Just like the plane ride home from Africa, the one over to Seoul had been a quiet one. Although, this time it was less due to the fact that the team was stuck in whatever vision Wanda had forced them to see, and more because they all tried to occupy themselves so they didn't have to think about the power Ultron would gain if he succeeded in attaining a vibranium body.
The wind immediately pulled at Keira's hair as soon as she got out of the jet and onto the rooftop.
Steve, of course, wasn't bothered at all and merely walked over to the edge with confident steps, looking at Dr. Cho's lab in the distance.
"Two minutes. Stay close." He ordered, his eyes momentarily left the lab to glance up at the jet that disappeared among the clouds.
Instead of walking the streets below, Keira and Steve navigated through the city by jumping from rooftop to rooftop. While doing so, Keira almost felt like a video game character. "You know, I understand that we need to land a distance away so we don't get caught, but this feels like a bit of an overkill." She panted while sliding down a fire escape.
"You wouldn't have any problem with it if you would've joined me on my runs." Steve shrugged, but he shortened his steps slightly, nevertheless. Getting out to the lab would mean easily getting spotted since the bridge over there didn't exactly hold any hiding places.
Keira couldn't refrain from rolling her eyes and groaned. "That again? Seriously, you need to let things go, Steve. I did join you. For a while."
"Yeah, and now you're out of shape again. Whose fault is that?" Steve raised an eyebrow in her direction.
Instead of answering, she slapped his shoulder, to which he only shrugged. "See anything above?" She asked, wanting to know if there were any lookouts stationed in the windows of the lab. It was quiet out on the dock, but she didn't trust it.
"Looks like you're in the clear. But make it quick." Clint answered simply.
Keira gave a nod of thanks, not that he'd be able to see it but still. Sprinting across the bridge over to the lab with Steve beside her, she could already tell that something was wrong. The building looked unharmed, but something told her that it wasn't as calm as it seemed to be.
And her suspicion wasn't misplaced. The very moment that the glass doors slid open, their worst fear was confirmed. The receptionist, a young man in a suit, lay over the reception desk, his face hidden by his bushy hair with blood dripping from his fingertips.
"He's already here. Stay alert."
As they moved through the facility, the body count kept going up. It seemed like Ultron had made sure that he wouldn't have any witnesses to whatever he had been doing. But it didn't seem like he was still here, it was way too silent for that.
Just like in a horror movie when the music quietens down just before the jumpscare happens.
Finally turning the corner into what seemed to be the lab, Keira had to stop in the doorway. The lights were flickering, and multiple cables sparked ominously from the walls.
"Dr. Cho!" Steve called out, jogging towards the slumping form of a woman.
Keira quickly joined his side, and to her surprise, Dr. Cho was still alive, although judging from the dark bloodstain on her chest, she had lost a lot of blood. She quickly grabbed a cloth from the countertop and pressed it against the wound, causing Dr. Cho to groan in pain.
"He's uploading himself into the body." She panted, holding a hand over Keira's.
"Where?" Steve asked urgently.
But the woman just shook her head. She had no idea where the robot had gone. But judging from her wounds, he couldn't be that far off. "The real power is inside the Cradle. The gem, its power is uncontainable. You can't just blow it up. You have to get the Cradle to Stark." She pressed, trying to hold onto consciousness.
Well, that didn't make things easier. If they shot at it, it would blow things to kingdom come. Not ideal.
"First we have to find it." Steve nodded severely, getting back to his feet. "Did you guys copy that?"
"We did."
Getting Helen to put pressure on her wound, Keira left her for a moment to gather up some supplies and she settled back in front of the doctor. "I've already called the ambulance and they're on their way. But I'm gonna have to try and close the wound up before they arrive." She said, taking a pair of scissors and cutting open a bit of the woman's uniform.
Not having listened to the chatter in her ear, she had no idea where Steve had disappeared off to, but she'd catch up to him once she knew that Helen was safe on her way to the hospital.
"Now, this is probably gonna hurt like a bitch, so feel free to curse my ancestors, okay?" Keira gave a half-smile to the woman before pouring some alcohol over the wound.
Helen pushed her head back against the machine she was leaning against and muttered a few Korean curse words under her breath. "Well, you weren't wrong about that." She groaned, not having the energy to open her eyes.
"I know, I'm sorry." Keira said gently as she pressed a gauze over the wound and taped it in place. Burn wounds were always the worst to heal, and they took the longest as well. "But I can hear people coming now so you can finally get some professional help, and hopefully it won't scar too badly." Keira watched as the ambulance personnel pulled Helen onto a stretcher and hurried away with her, the flashing lights blaring.
"Okay, can someone pick me up, or do I have to find my own way to this fight?" Keira asked into the comms, standing in the doorway of the building. With all the bodies in the building, she couldn't help but feel sympathy toward the people who would be forced to clean up Ultron's mess.
"Stay where you are." Natasha ordered, and it didn't take more than a few moments before she slid the motorcycle to a halt in front of Keira. The blonde jumped up behind her, latching her arms around her waist to hold on as Natasha revved the engine to get it going again.
"Thank you." Keira said sweetly, thankful that she didn't have to try and hotwire some poor bastard's car in order to catch up to Ultron. The wind tugged at her hair, and she rested her chin on Natasha's shoulder so she could still see where they were going, even if her eyes were watering slightly by the sheer speed that they were going.
The redhead didn't answer but merely kept her eyes forward, swerving between the cars. Her eyes caught sight of Steve's shield, laying abandoned in the middle of the street. "I'm always picking up after you boys." Leaning down, she picked up the shield without slowing down and handed it to Keira.
"They're heading under the overpass. I got no shot." Clint informed them, silently cursing that he couldn't do more except watch from the skies.
"Which way?"
"Hard right... Now."
Natasha swerved hard to the right, earning a few honks from the cars that were forced to stomp on the brakes in order to avoid colliding with the motorcycle. Keira tightened her grip around Natasha's waist, the shield hanging securely to her arm as Natasha guided the motorcycle through the narrow passages and avoided crashing into any civilians.
"You drive like a madman!" Keira yelled over the howling wind as a cross street opened up in front of them. Natasha, however, had no intention of slowing down, but merely revved the engine more before turning the motorcycle hard, sliding underneath a truck. The blonde just managed to duck her head down just in time to avoid getting beheaded by the vehicle.
They could see Ultron and Steve fighting on top of the truck from the lab, and the supersoldier was in trouble. The robot had him by the throat, almost dangling him over the edge so Keira untangled her arms from Natasha's waist, and threw the shield to him, notifying him over the comms first so it wouldn't just clatter down on the asphalt again.
While Steve managed to pull himself from Ultron's grip, Keira hopped up so she stood crouched on the motorcycle's seat, her hands on Natasha's shoulders to keep her balance. It seemed like she had done so just in time, because a piece of earth suddenly ripped up from the ground and Natasha was forced to hit the brakes. Keira used the momentum to throw herself at the truck, climbing up on the edge and planting a punch in Ultron's face.
It seemed like her punch angered the robot, only she wasn't the target of his anger. Instead, Steve got blasted off the truck. "Hey, now that's not very nice." Keira tutted, throwing multiple punches at the robot. Some hit their mark, others didn't. But to her satisfaction, the robot seemed annoyed.
"You don't know when to quit, do you?" Ultron drawled, shooting a blast at her, which almost caused her to lose her footing at the edge of the truck.
"Well, no. That's kinda the whole baseline of heroes." She retorted, throwing a crystal knife in his direction, which he caught.
"You are no hero. Far from it." Ultron shook his head, as though he was disappointed with her. "Although, I could use someone with your abilities once I've given the Earth the fresh start it deserves." He pondered, observing the blade in his hand, trying to crush it but it seemed like the diamond was stronger than he had expected.
Keira shook her head, her fists raised. "Yeah, no. Not gonna happen."
Steve, somehow, managed to get back on the truck. "Come on!" He yelled, ducking under one of Ultron's punches while Keira kicked the robot back. It was tiring work, and she was secretly thankful for her crystallized knuckles, because the hard metal of Ultron's body would've made her bare skin sore within minutes.
"Clint, can you draw out the guards?" Natasha asked, still trying to find her way back to the truck, which was kind of difficult while weaving through civilians.
"Let's find out."
Keira and Steve worked in harmony, throwing punches and kicks simultaneously at the robot. If one of them got knocked down, then the other covered until the first one got back on their feet.
"Beep beep!"
The phrase took Keira so much by surprise that she lost her footing when Ultron fired a blast at her and she had to create a diamond spike, which ripped up the side of the truck while preventing her from falling off. But she barely had time to get back on her feet before she was forced to duck. A rain of bullets fired down on Ultron, clearly annoying the robot and two legionnaires flew out from the back of the truck.
"A warning next time would be great, Barton!" Keira yelled as the fight continued. It was pure luck that both she and Steve had realized what was happening and managed to avoid getting hit.
"Then it wouldn't have been much of a surprise."
Keira groaned, catching the shield and slamming it down on Ultron, whose knees buckled slightly under the force. It was amazing how one single robot managed to piss her off this much. Throwing the shield back to Steve, the man caught it and used the momentum to slam Ultron off the truck and into a concrete pillar.
Ultron did not appreciate the gesture and retaliated by throwing himself at Steve, and the two of them crashed into the train running beside the truck. Glancing at the train, Keira didn't waste a second before jumping onto the train's roof. There was no way she'd leave Steve to fight alone against the robot and she quickly located the hatch that earned her access to the inside of the train.
"They're heading back towards you. So whatever you're gonna do, do it now." Clint warned.
If she thought that fighting the robot on top of a truck had been difficult, it was nothing compared to fighting the robot inside of a cramped train. The corridor between the seats was so narrow that she barely had room to move. Just managing to duck in time, Steve instead got blasted in the limited space.
"I'm going in. Cap, Keira, can you keep him occupied?" Natasha asked, clearly having found her way back to the truck.
"What do you think we've been doing?" Steve sarcastically replied, getting pulled back to his feet by Keira.
"Couldn't have said it better myself, Cap." Keira joined in, rolling her shoulder as she set her sights on the robot. She couldn't risk throwing blades or anything that Ultron could have a chance to deflect because it could hurt the civilians in their carriage. So, relying on punches and kicks it was.
Getting cornered wasn't something that Ultron seemed to appreciate, his attacks were becoming more vicious by the minute, and he didn't hold back at all. A hard hit in the stomach caused Keira to double over, all the air leaving her lungs for a moment. Wheezing for air, she managed to pull herself up just in time to see Ultron cornering Steve and throwing punches at the shield in such quick succession that the supersoldier didn't have a chance to find a window to retort.
But all of a sudden, a silver blur hit Ultron, effectively stopping his assault on Steve. It was none other than Pietro Maximoff. How the hell had he managed to get on this specific train?
Keira clenched her fists, ready to dent the robot into a can. But Ultron's path was suddenly blocked by two overhead compartments that were bathed in a familiar, red mist and Keira couldn't help the hopeful little dance that her heart performed at that moment.
Ultron, turning around to face Wanda, sounded sad as he uttered the next words. "Please, don't do this."
"What choice do we have?" Wanda retorted with determination, her eyes set on the robot.
If Keira could've seen his face, she was sure she would've seen disappointment flash across it. He retorted with an attack, blasting through the makeshift barricade, and made a quick getaway.
"We lost him! He's heading your way!" Steve yelled, jumping over the wreckage to get to the front, where a big hole could be seen.
Quickly joining him, Keira saw that the conductor was dead, and they were nearing the end of the tracks. But the train had no way of slowing down and it would derail within seconds.
Holding on for dear life as the train sped through the barrier and crashed through some wooden pallets, Keira glanced around. They wouldn't be able to stop this train on their own. But the twins would certainly be able to help.
"Cap, do you see Nat?" Clint's anxious voice broke through the comms.
"What about Nat?" Keira anxiously asked, feeling her stomach churn uncomfortably.
"If you have the package, get it to Stark! Go!" Steve ordered, waving him away.
"Do you have eyes on Nat?"
Keira chewed the inside of her cheek, not liking this at all. "No, we don't! Is she alright?!"
"Go!"
Keira didn't hear anything more from Clint, as he probably obeyed the Captain's orders and therefore was out of range. So, Keira did what she could and focused on the problem at hand. Slowing down the speeding train.
"Civilians in our path." She looked at Pietro, who got the hint immediately, the silver blur following in his shadow as he sped in front of the train to get the people to safety.
"Can you stop this thing?" Steve asked, turning to Wanda.
The woman looked scared, and a bit overwhelmed by the request but she gave a determined nod as she steadied her footing.
"I'll try to stop it as well." Keira said, earning a surprised look from Steve. "I gotta try." She pressed, before getting back to the front of the train and jumping up on the instrument panel. Watching the ground fly past below, she had to take a deep breath before transforming herself and jumping down.
For a moment, she feared that the momentum would cause her to lose her grip and fall under the train, but by pressing her back against the cold metal for all she was worth while clinging onto it, she managed to remain standing.
The asphalt around her feet cracked into chunks as she dug her heels down to try and slow the rushing train down. Her heart rate spiked every time she thought they were about to hit a civilian, but at the last moment, a silver blur got them out of harm's way. Even as they crashed through a building, Keira stubbornly buried her heels deeper into the ground, praying that the train would stop before someone got seriously hurt.
With their combined efforts, the train eventually screeched to a halt, and Keira fell to her knees in exhaustion. Her suit had ripped in multiple places, but transforming back to normal, her skin was perfectly fine.
"Good job, kid." Steve panted from inside the train, and Keira could only muster a nod. Her muscles ached, but she knew she couldn't give herself too long of a pause, so with a grunt, she got back on her feet. A little way away, she joined Steve, who was talking to the twins.
"The Cradle. Did you get it?" Wanda urgently asked, her eyes jumping between Steve and Keira.
"Stark will take care of it." Steve said, meeting her gaze confidently. But if he had hoped that it would calm her down, he was wrong.
Wanda's eyes widened in realization as she shook her head. "No, he won't."
Steve hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering. "You don't know what you're talking about. Stark's not crazy." He defended, although a slither of insecurity had made its way into his voice.
"He will do anything to make things right." Wanda persisted stubbornly, not averting her eyes from Steve.
Keira glanced between the twins, Pietro was still recovering and was panting as he sat on a box. And Wanda looked ready to fight Steve if he didn't believe her. Was she right? Would Tony really risk doing the same mistake over again? Keira had already warned him once about the stone, had he listened? No. So, Wanda had a point.
And the realization seemed to hit Steve too as he began calling for the billionaire. "Stark, come in. Stark. Anyone on comms?"
"Ultron can't tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it. Where do you think he gets that?" Wanda continued, and Keira could feel her stomach drop. She was right.
Didn't all creations take after their maker, one way or another?