The Shadow [a marvel fanfiction]

Age of Ultron: Chapter Eight

"Ultron knows we're coming. Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire. That's what we signed up for, but the people of Sokovia didn't. So, our priority is getting them out. All they want is to live their lives in peace, and that's not going to happen today, but we can do our best to protect them and we can get the job done. We find out what Ultron's been building, we find Romanoff, and we clear the field. Keep the fight between us.

"Ultron thinks we're monsters, that we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him, it's about whether he's right."

Marie wove through the stalled traffic. Steve's speech bounced around in her head. Her feet pounded harder against the ground, her voice sharp as she shouted orders at the police officers. She came to a stop as people began to flood the streets.

It was New York all over again, with people shouting and crying and running in a blind panic. Marie breathed deeply. Protect the people.

Marie pushed people along, her gaze never settling on one space. Ultron's machines had yet to make an appearance. They had a jump on him—a small one, but enough time to evacuate as many people as possible.

She didn't say a word to the people she forced out of shops. They didn't have time for explanations and arguments and language barriers. They were already out of time.

Like a zombie apocalypse, machines crawled out of the ground and attacked.

Marie abandoned the family she was escorting. She shoved people back, reaching a hand out and slamming a robot into a building. Gun fire was accompanied by screams as people ducked and ran for cover.

Grabbing her staff, Marie flicked it out as she ran. She barely paused to stab a machine and electrocute it. By the time the metal hit the ground, Marie took out three others and projected a dome over the people.

Sweat covered her body. She didn't have time to think and breathe. Marie kept running, using her powers, her knives, and her staff to take down every robot she came across. The streets were emptying, alleviating only some of her strain.

She was directing another group of people when the ground shook. Time slowed as cracks splintered the cobblestone, crawling across the ground. The shattering of the earth sent a jolt through Marie's body.

It took a second too long to realize that the city was flying.

Marie started. The people in front of her were frozen. She didn't hesitate. She pushed them over the edge and listened for the thud of their bodies hitting the ground. There was probably a more delicate way to help them escape, but she didn't have time for niceties.

Ultron's voice resonated throughout the city, projected by each machine.

"Do you see the beauty of it? The inevitability? You rise, only to fall. You, Avengers, you are my meteor, my swift and terrible sword and the earth will crack with the weight of your failure. Purge me from my computers, turn my own flesh against me—it means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal."

"The only thing living will be metal," Marie mocked, grunting as she cut a dagger through a robot's neck. She picked her way through the streets, amassing a crowd of people and directing them away from the crumbling edges of the city.

A building collapsed and bricks rained down on them. Marie skidded to a stop, holding a shield over them as people ran away faster. She grimaced under the weight, her arms straining. A quick glance said that part of the street was clear.

Swiftly, Marie twisted to the side and projected a telekinetic wave. The wave rolled over the building and forced the structure to collapse in on itself. She wasted no time in high tailing it out of there and towards the city center.