Chapter 23

"FRIDAY..." Tony's shock filters through the comm and I know everyone felt it.

"Sokovia's going for a ride." The AI answers gravely.

I rise from my position on the ground, legs shaky and unnerved from having failed to save the City from rising.

Rubble and concrete.

Buildings and structures.

They all fall like rain. Pelting innocents and bystanders.

Guilt.

Guilt can come later.

"Do you see? The beauty of it?" Ultron's voice echoes around us, from the bots to himself. "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."

Releasing a loud cry of anger, I decimated the three bots that circled me, their parts turning to dust.

No. We weren't going to fail.

I won't let him.

I've gone through too much to die now.

I sure as hell am not gonna let my team perish in this aftermath.

"Purge me from your 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 ground continues to rise, gravity fighting hard against the floating City. I watch as Steve looks over the edge of what was once the bridge, his features contorted in pure sorrow and anger.

People were going to die.

"Cap, you got incoming--"

Tony's warning came a little too late because a bot pummeled into Steve and knocked him far back.

Of course, I should've looked, because he knocked right into me too.

We both hit the screen of a car, cracking the glass instantaneously.

"Incoming already came," Steve mutters breathlessly, struggling to get up from his position.

I wheezed in pain, holding onto my bruised side. "Dammit Steve I know we play in bed but you should've asked if you wanted it rough,"

Steve pulls me up, holding onto my fingers so I could balance my figure from falling face first.

He doesn't even bat an eye at my comment and I know it's because of the gravity of the situation.

"I use to think Cap's wrong about the timing but now I see," Clint grumbled. "Lorelie, you have the worst timing on planet earth."

"One of my many specialities," I tell him, huffing for air.

The bots were crawling all around us and already I could feel blood leaking on the side of my face due to a cut I must've gotten.

"Stark you worry about bringing the City back down safely. The rest of us have one job: tear these things apart."

Both Steve and I looked at the chaos around us, and I lunged first, knocking onto a bot in the air and dismantling it to pieces.

"You get hurt, hurt em' back. You get killed..." He paused and joined me, throwing his shield so it kicks the bot back into a beam.

"Walk it off."

God, I missed his orders. I think we're overdue.

"Lorelie, bridge, now!" Steve points at the collapsing beams. There were people still stuck in their cars.

Whipping out branches of lights, they wrap themselves around the frame of the collapsing concrete and latched hard.

I pulled my hands backwards, forcing them to obey my command instead of gravity.

Steve runs over to the passengers but the ground gives way causing two cars to go over the side.

He latches onto a woman's red car, struggling to hold onto it. Just before she can reach for his hand, the bumper breaks apart and she free falls downwards, screaming.

"No!" I let my hold on the bridge go and pillared myself forward, the dust kicking beneath my feet as I held out a hand, slowing the car down.

The bridge began to sway uncontrollably and I split the power. Keeping one hand over the cars and the other on stopping the bridge.

It's heart-wrenching, my powers faltering with the staggering weight.

I can't hold on for long.

Throwing my head back, I let out a shout. "Thor!"

As if on cue, a flash of the god of thunder's blond hair flies up in view. He'd heard my panicked cries.

Thor sees the pummeling civilians as they fall back down to earth and grasp onto the woman in the red car.

Not wanting to waste time, Thor throws the woman upwards in one brutal move and I release the hold of the red car, letting the metal disappear off the edge.

"I got you!" Steve hung himself downwards and grapples the lady's hand, catching her in time. "Just look at me!"

They were practically hanging off the bridge.

"Steve, move that ass!" Behind me, the sounds of screaming civilians were growing in weight.

More people need to be saved.

The Super Soldier, expertly climbs up the bridge to where I am, instantly noticing who I'm full-blown struggling. He lets the lady go directing her to shelter.

"You can't save them all," A bot comes from behind me and I dodge, letting Steve handle it.

He throws the shield against the bot, cracking it in two.

"You'll never--"

Steve activates the magnet on his arm and the bot stumbles forward, following the shield before Steve kicks it off the bridge.

"You'll never what?" He shouts, purposely mocking it. "You didn't finish!"

Thor comes up with the other car as soon as the bot disappears off the edge.

My fingers twitch in response, the lights flickering in between my palms as the bridge begins to shatter.

"What, were you napping?" Steve exasperatedly tells Thor as both males got off the bridge.

Fucking, finally.

I let go of the bridge and throw the last of my abilities downwards, destroying the structure permanently.

"You two certainly took your time," Rolling my eyes, I ran over to join them as the bots began to swarm, coming in uncontrollable directions.

It never stops.

Left and right.

Up and down.

I've killed my dozenth bot and wiped off oil at the side of my face when I finally gaze at the two males in front of me--huffing exasperatedly.

"Will this be a good time to say I regret getting out of that room in the Helicarrier?"

I kicked into a bot without looking and sliced the chest with my energy blade.

The blade fizzles through, decapitating in half. Almost instantly, all bots have turned their attention at what I did.

Oh shit.

"Thor, Steve!" Calling out a warning as the bots neared, Steve and Thor exchanged looks.

Steve is the first to move, quickly throwing his shield and making the god of thunder, hit the death Frisbee across the gathering bots.

It practically pinballs into them, crushing them to pieces along the way in zig-zag patterns.

All those training strategies were paying off. I breathe out a sigh of relief.

Aliens.

Metal bots.

What else does the world have to offer?

Thor slams a bot towards a gas truck and it explodes, sending heat and fire raining upon us.

"Thor," Ultron appeared overhead and I slammed my fingers together, creating a huge megaton energy ball.

"You're bothering me," He flies at the god of thunder and latches onto his neck.

I throw out the energy ball--intent to stop him, but Ultron is quicker.

He dodges the attack and drags Thor away from the situation, leaving Steve and me to handle a secondary wave of bots as they barreled through.

I can't get to him.

"Alright, we're all clear here," Clint speaks.

"We are not clear! We are very not clear!" Steve slams himself onto his shield at the bot, practically plating back to the ground on his back.

Dammit, why does he like to do that?

Hurling as much energy barricades towards the number of bots, I worked together with the Super Soldier, allowing his physical skills to take out the foot soldiers while I destroy the ones airborne.

"Heads up!"

A feminine voice rings crystal clear.

Natasha appeared from my peripheral vision and crashed onto a distracted bot, whipping out her electric batons and dismantling it to pieces.

"Romanoff!" Steve throws his shield over to the Black Widow and she gratefully grabs it, hiding behind as the bot shot at her.

"Don't even think about it," Weaving my fingers, I did a loop and tore its limbs apart, using the parts to slam them down its head.

Natasha stands up from her position, picking up the shield with one hand, her gaze turning bright upon noticing me.

"Thanks," She grins, walking over.

I lunge at her body and hugged her tight. "You shouldn't have done that," My voice is breathless--referring to the fact that she saved me from Ultron.

"Better me than you," She pats my shoulder comfortingly and I can't help but sigh.

Every inch of my soul is re-settled now that she was safe and sound.

Steve rounds up in front of us, breaking the moment. "Banner?"

"Occupied," Natasha gave a smirk.

As if on cue a large roar pierced the air followed by sounds of crushing metal.

Steve gives out a wry smile. "Well--"

A fresh wave of bots was descending, and quickly. The third wave had begun. We were forced to split up, given they had us all cornered.

Instead of attacking us all at once, the bots circled each of us into our own private little battle zone, effectively preventing any of us to help each other.

It was smart.

But annoying.

"I'm definitely disowning you!" I cartwheeled backwards, whipping out two energy blades, and slicing the bot's leg clean off.

Three more shot at me, the beams bouncing off as I deflect each and every one.

Beside and behind me, Steve and Natasha were struggling to keep up against their attackers and I lost focus when I attempted to reach out and help them.

The lights branch in threads, impaling every bot it could find.

I almost finish the job in minimizing the damage that was surely going to--

"Ah!" My body is thrown to the side and into a concrete slab.

I flopped like a rag doll as I land, face first, bones grating, knees scrapping on the hard rocks.

"Lorelie?!" Steve is shouting in the distance, glancing in my direction with worry. He can't help me as the bots are doing everything in they can to over power him.

Natasha manages to strike a bot down with her baton. She whips her hair backwards, voice careening.

"Riles, you gotta get up!"

I'm trying.

"F-Fuck." Timidly touching the burning sizzling spot just below my hip, I looked at the bot that shot me.

Those red hollow eyes seemed to be mocking at my fallen form.

My eyes narrowed.

Without warning, the head blew apart--automatically causing a malfunction. It lands on it's knees and stays that way, frozen in time.

I was pissed.

Because Tony built the damn bot.

Because Banner helped him.

Because I was the reason, the twins decided to get enhanced.

Because I, was connected to the infinity stones.

Everything around me felt like it was swaying.

Collapsing--maybe even shattering.

But then I realize, everything is shaking.

Everything is shattering.

Slowing, I rose to my knees, hands on the crumbled ground, fingers creasing, my powers sparking alive on their own accord.

They flare across my chest, arms, torso, like blue fire--igniting something deep within me.

Something unknown.

Yet something so familiar.

Like a ghost from my past, this was the same feeling I experienced three years ago.

When Loki told me it never left me.

The dark energy.

It curled higher around me, seeping deep into my bones, my veins and the blood that ran through it. The pull was there.

The pull that demanded me to follow what it wanted, to consume and consume until all that was left is destruction.

No. I refuse to be a puppet to it. For too long it has had a hold on me. For too long its caused me to fear who I am, what I am and what I can do.

Now? Now it's my turn.

NO!

The command was loud and clear, the force of my voice raising a bunch of debris around me.

You don't control me.

The debris began to swirl. Bluish green and gold lights whirled around in a beginning of a tornado and there I stand, directly in its center.

The dark energy began to fizzle, protesting and lashing like electric spikes.

I took that escaping wave and pulsate it throughout my body, absorbing it whole and instantly strengthening what I lost.

I, command you.

The dark energy absorbs my request like a sponge and when I open my eyes, I know it has done as I asked.

Natasha is the first to notice the change in temperature. The dark hovering shadow, growing and growing--behind me.

She destroys a bot and stumbles towards me, her green eyes faltering at the sight before her.

"God, Riles... Your eyes..."

I gave a sharp nod, and she doesn't object, feet shuffling a couple meters behind so she wasn't too close

Even with the distance, I could still hear her whisper, as though it is meant for no one but, herself.

"Their black..."

My gaze found the Super Soldier--distracted by the bots that were all pining him down. I shot out a hand, dragging him out of their hold and towards us.

He turns on his side, caught off guard, but when he sees what is happening around us, how the rocks are rising, how the ground is shaking, how the air trembles, his expression turned to shock.

"R-Riley?"

Stepping forward, the swirling debris began to spin, creating a whirlwind, that sucks all air and life.

It shielded us from the bots that were trying to get through.

"Are you seeing this?"

The tornado rose higher, electricity crackling at the highest point, morphing the color into my signature powers.

"Yeah..." Steve replies to Clint. "It's Riley."

"Holy shit."

I moved, walking through the swarm and the heavy masses, instantly turning anything that got too near into mere dust.

Everything was crumbling upon impact, everything was disintegrating with each step forward--and I couldn't help but feel it, the power, the control I wielded.

I shared a connection to all six of the Infinity stones.

I held a power even I can't understand.

"Uh... Cap, there's more than one tornado..."

Steve and Natasha flinched when another bluish green energy-filled tornado erupted behind us, the tail spinning round and round and sweeping everything away.

My echolocation tells me there are dozens of them sweeping across the floating City as I speak.

"When will you stop, trying to save them?" Ultron's voice rang loud among the bots.

They started shooting beams at the tornado I encased us in. Each time it tried to impact us, a piece of debris would appear right in its way, making it near impossible for them to create an opening.

"You should save your breath," I said.

Ultron fumed. "You are making a big mistake--" Attacks were shooting from every which direction. "These people you call family, they will turn on you, such as the basis of humanity, they fear what they cannot control!"

Missiles and bullets struck the tornado, all of it ripped apart in nano-seconds.

"They will know you are not one of them, and when that day comes, you will be left alone to rot and to die--your own selflessness will be the cause of your destruction."

"You can lie all you want, but we both know it's true," The red hollow eyes were staring straight back at me, directly into my soul.

"Dark Witch, you care, far too much."

Enraged, I lash out at the bots flying above us, eyes flashing.

"Yeah well, you made the wrong choice when you decided," My fists began to curl, words practically a hiss.

"When I decided what?"

Sparks erupted from my hands. Blue, green, gold-- they are brilliant, they are powerful, they are who I am.

A dark smile escaped me.

"When you decided to hurt my family."

I pushed them to the front, dragging the glowing tornado forward and onto the machines.

Fire reigned--the machines exploded all at once, some getting swept up and torn into pieces. The air crackle with an electricity that bore down on all of us, the thunderous winds growing too much at once.

Panic from my team spread across the City rang from the ear comm, loud and clear.

"Blues, break it up!" Tony. "You'll rip the City apart!"

In one fell swoop, I smashed my hand to the ground, and the tornado evaporated, blowing the debris across the skies and blasting a building to pieces.

I watch it crumble and fall off the side of the edge before disappearing from view.

Not a single bot was left.

All that was left, is silence.

"What the f-"

"Language!" Steve stops Natasha, his eyes narrowing.

Natasha's mouth hung agape from where she stood before she holds out a finger pointing at where our attackers once were.

"Did you see that? Where the hell did they go Steve? Huh?" She sarcastically jabbed at him, giving me a wary look.

"Understatement of the century," Clint was muttering. "Hey Wanda, you good? Looks like you hit the wall pretty hard."

"There is a glowing tornado in front of me, do I attack it?" Snow White. 

"Don't touch anything shiny or glowing Pietro!" Scarlet warns, her voice shrill.

Shaking my head, I look onto my palms and notice how subtle they shake.

Steve is walking over to where I stand. He holds my arm, making me face him. He peers into my eyes, his concern was clear.

"You good?"

After a heavy thrust of my powers like that, I should have collapsed.

But not now. I felt powerful. Invincible.

I could destroy everything in my path without blinking an eye.

My wrists burned in response and I welcomed the pain, feeling it eat through me like a wildfire.

The veins gave me more power than I ever knew I had--than I ever knew I could hold.

I don't know if that was a good thing. I don't know if I should be worried.

Deep down inside, I am unaware of the struggle that persists in my soul, of the battle that reign against light and dark.

Leaning forward, I peered at him through my lashes and smiled.

"Steve... I've never felt more alive."

~~@ @ @~~

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