Clint didn't say anything in the Quinjet on the way home. Mostly because he knew starting a conversation with Katya would be a bad idea. From his pilot seat, he kept scanning the air for any sign of danger in case Ultron would come for the cradle again. 

The only danger that could come to him however was inside the jet, in the form of a furious and anxiety-filled blonde woman. She kept her hand on the gun tied around her leg, ready to pull it out at any time, making her feel a little more in control. It was a good thing Katya could multi-task because there were a lot of things going through her head. 

Her boots had worn a path into the floor, walking back and forth impatiently. She didn't even have the patience for her twirling knife. The bubble in her chest was ready to burst. She needed to yell at somebody, anybody. But Clint hadn't given her a reason to yet.

There was a scan running for any sign of Natasha. The second her face popped up on a CCTV camera or in the background of someone's cellphone video, an alarm would go off. There was nothing more Katya could do to find her. Surrendering to technology sucked and only made her feel more helpless.

The tension kept building inside her body and her footsteps kept getting faster until finally she couldn't take it anymore. ''If we don't land really soon, I'm going to kill the next person I see,'' Katya grumbled, afraid to speak louder and risk losing control.

''But, that's me,'' Clint said horrified. 

Katya stopped dead in her tracks for the first time in hours, throwing a deadly glare at the back of his head for speaking back to her. ''Exactly, so step on it.'' Her voice was filled with poison and although Clint knew this was the anxiety talking, he did whatever he could to fly faster.

The cradle in the middle of the jet was what Katya kept her eyes on most of the time. It was unsettling knowing a deadly body sat inside. Built to kill better than her. Built to crush bones with a simple squeeze of its fist. 

Part of her wanted to shoot it to parts, blow holes in the machine until it was on fire and sparks flew off. However, there was no telling what would happen if she did. It could be worse.

The image of Ultron pulling Natasha out of the jet and taking off with her, kept playing behind her eyelids. Every time she blinked, she was back in front of Cho's lab, staring up at the bright sky to see the most important person in her life get abducted by a murder robot. 

It would be a miracle if she was still alive. A miracle she would ever get her back.

Bruce and Tony were back at the Tower, waiting for the Quinjet to get the cradle out, and were rudely pushed aside by Katya when they walked in with pity-filled frowns on their faces, opening their mouths to say sorry. The woman stormed out of the claustrophobic vehicle and didn't even bother to change.

Instead, she stormed right down to the room underneath the lab where more of Tony's expensive equipment stood. Katya wasn't the best at computers but did know how to work most things. 

Above her head, through the glass ceiling, the others were walking around the cradle. Their footsteps almost soundless and their words were even more unintelligible. 

Of course Stark had made everything soundproof. 

It wasn't long before Clint joined her downstairs and searched the room for a specific machine. Katya didn't pay much attention to him until he dropped an old school radio on her desk. She looked up, meeting his emotionless smile. ''Old school style,'' he tried to joke.

Katya nodded, understanding what he meant to say, and offered her seat to him. Quickly, he plugged in cables and shifted through different frequencies, hoping to find any sign of life from Natasha. 

With Katya out of a job again, she found herself pacing, again. She bit her already non-existing nails so heavily they started bleeding and her body suddenly got really hot in her suit. Sweat tickled down her spine and the nausea had never settled down to begin with. Her whole body trembled as if she had caught the flu.

Clint spared her some glances every now and then, shaking his head in worry. Never had he seen two people who cared more about each other than those two. It amazed him every single day.

The shadows of Banner and Stark fell on the ground below Katya's feet, the silent static from the radio filled the room. It was earie silent as both agents prayed for any sign of life. 

A low tone interrupted the static for only a millisecond, but it stopped Katya in her tracks and Clint's breathing. More short and long interruptions followed, clearly creating a pattern.

A smile broke through Clint's concentrated exterior and even Katya found herself smiling. She rushed towards the desk, watching the computer as Clint typed in the coordinates. 

It was the same base they had raided a little over a week ago. The HYDRA base in Sokovia. 

Clint wrote the coordinates down, shaking his head while smiling proudly. ''Told you she would come through,'' he said to Katya. ''You should give your girlfriend more credit from time to time.''

''Fiancée.'' 

It was out before she knew it, but didn't regret saying it. Not after the face he made as a result of it.

Clint snapped his head up, mouth slightly agape. ''I'm sorry, what?!''

Katya shrugged casually, sitting on the solid wooden desk. ''Surprise?''

Clint gasped, rising from his seat to give a soft slap on her shoulder. ''When did that happen and why didn't you tell me?!'' He exclaimed offended. 

Katya chuckled softly, unable to contain her giddiness. This conversation with Clint made it all suddenly very real. ''On the floor of your guest bathroom.'' She ignored Clint's worried face. ''And we wanted to see how long it would take you guys to figure it out. So don't tell Nat I told you or I might be uninvited to my own wedding.''

Clint sighed in slight disappointment. ''Did you seriously make a bet on your own engagement?''

Natasha and Katya's betting was iconic. They bet on everything. How long Steve could go without rolling his eyes at Tony at team meetings. How many pancakes Thor could eat in one sitting. Who could get Banner to blush first with inappropriate comments. 

Sometimes the others joined and it turned into a big pool with Natasha as the big winner most of the time. 

''You know Nat. She'll take every chance to extort money from me,'' Katya chuckled, but Clint didn't join her, he was too distracted with his own thoughts.

He surprised her by pulling her into a hug. Somehow, Katya felt like his sister-in-law despite Natasha not being family by blood. They had all learned from a young age that real family wasn't bonded by blood but by heart. Katya didn't remember her parents but she did know family because of these two amazing people in her life and the team she had been gifted.

''I'm so happy for you,'' Clint said in her ear. ''This was a long time coming. There are no other people I ever believed were made for each other more than the two of you.''

''Thanks Clint,'' Katya whispered against his shoulder. He was the only other person she let hug her without asking first. He was her brother. She considered him to be.

''Wait, are you crying?'' She teased him.

''No,'' he tried to defend himself, but his high-pitched voice and sniffles betrayed him. Without looking at her, he pulled back and sat back down in his seat. 

Katya laughed silently and punched his shoulder. She was about to say something when something above her caught her eye. It was difficult to see but Pietro's streaks of speed were quite unforgettable and were burned into her brain. 

The boy was pulling plugs out of the lab's machines before anyone knew what was going on. Proudly, he dropped them on the ground, half the lights in the room out. 

Katya acted fast and pulled her gun, shooting up at the boy's feet. It wasn't her intention to kill him, at least not yet, but he needed to be away from the cradle. 

His sister yelled his name when the glass panel under his feet broke and he fell into the room below, right in front of Katya's pissed-off figure. Her gun was aimed at his chest and Clint joined her, grinning down. ''You didn't see that coming?''

Their victory was short lived however, when the sound of Steve's shield filled the air. Now that the floor was missing one panel, Katya could hear everything happening upstairs and it wasn't nice. 

More machines exploded by Steve's hand, something Tony didn't allow. With a piece of his suit wrapped around his arm, the billionaire shot the supersoldier backwards.

Bruce moved for Wanda, wrapping his arm around her neck. ''Go ahead, piss me off,'' he hissed at her. The witch froze in place right as Katya and Clint rushed up the stairs, leaving Pietro to interrupt this useless fight between team mates. Katya was beginning to grow tired of Tony and Steve's constant arguing. 

This cost time they didn't have. What they needed to do was get Natasha out of Ultron's grasp and go to Sokovia. 

Katya had to jump aside when Steve came flying towards her while Tony was blown the opposite way. Wanda grasped this opportunity to push her magic into Bruce, who stumbled backwards.

Katya didn't know where to point her gun. It wasn't exactly nice to aim it at her team mates and to be quite fair, she was also afraid to target Wanda. A deep fear had settled into her stomach. A deep fear for the girl who had shown her such powerful visions they would haunt her for years to come. 

Luckily, Thor came to the rescue, interrupting everyone's fighting by jumping on top of the cradle. It wasn't immediately clear what he meant to do, but as soon as he raised his hammer and summoned lightning, Katya dropped her hand in shock. 

''Wait!'' Bruce yelled, but it was too late. Everyone had to cover their eyes from the brightness when Thor forced the electricity into the cradle, powering it up immensely fast. The crackling of electricity filled the room for no longer than a heartbeat until it turned awfully silent.

Katya dropped the hand from her eyes and joined the others in warily watching the cradle. It was such a tense silence everyone jumped when a figure burst out, elegantly but strong.

It crouched down on the edge, staring at the ground. It wasn't much taller than Cap or Thor and had a human body, but that's not what was unsettling. Its color was a deep red, muscle red, with silver of the Vibranium metal weaved through it. 

Katya aimed her weapon at it while groaning inwardly. Another weird, unhuman thing they had to deal with. Wasn't dealing with two enhanced and an army of robots enough?

Slowly, the body stood, looking around confused but calm. The bright orange stone between his eyes was the first thing Katya noticed. This was the thing Cho had warned Steve about. It's power uncontainable.

When it saw Thor - Katya kept calling the thing ''it'', unsure what else to call it - it lunged for him. But Thor saw it coming from miles away and grabbed its arms, swinging it over his head, through the glass wall of the lab and into the area below where the party had been. Right before it smashed through the outside glass too, it stopped suddenly as if unaffected by its speed.

Thor jumped after him, followed by Steve who had shot into soldier-mode. Katya was more hesitant to follow, but couldn't stay behind alone either. Her gun she kept at the ready, slowly treading down the stairs.

The body stared out the window into the city below. At night, New York was even more beautiful. Katya loved the night, loved the dark. It gave her a sense of safety daylight never could. In the night, everyone was unanimous, unfiltered. In the darkness was when you got to know people. They hid less of themselves.

The whole team waited in silence, prepared to fight if needed. 

Katya was on edge in situations like this, but she was always calm. Now however, a restlessness plagued her body and mind and she had to force herself to stay still. 

Finally, the body turned away from the window, changing the ''clothes'' on its body to a dull grey and replicating Thor's cape. Now, it looked more human, although he could never completely be. Floating over towards Thor, he landed soundlessly.

''I'm sorry,'' it spoke calmly in a surprising British accent to the god. ''That was...odd. Thank you.''

The people around her relaxed, but Katya couldn't bring herself to lower her gun. She didn't underestimate anyone anymore. 

''Thor.'' Steve pulled his gaze to him. ''You helped create this?'' He asked outraged. He couldn't understand why the god would finish Ultron's project.

''I've had a vision. A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life and at its center is that.'' Thor pointed at the stone on the body's forehead. At least Thor's visions were useful instead of only giving the seer nightmares.

Bruce stepped closer, eyebrows furrowed. ''What, the gem?''

''It's the Mind Stone,'' Thor explained. ''It's one of the six Infinity Stones, the greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities.''

Katya stared at the god with an empty look in her eyes. In all her years of life, she had never heard of something called an Infinity Stone. But whatever it was had the god of thunder impressed, which he wasn't easily. 

Steve still didn't understand. Nobody understood what the stone had to do with Thor creating this. ''Then why would you bring it to-''

-''Because Stark is right,'' the god interrupted.

Bruce groaned. ''Oh, it's definitely the end times.''

Katya dared take her eyes off the strange creation in her living room to throw Banner a glare. It worked because he cringed slightly and backed off.

''The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron,'' Thor started.

''Not alone,'' the body added, slowly taking a step towards the team. He was mostly interested in Katya, who still hadn't dropped her weapon. She didn't even know where to aim, if the thing even had a heart, but it made her feel a tad bit safer. 

It tilted his head, studying her defensive stance. Then he suddenly turned away, as if deciding she wasn't a threat. She didn't know whether to be offended or not.

''Why does your "vision" sound like JARVIS?'' Steve was still far from happy with these new developments, carefully circling the body. 

Tony stared at it, completely shocked and surprised. He had a hard time mumbling out words because he was so distracted with the creation. ''We...we reconfigured JARVIS' matrix to create something new.''

Steve threw him a glare. ''I think I've had my fill of new.''

Even the twins weren't sure what to think of this new presence in the room. Pietro was smart enough to stand close to his sister, protecting her in case it tried something like it did with Thor. 

''You think I'm a child of Ultron?'' It asked calmly, addressing his question to Steve who shamelessly looked it up and down. It was kinda rude if you asked Katya.

''You're not?''

A simple headshake followed. ''I'm not Ultron,'' it denied. ''I'm not JARVIS. I am...'' Vision was looking for a word to describe himself but couldn't find anything. Instead, he settled for a being who's existing, ''I am.''

Tony and Bruce, the science bros, stared at it as if they saw water on fire. It was funny to see them so dumbfounded and impressed. It wasn't easy to get Tony Stark impressed.

Katya was put even more on edge when Wanda stepped forward in a threatening way, her fists balled. ''I looked in your head and saw annihilation,'' she hissed at Vision.

''Look again.''

Clint laughed, making Katya jump slightly because it was so close to her ear. ''Yeah. Her seal of approval means jack to me.''

Thor was quick to jump in and avoid another fight. ''Their powers, the horrors in our heads, Ultron himself, they all came from the Mind Stone, and they're nothing compared to what it can unleash. But with it on our side...''

''Is it?'' Steve interrupted. ''Are you? On our side?''

Everyone stared at Vision, Katya gripping her weapon a little tighter in case the answer wasn't what it was supposed to be. 

''I don't think it's that simple,'' it finally spoke, calm as ever. The fact that he always spoke so in control and slow was really annoying. 

Clint scoffed. ''Well it better get real simple real soon.''

Vision started walking around, looking everyone in the eye. ''I am on the side of life. Ultron isn't, he will end it all.''

''What's he waiting for?'' Tony asked. 

Katya hadn't said anything the whole time. She'd rather observe from a distance and try to keep a clear head instead of joining the arguing. It didn't look like she had any choice though, when Vision stopped and looked her dead in the eye while answering Tony's question.

''You.''

They had a staring contest. Katya trying to read Vision while he did the same to her. Nothing he said or did radiated he was a threat. But since he was something new, it was impossible to know what his tells would be. Could he even lie?

''Where?'' Katya vaguely heard Bruce asking.

Since she wasn't going to answer, Clint did it for her. ''Sokovia. He's got Nat there too.''

Katya's stomach dropped and she was once again reminded of the danger Natasha was in. This conversation was taking way too long. She felt some eyes on her at Clint's announcement, but they were gone quickly. The team knew better than to show pity.

Footsteps behind Vision finally made him break eye contact with Katya and he turned around to see Bruce stepping towards him, his hands forever awkwardly clenched together in front of his stomach. ''If we're wrong about you, if you're the monster that Ultron made you to be...''

''What will you do?'' Vision genuinely asked, but he was met with silence. Silence he understood was meaning to say: we're going to destroy you. ''I don't want to kill Ultron. He's unique, and he's in pain. But that pain will roll over the earth, so he must be destroyed.''

Katya felt herself becoming convinced Vision wasn't a threat to them. The way he talked so confidently and the fact he wanted to kill Ultron was enough for now. 

''Every form he's built, every trace of his presence on the net, we have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others.'' It looked at its hands, turning them around. ''Maybe I am a monster. I don't think I'd know if I were one. I'm not what you are, and not what you intended. So there may be no way to make you trust me. But we need to go.''

Everyone, including Katya, froze into place, mouths dropped open. Vision had grabbed Thor's hammer from the table and casually offered it to the god. He held it so casually, like it wasn't a big deal.

That was the first time Katya dropped her gun, not ready to completely holster it, but she dared let herself be more vulnerable. If Vision could lift the hammer, certainly he wasn't a threat to her or the team.

Thor was the first one to break out of the shock, patting Stark on the shoulder as a compliment. ''Right. Well done.''

''Three minutes. Get what you need.'' Steve ordered his team. 

Katya was already halfway out the door, still in her mission suit and not bothering to help the twins. She didn't owe them anything and her hands were still itching to shoot at least one of them. She wasn't one to let go of a vendetta easily, it would take more than helping Steve fight Ultron. Something in which both Wanda and Pietro had also failed. 

~~~~~~~~

A/N: found the time to write this in a very busy week! Not much happening here but hope you enjoyed it. Happy new year to you and let's hope and pray that 2021 will be better than 2020. Remember to stay safe, drink water and take care of yourself.