Chapter Twenty:
"I got you a present," Ultron told him before they got out of the jet. He showed it to Tyron, and Tyron's eyes widened. Ultron was holding a muzzle and a collar.
"If ya think ya gonna put that shit on me, ya sadly mistaken," Tyron glared. Ultron smirked, going towards him, but Tyron lashed out, his teeth getting a section of Ultron's arm.
Ultron glared at him, then tossed the muzzle and collar at Wanda and Pietro's feet, who had been silent the entire time. "Get this thing on him, and let's get going," Ultron growled, then left, holding the bit of his arm that Tyron managed to eat.
Tyron glared at it, then kicked it under the seat. Tears burned his eyes, and he refused to meet either of the twins' eyes. "Tyron—" Pietro began, but Tyron cut him off.
"M'not puttin' that shit on!" Tyron snapped.
"You have no other choice," Wanda said, raising her hand. The muzzle and collar rose too, with the red magic surrounding it, emerging from underneath the seat.
"Wanda, stop," Pietro said, but she glared at him. He glared back, and then they were in one of their silent telepathic arguments that Tyron couldn't hear.
Finally, Wanda glared at Pietro, dropped the muzzle and collar in his hand and stormed off the jet. Tyron didn't say a word at first and Pietro sat beside him, just as silent. "He... He made me wear 'em, sometimes," Tyron murmured. "He thought it was funny."
"I am sorry," Pietro said honestly. "I am. But, he will be angry if we do not, and..." Pietro looked away, Tyron saw the pain in his eyes.
"I don't wanna..." He choked on a sob. "I don't..."
"It will only be for a little," Pietro tried to reassure him. Tyron sniffed and nodded. Pietro put the muzzle on his mouth, and Tyron flinched. His fingers were warm as it brushed against his skin, and Tyron shuddered. Pietro tightened it and then put the collar and leash on him. Tyron didn't allow himself to cry, not even when he saw the look of absolute pain on Pietro's face when he finished, as if it hurt him more than it hurt Tyron to wear it.
Tyron and Pietro left the jet. Ultron was on the ground, smirking smugly. "Just like the lapdog you are," he taunted. Tyron lunged at him, but Wanda grabbed the leash on his neck and yanked him back. He slipped, and stumbled, landing just feet away from the metal man.
"Now, don't get me wrong, this pains me to see you like this too," Ultron said, but didn't seem resentful at all. "However, I can't have you simply taking chunks of my metal. It's unorthadox, and I can't have my arm unresponsive. What if I took a chunk of flesh out of your arm, hmm? Would you like that?" Tyron, being unable to speak, growled angrily at him. Ultron smiled, "I didn't think so. Come on, we have a doctor's appointment soon."
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Tyron felt bad as the woman entered the lab room. She was Korean, Tyron remembered seeing her at Tony's party a few weeks ago. She was awfully pretty and extremely smart too. She worked in biology — Tyron remembered because she made Clint plastic skin, or something, when he got shot on that mission he hitchhiked with them.
When she walked into the lab room, she almost gasped, nearly dropping the clipboard she held. "Scream, and your entire staff dies," Ultron warned, and the woman, Helen Cho, kept her mouth shut. "I could've killed you, Helen, the night we met. I didn't."
Helen, as brave as a short Korean woman could be, looked him straight in his metal eyes and asked, "Do you expect a thank you note?" Tyron chuckled.
"I expect you to know why," Ultron said, then played a recording.
"'The Cradle'," it was Helen speaking. She paled at her own words. "'This is the next thing, Tony'."
"This..." Ultron placed a hand on the casket-like metal box on the lab table. "Is the next me."
"The regeneration cradle prints tissue, it can't build a living body," Helen said, confused.
"It can, you can," Ultron corrected her. "You lack the materials. You're a brilliant woman, Helen. But we all have room to improve." He tapped her chest with a golden staff — the same one the Avengers got from the HYDRA base in Slovakia — and Helen's brown eyes glowed blue for a moment. Then, she smiled, all of the tension and fear seem to have completely washed out of her body.
"When do I start?" She asked, intrigued and engaged. Tyron stared in shock, what did that staff do to her!?
"Now."
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Tyron stood near the wall, silently watching as the newly brainwashed Helen Cho worked on Ultron's new skin. He caught Wanda giving him side glared and sighed. He tilted her head towards her, and moved his hands as if to say, 'what do you want'? She just huffed and turned away.
"She is just jealous," Pietro told him, hearing his plastic chains rattling around his wrists. "She is like that whenever someone who is not her gets close to us. She will get over it." Wanda, as if sensing Pietro talking about her, glared and walked over.
"I am not 'jealous'," she frowned.
"You are, do not lie," Pietro rolled his eyes.
"What? You are dating a criminal! He works with Stark, Pietro!" Tyron looked at the her when he heard the works 'criminal'. He wasn't a criminal, he was never convicted it anything. And, they would never be able to keep him in any 'normal' prison.
"He is not a criminal!" Pietro snapped, angry.
"We have seen into his head, Pietro," Wanda argued. "He has killed children. Innocent children." Tyron flinched, looking down. He didn't want to remember that.
"He did not have any other choice," Pietro argued, but it was much softer.
"You always have a choice," she growled. "Face it, Pietro, you are in love with a monster."
Tyron looked down, his jaw clenched. Wanda was right, he had killed children. Despite how he tried to justify it, there was still blood on his hands, the worst kind of blood. The families he had destroyed, the fathers he took away, they were all people he had to carry. And it was too much. It was always too much. And he couldn't just forget it. To forget the memory was maybe worse than killing the man.
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"It's beautiful," Helen awed as she built the body. "The Vibranium atoms aren't just compatible with the tissue cells, they're binding them. And SHIELD never even thought..."
Ultron took the staff and grabbed the glowing blue center of it out. "The most versatile substance on the planet and they used it to make a frisbee," Ultron scoffed. "Typical of humans, they scratch the surface and never think to look within." Then, he crushed it in his metal fist. Inside of it was a glowing yellow stone that seemed to radiate power. Tyron stared at it for what seemed like forever. He could feel the power pulsing from the stone, as if it had it's own heartbeat.
Ultron put the stone on the forehead of the body, then closed the cradle once again.
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Several more mind-numbingly boring hours pass. Tyron sat against the wall. Pietro and Wanda were talking, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. They turned around when Helen Cho began to speak again, "Cellular cohesion will take a few hours, but we can initiate the consciousness stream," She announced. The twins turned and began to walk towards her. "We're uploading your cerebral matrix... Now."
Wanda sat up straighter, as if noticing something. "I can read him," she said. "He is dreaming."
"I wouldn't call it dreams," Helen replied, going back to her computer. "It's Ultron's base consciousness, informational noise. Soon..."
"How soon? I'm not being pushy," Ultron asked, and Helen let out a sigh.
"We're imprinting a physical brain," She explained. "There are no shortcuts. Even if your magic gem is..." Tyron began to tune her out, and watched as Wanda moved behind the Korean woman and touched the Cradle.
Wanda's eyes widened and she screamed, moving back. "How could you?!" She demanded the metal man. Ultron turned, confused.
"How could I what?"
"You said we would destroy the Avengers, make a better world," Wanda glared, her eyes furious.
"That is not...!" He said, struggling to explain. Then, he sighed, "The human race will have every opportunity to improve."
"And if they do not?" Pietro demanded.
"Ask Noah." Tyron stared in shock at the robot, suddenly realising the extremity of what was going on.
"You are a madman!" Wanda snapped.
"There were more than a dozen extinction level events before even the dinosaurs got theirs," Ultron explained. Tyron stood behind him, silently going to that scepter that Ultron used to mind control Helen. Wanda noticed, and slowly moved the scepter towards him. "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."
"And who decides who is weak?" Pietro asked, as Tyron managed to hold it between the large plastic chains. He taps Helen's chest with it, praying to Black Jesus that it undid whatever Ultron did to her.
It worked, Helen looked at Tyron confused, but Tyron shook his head. He motioned to the Cradle and then shook his hand under his neck, eyes wide. Somehow, Helen understood this and began to type quickly on the computer.
"Life. Life always decides," Ultron said coldly, but paused for a moment. "There's incoming. The Quinjet. We have to move."
"That's not a problem," Helen said, and Ultron turned around. It took him a second to realize what she had done, and he looked furious.
In a fit of rage, he raised a weaponized hand at Cho to fire at her. Tyron was faster, jumping in front of the Asian woman and covering her body with his. He drew the iron out of his blood and managed to create a tinted red shield to cover him. It blocked some of the damage, the rest hit his back. Tyron winced, gritting his teeth.
Pietro took Wanda and ran, "Ah, wait, guys!" Ultron said, but the speedster was long gone. "They'll understand. When they see they'll understand. I just need a little more time!" Tyron fell to the metal floor with Helen in his arms. He pressed his face to the ground, and absorbed the metal. Soon, he had made a small hole, leading to the floor below. There was a table underneath that was mostly cleared off. It would have to work. He moved, and Helen slipped through. He didn't have time to find out if she was good, or not, because he sealed the floor back.
Ultron was looking around for the Asian woman, as Tyron stood. Tyron smiled, waving a chained hand. Ultron made some kind of growl in anger, grabbing the nearest thing to him, which happened to be a computer keyboard. He threw it at Tyron, but he ducked, making it shatter against the wall.
Before he could get up and gloat about the robot's aim, Ultron had pushed the table straight into his gut. Tyron doubled over, groaning. "If I can't have the twins, or the biologist, at least I'll be able to keep you, as the freak for my circus!"
There was a rush of wind, and suddenly Pietro was standing beside him, "Think again," he taunted, and carried Tyron away.
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Pietro carried him several blocks away before finally stopping, and setting him down. Tyron bent over, wheezing, and Pietro took the muzzle and leash off his neck. "I am sorry I had to leave you," Pietro said, but Tyron stopped him, pressing his lips against his. Pietro gladly replied, and soon they were making out again.
"Can we please do this later!?" Wanda demanded, and Tyron pulled back, he forgot she was there.
"Oh. Yeah, right," Tyron cleared his throat, biting his lip, trying to ignore the blush invading his face.
"How do we take those off you?" Wanda asked, pointing to the plastic bonds on his hands.
"Ultron had the key," Pietro frowned, "I can go swipe it off him—"
"No," Tyron cut him off. "Too dangerous. He'll know ya comin'. Gimme a second." He looked around, before stopping on Wanda. "Ya got a hair pin?"
"What?"
"Bobby pin? In ya hair? It's gotta be tied back somehow."
"Yes," she dug into her hair and pulled out a small hair pin. Tyron grinned, grabbing it with his teeth, and eating it. "Wha—!?"
"'E problem wit' plastic chains is 'at I can see how 'ey work," Tyron explained, as he chewed, sitting down. He formed a small pick lock in his mouth, then spat it back out. "Use that."
Pietro — slightly disgusted — picked up the hair pin, and was surprised when the wrist cuffs fell to the ground. "Where did you learn a trick like that?" He asked, genuinely impressed.
"Years of practice," Tyron replied, rubbing his hands. "Ultron said the Quinjet was coming? We gotta move, he's gonna try to get as far away from us with the Cradle as he can. If he manages to create a new body with that thing, we're all fucked."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Pietro asked, and Tyron grinned.
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Pietro took Wanda away while Tyron went to hijack a nearby motorcycle. He gave the owner an apologetic shrug before zooming off.
At first, he doesn't quite know where he should be going, he decides to go back towards the building Helen was in. Then, he sees a large truck exiting it, and a familiar red, white, and blue figure jump on top of it.
He sped up, following the truck. He notices the Quinjet flying low before another motorcycle falls from ramp and into the street. He recognized the flaming red hair immediately. Natasha bent down, picking up Steve's shield that he managed to drop on the street.
"Nat!" Tyron called at the top of his lungs. She turned and was momentarily surprised to see him. He rode close to her, then touched the shield, "Throw it!" She did. Tyron discarded his bike, and was flying towards the opened truck. Steve saw him coming and moved out of the way. Tyron disconnected from the shield just as Steve caught it. Tyron's hands clenched the metal, and he quickly crawled along the side of the truck.
"You're like ants!" Ultron snapped, enraged. He pointed a hand at Tyron, but he rolled away, glancing off the side of the truck. Tyron's hands and legs absorbed the metals at astonishing speeds, and soon, the entire exterior of his body was metal. "You keep coming back!" Tyron sent a punch at the metal robot, and Ultron flew back a few feet.
He came back, arms swinging. Tyron and Steve worked in sync as Ultron tried to avoid Tyron, which he used to land punches, absorbing vital parts of his body. Steve dodged several probably jaw-breaking blows, and used his shield to hit him in places Tyron made vulnerable.
The truck took a hard right and Tyron bent down, his feet digging into the metal. Ultron charges towards Steve, who took it in stride. He jumped at Ultron, grabbing the robot's torso. Ultron's thrusters worked against him, making him fly through a pillar of an overpass before landing inside a nearby speeding train.
Tyron looked ahead, where a barricade of Korean police waited, guns at the ready. The truck was going to slam right into them. "Shit," he muttered before backing up. Then, he ran, jumping off the front of the truck. He rolled and landed on the ground easily.
The police officers yelled something at him, but Tyron didn't listen. He ran past them, the bullets absorbed into his metal skin. He took the nearest police car and absorbed every bit of metal from it. He then ran towards the truck, practically bleeding metal at this point. The truck hit him at full speed. He dug his feet into the ground, absorbing the speed of the metal and slowing it down until it came to a full stop.
Tyron sat for a moment, trying to catch his breath. Then, he looked up, realizing that the back end of the truck was missing.
The Korean police officers were still yelling at him, but he wasn't listening. The back end of the truck with the Cradle inside was in the air, and the Quinjet was following close behind.
He looked at train, which was still way out of sight, but still going at dangerous speeds. It was going to crash if they didn't stop it!
He got up, ready to find a way to get there. That is, until two small pieces of metal latched unto his skin, and then electricity raced through his body.
Tyron siezed up, the pain was indiscrimate. Then, his eyes rolled back and he fainted.
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Tyron was at his wit's end with these Korean people by the time Steve came into the room. "I don't know what ya sayin'!" He tried to explain. "Can't we find someone who speaks English?!" The man across from him said something else in very angry Korean and Tyron groaned, rubbing his face.
The metal in his system was still processing, so the majority of his body was still a shiny, hard metal. He had managed to make the majority of his face skin again, including his mouth, cheeks, and nose. However, his eyes were still metal, and probably looked like gray orbs to the man in front of him. If the position was switched, and he was staring at a teenage boy made completely of metal, he would probably shit his pants.
Then, thank Black Jesus, Steve walked into the doors, Helen Cho standing beside him. Tyron stood immediately, relieved. Helen said something to the man, motioning to Tyron several times. Then, he yelled something back, crossing his arm and glaring at Tyron.
Finally, he begrudgingly waved a hand at Tyron, and Helen smiled. "He's letting you go. All charges dropped." Tyron grinned, thanking the man politely before silently fist-pumping the air.
Steve swatted him on his head, "Stop that," he scolded.
"Wha'? I don't got a record an' I ain't startin' now," he grinned. "Where's everyone else?"
"Waiting for you," Steve replied, then turned to Helen. "Thank you again, Ms. Cho."
"My pleasure," She smiled. "It's the least I could do after he saved my life. Thank you for that, by the way."
"Well, I couldn't jus' leave ya..." Tyron said shyly, rubbing his neck. "Are ya okay? That was a pretty big drop, ya know?"
"I'm fine, don't worry," She assured. "I have to go, but if there is anyone that needs attention..."
"You'll be the first we call," Steve finished, then, he pulled Tyron away, heading out a back door.
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The duo made it back to the Quinjet quickly. Inside was Clint, Pietro and Wanda. Pietro ran to him immediately and he embraced Tyron. "Are you okay?"
"Am I okay?!" Tyron scoffed, "Are ya okay!?"
"I asked first," Pietro narrowed his eyes, and Tyron sighed.
"Ultron shot m'once. That's still sore. I stopped a truck, which was a shitty idea, dunno why I did it. An' I had too much metal, so it'll take a while to go away. Now ya go,"
"Just tired," he smirked. "Maybe worked too hard. I deserve a break." Tyron laughed, poking his chest.
"Lazy," he scolded.
"I am a delicate person," Pietro insisted and Tyron laughed again.
"Okay, you two," Clint broke them up. "We can't stay here forever. We gotta go." Tyron nodded, going up the ramp into the Quinjet. About ten minutes later, they were in the air.
Tyron and Pietro were silent for a while. Then, he turned to Wanda who had her eyes closed. "'Ey," he said softly, and Wanda looked over. "I saw wha' ya did wit' that train. Ya good?"
"Yes, yes, just... Exhausted," she sighed, rubbing her temples.
Tyron nodded, "If ya need somethin', jus' shout, alright?"
"I know," she said, a bit annoyed. Tyron took this as a sign to leave her alone. "Thank you... For asking," she said after a few minutes.
"No problem," Tyron smiled, resting his head on Pietro's shoulder.