Chapter Twenty-Six
Delaney had seen so many rules of physics broken during her time as an Avenger. There had been a doorway formed to another part of space hanging above New York; the Tesseract had transported Thor and Loki to Asgard; among other things. But that had not prepared her for what awaited them upon arrival at Avengers Tower: the Vision, created after Tony and Bruce uploaded J.A.R.V.I.S. into a synthetic body, which was powered by the Mind Stone that had previously been in Loki's staff. That had made her rub her eyes to ensure what she was seeing was real.
But it was, and Ultron was headed to Sokovia, so that was where the Avengers needed to be. They'd barely had time to rest before they were back in the Quinjet and flying to Sokovia, unsure what exactly was awaiting them but knowing it wasn't going to be pretty.
On the way, Delaney had sat beside their new recruits: the Maximoff twins. Out of everyone, she was the least acquainted with the two, and since they were about to trust each other with their lives, she figured it was time she learned a few things about them so they understood each other.
The two stayed apart from the other Avengers, sitting so close that their bodies were almost touching. At once Delaney could tell how important the twins were to each other.
"Hi," she said, taking her place beside them. She offered a smile. "I'm Delaney. We haven't had the chance to meet yet."
Wanda combed her fingers through her hair, moving it behind her shoulders. "Wanda, and that's Pietro," she said, jerking her head toward her twin brother.
Pietro rolled his eyes. "I'm capable of introducing myself, Wanda."
"Sometimes you make me wonder if you're capable of even that."
Delaney laughed at their playful exchanges. "Sibling rivalry. Sometimes I'm glad I was an only child."
She wondered about that sometimes – would things be different if she had a sibling? Would they too have had their memories wiped, or would they have stayed close to their parents, another family member to battle?
The twins caught each other's eyes briefly.
"We've only had each other," Pietro said lowly, and Wanda unconsciously moved closer to her brother. They were their own team.
"Hey, we're teammates now," Delaney said, smiling, trying to make herself as approachable as possible. She imagined, after so many years alone, it would be hard for the two to open up. "Tell me about yourselves, and I'll tell you a bit about me."
When the two finished their story, Delaney's heart went out to them. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "That sounds awful... No wonder you hated us."
Wanda shrugged. "We survived. That's all that matters." Pietro placed an arm around his sister's shoulders.
Delaney pursed her lips.
We survived. That's all that matters.
That sounded too much like her motto for her two years alone – not living, not particularly enjoying life, but surviving each day and evading the clutches of her parents.
Looking at the two youths directly in the eye, Delaney said, "I think it's my turn to tell you my story."
And she told them everything, not leaving out a single detail.
Wanda tilted her head to the side, when Delaney finished her recount. "You haven't had it easy, either."
"I don't think any of us have." Delaney looked over her shoulder at her teammates. They'd all had to make sacrifices at some point in their lives: there wasn't one person here who hadn't struggled in their lives, and had a particularly difficult obstacle to overcome. "But we're a team now – stronger than we ever could have been apart. I learned that when I tried to go on my own for a while. It really did not turn out well for me. It wasn't until I was reunited with Steve and Natasha that I learned I'd put myself at a disadvantage, running away. We'll have your backs, don't worry about that."
Neither of the twins said anything, but Delaney could tell that they understood. Delaney had remained beside them for the rest of the journey to Sokovia, deep in thought, and determined, if she survived this, to help the twins as much as she could.
It seemed so impossible that only two days ago, she had been with Cristina and Evan, pacing out of anxiety and Evan buying her a plane ticket himself. Things had changed so drastically since then. Two days ago, she had been concerned only about herself and her parents. Now, she was concerned about the world, and keeping all of her friends alive.
Now they were in Sokovia, Delaney was very much relieved that she was not alone. Robots of Tony's design swarmed through the sky, clawing their way out of crack like parasites. Their silver bodies flew through the sky like flies, and relentlessly opened their attack on Sokovia's population like hornets.
There was one thing you did to parasites: you put them down.
Delaney's weapons were unlimited: a full array of knives, and two guns hanging on either hip. The second she saw the robots arrive, a knife was in either hand and she threw herself into the fray.
Delaney had no sense of where she was going – only that she had to fight, keep fighting, and destroy these minions of Ultron. Her knives flashed around her, deadly and sharp and renting the armour of these robots, cutting wires and causing them to deactivate. Delaney was not aware of the position of the others as she moved through the city – that soon was replaced with concern for the civilians still in the open.
Her eyes caught two children out in the open, clinging to each other and screaming. Delaney ran to them. "Move!" she exclaimed, taking both by one of their hands. They followed without a word, both sobbing as Delaney led them into a building. "Stay here, okay? Don't come out, you'll be safe!"
Both nodded mutely. Delaney sent them what she hoped was a reassuring smile before she darted back into the open.
Without warning, the ground shook beneath Delaney's feet. With a yelp she staggered, and, after quickly regaining her balance, spun on the spot to try and determine what was happening. Earthquake was her first thought, as she ran to the edge of the city.
Her heart slowed.
This was more than an earthquake.
A crack had formed all around Sokovia – and they were rising, into the air, leaving the earth behind them. Delaney's stomach performed a somersault and she wished she had something to hold on to, something normal, something that was believable because this... How this was possible...
"Do you see?" Delaney shivered at Ultron's voice; a sound like nails scraping down a blackboard. "The beauty of it, the inevitability. You rise, only to fall. You, Avengers, you are my meteor, my swift and terrible sword and the earth will crack with the weight of your failure." A robot surged toward Delaney, and with a yell she tore it to pieces with several cuts of her knife. "Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me. It means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal."
Delaney was shaking, her brain still trying to comprehend what Ultron had just said.
Impossible. Impossible. This makes no sense – how this is possible – the logic –
No matter how much she tried to deny it, how sick she felt, it was happening – and the entire world was now threatened. Delaney glanced down at the ever-increasing gap between the city and the earth below and felt weak at the knees.
How were they possibly supposed to find a solution to this?
An explosion from behind brought Delaney back to reality with a harsh jolt. With a gasp she threw herself behind cover as the building behind her exploded with a shot from one of Ultron's legion. The terrified screams and cries from civilians brought her back to her senses. One problem at a time. First, stay alive, and keep everyone else alive, too.
"Stark, you worry about bringing the city back down safely," Steve's voice came over the comm., as Delaney ran back into the thick of battle. "The rest of us have one job: tear these things apart. You get hurt, hurt 'em back. You get killed, walk it off."
Delaney dashed to the nearest call of civilians, and found a mass of people ducking behind shelter as a hoard of robots attacked. "Bucketheads!" she yelled, and attacked the nearest one: it attempted to blast her upon realising she was there, but Delaney ducked and spun behind it, slashing both her knives keep across its neck. Before it could recover she dug her knives in the cut and tore them outwards: the robot shuddered, the lights of its eyes flickering out as it collapsed to the ground.
Delaney whirled around as the others converged on her. She dived behind rubble for cover and crouched, throwing a knife at the closest one. It did no damage, but it caused a distraction: Delaney grabbed one of her guns and fired repetitively until it was unable to function. She flattened herself behind the rubble as the others simultaneously fired upon her. Pinned, Delaney peeked out behind the corner, surveying the landscape at hand to try and form a strategy that would allow her to take out the remaining eight.
Just as a plan was coming to mind, four of the robots fell without any particular reason.
"You need a hand?"
Delaney jumped at the new voice that came from beside her, and grinned when she saw it was Pietro. "That would be very much appreciated."
The remaining were easy work: Pietro took most of them out, while Delaney finished them off. Soon, they were surrounded in a litter of broken iron.
"Thanks," Delaney said. Pietro acknowledged her with a nod before he sped off again to some other part of the city.
Delaney pressed a hand to her earpiece ad spoke into it. "My area's clear. Coming to you, Steve."
"Glad for the backup, Lane."
Delaney dashed through the streets, yelling at any passing civilian to find cover already, damn it! Her entire body was aching but she didn't let herself slow down: she couldn't allow herself to go slack, not now.
The area Steve and Natasha were fighting was undoubtedly where most of the action was occurring. Delaney jumped on the back of one of the robots: by now, she was realising where their weaknesses were, in particular the neck did not have much protection. She dug a knife into one of them and cut deep, severing several wires, causing the robot to collapse. Delaney flipped off its back before it hit the ground and made her way to Steve's sides, standing back to back.
"Been having most of the fun, have you?" she yelled.
"You should've been here earlier!"
Delaney laughed and put her knife back in her belt, instead equipping her guns.
There were so many robots, but their skill was outmatched: soon, with several well-placed bullets and hits from Steve's shield, the first wave was just broken junk on the ground.
Steve breathed heavily, surveying the damage. "The next wave's going to hit any minute. What have you got, Stark?
"Well, nothing great," Tony reported. "Maybe a way to blow up the city. That'll keep it from impacting the surface if you guys can get clear."
"I asked for a solution, not an escape plan."
"Impact radius is getting bigger every second. We're going to have to make a choice."
Delaney bit her lip. "Steve... think about it. We've got no way to get everyone off this rock easily. If Stark finds a way to blow this place up..."
"Not 'til everyone's safe," Steve argued. His facial features were tight.
"It's not a great moral decision," Delaney sighed. Her gut twisted. "Any loss of life is unbearable. But if you put everything in perspective...
Natasha sent a sad smile Delaney's way. "Everyone up here versus everyone down there?" she elaborated, as Delaney found herself unable to continue. "There's no math there."
"I'm not leaving this rock with one civilian on it."
"I didn't say we should leave," Natasha said quietly.
Delaney and Steve both turned to Natasha. Delaney's hand found Steve as she drew in a breath. Unless they were presented with a miracle, she thought Natasha's words were the only way to go.
"There's worse ways to go." Natasha had never looked so solemn, so wistful, as when she cast her eyes out over the azure sky and white clouds: an image of serenity that contrasted completely against the dark situation they currently found themselves in. "Where else am I going to get a view like this?
"Glad you like the view, Romanoff. It's about to get better."
Delaney's eyes flew wide open at Nick Fury's voice, someone she had not expected to hear during this battle. And a sound, and sight, that was even more unexpected: the hum of the engines of a Helicarrier, as the transport lifted itself into view. Delaney could have cried. We have our miracle. There's another option – there is still a chance we could get through this.
"Nice, right? I pulled her out of mothballs with a couple of old friends. She's dusty, but she'll do."
"Fury, you son of a bitch," Steve said, shaking his head.
"You kiss your mother with that mouth?"
Delaney rolled her eyes – she'd been informed of the ongoing joke the previous night by Natasha. Her reaction earned her a withering look from Steve.
Hope was not lost, after all.
**********
this will be the last update for a few days, since i'm going away for 4 days, and won't have access to wifi! i'll be back soon, however, with plenty of updates!