turned out to be Iron Man, Danica thought as she followed them, they couldn't afford to underestimate him. The man himself might have been harmless, but his armour was one of the most potent weapons on Earth.
They walked up to the old church, passing by late night market stalls and people walking their dogs. The church was old and crumbling, just like most things in Sokovia. Danica's mother told her stories of when she'd been a girl, when the church had been in use. People would come from miles around, sometimes even from other cities, just to attend services here. It was a part of their history, their heritage.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Danica said as they approached the chain-link fence.
"And I say you've watched too many American movies," Pietro teased. "We'll be fine."
"Really? And what if it really is Iron Man in there?"
"If it is," Wanda cut in, "then the three of us are strong enough to tear him apart."
That was a comforting thought. No matter how powerful Danica felt since her transformation, she still found comfort with her friends beside her. Not even the great Tony Stark could take on all of them. As they slipped through an opening in the fence, the cold pit in Danica's gut only widened. Whatever awaited them inside, it couldn't be good.
Inside they found a handful of torches and braziers burning, casting orange light around the cold, empty interior. A figure sat in the stone chair in the centre, draped in a concealing cloak. "Talk," Wanda said, "And if you are wasting our time…"
"Did you know this church is in the exact centre of the city?" the figure asked. It sounded male, but deep and resonant. Something…off about it. Something wrong. "The elders decreed it so that everyone could be equally close to God. I like that. The geometry of belief. You're wondering why you can't look inside my head."
Danica looked at Wanda in surprise. She didn't think anyone could be immune to her friend's telepathy. "Sometimes it's hard," Wanda said. "But sooner or later, every man shows himself."
The figure stood. Danica stepped back to keep her friends in sight, ready to copy either of them if the situation went to shit. She froze, however, when the figure shed its cloak to reveal a towering robotic body with ominous red eyes. "Oh, I'm sure they do." The three of them took an involuntary step back, gasping at the unexpected sight. "But you needed something more than a man. That's why you let Stark take the scepter."
"I didn't expect," Wanda said cautiously. "But I saw Stark's fear. I knew it would control him. Make him self-destruct."
The large robot nodded. "Everyone creates the thing they dread. Men of peace create engines of war. Invaders create Avengers. People create…" It's artificial features compressed, as if it were scrunching a human face in thought. "Smaller people? Uh…Children!" It chuckled. "I lost the word, there. Children, designed to supplant them, to help them end."
Danica shared a confused glance with Pietro, suspecting he felt just as freaked out as she did. Wanda, having never taken her eyes off the robot, asked, "Is that why you've come, to end the Avengers?"
"I've come to save the world," it replied. Then, as an afterthought, it added, "But also…yeah."
Leaving the church behind, they followed the robot, which called itself Ultron, out of Novi Grad and back to the HYDRA base. Just a few days after they'd abandoned it. By now, everything of value had been stripped and taken by the Avengers and their government allies. It felt strange to be back, Danica thought. She'd spent the better part of two years living here, watching the other volunteers be taken away and never seeing them again. This was the place where she'd become special, where HYDRA delivered on its promise to make her and her friends strong. There was an eeriness to the place, with empty halls and abandoned rooms. It felt like wandering through a mausoleum.
Ultron guided them down to the facility's bowels, to the expansive workshop where Strucker had been working on alien technology fueled by the scepter. Unlike the last time they were there, it was in full use. Machines thrummed as torches welded metal pieces together. The smell of burnt metal assaulted Danica's nostrils.
"We'll move out right away," Ultron said. It made a wide gesture with its arms. "This is a start, but there's something we need to begin the real work."
"All of these are…" Wanda started to say, indicating the dozens of smaller, human-sized, robots being created or moving around the workshop.
"Me. I have what the Avengers never will: harmony." It lifted off the floor with some type of jet boosters, reminding Danica of Iron Man's tech, and pulled a chain to lower a large piece of equipment. "They're discordant. Disconnected. Stark's already got them turning on each other. And when you get inside the rest of their heads…"
"Everyone's plan is not to kill them," Pietro said, frowning.
"I agree," Danica added. "Why waste time trying to toy with them? The longer they remain alive, the more time they have to try to stop us. Death is permanent, quicker."
"And leave them martyrs?" Ultron countered, floating back over to them. "You need patience. Need to see the big picture."
Pietro fixed him with a hard glare. "I don't see the big picture. I have a little picture. I take it out and look at it, every day." He and Wanda's shoulders slumped, thinking of all they'd lost. Pain and loss were old friends, older than Danica's friendship with them.
Ultron looked at them, the glow of its red eyes dimming with sympathy. "You lost your parents in the bombings. I've seen the records."
"The records are not the picture."
"Pietro," Wanda said softly.
"No, please."
Pietro looked at Wanda, sighing from the weight of hard memories. "We were ten years old. Having dinner, the four of us. When the first shell hits, two floors below, it makes a hole in the floor. It's big. Our parents go in, and the whole building starts coming apart. I grab her, roll under the bed, and the second shell hits. But it doesn't go off. It just…sits there in the rubble. Three feet from our faces. And on the side of the shell is painted one word."
"Stark," Wanda finished. Ultron cocked its head.
"We were trapped for two days."
Taking a deep breath, Wanda said, "Every effort to save us, every shift in the bricks, I think, 'This will set it off'. We wait for two days for Tony Stark to kill us."
"I know what they are," Pietro said, barely above a whisper.
Ultron let the silence hang for a few moments, then looked at Danica. She reached into her pocket and gripped her brother's medal, grinding her teeth as memories dredged to the surface of her mind. Glancing at her friends, she said, "My brother served in the army. It made my mother and me so proud. He called us to let us know he'd been given some leave and was coming home. My mother and I were on our way to the train station to meet him. That's when the fighting started. We ran, trying to find a place to hide, when a shell exploded in the building next to us. It collapsed on top of us, and everything went black."
She felt tears pooling in her eyes, but refused to cry. Clearing her throat, she wiped her eyes with her jacket sleeve and continued.
"I woke up, trapped in the rubble. I couldn't even see, it was so dark. A piece of debris pinned me to the ground, making my lungs feel on fire every time I took a breath. I was down there for nearly three days, until someone's dog started sniffing and barking above me. The rescue crews dug me out, and I was sent to an orphanage where I ran into Wanda and Pietro. Our families had always been close."
Danica stared into the distance, remembering what it felt like to be buried alive.
"I still wake up in the night, gasping for breath. Every time I enter an enclosed space, I feel like my body wants to tear itself apart."
She couldn't help the flow of tears this time, and sniffled. Wanda stepped over to hold her close, leaning a head against Danica's shoulder. Pietro caught her eye and gave her an encouraging smile, which made her feel better.
"I wondered why only you three survived Strucker's experiments," Ultron said softly. "Now I don't. We will make it right." Gesturing to Pietro and Danica, it said, "You two and I can hurt them." Looking into Wanda's eyes, it added, "But you will tear them apart, from the inside."
"So what do we do?" Danica asked, doing her best to bury her grief and embracing the familiar rage. She needed to keep moving, before the pain swallowed her whole.
"We'll need materials, technology," Ultron replied. "I've identified all the places we need to hit. Anything else I can hack into through the internet, but these places have air gapped computer servers and high-security storage facilities. So to get what we need, a bit of travel is required."
Cryo-Stasis Holding Facility, Alaska…
Drawing his bow, Tony knocked a pair of arrows. Whirling around, he loosed them at two security guards who'd started to draw their guns. The arrows struck them in the chest, delivering powerful electric shocks that knocked them out in seconds.
"Efficient," his new client said through the communicator in his mask.
"You did pay for the best," Tony pointed out.
"So I did. Now that the area's clear, you'll want to head down this hallway and take the third door on your left. That will lead to the elevator."
"You got it."
After finishing a job escorting a private collector's prized paintings to an island mansion in the Caribbean, he'd been contacted by a man offering three times his normal rate. Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Tony took the job. The first step had been flying to Seattle, where he'd accepted a package delivered via courier. He had no idea what it contained, only that it was 'essential to completing the job'. Then, he'd traveled to this charming facility. Middle of nowhere, Alaska. Between the heavily armed guards and modern security, it screamed government black site.
Opening the third door on his left, Tony headed for the sole elevator. Before he had a chance to blast the door open or hack the terminal, it opened by itself. "Huh. I'm guessing that was you?"
"Yes."
"You said this was a retrieval," Tony said as he entered the elevator. The doors closed, and it automatically began descending. "If you have this kind of access, why'd you need me?"
"Because what we're retrieving is rather…unpredictable. Messy. I don't like messy. I needed you to bring the package and secure the target."
He thought of the small metal box in his backpack. "Alright."
Reaching the bottom floor, he encountered a patrol of half a dozen men. Employing Captain America's shield throws with Bruce Lee's fighting prowess, he mopped the floor with them. Passing through another door, he entered a thin hallway that led to a military-grade vault door. Just like the elevator, it unlocked from his client's manipulations. With loud clangs, it split down the middle and slid open with a hiss of steam.
A wave of freezing air washed over Tony. He shivered, registering the cold even through his insulated armour. Behind the vault door was a large room marked by pipes and reinforced concrete. Two men in lab coats worked at computer stations next to an oversized glass door. Drawing his bow, Tony loosed a flashbang arrow that knocked them out.
Every hair on his body stood on end as he entered the freezing room. "Is it behind the glass?"
"Correct."
He approached, reaching into his backpack for the package. He could make out a dark shape behind the glass, vaguely human-shaped but enormous and…wrong. Finding an 'open' button on one of the computers, he pushed it. The overhead lights flashed a soft yellow as the glass slid up. Inside the unit, secured with metal restraints that would give Godzilla trouble, was an enormous creature with leathery skin stretched over protruding bones. It looked like something out of a horror movie, a monster by any definition.
"What the hell…?" he whispered.
"His name is Emil Blonsky," the client explained. "He modified himself with a knockoff super soldier serum and Bruce Banner's Gamma-infused blood. Turned himself into an Abomination. S.H.I.E.L.D. contained him here, but the government became his new stewards after they fell last year. You're here to break him out."
"And how in the Sam Hill am I supposed to do that without getting smeared across the floor? If this guy has Hulk's blood, he's probably got the same anger issues."
"Oh, he's got more rage than even Hulk does. But that's what the package is for. Open it."
Keeping a wary eye on Abomination, Tony opened the metal box. Inside was a three-pronged device that looked molded to fit a human skull. Numerous lights and circuits were on it, but he had no idea what any of it meant. "And this is…?"
"A prototype neural restraint, designed specifically for this sort of Enhanced individual. The US government intended to use this to control Abomination, Hulk, or anyone too wild to bring in line."
Tony scoffed. "Sounds about right."
"I could have freed him at any time, as you pointed out, but without this restraint, he'd just go on a rampage. This way, I can keep him in line."
"Okay. Let's see if this works."
Hopping up, he grabbed hold of one of the metal restraints, thicker than his arm. Climbing up, he came face-to-face with Abomination, half-expecting it to break out and bite his face off. After a few seconds of non-activity, he felt safe enough to reach over and plant the neural restraint. Some of the lights activated as it secured itself, and Tony thought he could hear some screwing noises.
'Best not think about it.'
Hopping back down, he saw the device's lights blinking at a regular interval. "Well, is it working?"
"Like a charm. Now let him loose."
Stepping over to the other computer, Tony hit the main release mechanism. A siren whooped over the intercom as the main restraints all unlocked. Abomination slowly opened its eyes, blinking off years' worth of frost as any sedatives wore off. Now free, it fell forward, bracing its massive hands against the floor. Shaking its head, it gingerly stood up, then took notice of Tony. It growled, and Tony hovered a hand over the explosives in his belt. Abomination took a step forward, a sharp bone spike sickeningly breaking through its wrist and extending.
"Stop," the client spoke through the intercom.
The lights on the neural restraint glowed an intense red, and Abomination stopped in its tracks. It blinked, probably in confusion, but otherwise didn't move.
Tony breathed a sigh of relief.
"Splendid. Now, meet me on the surface."
Abomination looked up at the ceiling. With a grunt, it leaped up and smashed through the concrete and metal as if it were wet cardboard. Tony looked up, marveling at the holes through ten sub floors of a maximum security facility. "Okay, that's pretty cool." Drawing his bow, he loosed a zipline arrow.
After climbing all the way up, he followed the trail of demolition outside. Abomination stood on the snow, hands clenched into fists. From this angle, Tony saw the creature's protruding spine with sharpened vertebrae. It absolutely earned its nickname.
Collapsing his bow and stuffing it in his backpack, he looked around for his client. "So where are you?"
Something landed behind him. He and Abomination turned to see a seven foot-tall robot walk towards them, red eyes glowing. "I'm right here," it said, in the same voice that had been communicating with him.
"Okay…" he said, drawing out the last syllable as his brain processed what was happening. "So I've been working for a robot. Not the strangest thing I've ever done."
"I didn't see the need for a formal introduction until now," it said. "I wanted to see you live up to your reputation, which you did and then some. You've performed a valuable service for me by breaking out Abomination. I'd like to offer you a spot on a new team I'm putting together. There's lots more money in it for you. So, what do you say? Interested?"
Tony glanced at the hulking monstrosity beside him, then looked back at the robot. In for a penny, in for a pound. "What's the job?"
Taipei, Taiwan…
Ellen grabbed the bottle of rum on the table beside her and guzzled. She bit down the bitter taste, still on edge after getting just two hours' sleep the night before. Even that brief period had been beset by nightmares, and she'd awoken in a cold sweat afterwards.
They'd taken residence in an abandoned building. Apart from the odd job, they weren't exactly swimming in cash. Three of her men had walked out, citing their frustrations with the lack of reliable income. They were all mercenaries, Ellen supposed, and money would be their primary concern. Still, it wasn't encouraging for her grand plan of resurrecting HYDRA to save the world.
While Rumlow and the others performed maintenance on the trucks, Ellen sat by a far corner. Baasan sat beside her, hunched over her right arm as he put the finishing touches on her new tattoo.
A few minutes later, he sat up and said, "Done."
She put the bottle of rum down and inspected his work. A rose now ran up her arm, the petals on the back of her hand glittering like crystal. An emerald serpent coiled around the thorny stem, fangs bared as it prepared to devour the flower. Its eyes blazed with red fire, perfect down to the last scale.
"This is beautiful!" Ellen said, admiring the contours of the serpent. "You've got quite a talent for this."
He smirked, applying a bandage to his creation. "Thanks."
"Hey!" Rumlow called from the nearest trailer. He'd started wearing his new armour at all times, keeping his disfigurements hidden. "We got a problem."
Frowning, Ellen stood and walked over there. Climbing inside the trailer, she followed Rumlow to the open computer station. "What is it?" she asked.
"This," he said, gesturing to the flickering monitors. "I was doing a systems check, then everything went on the fritz. Now nothing works."
"Apologies for the intrusion," a strange voice announced through the speakers.
"What the…?" Ellen asked as Rumlow instinctively drew one of his Desert Eagles. Taking out her radio, she said, "Everybody, eyes up. We might be getting company. Secure the perimeter, be ready for anything."
"Hm," the voice said. "So jumpy." As it spoke, the distortion on the screens pulsed like the patterns on old screensavers. "But understandable, given your chosen professions."
Ellen sat down and tried typing commands, but nothing worked. "Who the hell are you?" Rumlow demanded.
"Consider me a friend. Someone who sees the value of a group like yours, and wants to help."
"Yeah, nice try."
The voice chuckled, the distortion pulsing like ripples in water. "Since actions speak far louder than words, how about you check your bank accounts?"
Ellen's phone dinged. Eyeing the monitors warily, she took it out and saw the notification of a new bank transfer. Since the creation of her cell, thus far their funds had been limited to whatever amounts they could steal. The haul from the diamond mine in Botswana had boosted their capital, but they'd spent most of it on their new weapons tech. Signing into the account, she saw nearly a dozen deposits from various anonymous sources. Added together, they were sitting on a nine-figure amount. Enough to supply them for life, purchase vehicles and safehouses, and hire anyone and everyone they'd ever need.
"Holy shit," she breathed.
"Consider it a gift," the voice explained. "You've been forced to live off scraps for a year. Now you have what you need to enact real change."
Ellen held up the phone so Rumlow could see. He holstered his pistol.
"What's the catch?" she asked.
"No catch. All I ask in return for those digital dollar signs is a small favour."
Rumlow crossed his arms. "Like what?"
"I have some rather important business to conduct in South Korea. Luckily for me, you're nice and close. I want you to meet me in Seoul."
Ellen regarded the monitors, narrowing her eyes in thought. She spoke into her radio, "Anything?"
"Nah, nothing from here," Killmonger reported.
"Negative," Sablinova said.
"I don't see anyone," Baasan reported.
The others reported nothing, as well. For the moment, at least, this didn't seem like a trap. But something about the stranger made her feel uneasy. "What about this business of yours? You could hire whole teams of mercenaries. Why'd you pick us?"
"Because my business puts me at odds with the Avengers. You two have a history with some of them, and it's that expertise that I value. So, how about it? Want to help me kill Earth's Mightiest Heroes?"
Her heart skipped a beat. She saw Steve's face, and Romanoff's. "I–" Whatever thoughts Ellen might have had disappeared as her face relaxed, her expression turning neutral. She looked at the monitors with cold, calculating eyes.
"Fascinating," the voice said quietly.
Ellen sat up straight. Looking up at Rumlow, she said, "You go. Do what you have to. I'll put the money to good use, then meet you once you're done."
Rumlow chuckled, patting her cheek. "Whatever you say, Princess."
The voice said, "I've arranged for a private jet to take you directly to Seoul. I'll send my other associates to meet you once you land. I can't wait to get started."
Ellen watched her subordinate leave, her mind already at work thinking of how to strengthen her cell. With the new funds, much could be accomplished. They could bring the current world order down and finally kill the Avengers. She didn't feel her fingers twitch in rebellion against her body as a single tear ran down her cheek.
This was the mission.
Novi Grad, Sokovia…
Ultron gave them their assignments, having calculated which locations would be best-suited to their unique powers. Wanda would download experimental designs from a jet propulsion lab in Shanghai, Pietro would steal cutting edge components from a robotics lab in Saint Petersburg, and Danica would retrieve a prototype plasma rifle from a weapons lab in London. They said their goodbyes on the roof of the HYDRA base.
"Be careful," Wanda told Danica as they embraced in a tight hug.
"You, too. Don't have too much fun without me."
Wanda chuckled as they separated. She and Pietro then pressed their foreheads together, quietly wishing each other luck and expressing their love. It reminded Danica of her own brother, and she felt a fresh pang of guilt and regret. If only she could've said 'I love you' to him, one more time.
A group of Ultron's Sentries flew to the east, one of them carrying Wanda in its arms.
"I'll be seeing you soon, yeah?" Pietro said, giving Danica one of his self-assured smirks that would have been wildly arrogant if not for his boyish charm.
"Yeah." The three of them hadn't been apart in almost 20 years. It felt strange, but in her heart, she knew they would see each other again. With a powerful ally like Ultron on their side, they'd surely find a way to destroy the Avengers and everything they stood for. Staring into Pietro's handsome face, she decided to act on instinct. Standing on her toes to even their height, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. His look of sheer surprise was worth the risk, and she laughed at him. "See you soon."
Running a hand over his face, Pietro chuckled and gave her a salute. In the space of a heartbeat, he disappeared in a silver streak as a second group of Ultron Sentries flew after him.
"Okay, I'm ready," Danica said. The last group of Sentries flew to the west, and one of them wrapped its cold, metal arms under hers and around her chest to carry her. She gasped when the roof seemed to fall from her feet, clutching for dear life to the robot holding her like a child would hold a kitten. The snow-capped landscape raced beneath them, and in minutes Novi Grad fell out of view.
London, England…
They flew for hours, crossing over Europe far faster than any plane could. The entire trip passed in silence, even though Danica had several questions. Eventually they reached London. How they'd avoided detection on radar or other systems was a mystery. She decided to attribute it to Ultron being a super-advanced robot.
"We'll need to make a pit stop before we hit the lab," the Sentry said. Ultron had told them that every one of its sentries was merely an extension of itself; one massive mind with 1,000 bodies.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"I've identified someone with unique abilities that should prove useful. Once you copy him, we'll be able to take what we need from the lab with no problems."
Danica nodded. The Sentries guided her into an empty alley beside some sort of night club. A bright neon sign gleamed in the darkness as a large line of people waited to get in. The Sentry holding her released its grip once her feet touched the ground. She breathed a sigh of relief, tingling with residual excitement from flying across a continent. Even from outside, she could hear the music booming from the club. "He's in here?" she asked, frowning.
"Yes," the Sentry replied. "His name is Theodore Blank. He received his powers after being exposed to an exotic alien mist, a process called Terrigenesis. So-called 'Inhumans' like him have been cropping up all over the planet."
"And what is his power?"
"Basically, he controls the shadows. Blends in with them, makes weapons out of them, anything he wants."
Danica understood why they'd come. "In other words, perfect for infiltrating a high security weapons lab?"
"Bingo. You'll find him in the bathroom."
She nodded, unzipping her jacket and handing it to one of the Sentries. Get in, copy this Theodore Blank, then get out. Simple. The second she stepped out of the alley, however, Danica froze. She stared at the night club entrance, hearing the blaring music filter out through the door. The deafening music, the large crowds of people pressed in together, and blindingly bright lights. All at once, the prospect of going inside made her fingers twitch and her throat dry. Her chest ached as her breaths became laboured.
"Your heartrate is elevated," the closest Sentry noted from the shadows of the alley. "What's wrong?"
"I…" Licking her lips, Danica said, "I don't think I can go in. I've always avoided places like this: loud, bright, too many people. It makes me think of that building collapse when I was a girl. I'm terrified of being trapped, pressed in with no way out."
"I understand," the Sentry said. "This fear has been a part of you for so long. But we need to do this. The others are counting on you, and they would tell you to be strong. The Avengers and their adoring masses let fear of change control their actions. You're better than that. You're strong. If anyone can overcome their fear, it's you. I'll be with you the whole way."
Danica glanced at the Sentry. For a machine, Ultron had a pretty good grasp of what it meant to be human. "I'm worried I'll have a panic attack and screw this up somehow."
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it," the Sentry said. Danica vaguely recalled reading that in a book somewhere. "You were strong enough to survive that building collapse. You were strong enough to survive Strucker's experiments. You're strong enough to face this, I know it. Most of these people would call you a freak, but I see you for what you really are: a giant, with a soul as strong as any metal. Now go in there and show these peons just how mighty you can be."
Clenching her hands into tight fists, Danica took several deep breaths and took control of herself. "I won't be in there for long," she told herself. "I have a mission, a job to do. Wanda and Pietro are counting on me." With renewed purpose, she started walking to the door. Everyone in line openly stared at her, some voicing their irritation. She didn't pay attention to them. The man at the door wasn't huge, like most movies portrayed bouncers. But he did have thick muscles, and a prominent tattoo of a snarling tiger on his neck.
Cocking her head to the side, she arched an eyebrow suggestively and said in the sweetest voice possible, "Can I come in?"
He stood there, silent like a golem, looking her up and down. Her V-neck shirt and jeans were far more casual than the tight dresses and suits of those in line, but Danica had been blessed with her mother's hourglass figure. She'd been receiving compliments from boys since she was fifteen, but her shyness and reluctance to open up to others prevented her from taking advantage. Finally, the bouncer stepped aside and opened the door. "Come right in, honey."
Danica gave him a sweet smile, ignoring the angry outbursts from everyone in line. Stepping inside, she was immediately struck by sensory overload. Some ungodly techno music boomed from speakers as tall her, vibrating the building like a tuning fork. Flashing, multi-hued lights swept over the dance floor like paintbrushes over a pulsing canvas. Couples and groups sat in booths, singles sat at the bar, and a large crowd gyrated on the dance floor.
'A soul as strong as metal,' she thought, wading into the crowd towards the bathroom entrances on the far side. Men and women danced and moved to the beat of the music, hypnotic in its own way. She stumbled when a pair of women who reeked of alcohol bumped into her. Glaring at them, Danica kept moving. Halfway there, though it felt like performing a cross-country marathon. She couldn't even hear herself think, and the edges of her vision were getting blurry as her pulse quickened. Her hands started to tremble as her palms became sweaty, and she redoubled her efforts to get to the bathroom.
Along the way, a bald man wearing a silk shirt with the top button undone grabbed her by the shoulder. "Hello, beautiful," he drawled, eying her like a juicy piece of steak. "Care to dance?"
"Not interested," Danica said, brushing off his hand. She barely made it another step before he grabbed her by the arm, hard enough to make her wince.
"Don't be rude," the man said, coming far too close for her liking. "It's polite to accept a gentleman's offer."
Her heart pounded in her chest, which constricted as if an anaconda were squeezing the life out of her. Growling, she struck the heel of her free hand into his nose, causing him to loosen his grip. Taking advantage of the distraction, she drove her knee into his groin with considerable force. He squealed, collapsing onto the floor. Wanda taught her that move when they were teenagers.
Some of the nearby dancers stopped to look at the scene, but most didn't notice. Blowing an errant strand of hair out of her eye, Danica shoved through the remainder of the crowd and finally reached the bathrooms.
She checked the men's bathroom first, surprising a group of friends checking their appearances in the mirrors. "Theodore?" she asked, looking at each of them. When met with nothing but silence, she said, "No? Okay."
Next she stepped inside the women's bathroom. A pretty blonde with green eyes smiled at her as she walked by. No one else seemed to be there, and all the stalls were empty. Maybe…
Danica paused, noticing something in the mirror. Turning around, she looked at the far corner, adjacent to the door. Despite the room being well-lit, shadows obscured the corner. Squinting, Danica focused on them. Within, like a delicate glass sculpture, was a glowing pattern of nerves. 'Found you,' she thought, copying the pattern. His power felt strange, but interesting. With it, she saw patterns in the shadows, doorways ordinary people could never use.
"Really, Theodore?" she asked, shaking her head in disgust. "You receive such a special gift, and you use it to…spy on women?"
The pattern shifted, since Theodore no doubt flinched. "H-how can you see me?"
"Let's just say I'm special, too." The shadows moved like water in a tank, and a short, mustachioed man around her age materialized out of them. He loosened the collar of his shirt, then extended a hand towards her. Shadows flowed over his arm, forming into a long, thick tentacle that lashed at Danica's throat. She held up her own hand in response, and the shadows flowed over her arm. They felt soft, almost like gelatin or cotton. Theodore's eyes shot open, faltering.
The wall behind him exploded in a shower of tiles and concrete as one of Ultron's Sentries grabbed him in a headlock.
"And I've also got a special friend," Danica added.
The Sentry tossed Theodore into the alley, and Danica stepped through the new opening. She exhaled, glad to be outside once more. Her chest still ached from moving through that hellish club.
"I see you've acquired a new skillset," Ultron said.
"I did." Standing in the alley, Danica saw through the darkness, feeling it all around her as an extension of her being. Crooking her fingers, she grabbed some of it and formed a long blade around her arm. Spotting a nearby dumpster, she slashed in a downward angle and cleanly cut it in half. "Oh, this will do nicely."
"I concur. Now let's go find some toys for me."
Nodding, Danica let the blade melt off her arm. One of the sentries wrapped its arms around her, and they flew off with the four others of the group. It only took fifteen minutes to reach the lab, a large square building with the words HEPHAESTUS SOLUTIONS displayed prominently over the front entrance. Armed guards stood watch by the doors, and snipers roamed the rooftop. Storming the building would likely result in mass casualties. Judging by Ultron's decision to have her copy powers ideal for sneaking, it didn't want that.
"The front's too well-lit," the Sentry spoke into her ear as they flew high above the building. "The rooftop entrance is your best bet, if you go through the parking lot."
"Got it," Danica said.
"You're looking for the prototype rifle in their secure storage vault. It won't be hard to miss."
They flew around to the back, where the employee's cars were parked. Only some of the spots were full, indicating most had gone home for the night. The Sentry gently dropped her behind a mid-sized sedan, then it and the others took off into the clouds. Cracking her neck, Danica tapped into her new powers. The shadows opened into doorways and spaces only she could see. Stepping inside the spaces, she didn't see any change to herself. But a strange feeling of flexibility, fluidity, came over her.
This would take some getting used to.
Moving forward, she seemed to flow like water in a stream rather than walking. Danica wound between the cars, avoiding any beams of light. In her current state, the beams felt as solid as steel. Coming to the building wall, she acted on instinct and swam up to the roof. One of the snipers strolled by as she emerged. She gulped, freezing in place when he seemed to look directly at her. Then he turned and kept walking.
She released the breath she'd been holding, then hopped over the edge and moved towards the door. Slipping inside, Danica navigated her way through the weapons lab. Being nighttime, many of the interior lights weren't on. A nice bonus.
The main floors were primarily offices and meeting rooms. A directory near the main elevators showed the research and development section was underground. Taking the stairs, she hurried down to sub-level seven.
The projects this company worked on looked impressive. The science was far beyond Danica's understanding, but some of the designs were beautiful in their own lethal, terrifying way. Most of the labs were empty, but she spotted door marked 'Secure Storage' at the far end of the hall. The spaces in the shadows extended beyond physical doorways and walls, and entering the vault was as simple as stepping through.
Danica emerged in the vault, a square room with only the single entrance. In the centre, on a pedestal, sat the prototype rifle. It looked suitably advanced, with a silver casing and glowing lines of energy running across it like grid patterns. Stepping over to it, she plucked it from the stand. The rifle felt surprisingly lightweight for its size, but she treated it with the respect such an awesome weapon deserved.
The moment she picked it up, bright red lights flashed overhead as a shrill alarm wailed.
Security would be there soon. Looking back at the door, Danica had a wonderful thought. Aiming the rifle dead-centre, she squeezed the trigger. Without any recoil, it fired a beam of crimson plasma that vaporized a pumpkin-sized hole in the door. Giggling at her new toy, she fired just above the hole, widening it enough for her to fit. Danica emerged from the shadows, stepping through. A moment later, the elevator door across the way opened and a trio of guards rushed out.
Aiming the rifle at their feet, Danica fired a beam. The guards on either side leaped out of the way, while the one in the centre stumbled and fell back to keep his feet intact. The edges of the hole she made bubbled, and a thin line of smoke wafted from the superheated opening. Melding with the shadows, she reappeared in one of the empty labs ten feet away. The guards, having gotten to their feet with their weapons raised, stared in confusion at her disappearance from the main hall.
Grinning, Danica called, "You should get your eyes checked!" They turned to look at her, and she fired a beam right over their heads. They ducked as the beam shattered and melted the glass walls, carving through several of the smaller-scale projects.
Despite having so much fun, she knew speed was of the essence. The rest of the guards would show up soon, and more would appear in minutes along with the police. Melding with the shadows, she flowed over to the stairway and climbed back to the main floor. Fortunately, anything she touched melded with her, such as the rifle. Several more guards came running from around a corner once she appeared outside the stair door, but Ultron's Sentries crashed through the roof and the walls before they could do anything.
"I see you found it," Ultron said as the sentries threw or knocked out the guards. The alarms continued to wail, combined with the sounds of shattering glass and gunfire.
"We should probably get out of here," Danica suggested.
"Couldn't agree more."
Gripping the rifle tight in her arms, she ran through an opening in the wall and out into the parking lot. One of the sentries grabbed her, and they all flew away just as flashing police vehicles converged on the lab. As they flew east, one of the other sentries took the rifle from her hands.
"Hm," it said appreciatively, running a metal hand over the weapon. "Fascinating design." Its eyes blinked red and blue in rapid succession, and Danica noticed the others did at the same time. Ultron must have analyzed and downloaded the weapon's specifications all at once. That hive mind must have come in handy. The Sentry then ripped the rifle in half in a shower of sparks, crumpled the pieces, and tossed them down into the English Channel.
"Well, it was fun while it lasted," Danica said sardonically, staring down at the falling pieces of metal.
"You'll be happy to hear the others finished their missions successfully."
She was happy to hear that. Despite knowing Wanda and Pietro were strong and motivated, that didn't stop her from worrying about her friends when they were hundreds or thousands of miles away. "So now what?"
"Now we need to obtain a very special item. I'm bringing you and the others to meet my prime body where it's located. The Avengers might interfere, but between the four of us we should be more than prepared."
She couldn't wait. "Where's this item?"
"South Africa."
Sorry for the delay, everyone! Everything got crazy busy all of a sudden, and I didn't have time to post last week. Here's my latest offering, so I hope you enjoy it!
One aspect of Ultron I felt the movie writers didn't explore was his nature as an AI. Right now, he's the most advanced piece of technology on the planet, based on a cosmic stone with an infinitely complex neural structure. This chapter, and the subsequent ones, are meant to show just how much reach a powerful AI can have. All these segments? They happen in the same night. Across the world. Ultron is code, and code can spread far and wide. An enemy that can think incredibly fast, can multi-manage vast amounts of resources all at once, and plan 1,000 steps ahead is dangerous.
There's a reason why Ultron is one of the Avengers' greatest foes in the comic books, and I wanted to demonstrate why that would be.
Also, Obi-Wan Kenobi's first two episodes and part 1 of Stranger Things season 4 dropped today. I CANNOT CONTAIN MY EXCITEMENT FOR THESE SHOWS! So far they've been absolutely incredible.
Vosck: Yeah, that'll be quite the emotional reunion!