Chapter Sixteen

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A/N: I KNOW I'M LATE BUT THIS CHAPTER IS ALMOST 10,000 WORDS LONG so maybe that makes up for it? God, I am so super late and I literally feel like I haven't uploaded in like a month. It feels weird, to be honest. I've become so attached to this story it like second nature to write in every free moment I get.

But I've been so busy this week with a ton of stuff that I don't remember doing and also re-watching Friends. So maybe not that busy. Speaking of watching, I watched The Spy Who Dumped Me yesterday and can I just say how amazing it was? I totally support feminism and this movie had two totally badass female leads which was just FIRE. I'm not gonna spoil anything incase any of you plan on watching it, but I will say if you're not planning on watching it, you uh, totally should. Because its amazing.

I just realized I still need to watch Incredibles 2. And school's starting in two weeks. Honestly, did summer 2018 even happen? I feel like I was in school like only a month ago even though it's been three.

Anyway, let's talk about this chapter because this honestly feels like such a bomb ass chapter (I'm like in a really, really good mood. I'm sure you can tell from the language lol). A TON happened. Obviously because it's 9,000 words long. Sorry I can't stop bragging because I've never written chapters this long. Usually, they'd be about a 1,000 words max. And that's if you're lucky. So I've tried turning that around for this story and now I get to brag.

So where's Adelaide in this? Well, I honestly don't remember where I left her last. Was she drinking beer? At 13! Am I going to snitch about this to Pepper? We'll see, we'll see...I keep getting distracted. Anyway, this chapter was SO FUCKING HARD TO WRITE.

It's so emotional and it was a real challenge for me to keep track of all the emotions and reactions and dramatic moments. We can't have a story without all that. Especially if it's Marvel. So this chapter is where Adelaide makes her debut as...lol I'm not telling her superhero name yet.

You'll just have to wait and see. It'll probably be in the next chapter. I don't know. We'll see. But I'm really excited for because I think the name sounds sick.

Anyway, because of the...event in this chapter, Adelaide kind of grows up maturity wise. I mean, I know that no one walked away from the Battle of Sokovia unscathed and I don't want Adelaide to be any different. She going to have this trauma hanging over her head and at least some form of PTSD to deal with afterwards. I want her to grow, but she's still a teenager so don't worry about her becoming serious all the time.

And the huge thing I have planned for Civil War will definitely require her to be a lot more mature. Of course, there are going to be other things that do the job as well but this will kind of help her become her own person as well. She doesn't remember who she was before she woke up at the Tower in the first chapter and she's created this image of herself in her mind where she's a terrible person because of all the abilities she has and this chapter kind of lets her feel okay with that.

She makes a new identity for herself as Adelaide Rivers, the girl to who saved lives in the Battle of Sokovia. It's all very intense, you'll see.

Also, remember how Adelaide hated Wanda? Well, I want them to be like best friends so this chapter is a lot about that. One day, they'll be looking back and laughing at the time when Adelaide wanted to kill her.

Ah, Marvel friendships. If you didn't want to hate your bestfriend at some point, are they even your bestfriend?

I feel like there was more I wanted to say, but I really want to get this chapter to you guys and I think I've rambled enough lol.

————————————————————-
"The city is in the air,

we're already

in the clouds."
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STARK TOWER

Adelaide was worried sick, sitting in a corner and rocking herself back and forth. She knew the redhead would be able to handle herself, but she didn't trust that Ultron would be able to stop himself from killing an Avenger when one was right at his feet.

"Anything on Nat?" Bruce asked as Tony entered the room. Adelaide jumped up.

"I haven't heard," the billionaire answered and the teenager's shoulder's slumped. She glanced at Clint who looked equally worried.

"But she's alive or Ultron would be rubbing our faces in it," Tony added. Adelaide forced herself to take a deep breath. Tony was right. Natasha was alive. For now.

"This is sealed tight," Clint said, trying to open the cradle. Adelaide was afraid the thing inside was going to jump at them any second. She walked over to it, trailing her finger along the side. There was a strange energy to it.

"We're gonna need to access the program," Bruce said and Adelaide immediately blocked out the rest. In all honesty, she was glad she didn't join Tony at Nexus. She was more help here than she would have been there.

"Any chance Natasha might leave you a message outside the internet? Old school spy stuff?" Tony asked Clint and Adelaide perked up. That was a possibility. In fact, that sounded exactly like something Natasha would do. Adelaide glanced at Clint.

"There are some nets I can cast," he said slowly, nodding.

"I'll come with you," the teenager said, "I think I might actually be able to help..." She had the faintest recollection of learning Morse code. Adelaide had next to no idea why she would know it, but if it was going to help now, she didn't care.

"Yeah, alright. I'll find her," Clint said and Adelaide followed him downstairs.

"So how do you know this stuff?" Clint asked the teenager as he booted up the program. She shrugged, pulling on the headphones. Adelaide tapped some keys, pulling up the software.

"I just do." Clint chuckled, shaking his head and Adelaide looked at him.

"What?" she asked.

"You don't just know this stuff for fun," he said, "you learn it for a reason." Adelaide looked away. She knew that. She knew there was a reason she knew all of these weird things and had these strange abilities. Of course there was a reason. She wasn't just magically born with it. Then why couldn't she remember? Why couldn't she remember the origin of all this? Why couldn't she remember the reasons?

"Do you want to find Nat or not?" she asked, slightly annoyed. Her hangover was doing a pretty solid job on keeping her from thinking about anything except her throbbing head and somehow, Clint had managed to bring all those thoughts back into her mind. Suddenly, she heard static in her ear.

"I hear something!" she shouted, gesturing for him to write it down.

"A...L...I...V...E," Adelaide repeated. The teenager let out a relieved sigh. Natasha was still alive. Following the message, the assassin sent her location and Clint quickly typed it into the computer. In seconds, they had her location pinpointed. Natasha was being held captive at the HYDRA base in Sokovia.

Suddenly, there was commotion upstairs. Adelaide shared a look with Clint before following the archer up the steps. The moment the teenager's eyes landed on the witch, she lunged for her, hot anger taking over.

"You bitch!" Adelaide screamed, running towards her. The Sokovian hardly flinched. Clint grabbed the teenager's arms, pulling her back.

"Now is not the time," he said into her ear, but she didn't stop struggling.

"What the hell are you doing here! Get out!" Adelaide shouted, pulling away from the archer. He reached out again, but Adelaide glared at him and he dropped his hands. At least she wasn't running towards the witch anymore.

"I know you're angry," Wanda said, stepping out from Steve's shadow. Adelaide laughed and opened her mouth to tell her she was damn right, but Bruce beat her to it.

"Oh, we're way past that. I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade," he said.

"Banner," Steve said, stepping forward, "after everything that's happened —"

"It's nothing compared to what's coming!" Tony shouted.

"You don't know what's in there!" Wanda shouted. Adelaide wanted to smash her pretty face into bits and then throw the witch in front of a bulldozer. She was the reason Adelaide couldn't sleep at night. She was the reason Adelaide questioned herself, her past. She was the reason Adelaide was losing her mind.

"This isn't a game!" Steve said. Adelaide watched Pietro. I'm the midst of all of this, he had the audacity to look bored. Adelaide blinked and he was gone. She jerked head to the side, trying to follow the blue flash around the room until he stopped next to Bruce, holding the power cable.

"No, no, go on," he said cockily, "You were saying?" Suddenly, there was a loud gunshot and Pietro fell through the floor.

"Pietro!" Wanda shouted. Adelaide turned around, realizing that Clint was gone. She ran up to the hole in the floor, peering down. Clint was standing above the white-haired boy, a triumphant smile on his face.

"What?" the archer said smugly, "You didn't see that coming?"

"I'm rerouting the upload," Tony said, making Adelaide stepping away from the hole. Suddenly, Steve tossed his shield, effectively destroying all the computers. In an instant, Tony called his iron arm and shot a beam at the super soldier, throwing him into the wall. Adelaide ducked, making herself invisible. Being careful to not get hit, she crept up to the witch, aiming for her throat, but Bruce beat her to it, getting her from behind. Adelaide made herself visible again.

"Go ahead," Bruce said, "piss me off." Wanda formed the red glow in her hands and yanked herself out of Bruce's hold. She twisted around and hit him with her powers, throwing him back. With her back turned to the teenager, Adelaide took the opportunity to try to grab her throat.

Before she could even touch the witch, Wanda swerved around and hit her too, sending her flying backwards. She landed on the cradle, hitting her head on the side. Adelaide groaned, trying to get up. Her hand flew up to where her head had hit the cradle. Her fingers came back red. Great, she was bleeding.

From the corner of her eye, Wanda noticed Thor jumping onto the cradle with his hammer raised in the air. Adelaide was frozen, her eyes fixated on the electricity crackling above her, having no idea what was about to happen.

"Wait!" Bruce shouted over the noise, but the god didn't hear. Thor didn't seem to even notice the teenager as he brought down his hammer onto the cradle. Half a second before his hammer made contact the cradle, Wanda shot her red glow at the teenager and pulled her off. Adelaide landed on the floor, tumbling over and landing on her knee.

She looked up, catching the witch's eye. Before either could react, Thor's hammer made contact with the package and the electricity crackled louder than ever. Adelaide stood up, watching the package. What...did...he...do? A second later, Thor pulled his hammer away and everyone looked around the room nervously. Adelaide held her breath. It was silent except for the sound of her heavy breathing.

Suddenly, the cradle bust open with a great force and Adelaide ducked, taking cover. She watched from between her fingers covering her face, slowly standing up. She eyed Thor was on the floor, having fallen from the explosion. She turned around, eye studying the cradle.

Suddenly, a red...body jumped out. The first word that came to her mind was: strange. He had a glowing yellow jewel on his forehead and Adelaide was mesmerized by it. Slowly, the body stood up, head turning left and right to scan the room. And then, his eyes landed on Thor. The figure lunged at him and the two crashed through the window, fighting in the air.

Adelaide ran up to the window, her heart beating fast. The figure flipped itself over Thor and flew towards the next window, stopping himself just in time. Steve jumped down and Thor held up a hand, signaling to wait.

Adelaide watched the body curiously. He seemed to be studying his reflection. Much more slowly than before, he flew back, elegantly landing next to Thor. He looked as if he was trying to collect his thoughts.

"I am sorry," he said, "That was...odd. Thank you." His eyes watched Thor for a second longer and then he made a cape and suit for himself. Adelaide thought his voice sounded familiar. She realized he sounded just like JARVIS. But how?

"Thor," Steve said, "You helped create this?"

"I've had a vision," Thor said. He looked distraught. "A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life and at its center is that." He pointed to the yellow jewel on the figure's forehead.

"What, the gem?" Bruce asked.

"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."

"Then why would you bring —"

"Because Stark is right," Thor said. Adelaide raised an eyebrow at the statement.

"Oh, it's definitely the end of times," Bruce muttered and Adelaide couldn't agree more.

"The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron," Thor continued, "Not alone."

"Why does your Vision sound like JARVIS?" Steve said, reading the teenager's mind.

"We reconfigured JARVIS's matrix," Tony said, "to create something new."

"I think I've had my fill of new," Steve muttered.

"You think I'm a child of Ultron," Vision said, walking forward.

"You're not?" Steve asked. Vision shook his head.

"I'm not Ultron," he said, "I am not JARVIS. I'm...I am."

"I looked in your head and saw annihilation," Wanda said suspiciously. This was all Ultron's work. Could they trust him?

"Look again," he simply said. Clint scoffed.

"Her seal of approval means jack to me," he said.

"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," Thor said. Adelaide suddenly realized the thing in common between all of those things. Loki's scepter. That meant the Mind Stone or whatever it was, came from Loki's scepter.

"But with it on our side..."

"Is it?" Steve suddenly asked, eyeing Vision with a great curiosity, "Are you? On our side?"

Vision looked away, thinking. He actually seemed to be considering the question.

"I don't think it's that simple," he answered.

"Well, it better get real simple real soon," Clint threatened.

"I am on the side of life," Vision said, "Ultron isn't. He will end it all."

"What's he waiting for?" Tony asked and Adelaide felt as if she was on the edge of a seat, her heart beating in anticipation.

"You."

"Where?" Bruce asked.

"Sokovia."

"He's got Nat there too," Clint added. He was right. Is that why Ultron had taken her? So she'd lead them straight into his waiting arms?

"If we're wrong about you," Bruce said, stepping up to Vision, "if you're the monster that Ultron made you to be..." Vision didn't look intimidated.

"What will you do?" he asked quietly. Although the question was threatening, his voice indicated that he was merely just asking a question. Bruce just glared at him in response and Vision studied everyone's faces.

"I don't want to kill Ultron," he said, walking away, "He's unique and he's in pain. But that pain will roll over the Earth. So he must be destroyed. 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. 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."

Vision grabbed Thor's Mjolnir and handed it to him as if it was just another hammer from a regular toolbox. Everyone glanced around nervously. How had he been able to do that so easily? Thor grabbed the hammer, frowning. He took in a deep breath.

"Right," the god said, "Well done." He patted Tony on the shoulder and followed after Vision. Adelaide suppressed a laugh.

"Three minutes," Steve said, taking control of the situation like he always did, "Get what you need."

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BATTLE OF SOKOVIA
MAY 6, 2015

Sokovia was holding its breath, anticipating the attack, waiting for the blow. The people were rushing out of their homes, crossing the bridge to get to safety. The Avengers were evacuating the country.

Adelaide was with Steve, trying to steer the people and control the crowd. The teenager bent the light to make the situation a little less chaotic and prevent it from spiraling out of control. The plan was to make sure all civilians were safely across the bridge, on the other side before bringing the fight out to the streets. Tony was there, with Ultron, stalling.

"Move it," she said, waving her hand along.

"Come on," Steve muttered. Adelaide helped an old man into one of the cars. One by one, cars began crossing the bridge. As slowly as it was going, they were making progress. Adelaide noticed a little girl standing in the corner, clutching her doll. Her light hair was a mess and her eyes were glinting with tears. Adelaide crouched down next to her.

"Are you lost?" she asked and the girl nodded her head, tears spilling over. Adelaide placed a hand on her cheek.

"Shh, hey, hey don't cry," she told her and the girl hiccuped, trying to stop her tears. Adelaide gestured to the doll in the girl's hand.

"Can I see that?" the teenager asked. The girl glanced at Adelaide through her tears and then handed over her doll. The toy was broken everywhere and there was dirt on the doll's face. Adelaide used the light to fix it up a bit and then handed it back to her with a smile.

"There. All fixed," she told her and girl dropped her frown. At least she'd gotten her to stop crying.

"Come on," Adelaide said, standing up with her hand out for the girl to grab, "let's go find your parents." When the girl didn't grab her hand, Adelaide crouched down again, watching her with worried eyes.

"My parents are...gone," she said quietly and Adelaide wouldn't have heard it if she wasn't standing so close.

"Who takes care of you?" Adelaide asked quietly.

"My grandma," she answered. How old was this girl? Maybe 5? 6? How many other kids in this world had to live without their parents?

"What's your name?" Adelaide asked.

"Rosie."

"I'm Adelaide and I'm gonna help you find your grandmother, okay?" Rosie nodded solemnly. Adelaide stood up, taking Rosie's hand. Suddenly, an Ultron bot jumped out from under the ground. Its calculating eyes landed on the white-haired girl and it lunged at her. In a second Adelaide turned herself and Rosie invisible and the bot stopped in its tracks. Then, it was like it suddenly knew where Adelaide was standing and it flew at her again. Infrared waves. It was seeing her body's infrared waves.

Adelaide shoved Rosie to the side and ducked seconds before the bot hit her. It halted and then flew back at twice the speed. This time, she was ready. When it flew by again she swerved to the side and grabbed its metal legs to keep it from flying forward. She twisted it around and smashed its head into the concrete. He died instantly and Adelaide made herself and Rosie visible again.

Suddenly, the Earth began to shake beneath their feet. Adelaide lifted Rosie off the ground and held her while sprinting off the bridge. Seconds before the bridge

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