the strongest avenger (0.5)

six

After they formed a loose plan, Talia got changed into her suit, put her gloves on and tied back her hair. She would be going with Natasha, Clint and Steve to get the cradle from Ultron.

She followed the Widow outside and onto the ship, buckling into her seat. The ride to the lab wasn't long, but Talia dozed off anyway.

When they arrived, Clint pulled up to a balcony and let Steve and her off. She follows Steve as he leads her through winding streets and up a hill, across a bridge to the lab. She admires the views along the way, enjoying the different landscapes from New York.

Inside she observes tools thrown across rooms and damaged walls and windows.

"Dr Cho!" Steve calls out.

Talia looks over to see the doctor laying down, Steve running over to her. She takes this time to scan the surroundings, checking to make sure they're alone.

"He's uploading himself into the body." Cho says.

"Where?"

"The real power is inside the Cradle. The gem, its power is uncontainable. You can't just blow it up. You have to get the Cradle to Stark."

"First, we have to find it."

"Go."

Steve looks over at Talia and gestures for her to follow.

Did you guys copy that? He asks.

We did. Clint responds over comms.

I got a private jet taking off across town. No manifest. That could be him.

There. It's a truck from the lab. Right above you, guys. On the loop by the bridge. It's them. You got three with the Cradle and one in the cab. I could take out the driver. Natasha's voice comes through.

"Dont!" Talia says as her and Steve exit the building. "The gem could destroy the city."

She glances up and follows Steve as they climb a ladder onto the loop.

"Im gonna jump." He tells Tal, who nods.

"I'll follow."

She watches him leap off the edge and land on the top of the truck. Tal pushes off into the air and flies after the truck, maintaining a safe distance.

A blast causes the doors to open, and Tal manipulates the air to make sure Steve doesn't go flying. Another blast sends the door off its hinges, the girl guiding the discarded door down without hitting anyone.

Well he's definitely unhappy. She hears Steve in her earpiece. I'm gonna try and keep him that way.

You're not a match for him, Cap. Talia take over.

Thanks Barton. Steve mutters while Talia hovers closer, landing softly on the roof.

Another blast knocks Steve off the truck, causing Tal to swing inside the truck.

"You." Ultron says.

Talia thrusts her hands out and sends Ultron out of the truck, not looking back as she gets to work on the other robots.

"Steve, he went out the back!" She yells while sending a ball of fire at one of the bots. "Im inside now."

There's a thud on the roof which makes her look up, a deadly mistake. One of the robots grabs her throat and sends her flying into the wall of the truck.

Her head snaps back and she gasps at the sudden pain. Her eyes widen as the bots come close to her, but then one exits the truck.

Talia pushes off her butt and kicks the leg of the bot, reaching out and heating her hand. The metal of the robot melts as she works to disintegrate it.

"I could use a hand in here." She mutters into the comms.

The other bot is heading back to you Talia. Clint says and she groans as she sends the melted robot out of the truck.

I'm going in. Cap you got Ultron? Natasha asks.

What do you think I've been doing the whole time?

Talia reaches out a hand as Natasha balances on her bike, ready to jump into the cabin. She leaps and Talia guides her into the truck with the air.

"You good?" Nat asks to which Talia nods yes.

The girl's eyes widen as the other bot comes to them, but flies directly beneath the vehicle.

"We need to exit now." She states.

Natasha ignores the girl and tries to insert something into the Cradle.

Both of them fly back as the truck suddenly becomes airborne. Talia being closer to the edge, flies out the back and is falling from the sky.

For a second she's frozen, the feeling of falling familiar to the girl. But that second cost her, as it's too late to stop the momentum, she plummets into the ocean.

The cold water hits her like a car, and she's motionless as she floats underneath the surface.

And then she panics. Her arms flail as she tries to swim, tries to make it up to the surface. Her inability to swim is now a nuisance, but she can control other abilities.

She hones in on the water, on the surroundings and forces it to shoot her into the air. She immediately takes control of the air and flies high in the sky, scanning for any sign of the cabin of the truck or the jet.

She reaches for her earpiece, but it isn't there. Fighting the urge to panic, she flies over to land and settles down. She definitely doesn't want to be seen flying through the city.

Tal comes across some sort of market, where Koreans are selling fruit and other goods. There are stores along the road, but she's unable to read the names.

Her head spins to the side as a loud, ear-splitting screech cuts across the area. Her eyes widen as the...train comes barreling towards her.

Without thinking, she pushes her hands out and strains to force the air to stop the train. It slows and eventually reaches a halt.

Talia walks around, trying to find the cause of the train going wild. She pauses when she sees a familiar shield along a large man's back. Steve turns and sees her, a look of relief passes over his face.

"Where have you been?" He asks her as she walks closer.

"I lost the comm. Where's—" She freezes as she gets a view at who was hidden behind Cap. "You."

Tal strides forward and flicks her arm out, trapping Wanda in the air. Pietro moves to block her, but she sends him sideways with a flick of her wrist.

The girl continues on and slaps Wanda across the face, satisfied as her head whips to the side. She sees a blur out of her peripheral and turns to meet Pietro, whom she froze with her hand out.

"No."

"Talia...they helped us."

She turns slowly and glares at Steve. "And she went through our minds and made me relive—" She stops herself just in time.

"Made you relive what?" Steve urges, trying to get some sort of information from the girl.

Talia pauses and lets go of her hold on the twins.

"Both of you watch it."

Wanda rubs her cheek and then turns to Steve.

She pauses, then changes the subject. "Ultron can't tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it. Where do you think he gets that?"

Talia can't help to think of Tony.

Steve sighs and runs a hand through his hair, looking up at the sky.

"Come on, we gotta find Clint."