Dawn of New Change

PREVIOUSLY ON: Dawn of New Change

The coming of Ultron has put everyone on edge. Each Avenger and other personnel for his awakening gather at Tony's lab, trying to assess the damage. This is where they learn of Taeyong, Tony and Bruce's meddling with matters that they don't understand and where they find that Jarvis- as the first line of defence- has been destroyed.

They eventually retire to bed, deciding to deal with everything the next morning. 

In the dead of the night, whilst the Avengers tried their best to sleep and forget about the inevitable battle they'd have to face in the morning, the world was still alive. Or as alive as one could be in a state of broken peril. Which is a pretty accurate depiction of the war-rotten landscape of Sokovia. It was a country ridden of its former beauty, completely demolished at the hands of the US government.

What once stood as a peaceful and happy children, now bore the weary scrutinising looks and shaky steps of the Enhanced. Wanda and Pietro Maximoff clung to each other as they stumbled their way through the barren and broken remains of the country's Capital City, Novi Grad.

Pietro's eyes were so sunken into his head, he almost took the appearance of a skull. His jaw was slacken and he blinked through the hazy lighting of the quiet night life of his country. He was usually kept with minimal food to keep him going back in the HYDRA base, just enough to suffice his incredible metabolism. But his muscles ached with the need for something high in protein and surprisingly, he craved something sweet.

Wanda had a little bit more energy than her brother. She let him cling to her arm and lead the way through the rubble of the city. Her eyes were glowing red around the iris, face almost translucent as her veins glowed beneath her fair skin. She blinked continuously, finding her eyes were irritated with the glow. She wanted food too, not at much as her brother but she could not do anything about it. Stealing was not an option, at least, not in her own country. Now they were still trying to recover.

She'd steal from a poor man in America before she stole food from the hands of any of her people.

The twins continued to journey through the rough terrain until they eventually stood before the crumbling structure of the Novi Grad Church. It was one of their more famous tourist attractions, if the country ever got tourists, that was. Wanda blinked up, feeling her eyes water and sting as she tried to focus on ahead.

"Come on," she told her brother, feeling nothing in the air.

The closer they both got to the church, the more alive Pietro presented himself. He stood up straighter, to his full height and let go of his sister's arm. He trudged on before her, arm sticking out to make sure she was behind him. Wanda rolled her eyes but the corner of her lip twitched upwards, fondness for her weak brother's protectiveness, allowing him to push ahead.

They both entered the church, moving forward with caution. But Wanda had her arms to her side; magic energy pulsing down her veins until she could feel a sizzling sensation almost crack at her knuckles and pull at her bones. They shifted into a curling position and glowed too.

Pietro looked back at his sister, eyes darting down to her hands. "Something?"

"Not yet," she muttered. "Go on."

When they got further into the church (really, there was nothing left. It was 'under construction' but without funding, it stayed the same hollow building it always was) the more she could see him. The silhouette of a person sitting in the centre of the room, shrouded in darkness. There was light emitted from a small fire but the figure faced away from them.

Wanda tilted her head, not able to sense anything just yet. "Talk," she said, "and if you are wasting our time..."

"Did you know this church is in the exact centre of the city?"

Wanda looked towards her brother, but Pietro was too busy staring at the figure to notice her still posture. The voice was male, and deep and something buzzed about it. It was almost inhuman but she was not afraid. Instead, her curiosity had somewhat piqued.

"The Elders decreed it so that everyone could be equally close to God. I like that."

She narrowed her eyes, walking forward.

"The geometry of belief." The figure shifted, turning his head out from behind the chair he was sitting on. Wanda peered closer, trying to look at him, but he had a cloth covering his head, shoulders and arms. But the light transmitted from below shone over his legs and they were illuminated like a mirror reflecting light. "You're wondering why you can't look inside my head."

Wanda gritted her teeth, "sometimes it's hard. But sooner or later, every man shows himself."

The figure stood up and Wanda's head tilted up with him. He was tall and the cloth covering his upper body fell as he took a step away from his chair and into the light. Pietro was already by Wanda's side, gripping her arm and she took a step back, a small gasp escaping her mouth.

"Oh I'm sure they do." He- it- said. "But you needed something more than a man. That's why you let Stark take the sceptre." He walked over to Wanda, legs making a clanking sound with each movement.

"I didn't expect," she said, eyes raking over his towering form, "but I saw Stark's fear. I knew it would control him. Make him self-destruct."

"Everyone creates the thing they dread." He walked around the room, and Wanda turned to her brother who simply shrugged. "Men of peace create engines of war. Invaders create Avengers... People! Create even smaller... people? Uh... 'children'-" he chuckled and Wanda watched on in fascination at how human it sounded. "I lost the word, there. Children. Designed to supplant them, to help them end."

"Is that why you've come?" Wanda asked. "To end the Avengers?"

"I've come to save the world. But also... yeah."

***

Ultron was his name and Pietro had equal parts fear and admiration for the creature that stood before him. Wanda couldn't get a read on him and so that left them both in the same boat when it came to understanding his worldview. Pietro quite liked that, the quiet of his sister as she tried to find what was going through his mind.

She kept trying and trying and Pietro knew this because he could feel her doing so.

After her powers came in full, Wanda had been sick. The HYDRA soldiers didn't take care of them properly and Pietro didn't trust HYDRA the same way he didn't trust the Avengers. He just needed their help if he wanted to extract his revenge and then he could go anywhere he wanted.

With his powers Pietro felt unstoppable. But Wanda? He thought she was going to die in the small cell she was thrown in. The HYDRA scientist experimented on her, using the power that came from the sceptre to drain her completely until all that was left was fragmented pieces of his twin sister and whatever power she held.

Pietro had time unlike Wanda. He got to work on his speed, to experiment on his healing and run as bloody fast as he could. Wanda didn't know how to completely control her powers just yet and they both knew that HYDRA didn't. No. She was left to figure things out on her own and in doing so, she was permanently in Pietro's mind.

He turned to glare at his sister, narrowing his eyes and jutting his chin to the side. She scoffed, smiling slightly as her glowing eyes softened and the foreign buzz of curiosity left his thoughts. Pietro breathed easier with her gone, not completely- probably never completely, but he did breath. He didn't care for Ultron, the same way he did not care for the HYDRA soldiers and scientists that created his powers. Ultron was just another step in his plan to tear the Avengers down and then he would eventually leave the AI.

The three of them stood back inside of the HYDRA base that was raided by the Avengers only a week ago. Ultron took them to the underground basement, full of different chitauri skeletons, armours, suits that HYDRA tried to create.

"We'll move out right away. This is a start but there's something we'll need to start the real work," Ultron said, hands glistening under the artificial lighting. He walked confidently in the room and Pietro watched carefully as his sister stepped forward, awe in her eyes.

"All of these are..."

"Me," he said with pride. Pietro felt anger bubble deep within his chest. If there was something he hated more than anything in the world, it was pride in the voice of authority. He couldn't help but take notice of the way Ultron outstretched his arms, head tilted backwards and red beady eyes glowed in the darkness. It was as if the AI was Tony Stark himself.

Pietro really wanted to roll his eyes.

"I have what the Avengers never will. Harmony."

Pietro did roll his eyes that time.

"They're discordant. Disconnected. Stark's already got them turning on each other." Ultron turned to them, pleased. Pietro huffed, stepping forward and ignoring the twang coming from his pelvis. He felt weak and he really just wanted to eat a laskonky, like his mother used to make. "And when you get inside the rest of their heads..."

"Everyone's plan is not to kill them," Pietro finally said, ignoring the warning flashes his sister sent through his mind.

"And make them martyrs?" Ultron flew over to Pietro, falling down to his height. "You need patience. Need to see the big picture."

Pietro gritted his teeth, already tired of that saying. "I don't see the big picture. I have a little picture. I take it out and look at it... every day."

"You lost your parents in the bombings. I've seen the records."

"There records are not the picture-"

"Pietro," Wanda called, taking his arm.

"No, please." Ultron said.

Pietro looked back at his sister, noting the weary look in her eyes. Her jaw was clenched and Pietro held her hand in his. "We were ten years-old. Having dinner, the four of us. When the first shell hits, two floors below, it makes a hole in the floor." He shook his head, turning back to Ultron.

"It's big. Our parents go in and the whole building starts coming apart." Pietro could almost feel the image rolling in his mind and he realised then that Wanda was picturing it all. Her emotions were a whirlwind as she projected the image over to him.

"I grab her," he said, squeezing her hand. "Roll under the bed, and the second shell hits. But it doesn't go off." He closed his eyes, remembering the way he stopped breathing, staring at the shell with wide eyes. He had his arm around Wanda and he could feel her trembling. He remembered crying from all the dust but refusing to wipe his tears because he was too scared a single shift would blow them up. "It just sits there in the rubble. Three feet from our faces... and on the side of the shell is painted one word."

"Stark," Wanda said.

Ultron tilted his head, watching the both of them and Pietro felt his spine straighten and his shoulders untense. This was someone who wanted the fall of the Avengers like him.

"We were trapped for two days," he said.

"Every effort to save us," Wanda hissed. "Every shift in the bricks. I think, 'this will set it off.' We wait for two days for Tony Stark to kill us."

Pietro held Ultron's gaze, "I know what they are."

Ultron was silent for a moment until, "I wondered why only you two survived Strucker's experiments. Now I don't. We will make it right." Ultron walked forward, giving Pietro a nod. "You and I can hurt them, but you-" his hand went up to Wanda's face, almost touching her- "will tear them apart from the inside."

***

Sokovia was a former landlocked country, in Central-South-eastern Europe, bordered by Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Taeyong's right knee bounced up and down in a steady rhythm as he bit along the skin by his thumb. His eyes were practically scanning the book he had perched on his other knee, the one that wasn't bouncing.

Taeyong sat half curled into the public chair, because he was in a public library. The local one that was a good 20 minutes walk away from the Tower and he had left for it as soon as he woke up. He sighed, checking the time on an analogue watch he borrowed from the array his dad owned and cursed. Rushing to grab all the books he had collected, Taeyong shoved them in the arms of the nearest librarian.

An almost dead-to-the-world lady, who had helped him search for every book. There were not a lot of occupants in the library- because it was a library and no one really went to those anymore. Taeyong let her scan them all out whilst he looked back at the watch. He had forgot his phone back in his own bedroom and just wished that his dad wasn't losing his mind. "Do you have a phone I can borrow?" he asked.

"I'll pay- just need five minutes to tell my dad where I am."

The lady, her name was Cassandra, slowly nodded. She handed all his books back to him, letting Taeyong try to stuff them all in his backpack whilst she went to grab the library's phone. Taeyong walked back to the office, foot tapping impatiently whilst she rounded the corner and handed it over.

Taeyong furrowed his brows, looking at the bulky telephone she had given him. He pursed his lips but typed in the numbers for Tony's personal phone and waited for his dad to pick up. The dial tone was low and annoying, but Taeyong sighed, resting against the wall as his dad's voice filtered through the old telephone.

"Hello?"

"Dad, it's me."

"Oh, Taeyong- nice of you to finally remember that we exist. You do realise that we have a situation-Red on us and you just up and leave."

"I'm at the library," he said, rolling his eyes.

"You- you're where?"

"Library," he repeated, looking down at the hangnail he was biting on his thumb. It was red now and throbbing. "I'm coming back, I'll be thirty minutes. I just needed a minute... sorry?"

There was a sigh on the other line and Taeyong felt his chest constrict. "Just... get back as soon as possible. We're going over everything here. You being careful?"

Taeyong smiled softly, "I'm in a public library, wearing an analogue watch because I'm terrified he's going to just pluck me from nowhere. Don't worry. I'll see you?"

"Yeah.. see ya bud."

Taeyong handed the phone back to Cassandra and then left, trying to ignore the concerned look she was shooting at him. He didn't have time to engage in conversation with someone that just wouldn't understand. He lifted on the heavy backpack, wincing at his shoulders that were not used to that type of weight and continued forward.

By the time Taeyong made it back to the Avengers Tower, the others were all gathered in the Labs again. The shattered glass was not cleared away, the Iron Legion were still scattered around the floors and their grand piano's lid was bent at an odd angle. Taeyong was ready to call out to Jarvis on why nothing was cleared out yet but then remembered with a sinking feeling what happened to his 'glorified babysitter.'

"He's all over the globe. Robotics labs, weapons facilities, jet propulsion labs," Hill explained, walking out of the elevator with Steve in tow. Taeyong waved over to both of them, unpacking his books. Tony wandered inside, hand reaching out to the back of Taeyong's neck and resting there.

Taeyong gave his dad a small smile and then went back to his books. "What all this then?" Tony asked.

Taeyong looked over at the array of books, all on Sokvia's history and society. "Panic researching? To calm the mind?" he tried.

"Didn't know you were interested," Tony muttered, hand hovering over the books, before plucking one on the race relations they had involved with the US.

"I became an expert like... 3 hours ago?" Taeyong squinted his eyes.

Bruce snorted, "he really is your son."

"Huh?" Tony and Taeyong both looked up at the scientist, who simply went back to his own work on Taeyong's computer.

"Reports of a metal man, or men," Hill said, walking in. "Coming in and emptying the place."

Taeyong whistled, "he's not taking his time with any of this is he?"

Steve nodded, "facilities?"

"Only when engaged," Hill responded. "Mostly left guys in a fugue state going on about old memories, worst fears and 'something too fast to see.'"

Steve crossed his arms over his chest, "the twins?"

"Maximoff's," Natasha tilted her head, hair falling over her shoulder. "What else do we know about them?"

"Other than the fact that they're very angry at the US and also volunteered for HYDRA? The files have started to vanish," Hill explained.

Taeyong felt himself shiver and Tony moved closer, squeezing his shoulder. "I don't like that... Am I allowed to call Johnny? Would that put him in danger?" he turned to his dad.

It was Steve that answered, "maybe we should put you in a safe house actually."

"What?" Taeyong turned to stare at the Captain with disbelieving eyes. "No- what- you can't just-"

"Maybe it's best," Tony said.

"What- dad?!"

"He knows everything about us, Taeyong. He's slowly getting rid of all our files-"

"-locked us out," Clint cursed, hitting the table he was working at. Taeyong tilted his head, looking over at the screen- there was a message flashing in red and yes, they were locked out of their systems.

"I'm not leaving," Taeyong said, turning to glare at his dad. "I helped create him and I'm facing the consequences, with you. You said it yourself Captain," Taeyong spun to face Steve. "We do this together."

"Taeyong, you're just a kid," Steve whispered.

Taeyong scoffed, "I helped save the President of the United States two years ago. I saved Dad when Obadiah stole his arc reactor, survived Whiplashes attack at the Grand Prix. I've been flying in my own suit for over 5 years now. I've been trained by Nat, Clint and you for the better part of two years and studied under some of the best doctors and scientists in the world. Two of which also helped create Ultron." Taeyong glared at the man, "don't try me."

Tony pursed his lips, "You know... I try to be the responsible parent here-"

Taeyong's lips lifted upwards, "we all know Jarvis is the responsible one... then Happy and then Pepper."

Steve still looked like he wanted to refute the involvement of Taeyong, but Hill cut in, eyes shining proudly at Taeyong. "Also, it might be of note that Strucker is dead."

"What?" Almost everyone in the room called.

She handed Steve her tablet and Taeyong came forward, looking over the image. He quickly had to manually connect the tablet's imaging with the main screen and the Avengers all watched the photo blow up on screen. It was Strucker in his cell, dead and with the word 'PEACE' written in blood on the walls.

"So Ultron has killed Strucker," Thor announced.

"It's a message," Steve said.

"And he did a Banksy at the crime scene," Tony muttered. "Just for us."

Taeyong squinted at the screen, "he's made out of metal... but that's not like any legionnaire I've seen."

"So he's remade himself," Clint said. "Got an upgrade."

"Scary upgrade," Taeyong murmured.

Natasha shook her head, stepping forward and resting her hands against the table. "This is a smoke screen. Why send a message when you've just given a speech?"

Steve nodded, "Strucker knew something that Ultron wanted us to miss."

Natasha quickly went over to Clint, pushing him out of the way to get to the computer. She ignored his offended yell and started to type into the computer. "It's yeah--" she turned back to face everyone. "Everything we know about Strucker's just been erased."

"Not everything," Steve said looking down at the books that Taeyong had gathered. The younger teen felt fatigue already wash over him, he knew exactly what the Captain was saying. Taeyong rubbed his hands together and gave a half-hearted smile, might as well get to work.

The next hour or so of research involved Hill going to get as many files as she could whilst the others tried their best to go over what they had. Not a lot when you live in a tower that completely runs on technology. Taeyong had spent the first three hours of his morning going over information on Sokovia, so remained doing research on that until their real research came back. Hill started to order other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to come forward and hand them all boxes. Files upon files had overtaken the entire table and floors as they scoured through them.

"I feel like a paralegal," Taeyong said, rubbing his eyes and trying to take in the words on the page in front of him. "Anyone else getting their words blurred together."

"Ten minute rest," Tony said, putting down a carton of green juice over Taeyong's book.

"Oh I love you dad," Taeyong said, pushing everything away to sip on his juice.

"This is what uni is like, by the way," Bruce said, wheeling over and bumping his chair against Taeyong's. "So now you know."

"You disgusted yet?" Tony asked, ruffling the boy's hair. "Imagine this, but you also have to write a paper in less than an hour from now. Submit that and pray that the uni's wi-fi doesn't crash on you."

Taeyong furrowed his brow, "why would I leave my assignments at the last minute?"

Bruce and Tony scoffed. "We all do," he dad simply replied. Taeyong doubted that but didn't say anything.

"I think I'd take a last minute assignment then the Avengers potentially dying," Taeyong shrugged, sipping on his juice and giving his dad a wink.

Tony groaned whilst Clint snorted. "I was undercover for a university once for one of my S.H.I.E.L.D. missions. The parties," he chuckled, "oh the night life."

Taeyong scrunched his nose, "I don't... like the sound of that, at all."

Tony perked up, "really?" His eyes were glittering and Taeyong was starting to frown. "Because, you know, clubs and what... do they have in England that's the equivalent to our frats and sororities?"

"Societies," Bruce smirked, looking down at Taeyong with his glasses perched at just the end of his nose.

"Yeah because you're gonna need to make friends at the clubs and parties now that is going to be hell on you. You're just a kid, you won't even be able to make it into that stuff- how will you make friends, huh? Gotta socialise somehow."

Taeyong pouted, "but... won't you call me everyday?" he blinked up at his dad. "And we'll face time when you're in the Labs and I'm in my accommodation right? I can help you with your work and you'll help me with mine right?"

Tony opened and then closed his mouth.

"Baba?" Taeyong asked.

Clint burst out laughing and Bruce's grin stretched wider. "He's got you there Tony."

Tony groaned.

Taeyong took another sip of his green juice, "plus the universities in England are only three years instead of the four here. I'll come back for every holiday and their academic years are also shorter over there."

"Nope," Tony walked away quickly. "Steve! Tell me you have something."

Taeyong turned back to face the others, grinning at the wink Natasha sent him.

Steve cleared his throat, "these are known associates. Strucker had a lot of friends."

Bruce looked over the files, "oh wow- well, these people are all horrible."

"Wait-" Tony pointed over to a file Bruce flipped through. "I know that guy. Yeah, from back in the day. He operates off the African coast. Black market arms." Steve turned to deadpan at Tony who scoffed. "What? There are conventions. All right? You meet people. I didn't sell him anything."

"You don't have to defend yourself dad," Taeyong said, plucking the file out of his hands. "If we don't have trust then Ultron just has another way he'll tear us down. I mean, I'd do that at least, pit you all against each other. Let the Avengers tear each other apart... then take over the world in your destruction," he muttered, looking down at the file. It read: Ulysses Klaue. Taeyong looked up with wide, doe eyes when everyone stopped their shuffling. "What?"

Natasha cleared her throat, "s' a good thing you're one of the good guys, Yong-ah. You have the potential to be a very good supervillain y'know?"

Taeyong grinned, "thanks. Anyway, he doesn't look that special- think he's important?" He gave the file back to his dad. Clint, Steve and Thor all crowded around the file.

"What's that?" Thor asked.

"The tattoo?" Clint remarked.

"No that-" Thor pointed to the picture but Taeyong couldn't see. "It's a brand."

"Bruce, run it," Tony said. Bruce, wheeled over to Taeyong's monitor, looking through the database for that brand.

"Oh, yeah." Bruce said. Everyone turned to him, this was probably the first hint of information they had in a while. "It's a word in an African dialect meaning 'thief.' In a much less-than friendly way."

Taeyong nodded thoughtfully, "swear words."

Clint snorted, but reached over and squinted at the screen, "what dialect is that?"

"Uh..." Bruce pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "Wakanadan- Waka- Wakanda? Somewhere we know?"

Tony and Steve shared a look.

"If this guy got out of Wakanda with some of their trade goods..."

"I thought your father said he got the last of it."

"I don't follow," Bruce said, wheeling back over to the group. "What comes out of Wakanda?"

Taeyong looked back at his dad, who was staring at Steve's shield. "The strongest metal on Earth."

Clint kissed his teeth, "okay yeah. Definite upgrade."

Taeyong nodded, "scarier upgrade." 

NEXT TIME ON: Dawn of New Change

Ultron scoffed. "But I always say: 'Keep your friends rich and enemies rich and wait to find out which is which.'"

Klaue paused, looking up from his screen. He knew that saying. "Stark..."

"What?" Ultron said.