𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙙 - 𝙈𝘼𝙍𝙑𝙀𝙇

two

- Age of Ultron -

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[Salvage Yard, African Coast; Klaue is talking on the phone in his office]

"Don't tell me your man swindled you," Klaue growled into the receiver. 

"I sent you six short-range heat seekers and got a boat full of rusted parts. Now, you will make it right, or the next missile I send you will come very much faster."

He ended the call with a slam of the receiver, his eyes glinting with menace. He then reached for his desk phone and dialed another number.

"Now, minister," he said smoothly, "where were we?"

Suddenly, the lights went out, plunging the office into darkness. A commotion erupted from outside as the salvage yard workers scrambled to find their bearings.

In the ensuing chaos, three figures emerged from the shadows and entered Klaue's office.

"Yeah," Klaue said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "The enhanced. Strucker's prize pupils."

He reached for a dish of candies on his desk and offered it to them. "Want a candy? 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 siblings exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable.

Klaue chuckled. "You... you didn't know? Is this your first time intimidating someone? I'm afraid that I'm not that afraid."

Wanda's eyes narrowed. "Everybody's afraid of something," she said softly.

Klaue's smile faltered. "Cuttlefish," he blurted out. "Deep sea fish. They make lights. Disco lights. Whoom, whoom, whoom! To hypnotize their prey, then whoom! I saw a documentary, it was terrifying."

Pietro, who had been standing behind Klaue, suddenly appeared in front of him, snatching a candy from the dish on the desk. Klaue jerked back in surprise, his eyes wide with alarm.

"So if you're going to fiddle with my brain, and make me see a giant cuttlefish," Klaue said, his voice trembling slightly, "then I know you don't do business, and I know you're not in charge, and I only deal with the man in charge."

As if on cue, Ultron smashes through the glass window, sending shards of glass flying in all directions. Klaue scrambles to his feet, his eyes widening in alarm as Ultron towers over him.

"There is no 'man' in charge," Ultron growls, his voice metallic and menacing. "Let's talk business."

Klaue swallows hard, his fear evident. He knows that he is in no position to argue with this powerful being.

"Of course," he says, his voice trembling slightly. "What do you want?"

Ultron reaches out and grabs Klaue by the collar, lifting him off the ground. "Vibranium," he says simply.

Klaue nods frantically. "I have it," he says. "I can get you all the vibranium you need."

Ultron releases Klaue and steps back, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Good," he says. "Upon this rock I will build my church. Vibranium."

Klaue hesitates for a moment, then speaks up. "You know, it came at great personal cost," he says. "It's worth billions."

Ultron chuckles, a cold, humorless sound. "Now, so are you," he says. "It's all under your dummy holdings? Finance is so weird. But I always say, 'Keep your friends rich and your enemies rich, and wait to find out which is which.'"