LITTLE WARRIORS ( pietro maximoff )

Fourteen

{edited}

❝I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW SOMEONE CAN TELL SO MANY LIES AND NEVER FEEL BAD ABOUT IT.❞
–UNKNOWN

IT WAS ABOUT THREE in the morning when the two woke again. Their clothes were still on, saying that they wanted to take it slow instead of rushing into it.

Cara's head lay atop Pietro's shoulder with a hand resting over his heart. She could feel the steady beat of his heart. Pietro had wrapped his right arm around Cara's small body and had his left laying limply at his side. They were staring back at each other, just smiling and simply enjoying the other's company.

"When did you first know?" Cara whispered into the dark, her eyes still on him.

He looked up at the ceiling in thought. "It was back in Sokovia. It was when the Avengers had invaded the base and I saw you fighting back, standing with us. I remember I've always wanted a girl that would stand with me and always stay by my side. It was at that moment that I realized... I loved you." In response, Cara pulled him down to meet her lips. The two pulled back after a quick kiss. "What about you?"

"It's a secret," she teased. Pietro gave a small pout but she kissed his nose. "I'll tell you another time."

Actually, she didn't really know. It could have been at any time and she wouldn't have thought back on it. She tried so hard to think of one moment but she couldn't. When did she know she loved him?

ϟ

The three enhanced stood in the South Korean lab in Seoul at the U-Gin Genetics Research lab. Dr. Helen Cho stood behind a computer with Ultron sitting down in front of the Cradle, multiple Ultron robots stood nearby. Cara stood with Pietro, an arm wrapped around her waist.

Wanda had stared at the two, imagining romantic scenarios for the two with a large smirk on her face. That morning, Wanda had knocked on Pietro's door and when she didn't hear anything, she had assumed that he was sleeping with Cara. Of course, she didn't know what had occurred that night since Pietro's thoughts were quick and erratic and Cara wasn't letting her in but she knew something had happened.

"Cellular cohesion will take a few hours, but we can initiate the consciousness stream," Dr. Cho said. "We're uploading your cerebral matrix... now." She plugged a cord into the back of Ultron's head and pressed a button and the Cradle lightly glowing.

"I can read him," Wanda said in wonder, stepping forward with Cara.

Cara smiled softly. "He's dreaming."

Dr. Cho spoke. "I wouldn't call it dreams. It's Ultron's base consciousness. Informational noise. Soon..."

"How soon? I'm not being pushy," Ultron interrupted.

The two girls had walked up to the Cradle and Cara looked at Wanda for permission. Can I? For practice, of course. Wanda nodded in approval and stayed back with her brother, who had his arms crossed.

Cara hovered her hands on top of the Cradle before slowly placing them down, shutting her eyes and tilting her head a bit. A vision of a large rock - probably a meteor or something - floating above the Earth then smashing into it a second later. Death and destruction covered her thoughts as she shot back. "Aaah!" she screamed, her hands clutching her head.

Pietro and Wanda flashed to her side as the brunette Sokovian read her mind. She gave a loud gasp and she covered her mouth. "How could you?" Wanda said in a clipped and cracked voice.

"'How could I' what?" Ultron said, as if he had no idea what she was talking about.

"You said we would destroy the Avengers!" Cara said, her voice low and grave. "Make a better world."

"It will be better."

"When everyone is dead." It was more of a statement than a question.

"That is not –" Ultron said with a heavy sigh, abruptly stopping. "The human race will have every opportunity to improve."

Pietro now spoke. "And if they don't?" His accent seemed to thicken with anger.

"Ask Noah," Ultron simply stated.

"You used us!" Cara cried.

"You're a mad man," Wanda shuddered. Cara wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders.

"There were more than a dozen extinction level events before even the dinosaurs got theirs. When the Earth starts to settle, God throws a stone at it, and believe me, he's winding up. We have to evolve. There's no room for the weak," the robot said.

"And who decides who's weak?" Pietro asked.

"Life. Life always decides."

Pietro held his twin sister, giving her a kiss just above the ear. Cara tightened her grip on the younger Maximoff. All three of them had pained and feared expressions on their faces. Pietro, get ready to take Wanda and run, she said to Pietro. He gave a nod and looked back at Ultron.

"There's incoming: the Quinjet. We have to move."

"That's not a problem," Dr. Cho said. Cara now noticed the blue tint to her eyes had disappeared, most likely the work of Wanda. The woman paused the uploading and Ultron gave a frustrated sigh, blasting the woman. She flew across the room, blood spurting from the wound. It made Cara shudder, reminding her all too much of her brother and sister.

Pietro turned, picking up his sister and dashing out of the building with Cara following behind.