Avengers: Peace in our Time

13-Ultron's Meteor

"I need you all to understand this," Tony explained as he suited up. "Ultron's consciousness is in each and every machine he's built or stolen off of me. So each of them has to go. We can't leave even one of them standing or we've lost. It's going to be a hell of a fight. And if any of us makes it out of this we're going to need some serious R and R."

Steve smiled despite the recent squabbles. "I got no plans tomorrow night."

"Oh, and I get first crack at the big guy," Tony added. "Iron Man's the one he's waiting for right?"

Vision nodded. "He hates you more than any of the others."

Tony shrugged. "There's a first time for everything I guess."

Steve picked up the briefing, his eyes focused on all of the others. "He knows we're coming and it stands to reason he'll have a welcoming committee waiting for us. It's going to be, ugly mess. We all know this going in and accept it as part of our jobs. But the people of Sokovia didn't sign up for this. We have to evacuate them."

Wanda and Pietro looked at Steve with a profound sense of respect.

"All the Sokovians want is what anyone else wants- to live their lives in peace. But that's not how it's going to be today so we need to do everything in our power to protect them. So we've got our work cut out for us pretty clearly: we clear the field of potential casualties, find Dean and Natasha, figure out what Ultron's building, and stop him. No matter what else happens, the fight stays between us and him. He thinks we're the monsters, we're what's wrong with the world. This fight goes beyond just beating him. We need to prove him wrong."

As the quinjet powered on toward its destination, Steve walked up to Thor. The thunder god was starting out the window, his arm propped on it and his gaze troubled.

"You know it's not your fault right?"

Thor looked up at him. "Yes, I know. If I hadn't gone to the Norns we wouldn't have the answers."

"We'd have torn each other apart over Vision if you hadn't done what you did."

"Still, in my absence Dean was captured. I know that the odds we face are far greater than the life of one person. But he's my person."

"Listen, Thor. Dean is strong. He's survived a lot and he knows how to handle himself. Besides, Ultron wouldn't have let a second pass without gloating if he'd killed him."

Thor smiled softly. "When this is all behind us, I'm taking him on another vacation."

"You should. I'd say we all should after this."

"I just hope that wherever Dean is, he's staying out of trouble until we arrive."

"I am in so much trouble," Dean muttered to himself as he walked down the silent corridor of the old Hydra compound. He'd been in the process of picking the lock to his cell when Ultron had approached. He hastily shoved the picks back into the heel of his boot and moved back to the sparse bed. Once Ultron had finished interrogating him and left, Dean had resumed his attempt to pick the lock.

Finally, after several tense minutes that passed like hours, the lock clicked and he was able to slowly, gently slide the cell door open. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and moved quietly through the dim corridors. As he stalked along, he lost himself in thought. His great-great-grandmother entered his mind. Emma. He'd only seen her once in person, and even then he was a newborn. He'd seen photos of her, of course. She'd been a beautiful woman in life. Blonde and blue-eyed. Statuesque. She stood in each photo with a regal poise he always admired as a child.

"She always carried herself like a queen," Jack would say of his great-grandmother. "And everyone treated her like it. She was really something. It's a shame you didn't get to know her."