Double-Edged Sword ─ age of ultron ✓

four

In the last section of this chapter, there is some talk of wounds and blood, so if that's not your thing, feel free to skip the aftermath of the fight.

Also, yes, I am still working on A Place in the World, I just have really bad writer's block right now.

★★★

"YOU killed someone?" Steve asked the robot. He gently nudged Alex so that she stood behind his back. Alex took a deep breath, preparing to unleash KillSwitch. She had a feeling this wasn't going to end well.

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

"Who sent you?" Thor demanded. A recording of Tony's voice began to play: "I see a suit of armor around the world."

"Ultron," Bruce realized.

"In the flesh. Or, no, not yet."

"Not yet?" Sasha raised an eyebrow. "I gotta say, I'm not really liking where this is going. That name sounds like it belongs to a supervillain in a children's movie."

Ultron ignored her. "Not this chrysalis. But I'm ready."

Sasha released Nat's hand and slowly grabbed one of her boot knives from its holster, so as not to draw attention. She did have a pistol in her purse—any time she met up with these people, she came armed—but it was a little too far to get without being subtle. Her knives gripped tightly, she inched in front of Natasha, knowing Nat's weapon was back by the bar.

"I'm on a mission," Ultron continued.

"What mission?" Natasha asked.

"Peace in our time."

At that moment, Tony's Legionnaire suits busted through the glass behind Ultron at full speed. Seeing as there was no point in being sneaky, Sasha snatched her gun out of her purse and tossed it to Alex, who was unarmed. Alex caught it, giving her a nod of acknowledgement before jumping into action.

A suit came barreling at Sasha. She leaped onto its back, struggling to stay on top of it. She drove her knife into its weak points. If there was an opening, she jammed the knife in, attempting to sever its wiring. One final, rough blow to the neck made the suit go haywire. Sasha managed to tear its head off and hurl it at the suit Alex was fighting. As the suit she'd been on top of failed, it fell to the floor, and Sasha lost control. She was thrown off, shattering a window to a lower level and landing on top of broken glass. At least she'd fallen back-first.

"Fuck," she muttered. Spaghetti straps had been a very bad idea.

"Sasha!" Alex exclaimed. She was about to jump down and check on Sasha when a suit slammed into her. Doing her best to hang on, the gun fell out of her hands. Adrenaline exploded within her, KillSwitch's power surging through her veins. She ripped the suit's head off and smashed it back down, sending the suit into chaos. She let the head go and slid down the suit's body, using its legs to chuck it into a wall once her feet hit the floor. The suit broke into pieces as it hit the wall.

Natasha heard Alex scream Sasha's name, sending her into a panic. She pushed Bruce, who landed on top of her when they jumped over the bar for cover, off and snatched her gun from beneath the counter. She looked around, but Sasha was nowhere to be seen.

"Sasha!" she yelled, shooting at one of the suits. "Sasha!"

Steve's shield busted the suit Natasha had been shooting at. The room was suddenly quiet, all of the suits taken down.