DESTRUCTION.
( chapter fifteen. )

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Edited 12/29/2015 @4:51 AM

  ANDREA'S BODY REACTED BEFORE she had time to process what was going on. As the wall behind Ultron exploded and debris hurled itself across the room, Andy's instinct to move was simple; she had something to protect.

  She turned her back to the explosion as Iron Legion bots poured out of the wall, firing at will. Andy knew what she wanted, and that was to act as a shield between Henry and the rubble hurtling towards them. The power inside of her responded accordingly.

Andrea threw up her hands and the energy poured out of her like a door opening. It was tangible— real, and she immediately felt its effect. Her body hummed with something that felt like adrenaline, but her concentration was wavering. Exhaustion draped over her like a heavy blanket.

This was an ability she was unused to, a strain her body couldn't manage.

Still, Andy knew her shield was working and that was enough to keep her focused. She felt the rubble collide with the expelled energy, but it wasn't the physical sensation she had expected.

  Contact against Andrea's shield felt like the ghost of a nudge, but it was hard to control. With her limbs shaking against the effort to stand straight, the brunette looked to Henry who had collapsed against the ground.

"Run!" She cried out.

  Andy screamed as the energy came reeling back into her body, snapping against her skin. She immediately collapsed. It was a raw kind of pain, different from the exhilaration she had already learned to expect with this newfound power.

Andrea turned just in time, tensing as an Iron Legion bot flew straight for them. The last of the shield dissipated and, as her and the machine collided, the brunette was struck senseless. She didn't have the strength to fight as the machine lifted her from the ground.

"Andrea!"

The sound of Steve shouting her name faded with the shattering of glass. Warm air was suddenly replaced with crisp wind. But, even as her mind roused itself back into awareness, it was too late.

Within the next moment, Andrea gasped as she was let go, and her heart fell into her stomach.

  Her body was paralyzed  in a mixture of fear and the sudden onslaught of adrenaline. Her thoughts were scattered. There was no way out of this.

The Manhattan streets were flying to meet her and Andrea bit back a scream with every second they came closer. She couldn't spare a single moment of calm, not like this.

She closed her eyes, and the world went quiet.

  The first indication that she wasn't dead should have been the fact that the world wasn't actually quiet. Rather, the noise of Manhattan's streets were simply fading. The second indication should have been the wind that was still whipping around her face.

Andrea opened her eyes and saw the streets just below her, fading into the distance. Her body then jolted as someone shifted her weight. Andy immediately turned her head to stare at the figure holding her.

Thor.

And just above them, an Iron Legion bot flying down to meet them. Andy felt her lips curl with anger. This was meant to be their night.

"Toss me!" Andy yelled out.

Thor gave her an alarmed look, "Are you sure?"

"Just do it!" She replied, and immediately felt Thor adjust her weight. This time, Andrea was ready.

As the God flung her upwards, the Jones woman called to her power and conjured it into her fingers. The bot reared back, but Andy was ready. She flung her fist into the metal, crushing the power source and frying through every wire.

The machine fell from her limbs, and Andrea focused her energy into her lower half as she made for the window leading into the Avengers Tower. She flung herself through the opening, using the last of her adrenaline to stand.

Her feet connected with the floor and Andrea's opponents wasted no time. The battered machines flung themselves at her and Andrea felt anger rise to the surface. This was meant to be their victory.

  Andy lashed out and the power did too, latching onto the machines. They were paralyzed as her fingers orchestrated their every move. She turned to Ultron as her very being was enveloped in electric light.

"Didn't you know?" She sneered, "This party was invite only."

Her fingers curled themselves into fists, accompanied by the sound of crushing metal as the Iron Legion bots were destroyed. The machines fell to the floor with a resounding clash as they were released.

Ultron chuckled, a sound so oddly human, "You don't disappoint, but you've reached your limit. Haven't you, Reaper?" Andy was seething, but the machine was right.

She had nothing left to give and barely the strength to stand.

  Her uselessness made her frustrated, but Andrea allowed Thor to support her as he came to her side. If she willed it, Andy could still feel the energy waiting. If it came down to it, she would give everything she had to protect the people surrounding her.

   "I'm sorry, I know you mean well," Ultron continued. "It's just that you didn't think this through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change."

Andrea cut a glance to where Tony had collapsed against the stairs. His expression was distressed and that made her all the more concerned. This wasn't supposed to happen.

  "How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to evolve?" The question Ultron prodded was disturbing. "Look at these puppets," the machine lifted the broken figure of an Iron Legion bot and broke the metal armour upon its head.

  "Careful, you're sounding oddly like a eugenicist, and I didn't think fascism was your style." Andrea's voice came out weakly.

  Ultron turned to face her, "Perhaps, but the harsh reality is that there's only one path to peace."

  "And that is?" She inquired as her body tensed. There was an endgame to this, there had to be.

  The bot tilted its head, "The Avenger's extinction—" Andy felt herself startle as the machine was crushed by Mjölnir.

The ravaged piece of metal collapsed to the ground and Ultron's power faded slowly with it, "I had strings, but now I'm free."

  The voice left chills along Andy's skin.

  "There are no strings on me..."

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  With the disappearance of Ultron, Andy had been forced into the medical room that had been set aside for Dr. Cho. But, in spite of Steve's warnings, she was too agitated to rest and recover. It was clear that she'd overstepped her body's capability to handle her new strength, but it had already been an hour and Andrea was sure she had survived worse.

  Stepping out into the hall, the brunette paused as she recalled all the destruction. She couldn't believe how fast everything had happened and she was angry with herself. With the sceptre now missing, there was no telling what Ultron's next plan of action was.

The possibilities were vast and daunting.

  Frustrated, the Jones woman made for the room that the team had recollected in. She was determined to make use of herself.  Steve's protests could wait for later.

Though, upon entering the room, Andrea halted at the sight she was met with. Thor held Tony by the neck and it was clear that tensions had been running high, as no one seemed phased by this turn of events.

  "Hey!" Andy yelled out, already annoyed with the state of the situation. "Is this really what we're doing?"

"Of all the times we need to be together on this, you decide you want to brawl it out now?" With little force needed, Andy stepped between the two men and pushed them into their own spaces.

  "You should be resting," Steve interjected. 

  Andy scoffed, "If I don't make myself useful, how can I call myself a part of this team. Besides," she gave Thor a pointed look. "If not for me, who else is going to make sure you all don't kill each other?"

The Asgardian wasn't impressed by her blatant reprimand and turned his gaze away.

  Andy sighed, already stressed by their obstinance. She knew they were all frustrated and it was understandable. But, physicality was taking it too far.

"Look, pinning blame on each other isn't going to solve our situation." Andy looked to Tony, "this clearly wasn't meant to happen, right?"

  Tony met her gaze with a subtle gratitude, before looking to Thor. "We weren't even close to interface with Ultron," he went on to explain. "We had already resigned to giving up."

  Andy looked to Thor, "See? There was no possible way we could have expected this to happen. All we can do now is try to get ahead of whatever Ultron is planning."

  "Which could be anything," Rhodey cut in. "Ultron used the Internet to escape, and wiped out our entire system. There's no telling what he'll do next with the kind of access he has."

  "And it all could have been prevented, had Stark not toyed with something he didn't understand." It was clear that words weren't going to console Thor's anger. His glare was burning and Tony's sudden fit of laughter wasn't helping his case. Andy pinched the bridge of her nose with distress.

"I'm sorry, I just find it hilarious that you can't see why we need this," the Stark man insisted. From at his side, Bruce was clearly not in agreement as he aggressively shook his head. This wasn't exactly the time to start selling everyone on the idea of what Ultron's purpose was. "Really, Banner? You're just giving in like that?" Tony demanded.

  "Only when I've created a murder-bot," Bruce cut in.

  Andy was exasperated with the situation already, "Except we know that didn't happen. Ultron was incomplete. None of us could have expected this."

  "This isn't the end of the world," Tony pressed, "we've faced worse than this. New York? Big giant wormhole in the sky? Anyone remember that— or how about the nuke I carried into space?" Andy glanced around the room as everyone seemed to feign ignorance. "There was an alien army charging at us from three hundred feet above, and all that up there... That's the endgame."

  Tony looked over to Steve, "How are you planning on defeating that?"

  Andy watched as her best friend held his gaze. "Together," Steve replied. 

  "We'll lose," the Stark man countered.

  "Then we'll do that together too," Steve insisted and Andy could sense the atmosphere settling down as if it were a physical presence. She looked around the room and her eyes came back to Steve's. She was proud of him in that moment, and everything he had become leading up to it.

  He was a leader in every right, more so than she could ever hope to become.

  "Thor is right, Ultron is calling us out and he could be anywhere. The world's a big place, so let's start making it smaller," Steve instructed, seeming to take action.

  With the newfound direction, Andy felt relieved. Whatever was coming next, all they could do was prepare for Ultron's next move.

  However, Andrea couldn't shake the unease that the AI's demeanour and chilling words had left. No matter what Tony said, it didn't erase the danger a being like Ultron possessed. 

  The worst was yet to come.

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So, I'm sorry if this chapter comes off as un-exciting considering how long you've all waited for this book to continue and I apologize. But, I assure you that Andy and Bucky's story doesn't end here and I'll try my hardest to put my best effort into this book. The past year has been pretty hard, and it was a struggle for me to continue with writing with everything that was going on, even before COVID hit. I put my personal life before my work, but I missed writing a lot and so I decided to present the best chapter I could come up with at 8AM, in spite of my months of inactivity with writing. Stay safe, and I hope you enjoy.♡

PS: Thank you all for 700K reads and your countless votes and comments. I appreciate every single one. Thanks for sticking with me!