I don't own anything except any original/own characters and any original plot.

💫

Chapter 23- Sokovia

💫

"No way we all get through this. If even one tin soldier is left standing, we've lost. It's gonna be blood on the floor," Tony stated as they flew at top speed towards Sokovia.

"I got no plans tomorrow night," Steve shrugged.

"I get first crack at the big guy. Iron Man's the one he's waiting for."

"That's true, he hates you the most," Vision stated casually, making (Y/n) chuckle.

"Ultron knows we're coming. Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire, and that's what we signed up for. But the people of Sokovia, they didn't. So our priority is getting them out."

The ship landed and the ship near the edge of the city and they ran off, searching for Ultron.

"Wanda," (Y/n) looked to Wanda and she began to use her powers to get the people to leave. Pietro had run to the police station to notify them of what was going on.

"We need to protect the people, and find out what exactly Ultron has been building. We find Nat and clear the battlefield. Ultron believes that we're all monsters. This fight will tell us if we're right."

Tony flew off to track down Ultron and the source of what he was building. While he was doing that, the others were focused on the people. (Y/n) was standing by the bridge of the city, making sure that the citizens didn't panic to the point of attacking each other.

Everything was going as smooth as it could until Ultron's robots flew out from the center of the city and began to attack.

"Off the bridge!" (Y/n) yelled, knowing it was an easy target to knock down.

As the robots began to shoot Wanda rushed to the hero's side, raising a shield before (Y/n) could even react.

"Thanks," (Y/n) said breathlessly.

(Y/n) nodded to Wanda before she ran off, finding an area where the others weren't where the people needed protecting.

(Y/n) raised a shield, drawing her sword and slicing many of the bots in half. Suddenly, the city began to shake. (Y/n) noticed a large crack beginning to form in the sidewalk. The crack grew larger and larger until the part of the city that they were on began to rise above the rest.

"Go, now!"

Many of the citizens (Y/n) was protecting jumped off of the rising city and to the ground below to safety.

"Do you see? The beauty of it, the inevitability." Ultron began to speak over the city, his voice like a speaker as it overcame the loud panic happening around (Y/n), "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. 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."

(Y/n) growled in determination. She left the cleared section of the city and ran to meet the others at the bridge where the majority of the people seemed to be congregated.

"Stark, you worry about bringing the city back down safely. The rest of us have one job: tear these things apart. You get hurt, hurt 'em back. You die, walk it off."

(Y/n) waved her hands frantically, tuning several cars into platforms.

"Steve, cover me," (Y/n) ordered, "Everyone get on the platforms!"

As many people as could safely fit got onto the platforms, (Y/n) began to push them off of the city and towards the ground. With her being distracted she depended on Steve to stop any robots from taking her out.

"Good," (Y/n) muttered, raising her hand to bring the platforms back up so she could bring more people down.

Before she could set the platforms down entirely, she felt a shot skim her shoulder. Screaming in surprise she swung her hand and sent one of the platforms into the bot that shot her, tearing it apart.

"Good throw," Wanda complimented.

"Thanks- Look out!"

(Y/n) tackled Wanda into a nearby building as several bots came up behind her ready to shoot.

"How could I let this happen?" Wanda questioned in a panic, "This is all our fault."

"It's your fault, it's my fault, it's the team's fault it doesn't matter," (Y/n) shook her head, "Wanda you may have fought with us up until now, but you need to ask yourself if you're truly ready for this. I'm doing this because it is my obligation. If you go out there, and you fight, you fight to kill.  If you go out there, you fight, and you fight to kill. If you don't want to do this, I can send you back down. But if you leave this place, you are one of us. You're an Avenger."

(Y/n) went back to the battlefield through the window. She used to the two remaining platforms to get more people out of the line of fire. As she was doing so she noticed that many of the robots around her were being blasted with red light.

She turned with a grin to find Wanda exiting the home she had pushed her into.

"Oh good, I wouldn't have been able to do this without her," (Y/n) muttered to herself. She spotted a red head on the battlefield and immediately knew who it was, "Nat! Good to have you back!"

"The next wave's gonna hit any minute. What have you got, Stark?"

"Well, nothing great. Maybe a way to blow up the city. That'll keep it from impacting the surface if you guys can get clear. Impact radius is getting bigger every second."

"Not 'till everyone's safe," Steve shook his head.

"I don't know how fast I can work but I'm doing everything I can," (Y/n) yelled.

"There's worse ways to go. Where else am I gonna get a view like this?"

"Glad you like the view, Romanoff. It's about to get better," Fury said over the comms, a helicarrier appearing on the edge of the city, "Nice, right? I pulled her out of mothballs with a couple of old friends. She's dusty, but she'll do."

"Fury, you son of a bitch." Steve grinned.

"Oooh! You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"This is SHIELD?" Pietro asked, joining the group.

"This is what SHIELD's supposed to be," (Y/n) nodded.

"This is not so bad."

"Everyone on the ship!" (Y/n) yelled, ushering people onto the different crafts.

"Avengers, time to work for a living," Tony yelled over the comm.

The team met athe church in the center of the city, where the core of the machine was.

"What's the drill?" Nat asked when she arrived.

"If Ultron gets a hand on the core, we lose."

Ultron flew towards the team.

"Is that the best you can do?" Thor yelled.

Ultron raised his hand and his army of robots joined him.

"You had to ask," (Y/n) rolled her eyes.

"This is the best I can do. This is exactly what I wanted. All of you, against all of me. How could you possibly hope to stop me?"

"Well, like the old man said. Together."

"You know, with the benefit of hindsight-"

Hulk ran forward and knocked Ultron to the other side of the city. The robots began to retreat.

"They'll try to leave the city," Thor stated.

"We can't let 'em, not even one. Rhodey!"

"I'm on it."

"We gotta move out. Even I can tell the air is getting thin. You guys get to the boats, I'll sweep for stragglers, be right behind you," Steve ordered.

"What about the core?" Clint asked.

"I'll protect it. It's my job."

"Call on me if you need help," (Y/n) told Wanda before running off.

She searched through all of the buildings near and around her, ushering out any civilians on her way. Her section of the city was entirely clear, and she was getting ready to go check on Wanda before she had to stop and fall to her knees.

She felt Wanda's pain before she actually felt Pietro's. It tore through her heart in her mind and she heard Wanda's scream ring through her head. Then she felt Pietro's own pain. Only, it wasn't exactly pain. He was okay, he went out as a hero and he was okay with that.

"No, no, no," (Y/n) stood shakily, running through the city until she reached the speedster.

"You must go," (Y/n) brought Clint out of his shocked state, "I will handle this."

Once Clint was gone with the boy he had saved (Y/n) bent down next to Pietro's body. Placing her hand on his chest she closed her eyes.

She was still relatively new to the whole Infinity Stone business, even her training couldn't have prepared her for everything. Perhaps, if she was more experienced then this whole situation could have been avoided, but it wasn't the time to think about that.

(Y/n) may not have been able to save everyone that lost their life that day, but she could save Pietro.

Reality is irrelevant, (Y/n)'s voice echoed throughout her mind, I am in control, and I alone can change it. Pietro Maximoff...is alive.

Pietro's eyes snapped open and he gasped. His bullet wounds were rapidly healing.

"We must hurry-"

Before (Y/n) could finish her sentence she was on one of the carriers.

"You didn't see that coming?" Pietro asked Clint with a smirk.

"Piet!" Wanda flew forward and hugged her brother tightly, "I felt you die."

"(Y/n) brought me back."

(Y/n) smiled at the two, "I couldn't let you miss training together could I?"

~*~

"Hi (Y/n)! Clint told me you got a phone and gave me the number you had so I just wanted to say thank you for what you gave me, it really did help. And Nathaniel is healthy!"

"Wonderful," (Y/n) smiled, lowering the phone from her ear. Tony had given her one a while ago and she was getting the hang of the technology. Laura had called and left a voicemail about Nathaniel.

"(Y/n) we are returning to Asgard," Thor stated.

(Y/n) nodded, following after the man as he met with Tony and Steve.

"The rules have changed," Steve stated.

"We're dealing with something new," Tony added.

"Well, the Vision's artificial intelligence, so it doesn't count."

(Y/n) chuckled and rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what they were talking about

"No. It's not like a person lifting the hammer," Tony agreed.

"Right. Different rules for us."

"If Vision can wield the hammer, he can keep the Mind Stone. He proved himself well in battle."

"Oh, (Y/n)!"

(Y/n) was pulled away from the group and into a hug by Wanda.

"Do you have to go?" Pietro asked.

"I have people to return to on Asgard," (Y/n) sighed, "But I promise I will return so we can continue training."

It had been a week since Sokovia had been destroyed, and in that time (Y/n) had done everything she could to help the Maximoff twins gain a simple understanding of their powers so they had something to work on while she was in Asgard so she could spend time with Loki.

"Stay safe you two," (Y/n) gave the siblings quick hugs, "I hope to see you soon."

(Y/n) ran out onto the field of the compound in time to hear the end of Thor's conversation with Tony and Steve.

"The Mind Stone is the fourth of the Infinity Stones to show up in the last few years. Someone has been playing an intricate game and has made pawns of us."

"Are you going to search for the other stones instead of staying in Asgard?" (Y/n) asked, keeping the relief out of her voice.

"Yes, I will visit briefly but I will leave soon after."

(Y/n) nodded, turning to the two male heroes, "I wish you two well."

Thor raised his hammer and the two were summoned back to Asgard, where (Y/n) could finally see her husband again.