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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟗
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐄 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐍

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Charlie didn't know how long it had been since she was forced onto a plane by Pietro. All she knew was that the bright light from the sun turned into a soft dim from the moon. She sat in an uncomfortable silence between the Maximoffs and across from Ultron for what felt like an eternity before the robot announced they were nearing their destination. Curiosity flowed through the Barton girl's veins as she leaned forward a bit to see past Wanda and out the front window at a large building. At first, Charlie had no clue what the oddly-shaped structure was or why it was so important to Ultron's plans. That was until she saw the sign at the front of the building. U-GIN Genetics Research Lab. The same lab that Helen Cho worked at.

A million thoughts raced through the blonde girl's head as the jet landed a little ways away from the building. The second the engine stopped, Pietro grabbed her arm and forced Charlie to her feet. The Barton girl walked with the trio in silence as she thought back to everything she learned about Dr. Cho in the short amount of time the two interacted. However, no matter how hard she tried, the archer couldn't figure out why a nine-foot robot would need a geneticist.

Her silence continued as they walked through the halls of the building before her thoughts were becoming almost too much for her to bear. "Why are we here?"

"Only time will tell, Little Bird," Ultron responded, causing irritation to course through Charlie's veins as they entered one of the small workrooms.

A few minutes of the three of them standing around passed before the Barton girl heard someone approaching. Before the Barton girl could even think about warning whoever was coming their way, Pietro pulled Charlie closer to him and placed a hand over her mouth. The young archer's eyes stayed glued to the door as it opened to reveal Helen Cho, who walked into her lab like it was just another night.

"Scream and your entire staff dies," Ultron broke the stillness of the room with his robotic voice, making the doctor stand in her spot with an expressionless look on her face before he continued speaking, "I could have killed you, Helen, the night we met. I didn't."

"Do you expect a thank you note?" she responded as her eyes landed on the familiar blonde being restrained by the Maximoff boy before they went back to the metal man.

"I expect you to know why."

"The Cradle."

As soon as those two words left her mouth, everyone's attention turned to the box that sat in the center of the room. Ultron slowly walked toward the machine as he played a recording of Helen talking to Tony as she treated her father. Charlie somehow managed to tune out the rest of their conversation and managed to make eye contact with Wanda.

The two girls shared a look before the Barton girl used her eyes to plead with the telekinetic to stop helping the nine-foot robot. The only response the archer received was a blank stare from the girl before she turned her attention back to the matter at hand. Charlie let out as much of a sigh as she could with Pietro's hand still over her mouth. After staring at the Maximoff girl for a moment longer, the archer turned her attention back to the doctor and Ultron, only for her eyes to widen in shock. Another robot came out of nowhere holding a container of vibranium while another came up behind Helen with Loki's glowing scepter.

"You're a brilliant woman, Helen," Ultron told the Cho woman as the scepter was placed on her chest, causing her eyes to become completely black before transforming into an eerie blue, "but we all have...room to improve."

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After standing next to an impatient speedster for almost two hours, Wanda suggested they went to see how the transformation was coming along and Charlie couldn't have been more grateful. She didn't know how much longer she could stand Pietro's rapidly tapping foot cutting through the silence of the lab. However, what she wasn't thankful for was being forced by the Maximoff boy to follow them into the room where Helen was helping Ultron against her own will.

"It's beautiful," the doctor said right as the Maximoffs and Charlie entered the room. Her unnaturally blue eyes scanned over the screens in front of her to take in all the information before a small smile formed on her face. "The vibranium atoms aren't just compatible with the tissue cells, they're binding them. And S.H.I.E.L.D. never even thought to-"

"The most versatile substance on the planet, and they used it to make a frisbee," Ultron interrupted her while he stared down at the man being built within the cradle. That continued for a moment longer before he stood up to his full height and walked over to where Loki's scepter was. "Typical of humans. They scratch the surface and never think to look within."

Everyone watched as a red laser continued to shoot at the blue orb on the scepter before it shattered into a million pieces, revealing a glowing yellow stone. Charlie's eyes slightly widened at the new object as it floated through the air and landed in Ultron's hand. Her attention never left the glowing rock as the metal man placed it in the center of his new body's forehead.

"Cellular cohesion will take a few hours, but we can initiate the consciousness stream," Helen told Ultron as she hooked him up to a computer before closing her prized machine, "we're uploading your cerebral matrix...now"

"They're going to stop you," Charlie said without thinking while Doctor Cho walked toward another computer at the same moment the archer received unreadable looks from the Maximoff twins.

"The Avengers are going to tear each other apart when I'm done with them, and all you'll be able to do is stand by and watch," Ultron responded as he slightly turned his head until his red eyes were on the Barton girl.

"Don't underestimate me because I'm not as experienced as the Avengers," the Barton girl responded while trying her best to keep her emotions at bay, "I've learned a lot more about you in the past day than you've learned about me since you were built."

"And what have you learned?"

"You're scared of the unknown," Charlie stated, causing the Maximoff twins to exchange a look before their attention fell back on the robot and the archer, "you don't like things out of your control, just like every other piece of technology."

"Care to tell me how that's beneficial?" Ultron questioned with a hint of boredom in his voice

"You can't control the Avengers. They're everything out of your control. That's why you're secretly terrified of them. And that's why-"

Before Charlie could say another word, Pietro's hand returned to its place over her mouth. An irritated sigh left her nose and brushed over his fingers while she continued to glare at the metal man. It wasn't long after that when the speedster pulled the archer out into the doorway and away from the nine-foot robot.

"I thought you were smarter than you looked, anđeo," the speedster quietly whispered into the archer's ear as a smug smirk formed on his face.

In response to his comment, Charlie brought her foot down as hard as she could onto his. The impact caused Pietro to cringe and made a small grunt pass over his lips. A small smile formed on her face when she heard the speedster let out a scoff before he tightened his grip around the Barton girl. However, her small moment of joy was quickly squashed when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Her attention quickly snapped in that direction to see Wanda inching toward the Cradle with a blank expression on her face. A wave of uncertainty washed over Charlie as her eyes followed the telekinetic, who was fiddling with her fingers while she stood beside the machine

"I can read him. He's dreaming," she muttered just loud enough for everyone to hear her before the Barton girl felt the Maximoff boy's body stiffen. She remained in her place and watched the brunette with concern on her face for a moment as Wanda continued to stare at the Cradle. Charlie slightly jumped when Pietro removed his hand from her mouth and placed it on her shoulder before she looked up at the speedster to find him watching his sister with worry in his eyes.

"I wouldn't call it dreams," Dr. Cho corrected Wanda as she continued to study the screen connected to her machine, "it's Ultron's base consciousness. Informational noise. Soon-"

"How soon?" Ultron interrupted like an impatient child as he looked away from the Cradle to stare at the doctor, "I'm not being pushy."

"We're imprinting a physical brain. There are no shortcuts."

As Dr. Cho continued to explain the workings of her machine to the metal man, Charlie's attention stayed glued to Wanda. The telekinetic took a few more steps toward the Cradle before stopping inches away from it. She studied the high-tech object for a moment longer then closed her eyes and held her hands over it.

"I don't like this," the archer whispered without thinking then glanced up at Pietro, only to find him staring back at her with concern and confusion on his face, "something's not right. Just look at her face."

It wasn't even a second after Charlie finished speaking when Wanda's screams suddenly filled the air. The archer's eyes stayed glued to the brunette girl as Pietro left her side to comfort his sister. As the Barton girl watched their interaction, she couldn't help but think back to the way Asher did the same for her after she had nightmares as a child. But Charlie quickly forced those thoughts away and focused back on the situation at hand.

"How could you?" the Maximoff girl questioned with sadness in her voice as she and Pietro gazed up at the robot they thought they could trust.

"How could I what?"

"You said we would destroy the Avengers, make a better world."

"It will be better," Ultron responded as he stared at the Maximoff twins while Charlie stood in the doorway and watched their exchange in silence.

"When everyone is dead?" Wanda retaliated before the Barton girl noticed his metal hands clenched into fists.

"That is not-" the nine-foot robot stopped mid-sentence and took a moment as if to calm his artificial nerves before he began walking toward the Twins, who were still watching him with shocked looks on their faces, "the human race will have every opportunity to improve."

"And if they don't?" Pietro asked with irritation laced within every word.

"Ask Noah."

"You are a madman."

"There were more than a dozen extinction-level events before even the dinosaurs got theirs," Ultron defended himself in a tone that made a wave of panic wash over Charlie, "when the Earth starts to settle, God throws a stone at it. And believe me, he's winding up. We have to evolve. There's no room...for the weak."

"And you think you have the power to decide who's weak?" the Barton girl questioned while walking forward to stand on the other side of Pietro.

"Not me. Life. Life always decides."

Before anyone had a chance to respond to the robot, a small beeping sound cut through the room, drawing Ultron's attention away from the three in front of him. Pietro took that moment as the perfect opportunity to pull the two girls towards the hallway so they would be out of the demon robot's earshot.

"We need to go."

"And I thought you were smarter than you looked," Charlie mumbled just loud enough for the speedster to hear while her eyes stayed glued to the nine-foot machine.

"The Quinjet. We have to move," she heard Ultron say with a hint of fear in his voice, causing hope to start coursing through the archer's veins.

"That's not a problem," Helen announced before the blonde girl noticed her eyes were back to normal, meaning she was completely free of the scepter's mind control.

Everyone watched as she disconnected everything and shut down the Cradle, causing Ultron to let out an annoyed sigh and shoot her with an orange beam. Charlie watched in horror as the woman was sent flying back into her computers before the Maximoff twins vanished. The Barton girl took a step toward the doctor without an ounce of hesitation with every intention to help her in any way. However, before she could get any closer to the woman, she felt her feet leave the floor then she was whisked away.

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