Shutting my eyes, I let the pain tide over me and pushed it back to the farthest corner of my mind, where I keep it under lock and key.
There it will remain for the time being.
My complicated relationship can wait.
Taking a deep breath, I reopened my eyes and created pillared energy walls, gently boosting myself up the ladders and above intricate hallways, making sure to stealthily hide behind rows of hidden ship compartments.
"This was never my life,"
My brother's voice comes within earshot and I dropped the pillars, easing myself downwards behind another deck higher than them.
When I peek over, I see Tony, Steve and Thor facing Ultron and the twins head-on.
"You two can still walk away from this," Steve looks at the twins determinedly.
They were different compare to the time when I met them in that old cavern.
Bloodthirsty and practically bursting with rage, that heady cocktail mixture was directed at my brother. Their pointed stare tells me so.
"Oh, we will." Scarlet smiles sweetly, a dark meaning behind those words.
I felt my fingers spark with their familiar lights and waved them away only for it to come back stronger, the light zapping my palms.
What the hell-
"I know you've suffered--"
"Aaah, Captain America. God's righteous man." Ultron scoffed, cutting Steve off. The robot tilts his head, with a smirk. "Pretending you can live without a war,"
Steve looked visibly troubled, his emotions are wavering, telling me he was beginning to grow distressed.
Ultron hit a sore spot.
"I can't physically throw up in my mouth--" Ultron gestures to his mouth, practically mocking and its this time that I decided I had enough of Sir-Tin-a-lot.
"Someone's been a very bad robot," I voiced out from above, my chin resting on my palm.
Six sets of eyes look up at my entrance and I could see the twins shift uneasily.
Hopping off the railing, the energy pillars act like stairs as I'm slowly set down, my descent meant to stall for time. The two spies should be closing in anytime now.
"You know, considering Tony created you. I am your aunt."
"The Dark Witch," Ultron's gaze narrowed threateningly. "Tony's long lost sister."
I waved at him sarcastically and cocked a hand to my hip as I finally land in the middle of the bridge.
"I heard someone's disrespecting their elders,"
Ultron's metal face contorted. Clearly, he took offence to that statement. He was sick of hearing those kinds of words.
Taking threatening steps closer to the bridge, Ultron probably meant to scare me but I remain where I am, chin up in defiance.
"You speak as though you can help everybody," He says with a mocking lull. "And so you pretend you're in control. That you're not just a kill switch but are you really?"
It was something Loki would say and boy did that piss me off.
"You were born yesterday Tin-a-lot, I don't take orders from toddlers."
Ultron's fists clenched and it seemed like he would attack.
"If you believe in peace, then let us keep it." Thor noticed it right away, his voice purposely loud, loud enough that Ultron furiously whips around to face the god.
"I think you're confusing peace with quiet."
"Uh-huh, what's the Vibranium for?" Tony interjected. He'd taken advantage of my distraction to try and figure out what was happening. He must be seeing something through the X-ray field of his suit.
A brief peek of echolocation tells me Ultron was having the Vibranium shipped out right this second.
"I'm glad you asked that because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan."
Shit, he was stalling for time too--
Energy fields that have hidden themselves are abruptly crammed closer and suddenly, two bots appear behind Steve and Thor, catching them off guard.
Tony flies forward, ducking down in front of me to block Ultron as the robot shoots out a magnetic pulsator, instantly causing Iron Man to get dragged across the metal grating.
"Oh no, you don't," I whip out coils of energy branches stopping Ultron in his attempt to drag my brother over to him.
In response Ultron flicks out his fingers instead, shooting out orange, fire like beams.
Wide eyed, Tony is slammed against the side of the ship, the force of Ultron's repulsors taking his breath away.
This was going to shit real fast. "Tony wait-"
"Get back here Junior!" He is instantly up, pissed off as hell, shooting at the now flying Ultron as they made their way outside, slamming and destroying everything in their way.
Yeap, definitely going to shit.
"Get the Vibranium, they're getting away, this is a distraction!" My voice goes unheard because something silver hits me on my side, and I fall off the bridge landing hard against a metal wheel.
My body absorbs the pain upon impact and I cried out, feeling it grit my bones.
"Fuck you Snow White!" I shout, hoping he'd hear me.
All around me, gunshots and explosions began to erupt and as I slide right off the metal wheel, I land again, on something solid--the floor this time.
The curses that came out of my mouth were venomous.
I shakily stood up, needing to get back to the fight.
Considering I was trapped down here and the only way out was to climb, I did just that.
Until bullets suddenly rained on me, and I had to cover, hoping the two spies could take them down soon enough.
"Guys, is this a code green?" I heard Banner say through the comm.
Nope. No, it is not!
"Ba-" Ultron's bot comes out of nowhere, stopping me mid-sentence. I'm instantly hanging on the wall with its hand wrapped around my throat.
"I'm disowning you." I struggled out, clawing at my throat.
Ultron's bot leans closer and all I saw are hollow eyes. "You think they know you? That you're not just a puppet on strings? They're using you."
I whip out an energy blade and sliced its head clean off.
My knees hit the metal grail and I could feel the scraps that appeared from the force.
"You know what, you're one to talk! I said I don't take orders from toddlers!" I shout, beyond pissed.
Two more bots advance on me and I growled. "Fine!"
One of them tried to grab hold of my arms while the other hoisted my legs, preventing me from using any physical abilities.
"It's why I didn't kill you. Because I knew you were one of Stark's puppets. One of his broken toys. I can help you, I can free you."
His words make me see red.
I cocked my head back and twisted my legs, locking the bot and making it whirl over at the sudden action.
Pushing it down with my abilities, I slam its head multiple times over the metal grail.
The second one wrapped his arms around my throat from behind and I aborted my actions, once more clawing at the metal to let me go.
"Choke hold's illegal!" Enraged, I shut my eyes and sent out a barricade of energy, the charge rising from the ground and demolishing Ultron's metal bots.
I fall forward on my knees, coughing, hands on my neck.
Light swirls around me and my eyes glowed their luminous blue.
This was getting real old, real fast.
"Enough already!" Giant pillared walls appeared from my hands. They decimated the ship's entire lower deck, hurling forward to knock the remaining bots to pieces in one powerful surge.
I feel my chest burning with the amount of power I've conjured. It's a confusing type of pain. It's the type of pain that makes you breathless with worry and breathless with anticipation.
"Thank you Riley," Steve was speaking through the comm, referring to my earlier assistance. "Thor, status?"
"The girl try to warp my mind." The god replies.
Shit.
That's why they separated me first.
"Take special care, I doubt a human could keep her at bay. Fortunately, I am mighty..."
Thor's voice trails off distantly and I placed a hand on the comm. "Thor?" I demanded. "Thor, do you copy?"
He did not reply.
Shit, double shit.
"Natasha, do you read? Nat?"
Even the spy did not reply.
Panic ceased me and I looked around cautiously.
"Steve, get out of here, they're going to--" A pair of hands shot at me, grabbing hold of my waist. I barely have enough time to blink before I am suddenly above deck.
I collapse under the pressure of whiplash. The fast movement had my head spinning.
From the corner of my eye, I see Steve knocked out by the corner, with his eyes glowing red.
Goddammit!
I try to rise but only succeeded in swaying unsteadily. Pain has made itself known all over my body, the earlier power surge was quickly backtracking.
And I realized, I've used too much. My energy was depleted and I will not risk tapping into the dark energy that hovered nearby.
Glaring at the pair of sneakers that appear by my slumped form I leaned back on my heels, feeling my head pound.
"I'm going to teach you some manners, Snow White," I grumbled, wheezing in pain.
The twins hover nearby and I see two bots, gathering the Vibranium while the rest of the team is knocked out, completely oblivious to what is happening.
"This is going very well," The bot says, grabbing at the remaining Vibranium.
I spat blood, feeling the liquid bubble up in my windpipe and in my nose. Everything inside me was on the verge of collapse.
"Hah..." Wiping my nose, I notice Scarlet taking a step back in apparent horror, her gaze wavering at how messed up I am now.
I give her a weak smile. "You see what happens when you use too much?"
Her response is to cover her mouth and look away. Her brother tried to comfort her but even he seems uneasy.
Ultron's bot steps towards me with ease, his hollow eyes glaring right through me.
Smiling bitterly, I have enough energy to wink. "Are you going to kill me? Wouldn't be the first time anyone tried."
Ultron tilts his head and I can't see what his intentions are considering this wasn't the official Ultron copy.
"Kill you? No, no, that won't be fun at all."
He looks over at Scarlet and I see her shakily raise a hand in my direction.
Oh hell no!
I scramble upwards, swirls of blue green and gold encased my body making her red light rebound back.
Stomping my foot, I watch as the energy shakes the heavy ship frantically in waves. Snow White and the bots quickly grapple to stand, but Scarlet has learned just from watching how I handle myself.
She easily stabilizes her form with her abilities, hands swirling with rings of red.
"You don't want to do this!" I shout at her, deflecting each blow she sends my way.
Snow White opted to help out his sister but considering, we were shooting deadly lights at each other, that didn't seem like such a good idea.
Flicking one of my hands in his direction, I slam him back in his place, urging him to remain where he was. "Stay down! Or you'll get hit!"
I don't want Scarlet to accidentally hit him, that would be bad.
"Tony? Tony, do you read?" Shouting through the comm, I use one hand to cocoon myself in a barricade.
All I heard are muffled explosions and static in return. "Tony you have to come back, it's a distraction--"
Something hard pummels my stomach in my moment of weakness and I fly backwards, hitting the railing, hard.
I gasped, hands on my abdomen. Shit.
Turning around, I look at Ultron's bots, watching as it slowly lowered its repulsor arm, the beam still glowing.
The shot hadn't gone through flesh, but it sizzled across my skin, marking my abdomen even more.
I crawled backwards, one hand cradling my burnt injury.
Steve was no longer on the floor. He had gotten up mid-dream and taken off his helmet, his body striding down the stairs, too caught up with his own nightmare to realize what was happening to me.
Pure panic began to fill me as I watch them approach me steadily.
"Take her out, she's the strongest of them all."
Scarlet nods and waves a hand in my direction.
I am unable to deflect it and in desperation, I shook my head wanting her to stop.
Don't do this.
She wavers, her brown orbs turned red but she shakes it off and without warning, I felt my mind expand as red began to filter through my vision.
Shit.
~~@ @ @~~
A/N
Okay, okay, totally random.
But.
Have you guys noticed the little details I place in Lorelie's way of describing the people she sees?
She calls Scarlet and Snow white by their nicknames because she feels like its not right to lay claim on their names just yet.
She doesn't know whose side they're on but she knows somewhere deep inside her, the twins and her share a connection she wants to understand.
I did the same in my first book.
When Bucky was not mind controlled, Lorelie called him by his real name.
However.
When the Winter Soldier was in control, Lorelie only describe him as his given alias.
Thus, Bucky= Bucky
Winter Soldier= Winter Soldier.
This is because I feel like they are two completely different characters.
The Winter Soldier calls Lorelie; Ved'ma, which means, Witch. He's never spoke of her real name.
Only when he was Bucky did he chose to do so.
Oh and to whoever that understands Russian, I'm sorry if I offended anyone in my book.
I use google translate XD
VoTE ANd comMENT!