Run to You|Pietro Maximoff

Chapter Three

They arrived in Korea in a matter of hours from the base. Once Ultron got a new body, they reequipped themselves and left immediately. Ultron told them to wait outside until one of the bots came, so they did. By the time they came, the lab had been taken over, and the Cradle had already started making Ultron a new body.

Ira watched as the Cradle created a new body, made of vibranium. There was a yellow stone in the center of the body's forehead. It swirled with light, and sent beams of yellow light into the body. Dr. Cho had plugged Ultron into the Cradle, 'initiating the consciousness stream' as she called it.

"I can read him," Wanda said as she walked closer to the Cradle. "He is... dreaming."

"I wouldn't call it dreams." Dr. Cho told her. "It's Ultron's base consciousness, informational noise. Soon-"

"How soon?" Ultron asked. "I'm not being pushy." He put up his hands in defense.

As they talked, Ira noticed Wanda put her hands on the Cradle and close her eyes. She tilted her head slightly, and then screamed. Pietro and Ira rushed to her side. Ultron stood up, and Wanda looked at him with betrayal.

"How could you?" She asked imploringly.

"How could I what?" Ultron asked.

"You said that we would destroy the Avengers, make a better world." Wanda told him.

"It will be better," Ultron replied.

"When everyone is dead?"

"That is not-! The human race will have every opportunity to improve." Ultron said.

"And if they don't?" Pietro questioned.

"Ask Noah."

"You're a madman." Wanda told him.

"There were more than a dozen extinction level events before even the dinosaurs got theirs. When the Earth starts to settle, God throws a stone at it, and believe me, he's winding up. We have to evolve. There's no room for the weak." He said as he leaned over the Cradle.

"And who decides who's weak?" Pietro asked. As Ultron was distracted, Wanda used her powers to destroy the Scepter's hold on Dr. Cho.

"Life." Ultron said. "Life always decides." He looked up. "There's incoming. The Quinjet. We have to move."

"That's not a problem," Dr. Cho said, and she disconnected the Cradle.

Ultron sighed, and blasted Dr. Cho to the ground.

"Don't do this." Ultron told them. "We'll still destroy the Avengers, and you'll be spared."

"You said the weak would be destroyed," Ira told him. "You said that life decides. But it's not life deciding. It's you. Life didn't decide to destroy the Earth in the blink of an eye. You did. This isn't right."

"Ira-" Ultron began.

"No," she told him. "Save it." She stepped back towards the others, and Wanda put a hand on her arm. Emilia stepped towards him.

"Emilia?" Ira asked.

She shook her head. "We can rule everyone. We can finally live the life we deserve, that was taken from us! If the world is destroyed, we can be the survivors. We can start a better world, with no Avengers. We can rule everything with a guiding hand, and we can let the people be free. This could never happen again! Imagine that!"

"No," Ira said. "Emilia, that's not freedom."

"It is to me," Emilia said. "It's the conquerers, or the conquered." She walked over to Ultron, and stood beside him. "And you chose the losing side."