Happy Tuesday, readers!
Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.
Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.
Recap
"Here." Lowri said, she picked one ear piece up and held it out for Pietro Maximoff to take. "These are ear pieces, they go in your ear, if you hadn't already guessed." Lowri said. She held up another ear piece for Wanda Maximoff to take. "With these, you can talk to us and we can talk to you. We know where everyone is then."
They both looked down at the ear pieces with confusion in their eyes, but they were hesitant to ask.
"Press the small button on the side and it'll link with everyone on the jet." Lowri said, pointing to a spare one.
"Thank you." They said together.
Lowri smiled as she stood up and she closed the box, she looked down at them both.
"The jacket suits you." Lowri said with a smile. Wanda looked up at her slightly doe-eyed. "Look after it, it was a gift."
Lowri passed one of the ear pieces over to Vision, as he is now so named. He silently slid the ear piece into his ear, as if he already knew what to do with it. of course, he's running Jarvis' matrix, he knows everything to do with their tech.
Her phone rang in her pocket and she excused herself to the right wing once more to put away the box and answer her phone.
"Hello?" Lowri asked.
"What the hell is going on?"
Lowri was almost stunned into silence, but then she laughed.
"For a moment there, I thought you were Nick. You really take on the role of director well." Lowri said.
"Oh, not so much nowadays. But, I just need clarification. What have you done?"
"Uh, died." Lowri replied almost sheepishly. She turned her back on her team and faced the wall.
"Did you get shot in the head again?"
"Yeah. Hurt like a bitch. But uh, right now, we're heading to fight the AI." Lowri explained. "And we don't know what the outcome could be. This Ultron, he'll bring destruction to the world."
"Well, I want you to know that Theta Protocol is well underway."
"Brilliant." Lowri breathed out, she glanced behind her at her team and sighed. "We will need some old friends. I'm glad I can count on you."
"What are old friends for, eh?"
"I'm very glad I picked you up outside your college." Lowri said with a laugh, "Oh, I better go, Steve's got his serious face on again."
"Better not hold you up, Cap won't be happy."
"Oh, before I forget to tell you, Steve and I are off on a date as soon as this whole mess is over." Lowri said, trying to fight off her smile.
"No way."
"Way." Lowri laughed, "I kinda didn't give him a chance to turn me down."
"I'm happy for you. Anyway, I better let you go."
"Yeah. Alright, I'll talk to you soon." Lowri said, she hung up the phone and slid her phone into her pocket.
Steve watched Lowri carefully as she came back into the room. He was always curious about her strange and anonymous phone calls, since she never revealed the caller's identity.
"Alright everyone, listen up." Steve began, he looked around the team and drew all attention on him. "Ultron knows we're coming. Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire. And that's what we signed for. The people of Sokovia, they didn't. So, our priority is getting them out. All they want is to live their lives in peace. And that's not gonna happen today. But we can do our best to protect them. And we can get the job done." Steve said.
He paused and he looked around the group again "We find out what Ultron's been building, we find Romanoff and clear the field, keep the fight between us." Somehow, his eyes found each of them. "Ultron thinks we're monsters. That we're what wrong with the world. This isn't about beating him. It's about whether he's right."
"Thor, I want you to investigate what Ultron's been building. Go underground and stay out of sight. Bruce, you're to go with Thor, find Nat and get her away from the fight." Steve ordered, he paused and then looked at Tony, "Stark, I want you in the air with eyes on everything, see what you can find that's odd about the city. Barton, I want you somewhere high. Use your eyes. And Vision, find Ultron. Take him out of the Internet and stop all possible exits for him. Make him trapped."
Steve looked at the Maximoff twins and then he looked at Lowri.
"The four of us will work on the ground on evac." Steve ordered, "Wanda, you can get into people's minds, right?"
"Yes." Wanda answered.
"Work your magic into the people's minds, get them to up and leave." Steve ordered, "And Pietro, run fast around the city. Try to get the law on our side, then round up the people and get them out of the city. You can find the best ins and outs."
Pietro nodded his head and then there was beeping into the cockpit, announcing that they were due to land in a few minutes, Lowri and Clint stepped away immediately and slid into their seats.
"You want to take the landing, Clint?" Lowri asked, strapping herself in.
"What's this? Misfire giving me the controls willingly for a landing? Are you feeling alright?" Clint teased but he took control immediately.
"There must be something wrong with me if I let you do a landing." Lowri said, laughing with him. "I guess I'm just in a good mood."
"Ready to destroy some tin soldiers?" Clint asked, smirking at her.
"Oh, yes." Lowri answered with a smile, "I'm more than ready."
Clint landed them quickly and then as soon as the jet touched the floor, Tony was in his suit and up in the air, Bruce and Thor went off together to the centre of the city, Pietro ran off with his sister in his arms and Vision shot off into the sky.
"Right, this is where I leave you." Clint said, turning to Lowri. "See ya in a bit."
"Ta-ra." Lowri said, she began turning off the engines and Clint left the cockpit. She heard him keep on walking then he ran off, leaving Lowri and Steve alone.
She left the cockpit and faced Steve after turning off the engine. He was waiting for her.
"You never told me what my job is." Lowri said, coming to a stop in front of him and she looked up.
"That's because I'm still not used to ordering you around." Steve chuckled. They fell into step together and left the jet, they immediately headed into the city. "We're working together on the ground. From all the intel we got on the city, there's only one main road out. And that's over a bridge. So, our task to make sure that they all get out safely."
"Sounds easy." Lowri said with a smile. They were now in sight of the bridge, where traffic was already moving steadily across. "And when all of this is over," Lowri began, she looked up at Steve and he looked down at her, their eyes connected and Lowri felt that very familiar tug at her stomach. She can never get used to looking into his eyes. "I'm taking you out on a date."
Steve chuckled and then he dropped his eyes to the floor then put his hands on his hips.
"You know, it's supposed to be the other way around. The guy is supposed to take the girl out." Steve noted, he looked at her again and smiled.
"Times have changed, Steve." Lowri said, "Women are taking steps to be independent, they're taking on leading jobs in their careers once destined only for men, they're asking for equal pay for the jobs they do, and they're asking out men who took their fancy."
Lowri stepped for the bridge and Steve waited before stepping off after her. The bridge, a small connection to the city, was only a two lane, two-way road. As there were no cars coming in, the two lands were being used as an escape route and at first, all the drivers they saw were compliant. They listened, they were calm, but then more cars began showing up and the road got busier.
Cars began coming from every direction from the city and pretty soon, the entire road leading out of the city on the other side of the bridge was gridlocked and traffic moved slowly.
Horns were blasted when someone cut up someone else, cars began moving at a slow crawl and it was infuriating.
Steve and Lowri twisted and weaved through the almost-standstill traffic to urge cars forward, to stop a roadside brawl from happening.
Sunrise came and it was pretty clear that no one was leaving the city by car anytime soon. Tony confirmed their fears when he flew high enough.
"The city is gridlocked." Tony said over comms.
"People love their cars too much, and they don't understand the danger. Do you think we should just get them to abandon the cars and evacuate on foot?" Lowri asked.
"That might be the only way right now." Steve agreed, they shared a look with each other over the tops of the cars.
"There's more people coming." Clint reported.
As people on foot began making their way over the bridge, with Steve and Lowri guiding them through the maze of angry car drivers and their cars, the earth beneath their feet seemed to shake with incredible power and the concrete cracked.
Lowri began practically pushing the civilians near her to get over the bridge as more concrete cracked and people began screaming in fear.
The cracks grew bigger and bigger, the earth still shook and then, robots, shiny steel coloured suits began scrambling out of the cracks and then some even flew into the air.
The robotic bright blue eyes were terrifying, even to Lowri and she knew in her heart she could destroy at least some of them.
Then, all hell broke loose.
These suits began chasing after civilians, terrorising them so of course, Steve and Lowri had to step in. Lowri dashed for the nearest one to her as she heated up her hands, she dove at the suit and the metal melted fast. As one collapsed, another appeared in front of her.
In the corner of her eye, she spotted Steve fighting hand to hand with the suits and she knew he would be fine. The suits were learning quickly on how to attack.
The one she was currently fighting was getting better at hand to hand combat, even managed to get a few hits in on her. She had a cut on her lip and the inside of her cheek was torn, she was tasting blood.
As Lowri melted the face off the suit, the earth began shaking beneath them again and Lowri looked for Steve immediately, she knew he was somewhere on the bridge and if the shaking continued, she feared that the bridge would collapse.
He was running towards the middle of the bridge and he caught hold of one of the suits chasing him, he tore the head off and discarded both head and body as he ran.
Then the most odd thing happened, Lowri felt the earth beneath her rising, slowly. She stopped for a long moment, letting the scared and panicked feeling take hold as they flew upwards slowly then she kicked herself into gear when she saw Steve stop running and almost fall off the edge.
She wound her way through the stopped cars and headed for Steve, Lowri pelted along the pavement and then she threw herself off the edge.
"Lowri!" Steve yelled but then he checked himself and remembered she could fly. Lowri called the fire to her skin and let it run all the way to her fingertips and ends of her toes before shooting back up into the air.
She flew away from the flying city and turned back to watch it as she felt the scared feeling return to her. The situation had changed drastically, from a simple evacuation and surprise attack, now they had to battle something else entirely, as well as save the civilians still on the flying city.
Lowri watched with horror was the city rose in front of her eyes. In the far distance, Lowri spied Tony in the same position as her, watching with the feeling that not a lot can be done.
She shot back up into the air to catch up with the city and she flew back to Steve. It was hard to match her speed with the rising speed of the city and she was fairly out of breath when she gripped hold of the rocky ledge where the bridge had been. She cooled her hands down and tried to grasp with her other hand but when she shifted her weight, the rock beneath her hand fell loose and she lost her grip.
Steve quickly grabbed both her hands and pulled her to her feet with ease and looked into her eyes, his own set of blue eyes were showing the same amount of horror and panic as she felt.
"The city is flying." Lowri breathed out, Steve kept hold of both her hands and pulled her closer, he looked as though he wanted to say something but then one of the suits flew into the air and the blue piercing eyes turned to a dangerous red.
"Do you see," Ultron's voice came out of the suit in front of them, it was loud and almost echoing, both Steve and Lowri turned to look at it, still hand clasped. "The beauty of it? The inevitability? You rise, only to fall."
Lowri felt her entire body freeze and she gripped Steve's hands tighter, Ultron's voice was soothing but the words he was saying was completely unmatched yet they fit together perfectly.
"You, Avengers, you are my meteor. My swift and terrible sword. And the earth will crack with the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me." Relief flooded Lowri, at least Vision had done his part in blocking Ultron from the net. "It means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world." As Ultron spoke, Lowri felt her gut ache with foreknowing. "Will be metal."
This is it.
Lowri was torn away from Steve when a large wave of suits came at them, and while trying to fight off these suits and destroy them and making sure that the civilians still in the cars around them, Steve and Lowri also had to make sure that they themselves weren't thrown off the edge of the fast-rising city.
When there was a lull, Lowri took the time to scope out the area, seeing where most the suits were congregating.
"They're all over there, Steve." Lowri panted, she leant on a car and looked up at Steve.
"I'll go over-" Steve began but Lowri shook her head and he stopped talking.
"I'll go." Lowri breathed out, she straightened up and put her hands on her hips. "I'll go."
Steve nodded his head after a few short moments and his eyes searched hers.
"Stay safe." He said shortly.
It was Lowri's turn to nod her head at him and as she turned from him, she took off at a run over to the large open, grassy area where metal suits were creating havoc.
Fighting the metal suits was definitely testing her abilities. Ever since that setback with the serum she got injected with, Lowri hadn't been at the top of her game and she isn't right now. She's sloppy. A few suits got hits in on her and the number of fallen suits wasn't high enough for her yet.
"Cap, you got incoming." Tony reported over comms. Lowri paused momentarily and turned her head, scanning for Steve on the bridge but she couldn't see him.
"Incoming already came in." Steve grunted. Lowri still couldn't see him but her concentration was taken from him, another suit knocked her to the ground and as she landed, she rolled and raised her hands, sending up a stream of fire.
Lowri lay on the ground, momentarily stunned and she looked around. Large vehicles, abandoned by their drivers, were blown up on the spot and the civilians that still hadn't found cover began screaming and then they found cover.
"Stark, you worry about bringing this city down safely. The rest of us have one job." Steve said as Lowri slowly got to her feet and turned in a slow circle, as she turned, she spied Steve coming around one of the cars on the bridge. "Tear these things apart. You get hurt, hurt them back. You get killed," Steve turned and locked eyes with Lowri. "Walk it off."
Steve began walking towards her and Lowri went to meet him halfway but then there was a horrible groan and Steve wheeled around, he ran back to the bridge just as the edge of the bridge began giving away and the cars that were balanced on top, began tilting towards the edge.
Lowri made to go after him but another suit distracted her. Lowri fought off the suit and as the suit fell in front of her, she heard the loud and impressive roar of an unleashed Hulk and Lowri knew that they now had some sort of chance of winning against these never-ending suits. Bruce could easily rip his way through this army.
Nat rolled in a few minutes later, still wearing her battered field suit and she wielded her electrified batons in both hands, zapping each suit that crossed her path. She approached Lowri while both were still fighting.
"I thought you and Banner were on orders to get away from the fight?" Lowri called from where she stood, melting suits with a non-stop stream of fire.
"He wanted to." Nat replied, she ducked and rolled while she used her batons to take down three suits. "But I knew that I couldn't leave you guys to fight these alone."
Lowri paused for a moment, she watched her friend move fluidly and seemed to pick up on a strange aura around her.
"Did you kiss him?" Lowri asked straightforwardly.
"No." Nat answered before she ducked again and kicked one of the suits in its metal chest, she twisted almost mid-air and zapped the suit with one of her batons.
Lowri twisted and jumped into the air and shot a large fire ball into the chest of one of the suits, the fireball seared its way through three more suits before fizzling out in a fourth and Lowri had to make another one to take out that suit.
"But I pushed him over a cliff to bring out the Hulk." Nat added, making Lowri laugh.
Suddenly, Thor flew in with his hammer ready in his hand and as he landed, Thor belted out a few suits and was drawn into the fight with the remainder of the suits quickly.
The minutes dragged as they fought to lower the number of suits in the area but it was taking too long. There was another loud explosion nearby and then Thor was pulled into the air and carted off by Ultron.
"Holy crap." Lowri muttered under her breath, she huffed out a breath and then looked mildly surprised to see Steve making his way towards them having cleared the bridge, he took down suits as he made his way over.
"Alright, we're clear here." Clint said over comms, referring to the block of flats that had been evacuated before the city began rising into the air.
"We are not clear. We are very not clear!" Steve grunted as he took down more suits.
"Alright. Coming to you." Clint said.
By now, Lowri's feet like they were going to fall off, she was panting and breathing heavy from all the fighting and she had blood on her chin from a split lip that seemed to refuse to clot.
The suits kept on coming and coming it seemed, they were relentless. As soon as one suit was taken out of action, three more took its place.
The fight carried on and on, Lowri's hands ached with pain and her arms were getting sore but they had no chance to stop.
As Lowri spun on one foot and kicked with the other, she spied a group of about ten civilians, huddled against a wall, some crying in fear, some silent and others making petrified sounds.
She finished off the suit she was fighting and then she ducked another, spun away from it and raced towards the group of people.
"Come on! Why're you still out here? Get moving!" Lowri yelled at them, she spied an open doorway and directed them towards that. She moved with them and she was glad she did. A suit strayed from the rest of the others and made a beeline for Lowri and the people she was guiding.
Lowri turned on the suit and melted the body in half before aiming a stream of fire at the head and destroyed the suit.
She turned back to the group of ten and quickly ushered them through the open doorway and into a building where they could at least hide.
As Lowri left the building, it was as though they were in a cloud. They were up high by now, probably at cloud level. Lowri scanned the area, looking for Steve and Nat but she could barely see in front of her.
"The next wave is gonna hit any minute. What have you got, Stark?" Steve asked.
As the cloud cleared slightly, Lowri caught sight of Steve and she made her way over.
"Huh? Oh, nothing great. Maybe a way to blow up the city. That'll keep it from impacting the surface if you guys can get clear." Tony answered.
"I asked for a solution, not an escape plan." Steve remarked as Lowri came to a stop just beside him. He stood overlooking the wonderful view of the sky just beyond the rising city. They were near the edge and if they moved closer, they'd be right on the edge and they could look down.
Steve looked down at Lowri with relief in his eyes and he stepped closer.
"The impact radius is getting bigger every second, we're gonna have to make a choice." Tony said in an almost-defeated tone.
Steve looked away from Lowri and frowned. Lowri crossed to in front of him and took one of his hands in her own.
"You're not making this choice alone, Steve." Lowri said, reminding him that she's there for him.
"Are you gonna make it with me?" Steve asked, almost testing her.
"It's not the first time I've made a tough decision, granted that they weren't as big as this." Lowri said, she looked up into his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. "There's no way of getting every living soul off this rock in time and there's no chance of getting it down safely. It's better to risk the lives up here than down there, we might not see it now but this might be the only way."
"You can't be serious, Lowri." Steve said, he took his hand from hers and looked away as if he couldn't believe the words that came from her mouth.
"I am." She breathed. She felt defeated. Steve wants to save everyone but sometimes, things can't work out that way.
"I'm not leaving this rock with one civilian on it." Steve said firmly, he looked back at her and his eyes held such intensity that Lowri almost lost her next words.
"I don't plan on that either." Lowri said and Steve's eyes changed to shock. Did he really doubt that she would abandon all of these people? "I've been alive for a long time. I guess I'll have to go at one point, so, I might as well go when I got a view like this."
Steve reached for her hand and he held on tight. Lowri felt the warmth spread from her hand and through her body, she smiled up at him as his thumb brushed the back of her hand and he opened his mouth to say something but something big cut him off.
"I hope you're not giving up on us, Miss Jones." Lowri's mouth dropped open and she looked away from Steve. "I mean, we are acting on your orders."
Thanks all for reading!
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