Broken Beyond Repair

Chapter 5

Dr. Cho has been very helpful in her work with the regeneration cradle. She assures them that soon, Ultron will be unstoppable, and with that, so will they. It's just a waiting game until then.

Wanda and Pietro sit with Loki outside the lab while they wait. Loki wanted to sit on the floor, so they decided to do the same. He seems to be most comfortable sitting on floors in corners, they've noticed. They've always wondered why he never left his little room in the wall, even when they'd open the door. Now they don't — though it does beg the question of what came first, the small room or the affinity for low corners.

Pietro has his head resting atop Loki's shoulders, making no secret of his boredom. Wanda finds herself feeling the same way. It's been days and the Avengers are no closer to dead than they were when this all began. She likes to think that she's a patient person, but that patience is waning.

She presses a kiss to the top of Loki's head, then stands up to see what's going on in the other room. When she steps into the lab, she pauses, cocking her head to the side. "I can read him." She narrows her eyes, focusing her energy. "He's dreaming."

"I wouldn't call it dreams," Dr. Cho says. "It's Ultron's base consciousness; informational noise. Soon—"

"How soon?" Ultron interrupts, then adds, "I'm not being pushy."

Wanda doesn't listen to her answer. She's far more intrigued by this so-called "informational noise." She's never been able to read him before, and she doesn't know how long it will last. She wants to make the most of it while she can.

She slowly approaches the regeneration cradle. She hovers her hands over it, taking in the feeling. It's strange. He's not human, and she can really tell right now.

She places her hands on the cradle and closes her eyes, worming her way into his head, and when she does, she's hit by a lot of information at once. It's like a wave of thoughts, of dreams, of memories, all crashing over her at once. She shrieks and immediately pulls her hands away, hugging them into herself.

Immediately, Pietro is by her side, wrapping his arms around her in a protective hug. She still can't bring herself to take her eyes off of Ultron.

"How could you?" she whispers.

"How could I what?" Ultron asks, and he really doesn't seem to understand. He really doesn't see what he's doing wrong. It's almost impossible to believe.

"You said we would destroy the Avengers," Wanda reminds him, her voice shaking. "Make a better world."

"It will be better."

Wanda scoffs. "When everybody is dead?"

"The human race will have every opportunity to evolve," Ultron tells her.

"And if they don't?" Pietro asks.

Ultron's expression darkens. "Ask Noah."

"You're a madman," Wanda breathes.

"There were more than a dozen instinction-level events before even the dinosaurs got theirs!" Ultron says, as though that changes anything, as though that makes it okay. "When the Earth starts to settle, God throws a stone at it."

"But you're not a god," Pietro reminds him.

Ultron just smiles.

Wanda brings her lips to Pietro's ear. "Get Loki. We need to leave."

Pietro gives a small nod. Wanda sends a bit of magic toward Dr. Cho, a subtle movement, freeing her from the scepter's hold on her. If Ultron really thinks she's an important piece to his puzzle, maybe letting her go will put a stop to this.