Raptor

Chapter 11

            Pietro gave Omega and Sigma nervous glances as the two guarded the doors to the old lab where Steve had left Raptor to wake up after getting back to the Avenger's tower. He had warned the man it was a bad idea, Wanda had of course backed him up as she actually saw what Raptor went through using her powers, he would bet she wouldn't be happy once she woke up there. Steve had only replied it was too dangerous not to lock her up at the moment. Scales brushed against him and he stopped walking as Sigma, who had snuck up on him while his back was turned, butted him in the stomach with his head.

"Go, shoo." Pietro waved the creature away, unsure if Raptor could control it while unconscious.

Sigma growled and glared at him, annoyed that he was being dismissed and left alone, before going back over to Omega.

"Pietro, hurry up!" Wanda shouted back.

Pietro ran and nearly passed them less than a second later. In his worry for Raptor, he had put his worries that Stark had created another, possibly worse, version of Ultron before they'd gotten back. Luckily Banner and Stark were still trying to get the energy stabilized... not that Pietro was reassured by that fact. Quickly before they could see it coming, he unplugged the cradle and the screens went blank.

"Stark, are you trying to get us all killed?" Steve demanded to know as he glared at the billionaire. "We don't know what's in that thing!"

"We know what we're doing." Tony replied, with a glare towards the twins. "Do you know what you're doing Capcicle?"

Pietro went to attack the man as he started pressing some other buttons but the glass floor broke underneath him as a gunshot went off. He grunted as he landed and glared up at the archer.

"What?" Clint mocked. "You didn't see that coming?"

Pietro climbed back up with Wanda's help and glared at Clint, though he was irritated that he in fact, hadn't seen that coming. Stark had started plugging wires in again and the energy charts were getting alarmingly high. He ran forward with Wanda and Steve close behind him to once again put an end to the experiment only for Thor to fly in and shoot lightning onto the cradle, which was enough energy to activate the thing inside.

"Thor, what have you done?" Steve looked at the smoking lid.

"It needed to be done." He replied simply before a blast made them all crash to the ground.

Pietro blink a few times to see a red man floating in the air, Steve stood up to attack but was flung back onto the ground before the red man flew off into the other room. He ran out with the others, not bothering to rush ahead with his powers, and they found the man holding one hand to the glass as he looked at the city laid out before him. Tony called his suit but Thor stopped him.

"Wait, he isn't a threat." The Asgardian walked forward and the now caped figure floated down to meet him.

The red man hovered just above the ground examining them. "I am... sorry. What just happened was odd..."

Steve looked at Thor uncertainly. "Did you create him?"

"I had a vision of death and destruction... but within all of that chaos was hope, and that hope looked like that." Thor motioned towards the yellow gem on the red man's forehead.

"A gem?" Bruce finally spoke up doubtfully.

"It's the Mind Gem, and Infinity Stone." Thor explained smoothly. "Each one in existence holds a lot of power."

"So you bring it to life?" Steve questioned as we continued to look at the silent man.

"Yes, because Stark is right."

Pietro grimaced at that response but it was Wanda who spoke up. "Since when is anything Stark does correct?"

"We're doomed." Banner muttered.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence guys, means a lot." Tony spoke up sarcastically.

"We can not defeat Ultron alone." Thor stated bluntly.

"Together we can." The red man spoke once more.

Steve's eyes scrunched together in thought. "Does he sound like JARVIS to any of you?"

"It's from JARVIS' reconfiguration." Stark replied quickly, his eyes fascinated with the man in front of them.

The next thing he said was disturbing, like he'd seen our thoughts like Wanda could. "You think I'm Ultron's offspring."

"But you're not." Wanda spoke up softly; Pietro could tell she'd been in the red man's head.

"No. I'm not Ultron or JARVIS..." He looked a bit sad. "I don't know who I am."

"I saw annihilation." Wanda accused.

"Like what you say means anything." Bruce muttered, causing Pietro to glare at him.

"Ultron, our fears, all of it is from that Mind Stone... and that is not all it can do." Thor informed them. "But with it on our side we cannot lose."

"Is it, is he, on our side?" Steve narrowed his eyes at the man.

"Is choosing a side that simple?" The man asked. "I am on the side of life... Ultron isn't. Therefore, you can say I am with you."

"That's great." Pietro remarked dryly. "Now how can you help stop Ultron from killing everyone?"

"By destroying him and every single bit of his existence." He responded. "At the moment he is waiting on us, but even Ultron will not wait forever. I don't want to kill him, he is in pain, just as another nearby is, but he must be stopped along with all who stand with him."

It didn't even take a second for Pietro to guess he was hinting at Raptor, and he glanced back towards the part with the lab.

"Where is he?" Stark asked boldly.

"Where it all began... Sokovia."

Bruce still had a disbelieving look. "How do we know you aren't a monster waiting to strike?"

"I could be. I'm not sure I would know if I even was a monster you claim I could be. I'm not what anyone wanted or expected, I am just a Vision after all, so you have right to doubt me, but trust me when I say we must stop Ultron." As if to prove something he lifted Thor's hammer from where the Asgardian had left it on the ground.

Thor arched an eyebrow while the others looked at the red man, Vision, in awe. "That's enough for me."

Steve blink before regaining his thoughts. "Right, three minutes suit up!"

Pietro ran off to check on Raptor as a loud bang echoed through the open space. When he found the door, Omega and Sigma turned to him growling threateningly. Had Vision known she'd woken up and tried warning them? He eyed the beasts, they would be easy to outrun, but could he manage to get through the locked door in time?

"She is angry." Pietro flinched slightly at Vision's unexpected voice. "There is so much pain from her... I fear Ultron is the cause."

Pietro felt himself preparing to fight this powerful man. "Are you going to kill her?"