Rip My Heart Out (Avengers Age of Ultron)

Chapter 28

"Ultron knows we're coming. Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire. And that's what we signed up for. But the people of Sokovia, they didn't. So our priority is getting them out. All they want is to live their lives in peace. And that's not gonna happen today. But we can do our best to protect them. And we can get the job done. We find out what Ultron's been building, we find Romanoff, and we clear the field. Keep the fight between us. Ultron thinks we're monsters. That we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right." Steve finished his speech with a solemn look on his face.

I looked around the quinjet. The rest of the team were lost in their own dark thoughts, but no one wanted to say what they were thinking out loud. We're outmatched. Ultron has an army of robots, and enough vibranium to do some seriously bad things. We don't know his plan, and we know whatever we're walking into is a trap, but we have to go anyway. Someone is going to get hurt, maybe even worse. There's just no way we walk out of this without some scars.

The thought of using my powers in actual combat scared me, so far I'd only used them for rescue missions. I lowered my head, looking at the worn out sneakers on my feet. I had been wearing the same outfit since the day we left for Klaue's hideout a few days ago. I had cleaned my clothes at Clint's farm, but my shoes were still covered in dirt from the fight in South Africa. The ends of my sleeves were frayed and slightly scorched. I guess cotton doesn't hold up under my energy beams.

"Aren't you going to change?" Vision's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Huh?" I said, looking back at my jeans and long sleeve black shirt. "Oh, umm. I don't have anything else to change into. I guess I was distracted back at the tower."

I felt something on my skin, like static electricity starting at my feet and rising. I looked to the source and saw my clothes disappearing into thin air, and something else replacing them. I felt heat rise to my cheeks as everyone stared. Within a few seconds, the static passed over the entirety of my body, all the way to my neck, leaving behind a brand new uniform. It looked kind of like what Nat wears, a tight, black suit, zipped down the front, except I didn't have a utility belt or gloves. I didn't need those, though.

I moved my arms and legs around a little and felt the fabric move with me. This was definitely an upgrade from stiff jeans and worn out shirt. "Thanks, Vision. This is great."

He nodded before turning and walking away. I looked around again and tried not to think about the fact that the entire rest of the team had basically just seen me change.

"Ten minutes." Tony announced.

The pulsing in my chest picked up a little. I had a really bad feeling about this fight in the pit of my stomach. Something bad was going to happen, and even with all my power I wasn't going to be able to stop it.

"Em. Can I talk to you for a second?" Steve asked, walking towards me.

"Sure." I responded.

"You remember what I told you, right?" He asked. "Don't let them get near you."

"I remember, Steve." I said. He nodded "We're going to be alright, you know?"

"I hope so." He mumbled, not believing my lie any more than I did. "I'm not going to be able to keep an eye on you once things start heating up. As much as I want to, it's just not going to be possible."

"I'll be keeping an eye on you, though. My shadow self isn't going to leave your side. And I can get to you on a moment's notice. So, don't worry about me, Steve. There are a lot of things to worry about right now. I'm not one of them." I said, putting a hand on his shoulder.