𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙙 - 𝙈𝘼𝙍𝙑𝙀𝙇

one

- Age of Ultron -

┏━━━━━━━━━ ━━━━━━━━━┓

➫ The piercing blare of the alarm echoed through the speakers, jolting Wanda, Pietro, and Alexei to a state of heightened awareness.

The stark words resonated in their minds, leaving no room for doubt or confusion: "Report to your stations immediately. This is not a drill. We are under attack. We are under attack."

As the urgency of the situation sank in, Wanda exchanged a quick glance with Pietro, their unspoken understanding conveyed through a subtle nod. Without hesitation, they turned and strode towards the exit, their footsteps brisk and purposeful.

Alexei, caught off guard by the sudden commotion, scrambled to his feet. "Where are you two going?" he inquired, his voice laced with concern.

Wanda paused, her gaze meeting Alexei's. "We're going outside," she replied, her tone firm and resolute. "You stay here."

Alexei's brow furrowed in protest. "No, it's dangerous out there," he countered.

Pietro interjected, his voice laced with a hint of impatience. "We can handle ourselves. Besides, we need someone on the inside in case something happens."

Wanda nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's best for you to be surrounded by all these metals, anyway," she added with a faint smile, attempting to lighten the tense atmosphere.

Before Alexei could voice further objection, Wanda pulled him into a tight embrace. "We'll be right back," she murmured in his ear, her voice reassuring.

With that, Wanda and Pietro turned and headed for the door, their figures disappearing into the corridor beyond. Alexei watched them go, his heart pounding in his chest. He knew they were capable of taking care of themselves, but he couldn't help but worry.

-----

Alexei let out a sigh of frustration. The Avengers had infiltrated their base, and he still hadn't found his older siblings.

He wandered aimlessly through the corridors, his eyes darting around in search of any sign of Wanda or Pietro.

Suddenly, a blur of motion grabbed him and pulled him into a secluded area. Panic surged through Alexei's veins, and his hands instinctively glowed green.

A shard of metal shot toward his attacker, but it came to an abrupt halt as Alexei recognized his brother's face.

"Pietro!" Alexei exclaimed, his relief palpable as he lowered his hands.

"Why are you just walking around?" Pietro questioned, his tone laced with concern.

"I was looking for you and Wanda!" Alexei defended.

"We don't have time for that," Wanda interjected, appearing from the shadows. "Let's go."

"You two go after Iron Man," Pietro instructed. "I'll deal with the archer."

With a flash of silver, Pietro was gone. Alexei and Wanda exchanged glances before heading towards the location of the scepter. They knew that Iron Man would most likely be drawn to it.

As they drew closer, Alexei felt a burning sensation in his chest. The closer they got, the more intense the burning became. He paused, his brow furrowed in concentration. Wanda looked at him with concern, but he waved her off.

Taking a deep breath, Alexei continued on. They reached the room where the scepter was being kept, and there, standing in the center of the room, was Iron Man.