Bring Me Home // Bucky Barnes

Chapter XXXIV - The Same

"Doctor Halsted... Elizabeth... Lizzie..." The menacing drone of Ultron's voice drew her out. Her eyes opened to the dark metal of his face just inches from her own as he crouched before her, like a tiger assessing its wounded prey. "Such a pleasure to officially make your acquaintance." He sneered.

In the depths of the darkness around them Pietro stood with his sister, watching... waiting. As Elizabeth stared into the abyss of destruction hidden in his eyes a faint blue sheen formed around her and Wanda watched with wonder at the woman, oblivious to her own control, at the feet of Ultron.

"Pietro, look." Her whispers faded in the wind, heard only by her brother. "She is like me."

Pietro watched as Wanda's eyes glazed over and a familiar glow of red flickered behind them.

"Why did he ask you to get her Pietro? What is his aim?" She stepped forwards. "I cannot access his mind. But her... She is good... And she is afraid of him."

"She's going to join us Wanda." He soothed her as he pulled her back, brushing his hand over her hair and pulling her into a hug. "He said she is like you. Why wouldn't she join us?"

As he spoke Ultron rose to his full height, looming over the frail and frightened girl, and Pietro watched him intently. He hoped he was right but something told him to be prepared. His weight shifted as he got ready to run.

"It is a shame to waste such potential," Ultron condescended, laughing a little, "but, my little one, you are a threat to my plan."

Pietro moved away from Wanda.

"And so," Ultron smiled. "I must dispose of you."

As Ultron's fist smashed down upon Elizabeth she screamed. Her power faltered and flickered and the slick metal crashed against her face. The impact was controlled, slowed by the shred of pain that remained locked in and fighting. She pushed back as the power flickered again and his fist smashed down upon her once more. The scream that filled the space now was not hers.

Wanda dropped to her knees, clutching her head as tears rained from her eyes. She could feel her. She could feel the sting of the metal cutting through her face, the pull of exhaustion she fought so hard against, the longing for home, for family. She felt the grip of terror and the power of pain. She felt as Elizabeth pushed back and her power threatened to overwhelm her and she cried for her.

"Pietro!" Wanda cried. "Pietro. Help her. We have to help her."

The stream of silvery blue slipped beneath Ultron's lifted fists and Elizabeth disappeared from his clutches. The maniacal machine spun and charged towards Wanda, still clutching her head in the depths of Elizabeth's despair and lunged for her. His hands came up empty as a mist of red smoke swirled around him and he screamed out, throwing his fist through the nearest pillar and destroyed the last standing wall.

"Bring her to me now!" He bellowed into the empty air as fury ripped through him and the cold night air sat dead and silent around him.

*

These walls once housed photographs. Now they stood bare and disappointed. This space had brought comfort. Now it only brought pain.

Pietro gazed up at the clear night sky through the hole torn through the ceiling as he stood with the woman bleeding on his chest. He could feel the life of the room and it was tearing at him; what he had lost. How he had lost it. This woman in his arms was a friend of Stark. He knew this. Stark's technology made him a killer. He knew this too. But Ultron was a killer in his very essence. Pietro only had to look at the blood-soaked face of this woman to know this. She was defenceless. She had no energy to fight back. She was not a threat and yet he had viciously tried to destroy her.