Sy
Sy landed through a hole in the roof of the church, her wings flared behind her. The celestial bronze plating on her wings reflected light across the walls of the church, turning the inside of the nearly destroyed building a glittering gold color. The light fragmented across the walls, highlighting the dust floating in the air until she'd mostly retracted her wings.
She turned to face the entrance of the church, pretending to not notice Pietro's slack jawed stare, or Wanda elbowing her brother. Steve glared over her shoulder, the arm with his shield rising slightly. The cold expression on his face was aimed somewhere behind her. Clint nudged Thor, who poked Loki, and three identically smug grins stretched across each of the three faces. Sy hid a small smile of her own. Tony glanced over at her, the impassive face of the Ironman mask hiding his expression. But not even the robotic hiss of the speaker in his suit could hide the mirth in his voice. Sy could taste the sweet lemony tang of cheerful happiness splashing through his tone.
"Good, Sy's here. Romanoff, you and Banner better not be playing hide the zucchini." Sy groaned. She did not need that visual.
"Relax Shell-head, not all of us can fly." Natasha responded with her usual poise. She tumbled into the room after leaping off a dump truck covered in the remains of what looked like a dozen ex-Ultrons. Hulk arrived shortly after, turning to face the group with a half hearted snarl.
"What's the drill?" Nat asked, not even out of breath. Tony pointed to the huge silver contraption in the center of the church.
"This is the drill. If Ultron gets his hand on the core, we lose." Everyone sobered up, nodding as they drew weapons and arranged themselves silently in a loose defensive circle around the core. There was too much at stake for jokes now. Sy easily twisted her sword in a practiced move, centering herself as she activated her shield, the celestial bronze locking into place.
Ultron's main body landed in front of them, the dark metal glinting as it walked towards them alone.
"Is that the best you can do?" Thor taunted. Loki smacked himself in the face. Then followed up that move by smacking his brother in the back of his head.
"Did you really have to ask brother? It never ends well." Ultron raised his arm, and thousands of robots came running and flying up behind Ultron. His army. Sy found a small piece of rubble caught in her hair. She threw it at the back of Thor's head. She missed his head but got him in the ear. The god glared back at her. She stuck her tongue out at him, completely unafraid of him after all this time.
"This is the best I can do." Ultron intoned. The robot smirked, red eyes narrowed and flat mouth twisted up in the corners.
For a hunk of metal, Ultron was incredibly expressive.
"This is exactly what I wanted. All of you, against all of me. How can you possibly hope to stop me?" Tony sighed. He glanced towards Steve.
"Well, like the old man said. Together."
Hulk's defiant roar was their battle cry, and Ultron's army swarmed over them. Sy moved without thinking, instinct and adrenaline driving her. Explosions sounded around her, the squeal of the drones being torn apart, metal colliding against metal.
She wasn't even sure where she was at times, in the air or on the ground, her wings flared out, the celestial bronze deflecting the blasts of energy coming from the machines. At some point she was back to back with Wanda, red magic flowing around her, the power filling the air familiar. Then she was alone, slashing first one drone in half then ripping the wiring out of another. Steve came out of nowhere, smashing a drone behind her and she whirled to slice down another one that was about to catch Clint unawares.
Lighting crackled through the air, Thor wielding Mjolnir with all of his millennia of deadly skill while Wanda's red magic crashed over the enemy lines in destructive waves. Sy could feel Loki's much more subtle magic flowing around them, deflecting shrapnel and hiding the god's true location. Tony's repulsor beams heated the air, blasting back drone after drone. Above her, Vision battled with Ultron's largest form, the two powerful beings colliding in the air. She glanced up to watch them grapple, a tug in her stomach pulling her gaze towards them over and over again. Something about both of them drew her towards them.
Sy felt the power before it emerged. It was a tidal wave, brutal and unstoppable. A hurricane, powerful and destructive. Earthquake, shaking the very foundations of science and divinity as it tears apart what was to become a new and unfamiliar landscape.
A golden beam of pure energy shot out from the stone in Vision's head.
The ghost of her music filled the air, an ethereal symphony a thousand instruments strong, a million songs played. She heard the notes of the classics, Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. She heard modern pop music, and hard rock and lullabies. Her own personal compositions, songs her mother taught her. And so much more. The energy sang in harmony as it blasted Ultron out of the church. Sy slashed forwards with her sword, lunging to cover Thor's vacated position as ozone filled the air outside the church. Tony disappeared too, and the sound of his repulsors could be heard under the symphony that was Vision's power. She smashed another robot in the face and whirled around to face another, but found herself facing nothing more than empty air. The few dozen drones that had survived the onslaught were abandoning the fight.
"They're trying to leave the city!" Thor cried out. Sy glanced wildly at the ragged team. Not even one could escape, or all of their hard work will have been for nothing. The destruction of the city would be for nothing. Ultron could not be allowed to escape.
"We need to stop them." Wanda said desperately. Sy nodded tiredly in agreement.
"Not even one can escape. Rhodey, Falcon?" Tony asked urgently.
"On it." Rhodey confirmed over the comms.
"Already there." Sam added. Sy could practically hear the smirk on the man's face, even as she heard explosions through the earpiece. Sy shook out her wings, ready to join them. Steve turned to the team.
"We've got to move out. Even I can tell the air's getting thin. You guys get to the boats, I'll sweep for stragglers. Be right behind you." Sy scoffed, her wings twitching in irritation. The delicate metal armor encasing her wings
"Steve, if this air is getting thin even for you, then you are not going to sweep for stragglers. Head back to the boats and help with the final evacuation efforts. I'll sweep for stragglers, this altitude is nothing for me. I've flown higher before." Steve opened his mouth to protest when Clint interjected.
"What about the core?" He asked.
"I'll protect it." Wanda volunteered. They all looked at her in shock. The dark haired Sokovian glanced over at Clint.
"It's my job." Some kind of understanding flowed between the two of them and the archer nodded.
"Nat? This way." Clint gestured, something in his movement both deeply sarcastic, but also gallant. The former assassin nodded. Ever since Sy had met Clint's family, so much more of Natasha and Clint's relationship made sense to her.
The two of them turned to leave. Sy spread her wings, watching Steve. The noble idiot wouldn't leave unless she gave him a push.
"Head for the boats Steve. Make sure the whole team gets out. I'll see you there." She promised him. Steve strapped his shield to his back. He pulled her into a tight hug.
"Be careful Sy. Come back in one piece." Sy squeezed him once before pushing him away in the direction of the Lifeboats.
"I'll do my best." She promised. He nodded and left. Sy turned to Wanda and stretched out a hand. Wanda looked at her suspiciously and slowly lowered her hand to rest on top of Sy's outstretched palm. Sy hummed as she focused, hoping she was right.
Warmth crept through Sy's chest, and she knew that she was. A look of wonder over took the older woman's face. The witch felt it too. Sy felt for the remnants of her power inside the other woman, the bronze light inside Wanda responding to Sy's call. She pushed at it, molding the light, and dying it red. She doesn't need it back, not really. So Sy let it go.
"What are you doing?" Wanda asked softy, pulling her hand back slowly. Red mist filled Wanda's palm, bronze lights flickering in the center of the red magic. Sy stopped humming, and the bronze faded away. The red in the witch's hand pulsed brighter and dripped from her fingers. Sy shrugged, unsure of how to explain it.
"They stole from me to make you. Now I've given it to you freely. It... belongs to you now. With power, my kind of power, ownership is important. Stealing doesn't make a thing yours." She paused trying to come up with a better way of explaining it. She couldn't. Sy shrugged.
"It's complicated." She finished vaguely. The red light wreathing the witch was brighter than it had been before. Wanda's eyes widened in wonder. Sy heard a familiar sound and turned around to see the older twin.
"Get the people on the boats." Wanda ordered her brother. Sy sheathed her sword, watching the interaction.
"I'm not going to leave you." He said.
"I can handle this." Wanda snapped. She threw out her hand, and red light flashed as it slashed through another Ultron.
"You are faster." Pietro commented in shock. His sister smiled toothily, nodding towards Sy.
"Thanks to her."
"How?" He asked her skeptically. She shrugged.
"It's complicated." Sy repeated herself, spreading out her wings. She rolled her shoulders, stretching her exhausted muscles in preparation for flight.
"Come back for me when everybody is off. Not before." Wanda ordered her brother. Pietro rolled his eyes, speeding to the other side of the church. He grinned as he taunted his sister.
"You know I am twelve minutes older that you." Sy laughed as she flapped her wings, sending flurries of dust and grime into the air. She caught Wanda's eyes one last time.
"It's yours now. Use it well. Protect the core."
"What?" Both women ignored Pietro. Wanda nodded grimly.
"Go. I've got this." The snap of displaced air signaled Pietro's departure. Sy turned and took off, wings beating steadily. They had a city to save.
AN:
So I wrote the scene between Steve and Tony while they were at Homestead, and that not-argument they had. The one Sy sorta overhears. I'm not sure where I would post it, but let me know if that's something y'all would want to see.
Also if there's anything you want to see upcoming, let me know that too. I haven't quite decided what will happen with the ending of this one, theres a few options I'm playing with so I'd love feedback!
Cheers,
Hartley