AURORA ODINSDOTTIR
After our discussion, everyone went to bed, knowing today was going to be a big one.
I suggested to Steve that we room together for the night, but he insisted on staying with Tony, and giving me my privacy.
He's so sweet.
"We can take Natasha and Clint." I said to Tony, gesturing between Steve and I, who nodded in agreement.
"Alright, strictly recon. I'll hit the NEXUS, I'll join you as soon as I can." Tony said, and Steve looked slightly worried.
"If Ultron is really building a body-"
"He'll be more powerful than any of us." I said to Steve, making Tony shrug.
"Maybe all of us. An android designed by a robot."
"You know I really miss the days when the weirdest thing science ever created was me." Steve half joked, making me giggle, patting his bicep reassuringly.
"I'll drop Banner off at the tower." Nick said, interrupting our chat, and looked at Tony.
"Do you mind if I borrow Ms. Hill?"
"She's all yours, apparently. What are you gonna do?" Tony asked, making Nick shrug.
"I don't know. Something dramatic, I hope."
"It's always something dramatic with us, isn't it?" I asked, walking out the front door and joining Nat on the quinjet, waiting for Steve and Clint.
"Alright," Steve said, buckling up while Clint climbed aboard.
"Here's the plan, once we get to the research labs, Clint and Natasha, stay on the quinjet, Aurora, come with me."
"Okay." I agreed, and Clint gave a short nod while Natasha smirked, looking between us.
She knew.
To be fair, it might be hard to miss, at this point.
Shortly after orders were given, we landed on the roof of the building, and Steve grabbed my hand, walking off the quinjet and turning his earpiece on.
"Two minutes. Stay close." He ordered to Nat and Clint, and I jogged down the stairs, following Steve to Helen's lab.
Ultron had been here, apparent by the destruction in my path, the shelves turned over, and the glass on the floor.
"Doctor Cho!" I exclaimed, running over to the woman lying on the floor, and Steve quickly approached us.
"He's uploading himself into the body." Helen said, making my blood run cold.
We're way too late.
"Where?" Steve asked, and Helen gulped.
"The real power is inside the Cradle." She said, and looked at me.
"The gem, its power is uncontainable. You can't just blow it up. You have to get the Cradle to Stark." She informed us, and I nodded.
"First we have to find it."
"Go." Helen said, and I gave her a reassuring smile, before running back the way we came, turning on my earpiece.
"Did you copy that?" I asked, and got a response from Clint immediately.
"We did."
"Great." Steve said, and we climbed onto the quinjet, buckling in as we took off quickly.
"I got a private jet taking off across town. That could be him." Natasha said, and I felt a spark of hope in my stomach.
"There. It's the truck from the lab." Clint said, clearly spotting it.
"Right above you, Cap. On the loop by the bridge."
I noticed it too, and pointed it out to Steve, who began getting ready to jump out.
"It's them. I got three with the Cradle, one in the cab. I could take out the driver." Clint said, opening up the back hatch for Steve to jump out, and he gave me a nod, encouraging me to go with him.
"Negative! If that truck crashes, the gem could level the city. We need to draw out Ultron." Steve ordered, grabbing my waist and jumping out of the quinjet, landing us onto the roof of the truck, hearing an angry shout from inside.
"Well, he's definitely unhappy! I'm gonna try and keep him that way." Steve said, making Clint respond immediately.
"You're not a match for him, Cap."
"Thanks, Barton." Steve mumbled, and I grabbed Steve's forearm.
"If you can get the door open, I can turn him to stone." I said, and Steve pondered on the idea for a moment, before nodding.
Before we could do anything, a large blast sent the back door of the truck flying off his hinges, and I looked at Steve.
"Step one, done." I joked, making him chuckle, shaking his head.
"Focus on the mission."
"Always." I smiled, grabbing the top of the truck and jumping down before he could respond.
"You know what's in that Cradle? The power to make real change, and that terrifies you." Ultron said, sending a blast my way, and while I avoided it, he climbed on the roof to get Steve.
"I wouldn't call it a comfort." He shot back, and I saw Steve's shield go flying onto the highway, while Natasha dropped out of the quinjet, a short distance back.
"I'm always picking up after you aren't I."
"You're not wrong, there." I responded, turning a bot to stone when he tried to grab me, shoving his body off the truck.
"They're heading under the overpass, I've got no shot."
"Which way?"
"Hard right."
Natasha caught up with us, quickly throwing Steve his shield, which he caught, and used it to knock Ultron off of him.
"Out of the way! Coming through! Sorry, coming through!" Natasha called to pedestrians, forcing them out of the path.
"Natasha!" I called, and she made eye contact with me.
"Take my place, I need to get Ultron." I said into my earpiece, turning the remainder of the guards to stone while Steve tackled Ultron into a nearby train.
Fantastic.
"Clint, can you draw out the guards?"
"No need, I've taken care of it, just get here." I said, and she does over to me, grabbing my hand as she jumped into the truck.
"Heading back towards you. So whatever you're going to do, do it now."
"I'm in the truck with Aurora, she's coming to you, Cap. Can you keep him occupied?" Natasha asked, and I gave her a soft smile before jumping out of the truck, grabbing Natasha's motorcycle and speeding towards the train.
"What do you think I've been doing?" Steve responded, making me giggle a little, jumping onto the train and looking for him.
I noticed the truck go airborne, and I gasped in surprise.
I should have stayed with her.
"The package is airborne. I have a clean shot." Clint said, and I shook my head, despite him not being able to see me.
"That's a negative."
"I am still in the truck." Natasha responded, and I ran through the train, trying to find Steve.
"Just be ready, I'm sending the package to you."
"How do you want me to take it?" Clint asked, and I found Steve fighting Ultron, and the Maximoff's had shown up.
There's no way Steve and I could take on all three of them.
"You might wish you hadn't asked that."
I held up my hands to fight the twins while Steve took on Ultron, but they weren't aiming at me.
They were ready to fight Ultron.
"Please, don't do this." He said to them, and Wanda looked upset.
"What choice do we have?" She answered, and I gave Steve a confused look, but he looked just as lost as me.
Ultron didn't respond, instead, choosing to fly off while I reached for him.
"I lost him!" Steve yelled, and I placed my finger on my earpiece.
"He's headed your way, Natasha."
"Nat, we gotta go." Clint warned, and I worriedly looked at Steve.
"Nat!" Clint called out, confirming my worry.
"Do either of you see Nat?"
"If you have the package, get it to Stark! Go!" Steve instructed, and I walked over to him.
"Do you have eyes on Nat?" Clint pushed, and I sighed.
"Clint, go!" I yelled, and he didn't answer, so I assumed he'd listened.
"Can you stop this thing?" Steve asked Wanda and Pietro, taking a leap of faith with them, which I understood, since we didn't really have another choice.
Pietro sped around the train, pushing civilians out of the way, while Wanda used her ability to slow the train down.
Once we had become still, Steve and I gave eachother a look.
"I can't trust them." I said, and Steve nodded.
"You don't have to." He said, taking my hand as we walked off the train.
"I'm fine. I just need to take a minute." Pietro said to Wanda, and I crossed my arms over my chest.
"I'm very tempted not to give you one." Steve said sternly, and Wanda turned to look at us.
"The Cradle, did you get it?"
"Tony will take care of it." I told her, but she shook her head, looking worried, taking me by surprise.
"No, he won't." She said, and Steve scoffed a little.
"You don't know what you're talking about, Stark's not crazy." He defended his ally, but Wanda looked overly unconvinced, and that unnerved me.
"He will do anything to make things right."
"And isn't that a good thing?" I asked, but Steve put his finger on his earpiece.
"Stark, come in. Stark. Anyone on comms?"
"Not in this case." Wanda said to me, looking between Steve and I.
"Ultron can't tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it. Where do you think he gets that?" She asked, and I looked at Steve.
"She might be right. We need to get to Stark." I said, making Steve nod.
"Could we come with you?" Pietro asked, and I shook my head.
"Absolutely not."
"We don't have anywhere else to go." Wanda tried to reason with me, and I turned around to walk away, ignoring her, but Steve grabbed my forearm, stopping me.
"They're just kids, Aurora." He said, and I looked at them.
"Kids that made a decision to aid a mass murder, Steve." I shot back, holding eye contact with him.
"How can you trust them?" I asked, making Steve shake his head.
"I don't, but they are trying to right their wrongs." He said, making me relax my shoulders a little.
"Besides, isn't it easier to keep them around, incase they turn against us?" He asked, and I sighed.
"You're right."
I looked at the twins, and nodded at Steve.
"Let's go."