Run to You|Pietro Maximoff

Chapter 05*

They ran, and ran, and ran. Never glancing back, just looking forward, feet pounding the pavement as they took short, uneven breaths. Terror and adrenaline fueled their mad dash for safety, so they didn't stop. The sun rose above the horizon, heralding the dawn and painting the sky in a myriad of pastels, but the four paid it no heed. Nor did they pay attention to the curious glances sent their way by questioning passersby. All they did was run.

Ira's feet thudded beneath her, thumping along with her staccato heartbeat. She no longer had feeling in her legs, but she didn't think about that. She couldn't think about that. For her mind replayed an endless loop of scenes from the lab, playing in time with each thump of her footfalls against the pavement.

Thump. The technicians, huddled together in terror, pleading with Ira to save them. And Ira, passing them by.

Thump. The yellow gem floating into its spot embedded in the head of Ultron's body, giving it unimaginable power.

Thump. Wanda's screams shattering the air, the others rushing to her aid.

Thump. Ultron's betrayal, the pain and anger that had flown through her body.

They soon reached a market a few miles inland, and finally stopped running. Ira doubled over, gasping and sucking in great mouthfuls of the crisp air.

"Do you think," Wanda gasped, bent over with her hands on her knees, "He'll come after us?"

Ira cast a fearful eye behind them, but saw no indication of anyone following them. "If he hasn't already, I don't think he will," she choked out, panting.

"Where do we go now?" Wanda asked, straightening and staring at the others. "Where can we go that Ultron won't find us?"

"Nowhere," Emilia stated simply, and rather pessimistically. "He'll find us no matter where we go. We just have to hope we're ready when he does."

"Fight Ultron?" Pietro asked incredulously. "You said it yourself earlier. It's suicide."

"Well it's the best chance we've got," Emilia shot back, her eyes flashing darkly.

"We can't fight now," Ira urged them. "All that we need to focus on now is finding a place to go where we can be safe, even if it's only for a little while."

Now that they were no longer running for their lives, Ira took the chance to study the market that they had found themselves in. It was small; just a collection of stalls lining a street and a few crates full of produce placed against the walls. A man in one of the stalls had his gaze trained on something, and as he turned Ira could see that he was looking at a small square television placed on the counter of his stall.

Her eyes widened, and a small gasp escaped her throat. But it wasn't the tv that had caused shock to take hold of her, but the video playing on the tv. The video showed a newscaster speaking in Korean, detailing a fight between Captain America and Ultron. Beside his image, a video appeared on the screen. The video was grainy and slightly distorted, but she could still make out clips of two figures fighting atop a large semi-truck. One grasped a shield in his hand, and the other other stood, a beast of metal, threateningly towering over the other figure.

By now, the others had noticed what had caught Ira's eye, and they turned to each other. "What do we do?" Pietro asked.

"We fight," Ira stated firmly. "We owe it to them for everything we've done." She stared around at the determination set into the faces of her friends, and she felt her own spirit strengthen.

"Well then," Emilia asked slyly. "Shall we?" The four shared identical looks of terror and anticipation, and for the second time that day, they began running through the streets of Seoul.