Pyromancy

Chapter 7 - Acts of Redemption

[Barton Household, Illinois, USA]

"I'll take Natasha, Clint, and Darren.", Steve commented, now suited up like almost everyone else, and walking out the farmhouse door, back to the team's quinjet.

"Alright, strictly recon. I'm heading to the Nexus.", Tony replied, stepping out with him. "I'll join you as soon as I can."

"If Ultron's really building a body...", Steve began. "He'll be more powerful than any of us. Maybe all of us. An android designed by a robot...", Tony continued.

"Y'know, I really miss the days where the weirdest thing science created was me...", Cap lamented. "Yeah... I think the jury's been out on that one for a few years now.", Darren replied jokingly as he passed the two of them, and patting Cap on the shoulder.

"Gonna drop Banner off at the Tower.", Fury said, turning to face Stark. "You mind if I borrow Ms. Hill?", he asked. "Well, she is all yours. Apparently.", Tony muttered, making Fury briefly look at him.

"What're you gonna do?", Steve asked the former director. "I don't know... Something dramatic, I hope.", he replied with a smirk.

After getting situated, everyone boarded the jet, the four of them making for Korea. "You up for this?", Natasha softly asked Darren after they'd been flying for a little while. "I noticed how shaken you've been since the Maximoff girl got to you in South Africa.", she continued in a concerned tone.

"Yeah, I've got this. I made the mistake of thinking I could just talk them down last time, when they might be too ingrained in their reasons for doing this, that it might be too late for those two.", Darren replied solemnly.

"Real shame, I think you and the sister would've looked cute together.", she said teasingly, making him look at her in both confusion and shock, while also hiding the tint in his cheeks for the implication.

"No idea what you're even talking about, Romanoff...", he said, making himself sound more stoic and serious. "Please, I know what you look like when you're interested in a girl.", she fired back, smirking teasingly, which Darren just smirked at and shook his head.

"It's not like that, I've just seen what the both of them have been through, to an extent. And on some level I can understand their reasoning for doing what they did.", he clarified, "That doesn't make any of it okay, but it's still understandable."

The redhead just looked at the younger man for a moment, her own face showing that she was just as deep in thought as he was. Shaking her head with a faint smirk, she sat back, waiting out the rest of the flight...

[Meanwhile, U-Gin Labs, Seoul]

The creation process for Ultron's new body was in full swing, and much further along than before. As the humanoid form was taking visible shape, Ultron himself was tethered Ito the Cradle, via a heavy cable plugged into the back of his head.

"Cellular cohesion will take a few hours, but we can initiate the consciousness stream.", Dr. Cho explained as she finished hooking the android up, "We're uploading your cerebral matrix now." As she began the process, the twins had entered the room, Wanda walked closer to the Cradle.

"I can read him. He's... dreaming.", she remarked in awe. "I wouldn't call them dreams. It's actually Ultron's base consciousness. Just informational noise. Soon-", Dr. Cho began, but was interrupted. "How soon? I'm not being pushy.", Ultron requested quickly.

"We're imprinting your physical brain. There are no shortcuts.", the doctor replied, as Wanda approached the Cradle, placing her hands on the cool metal cover.

In an instant, there was a flash of images rushing into her mind. The majority were a massive meteor crashing into the earth and demolishing the surface. The sudden psychic flash had affected her to the point she let go of the cradle with a pained cry.