Elemental Mimicry

10: The past

"Did you know that this Church is in the exact centre of the city?" All four enhanced raised their eyebrows at the statement that came from the person sitting in the centre of the church. It was common knowledge to everyone that lived in Sokovia that the Church was the very centre. "The elders decreed it so that everyone could be equally close to God. I like that. The geometry of belief."

"Glad you approve of our towns structure." Ruby interrupted, her arms folded tightly as she stood behind the female Maximoff.

"You're wondering why you can't look inside my head." The male continued, ignoring the blue eyed girls snide remark and aiming his point towards Wanda. Pietro quickly stepped up beside his sister while Crystal joined Ruby, all of them staring down the man covered in the cloth.

"Sometimes it's hard." Replied the brunette, her eyes locked on the figure. "But sooner or later, every man shows himself." Instantly the figure stood up, causing the tarp to drop from their head and shoulders towards the ground.

"Oh I'm sure they do." All four young people stared at the robot in shock, his silver body gleaming in the rays of sun that filtered through the gaps in the broken building. "But you needed something more than a man. That's why you let Stark take the sceptre."

"I didn't expect." Wanda hesitated, her eyes flickering over the mechanical body once more. "I saw Stark's fear, I knew it would control him, make him self destruct." Ruby and Crystal shared an approved glance, proud of the youngest Maximoff's ever growing ability.

"Everyone creates the thing they dread." Ultron speaks again. There's a hum from the two blondes, causing the silver tainted male to turn to them as he continues speaking. "Men of peace create engines of war, invaders create Avengers, people create smaller people? Uh, children! I lost the word there. Children. Designed to supplant them, to help them end."

"Is that why you've come?" Crystal asked, stepping up take stand beside Pietro, leaving Ruby stood behind the group alone. "To end the Avengers?"

"I've come to save the world. But also, yeah."

~~~~~~~

Before they knew it the enhanced were back at the HYDRA base, Ruby and Crystal frowning as Ultron lead them to see his new creations. They Duo were confused as to why they hadn't seen it earlier that day but stayed quiet as the robot began to talk once more. "We'll move out right away. This is a start, but there's something we need to begin the real work."

"All of these are, all of these are-?"

"Me." Ultron cut Crystal off simply, walking past the four further into the room. "I have what the Avengers never will. Harmony. They're discordant, disconnected. Stark's already got them turning on each other. And when you get inside the rest of their heads-"

"Everyone's plan is not to kill then." Interjected the oldest Maximoff, his eyes rolling slightly in their sockets.

"And make the, martyrs? You need patience. Need to see the bigger picture."

"I don't see the big picture, I have a little picture. I take it out and look at it every day." Pietro countered.

"You lost your parents in the bombings. I've seen the records."

"The records are not the picture."

"Pietro." Wanda sighed as Crystal placed her hand on his arm. Ruby stepped forward, her arms folded tightly and eyes narrowed.

"No, please." Ultron prompted.

"We were ten years old, having dinner, the four of us. When the first shell hits, two floors below, it makes a hole in the floor. It's big. Our parents go in, and the whole building starts coming apart. I grab her, roll under the bed and the second shell hits. But, it doesn't go off. It just, sits there in the rubble, three feet from our faces. And on the side of the shell is painted one word."

"Stark." All three woman breath, the Duo having heard the story before, their hearts aching for the twins.

"We were trapped for two days."

"Every effort to save us, every shift in the brick, I think, 'this will set it off'." Wanda continues, tears in her eyes as Ruby places her hand near the brunette's own. "We wait for two days for Tony Stark to kill us."

"I know what they are."

"I wondered why only you two survived Strucker's experiments." Ultron seemed to sigh.

"We weren't the first. We wouldn't have been able to live without-"

"Ruby and Crystal. I have to say Strucker had very little information on the two of you. You're younger than the twins yet trained to a much higher standard. By the looks of the few files that there was, you were Strucker's pride and joy." Ultron said, tilting his head towards the Duo that stood either side of the Maximoff twins.

"All children get bored of their toys at some point." Crystal answered honestly. "We were those toys you just can't thrown because something in the back of your mind refuses you to do so."

"Sixteen years we've been with that man, sixteen years of experiments and training." Ruby's voice sounded emotionless, her eyes locked with Ultron's red ones. "I have spent every day of my life trying to please him when he was just using us to scare people. The missions, the kills, all because he couldn't get his own way like a spoilt child. We know no different and he knew it, he knew he wouldn't need files to black mail us, we were trained that way. The blood dripping on my ledger is thicker than Black Widow's, always has been."

"What about Crystal?" Ruby stepped forward at the bots words, her first clenching a few times.

"Her ledger is clean than mine will ever be and I intend to keep it that way." Everyone started at the seventeen year old. "And if I find out you're just using us like he was then I will not hesitate to rip all your wirings out, are we clear?" Ultron chuckled.

"Very."

(A/N: Another update yay! Now we're getting into the thick of the story which I'm so excited to write since I already have some ideas. Anyway the last bit in the chapter is just to give you a small inside to the Duo's life while with Strucker and what Ruby thinks of the situation and what she would do for Crystal. More will be explained later, hope you enjoyed!)