ECCENTRIC ➲ a Pietro Maximoff fanfic | based on AOU

CHAPTER 6: Meeting A Man With A Phobia of Cuttlefish

(Don't forget to vote!)

Apparently, Ultron's plan, which was 'impressive' and 'definitely successful' as he put it, was to get the four of us to the base of the famous arms dealer, Ulysses Klaue, in a shipyard to get the Wakandan Vibranium located in Africa. Apparently, Klaue was a black-market arms dealer, smuggler and gangster operating out of South Africa, as well as a former acquaintance of Stark's in his weapon-dealing days, according to Ultron's brief explanation.

"Is Ultron actually sure about this?" I muttered to Pietro and Wanda. We were hiding in a small boat by the shore, and had been ordered by Ultron to stay low until we were given signals to make our move.

"Well, we're already here," Wanda said with a shrug, tying her dark maroon hair up into a high ponytail. "Nothing we can do about it."

Once we were given the cue, Pietro disappeared, leaving a trail of blue and silver behind. Wanda and I followed him quickly. The next moment, a grinning Pietro was standing at a door outside a rather small room. We entered the narrow room, and Ulysses Klaue, an unshaven man with untidy curly hair was holding an empty gun, an extremely neat row of bullets lined up on the desk. He supressed a weird chuckle upon seeing us.

"Yeah, the Enhanced," Klaue said, still making the strange chortles, "Strucker's prized pupils." He popped a sweet into his mouth before shoving a bowl full of it in our direction. "Want a candy?"

Pietro, Wanda and I just stared at him stoically.

Klaue banged the bowl onto his table and laughed again. "Oh, sorry to hear about Strucker.  But then, he knew what kind of world he was helping create. Human life, not a growth market."

The three of us looked at each other, perplexed.

"You - you didn't know?" Klaue said, sounding surprised. Then he folded his arms, observing the three of us with both amused eyebrows raised. "Is this your first time intimidating someone?" he said, opening his hands and looking at us questioningly. When we didn't respond he laughed again. "I'm afraid... that I'm not afraid." This guy's sarcasm game was strong.

"Everybody," Wanda said slowly, "is afraid of something."

Klaue paused for a moment, studying Wanda with narrowed eyes. "Cuttlefish," he replied with a grin, showing off his disgusting yellow teeth. Somebody should get him Colgate's whitening toothpaste. "Deep sea fish. They make lights. Disco lights. Whoom, whoom, whoom! They hypnotize their prey, then they 'whoom'!" he made an action of biting something with his hand. "I saw a documentary, it was terrifying."

After Klaue had finished his extremely detailed and fascinating explanation about his fear of cuttlefish, Pietro zoomed towards the bowl of candy and returned with three sweets in his hands. He handed one to Wanda.

"That was, like, two steps away," I said, arching an are-you-kidding-me eyebrow.

"You're welcome," Pietro said, unwrapping a candy in a flash and tossing it into my mouth, which I caughtly neatly. It tasted like strawberry.

"Thanks for the attention," said Klaue, bored. "So, if you're going to fiddle with my brain and make me see a giant cuttlefish, then I know you don't do business," he stuck out his index finger, "you're not in charge," he put out a second finger, "and I only speak with the man. In. Charge!" He waved three fingers at us angrily.

Right on perfect timing, Ultron crashed through the glass, hurling Klaue across the room. He landed at Wanda's feet, and she took a step back in obvious repulsion. An entire wall was demolished when Ultron stepped through it, glass bits flying everywhere.

"There is no man in charge," Ultron said, his tone heavy with swagger. "Let's talk business." He grabbed Klaue by the shoulder and pulled him to his feet roughly.