Before the battle
Watching Tony Stark leave the base with a haunted look on his face had left me sated. I knew that his deep rooted fear would drive him to madness. Tony Stark, in his desperation, was bound to make a mistake that would do irreversible damage. What I hadn’t expected was the creation of Ultron, an artificial intelligence that saw global destruction as an answer to the world’s problems.
When I first met this machine, he told me that he wanted to save the world and destroy the Avengers. And like the fool I am, I believed him. Maybe because he was the first being I had met who hated Stark with a vengeance that could match my own. Me and Pietro went along with his plan, not fully comprehending his goal. It wasn’t until I read his clone’s consciousness did I realise what I had unleashed on this world.
I knew that me and Pietro weren’t strong enough to stop him. The only people who could help weren’t exactly our biggest fans either. But this was bigger than me or Pietro. I understood Ultron’s intentions and knew that he had to be stopped at any cost or innocent people would pay the price.
***************
Just days ago, me and my brother were standing in a Hydra facility waiting for a chance to strike at our enemies. Today, we are at Stark Tower, gearing up for a battle against a machine who wanted to kill millions.
All I wanted was to make one man suffer, to make Stark pay for what he did to my family, my home. I didn’t realise that the war I was waging against one man could lead to so many casualties.
I was watching Thor talk to this foreign being who was brought to life just moments ago. I was trying to read his mind, trying to look for a trace of threat that I had found in the cradle. I was so engrossed in my task that I didn’t sense him coming up behind me.
“Just a heads up, that bright red jacket belongs to one Natasha Romanoff. She might raise hell when she sees someone else wearing it.”
His voice was soft with a hint of teasing in it. I didn’t turn around because I knew I might lash out, seeing his smug face. “Well, considering she has been kidnapped by a mass murdering robot, I think her jacket would be the last thing on her mind”, I replied. I moved forward in order to keep my distance from him.
“I wouldn’t count on it, Red. No one can multitask like Natasha Romanoff. She could be strangling bad guys while planning a party with Clint on comms”, he replied. He wanted to make it sound like a casual quip and yet I could sense a hint of concern in his voice.
One more thing to feel guilty about. While the cradle had been safely intercepted by the archer, his companion had been taken by Ultron. Clearly, she is a valuable member of the Avengers and now her disappearance has given this team another reason to hate me. Not that I blame them, considering my actions have laid the groundwork for a world ending event.
“I didn’t want this”,the words came out of my mouth before I could stop them. I didn’t want to lament to this man who had been the cause of my insanity. Standing here next to him reminded me of my own foolishness, my blind thirst for revenge and what it had led to.
I heard a quiet sigh, and then his softly spoken words,”I know. But you can’t think about that right now. There is a job that needs to be done Wanda, and we need all hands on deck.”
“And you think we would be enough for him?” I found myself asking him.
“We have to be. Because the alternative is global destruction and that is simply not an option”, he said with a new found resolve.
It astonished me how he could sound so self assured even in such circumstances. Or maybe I was wrong and he was just a very good actor, skilled at concealing his true emotions.
“And you think this creation of yours would be on our side?”, I asked eyeing the foreign being. Even though he has shown no hint of hostility towards us, I still couldn’t stop feeling fear at his every step. Stark’s first creation has already done enough damage. How could he know for certain that his second creation won’t follow it’s predecessor.
“This creation of mine has the building blocks of JARVIS, my loyal and empathetic AI. He won’t be anything like Ultron” he said confidently, but there was something else in his voice. A deep sorrow, that of losing a friend.
I looked around the facility, seeing everyone with tensed but determined faces, preparing for a battle they knew could not be won without blood. They all knew what they were heading towards and yet I could not see a hint of uncertainty in their actions. I knew that they would do whatever it took to defeat Ultron, even if it came at a personal cost.
Finally, I turned around to look at Stark. I expected to see anger, hostility, hate or frustration directed at me and yet the only thing I found was a silent unshakable resolve in his eyes. He knew what I had done to him, of this I had no doubt. And yet here he was ready to go into battle with me, asking me to have his back.
In this moment, I couldn’t feel a fraction of the hate that I have always felt for this man.
“I wish I could go back in time” I said with a sigh leaving my lips. “I could’ve stopped you……could’ve just killed you on that base” I said, trying to inject some hostility in my words but failing spectacularly.
Stark didn’t rise to the bait. With a sad smile on his lips, he replied “Considering our present circumstances Ms.Maximoff, I think I would have preferred the same.”
I knew he was telling the truth.