The Ghost [Marvel | Steve Rogers]

Chapter 31

Novi Grad, Sokovia

Spring 2015

Nina was barely able to stand by the time they made it into the lowest levels of the Sokovian Fortress standing vigil high above Novi Grad.

Strucker's Base, Pietro had explained softly as they entered the abandoned facility, responding to her obvious anxiety when she'd spotted the evidence of a bitter fight everywhere she looked. The place where the Baron who had experimented on the Twins—and her—had been defeated by the Avengers.

Just ahead of them Ultron was gesturing widely to the cavern extending deep below the base. "We'll move out right away." At first, Nina thought her head must be going fuzzy or something. There was a huge creature hanging limply—or as limply as an airplane sized creature could hang—from the ceiling. And if that wasn't enough to make her think she was seeing things, all around it were dozens upon dozens of robots appearing hard at work throughout the colossal, dimly-lit chamber. Though, just what they were working on, she couldn't even begin to guess. "This is a start, but there's something we need to begin the real work," Ultron explained.

Nina wasn't quite sure if she was fascinated by Ultron or terrified. Perhaps it was an equal measure of both that had her unable to look away as he enticed them with the sight of his veritable robot army in the bowels of Strucker's fortress.

But then, her mind was still throbbing and fuzzy from fever, making it hard to think. But that didn't stop a shiver of trepidation from going through her...or maybe that was an effect of the fever too...it was so hard to tell.

Fuzzy head or not, there was something about Ultron that left Nina feeling particularly uneasy. And judging by the looks the Twins kept exchanging, there was something about him that bothered them too.

But his offer to let them help destroy the Avengers was evidently one that was too good for them to pass up.

Not that Nina could precisely understand why...she'd always thought the Avengers were good guys. They had saved the world from an alien invasion, for God's sake...including ones that, if her memory wasn't playing tricks on her, looked just like the one hanging from the cavern's ceiling from chains whose breadth dwarfed Ultron.

They couldn't be all that bad, could they?

"All of these are..." Wanda was looking out at the robots working out in the immense space beyond the ledge where they stood. Her eyes were huge with disbelief and wary fascination. And Nina couldn't blame her. It felt like her own eyes were nearly popping from her skull despite her exhaustion.

"Me?" Ultron supplied happily, propulsion packs on his back and legs activating so he could reach out and pull on a chain, activating a mechanism that had a huge piece of machinery moving closer to the ledge they were on. "I have what the Avengers never will. Harmony. They're discordant, disconnected." Nina was by now leaning heavily against Pietro, her arms clutched tight around her torso as her eyelids threatened to drag down over her eyes. Ultron's voice began to fade as he began talking about Stark for some reason...she was so tired...and she ached everywhere...

"Everyone's plan is not to kill them," Pietro's voice seemed to vibrate against her, the bitterness in his tone rousing Nina enough to bring her attention back to what was happening around her.

"And make them martyrs?" Ultron asked with a trace of disdain, as though he couldn't quite understand immediately why Pietro didn't agree. "You need patience," he counselled, obviously attempting to be encouraging, "need to see the big picture." Pietro tensed, his arm tightening involuntarily around Nina.