Sunshine | Pietro Maximoff

CHAPTER 14

With Ultron's robots destroyed, we focused on getting as many civilians to safety as we could. I doubt Ultron will let this break in fighting last for long, so we have to act as quick as we can.

"The next wave is gonna hit any minute." Steve said. "What do you got, Stark?"

"Well, nothing great. Maybe a way to blow up the city." Stark replied. "That'll keep it from impacting the surface, if you guys can get clear."

"I asked for a solution, not an escape plan."

"There's too many civilians, Tony. There's no way we can blow anything up without major casualties." I said.

"Impact radius is getting bigger every second. We're gonna have to make a choice." Tony told us.

Natasha joined Steve and I as we looked out over the clouds, attempting to catch our breath.

"These people are going nowhere." She said. "If Stark finds a way to blow this rock..."

"Not 'till everyone's safe." Interrupted Steve.

"Everyone up here versus everyone down there? There's no math in that."

"It's my fault these people are even in this mess." I spoke up. "I don't want any of them to die because of my mistake. I'm not leaving."

"I'm with Ophelia." Said Steve. "I'm not leaving this rock with one civilian on it."

"I didn't say we should leave."

Steve and I turned our heads to look at Natasha. Her eyebrows were drawn together and she had half of a sad smile on her face, as if she'd already accepted her fate.

"There's worse ways to go." She said.

Natasha looked out over the clouds before speaking again. "Where else am I gonna get a view like this?"

I stood in silence, a single thought in my mind that I didn't want to accept; I was going to die today.

"Glad you like the view, Romanoff." A voice on the radio said. "It's about to get better."

A SHIELD helicarrier rose into view with Fury on board.

"Nice, right?" Fury asked. "Pulled her out of mothballs with a couple of old friends. She's dusty, but she'll do."

Pietro joined us at the edge as we looked out at the helicarrier. Its side opened and multiple life boats flew towards the city.

"This is SHIELD?" Pietro asked.

"This is what SHIELD's supposed to be." Answered Steve.

"This is not so bad." Said Pietro with a small chuckle.

After a while, we managed to fill a few of the lifeboats; hurrying people on board from the various buildings they had been taking cover in.

"Thor, I got a plan." Tony announced.

"We're out of time. They're coming for the core." Thor replied.

"Rhodey, get the rest of the people on board that carrier." Said Tony.

"On it."

"Avengers," Tony began, "time to work for a living."

~*~

The team and I gathered in an old stone church where the core stood.

"You okay, kid?" Clint asked me.

"Yeah." I replied, brushing hair from my face. "You?"

Clint nodded in response. Pietro met my eyes from where he reunited with Wanda. With a smirk on his face, he sent me a wink.

"What's the drill?" Nat asked as she approached Tony.

"This is the drill." Tony said, gesturing to the core. "If Ultron gets a hand on the core, we lose."

Ultron descended from the air in front of one of the archways of the church.

"Is that the best you can do?" Demanded Thor.

Ultron raised a hand and all the robots from the city flooded towards us.

"You had to ask." Steve said.

"This is the best I can do." Said Ultron, his arms spread wide. "This is exactly what I wanted. All of you against all of me. How can you possibly hope to stop me?"

"Well, like the old man said..." Tony began. "Together."

We stood surrounding the core, robots coming at us from every angle. I opened my palms in front of me, feeling the power coursing through my body as my hands began to glow. Channelling that energy, I sent out a beam of pure light and blasted straight through a row of robots. Beside me, Wanda used her red wisps to contort the robots and break them apart from the inside. On my right, Thor harnessed lighting and sent it directly into an oncoming wave of robots. A blur of blue and silver was constantly circling around the church. In the air above us, Vision sent Ultron flying outside with a blast straight from the Mind Stone. Vision, Thor and Tony sent simultaneous blasts at Ultron and I could see him beginning to break apart.

Ultron began to say something but was quickly cut short by a swing from Hulk, sending him flying across the city. The remaining robots began to flee.

"They'll try to leave the city!" Said Thor.

"We can't let 'em." Responded Tony. "Not even one. Rhodey."

"I'm on it."

I stood with a hand on my hip, slightly hunched over as I struggled to catch my breath.

"We gotta move out." Said Steve. "Even I can tell the air is getting thin. You guys get to the boats. I'll sweep for stragglers, be right behind you."

"What about the core?" Clint asked.

"I'll protect it." Said Wanda.

Clint looked up at her and she met his eyes.

"It's my job." She added.

"Ophelia, Nat." Clint began, nodding his head to the left. "This way."

The three of us hurried out of the church. Clint spotted a car and we all jumped in.

"I know what I need to do." He said.

Nat and I turned our heads to him and he continued.

"The dining room. If I knock out that east wall, it'd make a nice workspace for Laura, huh?"

"Clint, this isn't really the time for home renovation plans." I remarked.

"Put up some baffling." He continued anyway. "She can't hear the kids running around. What do you think?"

"You guys always eat in the kitchen anyway." Nat added with a shrug.

"No one eats in a dining room." Clint added.

I let out a small chuckle, clearly seeing I wasn't going to get anywhere. "I'm sure she'll love it."

"Yeah, I think she will." Said Clint.

We arrived at the edge of the city and quickly got out of the car. While Nat ran off to calm down the Hulk, Clint and I hurried onto one of the boats.

"Costel!" Said a Sokovian woman. "We were in the market. Costel!"

I could see Clint scanning the area in front of the boat.

"Stay here." He told me before running off.