Despite the chaos, Keira and Clint managed to find Steve just when the fighting momentarily died down. It seemed like the robots came in waves, and right now, they needed to seize the somewhat calm moment to lead the civilians to safety.
"We're leading the civilians to the town hall, try to meet us there." Steve informed the rest of the team over the comms while guiding the people in the right direction. It was the sturdiest building they could think of, and it was far enough from the edges of the city to not risk falling as the piece of rock rose higher and higher.
Even through the dust and rubble, Keira couldn't help the little leap that her heart did when a flock of red came into view. Could it be? "Tasha!" She exclaimed happily, abandoning what she was doing and instead throwing herself around the redhead's neck.
Natasha stumbled backwards, completely taken by surprise by the sudden launch of her best friend, but she embraced Keira nevertheless. "And here I thought you would be the one to rescue me." She teased, breathing in the familiar scent that was Keira.
"And I thought you would be capable enough to find an escape yourself." Keira shot back with a quirked eyebrow, her eyes glittering. Taking a step back, she took in Natasha's appearance and subconsciously scanned her for injuries. From what she could see, Natasha seemed to be relatively unscathed, with no open wounds at least, although she was probably a bit banged up from Ultron, even if it didn't show.
A smirk had crept up on Natasha's face, clearly ready to retaliate, but it quickly faded when she glanced over the blonde's shoulder. "Is that my jacket?" She questioned indignantly, recognizing the red leather jacket, and narrowing her eyes at Wanda.
Keira almost burst out laughing, and quickly covered it up with a cough. "Tasha, be nice. She's with us." She reprimanded lightly. Even if she was able to cover her laughter, she was unsuccessful in keeping the smile off her face. Natasha's expression was hilarious, and Keira would definitely tease her about this in the future.
"Still doesn't explain the jacket." Natasha scowled, her gaze so intense that Wanda was forced to look away in embarrassment.
Keira shook her head in amusement before shooting a reassuring glance in Wanda's direction. "Don't pay this one any mind." She slung an arm around Natasha's shoulders. "She barks worse than she bites."
But Wanda didn't seem convinced, still eyeing Natasha with caution.
"Fighting these robots is getting us nowhere." Steve cut in before Natasha had a chance to retort.
Clint, who came jogging stopped beside Natasha. "The air is getting thin. If we go up much higher, people will start dropping." He was right about that, even Keira could feel it was starting to get heavier to breathe.
"The next wave is gonna hit any minute. What do you got, Stark?" Keira asked, feeling a bit uneasy at the lack of robots.
"Huh? Nothing great." Tony answered somewhat absentmindedly. "Maybe a way to blow up the city. That'll keep it from impacting the surface, if you guys can get clear."
"No way!" Keira protested, shaking her head even though Tony couldn't see it.
"We need a solution, not an escape plan." Steve agreed. There was no way he would leave a single person behind.
"Impact radius is getting bigger every second. We're gonna have to make a choice." Tony said sadly.
And Keira knew, in the bottom of her heart, that he was right. No matter what they did, people would die. Hell, people probably had died already. And if there was a choice between the billions down on Earth versus the ones in the city...
"Cap, these people are going nowhere. If Stark finds a way to blow this rock..." Natasha was clearly thinking along the same lines as Keira.
But Steve was stubborn, and his morals wouldn't budge for anything, or anyone. "Not 'til everyone's safe."
"Everyone up here versus everyone down there? There's no math there." Natasha argued, earning a glare from the supersoldier.
"I'm not leaving this rock with one civilian on it." Steve stubbornly stated.
Keira had to stifle a sigh and took a step forward so she could stand beside them. "She's not saying we should leave." She said softly, causing Steve to look at her in surprise.
"There's worse ways to go." Natasha agreed before looking out over the clouds. "Where else am I gonna get a view like this?"
Keira followed her gaze and a sort of calmness washed over her. If they couldn't save the people on this piece of earth, at least they would go out with a bang and a fantastic view. It was beautiful, the white clouds stretching as far as the eye could see.
"Glad you like the view, Romanoff. It's about to get better." Fury's voice crackled suddenly through the comms.
At first, Keira wasn't sure what he was getting at, she was just surprised at hearing his voice. But barely a moment later, a large Helicarrier emerged from the clouds. Keira felt goosebumps erupt on her nape, and she silently thanked the gods she didn't believe in. They had a chance. They finally had an honest chance at getting the people off this rock, alive.
"Nice, right? Pulled her out of mothballs with a couple of old friends. She's dusty, but she'll do."
Steve shook his head in disbelief. "Fury, you son of a bitch." He breathed, a relieved smile on his face.
"Hey, language!" Keira reprimanded him, earning a tired smile from the supersoldier.
"Ooh! You kiss your mother with that mouth?"
Keira glanced to the side as Pietro appeared there, the familiar silver streak following him. He watched with a smile as the lifeboats deployed from the big ship and glanced at Keira. "This is SHIELD?"
"This is what SHIELD is supposed to be." Steve replied, watching the lifeboats with a hint of pride on his face.
Pietro gave a light chuckle, still gazing at the lifeboats with slight wonder. "This is not so bad." He confessed, a smile stretching his face.
"Told you, it's not all bad." Keira smiled, nudging his shoulder gently.
Steve was the first to break out of the reverie, switching back to leader-mode. "Let's load 'em up."
It didn't take long until the civilians were rushing across the square, getting into the lifeboats, and being safely transported over to the Helicarrier. Lucky for them, Ultron's minions chose to go for the Helicarrier first, Tony and Rhodey making quick work of them.
It sucked being one of the ones that couldn't fly right now. Keira could do nothing except guide people into the lifeboats, and all she wanted was to crush some more robot heads.
But it seemed like she had jinxed herself, because it didn't take long before a hoard of robots appeared, shooting at the civilians and causing the group to scatter. Keira stuck with Pietro, knowing his hand-to-hand combat was still a little rusty.
"What do you say, loser buys the winner drinks?" She smirked, jumping to the side before ripping off a legionnaire's head. It was messy, the oil spilling everywhere and Keira was forced to keep her mouth shut in order to not swallow any of the disgusting liquid.
Pietro raised an eyebrow, a bit taken aback by the proposal, but he nodded enthusiastically. "You're on. Try to keep up!" He smiled before he zoomed off, crushing multiple robots on the way.
"Showoff!" Keira yelled after him, but she couldn't help the smile on her face. It felt good being around the twins again, and she couldn't wait for what the future would hold once Ultron had been dealt with.
"Thor, I got a plan!" Tony excitedly yelled through the comms, causing Keira to stop in her tracks. That sounded hopeful, a little bit too hopeful.
"We're out of time! They're coming for the core." Thor answered severely, still defending the core that held the rock together. One touch from any of Ultron's minions and it would blow the city into smithereens.
"Avengers, time to work for a living." Tony ordered, and Keira snorted.
"What do you think we've been doing all this time?" She drawled, jumping behind a car before unshouldering her bow and shooting down a group of robots with an explosive arrow.
She allowed herself a moment to breathe, leaning heavily against the car while her lungs worked to get any oxygen in them. The air was getting thinner by the second, and she could feel it. Her brief pause was interrupted when a silver blur flashed in front of her, causing a couple of newspapers to blow away in the wind.
"You couldn't keep up?" Pietro smirked at her, but it faltered slightly when Keira didn't immediately retort or stand back up.
Keira just waved his concerns away, her hands on her knees. "Yeah, no. Turns out you were quicker than me." She breathed, but she could still feel Pietro's worried gaze on her. "Don't worry about me, just having to deal with some consequences of old." She explained, shaking her head as she straightened up.
"We need to go..." He said uncertainly, shifting his weight uneasily as he watched Keira. The bags under her eyes were dark, and her hair was sticking out from the ponytail that was barely holding together. Her suit was dirty, it could be seen even though the suit was mostly black, and she had a gash running along the side of her throat, although it had long since stopped bleeding.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll catch up with you." Keira breathed, leaning her head back.
Pietro just shook his head before scooping Keira up before she even had a chance to protest. "No, you're not. Let me help."
A strangled yell got caught in Keira's throat as she threw her arms around Pietro's neck while he rushed through the streets. Her head spun slightly, and she guessed that all the energy drinks she had crammed into herself had left her system. But not having to run all the way over to the church certainly helped with conserving what little energy she had left.
Pietro eventually slowed down inside the church and gently placed Keira down. "You gonna be alright?" He questioned, not trusting the tired look on Keira's face.
But Keira didn't want his pity. She would be fine as soon as she got back into action, it was the calmer parts that were dangerous to her. That's when her body got a moment to actually feel. But as long as she kept going, she could fight for an eternity. "Yeah, thanks for the concern though." She straightened up, still feeling a bit dizzy after the fast run over here and her back cracked in protest. A chiropractor would definitely be needed after this.
Pietro gave her a look of concern before he streaked over to Wanda, who just arrived with Clint. "You good?" He questioned as he looked over his sister with worry.
"Yeah." She replied simply.
Keira was relieved to see that Wanda seemed unhurt. Since she was too busy with pushing herself off the wall she had been leaning against, she missed the way that Wanda scanned her body, her emerald gaze freezing at the sight of the healed gash on her throat.
"Romanoff, you better not be playing with yourself. We are on mission after all." Tony teased, blasting a stray robot apart.
"Relax, shellhead. Not all of us can fly." Natasha replied calmly, rolling her eyes at the billionaire's comment as she plowed through as many robots as she could hit with the bulldozer-like truck.
"Bad excuse, Tasha. Even Clint is here before you and he can't fly either." Keira chuckled while reloading her guns. "Oh, and nor does he have superspeed, so, I feel like you're just late." She added on a whim, earning a grumble from the redhead that just crashed through the fence of the church.
"What's the drill?" Natasha questioned, scanning their surroundings. The robots had paused their attacks, but some strays were still circling outside of the church, trying to figure out how to reach the core.
"This is the drill." Tony gestured to the vibranium core standing in the middle of the church. "If Ultron gets a hand on the core, we lose."
Hulk came smashing down just in time, taking out two legionnaires as he did so. Keira gave the beast an appreciative grin, and the Hulk gave her a lopsided smile in return. In the dust behind him, the real Ultron emerged, floating a couple of feet up in the air.
"Is that the best you can do?" Thor shouted in challenge and Keira wanted to strangle him. You should never ask that question. It always jinxed itself.
And to nobody's surprise, Ultron rose to the challenge like the showoff he was, raising a hand and summoning the entirety of his robot army. They were crawling over the ground like ants, causing a shiver to run down Keira's spine.
Steve just sighed. "You had to ask."
Ultron threw his arms out as though awaiting praise. "This is the best I can do. This is exactly what I wanted. All of you against all of me. How can you possibly hope to stop me?" He gloated. Well, he had the theatrics down, Keira had to hand it to him. Although, maybe it shouldn't come as a surprise, seeing as he was one of Tony's inventions.
"Well, like the old man said..." Tony answered, glancing at Steve. "Together."
The Hulk let out a loud roar, and it seemed like it was the starting pistol, because Ultron's minions raced forwards, throwing themselves into battle. Keira barely had time to get her guns up, deciding that the bow would be too clumsy in the restricted space of the church.
It was complete chaos, the robots swarming from every direction.
Keira could do nothing more than empty her magazines as it took a couple of bullets to down each robot, and it didn't take long until she was running out of ammo. Silently cursing herself for not bringing more backup clips, she unsheathed the katana strapped to her back. She hadn't used the sword in what felt like forever, and yet, it felt like home as she gripped the handle.
Slicing through the robots turned out to be even more effective than shooting them, the metal slicing through the wires with ease or plunging the sword through their chests. What she had to look out for, however, was to not risk cutting any of her teammates.
The space within the church was restricted, and with everyone being everywhere, it was a difficult feat to keep her movements narrow. And there was the unfortunate fact that the robots lacked any of the human weaknesses.
They didn't get injured, they had no need for air. But they could be killed, and for that, Keira was grateful.
Without thinking, Keira threw herself in front of Wanda, cutting off the attacking legionnaire's head in the process. She felt a hand brush across her back in thanks, and couldn't help the smile that crept upon her face, jumping at another robot, slamming the sword down its spine and twisting it.
It didn't take long until the real Ultron swooped in and joined the fight, losing his patience with the slow progress his minions were doing. He chose Vision as his opponent, the synthezoid and the robot being the most equally matched. Stone and debris fell down on the team below as Vision got knocked into a wall, but he quickly earned the upper hand, using the Mind Stone to blast Ultron out of the church.
Both Thor and Tony were quick to follow, all three of them blasting Ultron until the vibranium shell started to melt under the combined power and heat.
The legionnaires froze as their leader's powers slowly drained, giving the team still inside the church a chance to destroy every last one of them. But there were still robots outside the church, and as the Hulk sent Ultron flying through the air, the minions looked at the Hulk before glancing at each other, and Keira was certain that if they could've expressed emotions, fear would be written all over their features.
They scattered like a bunch of cockroaches, running towards the edge of the city and throwing themselves off the rock.
"They'll try to leave the city." Thor informed them, looking battle-worn. It turned out that even gods weren't above getting hurt by robots. They could even bleed.
"We can't let 'em, not even one. Rhodey!" Tony called out as he threw himself into the air, chasing the stray legionnaires. It was good that they had another flyer, otherwise, it would be hard work for Vision, Stark, and Thor.
Glancing around, it didn't look like anybody was seriously hurt. It seemed like Pietro had earned the most severe injury, a dark red stain on his upper arm and if Keira had to guess, it was a gunshot wound. But a shot in the arm was easily survivable, especially a scrape.
Steve rounded on his team, a mixture of dirt and oil on his face. "We gotta move out. Even I can tell the air is getting thin. You guys get to the boats. I'll sweep for stragglers, be right behind you."
Keira threw a glance at Clint, knowing he had warned about the thin air earlier, but Clint merely shrugged. The conditions were different now, so he didn't mind Steve taking the reins. "What about the core?" He questioned, looking at the big chunk of vibranium sticking out of the ground.
"I'll protect it." Wanda's strong Sokovian accent rang out, gaining everyone's attention. Upon seeing Clint's somewhat skeptical look, she pursed her lips slightly. "It's my job." She insisted stubbornly.
Clint gave her an appreciative nod before turning to Natasha. "Nat. This way."
But Keira didn't move, it was as though she was frozen to the ground. It felt wrong to leave Wanda all alone with the core. Although, Keira did not doubt that the brunette would be able to protect it, she still didn't like leaving her team members alone.
Pietro came streaking into the church, grunting slightly as he phased through one or two robots on the way.
"Get the people on the boats!" Wanda ordered, meeting his gaze steadily and making it clear it wasn't up for discussion.
But Pietro shook his head. "I'm not going to leave you here." He protested.
"And neither am I." Keira joined in, earning a surprised look from both siblings.
"I can handle this." Wanda insisted, demonstrating her powers by catching an attacking robot with her powers and tearing it into little pieces. Both Keira and Pietro threw her an impressed look, but Wanda barely noticed it. "Come back for me when everyone else is off. Not before."
Pietro grunted in annoyance, taking a few steps around his sister.
"You understand?"
He turned around with a small smile playing on his lips. "You know, I'm twelve minutes older than you."
Wanda chuckled, a small moment of light-hearted joy. "Go."
Pietro rolled his eyes playfully and gave a theatrical bow before streaking off.
"Are you sure you can do this?" Keira asked gently, tilting her head slightly before having to duck to avoid getting hit by a rampaging robot. In answer, Wanda encased the robot with her magic and ripped it apart by the middle. Keira threw her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. I got the point. Do not die here, Maximoff, or I'll have to kill you myself."
"Likewise, Nowak. Now, go." Wanda smiled at her, crushing another robot into pieces.
Keira nodded her head before copying Pietro's bow and sprinting off. The distant sound of a machine gun reached her ears, and her eyes widened a fraction. It was followed by a great explosion, so it definitely couldn't be good. Pushing herself extra hard, she skidded to a halt in front of the town hall.
Call it a gut feeling, but something wasn't right. Closing her eyes for the briefest of moments, she let her mind explore her surroundings and she felt a presence that wasn't bundled up with the rest of them.
Sprinting over, she saw that it was a young boy, trapped underneath some rubble. "Hey, kiddo. Time to go, okay?" Keira said gently, lifting up the pillar that was pushing on the boy's leg and hoisting him up in her arms.
The boy had a cut just above his eyebrow, and upon finding himself in the grasp of an Avenger, he nuzzled his nose into the crook of her neck. "Thank you." He whispered weakly.
But Keira barely had time to move a few steps before the menacing sound of a machine gun reached her ears again, and looking behind her, bullets were ricocheting down, upturning dust in their wake. She knew that she wouldn't be able to outrun the fire, so instead, she fell to her knees, cradling the little boy's head while she transformed her skin into diamond.
She was fully prepared to feel the bullets bounce off her hardened skin, but no bullet ever touched her. Instead, in the blink of an eye, she felt herself being pushed out of the way.
No.
It was all she had time to think. There was only one person alive that she knew of that could've done it, and she felt it. And sure enough, as the dust settled and Keira got a chance to turn around, the sight she feared met her eyes.
Pietro was barely able to stand upright, his body swaying slightly as the blood started to pour from the multiple gunshot wounds. "You didn't see that coming?" He rasped before his body collapsed.
Keira quickly let go of the little boy and caught Pietro before he hit the ground. "No. No." Her eyes stung as she cradled Pietro's body in her arms. It wasn't fair. He was too young. He had his whole life in front of him, but now, the universe decided to blow out his candle way too early. "Don't do this to me." She said in a strangled voice just as a hand landed on her shoulder.
It was all her fault. Pietro needn't have died. If only she had gained a chance to inform him more about her powers, he would've realized she didn't need saving.
Pietro's blue eyes were staring up into the sky, unseeing and lifeless. Keira's hand shook badly when she raised it and gently placed it over his eyes. When she removed her hand, his eyes were closed, and had it not been for the dark patches of red leaking all over his body, one could've believed he was sleeping.
"Keira..." Steve said in a soft voice, squeezing her shoulder. His shield lay by his feet, and he bowed his head in respect. Pietro might not have been an official Avenger at the time of his death, but he sure would be honored as one. "We have to go."
But Keira couldn't move. The lump in her throat only grew, making it difficult to breathe. In her peripheral vision, she saw the shadow of Clint picking up the young boy and getting him back to the lifeboat.
As her heart beat violently in her chest, her mind drifted to Wanda. It wasn't fair. The young woman had already gone through enough. She had lost her parents, her home. And now her brother.
"Keira." Steve urged her again, watching her reaction carefully. He knew that Keira could snap if she was pushed too much.
But Keira wasn't even close to snapping. Her mind was too weighed down by Pietro's death and her body was exhausted. With a deep exhale, she stumbled to her feet, still not letting go of Pietro's body. She could feel his warm blood trickling down her body and staining her suit, but she didn't care. All she could focus on was putting one foot in front of the other. Right, left. Right, left.
Somehow, her feet managed to guide her over to the lifeboat and as all the energy left her body, she fell to her knees. Her eyes burned and she blinked rapidly while gentle hands slowly helped her to detangle herself from Pietro's body.
"I'm sorry, Keira. There's nothing more you can do for him." Clint whispered as he helped the blonde to her feet.
But Keira's knees wouldn't hold her weight, they just buckled, and she fell to the floor. "W- Wanda?" She choked out, her throat burning as she huddled herself into a ball, knees under her chin. Her lip quivered and her hands were shaking so badly that she couldn't even grab the water bottle Clint was offering her.
"I don't know where she is." Clint answered honestly, carefully tilting the water bottle so Keira could drink from it. The blonde shot up, wobbling slightly and Clint had to place an arm around her waist so she wouldn't fall over.
At that very moment, Novi Grad fell through the sky, causing a strangled cry to leave Keira's sore throat. "Clint, let me go." She warned, trying to push herself out of his grasp but the archer was holding her tight.
"There's nothing you can do, Keira. You can't fly." Clint tried to console her, holding her back for all he was worth.
"Let. Me. Go." Keira growled, using her strength to escape the archer's grip. Clint knew better than to fight her so, reluctantly, he let her go. Her knees still didn't support her weight so the few steps she managed to take were wobbly, and she almost fell over. She could barely see, her vision blurry but she saw the city disappearing over the edge.
It was Steve's strong hand that held her back, stopping her from falling over the edge. "Hey, kid. Breathe." He whispered gently, tugging her back from the abyss. "I sent Vision to find her, so I'm sure she's gonna be fine." He reassured, rubbing a hand up and down her back.
The blonde squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. She was forced to strangle a sob and she buried her face in Steve's shoulder, with the soldier's strong arms around her.
It broke his heart to see his friend this broken, and yet, he understood. They had never lost anyone before, and the first one always hit the hardest.
As the sound of an explosion reached her ears, Keira pushed herself from Steve's chest and glanced down. Novi Grad was breaking into pieces, lightning dancing across its surface. Most of the debris seemed to crash down into the lake that lay beside the city and Keira couldn't help but draw a breath of relief. At least some damages were prevented.
A small dot was getting closer and closer to their lifeboat, and when it came close enough, Keira could see that it was Vision, holding Wanda in his arms. Vision landed beside Keira, and she took Wanda from his arms, checking her over for any serious injuries. "Thank you." She breathed, earning a nod before the synthezoid flew off.
"Where is he?" Wanda's broken voice asked, her lip quivering.
Keira didn't have to ask who she meant and lowered her head. "I am so sorry." She whispered weakly, taking a trembling step towards the place where Pietro's body lay.
But Wanda's eyes had already found his body, and for the second time that day, she fell to her knees. Violent sobs wrecked her body, and Keira just held her close, letting her cry into her shoulder. Leaning her head on top of Wanda's, Keira didn't let go of her for one second. They had all the time in the world, and eventually, the tears would dry up.
Grief was never a simple thing, but time helped, slowly dulling the pain, and making it possible to live with.
~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: So... What are we feeling right now..? I originally had an alternate version for this chapter but even though I think Pietro should've lived because he's a fun character, I think his death is meaningful for Wanda's character development...
Please don't hate me haha 🥲