Whatever It Takes

1.7

We load up onto the jet, each of us taking our place. The Captain hands us comms, and we put them in obediently. It's a quiet ride between all of us, the jet a soothing lull as we fly across the black sky.

We're going home.

Back to Sokovia. Back to Novi Grad. Where it all began. Where I met the twins. Where I met my family. Where I was made into more of a killer than I already was. Where everything was taken from me.

When we're nearing the base, the Captain stands in the cockpit of the jet, facing us as he gives his hero speech.

"Ultron knows we're coming. Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire. And that's what we signed up for. But the people of Sokovia, they didn't." He looks to the twins and me, but we don't meet his gaze. "So our priority is getting them out. All they want is to live their lives in peace. And that's not gonna happen today. But we can do our best to protect them. And we can get the job done. We find out what Ultron's been building, we find Romanoff, and we clear the field." He glances to me then and I meet his eyes. He knows something is between us, just not exactly what it is. "Keep the fight between us," he continues. He pauses, thinking. "Ultron thinks we're monsters. That we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right."

Pietro, Wanda, and I set about clearing the city. Pietro alerts neighbors and businesses, I knock on doors and give orders, Wanda spreads her magic throughout several blocks, linking her mind to the people and sending them out of their homes.

When most are clear, I meet the human Hulk and the god at the base, all of us kicking down doors as we roam the halls. I lead them through the facility, pointing the god in the direction of Ultron's lab. He breaks off from us as the human Hulk and I descend the stairs lower. I know where he's keeping her.

We call her name, picking up our pace as we draw nearer.

"Bruce? Sloane?" her voice calls, and we rush down the last steps and meet her on the other sides of the bars of her cell.

"I'm not going to take offense that you said his name first," I tease, putting my hand on hers that grasps the iron.

I reach through and swipe my thumb over the scrape on her lip, one that mirrors my own. She smiles at me, tears filling in her eyes at the sight of me again, and I can't help my own doing the same.

Human Hulk puts his hand over her other one, leaning close, a little confused at our interaction. All he knows is I'm still the enemy in her eyes. "You alright?"

"Yeah," she whispers, but even through her gloved hand, I can tell she's freezing. She's been sitting in a wet, frozen cell for hours. She's lucky she's not hypothermic by now.

Her eyes rake over my body, taking in the suit and looking over for any injuries. She zeroes in on my thigh, blood leaking out of my gauze and soaking through the leather.

"You're bleeding," she remarks with furrowed brows, worried.

"Yes, that's normally what happens when one gets injured."

"Weren't you at the Tower? Why didn't they fix you?" Her eyes flick to human Hulk, blazing with a motherly bite.

He shrugs. "I didn't know she was wounded."

"I wasn't going to let any more time come between us. I can handle a light stabbing, I've had much worse done to me. Some that you know of, others that you don't. Besides, you always say pain only makes you stronger, right?" I retort.

"I'm the big sestra. I'm supposed to be the one saving you."

"Well, you seemed to have already failed in that category, haven't you? Might as well go oh-for-two."