The Séance • Marvel

Age of Ultron: Chapter 03

It was a few more hours until The Avengers returned from Hydra base in Sokovia. Maria Hill walked along with Helen Cho, "Lab's all set up, boss." "Oh, actually he's the boss. I just pay for everything and design everything and make everyone look cooler" Tony said sarcastically. Steve stood up and walked over to where Hill was, "What's the word on Strucker?" "NATO's got him" answered Hill. "The Two Enhanced?" Hill showed Steve the tablet where a video of a pair of twins was playing, "Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Twins. Orphaned at 10 when a shell collapsed their apartment building. Sokovia's had a rough history. It's nowhere special, but it's on the way to everywhere special." "Their abilities?" "He's got increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis. Her thing is neuroelectric interfacing, telekinesis, mental manipulation."

Steve turned to look at Hill with a confused look, "He's fast and she's weird." "Well, they're gonna show up again." "Agreed. The file says they volunteered for Strucker's experiments. It's nuts." "Right. What kind of monster would let a German scientist experiment on them to protect their country?" "We're not at war, Captain." Steve got into the elevator and pressed the bottom to go down, "They are. And our other detainee?" "She's just crazy. Nothing seems special about her. Talks to herself all day."

The Captain made his way down to where Vanessa was being held. He decided to take charge of the situation since Tony didn't seem to care much about it. The girl was still having a conversation with Howard when the man comes along accompanied by someone else. "Where have you been?" question the girl when she saw the familiar boy. "Excuse me?" Asked Steve as he turned to look behind him. "I woke up and he was here" she pointed at Howard who waved his hand, "But you were nowhere to be found."

Jason walked through the walls and sat in the bed. Vanessa followed him with her eyes the whole way. "Alright before you get mad, there is a lot that I have to tell you. You know how ..." He didn't get to finish his sentence as someone cleared their throat behind them. "There is someone waiting to talk to you Vanessa," said Howard. The girl turned to look at Steve as if he hadn't been standing there a minute before. "Hi, my name is Steve," he said, "How are you?" "Well I could be better if I wasn't locked up, but here we are." "Look I really am sorry that they are keeping you like this. It's just that your file says dangerous" this caused the girl to turn and give Howard an 'I told you so' look, Steve saw this but said nothing about it, "and we just want to make sure you don't go causing global destruction or something." "Dude, I can barely take care of myself, you think I want to rule the world or something? Nah man that's too much work."

Steve nodded understanding what she was trying to say. The girl didn't look dangerous at all. The most menacing thing about her was her tattoos. Yet Fury had labeled her as highly dangerous? Why? "I brought you some clothes so that you can change into," Steve said as he opened the door and walked inside with caution. "You're not scared of me?" Asked the girl. "You have given me no reason to do so. Here." Vanessa's eyes quickly flickered to the open door, "don't do it. There is no way you're making it out. He's too fast trust me. I worked on the project that created him" said Howard. Instead, the girl took the clothes with a nod. "If you need anything tell J.A.R.V.I.S. he'll let me know." Steve walked out of the room, leaving the girl with the two ghosts.

"He doesn't age, does he? You know I looked for him, for years and found nothing" said Howard. "Well, you obviously didn't look hard enough" answered Jason. "Right. Well, I'm going to take a shower. Let me know if this place burns down or something." Vanessa stood under the hot water for a long time. She was already starting to hear more voices and she knew that soon enough she would start to see more ghosts. Maybe there was some truth to what Howard was saying and it was time to get it under control. Did she really what to live like this for the rest of her life? No, probably not.

Vanessa got out of the shower and changed into the clothes that Steve had provided her. It was nothing special, some sweats and a training t-shirt. She sat in the bed with Jason, Howard was gone. "Tell me what's going on." "Alright, so they all went to a place called Sokovia and infiltrated a Hydra base to recover a glow stick or something. Anyways they thought that the only trouble they would run into was going to be Hydra, but there were these twins that have superpowers or something. The guy can run super fast and the girl can move things with their mind. Don't really know how they ended up winning and taking the stick, cause those two are something else." "They probably let them take it then," she said with a shoulder shrug. "But anyway they both got away and are probably going to come after them." "Good for them," she said, "Is that all?" "Basically." "Where did the other guy go?" "There is a party upstairs." "You should go." "And do what? Talk to people?" The girl leaned her head back and closed her eyes, "idiota." (Idiot) "I heard that."

»»-------------¤-------------««

Vanessa must have fallen asleep because she was awakened when she heard a terrible high-pitched noise. She opened her eyes to find a metal robot with hanging strings standing outside her door. "Jason!" She whispered yelled until he woke up. "Ah what the hell man, I was having a wonderful dream." "Have I finally lost it or are you seeing that too?" Jason looked to where she was pointing and his eyes widened. "Nope! Seeing it too."

The robot carefully watched the girl trying to find out who she was, but coming up blank. "Who are you?" It asked. "Vanessa" "Vanessa" it repeated, "And why are you here, Vanessa?" "They think I'm dangerous." The robot nodded his head, "And are you? Dangerous?" "Not to anyone other than myself." "Dude why are you answering his questions. He's probably going to kill us." "You're already dead J." The robot looked at the girl as she continued to talk to the wall, he couldn't see who she was talking to. "Are you an Avenger?" He asked. The girl shook her head, "No." "Then there is no need for me to kill you" he opened the door and said, "You are free to go if you wish." Vanessa stood up and looked at the robot and asked, "Who are you?" "Ultron."

Upstairs everyone was having fun trying to lift Thor's hammer and finding it impossible. "Yes. It's a very, very interesting theory. I have a simpler one. You're all not worthy." His comment made everyone there groan. Then a high-pitched noise made them all look at the elevator, and there stood the same robot that just moments before had let Vanessa out. "Worthy. No. How could you be worthy? You're all killers" it said. "Stark," said Steve. "J.A.R.V.I.S.?" "I'm sorry, I was asleep. Or I was a dream." "Reboot Legionnaire OS. We got a buggy suit" ordered Tony. "There was this terrible noise" continued the Robot, "And I was tangled in... in... string. I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy. Then there was the girl in the cell."

"You killed someone? Did you hurt the girl in the cell?" asked Steve. "Wouldn't have been my first call. But, down in the real world, we're faced with ugly choices." "Who sent you?" Asked Thor. The robot plays a recording: "I see a suit of armor around the world." "Ultron," says Bruce. "In the flesh. Or, no, not yet. Not this chrysalis. But I'm ready. I'm on a mission." "What mission?" Asks Natasha distracting him as everyone readied to attack. "Peace in our time." As he finishes two more robots come out and attack the Avengers.

While everyone is busy fighting, one of the robots takes the scepter and flies off. When only one of the Ultron's is left, he starts pacing. "That was dramatic," he says, "I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to evolve? With these? These puppets. There's only one path to peace. The Avengers' extinction." At that moment Thor smashes his hammer into Ultron destroying it, but not before it sings. "I had strings, but now I'm free. There are no strings on me."

Vanessa meanwhile was walking through the streets of New York trying to put as much distance between her and the Avengers compound. But, there wasn't much she could do. She had no money, no phone, no nothing. Only the clothes she was wearing. "Where are we gonna go?" Asked Jason. "Where can we go? It's the middle of the night, I have no money nor do I have a phone." "Maybe we can go to a homeless shelter" he suggested. "J it's one in the morning I doubt they are going to let us in. You know I'm starting to think that maybe we should've stayed in the compound. Maybe we could sneak into an empty building or something and sleep there. Then figure things out in the morning." "That seems like a great idea. Let's do that." The two searched for a few more minutes until they came upon an abandoned hotel. "Do you think it's haunted?" Asked Jason. Vanessa looked at him with an unbelieving expression. "You're dead and I can see ghosts. What's the worse a few demons can do?"