Chapter 293: Wanda Realizes She's Been Tricked
Boom!
Just as Steve thought he was done for, an arrow pierced through Ultron's skull, sending the robot crashing to the ground.
"I don't get why villains always talk so much," Barton said, standing on a nearby rooftop. Ultron's behavior just now reminded him of that arrogant, self-proclaimed "god" lunatic from before.
"Phew..." Steve let out a long breath of relief as Barton appeared. He had truly thought it was the end for him. After seeing the Captain and Ultron fall, Barton had rushed over and landed the jet just in time.
Thud—
Barton jumped down from the rooftop, stowed his bow, and walked over to Steve, extending a hand. "You okay, Cap?"
"I'm fine," Steve said, managing a smile. He looked a bit worse for wear—his face was covered in soot and his uniform was tattered, a far cry from its pristine state at the start of the mission.
"Need a break?" Barton asked as he pulled him up.
Clutching his chest to suppress the pain, Steve looked toward the jet and replied, "Of course not." As the Captain, retreat wasn't an option. Barton nodded and helped Steve onto the aircraft to regroup with Natasha.
Inside the Train Car
Bang!
Wanda manipulated the surrounding metal railings, pinning Natasha firmly against the wall.
"Nngh... Hmph!" Natasha strained with all her might but couldn't break free.
Wanda stepped up to her. "Who are you calling a child?"
"You two, obviously. A couple of meddling brats," Natasha retorted stubbornly.
Wanda didn't bother responding; she needed to go help Pietro. He had gone off to deal with Silas, and she wasn't sure if he was in danger.
Crash!
Suddenly, a robot kicked open the car door and stepped inside.
"Ultron?" Wanda asked, clutching the scepter suspiciously.
"It's me. There was a minor complication, so I've temporarily switched bodies. Hand over the scepter." After being shot by Barton, Ultron had immediately transferred his consciousness into the nearest drone. These robots were his subordinates, but they also served as backup vessels for his resurrection.
Seeing it was him, Wanda handed over the scepter without hesitation. "Pietro is tangled up with Destiny. We need to go help him."
Crash!
At that moment, Steve leaped through the window. Seeing Natasha restrained, he reflexively hurled his shield.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The shield ricocheted around the car, struck the railings pinning Natasha, and returned to Steve's hand. Natasha broke free, ducking low and sliding between Ultron and Wanda to reach Steve's side.
"Thanks, Cap," Natasha said.
"Save the thanks for the celebration," Steve panted. His body was exhausted, pushed nearly to its limit.
"So you're all here," Ultron noted, a dark plan forming in his mind.
"I'll handle them. Go help Pietro," Wanda said, stepping forward and preparing her Chaos Magic to stall Natasha and Steve.
"No. I have a better idea," Ultron smirked. As he spoke, over a dozen more robots flew toward the train.
"What?" Wanda didn't understand what he was doing.
"I'm tired of playing these boring games, little girl." Holding the scepter, Ultron flew out of the car and shouted back, "Game over! Fire!"
"Get down!" Steve yelled.
Rat-tat-tat! Rat-tat-tat!
The robots raised their arms and unleashed a hail of bullets into the car. As the rounds whistled over her head, Wanda lay flat on the floor, staring blankly. She felt a profound sense of confusion. Why was Ultron doing this? Weren't they allies? What did "game over" mean?
"Have fun!" Ultron waved and flew into the distance, leaving the robots to continue their frantic assault on the train. Numerous passengers in other cars were struck and killed instantly.
Wanda's mind was a chaotic mess of gunfire echoes and the wailing, agonizing, helpless emotions of the passengers.
Barton began strafing the external robots with the jet's cannons. One or two robots broke off to target him. The fierce firefight lasted for a full minute before finally subsiding.
"Wanda!" As soon as the shooting stopped, Pietro rushed in, frantically helping Wanda up from where she sat kneeling on the floor.
"Pietro... Ultron... he lied to us..." Wanda's face was filled with pain, tears streaming down her face. If she hadn't understood his intentions before, she did now. Ultron's "peace" meant killing everyone!
"It's okay, it's okay. You're safe, that's all that matters," Pietro said, letting out a sigh of relief. He put the betrayal aside for a moment to stabilize Wanda's emotions.
"No..." Wanda's face was etched with regret, but time couldn't be undone.
"Save the people first!" Steve stopped Natasha, who was about to move in to arrest the twins. Natasha nodded, and the two split up, heading to the adjacent cars. Several robots had flown inside and begun slaughtering the survivors.
"Ultron got away again?" Silas suddenly appeared behind Wanda, looking annoyed. Was Ultron a rabbit? He moved so fast. Silas realized he had been hampered by not having the Rabbit Talisman, allowing Pietro to stall him long enough for Ultron to escape.
"He's the one who saved me earlier," Pietro said, looking at Silas.
Wanda wiped her tears and looked at Silas. "Thank you."
"It was nothing," Silas said dismissively. While fighting Pietro in the other car, Silas's Spider-Sense had flared. He had warned Pietro to get down, likely saving him from an early grave.
"About what happened before... I'm sorry," Wanda said, supported by Pietro.
"I told you, it's no—"
BOOM!
Before Silas could finish, a massive explosion rocked the front of the train.
"What's happening?" Silas asked immediately.
"A robot self-destructed! The locomotive is destroyed!" Steve's voice crackled over the comms.
Silas exchanged a look with the twins and sprinted toward the front. The engine had been blown open, and more importantly, the train had derailed, hurtling toward a crowded city marketplace.
"There are still people on board!" Natasha reminded them. They couldn't just leave them to die.
"Can you stop this thing?" Steve turned to Wanda.
"I can," Wanda blinked, then nodded quickly. She unleashed her powerful Chaos Magic, attempting to halt the runaway train.
Silas thought to himself: If Peter were here, he'd definitely say: 'I've got this! I've done this before!'
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