𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐃

12. 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲'𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴

     ULTRON RETURNED TO HIS UNDERGROUND BASE, THE MAXIMOFFS IN TOW. Rows upon rows were a trail of bots, like a factory in motion, several machineries building themselves. Even in the dark, Ultron managed to create a whole army of himself, multiplied far more than what Tony could build. He was becoming more than what Wanda had imagined, and it was magnificent; alarming, but Wanda was intrigued.

     Eszter stared out into the open factory, watching as the train would move and piece a bot together, then moving onto the next one. Man-kind could never. Ultron was more than she had expected; Eszter hadn't thought of the realization of Ultron being robotic, the wide range that he can explore. A weapon made from fear, slowly turning into something more alive, Ultron was growing. Maybe the line of fire will be easier for the Maximoffs with Ultron as their ally, a way to get them closer to the defeat of the Avengers.

     Loyalty was only a thought that doesn't cross their minds, one that doesn't stick thick and strong with one side; it wasn't like the love and loyalty the siblings shared. No, this is different. They could be with Hydra one minute, then with Ultron in a second, but they wouldn't think too much before leaving him for themselves. Family is everything, and they're always there for you.

     "We'll move out right away," Ultron assures. Eszter forces her eyes away from the bots and onto Ultron's larger form. "This is a start, but there's something we need."

     "All these are . . ." Wanda stares at the several bots ahead of them.

     "Me. I have what the Avengers never will. Harmony," Ultron grabs a chain before floating off the ledge. "They're discordant, disconnected. Stark's already got them turning on each other. And when you get inside their heads . . ."

     "Everyone's plan is not to kill them," Pietro mutters.

     Eszter recalls the moment, back in Hydra, Strucker made it clear he didn't plan on killing the Avengers. Frustrating as it was, Eszter wasn't sure whether or not she was upset at the request. But all she could wonder is why? What did Strucker want to prove that he wanted the Avengers to live to tell?

     "And make them martyrs? You need patience. You need to see the little picture."

     "I don't need a big picture. I have a little picture," Pietro sneers softly, getting emotional. As if she knows where this is going, Eszter jerks her chin towards her brother, glaring at him warningly. "I take it out and look at it every day."

     Ultron tilts head like a curious cat, the machine inside whirls. "You lost your parents in the bombings. I've seen the records."

     "The records are not the picture," Pietro fires back, defensive.

     The topic had always been difficult to bring up, and Eszter has never liked the hear it. A memory that was scorched in her mind, even at a young age, Eszter remembered the terrifying feeling. She remembered eating in front of the TV, as normal as can be, and in a split second, everything changed; Eszter could still reminisce the feeling of the strong force that pushed her and how everything went dark. The ringing in her ears and the smoke that filled her little lungs. Eszter recalls the anxiety she felt under the bed, staring directly at one of the bombs that killed her mama and papa.

     Eszter forces herself to look away when overwhelming grief smacked her, instantly filling her eyes with tears until they were burning heavily. The dark hole in her heart remained open, deprived of the joy and happiness she once felt, filling her with dread, fear, and anger. When Pietro brings up the memory, Eszter hates the constant reminder that it felt like a nightmare that never ends.

     "Pietro," Wanda warns. The girl narrows her eyes before motioning to Eszter, but Pietro couldn't be silent.

     "No, please," Ultron insists.