Frostbite

Eight

We landed on the outside of the shipyard several hours later. There were ships scattered about, most pretty much falling apart. Tony easily pointed out the one we needed, and the six of us made our way inside, leaving Bruce on the jet. We knew what we were up against, and hopefully we could take down Ultron once and for all.

Natasha and Clint stayed hidden in the shadows of the halls, while Thor, Steve, and I followed Tony from the ground. There was a small bridge in the center of the room, and Ultron was on the other side of it with his back turned to us, hovering over a wounded Klaue. He had found a new robotic body, much larger than his last one.

"Don't compare me with Stark!" Ultron snapped, kicking Klaue down the stairs, "It's a thing with me. Stark, he's a sickness!"

"Ahh, Junior...You're gonna break your old man's heart," Tony sighed, announcing our arrival. Ultron whipped around, seemingly unsurprised.

"If I have to," Ultron shrugged.

"We don't have to break anything," Thor attempted to compromise.

"Clearly you've never made an omelet," Ultron quipped.

"He beat me by one second," Tony mused.

Pietro walked forward saying angrily, "Ah, this is funny, Mr. Stark. It's what, comfortable? Like old times?" He waved towards a few missiles below us.

"This was never my life."

"You two can still walk away from this," Steve told the twins. Wanda's eyes glinted dangerously.

"Oh, we will," she promised, smirking.

"I know you've suffered," Steve tried again.

"Uuughh! Captain America. God's righteous man, pretending you could live without a war. I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but..." Ultron scoffed. Steve's face hardened; I could tell the words had hit home somewhere, but he wasn't letting it show.

"If you believe in peace, then let us keep it," Thor said, trying to be a voice of reason.

"I think you're confusing peace with quiet," Ultron replied snidely.

"Yuh-huh. What's the Vibranium for?" I asked, brow raised, figuring I wouldn't receive an answer.

"I'm glad you asked that, because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan!"

Suddenly Ultron yanked Tony forward, putting distance between him and us. Several of the iron legion sprang at Thor and Steve; Ultron shoved Tony back. He slammed into me, and we both flew into the wall. I gasped at the impact and hit the floor hard. I rolled onto my stomach, catching my breath. Tony glanced down to make sure I was alright and offered a hand. I waved him away and he went after Ultron.

The other two were fighting the two robots, and Pietro disappeared, knocking into Thor as he ran by. Wanda crept forward, blasting Steve and knocking him off his feet. I sprang up and shot an array of shards her way. Her hands lit up with red, wisp like energy and she flung them aside before they could make contact.

I kept advancing, unafraid, and let loose a beam, hitting her square in the chest and shoving her back. She staggered and retaliated quickly, pulling my feet out from under me and disappearing down a corridor. I cursed and scrambled back up. Klaue's men were running around now, shooting everywhere. Natasha and Clint had joined the fight.

Steve called my name, but I ignored him. I chased after her, figuring they could handle the men easily. I sprinted down the hall, hands still aglow and ready, until I came to a point where it split off. The lights were flickering, making it difficult to see. There was no way to tell which way she had went. I groaned and rolled my eyes.

I suddenly couldn't move, my body going slack. There was a static noise in my ear, and my vision was no longer my own. I think I slid to the floor, but I was long gone. The ship had been replaced by the starry night sky. I was on a cliff next to the sea, the waves crashing against the side almost peacefully.

Where the hell was I? I glanced down and noticed a pistol in my hand. My blood ran cold. Small snowflakes began to flutter down around me and a voice in my ear made me jump.

"You've done it before. It's who you are. It's what they made us to be. Just get it over with."

I spun around and pointed the weapon in his face. It was Bucky. I exhaled heavily and lowered the gun to my side again.

"What are you talking about?" I asked calmly, even though I felt anything but. He nodded behind me, and I turned around once again. Steve was on his knees in front of me, his eyes pleading and desperate.

"You're what we made you. Nothing more. You're no hero; you're a killer. You really thought anyone could love someone like you? Do you even know how many people you've killed?" a new voice spoke up. I glanced to my other side. It was Alexander Pierce.

"No," I croaked, realizing he was right. Despair clawed its way into my throat, and I instantly felt the urge to hurl. How many had I killed?

"See? The only purpose you serve is for this. I'd say you'd even enjoy it.... the power you can exert over the weak. Now go on," he encouraged, pointing his chin toward Steve, "He lied to you. He never loved you. He just didn't want to be alone."

"Tell him he's wrong," I begged Steve, turning to him teary eyed. He stared at me guiltily. There was silence for a few moments other than the constant of the waves.

"He's right, Melanie. I never wanted to be alone. I can't love someone like you. You're a monster," he whispered, his face reflecting his fear. My heart constricted painfully as I listened to his words. I lifted the pistol and pointed it at Steve, my hand slightly shaking. I couldn't speak.

Pierce grinned with glee. They were right. I had too much blood on my hands. No one was safe around me. The snow picked up as my emotions rampaged inside me. Steve might not love me, but I loved him. I couldn't kill him... but I could do the right thing. No one else had to be hurt by me.

I stared into Steve's eyes one last time and only saw disgust. I raised the gun to my temple, resting it there and closing my eyes. My name was being called over and over; I thought it was Bucky, so I ignored him. I finally pulled the trigger, the shot loudly ringing over the cliffs.

My body hit the ground with a thud. For some reason I didn't die immediately, as if it were some cruel joke played by God. My head fell to the side and all I could do was watch my blood spread over the pure white snow on the ground. My eyes closed for the last time, but I swear I could still hear my name in the distance.