CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

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It was day three since Cosima was in her new glass cell and she'd already gone through seven guards. She was trying to get information on what the Avengers knew about Hydra, but so far they hadn't given her anything, so she was making their lives miserable. 

She curled her wings around her and looked out of the glass cell at the darkness of the room. There was no windows, but she wanted to see what was on the other side. Was it a jungle? Another building? The sky?

Cosima slapped herself for having such childish thoughts. She needed to get out of here and back to the Hydra facility. Back to Wanda and Pietro. Back to the experiments. The pain. The torture...

The more Cosima thought about it, did she really want to go back at all? Did she want to suffer pain? No. Did she want to go through experiments? No. So why did she want to go back?

Because it was all she knew. It was like a sadistic home. She wanted to go back because without it she would be lost. She would have no-one. She would have to fend for herself in a world where she knew she'd be hunted down for her wings. 

She slumped against the glass wall. Was someone coming for her? Would she ever see daylight again?

The lift to her room opened, but nobody came out. She looked over. The light within the lift was still on, but there seemed to be no-one.

Or maybe they were hiding.

"Hello?" Cosima called out. She wasn't scared, but she thought she should be.

"I've seen so much about you," a voice called out. "You're so skilled. So well trained." Cosima kept quiet. This didn't sound like some guard. This sounded like a threat. She was on high alert. "You've committed so many murders and assassinations. How can you live with yourself?" Cosima didn't answer. "Hmm. What is it humans say? Cat got your tongue?"

"What is this?" Cosima asked. 

"This is your end and the start to my mission." Then the voice changed to another person's, but it seemed to be coming from the same spot in the room. 

"Peace in our time. Peace in our time. Peace in our time."

"So what? I'm a threat! You've come to kill me? Then turn the lights on and quit hiding." Cosima uncurled her wings. She knew a fight was coming.

"As you wish." The lights sprung on in the room, and at the other end was three robot looking creatures. One stood in front of the other two. No one seemed to be controlling them. Cosima was puzzled. Stryker had told her that he was close to something called artificial intelligence, which meant robots without controllers. Was this it?

"What are you?"

"I am Ultron." The robot leading went into the lift while the other two stayed behind. "I'll see you soon. Cooperation is best. That's how peace comes about." The robot went up in the lift and out of sight. The other two robots closed in on the glass cage. They started hitting it, but it wasn't breakable.

"That's not gonna work," Cosima said. Maybe she could get out of this without fighting. One of the robots stopped and grabbed something behind them. It was a long piece of metal. Maybe it would break the glass. Cosima hoped it wouldn't.

The robot kept beating the glass until it made a tiny chip. He beat it again. A crack emerged and spread around the glass, making a sickly noise. The robot seemed to smile which sent a shiver down Cosima's back. The robot hit the glass again and the glass shattered, raining down on Cosima. She backed away, but the robots came quicker. They held Cosima against the other wall. Cosima tried to struggle out of their grip, but they were too strong. She yelled a little, trying to throw them off, but another robot came up to her and held something out to her. It looked like a shocking device. It struck her.

Cosima collapsed on the floor, feeling paralyzed. She couldn't move. Ripples of shockwaves spread out across her body. She seized up and spread apart again. She felt something touch her skin, and looked up. The robots were carrying her away. She tried to move, but only caused herself pain. She screamed, trying to make the pain go away. But it was useless. It only got worse.

Cosima was carried into the lift and it went upwards. She dreaded to think who was upstairs. Maybe it was the person controlling all these robots. Or maybe it was Stryker. But why would he hurt her? She felt like she was losing consciousness, but she fought through it. The pain was easing and she started to feel in her limbs again, but they felt like jelly. 

A high pitched noise entered Cosima's ears. She winced. Could this be heard all over the building?

The lift doors opened and Cosima saw the same robot talking to someone in front of them. "You're all killers. Even her."

Cosima saw lights, but couldn't make out anything. She was dropped onto the floor, but she still couldn't move. She felt helpless, for the first time in her life.

"I was tangled in strings. Had to kill the other guy." Cosima could make out bits and pieces of what the robot was saying. "He was a good guy."

"You killed someone?" It was Steve's voice. Cosima felt helpless. She tried to get up, but her hands and legs gave way. 

"Wouldn't have been my first call, but down in the real world, we're faced with ugly choices."

"Who sent you?" Cosima couldn't make out whose voice that was.

"I see a suit of armour around the world." It sounded like a recording, but it was right in front of Cosima, like the robot repeated it. 

"Ultron?" The same robot from downstairs.

"In the flesh. Or no, not yet. Not this Christmas. But I'm ready. I'm on a mission."

"What mission?" It sounded like the girl from the plane they flew to this building in.

"Peace in our time. Starting with killing her, the deadly Cosima. She doesn't look so deadly up close and personal." Ultron looked at her.

"Leave her out of this." It sounded like Steve. 

"Why? My mission is peace in our time. Do you know how many lives could be saved if she was rid of this world?" Cosima's sight came back and she could make out most of the people in the room. But something grabbed her neck and held her above the ground. They were trying to choke her to death. Cosima should've seen it coming. 

"You don't have to do this," Steve said again.

"You're right. I don't. I'll make her turn on you all."

"I won't do it," Cosima said, but it was more of an inaudible whisper. She was dwindling away.

"Not in your right mind." Cosima's eyes widened. He knew about the ten words that could command her to do anything. Cosima started thrashing around, but more robots grabbed her. She looked helplessly over to the Avengers who were standing their ground. Steve wanted to help Cosima.

"If you heroes try to fight for her, I'll put a permanent hole in her. You're so eager to fight, but you'll get your chance." Ultron stood in front of Cosima. The grip around her neck had been loosened. 

"Now what are the words again. Longing. Rusted." Cosima thrashed under the grip of the robots, but they were stronger than she was. "Seventeen. Daybreak. Furnace." Cosima threw her wings to one side and the robots flew off and hit a wall, crashing and breaking. Cosima then tore at the other robots. Ultron spoke to his army. "Just kill them all."

The fighting began.

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