The Shadow [a marvel fanfiction]

Age of Ultron: Chapter Five

"Don't compare me with Stark, it's a thing with me," Ultron ranted. "Stark is—he's a sickness."

"Aw, Junior, you're going to break your old man's heart." Tony touched down in his Iron Man suit on the center platform, flanked by Thor and Steve. Nat, Marie, and Clint were hidden in the upper walkways while Bruce remained on the quinjet (for obvious reasons).

Marie settled back into the shadows, her eyes scanning over the interior of the beached ship for any other hostiles. Ulysses and company were hiding somewhere on the lower floor, and she hoped they would stay out of sight and out of the way.

"If I have to," Ultron said, sauntering up to Tony.

Thor was ever the peacemaker. "Nobody has to break anything."

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

"He beat me by one second."

Marie rolled her eyes. Tony seemed to imprint himself and his ridiculous humor on all his creations, even if they were evil.

"Ah, this is funny, Mr. Stark. It's what, comfortable? Like old times," Pietro said bitterly, gesturing to the dozens of missiles and boxes of black-market weapons. Tony visibly bristled in the suit.

"This was never my life."

Steve stepped forward, looking at the twins. "You two can still walk away from this."

"Oh, we will," Wanda said, red energy swirling around her fingers.

"I know you've suffered—"

"Captain America," Ultron sneered. "God's righteous man, pretending he can live without a war."

Marie nearly marched down there and swung at Ultron. Her shadow flickered, catching Clint's eye. He shook his head slowly, his eyes cutting down to the twins. The Avengers expected her to deal with them, somehow. Marie didn't want to admit that their powers scared her and were much, much stronger than hers.

Ultron seemed incapable of silence. "I can't physically throw up in my mouth—"

"If you believe in peace," Thor interrupted, "then let us keep it."

"I think you're confusing peace with quiet."

Tony dragged Ultron's focus back to him. "Yeah-huh, what's the vibranium for?"

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

God, Ultron was as insufferable as Tony.

The rogue Legionnaires swarmed them. Steve, Thor, and Tony were immediately engaged. Marie waited in the wings, slithering forward to keep an eye on the twins—except Pietro was a blur and Wanda disappeared just as fast.

Machine-gun fire erupted from below.

Cursing, Marie diverted her attention from the Maximoffs towards the arms dealers. She materialized, pulling her daggers from her belt and twirling them in hand. She ducked under the spray of bullets, mentally ripping the gun from the dealer's hands. She dragged one dagger through his neck; the second bashed into another man's temple.

More bullets flew at her. Marie dropped to the floor and slid between the dazed man's legs. She sliced his femoral artery as she stood. Her leg snapped out and kicked an assault rifle from the offender's grasp.

She repeated this process, disarming and slicing through man after man; slipping from one to another uninterrupted.

Her section cleared, Marie turned as a Legionnaire flew towards her.