A heartbeat passed, in which the creation from the Cradle stared down below, into the shadows at her. A blink of an eye, and then it was gone.
The creature, blinking, turned his head, allowing the light above to glance across his violet form and silver markings. Stunned, Holly watched as his gaze darted from the left to the right, assessing the other people surrounding him, no doubt. The destruction of the lab must have made him wary of the world he was born into, and when his gaze focused forward, he did not hesitate. Flying, he disappeared from her sight, the sound of smashing glass echoing back to her. Shooting a look over her shoulder, she saw the blue and white mist of Pietro dissipating into the air. Sighing under her breath, she trailed behind him out of the robotics bay, climbing through the hole still left in the wall and the rest of the team joining them by various degrees. Rather than being on the ground and knocked out, the creature was hovering by the far window, fixated on the sight of the city beyond. Thor, setting his hammer down upon one of the side tables in the sitting area, approached him slowly, a preemptive hand keeping the others at bay. Steve, having retrieved his shield in case there was a need, heeded the god's unspoken demand. They all gathered in the open space, with Holly hovering towards the back as the others advanced slowly towards the new being.
As the seconds ticked by, the oddness of the situation penetrated her mind, but in comparison to the last several days' events, it was almost par for the course. She almost snorted out loud at the thought, noting how far gone she must be to consider any of the situation to be remotely acceptable. Instead, she just placed a hand against her mouth, leaning against the handrail of the stairwell as the android turned. The electric blue orbs swept over them all again, his body propelled away from the window and settling back on the ground. To Thor, he inclined his head apologetically.
"I apologize," it murmured, the masculine voice accented and cultured. It—he, rather—examined the god more closely, and upon finding no hostility in his form, relaxed slightly. A cape materialized on his shoulders, glossy gold and reminiscent of the inner panels of a hard drive in design. "Very strange. But I thank you for your efforts."
Holly's eyes widened, a tiny gasp escaping her lips as she realized why the creature sounded so familiar to her. She knew that voice; JARVIS had the run of the Tower, of a great majority of Stark Industries, and even the security system in her own apartment. She'd spoken with the UI many times, knew its tone...but now, it had a face, a body...he had a face. But...Tony himself had declared the UI dead, essentially...did he resurrect the program and plug it into the android body?
While she, and the majority of the others, continued to simply stare at him, Steve took a step forward, raising his chin and directing his inquiries to Thor. When asked how and why he assisted Banner and Stark in bringing the creature to life, the god squared his stance, absolute confidence in his form.
"It was in my dream," he stated plainly, elaborating further upon the content of it. His vision, he told them, showed him the beacon at the center of the controversy, acting jointly as a herald of doom. It was one of six stones, Infinity Stones he called them. They were gems, evidently, that had the power to destroy all life in the universe, particularly when used together. And one of those gems, he went on, was now upon the android's head. Set like in a widow's peak upon his forehead, the gem there glowed, a vibrant orange standing out from the violet of his face. At the back of her mind, Holly recalled Barton muttering about the Cradle, how it could have leveled the city if it was not handled properly (it was why they had to move it so carefully from the quinjet, no matter how much they bitched about it). In the moment, she'd thought it was due to whatever electrical and material power that was possessed by the Cradle itself, not the contents. Evidently, she was wrong.
"If it's that dangerous, then why would you—" the captain cut in again, a sliver of frustration and not a little bit of worry in those few words. The twins behind him shared a glance, the physical agreement with his feelings in their expressions. Thor held a hand, a gesture of peace.
"Because this is what we need. Stark knew this from the start," he intoned meaningfully. From his place, Bruce let out a low whistle, muttering something about it being the first sign of the apocalypse. Ignoring him, the god continued, "Defeating Ultron is beyond us."
"It would be impossible on your own," the android concurred, his voice still making Holly's head reel. As the creature walked into the middle of the group, to let them examine him in turn, Tony looked on, slack-jawed. Stumbling in his speech, he attempted to explain how they had taken JARVIS's operational matrix and protocols to create him, to be the power within the body. He was supposed to be greater, something new that Ultron would not expect. The captain snorted, his tone derisive as he retorted about reaching the capacity for new things in his life. The creature looked to him then, his placid features furrowing.
"Ultron has no sway over me, if that is what you think," he said, meeting Steve's gaze without hesitation. "He is not who I am."
"Then what are you?" Wanda asked, coming nearer, a flicker of scarlet decorating her irises for a second or two. "I saw into your soul. Despair and destruction threatened the world at your hand. Are you sure that's not who you are?"
The android turned to her, calmly facing her in her mounting rage. "I advise you to look again, if you're uncertain."
Clint scoffed openly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah, that's not gonna fly. I don't trust her word blindly, and probably nobody else does, either."
Holly's eyes darted from one speaker to the next, mouth clenched shut but inwardly agreeing with Barton's sentiments. The other girl in the room had not done anything to make her trustworthy, even if her fiancé had seen something redeemable in her and her brother. Thor looked to the archer, spreading his arms as he wished to make them all understand his reasoning. The enhanced powers of the Maximoffs, the nightmares that had toyed with their brains, even Ultron himself had come from the gem upon the creature's head. The Mind Stone, as he named it, could unleash horrors beyond their collective imaginings.
"If it can aid us—"
"Can it?" Steve posed the question, his tone hardening as he glanced from the god to the android. "Will you help us?"
For the first time, the creature looked to the ground, away from them all. Half pivoting, his electric eyes ran along the floor, simplicity not to be found in the question. His eyes flicked up, settling across the room on Holly. The blankness of it made her squirm, because she could feel in her gut that there was much more going on in his head than he was letting on. Crossing her arms over her middle, she stared at her feet, tapping the toe of her shoe on the tiles.
"I will do what I can, for the good of the world," the android announced, turning back to the team after another beat of silence had passed. And therein marked the difference between him and the automaton, the one that made all the difference. Ultron wanted to end it all, and would, once the Avengers showed their hand and came for him. Barton coughed, sharing the information that he was awaiting them overseas, back in Sokovia. With Natasha providing the coordinates, it should be simple enough to track him down, force a reunion.
Bruce, who had been quiet throughout the latter exchange, stepped forward, stopping only when he was foot or two away from the creature. His creature, the one his help had truly demanded. The stony cast to his eyes spoke volumes, and then he followed it with actual words.
"This better not be a trick. If you're the threat that Ultron promised..." he trailed off, letting the silence afterward punctuate the point. In stature, the android topped him by a few inches, but his form was the formidable one. Meekly, the creature accepted his harsh demeanor, nearly whispering as he wondered what he would do to him if he turned. Banner's eyebrows inclined sharply, his stance unwavering, but he said nothing.
"It's not my wish or intention to kill anything, much less Ultron," the android murmured, a flicker of emotion crossing his face. A thread of turmoil came into his voice, which made Holly suck in a breath upon hearing it. "But he will not stop until the earth has paid for its sins, and so he cannot be allowed to live."
Nothing could be left behind of the automaton, he implied, not even the vaguest form. And it could not be done by just one of them; they all had to go into the fray. He looked down at his body then, hands lifted and curling as he examined his new form. It had to be so strange to him, so weird to be in that moment, alive, and knowing the things he knew, Holly mused silently. A forlorn look passed over his features as he spoke again, and his cape furled around him as he moved.
"However, I cannot speak to my true nature," he said, almost ruefully. Stopping in front of an end table, he turned his back to them all, his shoulders drooping. "What I was supposed to be, and what I must be, are two different things. And who I am in between that, I have no idea. I wouldn't suppose that would be enough for some of you to allow me to help. But no matter what, we cannot stay here."
The unhurried motion did not allow the enormity of his gesture to instantly impact upon them all. But as he lifted Mjolnir, passing it back to Thor and walking away, it dawned on them all as to what exactly he had done. If Holly had been in a different frame of mind, she would have found the event comical (and would laugh about it later on; the creature evidently had a great sense of dramatics, even if he didn't realize it), but much like the others, she was in total shock at the time. Her mouth quirked into an O shape, her index finger pointing at him as he left, though nobody paid her gesture any mind. Did that...did he just...
Thor, just as surprised as everyone else, recovered the quickest. Rotating the hammer in his hand, he brushed the broad side of it with a shrug and a twist of the lips. He strode after the creature, giving Tony a hearty pat on the shoulder as he passed. Eventually, Steve cleared his throat, pulling all of the others out of their respective dumbstruck hazes as well.
"Five minutes. Suit up, and then we'll move out," he commanded, the group immediately splitting off. The Maximoff kids looked to him for direction, and he pointed out a general equipment bay down the hall, on the opposite side of the robotics lab. Taking his sister's arm, Pietro pulled her in that direction. Tony and Bruce, glancing to one another, trekked back up to the laboratory to gather last-minute supplies. Barton, scratching his head and mumbling under his breath, made to go to the elevator, but broke off on his path for a moment to speak to the remaining girl by the stairs.
"You gonna be okay, Gracie Lou?" he asked her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Obviously, she was still recovering from what she would privately term as the moment of necessary exposition. She would be left behind once again, with no guarantee of safety. After all the craziness of the last few days, he just wanted to assure himself that she would be able to function. He liked her too much to just let her swallow everything and force herself to carry on. Her dark eyes flicked over to him briefly, but her gaze focused beyond him again, to the remaining man standing at the center of the room.
"I'll be fine," she assured him, her voice small but unwavering. Sighing, he gave her back a pat, discreetly nodding to his leader before exiting the space and heading down to his equipment locker. Steve acknowledged it with a dip of his chin, but his attention was focused on the brunette. He had nothing left to retrieve; he had all his accoutrements that he required to go into battle. The time limit was his, was theirs, to utilize as they saw fit. He didn't want the distraction of sitting in the quinjet, waiting for the other to return. Not when Holly was there.
He wanted...needed...to be with her for those few remaining minutes. There was no way he would do without her.
Striding over to her and taking her by the elbow, Steve guided Holly out of the main space, away from the harsh light and into the shadows. He brought her down the steps into the small alcove they'd danced in only a few days beforehand, the privacy afforded there unbroken by the others. His blue gaze traveled up and down over her as they walked, heart pounding and aching simultaneously as he looked upon her. The sense of finality that clung to the edges of the entire mission weighed down on him; the promise that Ultron made could very well be met in just a few short hours. It was very possible, even probable, that the team, if not the world, could perish. That he could die in the attempt of saving and protecting the world, and never see her again. That feeling was not new (they had both acknowledged the terrible truth of his chosen vocation long ago) but it was heavy, and made the cold fear rise up again. Swallowing it down, he let his eyes wander over his girl's body, her face, the details long since memorized but still a welcome sight. And when they stopped by the far wall, she began doing the same as well. Her fingers curled loosely around the tags hanging from her neck, clenching tighter as his gaze dropped to them. In the low light, he saw her biting her lower lip, brown eyes wide and uncertain of what to do, or say.
He knew, in that moment, what to do.
Carefully, Steve removed his shield from his gauntlet, placing it gently on the ground beside them. As he swung back up, he caught the quirk of her eyebrows, the question blooming on her face. He did not give her the chance to ask it, as he moved closer to her. Reaching out, one hand gripped her waist and the other slid into the waves of her hair, his lips capturing hers as he pulled her flush against his body. It could hardly be classified as a sweet or gentle embrace; the moment was too charged for chaste pecks and careful touches. If the worst should happen, for either of them, he wanted their last memories of one another to blot out the devastation that would come after. The kiss was hard, passionate, his mouth melding with hers as more followed. She matched his intensity, her tongue brushing his as she opened up to him. Her hand gripped desperately at a strap of his harness, her other palm moving from the back of his neck into his hair. Holly moaned low, passing the sound from her mouth to his and making a shudder course down his spine.
It was over too quickly, but there was no time to be spared for more. A small groan reverberated at the back of his throat when they broke apart, the air flooding his lungs, but it could not be helped. Soon enough, he would have to go, leave her again. As much as he would have rather stayed with her, kept her in his arms, they both knew that would not happen. Captain America had his duties, and his gal did not want him to shirk them.
"Steve," she whispered, her breathing as erratic as his at that moment. He closed his eyes again, resting his forehead against hers as he fought the jumble in his mind, his heart overriding everything and making him inarticulate.
"Too much to say, too little time to say it," he said, arms tightening around her. "In case things, well..."
The words caught in his throat, thickening it, and clearing barely helped.
"If you want, I have some money downstairs...you could use it, buy a ticket and go home to your family," he offered, willing to do what was necessary. Staying at the Tower was not required any longer, and if he could get her somewhere that was a comfort, that would provide her with safety and to allow her to be around the people she loved, he would give her that, regardless of the outcome. "And when this is over, I'll come get you."
The grin she gave him was watery and slightly forced, the offer remaining in the air without approval or rejection. Instead, she pulled back enough to look him in the eye, fingers splaying over his chest, over the outlined star and tracing it.
"I love you," she murmured, the sentiment strong in her voice as water pooled at the corners of her eyes. Cupping her face with both hands, Steve brushed his thumbs over her cheeks, an attempt to stem the fear and sorrow in her as well as the tears.
"I love you, too." His lips hovered just above hers once more, his heartfelt whisper ghosting over them. "And will, for the rest of my life."
Closing the distance herself, Holly seared him with another hard, deep kiss. Despite her efforts, a stray tear or two fell, and his heart cracked a little at the thought as they slid into his hands, dashed onto the skin and leather. When she broke off the kiss, she sniffed a few times, coughing and attempting to get a hold of herself. After taking a few breaths, she looked at him again, the sheer adoration in her eyes overpowering him. It was reflected back at her as well, causing her to have trouble finding her voice.
"Come home to me," she said, just a call came from the direction of the main space. It was time to go now, time to meet his destiny head-on. A smirk flickered on her mouth, a weak, joking command following. "And that is an order, soldier."
A half grin came then, his fingers reaching up and tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Be careful. Whatever you decide."
A final brush of his lips over hers, and then he stepped back. Lifting his arm, he flexed his hand to activate the electromagnetic strips and summoned his shield to reattach. Holly raised her eyebrows at the motion, and he merely flashed her a wry smile, drawing himself to his full height and striding away. A minute or two passed with her frozen to the spot, but as she heard the quinjet's engines begin to cycle up through the floor, she dashed to the nearest window, watching as the black vehicle cut a swatch through the cityscape, disappearing into the night sky. Shuddering breaths petered out as she rested her head against the cool glass. No, no more tears, she chastised herself, swiping at her eyes furiously. Alone, alone again, left to the work, or left to wallow.
At that moment, she couldn't quite decide what she would prefer to do, if she were being honest. Steve had given her an easy out. She could abandon the work she was doing, leave it all to Maria and Fury, and whoever else they had working on the project as well. She could run home, run back to her mother and father, take refuge with them and her brother, hide and stew away while the fate of the world was decided. But...
There was always a "but". And this one was that she just couldn't sit by and watch it happen. There was no way Holly could just let everything go, even if she was sorely tempted to do so. A year ago, perhaps, she might have just let it pass her by, but she was no longer the same person she was then. She couldn't just let the world, her love, be at risk any longer and not attempt to do something to help. If she were to leave the Tower, it wouldn't be to go into hiding. And as she saw it, there was only one reason that would give her a chance to leave and still be able to do something for the good of the team.
She was tired of it, tired of watching things get worse and keeping away from the danger. It accomplished nothing, and she couldn't take being less than useless.
Hardly conscious of what she was doing, her hand had gone into her jeans pocket, phone retrieved and speed dial swiped before she had a chance to question her reasoning. The dial tone sounded off once before the click of an answer on the other end reached her ear.
"Miss Martin. Glad to see you're taking my advice."
She bit her lip, not sure if she wanted to chuckle at Nick Fury's utter confidence or grumble about disproportionate amount of self-pride in his statement. As it was, she knew that all she really could do was move on.
"Yes, sir," she responded, trying to find a way to break the news to him. "Um, well, the team's headed out, to meet Ultron."
A sharp exhalation grated over the line, and before he could say another word, she took her chance.
"I do know where they're going."
Another pause followed, and when her answer was not forthcoming, he asked with faux politeness, "...Care to share?"
With the half-baked plan forming in her mind, she knew that if she wanted to carry the day, she would have to match his level of confidence. So, with decidedly forced cheer, she chuckled under her breath.
"I would. Though it will have to be in person." That was the stipulation, the crux of the matter. Being left on her own, unable to do anything without the others, was not what she wanted. So, she would change the course, or at very least, the venue of operations for her to continue her work. Perhaps it was a stupid idea, and would be her ruin just as much as flying back to Minnesota would be. But, no matter what, she would try. And, while the information wasn't classified, she knew better than to just give it up so easily. She knew Nick would appreciate that fact. "Don't want to give the robot the jump."
It was hard to pinpoint exactly what she was feeling in the space where Fury left her hanging for permission or denial. Truth be told, her emotions had been all over the place; beginning to understand them all was tough. Tasks she could focus on, tasks she could do. The scramble in her own brain was a little too much to process at the time. Her free hand clenched into a fist, the fingers crossing as he deliberated silently.
"I see," he muttered eventually, the tone sounding less than thrilled with the caveat she'd imposed. Thinking he was going to deny her additional information (most likely he could find the team without her input, one way or another, she figured) Holly let a soft sigh loose. When Fury spoke again, she felt her throat constrict and her eyes widen in surprise. "ETA will be an hour; be ready for street pick-up. Bring a bag, and be discreet."
He was gone before she could respond, the timer on her phone's screen flashing on and off until it went dark. Blinking rapidly, she felt her body sag with a sense of perverse relief. For some reason, Fury was willing to allow her to come to him. Being in close proximity to him would allow her to continue to be of use. Swiftly, she exited the main space, rushing to the office to gather up relevant files, her laptop, and one of the tablets Maria had borrowed to her for her use. Between the three things, she had her list of nonprofits and organizations she was pooling to work in conjunction with the Avengers. Taking her armload down to the quarters, she was practically flying, new energy flushing through her as she assembled her belongings, tossing everything into her duffel. On impulse, she even grabbed a couple of Steve's clothes, wedging them in between her stuff. Haphazardly, she pushed in her toiletries, zipping the bag with force. Snatching the first jacket that came to hand, she threw it on over her shirt, straightening the pony tail that Steve's fingers had pulled askew earlier. Without pausing, she shouldered the strap of the bag, making a final run back upstairs to retrieve her bat from the Legionnaire bay. Taking the elevator down to the ground floor, she tried to still the shaking in her hands by gripping the baseball bat hard and tugging on the bag's strap. The main lobby was deserted, as it was the norm for the middle of the night, the security lights casting an eerie glow around the room. Dropping her bag to the ground, she sat down beside it, folding her legs and attempting to calm the hard gallop of her heart. Her mind churned around and around, the facts and details of the last few hours making it spin.
One fact, pushed to background as events moved on, came roaring to the forefront, and after she spent some time inwardly debating how to act upon it (or to even just ignore it) Holly made her way to the back door. On the way, she stooped to grab the helmet Steve had abandoned, an annoyed huff passing her lips as she held it tightly. Reaching the door, she typed in the code and propped it open with the bat. The taser, charged and tucked snugly in her pocket, was reassuring and solid as her fingers curled around it. The streetlamps didn't fully reach down the alley to her, the glow yellow and pooling across the concrete as people chattered and passed on the sidewalk. The traffic flow, thinned slightly in the late hour, was still moving, headlights flickering by. In the midst of the city noise, she drew on the silence immediately surrounding her, eyes narrowing as she looked to the shadows, trying to detect any shifts therein. Finding nothing, she expelled a snort, shaking her head to herself. It was foolish, she mused, reaching out as she was. Yet, she was still there, balancing on the balls of her feet, doing it.
Swallowing thickly, her voice was a thread of a whisper when she finally spoke, the open air pressing upon her.
"I don't know if you can hear me, wherever you are. I'm just letting you know, since you're doing that whole watching-out-for-me thing, that I'm pretty sure that I'm headed right into danger. Pretty stupid, I know, but...the team needs help. He needs help," Holly explained, clenching her hand tightly around the chin strap of the helmet, looking down at her feet. "And maybe...maybe that's something you could do, too. You could come and help, I mean. Even if this is exactly the kind of thing you're hoping to avoid...even if you'd rather not let anyone know about you. But, well…it's not all that simple. What's going on is bigger than me, bigger than you...it's our world.
"And it may be screwed up and weird, and definitely not what anybody wanted it to be, but it's ours. If you want to have a place in it, you can't let it go on without you. I'm not your redemption, but this...this could be the making or breaking of it. Seriously, without this, you'll be stuck where you are, forever. And maybe you can make that work, but I don't know if you can live with it. I don't know if you'll be living at all, no matter what."
The honesty in her tone gave her the strength to voice her thoughts, a stream of consciousness that she could not subdue, even if she wanted to. If he was nearby, she wanted him to hear, to understand, even if she herself couldn't. Another half-baked idea, one that could cost more than her own life this time. The words came from deep down, the offer there if he wanted it.
"But if you want a chance, if you truly want it...please..." Holly mumbled, her resolve weakening slightly as no reply came. Inhaling sharply, she addressed the air one more time. "James. Please...Bucky."
Honking horns and discordant voices echoed down the alley to her, and the shadows were still. Her head drooped, eyes closing as she chided herself for even giving the idea credence. Turning back to the door, the metal scraped back as she pulled it towards her, and she stooped to remove her bat from being a doorstop. Swinging back up, she let the door go, to let it swing shut behind her. A clang resounded from behind her, and she jumped back, startled. In the weak lamplight, the hazy glow reflected off a metal arm, in the dark-haired man's bright blue eyes. His jaw quirked as she stared at him, and he released the door, bracing his leg against it to keep it open. The metal palm turned up to her, a gesture of acceptance, and of question.
"Where?" Bucky Barnes asked quietly, nothing of the hardness that could usually be found in voice there. His supplication, his want, was more evident, and to that, she could answer.
Nodding her head back to the interior of the lower lobby, she shifted in her stance and bade him to follow. "Come on."
A/N: …Told you I was going to go AU on this. ;) And it's going to keep going that way, just for your information.
I'm actually pretty pleased with myself, getting this chapter done well ahead of time. Maybe it's because I'm finally feeling like I'm progressing to where I want to work in the story. Not that I haven't wanted to work on any of it, but this chapter was so easy compared to some of the others I've worked on. Either way, it means two chapters in one week. I can't promise this pattern will continue, in fact it most likely won't, but it does work in your favor this week.
That being said, the Avengers are on their way to Sokovia. Holly's on her way to…wherever Nick Fury is. And Bucky is going with her.
I've had plans for Bucky, definitely different ones than the MCU has gone with. Here's the thing: I'm not his biggest fan—I think quite a few others can take that title—but that's not to say I don't find his character intriguing. It just seems to me that the MCU is more than happy to continue using and abusing Bucky for the sake of conflict. Obviously, I don't know what's going on entirely in Civil War, as I've not seen it yet, but I've heard enough rumors to know it's going to be an ugly mess for the poor dude. I may not be All-Bucky-All-Day, but I want something better for the guy than to be the convenient scapegoat (not to say that CW won't be brilliant in regards to handling his story that way, but it is a pain for him to still be unable to seek redemption if it comes down to the superheroes' fighting). He's actively seeking redemption in my story; I want him to get closer to it. Like I've stated, I've had plans for him, plans that include him fighting for the world in Age of Ultron—which, when it came to the Battle of Sokovia, I thought he would show up for when I saw it in theaters. I seriously held out hope that he was going to show up when Fury and Hill brought the helicarrier or something. Truly.
And with him becoming more actively involved…this means a shift in events for the future. Which I will get into in a later author's note, and stop dropping hints and be totally open there. Just not in this one.
I don't own anything from the MCU, nor do I own any pop culture/other movie references made in the text.
Thanks for reading, please review, and I'll see you all for the next one!