time lapse ⇒pietro maximoff

XII

Eden

Just then a robot the size of a man flew in, glancing at me with his cold mechanical eyes and then burst into the small room which held the twins. A weak and soundless gasp escaped my chapped lips, and I lifted up in the air.

It's Ultron. You need to act quickly to eliminate him.

Michael instructed but I shook my head.

I don't think I could handle him on my own.

It's alright! Tony and Steve are tailing you right now! They should be there and two minutes; approximately.

Gabriel chimed, and I nodded, maintaining my stable position.

"Let's talk business." Ultron threw the surly looking man out of the cramped office, and the twins shortly followed.

I lifted up higher, so that Ultron couldn't catch one more glimpse of me.

He'd see you no matter what, blast him! Gabriel yelled, and I shook my head.

No! See how it pans out! Michael said, and I could physically feel him calm Gabriel down.

The surly man led Ultron in an uncomfortable walk towards a toxic waste container, and pressed a button which revealed several ominous elements.

"Upon this rock I will build my church." Ultron grabbed one, and toyed it in his mechanical hands.

"Vibranium." The surly man said with a tinge of bitterness.

"You know, it came at great personal cost. It's worth billions." He remarked, and Ultron's mouth almost curled into a smirk.

"Now, so are you."

"It's all under your..."dummy holdings?" The surly man asked, not delving into specifics.

"Finances, so weird." Ultron quipped, and then turned to look at the surly man.

"Well I always say, "keep your friends rich and your enemies rich and wait to find out which is which."

I froze in my flight. Ultron had only been around for less than 48 hours. If my timing is accurate, he'd only found a vessel just recently. He couldn't have been around enough that long to make personal quotes. It's only logical.

And apparently, the surly man thought so too.

"Stark."

"What?" Ultron asked, confused.

"Tony Stark used to say that. To me."

"You're one of his?" The surly man asked, and Ultron became enraged.

"What?! I'm not...! I'm not. You think I'm one of Stark's puppets, his hollow men?" He snarled, moving around to sever the surly man's right arm off and pushing him down a stairwell.

"I mean look at me, do I look like Iron Man? Stark is..." Ultron said, grabbing at air, his anger fit slowly reducing to a spark.

"I'm sorry. I'm s...oooh. I'm sure that's gonna be okay, I'm sorry. It's just,
I don't understand. Don't compare me with Stark!" Ultron complained, his eyes scrunching up.

"It's a thing with me. Stark is, he's a sickness!"

"Ahh, Junior, You're gonna break your old man's heart." Tony landed on the bridge, along came Clint and Steve,

"If I have to."

"You don't have to break anything." Steve said, holding out a hand in a symbol of peace.