You Need More Hands
The Avengers were seated around a table, spread out in Clint Barton’s kitchen with Nick Fury, discussing Ultron. Anwyn had lingered unnoticed in the shadows, flinching when she heard that the maniacal metal murderer had made off with stolen vibranium, ”More than enough to make weapons that would render the armies of the world, and the Avengers, helpless.”
“Guy’s multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit. Still doesn’t get us an angle on any of his plans though.” Fury always did have an interesting sense of humor.
Anwyn chuckled from the shadows and strode forward. Nick didn’t even glance at her. “About time you showed up, Sentinel.” Steve’s eyes lit up as he saw her and she offered him a soft smile. Natasha didn’t even flinch, Tony raised an eyebrow…Clint and Banner stared in consternation. They knew who she was, but had never seen her in the flesh.
She leaned against the door, clad in her tactical gear sans mask. “No time ta gawk. Let’s work. Even my people are dead in the water right now. That homicidal robot has really thrown a wrench into our operations.”
The conversation had continued almost as if she wasn’t present, observing and quietly taking in every piece of information from the side of the room. “Someone keeping nuclear codes from him? Take the little victories where ya can get ‘em I guess…” Anwyn thought to herself as they discussed finding the person responsible. If the Sentinels had been able to operate unhindered, she figured they could have located their sneaky ally within a day. But of course, everything was thoroughly fucked right now because that was how things went.
The topic switched from nuclear codes and shadowy friends to Ultron’s end-game, what he was really after. Fury seemed convinced he was aiming for global destruction, and Wyn was inclined to agree with him. She had her own suspicions for his motives and methods; pessimistic ones of course. And if fate behaved how it usually did, the reality would be worse than she anticipated.
“So what does he want?” Nick asked. “To become better. Better than us. He keeps building bodies.” Steve replied.
“Person bodies. The human form is inefficient, biologically speaking. We’re out-moded. But he keeps coming back to it.” Tony’s eyes flicked to her as he spoke, a faint challenge gleaming in his eyes. The Sentinel fought the overwhelming desire to inform him that his body was out-moded…her own was an upgrade. “But not for long, if Ultron doesn’t cool his shit…” She sighed at the thought, missing the days where Steve and the Sentinels were the strangest things in the world.
“When you two programmed him to protect the human race, you amazingly failed.” Natasha sounded both annoyed and slightly flabbergasted. Anwyn strode from her door frame and pulled out a chair. The redhead’s face became almost friendly as her eyes raked over the Welsh woman in front of her. She leaned back and tapped her fingers together, peering at Dr. Banner whose face slammed shut like a door under her gaze. The message conveyed by her expression was clear: ”Why did you let Tony Stark off his leash?”
A soft, barely audible amused sigh had her peering back over at Romanov. Nightingale knew Black Widow would never admit it aloud, but she was glad to have her turn up. One more person to help clean up this mess. None of the Avengers took having their asses kicked very well, and an extra set of skilled hands might be what they needed to tip the odds into their favor again. Or so Anwyn hoped; Ultron was a threat beyond what she was used to contending with. He made Hydra and the dickheads she targeted on the regular look like choir boys.
Bruce slowly made his way towards the table and stared at a drawing from one of the children before he spoke. “They don’t need to be protected, they need to evolve. Ultron’s going to evolve.”
A chill stole down her spine at his words. The biggest evolutionary jumps in the history of the world had been after mass extinctions. She’d read that in one of the paleontology books she had in her library at home. Fury was right; the bastard was going to try to kill everyone on the planet. He had enough bodies, enough access to information and enough vibranium to make that a real possibility. All to force evolution, to be rid of humanity which he viewed as a violent plague. To bring “peace” to Earth.
“Sonofabitch.” Anwyn breathed as she stood up and stepped away from the kitchen table.
“Hey, Nuke!” Tony called and she turned around to look at him. “You have somethin’ you wanna share with the class?” She nodded, too distracted to throw his sass back at him. “You people are in waaaay over your damn heads here. You need more hands. An’ I need my other half.”
Steve looked at her in shock and she realized he thought she meant Bucky. “My sister, icebrain.” She smiled a crooked smile at him and opened her jump point, vanishing before anybody else could speak. “I hate when she does that.” Steve muttered. “I need to know how she does that.” Stark quipped.
***
“Eira!” Anwyn’s footsteps were heavy as she tore through the lab, frantic. Bucky poked his head out of a doorway, smile dying on his lips. She looked harried, panicked. More so than he had ever seen her in all the time he’d known her. “Buck, ya need ta stay here. I don’t care what ya see or what ya hear. Whatever comes next, stay in this house ‘til I come back for you. Promise me!”
He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into a hug, trying to calm her. And trying to calm the anxiety rising in his own throat. “I promise, but what’s goin’ on?” Eira had come up behind them now. “What do ya know about that bot?” Anwyn reluctantly pulled free of Bucky’s arms ran her hands through her hair. “That he’s gonna be a huge fuckin’ problem real quick. He’s been diggin’ around for nuke codes, an’ he has vibranium.”
Eira’s mouth dropped open and her sister continued. “This ain’t about Stark. He means ta kill us all. No humans, no war...world peace. Stark an’ Banner really screwed the pooch on this one.”
Shadow was silent for a moment before her pale face went even paler. “I think I know exactly what he’s gonna do with that vibranium. Rocky got some intel before he pulled the plug on everything. Helen Cho went missin' just hours ago.” Anwyn’s fingers went to her belt where she had her new assortment of knives. Fancy ones that she could direct back to her after they were thrown.
Bucky grabbed her twitchy fingers and pulled her around to look at him. “You’re getting’ right in the middle of it, aren’t ya? I know that look. You’ll blow your cover…” Anwyn nodded. “Exposure is the least of my worries if he succeeds.” She cupped his face and kissed the corner of his mouth. “I have plans for you an’ me for the future. No way am I letting some metal-assed maniac take that away. I have ta go.”
His blue eyes were filled with fear, and resignation. He knew she would go regardless of what he said. And honestly, he would make the same call if he was in her place. She sighed softly as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Listen, I could come with-“ “No.” She cut him off. “You’ve hid in plain sight all this time, but if ya get into this…there will be nowhere for ya ta hide. From Hydra or the world. Trust me…stay here, please.” Bucky buried his face into her neck. “Ok, I trust you. Love you, doll.” “I love you too, Buck.”
“Lemme get some gear an’ send out a message…I’ve kicked asses at your side for decades an’ ya aren’t leavin’ me home while you go have all the fun.” Eira said softly before smiling at her sister when she turned around. “Think Steve’ll turn red as his shield if I flirt with him again?”
“Jesus, Mary an’ Joseph. End of the world an’ you wanna flirt with Captain America.” Bucky snickered, unsurprised. He remembered how Eira had unabashedly flirted with Steve the day he married Anwyn. “If I’m gonna die, I’m gonna have a little fun first.” “Shut up an’ go get your shit together, clock is tickin’.”