chapter x.
(   age of ultron   )

stand down, drop these weapons now
we're walking this lie
you know i try, try to compromise
we're walking in this high
cloud ─── elias

seoul, south korea
may 5, 2015

"There. It's a truck from the lab."

"Right above you guys. On the loop by the bridge. It's them. You got three with the Cradle, one in the cab. I could take out the driver."

"No! Don't!" I hurriedly argue, scowling down at the truck as it drives closer into my view.

Steve quickly agrees, "That truck crashes, the gem could level the city. We need to draw out Ultron."

Steve and I run down the side of the cement road and only come to a stop to follow Clint's directions. My eyes squint as we both look over the lengths of our shoulders, seeing the truck streaming down the highway. Steve lets out a puff of air before bouncing on his feet a few times as if he's preparing himself for something. My eyes widen and I let out a dejected sigh as I quickly realize what that is when he snatches onto my arm and then leaps the both of us over the guardrail and off the road. Our bodies land down hard onto the roof of the truck, causing a two loud thuds before we roll head over heels and then end up gripping onto the back of the vehicle.

"Give me a little more of a warning next time, would ya?!" I grunt as I struggle to hold on, giving him a look.

He offers me an apologetic shrug.

A strange pulsing begins humming in my brain and I scowl at the doors of the truck, knowing that this feeling must be coming from whatever Doctor Cho said Ultron has cooking in the Cradle.

"No, no, no, no," I heard a robotic voice grind out, building in rage as he screams, "Leave me alone!"

A huge red orange blasts shoots through the doors of the truck, sending Steve and me both flying in opposite directions as the doors snap back. Our bodies smack against the exterior of the truck before I grunt and kick the door forwards again. My legs are just smacking into Steve's when suddenly another blast collides into the metal doors, forcing us to leap up and then crash back down onto the collapsed doors.

"Talk about anger management issues," I mutter, grunting as I kickstart my bootjets to make holding on easier.

"Yeah, he's definitely unhappy!" Steve calls out over the comms, "We're gonna try and keep him that way."

Clint's voice rings in our ears as he says in such a purely honest tone that it hurts, "You're not a match for him, Guys."

I make a face at Steve.

Steve sighs and nods sarcastically, "Thanks, Barton."

The door we're perched on continues to grind down the road beside the truck as cars fly around us with passengers that look at us in terror. The metal finally turns just enough around for us to glare inside the open truck. Ultron's tall and menacing body suddenly appears before my eyes and then the air before us flashes before Steve is thrown back into the car's windshield behind us.

I immediately take the chance to launch up, kicking him squarely in the chest. Unfortunately, the guy is made of metal so it doesn't do much to affect him but make him stumble a bit. I leap up onto the cradle and slide across its surface until I can reach him and kick him again. He slams into the back of the container and scowls darkly at me.

"You idiot!" He dodges a plasma blast before backhanding me across the face, "Can't you get that I'm doing this for the,"

I flick the blood from my lip and sassily respond with a cocked head, "I swear, if you say 'the greater good', I'm going to barf in your face."

He scoffs before we both leap for each other, raising our hands to shoot at each other. Or, at least, I was expecting him to try to shoot me but instead he grabs around my waist and flies the both of us forcefully out of the truck. He suddenly lifts the both of us up and then proceeds to toss me across the roof of the truck. I roll a few times before before seamlessly spinning back around to my feet as Steve leaps from a nearby truck to be by my side.

"You know what's in that Cradle?"

He sends a blast that I duck and Steve blocks it with the shield on his back, making a vibrating clang.

"The power to make real change," Ultron continues on with hatred ingrained into his spitting voice, "And that terrifies you."

Steve shakes his head to the side, "I wouldn't call it a comfort."

A fight immediately breaks out once more as Steve snaps his shield at the robot and Ultron begins shooting for us again. I blast up from my spot, twirling around until Ultron and I are face-to-face, blocking and shooting at each other as Steve flips around to avoid the hot energy. I curl my leg around the metal being's arm, flipping myself around him until I can grab onto the sides of his face. I press my thrusters to his head as Steve's hurls his shield. Ultron grabs onto the back of my neck before tossing me once more. Steve kicks back at his bouncing shield, making the vibranium stab into Ultron's side, stabbing it into the metal before the robot looks up at him in offense.

He bites out angrily, shoving the shield out to the road, "Stop it."

He then shoots at us, making us topple over the edge of the truck. Legionnaires begin to crawl out of the woodwork and then I'm doing my best to avoid getting my throat ripped out. When I pull the supersoldier back up onto the roof, we tag-team the robot as best we can until Natasha appears out of the corner of my eye, throwing up Steve's fallen shield. Clint in the quinjet appears from above, trying to help in shooting Ultron down before the legionnaires fly after him.

The tide doesn't turn until I'm stuck on Ultron's back, trying to dismantle him and Steve tackles from the top of the truck. My back is what collides into the glass wall of the train first and, as the two much larger beings collide into my front, all I can see is black for a long moment. I dazedly come to as Steve crashes down onto the ground beside me, breathing heavily.

"I'm going in!" Nat yells, her voice still just swimming into my mind, "Cap, Lees, can you keep him occupied?"

With a slow roll of the eyes, I tiredly throw up a hand and give the supersoldier beside me a look that reads, 'Can you believe this lady?'

Shaking his head in agreement, Steve scoffs as he lays slouched against the wall, "What do you think we've been doing?"

I tiredly climb up to my feet only to be punched in the face. The people in the train shriek and yell as we continue battling among the plastic seats and broken windows. Steve is suddenly knocked down and I hurriedly step in before he can attack the man again.I blast a hole in his knee before spinning around and kicking his face. He grabs around my throat and then lifts me up, making me gag and choke.

"You can be so much more than this-this puppet!" I scowl as I fight to get free, "Your body is a mere vessel! You are wasting yourself!"

"Let go!"

He suddenly throws me back, making me smack my head to one of the train poles. I crumple to the ground, pressing a hand to my skull as I feel a bump already rising. My eyes widen in worry when Ultron takes another threatening step towards me, only a blur of blue to blaze past him.

Then for red tendrils to suddenly curve through the air, causing metal beams to block Ultron's path. I whip my hair out of my eyes so that I can see Wanda standing beside me, her hands raised to stop the robot from attacking once more.

"Please," Ultron's voice sounds so heartbroken as he begs, "Don't do this."

"What choice do we have?" Wanda says with emotion thick in her tone as her hair is blown on her shoulders.

Ultron harshly turns around, sending a beam of fiery energy for Pietro. The speedster immediately dodges and the energy cuts a hole through the train, making me see earth where there was metal before. Ultron immediately flies out of the train, leaving all of these innocent people to die.

"Why is he such a turd?" I grunt as I try to get back up to my feet.

Wanda peers at me quizzically, "You have the most immature vocabulary."

"Thank you."

I straighten my aching shoulders and watch Steve with worry as he speedily leaps over the metal blocking his path, "I lost him! He's headed your way!"

"Nat, we gotta go," Clint's voice grows more panicked, "Nat! Lees, you see Nat?"

I hurriedly spin around and blast a hole through one of the glass windows of the train. I hurriedly grab on the frame and lean out to see if I can spot the redhead anywhere. A lump grows in my throat and worry builds up in my stomach when I realize that she's not anywhere to be found. Instead, I find that our train is flying madly off of the tracks.

"Clint, I can't see her!"

"Are you sure? How 'bout up top?"

I stretch further out the window, prepared to check again when Steve interrupts with a yell, "If you have the package, get it to Stark! Go!"

I look over at the supersoldier with wide eyes, "Steve! We have to wait for her!"

"We don't have time!" He snaps back.

Clint continues on insisting, "Do you have eyes on Nat?!"

"Go! Civilians in our path," it's a mere statement from Steve before Pietro runs from the train and Steve looks over at Wanda, "Can you stop this thing?"

"I, uh," Wanda's eyes squint as she looks around at the train that is flying across the ground instead of the rail, ready to crash and kill everyone on board.

"You can do this!" I yell over the sound of the world crumbling around us, "I read your file! That stone led you to this! You can stop this! For your parents!"

She fearfully meets my eyes and I give a small and understanding nod. I know she's just a kid, just like me. I know that we shouldn't be here. But we are. And we're so much stronger than we used to be. Her jaw sets and her eyes flash with color before strange red tendrils appear in the air and then are thrust down into the bottom of the train. I reach out to help the people surrounding me as the vehicle shakes and trembles while Wanda painfully continues to try to stop us. The thing finally scrapes to a stop, breaking up the concrete road like gravel as we are stopped in the middle of Seoul. I let out a sigh of relief as Steve bends forward, breathing heavily himself.

"Are you okay?" Steve winces as he steps off the train just as I and countless others do.

I make a face, shrugging, "I've had worse."

Steve nods tiredly in agreement before I watch as his ajw sets and his eyes narrow at the Maximoff twins standing a few feet from us.

Wanda hovers over her heavily breathing brother as he reassures, "I'm fine. I just need to take a minute."

Steve's shoulders sway as he sets into scolding, "I'm very tempted not to give you one."

Wanda looks over at us with wide eyes, "The Cradle. Did you get it?"

"Stark will take care of it."

She pulls back a little, shaking her head in realization, "No, he won't."

Pietro believes heavily, glancing from his sister to us. Steve doesn't respond for a long moment and I find neither can I. Her words send chills up my spine and the hairs on my arms all stand on end. Defensiveness grows up within my stomach and then into my chest while I feel myself stiffen as I then glare at the twins standing across from us. I had thought there was a chance for us to get along, but not when they believe this. Not when they believe my father would blatantly destroy the world.

I take a near threatening step forward, scowling at her, "You don't know what the heck you're talking about."

"She's right. Stark's not crazy."

Her brows crease as she looks at me, trying to get me to understand, "He will do anything to make things right."

Of course, he'd try to make things right. He's a hero, that's what he would do. But he wouldn't do anything! He wouldn't go as far as that. Not again. I mean, he wouldn't.

Steve and I quickly look at each other, and I shake my head a little, "Steve, he wouldn't..."

The supersoldier turns from me anyway, tapping his ear comm, "Stark, come in. Stark? Anyone on comms?"

I breathe quietly, still shaking my head as I stare after the man, just wanting to hear my dad's voice, just wanting him to tell us that he's going to take care of this.

"Ultron can't tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it..." Wanda cocks her head to the side, speaking with a tinge of venom touching her tone, "Where do you think he gets that?"

My eyes slowly roll up from the ground and another shiver comes over my skin. Steve looks back over at me. I slowly glance back at him with a hard look imprinted on my face, not saying anything in defense of the Starks and their creations because maybe... maybe she's right.

"Oh, now that we are, as your captain described, friends..."

Being dragged out of my troubled thoughts hours later, I look over my shoulder towards the Sokovian boy walking towards me from the other side of our ride out of Seoul.

"Allies." Steve corrects in a firm tone from where he stands towards the front of the quinjet.

Pietro pays no mind to Steve's words. I raise an eyebrow at him as he finishes sauntering over to me with a smug expression. He suddenly whips out a very familiar looking phone and taps it against his opposite hand, raising his own eyebrow at me and puckering his lips. I cross my arms over my chest and squint at him.

The Sokovian moves his sculpted shoulders into a shrug, shaking my phone at me, "I imagine I should be giving this back, yes?"

I scoff incredulously before hurriedly snatching the phone before he does something childish like pulling it away again.

"Well," I straighten my shoulders seriously as I slide the device into my pocket, "I imagine you should."

"You aren't angry, are you?" He smirks when I frown deeper, "I wonder if you'll be angry when I tell you I read your text messages?"

I stare at him with a very serious expression for a long moment before suddenly smirking back, "I wonder if you'll be angry when I kick your butt?"

"I would like to see you try."

"Whenever you have the time, Speedy, whenever you have the time," I threaten back, not really meaning anything that I'm saying.

I don't want them hurt. Even if they believe my father is crazy. Even if they think the Starks can't help but destroy the world.

Pietro laughs before he nods to my pocket where my phone sits, "You received many missed calls from an, uh, someone mysteriously called 'T'..."

My eyes sadden a little, but my smirk doesn't fall, "Well, I hope you enjoyed the voicemails."

"I did very much, thanks."

I roll my eyes, pointing a finger at him as I lean down to tie my boot, "You keep stealing things, you're going to get shot."

Wanda has her arms crossed over her chest, coming up to our sides as she says, "That is what I say."

"Well, look at you two agreeing... Seems we are friends." Pietro smiles funnily, squinting between the two of us.

I roll my eyes again before I turn away, stepping towards the bomb bay doors of the quinjet. A sick feeling builds up in my stomach and a sense of dread overcomes me. Whatever's coming, I'm not going to like it. This is wrong. This is all so very wrong. As the quinjet lands and is pulled into the Tower, I take a deep breath and prepare myself for it all. I keep my expression hard and firm as we move through the dark penthouse as the night seeps in.

My father's voice is the one I hear first as we near the lab, "This framework is not compatible."

Bruce's voice follows, "The genetic coding tower is at 97%. You have got to upload that schematic in the next three minutes."

We all step towards the darkly-lit room with hardened expressions and stiffened shoulders. I move in between the Maximoff twins and Steve, holding my hands into fists as Wanda holds tightly to her brother. Yellow and blue light comes from the floors and a few places on the walls, offering some of the only light in the lab. The cradle sits in the middle of the room as a blue-green light radiates from inside the glass, illuminating Bruce's face as he continues working around the machine. Dad is standing a good ten feet away, determinedly typing away at the screens while he works to do the one thing I swore he wasn't going to do. Steve's boot makes a loud thud as we reach the edge of the room, scowling at the men standing around.

The supersoldier speaks up in a scolding tone, watching between the two of them, "I'm gonna say this once."

Dad squints up at us, snapping, "How about 'none-ce'?"

Bruce slowly straightens at the sight of the Maximoffs standing beside me.

I grit my teeth, saying in a much firmer tone that I have used in a very long time, "Dad, you need to shut it down!"

"Nope!" Dad claps his hands, not even being willing to listen as he moves to the next workstation, "Not gonna happen."

Steve speaks up, frowning deeply, "You don't know what you're doing."

"And you do?" Bruce's voice is surprisingly calm and yet ever so threatening before he looks and points to Wanda, "She's not in your head?"

The girl steps out from around Pietro, standing by my side, "I know you're angry,"

"Oh, we're way past that," Bruce grounds out, stepping towards the group of us with an unfamiliar darkness added to his kind eyes, "I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade."

"Bruce," I shake my head, trying to convince the usually highly reasonable man, "Just look at everything that has happened,"

"It's nothing compared to what's coming!" Dad suddenly yells, interrupting before I can finish, "Just be on my side for once, Lisa!"

I'm taken aback as the argument continues on, still just staring at his face as he scowls back at me.

"You don't know what's in there!"

Pietro rolls his eyes and I'm on the verge of doing the same.

"This isn't a game!"

A flurry of blue motion suddenly twists throughout the entire room, bumping back into me as Pietro comes to a stop. I glance around the lab quickly, seeing that the speedster has unplugged every machine in the room, including the Cradle.

"No, no. Go on." Pietro tosses aside the tube he's holding.

Alarms and warnings blare and beep throughout the room, making Dad look around with wide eyes.

The Sokovian looks back at him, cocking his head to the side a bit as he sassily asks, "You were saying?"

I let out a sigh as we exchange a look of irritated understanding. The arguing continues as we all yell at each other until suddenly the glass beside me is shattering and Pietro is falling down from my side. He smashes down onto the floor of the mechanic's room and a darkly dressed figure stands nearby in wait.

"Whoa!" I shriek, quickly stepping back in surprise.

Wanda yells, moving to rush over, "Pietro!"

"What?" Clint asks before he drops his foot onto the speedster's leg and smugly cocks his head to the side, "You didn't see that coming?"

A louder alarm begins to go off and a strange pulsating sensation flicks into my brain, making me push a hand to my forehead. My eyes fly quickly to the Cradle and my heart begins to beat rapidly inside of my chest. That thing... whatever is in there, it's alive. Oh God, it's alive.

In reaction to the alarm, Dad turns from us all and dashes for the nearest computer, "I'm rerouting the upload."

"Wait, wait! Dad!"

Steve looks at me before baring his teeth and launching the red, white, and blue shield across the room. It smashes off of at least five different screens and other computers, making glass shatter and smoke puff up into the air. My eyes widen as Dad summons an iron hand to his own, shattering the glass wall that stands in between him and the suit. He then quickly whirls around and shoots Steve squarely in the chest, making him launch back. The supersoldier grunts as he crashes into the ground and I jump in shock.

"What the heck, Dad?!" I turn to look at him with even wider eyes before the suit continues to cover his body.

Everything is speedily falling directly into chaos and I pull my hands up, not really sure what exactly I'm supposed to do. Wanda's eyes ignite and her hands begin to glow before Bruce suddenly wraps his arms around her neck and arms, holding her back against his chest.

He hisses into her ear, threateningly egging her on, "Go ahead, tick me off."

What in the world is going on?!

Clint sprints up the staircase with his gun in hand, cautiously looking around and cocking his weapon. Steve stands back up with a scowl before beginning to move again. He raises a fist before he runs and leaps for Dad who is still just barely getting into his suit. He's enough into it, however, to blast Steve in the chest with the reactor. Both men hurtle back and Steve collides into me, knocking me off my feet and down to the ground once more.

"God!" I irritatedly yell and smack the side of my fist to the ground as the fight continues.

I am so sick of all of this stupid fighting!

Wanda twists away from Bruce and hurls him back with slivers of red. A familiar body suddenly slides into my line of sight and my eyes widen before he runs closer to the Cradle and leaps up onto it.

"Thor!" I scream, scrambling to reach him, "Maybe this isn't,"

"Wait!" Bruce joins in, but the thunder god pays us no mind.

He thrusts the Mjolnir up towards the ceiling and electricity bursts from all around before he redirects the energy into the Cradle.

The monitors and machines whine as the thing is overloaded with power. My hair is blown back from my face as the pulsing in my brain grows worse and it feels like it's nearly my own body has been taken over by the white hot beams. But then all of it ceases when Thor pulls his hammer back.

An eerie quiet takes over us. The pulsing doesn't hurt any longer, it just feels... like it's found peace. Dad and I slowly catch our breaths, watching on in silent confusion. That is until the glass of the Cradle suddenly shatters and a loud boom sounds, making all of us duck for cover while Thor is thrown back. The god crashes through another wall of glass, grunting as he collides with the hard ground.

A red body smoothly emerges up from the smoke until he stays crouched over the edge of the destroyed Cradle. A bright yellow gem stays lit in the middle of his forehead and he slowly lifts his head and stretches out his hands.

My eyes widen and I can't seem to breathe as I stare at him, feeling a strange balance form between my mind and the feel of this other's. He cautiously glances over himself before curtly turning his head back and forth so to look at all of us with what I think is threat in his eyes.

His eyes finally settle on me as I stand near Thor, just watching the red man with neither caution or fear, just curiosity. I suppose I should be frightened though because suddenly his face turns angry and he leaps for me with hands outstretched.

I raise my own hands to shoot and Dad immediately steps forward as well, but Thor reaches the other before either of us even get a chance. The thunder god grabs onto him and then throws him far away from the two of us. The other flips and flies through the penthouse until he comes to an abrupt and cutting stop just before he collides into the exterior wall of glass. He then just stays there and stares at his reflection, seeing himself for the first time.

A red man.

A big red man.

Like, uh, Clifford, ha, the big red dog.

Oh shut up, I tell my brain quickly as I shake my head to clear it.

I slowly lift up and unsteadily land down into the living room before Thor and Steve both loudly follow, the latter with much more threat in his expression than the former. I continue to stare at the red-skinned man whose body is suddenly covered with a gray suit which he can apparently just conjure out of air. Which is... infuriatingly cool. The pulsing in my head grows stronger with each step I take towards the red man who has the glowing yellow stone implanted into his forehead. Dad makes his way down to me, touching my arm to alert me of his presence but never taking his eyes from the red man. Everyone slowly follows and fills up the room, waiting with baited breath. The red man lightly touches down across from Thor, giving him an odd look.

"I am sorry."

My eyes actually tear up at the familiar voice that exits Clifford's mouth.

Jarvis.

And here I thought that I would never hear that voice again.

"That was," Clifford looks around in deep thought, "odd."

"You could say that again," I mumble with a frown.

Clifford glances at me in now mirrored curiosity before nodding at the thunder god in appreciation, "Thank you."

He studies the Asgardian for another moment before a gold cape appears from his shoulders.

"Thor," Steve's voice is sharp and angry, "You helped create this?"

Dad steps a little bit closer.

"I've had a vision, and I know Lisa has felt it as well," Thor nods his head at me as my frown grows deeper and my father turns sharply to me, "A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life, and at its center is that," Thor nods to the yellow stone.

"What? The gem?"

"It's the Mind Stone," Thor begins.

I speak quietly as my feet slowly carry me around so that I can study the man better, "Why do you think Loki was able to get into my head without even using the scepter? Why do you think I have the visions? It's all because of the stone."

"It's true," Thor steps around alongside me, "It's one of the six Infinity Stones. The greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities."

Dad's gaze lingers on me and I force my expression to become hard before I look up to meet his. I know we're thinking the same thing. We usually are, after all. If this gem has the power to destroy beyond anything we've ever seen, and mind you, we've seen a lot, and if this gem is living rather comfortably within my mind, then what is it going to do to me? Or, the more terrifying question, what does that make me?

"Then why would you bring,"

Thor interrupts Steve in a strong tone, "Because Stark is right."

"Oh, it's definitely the end times," Bruce glances around, speaking in a worried tone.

"Well, you're not wrong," I give the scientist a sad smirk as my dad, in turn, gives me an irritated scowl and an elbow in my ribs.

I offer him an apologetic shrug before he rolls his eyes and we focus back on the conversation.

"The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron."

Clifford agrees lowly, "Not alone."

Steve still speaks curtly, "Why does your Vision sound like Jarvis?"

"We reconfigured Jarvis's matrix," Dad pauses, carefully stepping around the red man with a nearly wonder-filled expression, "to create something new."

Steve frowns, eyeing the vision in suspicion, "I think I've had my fill of new."

"You think I'm a child of Ultron." Clifford realizes, speaking carefully.

"You're not?"

"I'm not Ultron. I am not Jarvis."

I feel my face fall a bit.

"I am..." His gaze falls to the floor for a moment before he looks up, just realizing that being alive is enough, "I am."

Dad stares at him, amazed by what he's seeing. Bruce and I glance at him in slight worry before frowning at each other.

Wanda warily steps forward, "I looked in your head and saw annihilation."

He stares at her, "Look again."

"Yeah, her seal of approval means jack to me," Clint humorlessly chuckles and walks over with hardness in his tone.

Wanda's darkening eyes flick to him.

Thor nods to the twins and Clifford, "Their powers, the horrors in our heads, Lisa and Ultron themselves," I bite my lip so hard that blood is drawn before Thor continues on, gazing at each of us, "they all are connected to the Mind Stone. And they're nothing compared to what it can unleash. But with them on our side,"

"Is it?" Steve interrupts, looking sharply at the red man, "Are you? On our side?"

"Lisa is." Clint points out, though he does still sound reluctant to trust the red man, "And she's got that crap in her head."

Dad lets out a quiet breath, gritting down onto his teeth at the mentioning.

Clifford watches the floor, still sounding so very quiet and cautious, "I don't think it's that simple."

"Well, it better get real simple real soon."

"I am on the side of life." The red man steps around us, "Ultron isn't. He will end it all."

"What's he waiting for?

"Us." I answer before Clifford can, glancing slowly at the others.

"Where?"

"Sokovia." Clint speaks up before saying in a lower tone, "He's got Nat there, too."

I purse a frown, wondering what kind of situation she could be in.

Bruce carefully and slowly steps towards the red man, "If we're wrong about you, if you're the monster that Ultron made you to be,"

"What will you do?"

I can't decide if the words coming out of his mouth are threatening or an actual question.

"I don't want to kill Ultron. He's unique and he's in pain," he turns his attention onto me and my chin lifts at the attention, "But that pain will roll over the Earth. So, he must be destroyed. Every form he's built, every trace of his presence on the Net... We have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others." The Vision speaks, "Maybe I am a monster. I don't think I'd know if I were one,"

My eyes flicker over to my father as one thought consumes my mind: A monster. Just like everything else Dad creates.

"I'm not what you are, and not what you intended. So, there may be no way to make you trust me," his arm suddenly swings up and the thing he has clasped in his hand makes all of the air exit my body, "But we need to go."

As my jaw drops, I let out a shocked puff of air.

We all just stare at the Vision holding the Mjolner with an unassuming expression until Thor awkwardly takes the hammer from him. We all just continue to stare at the hammer as the red man just walks away with determination in his eyes, not at all realizing what the actual heck he just did.

"Right," Thor claps a hand onto the hammer before patting on Dad's shoulder and walking away, "Well done."

Dad and I look at each other with wide eyes.

Steve turns to all of us, saying firmly, "Three minutes. Get what you need."

Before I finish gathering my things from my locker, I stop to glance around. Dad slowly takes out our Jarvis interface and then inserts the backup AI, FRIDAY, into our connected system. He looks over his shoulder at me and, as we stare at each other, I nod at him in understanding and he gives a sad smile in response. Clint sits on a nearby bench, staring down at a picture of his family. As I look back into my small space, my fingers gently touch the folded up file I have taped to the inside of my locker.

Family:

Anthony 'Tony' Stark, Father

Janice Montgomery, Mother, Missing: August 6, 1998

Peter Parker, Sibling

"Bye Peter," I whisper before shaking my head and letting out a small sigh.

With a firm expression, I reach in for my famous red leather jacket only for my hand to pause and hesitate. Then, instead, I slowly pull on my father's old black leather jacket and allow the big thing to settle over me as my dark hair hangs over my back. I swiftly then hand over my old red leather jacket to Pietro as he stands beside me and rummages through Natasha's locker. He looks over in surprise before I nod to Wanda who is distractedly staring off at Thor and the Vision as they talk out on the balcony. He tosses it at her face, making the thing snap her out of her reverie. She looks back at Pietro before looking at me. After a beat, she offers me a small smile and I give one back, settling a peace between us.

"No way we all get through this. If even one tin soldier is left standing, we've lost," Dad sends me a sad frown as we stand out on the landing pad, waiting to board the quinjet, "There's gonna be blood on the floor."

Steve smirks sadly from where he sits on the bomb bay door, but there is still confidence that lies within it, "I got no plans tomorrow night."

Dad glances around at the three of us, "I get first crack at the big guy. Iron Man's the one he's waiting for."

"That's true," the Vision acknowledges in a careless tone as he strides by, "He hates you the most."

I laugh loudly as Dad just blinks from the synthetic man over to me in disbelief.

I raise up a hand and give a shrug, "Is he wrong though?"

You know, I think I kind of like this Clifford, the red dude.

As we all stand around the quinjet, Steve stands in the middle of us, giving orders one last time, "Ultron knows we're coming. Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire. And that's what we signed up for. But the people of Sokovia, they didn't. So, our priority is getting them out. All they want is to live their lives in peace, and that's not gonna happen today, but we can do our best to protect them. And we can get the job done. We find out what Ultron's been building, we find Romanoff, and we clear the field. Keep the fight between us."

I nod, readjusting Dad's leather jacket over my shoulders as I rest my elbows on my knees.

Steve pauses, looking down off to the side as the lights illuminate his face, "Ultron thinks... we're monsters. That we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him... It's about whether he's right."

Ta daaa! Oh man, getting up to the final fight, ahhh! So many feels! I hope it didn't seem choppy and all over the place, but there was a lot I had to include in here... Give me your thoughts! VISION! Oh man, I loved that part! And more info was given about Lisa's connection to the stones from Thor, Ultron, and Vis so you know, hints, hints, hints! Gosh, I'm so excited! And now Lisa and the Maximoffs are friends, I have been waiting forever for this! And oh man that mention of T'Challa, gosh, I have so many plans for them, give me your theories!

Okay, Guys, thanks for tuning it! Do the usual of voting, commenting, and following!

Future Quote from Ma Story:

"I love you so much," the girl breaks out another sob.

T'Challa grits his teeth, blinking quickly to fight back his emotion, "And I love you."

...

Lisa chokes the words out hoarsely, still feeling the blood on her hands and the weight of all of her other sins, "I-I've messed up really bad this time, T. I can't fix this. I can't fix what I've done... I've ruined everything."

-  Lisa and T'Challa, Pre-Captain America: Civil War

*screaming in the distance* THIS QUOTE IS RIGHT AFTER EVERYTHING GOES WRONG AHHH