Kept Behind Enemy Lines

C H A P T E R T W E N T Y ~ S I X

Barton had just made it onto one of the rescue boats when he registered a woman screaming.

"Costel!" She whimpered. Blood was dripping down her forehead from a cut, her knuckles bloody. "We were in the market. COSTEL!"

Clint looked back at the island. A boy was pulling himself up from the rubble.

So much for staying out of trouble. Clint sighed and ran off the boat. He would bring the boy back.

"Come on, time to go." Clint pulled the struggling boy up. That's when things happened.

A spray off bullets from a fighter plane erupted, aimed at them. Ultron had gotten a hold of one and was shooting at them.

Clint picked the boy up, determination overcoming his features. He spun around, covering the boy's body with his own.

I'm sorry Laura.

He squeezed his eyes shut and waited. Waited to feel the tearing of bullets shredding through his body.

But he wasn't the only one who noticed the onslaught of bullets.

A flash of blue.

Clint had been moved aside, behind an overturned car. Both he and the boy unharmed.

He looked behind him. Looked to where he once stood. He stared in shock at the bullet ridden boy who'd saved them. Blue suit stained with red. Arms outstretched from pushing them away.

The silence stretched on. Nothing moved. No one spoke. No sound except for laboured breathing.

His breath came in heavy, painful pants.

Am I...? I'm going to die. I'm going to die. Hot tears pricked at his eyes. I'm leaving Wanda alone aren't I? Why? Why?

Pain racked his body, slowly at first.

"You d-didn't see that coming?" He stuttered one last time. Unable to stop himself, he toppled sideways and laid still.

Gone.

The moment Pietro hit the ground, Wanda knew. Wanda knew her twin, her support pillar was gone. Dead.

Pain overwhelmed her. Loss drowned out everything else. A scream of pure agony tore from her throat. It was the sound of someone who had lost everything all too soon. Tears streamed down her face. Her knees buckled beneath her and she fell to the ground. The pain didn't even register.

Anger. Pain. Loss.

Everything flooded outside her in one powerful wave of scarlet. Scarlet like the blood of the fallen. Like her brother.

The robots around her perished, exploding into fine dust. No hope of ever being repaired.

Steve ran towards the pair. Clint had laid the unconscious boy down. Pietro stared straight ahead, eyes wide and unseeing. Steve picked him up and carried his body to the boat. They wouldn't leave his body here.

Clint returned the boy to his mother. She cried and thanks him profusely, but Clint wasn't listening. He lay down on a seat beside Pietro, looking dazed.

"It's been a long day." He said to himself.

Hulk smashed Ultron into the island again.

"Wanda. If you stay here, you'll die." Ultron said softly and Wanda approached his wrecked form.

Percy watched from outside the wreckage. If there was one thing he'd learnt from Loki's trips to his mind, it was that she needed closure. Maybe he hadn't found it yet. Maybe he had to find Dr. Holland before he could settle things.

But Wanda could solve things now. She could feel the power, the rush of killing the creature that away her only family.

"I just did." Wanda stated emotionlessly. "Do you know how it felt?"

Wanda attacked Ultron with her magic. He gasped as it swamped his system. Destroying him. Percy just watched. Watched as the broken girl exacted her revenge.

Blood magic. A Scarlet Witch. Percy mused silently. Loki crept up behind him and placed and hand on the small of his back. Percy jolted. He leaned back into the god's chest. They'd felt a sense of closeness since Loki had destroyed Soldier forever.

The two watched as Wanda left, leaving a broken body of metal behind.

But she'd left her post.

A copy of Ultron took this chance.

And placed a hand on the core.

~~~~

Sorry this is late as hell. But disadvantages of missing school is that glorious thing called homework.

Peace

BTSWD
(For those who don't know, BTSWD is the shortened version of my username, Borntosingwithdrama. (BTSWD = BornToSingWithDrama)