Katiana sat with her feet up on the seat of the quinjet as she kept a close eye on the Avengers milling about as they flew to the African coast. Clint began to put the jet down near a salvage yard and Katiana stood, holding onto the bar above her head as they touched down on the ground.

"So what's the plan?" Natasha asked Steve, placing herself between Captain America and Katiana.

Steve looked past the redhead to Katiana, then straightened up and addressed his team, "Stark, Thor, and I will address Ultron head on. Clint, Nat, you stay hidden. If need be, you'll do more damage from the shadows, and he's more likely to try and take you two out to take the team out of commission. Banner, stay here, stay ready. If it's a Code Green, we'll call you. Keep the channel open, alright?"

Bruce nodded and took a step back as Clint opened the back hatch. They began moving out, but Steve turned to see Katiana raising her brow expectantly. "I don't know if he'll have the twins out in the open or in the shadows. Try and talk some sense into them if you can. Whatever you do, stay out of the firefight."

"Do I at least get a weapon?" Katiana asked as she smacked her hand against the side of the quinjet, opening a panel she'd seen Nat collect her Widow's Bites from.

Steve reached over her and pushed the panel closed, "No gun. No fighting. Talk to the twins and get out, do you understand?"

"So if they shoot at me, I just hope for the best? No way to defend myself?" Katiana challenged. Steve looked up to see the rest of the Avengers gone and Bruce trying to pretend he wasn't listening. Katiana scoffed, playing with the edges of her long ponytail, "You don't trust me."

"Of course I trust you, I just don't necessarily trust you with a gun. You tried to shoot me, and stab me-several times." Steve admitted, looking more and more nervous over his team leaving him behind, "I don't have time for this right now. Let's go. We can talk more later."

Katiana rolled her eyes dramatically as looked away from Steve, "Whatever. I'll be fine. It's like I said, you're the one who should be worried." She watched Steve leave, smiling wickedly when he was gone before turning to Bruce worriedly, "Stay here. Keep an eye out for Wanda. I'll try to get to her first, but, you don't want to be on the opposite end of her magic. Trust me."

Steve didn't look back to Katiana as he strode alongside Thor into the ship where Klaue was hiding. He focused on the task at hand, seeing Ultron turned away on the other side of the walkway they stood on.

"Aww, Junior. You're gonna break your old man's heart." Tony said as he landed in front of Steve and Thor. Steve realized how massive Ultron was compared to the twins, and his heart broke for them. They were just kids, they didn't know. Katiana could get through to them, they could walk away. Maybe he could get through to them if he tried...

Pietro took a few steps around Ultron, addressing Tony with sick sweetness, "Is this funny, Mr. Stark? It's what? Comfortable? Like old times?" He looked down at a pile of nukes then back up to Tony, and Steve was beginning to see what Katiana meant about the twins hating the Avengers. They blamed Stark for the death of their parents.

"You two can still walk away from this." Steve interjected, thinking maybe he could get them to turn before Katiana had to intervene.

Wanda pursed her lips like she was talking to a child and mocked, "Oh, we will."

"I know you've suffered-" Steve wasn't able to continue his thought because Ultron stepped forward and began mocking him.

"Captain America! God's righteous man, pretending you could live without a war. I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but if I could..." Ultron trailed off, seeing how hurt Steve looked by his accusations. "The only person who stops you from finding peace is yourself."

Steve clenched his jaw and looked to Thor as he spoke to the robot, wanting nothing more than to stop talking and finish the job.

"What's the vibranium for?" Tony asked quickly.

"I'm glad you asked that, because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan." Ultron pulled his arm towards himself, magnetically pulling Tony forward before two smaller Ultron robots went after Steve and Thor.

Steve roundhouse kicked the robot down, then sprinted toward Wanda, but she blasted him onto his back. By the time he got up, Klaue's mercenaries were firing mindlessly, not caring who they hit, as long as it wasn't each other.

Should have let Katiana bring a gun.

He threw his shield at one of the robots harassing Thor, but out of nowhere someone uppercut him and sent him flying onto his back again. He groaned loudly and rolled onto his knees, hissing into his comm, "I'm getting too old for this shit!" When he finally got to his knees, Steve realized one of the Iron Legions had his shield and was running towards him, leaping into the air and bringing the shield down on Steve, but the soldier was too fast, grabbing the shield in midair and using it to choke the robot until Thor could decapitate it with his hammer.

Steve threw his hammer toward Klaue's mercenaries and jumped from the upper walkway down to the storage area below just in time for his shield to ricochet back to his hand. He saw Pietro picking himself up out of some packing crates and smacked the young man backward with his shield, "Stay down, kid!" Steve threatened through clenched teeth before running off to help the others.

Pietro grunted and looked up as a shadowy figure appeared in front of him with her hands on her hips, "I'm surprised he let you come."

"He didn't want to." Katiana slurred, reaching her arm down and pulling up Pietro, "What's the deal with Ultron? Trying to destroy the Avengers?"

"That's the plan. Seems to be working well, no?" Pietro asked as he gestured around. Katiana rolled her eyes and looked up to see Wanda wave her hand in front of Thor's face to hex him. She looked over her shoulder and smiled wickedly when she saw Katiana with her brother, slinking away to the stairs to join them on the lower level, but not before hexing the Black Widow.

When Wanda appeared at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes darted to where Steve was throwing a mercenary over the crates. Pietro grinned and sped toward Steve, ramming him into the steps as Wanda appeared to hex him. Pietro glared down at Steve, but Katiana's brows were drawn together in concern, "He'll be okay, right?"

"What? You worried about him?" Pietro teased as Wanda tossed her hand back, thrusting Steve's face to the side in pain as the magic seeped into his mind. "Katiana, have you gone soft for the Avengers?"

"I care about him. Will he be okay?" Katiana repeated as Steve shifted, his eyes wide and blind to reality. Katiana reached out to touch his arm, but Wanda grabbed her wrist, eyes glowing red. Katiana looked from Wanda to the upper level, seeing Clint firing down at the mercenaries below, "You gotta hex me, too."

"What?" Wanda asked, her focused expression melting into worry, "No. Not you."

"If you don't, they'll know something is wrong. I'll be okay." Katiana lifted Wanda's fingers to her skull, "I trust you."

Wanda pursed her lips and focused on Katiana, slowly weaving her magic into her friend's mind. Katiana leaned forward a little, stepping forward in a daze, but Pietro picked her up and hoisted her over his shoulder, speeding away from Captain America and his warped mind.

"Steve?"

The overwhelming sound of jazz music blared around Steve, but he recognized Peggy Carter's voice instantly. He whipped around, seeing her standing behind him on the dance floor in a blue dress. "Peggy?"

"Are you ready for our dance?" She asked, and he raised his brows in surprise, looking around again at the dance club he found himself in. Peggy placed her right hand on his shoulder and took his right hand in hers, carefully leading him into the dance, "I'll show you how."

"I- I don't understand-" Steve stammered as he tightened his grip on Peggy, trying to figure out where he was and what was happening, "How are you-"

Peggy shushed Steve as the band began to play a slower song. He swallowed and studied her, seeing her more vividly than his memories would ever allow. "Just enjoy this Steve. The war is over. We can go home."

"I can't. I can't, it- this-" Steve gestured around sadly, "It's all gone." Peggy leaned her cheek against Steve's chest and his breath hitched when he heard her murmur.

"Aren't you sad you missed our date?"

"Aren't you glad you missed your date?"

Steve turned from Peggy and found Kayla standing behind him in a long backless ballgown. Her long blonde hair cascaded in perfect curls around the shimmery blue dress, and her lips were painted Steve's favorite shade of red. She smiled up at him lovingly as she reached out for him. Steve took her hands and pulled her close, letting his hand fall to the small of her back so he could pull her flush against him, "Kayla?"

Suddenly, the room around him erupted in camera flashes and screaming reporters, calling out to Kayla Ellis, but she looked at Steve like he was the only person in the room. Her big green eyes were terrified as she smiled up at him, fear hiding behind a façade of bravery, as it often did in situations like this.

"I've missed you so much. Baby, I'm right here, let me out." Kayla pleaded quietly. She never let her smile fade as she reached both hands up to clench each of Steve's cheeks, looking him up and down with desperation hidden behind seduction, "Please. I want to come home."

"Steve! Oh Steve, I want to come home!" A voice mocked from behind them, causing Kayla to frown, "What about what you want? Do you want to go back to her life?"

Steve released Kayla to find Katiana leaning against the punch table in her blue dress with the corset pushing up her breasts. Her lipstick was dark and her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail that hung over her shoulder as she sipped a martini. Steve remembered when he first met Kayla Ellis, Tony had called her a viper. This was the first time Steve understood what he'd meant by that.

At his surprised gaze, Katiana just raised her brow and gestured to the reporters screaming at Steve for his attention, "Oh, I'm sorry? Did I interrupt your moment? I'm just trying to save you from falling for her act. That's all it is, it's an act for the cameras. America's sweetheart and Captain America, the perfect match." Katiana pushed away from the table and walked toward Steve, her hips swaying as her dress swished back and forth. When she reached him, she slid her hand up the front of his suit jacket and sipped her martini casually before whispering, "I'm the most raw, real version of her you're ever going to get. I can be everything you loved about her and more. Imagine it."

"Steve..." Peggy's voice warned and he turned, realizing that Peggy and Kayla stood behind Katiana now. Peggy took a step forward as Kayla watched with her head lowered, hiding in Peggy's wake. "Come home. To your real home. It's more than a place. You'll never truly belong there."

Katiana rolled her eyes and finished her martini, slinging her arm around Steve's neck, "You lived your life. It's time for him to move on."

"We had a home. We had a life. It was right there." Kayla surged forward past Peggy, and Katiana removed her arm as Kayla reached up to cup his cheek. She bit her bottom lip nervously before adding, "We could go back to how things were."

Steve grabbed Kayla's left hand, seeing she wore the sapphire engagement ring. He could hardly focus past the bright lights and the laughing and the screaming and the music, "I can't. I can't go back to this."

Kayla's expression fell as she pulled away, backing away past Peggy to hide in her shadow again. Katiana smirked and shrugged, "Seems like you only have one viable option left soldier. Unless you choose to mess it up again."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Steve questioned, turning on Katiana as she tossed her glass over her shoulder, causing it to shatter and the room became empty except for Steve and the three women. He narrowed his eyes and growled again, "What did you say?"

"You self sabotage. You always choose to let us go." Katiana laughed in response, circling Steve like he was her prey. "Whenever you get close to something good, something permanent, you choose to let it go."

Peggy stepped up with a scowl, joining Katiana in her circling, "You chose to crash the plane."

Steve shook his head as he gawked at Peggy, "No, I did that to save everyone! I didn't have a choice!"

"Of course you had a choice." Peggy answered sternly, and Steve felt his heart plummet, "You could have jumped out. You could have swam away. You could have survived. You chose to let us all go."

"No-"

"You chose to leave me behind."

Steve clenched his eyes closed, unable to face Kayla. "No, I was going to come back for you-"

"You didn't even try to save my life." Kayla argued, her voice shaky as she took a long stride to join the other two women around Steve, "You chose Bucky over me. You chose death over me, the woman you wanted to marry. You were willing to let me die to save a man who doesn't even know you!"

"Kayla, I-"

"That's really the worst part, isn't it?" Katiana slurred, grabbing Steve's arm and pulling him toward her. He felt a hand on his other wrist, and looked down to catch a glimpse of Peggy's red nail polish before he felt a third hand press against his back, and he knew it was Kayla. Katiana smirked, looking all too proud of herself as she leaned forward to whisper up at Steve, "The three most important people in your life don't even remember you."

Steve looked to the side, seeing Bucky staring at him with that blank expression on his face. He had no idea who he was. "Steve?" Peggy's shaky voice asked, but when he turned to his right, she was gone. He whipped around, but Kayla wasn't there, Bucky wasn't there. It was only Katiana in their place.

"You chose to crash the plane. You chose not to save her. How will you choose to lose me?"

"Natasha, I could really use a lullaby." Tony's voice cut through the comms as Steve's eyes broke open, seeping back into reality. He realized he was on his back, staring upward. His legs felt like jelly and his spine felt stiff as he tried to sit up. Steve felt like this wasn't real, but he was sure it was. Why else would he be on the floor with guns firing around, and his team chattering in his ear?

He reached up and pulled out his earpiece, needing a moment to collect his thoughts. Peggy. Kayla. Katiana. He bent his neck far enough to look around, but he couldn't find Katiana. Steve wondered if she was with the Maximoffs. She clearly didn't stop them from doing their worst.

"Katiana?" He croaked, rolling over and gritting his teeth as he pushed himself to his knees. His head was spinning, and part of him wanted to go back to being chewed out by the women he'd loved. As awful as their criticism was, it didn't spin nearly as much as reality.

After blinking a few times, Steve finally got a good look around, trying to find somebody he knew. He saw Clint cradling Natasha's face in his hands before hoisting her up and tossing her arm around his shoulder. Steve grunted and tried to stand, but stumbled forward into a metal rail, getting Clint's attention.

"You okay, Cap?" Clint called nervously, but Steve just shook his head back and forth as he closed his eyes and clung to the pole. He was never one to admit he wasn't okay, but his head was reeling and he really, really wasn't okay with what he'd been told.

Katiana forced her eyes wider as the Scarlet Witch overtook her mind. She remembered Wanda hexing her, then nothing. She felt like she was in a void of darkness, and she started to move forward, putting her hands out in front of her to find her way until eventually she opened a door, allowing light to overtake the darkness.

She held her hand up in front of her eyes as she squinted into the light, finally seeing the scene ahead of her. It was Steve, in his Captain America suit, kneeling over Iron Man. His shield was ripped down the middle, one half still strapped to his arm and the other half discarded nearby next to the Black Widow. Katiana approached nervously, seeing Natasha was collapsed over Bruce Banner, but upon closer inspection, Katiana's stomach dropped when she realized his head was laying a foot too far away from his body.

"Too fast. The Hulk didn't even have a chance to save him."

Katiana turned to Steve, but the soldier didn't look up, he just stared down at Tony. She could see he was bleeding from his scalp, because his soft blonde hair was matted and red. She reached out to touch his shoulder, then recoiled when she realized there was a gaping hole just below his shoulder blade that was already cauterized from the heat of whatever had struck him.

"Natasha ran to help, but stopped suddenly, grabbing her head in pain. Then she just- collapsed."

Katiana shook her head, turning around to see Thor and Clint behind her. The archer had an arrow in his chest and the demi-god had a bullet hole in his skull, so Katiana didn't need Steve to explain what happened to them, and she shushed him when he opened his mouth to try. "What happened here?" Katiana asked when Steve fell silent again and turned his head away from her. She took a step around, trying to see his face, "Steve, what happened?"

"Tony told me. I wasn't here. He told me before... before..." Steve tilted his face away from Katiana and she reached out to touch him, and he cowered at the feeling of her fingers on his skin. He felt cold, like a corpse, but Katiana wanted to see his face. She carefully tilted his head up to see her, and saw that both of his eyes were bloodshot and his face was sliced from his left temple down to his lower lip, which was swollen and practically purple. He had a massive bruise forming on his right cheekbone and his sharp nose was broken.

Katiana collapsed onto the ground beside him, holding his jaw in her hands, "Who did this to you?"

Steve couldn't look her in the eye, but she could feel his whole body begin to slump as the blood leaving his skull began to make him weak. "You did." He answered as he slumped against her, and Katiana began to panic. She carefully laid him down onto his back before screaming out, "Somebody please help! Please!"

"The world is better now. We destroyed the Avengers. We couldn't have done it without you." Wanda's thick accent purred, but Katiana didn't look up, she just kept trying to push on Steve's chest to resuscitate him. She was aware of Wanda standing behind her, but she couldn't stop trying to save Steve, "This was all your idea. You told us how to kill each and every one of them. You kept Steve away long enough for us to kill the others, but you insisted-"

"You wanted to kill him yourself." Pietro added smugly and Katiana gave up trying to save Steve and collapsed against his chest. She wept loudly, unsure where all this emotion was coming from. Katiana felt like her heart had been ripped out of her chest, but she couldn't explain it, she didn't have such strong emotions for Steve Rogers and the Avengers. She wanted them dead. It wasn't until Pietro said, "Aren't you glad they decided not to remove the chip" that Katiana understood where the terror was coming from.

She looked up to see Ultron standing in front of her, smiling, "Now, let's finish what we started." He took off to the sky and Pietro zipped away with Wanda, leaving Katiana alone with the bodies. She brushed her thumb against Steve's cracked lip, feeling the weight of her betrayal in her chest like a boulder pulling her down.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, I- I loved you." Kayla whimpered as her blonde hair spilled around Steve. She heard the sound of footsteps running toward her, but she didn't try to get up, she didn't try to get away. She just stayed and faced whatever punishment she'd be dealt. It couldn't be worse than watching Steve die. It couldn't be worse than knowing she killed him.

"Mom!"

She looked up in terror to see two teenagers slide to a stop in front of her. The girl had big blue eyes and long blonde hair, and was tall and strong, similar to Kayla should she be a super soldier. When she looked to the boy though, she realized he looked just like Steve, but with her green eyes.

The boy shook his head in terror, dropping to his knees as the girl gasped, "What have you done?"

Katiana gasped as she sat up, feeling the vision ripped away from her quickly. She looked to Wanda, seeing the girl pulling the red from her head back into her fingers, but she shook her head rapidly, "No. No no no, I have to go back! I need to see the vision again, please!"

Wanda looked at Katiana like she'd grown two heads, "I looked in your head and saw your devastation-"

"Yes, but the end, the last thing I saw, I saw kids Wanda! They were my kids! And Ultron said we'd finish what we started, but the Avengers were already dead." Katiana looked between the twins in terror, "What is Ultron planning?" She looked around, realizing she wasn't in the shipyard anymore, but on a small plane. She scrambled to her feet and looked around, "Shit! What did you two do? The Avengers will come looking for me!"

"They won't find you until it's too late. She messed with their heads as badly as she messed with yours." Pietro explained as he rolled his eyes dramatically, "Stop worrying about them. Ultron will destroy them and the world will be better for it."

Katiana shook her head, looking back to Wanda, "I saw my kids, Wanda. They were mine, I could feel it in my bones. Don't take that away from me."

"Since when do you want children?" Wanda growled deeply, her eyes burning red, "Are you sure that isn't Kayla Ellis in your head?"

"Maybe it is, but it doesn't change the fact that I saw them, and they were ours. My mind can't remember my past, but my heart knows they exist, somehow, at some point. I can't explain it. We can't kill them, you have to swear to me, you can't lay a hand on Steve."

"He's an asshole. He hit me with his shield." Pietro argued and Wanda gestured to him as if there were no better reason to end the soldier's life.

Katiana scoffed and tilted her head as she pursed her lips. After a moment she sighed, "I know this seems out of character for me, but I had a life before Strucker. I've met people who cared about Kayla and who miss her and who are struggling. I'll still exist if I let her back in, I'll just have the ability to see the whole picture. Katiana Maslani isn't real, she's a lie that was told to Kayla Ellis so she'd turn on the Avengers, but I can't. I love Steve Rogers. I don't remember loving him, but I know that I do. I can't explain it, it's like, I got a peek behind the curtain and now my heart is overrunning my head."

Pietro smacked Wanda hard against the arm and she yelped in pain, "You should have never hexed her. Now you've scrambled her brain even more."

"No. No, I'm okay. I just... I kinda get it now. I get why Steve cares for me the way he does, because I was able to remember what I feel for him." Katiana explained as she scratched her head. "I don't know. I don't understand any of this, but I saw him die and it wrecked me. I can't let Ultron kill him. I saw our kids."

"It's magic that warps your mind, those aren't your kids." Wanda deadpanned as the plane began its decent, piloted by one of Ultron's robots. Katiana rubbed her temples, blinking quickly as she wracked her brain for where they were. Wanda saw her frustration and added, "Seoul. Ultron needs a woman here to build him his body."

Katiana crossed her arms, looking down her nose at Wanda, "I can't be a part of this. I won't help him."

"He didn't tell us to take you, we did it ourselves. If you don't stay with us, we can't protect you." Pietro argued, but Wanda put up her hand in front of him. Her gaze on Katiana was cold and unforgiving, but the woman faced her bravely.

"Let her do what she wants." Wanda said coolly, "If she changes her mind, we'll be at the U-Gin Research Lab."

Katiana straightened up and sighed, "This doesn't have to be the end, guys. I just can't help you destroy them. I think Ultron is on the wrong side."

Wanda didn't flinch as the plane landed and the robot walked past the three to the door. Katiana eyed it with caution, not taking her eyes off the thing until they were out of the plane. The robot turned to them, and Katiana just gestured for the Maximoffs to go. "Like you said. I know where to find you. Just give me a little time." She settled, hoping she could appease her friends with hope.

It seemed to work because Pietro gave her a firm nod and grabbed his sister's hand to lead her behind the robot to the U-Gin facility.