Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. It's been crazy on this side of the screen. I've loved all the reviews, you guys are awesome. If I were you I've would've ditched this story a long time ago. I'm not sure about this chapter, it's definitely not my best work, but I enjoyed writing it. Hope ya'll like it!
-o-X-o-
Steve held his head in his hands. The team had just gotten back from the boat and they weren't in great shape. Bruce had just finished mumbling out what had happened after the Avengers left. He didn't remember what had happened after he turned into the Hulk.
Nobody needed to say it, they all knew. Jade was gone. Whether she left of her own free will or was kidnapped they had yet to figure out.
"It's not your fault," Natasha said to Steve. She had come and sat by him during Bruce's story and had stayed there after he had finished. "It's nobody's fault."
"I shouldn't have let her come," Steve replied. "That was my mistake." He sat up and looked at Nat.
"She's probably fine," Nat tried to assure him. She was a telling herself the same thing, but questions were nagging at the back of her mind.
"And what is she's not? We don't know if she ran away or if..."
"If Ultron has her," Natasha finished. They were all torn up from what had happened, Bruce hadn't spoken since his brief story in a way he felt guilty about Jade's disappearance, Clint was flying the ship, and Tony was standing in a corner looking at his phone. Thor also hadn't spoken, in fact, Steve didn't even know if he had been listening at all. Thor seemed pretty out of it.
"We're here," Clint announced. Natasha and Steve stood together and followed Clint out.
-o-X-o-
Jade opened her eyes. She was laying on the metal floor of what seemed to be a jet. Her head pounded and she moaned as she sat up.
"Oh, I am in so much trouble," Jade said after she realized where she was. "Clint's gonna to kill me."
"Good to see you're awake," A voice to her left said. She turned her head and recognized the person who had spoken as Pietro.
"What am I doing here?" Jade asked slightly annoyed. The events from the morning before flew through her head, and she reprimanded herself for not seeing that it was a trap.
"Helping, to put it simply," A metallic voice said. Jade bolted to her feet and looked up at the robot. Her body screamed at her to move away, but she refused to act scarred even though she was.
"Maybe I don't want to help," She said. It was pointless to argue, he had the upper hand. She would have to what they told her to, whether she wanted to or not.
"Unfortunately, that's not up to you," Ultron said. Jade huffed and blew a piece of her hair out of her face.
"Story of my life," Jade muttered. "What do I have to do?"
"You'll see. Don't try anything, I'd hate to have to knock you out again." Ultron turned away from her and clomped up to the pilots seat. Jade was half tempted to Phase through the planes floor out of spite, but she would prefer to remain conscious during the flight.
"How did you get your powers?" Wanda asked walking out of the shadowy corner. She had been standing there watching how the scenario play out. Jade turned around to face the girl.
"Hydra," She answered. Jade wasn't certain, but she was pretty sure this was who had knocked her out. "What about you?" She was genuinely curious about it. It wasn't everyday that you meet someone with similar skills.
"Ours too," Pietro said. "Why did you do it?" Jade was taken back by his question. Why did she do what? Then she realized.
"You volunteered," It wasn't a question. Her stomach twisted. They asked for this to be done to them. They wanted their abilities, they gave Hydra permission to mess with them.
Pietro looked sideways at her. "You didn't?" He asked.
"Of coarse not!" She half yelled her answer. Wanda took a few steps closer and peered at the girl.
"Then how did they get you?" Wanda asked. Jade open her mouth to reply, then shut it. She didn't have an answer. She didn't remember. Hydra was all she could remember, and even those memories came from reoccurring nightmares and mental breakdowns. She had no recollection of her parents or how she came to be with Hydra.
"I don't know," Jade finally answered looking down at her shoes.
"How can you not know?" Pietro asked. Jade looked up to meet his eyes.
"I can't remember. Every time Hydra experimented on me it messed with my memory. It..." Jade waved her hands trying to find the right word. "Deleted, I guess, everything that Hydra didn't deem necessary for me to remember. Wanted me to concentrate on what they needed me to do." The twins looked at each other then back at Jade.
"I'm sorry," Pietro apologized. Jade shook her head.
"It's not your fault. Besides it's not like I miss it very much, I can't even remember what I should be missing." Jade discovered she meant what she said. She wasn't concerned about her memory. She would either get it back or she won't. She might as well focus on making new memories in the mean time, and right now she was making some serious new ones.
"Why did you do it?" Jade returned the question.
"Our parents died in a bombing. We want revenge on who did it to them," Wanda answered. Jade nodded.
"Revenge is a funny thing," Jade said. "You do things you would never do otherwise, and rarely do you not regret it afterword."
"It was Stark," Wanda snapped.
"Well, that's unfortunate," Jade said trying to hide her surprise. Heavy footsteps drew the trios attention.
"We're here," Ultron said.
-o-X-o-
"No way," Jade said to the metal man in front of her.
"You don't have the option," He retorted. Jade rolled her eyes and shifted her weight on her left heel. The group was standing outside of the U-Gin Genetics Research Lab in Seoul, Korea. Ultron wanted Jade to help them get into the lab undetected, and Jade was less than excited about the idea.
"I'm not helping all of you phase in. That will cost a lot of energy and only if I'm lucky will I not faint half way through," Jade said recalling how drained she was after helping Black Widow in the forest only days earlier.
"Wanda will help keep you conscious." Wanda stepped forward and twisted her fingers, igniting the red liquid like power.
"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm good," Jade said putting her hands up. Ultron nodded his head at a legionaries and it raised Loki's staff toward her. "Whoa, whoa," Jade sputtered, but it was to late. Her eyes sight clouded for a moment then it was all blue.
Jade got them in without a problem. She could tell what she was doing and that she didn't like it, but she couldn't tell you why. When she was done she stood in a corner with Wanda and Pietro.
"Is she alright?" Pietro asked looking at Jade. Jade willed herself to answer, but nothing happened. She could only do what the user of the staff let her.
"She'll be fine. She's just been improved a little," Ultron answered barely glancing at them.
"I didn't know she needed to," Pietro mumbled. Wanda elbowed him, and he faked being hurt by it.
Dr. Cho walked in. Jade wanted to scream at her to run, but again, nothing happened. She watched helplessly as Dr. Cho was taken over and the lab was taken over. Jade fought with herself to do something. When she thought she finally had the upper hand she would be pushed back down. Jade felt herself start to shake and she squeezed her eyes shut.
"Don't move," Jade head Wanda say to her. The shaking stopped and Jade opened her eyes to look up at Wanda. Wanda subtly waved her hand and Jade could see in full color again. Jade opened her mouth to thank when Wanda shook her head.
Wanda moved back to her brother only to be distracted by a rectangular box.
"I can read him," Wanda noticed. "He's dreaming."
"I wouldn't call it dreams," Dr. Cho said. "It's Ultron's base consciousness. Informational noise," She explained. Jade remained silent and watched the scene.
"Soon-," Dr. Cho started only to be interrupted by Ultron.
"How soon?" He said. "I'm not being pushy." Jade had to hold back a snort. It was if Ultron was trying to explain his bad manners while holding everyone hostage.
"We're imprinting a physical brain. There are no shortcuts," Dr. Cho answered. Wanda walked over and put her hands on the box. Wanda screamed. Which caused Jade to jump and Ultron to stand. She wanted to go to Wanda, but decided against the action. Pietro had it covered, and she didn't want to be found out just yet.
Wanda drew in shaky breaths. "How could you?" She asked looking at Ultron.
"How could I what?" Ultron asked playing dumb.
"You said we would destroy the Avengers. Make a better world," Wanda said. She stepped closer to Ultron, and, without thinking, Jade did the same.
"It will be better."
"When everyone is dead?" Wanda demanded. Jade widened her eyes and snapped her head over to look at Ultron.
"That is Not! The human race would have every opportunity to improve," Ultron said.
"And if they don't?" Pietro asked. He stepped in front of his sister.
"Ask Noah," Ultron answer.
'Wrong answer,' Jade thought to herself.
"You're a madman," Wanda said. Jade whole heartedly agreed. She had basically thought that since the party, but that didn't matter now.
"There were more than a dozen extinction-level events before even the dinosaurs got theirs," Ultron tried to reason. "When the Earth starts to settle God throws a stone at it, and believe me He's winding up. We have to evolve there's no room for the weak."
Wanda moved her hand and Jade saw the blue tint go out of Dr. Cho's eyes.
"And who decides who's weak?" Pietro said while Wanda was doing her thing.
"Life," Ultron said with a chuckle. "Life always decides." Pietro looked back at his sister and Jade saw that they finally understood what they had gotten themselves into. Ultron looked up at the ceiling.
"There's incoming," Ultron said. Pietro walked back to his sister and whispered something in her ear. "The Quinjet. We have to move."
"That's not a problem," Dr. Cho said. She typed something into the machine and a small beep came from it. Ultron realized what had happened and shot a laser beam out of his hand. It hit the doctor square in the chest knocking her to the ground. Jade rushed to her side, not caring anymore about keeping up appearances.
"No! Wait, guys!" Ultron exclaimed. Jade looked up to see what he was talking about.
"They left," Jade said. Her stomach twisted and she wanted to throw up. Then her world became a speeding blur.
