COLORS || P. PARKER

The Lying, the Witch, and the War Drone

Marina woke with a start. What happened? And then it all came back to her. The twins. Banner. The strange dream. But now a different question racked Marina's brain. Where am I?

Wherever she was, the place looked to be untouched for a long period of time. Dust glazed the stone walls and cracks formed in the ground. Restraints chained Marina to an old pillar that extended to the top of the structure. Taking a second glance at the building, it resembled a church.

"I see you've finally woken up."

Marina gasped. What could only be described as a man of metal walked into her view. She recognized the menacing voice. His new appearance was definitely an upgrade from his previous look. 

The teenager spotted the Maximoff twins standing just behind Ultron. Despite the situation, Marina couldn't help but notice that they were the equivalent of the henchmen you'd find in a lame kid's show. People who did the dirty work without understanding what they fought for. 

"Where am I?" demanded Marina.

Ultron merely chuckled in response. "Such a beautiful mind. A shame that Stark wasted your talents."

"Sorry to disappoint, but whatever you're trying to get me to do isn't going to happen. The Avengers will come for me," the teen said.

"Don't flatter yourself. I don't need you. And if you're waiting for some rescue mission, then you are sadly mistaken. I believe the Avengers will have their hands full," he said mischievously. The AI acted as if whatever he said was some inside joke with himself.

Marina narrowed her eyes. "If you don't need me then why am I here?"

"Stark already has so many toys in his collection. I'm sure he won't mind if I play with his newest puppet."

The girl furrowed her eyebrows. So this wasn't about her doing something for Ultron. To him, she was merely a toy, no a trophy. This wasn't a strategic move in Ultron's game of chess. No, this was a message to Stark. It was his petty, messed up way of saying "fuck you."

However, this confused the hostage even more. Was it possible for the AI to feel such things as pride and rivalry? Ultron's mission may be to "save the planet," but he still felt the need to rub it in Tony's face while doing it. It was a strange and unnerving thought. Maybe Ultron's biggest weakness was his hatred for the billionaire.

The AI signaled for the witch to step forward. "Now, I know you just woke up from your... what is it humans call it? Ah right, sleep. But you seem a bit cranky. Maybe my friend over here can make sure you take a nice, long nap."

The Maximoff girl came closer. "N-no. W-what are you going to do?"

A creepy grin took over Ultron's face. "Make sure she doesn't wake up from the nightmares this time."

And again, red clouded Marina's vision, dragging her into the foreboding depths of her mind.

-

All concept of time had been lost on the young girl. The difference between seconds and decades didn't exist in this odd dream-like trance. She was granted with a never ending assembly line of nightmares. Her brain constantly found new and innovative ways to torture her. Every fear Marina had ever suppressed washed over her with the force of a wave, drowning her. Sometimes the visions would depict her parents torturing her into submission. Other times, it was Marina torturing innocent people. All of them being a face from her past. Whether it was Mr. Stark or an old classmate, she was forced to hurt them, to become what her parents wanted.

After so many visions, Marina felt numb. She couldn't comprehend what reality was anymore. One dream depicted the Avengers coming back for her. It had felt so real. But then her mind conjured a gruesome, gory death for each team member. Marina had to accept that this was her reality now.