The Bravest of Them All (Pietro Maximoff)

Part 8: The Undertaking

AN: I recommend listening to the song Don't You Feel Alive by Extreme Music listed as you read.

I hand an earpiece to Pietro. Before he does anything, he stares at the comm in my fingers, hesitate for what this means. After a moment later, Pietro finally takes it and continues to stare at it, most likely trying to figure out how to put it on at this point. His eyes flicker down on mine, and I can't help but smile, telling him myself that he made the right decision, even though I don't need to. By the look in Pietro's eyes, I can tell even he knew he made the right decision.

I wait for when he's ready so we can put our earpieces on our ears at the same time. My fingers shake as I place the comm in my ear because I begin to think about the brush of his fingers when he took the earpiece from my own. I feel another warm spark ignite in my hand and the feeling spreads up my arm.

After we both put on our comms, we make our way to the rest of the team boarding the jet. As I take my seat, I see that everyone remains quiet. . . solemn. I could guess that everyone had not only physically prepared theirselves for this war, but they were mentally preparing theirselves for it—a battle that we could not simply walk away from. It was the one to end Ultron and his plan of action against the world. I tell myself to prepare for my own death, one of the possible conclusions to this battle. Only Pietro, who is sitting next to me, wouldn't be able to guess that that was what I was thinking, because when he asks me if I'm alright, it's as if he hopes it's not what I'm thinking about.

Steve stands up in the middle of the aircraft, ready to give a lecture. "Ultron knows we're coming, odds are we'll be riding in heavy fire, but that's what we signed up for, for the people of Sokovia, they didn't." Then, another one of those sparks, a small crackle of fire shoots through me when Pietro takes my hand and squeezes it. "So, our priority is to get them out. All they want is to live their lives in peace, and that's not gonna happen today. But we can do it best to protect them and we can get the job done. We find what Ultron's been building, we find Romanoff, and clear the field, keep the fight between us." Everyone feels the aircraft stop once it lands and we all immediately rise from our seats. "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."

As soon as Steve finishes his speech, the hatch opens for us to walk out of the aircraft. We all march out together as a team. We search our surroundings, looking for civilians who need help or Ultron's clones to come at us, but this part of the town is. . .quiet. . .

Steve looks to Wanda and nods at her, signaling her to start the first part of our plan of attack.

Wanda heads for the middle of the town square while we stay behind by the aircraft. Once Wanda finds her ground, she takes a deep breath, and instantly works her way right into it. She holds out her hands, releasing her powers, spreading it all over the city. Soon enough, most of the civilians were walking out of their homes, getting away from the battlefield by themselves, or at least with the help of Wanda manipulating their minds. Crowds of people were evacuating their homes, already giving them a head start to get far away from the crossfire with her help.