Author's Note: POTENTIAL SPOILER AHEAD:
There is a part indicating violence against infants in this chapter that may trigger unhappy feelings. It's been italicized if you feel you may want to skip it.
Loki's first instinct is to check on his children. When it is confirmed that they are indeed safe, he begins his expedition to find Tony. He passes dozens of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as they make their rounds, busy examining the tower's security parameters. When he can't find the inventor in their room, Loki's first thought is that the man has thrown himself off the roof just to spite them all. Then, he decides the most obvious choice: the lab.
Eventually, after half an hour of searching he finds Tony there, surrounded by a wreckage of broken robot parts and smashed glass. Loki doesn't know why he didn't check there in the first place. He blames it on his preoccupied mind.
Tony has busied himself with checking the surveillance cameras. He goes over the recording of when JARVIS was attacked. Even though he cannot see it happening in the real world, it pains him to know just how vicious it was. When it shows where Ultron begins to put together a makeshift body, he shuts the screen off. Loki places a hand on his shoulder.
"Are you alright?" he asks. The inventor looks up at him, smiling sadly. His red eyes are evidence that he's been crying over the loss of a dear friend and Loki can't help but sympathize with him. Loki simply pulls the man in closer, stroking his hair.
"Do you still want to have sex?" Loki questions. Tony shifts away, a smile pulling across his face. He looks to be suffering from an internal debate inside his head. In the end, the man shakes his head. He's not in the mood and there is too much work to be done for the time being. He doesn't think he'll be engaging in any carnal desires for a while.
"I do, but..." he says, but can't finish. Loki just nods and Tony doesn't protest as the god's long fingers find their way back into his hair. A comfortable silence spills over them. Both men are still reeling from the attack.
"I had a talk with the others," Loki offers. Tony raises an eyebrow.
"I know," he answers. This gets him a similar eyebrow raise from Loki, but the god nods. "I heard what you said, and I know I can be selfish sometimes. But I'm trying. I swear I used to be worse. Ask Pepper. Or...that's not a good idea actually, so don't. But I think having you and the kids is just what I needed. And JARVIS, but he's gone now. Because of me and my stupidity. I shouldn't have kept my plans for Ultron a secret." Tony pushes him away as he stands. He glances at the smashed interface that was once JARVIS and shakes his head. He'll have to start over now, but having another AI that will never be the same still bothers him.
"Tony, I've been talking with the rest of the team, and we think..." Loki pauses, sighing. Tony waits for him to continue, genuinely curious as to what Loki has to tell him. He has a feeling it can't be good.
"Really? Are you guys calling for my head on a pike yet? Because at this point, I'd give it to you gladly if it'd clean up this big mess I've put us in," the inventor says. He hears Loki sigh miserably and shuts his eyes. Tony already has a feeling of what he's going to say. Really, Loki doesn't want to do it like this, but it's already been decided so it's out of his hands.
"Tony, perhaps it's best if you don't involve yourself with this Ultron matter," Loki tells him. Tony turns back around. The god looks at him as though he is the most valuable thing in the world. He doesn't know how to take that look, so he doesn't say anything about it. He's just not sure if this situation is good or bad, but he'll listen anyway. Because it's Loki and the god is usually right, which is pretty annoying.
"Tony, don't be angry. Your emotional attachment to JARVIS might get in the way of what's really important right now. We can't afford to have anything happen when we're going up against Ultron. You understand that, don't you?" Tony gives Loki a tiny nod. He's definitely not happy that he was left out of the conversation. But it doesn't look like he's getting much of a choice, now is he?
"So what? Am I just supposed to sit here while you go off and defend the world against him? What if something actually does go wrong and Bruce or I are the only ones who know how to deal with it? Ultron's not like JARVIS, Loki. He's...like me. Or at least that's who he was modeled after anyway." Loki pauses for a moment. He's brought this fact up with the others, and they have all agreed on one thing: if things come to that point, then S.H.I.E.L.D. will have no choice but to wipe everything out, as opposed to letting Ultron run rampant around the world.
"No, we've covered that. But, we were thinking that we would split the team up. You and Bruce can go after the Mandarin, while the rest of us handle Ultron. It was Natasha who came up with the idea and you know how Banner doesn't like to contradict her. But, he didn't have any qualms about going through with the idea so..." Loki trails off, waiting for an answer. The inventor doesn't look too keen about being put on the spot, especially like this.
"I get where you're coming from. But just because I'm going to give you some leeway and say yes, doesn't mean that I'm going to leave this alone. If there's a chance that I happen to finish with the Mandarin before you guys are done with Ultron, then I'm going to be there when the time comes to pull his plug. He just didn't murder JARVIS, he-" Tony shudders as a wave of nausea overtakes him. He regains his composure before Loki can ask him what's wrong. The inventor shakes with anger as he speaks.
"He's got to pay for what he did," Tony declares. Loki nods. That's one thing that they can both agree on.
Wanda Maximoff has never been a patient woman. She supposes that is a result of her youth; having it stolen from her and having to fight to claim what was left of her adulthood. Nothing has ever been given to her, so she doesn't trust something that does not benefit both parties. It's better that way.
The man they are supposed to be meeting is late and that is something that displeases her. At her side, her twin and other half, Pietro, is bouncing on the balls of his feet. He is equally anxious, but also suspicious, as is their way.
"You think this guy is actually trying to help us? Or maybe he just wants us so he can experiment with us? Just like-" Wanda gives him a sharp look and he goes silent. They do not speak of the past. It is too painful.
"I don't know. If he doesn't show in the next five minutes, we'll leave. Either way, we're going to have to move again. Two minutes pass and they see movement. There is a hooded figure standing under a nearby bridge. His body is misshaped for some reason and Wanda sighs. The man is probably a crippled who thinks they are easy. The woman begins to turn away when he raises a gloved hand and beckons for them to follow. Wanda frowns, but when Pietro begins to walk she finds herself running after her younger brother. Sometimes he can be such an idiot .
"Pietro, wait!" she calls. The man slows but doesn't stop. They've been waiting for an hour and if this guy is who he says he is, then he's not about to let him get away without talking. When she catches up to her brother, Pietro is standing 5 or 6 feet away from their contact. He looks at her with a confused look on his face. He's pale, which puts Wanda on edge immediately. She begins to summon her power, just in case there's trouble.
"Who are you?" Wanda demands as Pietro begins to steps away from the stranger. The figure stands in front of them and begins to take off the gloves, and that's when they realize he only has one working arm. The man throws the prosthetic away and turns to face them.
"Talk. And if you are wasting our time..." She allows the threat hang in the air. If this man knows as much about them as he says, then he knows how dangerous they are. The man shuffles toward the direction of the church. They follow him inside, wary of a trap. He stares at the walls for what seems like a long time before answering.
"Did you know that this church is in the exact center of the city? The elders made it so that everyone could be equally close to God. I happen to like that. The geometry of belief. It's very fragile," Ultron says quietly. He sits down on a pile of crumbling rock, facing away from them. While he's not looking at them, Wanda attempts to glean what the man's intentions are. She fails, however, and this puzzles her greatly. It's as if his thoughts are protected by some sort of one-way glass. To her surprise, he begins to laugh quietly. It's an eerie sound, like a rusted machine that's being moved for the first time in years.
"You're wondering why you can't look inside my head," he explains, turning around in that same slow manner. Wanda frowns. It's an eerie thought for him to have. Almost as if the man knows what she's thinking.
"Sometimes, it's harder for different people. It's easier to see with other women. But eventually, every man must reveal his true face," she tells. Ultron nods slowly and the movements are stiff.
"I'm sure that's true. But, if you look at me...you will see that I am not a man. But that's not what you need, is it? That's why you let Tony Stark take the scepter the first time," he says, standing once again. Wanda and Pietro watch as he reaches for the hood concealing his face. In that moment, Wanda realizes that the reason why his body is so misshapen is because he's not...complete. He's not even human. Is he a... robot ? She's sure that isn't the right word, but the correct word seems to elude her for the time being. This fact throws her off only for a second. Her hands flare red.
"Why have you come?" she demands.
"You and I share the same agenda. An end to the Avengers. To save the world. Especially from Tony Stark. That sounds promising, now doesn't it?" Wanda nods, letting her powers fade.
"Now tell me, what do you want?" Ultron asks her. Wanda has to think for a moment. She doesn't want Tony Stark dead. That would be too merciful.
"I want his fear," she answers. "I want him to feel the way I felt all those years ago. I don't want to kill him because that would be too easy. But not to break him because it would be better if he did that to himself." Ultron nods.
"Everyone is responsible for the things they dread the most. Men of peace create engines of war, invaders create avengers, people create...smaller people?" Ultron pauses for a moment, looking off into space. He smacks himself in the forehead and ends up snapping one of his fingers off, which he doesn't seem to notice. "Uh... children !" he says with a laugh. "I lost the word there. Children. Designed to supplant them, to help them... end ." The Maximoff siblings nod as they listen.
"Stark is easily manipulated. It's actually quite pitiful." Ultron shakes his head sadly. "As we speak, I can guarantee you that the Avengers are all turning on each other. Becoming distrustful. All because of him. But enough of that. Before we begin, there's something we need, first." Before he can say what it is, Pietro steps forward and breaks his silence.
"I thought the plan was not to kill them," Pietro says. Ultron chuckles again and that same grating sound comes out, sending shivers down both of the twins' spines.
"That would make them martyrs, my dear boy. Patience...that is the way to go. That way, when the time comes you will be able to see the big picture," Ultron explains. Pietro frowns.
"I don't see the big picture, I have a little picture. I take it out and look at it every day." When Pietro advances Wanda tries to grab his, but he shakes her off. Ultron knows he's not so intimidating in this form now, but soon he will have a body that will be awe inspiring. Pietro draws himself up to his full height and looks him in the eye.
"We were ten years old, having dinner, just the four of us. When the first shell hits, two floors below, it makes a hole in the floor. It's big. Our parents go in, and the whole building starts coming apart. I grab Wanda, roll us under the bed and that's when the second shell hits. But, it doesn't go off. It just...sits there in the rubble, three feet from our faces. And on the side of the shell is painted one word-"
"Stark," Wanda finishes. Tears are threatening to spill over, but she fights it off. " Two days ! That was how long we lay there, under all that rubble. We were trapped." Pietro places a warm hand on her shoulder to comfort her and she reaches up to grip it with her own. "With every shift of those bricks, I would think, 'this is it, we're going to die.' So, for two days we wait for Stark to kill us." Ultron just nods again, which is becoming entirely too common for Wanda because she can't tell what he's thinking because he's a freaking robot .
"I had always wondered how you two were the only survivors of Strucker. Now I know. Don't worry, we'll make it right." He looks at both of them closely. "We're going to hurt them where it causes the most pain." He turns to Wanda and utters the words that will haunt her for months to come. "But you, pretty girl, are going to tear them apart from the inside."
Steve is still assessing the situation when an agent approaches him with the report that the area is clear of all assailants. He nods and looks over at Loki, who is studying a scorch mark along the wall. The god is immediately sure that the mark was caused by an enhanced being. He continues to look around for more signs. Perhaps, one of the twins left a trace powerful enough to track with his own magic. Loki follows the pattern absentmindedly. He is always eager to meet another fellow sorcerer.
Wanda watches as Loki crawls along the tunnel-way and out into the open air. He's following her trail, as she had hoped he would. It is here where she will make her first move against the Avengers. She summons her powers and waits. When he is in close range, she reaches out with her mind, to show him what he fears most.
As soon as she touches him, she realizes that her waiting was done in vain. With his numerous protective spells intact, she can't even get close enough to him to do what she wants. She has made a mistake. He is more powerful than she'd realized. Her lips press together in frustration, but she doesn't make a sound as she tries to make her retreat. When Loki freezes suddenly, she knows he senses her.
He feels someone watching him and turns. Realizing that she has been caught, Wanda smiles sweetly at him. He is not fooled by the pretty facade and sends out a curious, but wary tendril of magic. When she sends out a shield of her own, he looks at her with awakened interest.
"You are Wanda Maximoff. Where is your brother?" he questions. The woman narrows her eyes. He is a fool if she thinks she will give up Pietro, and tells him so. Loki only nods in agreement. He did not think that she would tell him anything. At least she speaks.
"My brother is not your concern," Wanda spits. Loki shrugs and begins to pace around her. She watches his every move, following him with her eyes.
"Why do you work for Ultron? He is not who you think he is. He will betray you the moment he no longer has need of you," he warns her. At this, Wanda flares up again.
"You dare to speak to me of loyalty and peace when you allow yourself to lay with a murderer? Tony Stark is evil! When I was a child, I witnessed the horror that man can commit. Not even a man at that. He sends machinery to kill others rather than do it himself. My brother and I are the only ones left in our family. I want him to feel my pain. And he will. When we finally destroy the Avengers, he will be the one that I start with."
Loki makes no move to stop her as she runs off. He has no need to, really. Hopefully, she is not powerful enough or within the right frame of mind to notice the tracker he has slipped onto her. Hopefully, she leads them straight to Ultron's hideout. With that little tidbit done, he decides to return to the others and report his findings.
"They were here," Loki says, addressing Steve. Clint who had been cleaning his bow and arrows now slides the weapons back into his quiver and slips the bow onto his back. He straightens up and crosses his arms over his chest. He looks doubtful and voices his opinion.
"Are you sure?" the captain asks, ignoring the archer. Loki nods and tells them of his encounter with Wanda. When he's finished, Steve is nodding, as if he comprehends the difficulty of the spell performed.
"Maximoffs," the captain says. Maria nods and pulls up their file on her tablet.
"Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Twins. Orphaned at ten years old when a shell collapsed their apartment building. Sokovia's had a rough history. It's nowhere special but it's on the way to everywhere special." she comments.
"What are their abilities?" Steve asks. Maria skims through the rest of the information until she finds what she's looking for.
"He's got increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis. Her thing is neural electric interfacing, telekinesis, mental manipulation. When just Steve stares at her in a funny way, she rolls her eyes.
"He's really fast and she's just weird," she clarifies. She glances at Loki who seems to have heard her and remembers he uses magic too. She begins to turn red under his gaze.
"Not uh...that I meant anything by that statement. Just that she likes to..." she says, trying to correct herself. Loki hides his smile from her as he turns away and Steve just nods slowly.
"Well, they're going to show up again," he tells her. Maria continues to read the information they have on the twins.
"File says they volunteered for Strucker's experiments. It's insane." She begins to scroll up.
"Right. What kind of monster would let a German scientist experiment on them to protect their country?" he asks her, smiling. She sighs shaking her head. She can't say it's not the same thing as what Steve did, because it is just too similar.
"We're not at war, Captain." Steve turns his head again. He sees that Loki has moved again and wonders what sort of trail the god is following. It might just be in his head, but he swears he can see a red and green haze swirling around him and it reminds him a little bit of Christmas.
"But they are, agent Hill," he points out. "It makes sense that Ultron would go to them, though. Since they have someone in common." Agent Hill distracts his attention from Loki, showing him her tablet once more.
"Not anymore," she says, handing Steve the device. On the screen is a photo of Baron Strucker's dead body with the word PEACE written in blood on the wall next to him. He frowns and summons the other Avengers to his side. Clint, who is busy talking on his phone doesn't seem to notice them at first. When he realizes he's being watched, he ends the call.
"That's a negative. I answer to you. Yes, ma'am. Gotta go."
"Barton, we might have something," Steve says. He frowns. "Who was that?" he asks when the archer hangs up. The man just shrugs. There is a small smile on his face, indicating that the conversation was a positive one.
"Girlfriend," he answers. From the look on the captain's face, it's obvious that is not the answer he'd been expecting, given Clint's relationship status.
"I don't understand why you have to hide her from us. I mean, sure she's not an Avenger, but you have no pictures, no rings...just nothing," he says. Clint just shrugs again.
"Just part of the job I guess," is his simple, yet still evasive reply. Steve says nothing more on the matter, though. He has gathered the rest of the team and shows them the photo of Strucker's body.
"What's this?" Loki asks him. Steve looks grim.
"A message. Ultron killed Strucker." It's not much of a surprise then. A death had been expected, but at least it's not a civilian.
"And he did a Banksy at the crime scene, just for us." Natasha remarks. "This is just a smokescreen. Why send a message when you've just given a speech?" she asks. The team shares a look that seems to say 'why else?'
"Strucker knew something that Ultron wanted us to miss," Steve tells them. Natasha nods in agreement.
"Yeah, I bet he..." she pauses and uses her laptop to do a quick data search. "Yep. Everything we had on Strucker has been erased," she announces. Clint sighs tiredly.
"Not everything," he says. This elicits a soft groan from the spy. He's talking about the physical files that have on Strucker. It will be a tiring process to go through them all by hand. Cap turns to Loki.
"How long is it going to take for us to get a hit?" he questions, addressing Loki's earlier admission to planting the tracking spell on Wanda Maximoff. Loki shrugs.
"With magic, there is no telling when it can become activated. But, when she comes into contact with a being as powerful as Ultron, combined with very little movement, will give us a clue. Hopefully," he adds. He doesn't want to get everyone's hopes up in case what he's planned doesn't happen.
His magic has been off lately, but not enough to worry him. Some of the magic skills he's previously learned seem to disappear somehow. Almost as if he hasn't learned them at all . His only hope is that he isn't pregnant again, because if that is the case, then he will be utterly useless magic-wise in the next coming months if the situation continues for that long.
Seeing that nothing else can be done here, the team decides to pack up and head home for some much-needed rest. Hopefully, Loki picks up something within the next couple of days because the longer Ultron remains online, the bigger his influence can spread.
Tony lays in bed, having a very wonderful dream about a certain inventor and his god. He sighs, groaning into his pillow. His dream self pauses in its ministrations as a keening wail breaks through his train of thought. Under him, Loki smiles at his uncertainty.
"Go on," the god urges, nudging him with his leg. Tony swallows nervously.
"Are you sure?" he asks. "What if I drop him? Or what if I hurt him? You should get him. Let me watch a couple more times so I can get a hang of things," the inventor insists. Loki watches him through slitted eyes, silently laughing at him.
"I know you won't drop him. I trust you and so does Frelser." Loki pushes the inventor off him and gets out of bed. He takes their robes from where they are hung and slips his on. Tony sighs and takes the offered one. He then allows Loki to take his hand and pull him into the adjoining room where the noise originates from.
Tony swears his arc reactor is going to explode from his chest, his heart popping out after it. He takes a deep breath as Loki continues to pull him into the dark bedroom, the light from the moon casting an eerie glow. Loki motions for the inventor to come closer and he does.
"Hold your arms out," the god says gently. With a shaky breath, Tony does as he is told. He prays he doesn't drop the crying infant and fights the sudden urge to pull away.
The weight of the baby is heavier than he remembers. He sighs, pulling the infant into a firmer embrace. He begins to rock Frelser back and forth in his arms, looking to Loki for approval. He sees Loki's smile and continues.
"That's perfect Tony. You're doing so well." The praise Loki gives him feels nice and he doesn't want it to stop. He can't help but smile at the both of them; his god and his perfect child. Loki places a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm going to get the milk," he tells his lover. When Loki begins to shift away from him, Tony immediately begins to panic. He watches in shock as Loki begins to walk out of the room. Tony stares after him, horrified.
"Wait...you're leaving me alone with him?" he says, but Loki was already gone. The silk hem of his robe vanishes around the corner of the doorway as he makes his exit. Tony swallows nervously, looking around for a place to sit, minimizing his chances of dropping the baby. He frowns. There seems to be nowhere to do so. In fact, the room is bare of any piece of furniture except for the crib and a dresser at the far side of the room. The room is also surprisingly cold, which is odd.
"JARVIS...I mean FRIDAY, turn up the heat in here, will you?" he asks. When he gets no reply, he becomes even more perplexed. He sighs and looks down at Frelser, who is trying to grab at his arc reactor. He smiles and lets the kid grab onto his finger instead. He's so engaged that he doesn't even notice that Loki has returned.
"Would you like to feed him?" the god asks, holding out the bottle. Tony shakes his head. He's shivering and he's afraid that any new movement will cause him to drop the baby.
"No, you do it. I'll watch," the inventor tells him. Loki sighs but reaches for the baby instead of insisting. One step at a time, he thinks.
"Come here Frelser. Time for you to eat," Loki says softly.
It's then that everything seems to fall out from under him. The odd feeling that he's had blooms fully in his chest and for a moment, everything becomes unfocused for Tony then. As he hands Frelser off to Loki, everything goes to hell. The god's form becomes transparent for an instant and the baby begins to slip between them.
The baby seems to drop to the floor in slow motion. Tony bends to catch him, but it's too late. Frelser's body hits the floor with a sickening crack, and he shatters in an instant, breaking into about a million pieces. Tony cries out in horror as he realizes what has just happened.
The inventor drops to his knees and attempts to put the pieces together again. The shards slice into his hands, and they begin to bleed profusely. There is no pain, however. Only the need to make things right again. When it becomes apparent that he is only making things a bloody mess, he stops. He can only stare at the mess in front of him as his blood continues to drip.
"Loki...I...I'm so sorry. I didn't mean...I couldn't..." Tony raises his eyes to Loki's and is met with a stare that could freeze hell itself a hundred times over. The god's eyes are a fierce, heated red that shine with a luminescent glow in the twilight hours of the night.
"Loki, I-" he begins again. His words freeze in his throat when he sees the glinting shard in Loki's hand. Tony distinctly doesn't remember him picking one up.
"Loki?" he says, uncertainly. He begins to get up carefully so he won't cut himself any more than he already has. The god's gleaming gaze looks him up and down. Then, Loki smiles maniacally. The moment Tony begins to move, Loki slashes out with the makeshift blade. The inventor falls back onto the floor, clutching his throat as blood spurts out from between his fingers.
As his vision begins to dim, Tony feels himself rise out of his own body. His perspective changes suddenly, and he finds himself staring down at his own bloodied form on the floor. But it's not him exactly, is it ? It's Loki who is now on the floor, neck cut and leaking blood.
A mirror materializes beside him and Tony turns to look into it. The reflection changes to that of a crazed murderer. Covered in fresh, wet blood it begins to change once more. Steve, Natasha, Bruce...the rest of the Avengers are cycled through the image he sees now, all equally covered in the crimson fluid. And then, it comes back to Tony. The inventor reaches up with the shard and begins the process of slitting his own throat.
A red haze overtakes everything and somewhere in the back of his mind, Loki can hear his own screams echoing in the darkness.
Tony has been working on crafting a new AI system all night, working from the living room of his floor in Avengers Tower. After having one for so long, he doesn't feel comfortable going without. He'll have to return to the Malibu house tomorrow to get the extra codes to make it work properly. He also misses having Bruce at his side but for now, he's doing alright on his own.
Tony is just beginning to set up a simulation of the FRIDAY program on his laptop when the screams start. He rips off his glasses and runs toward the sound, pinpointing it to the master bedroom.
He finds Loki is there, thrashing violently on the bed. The god seems to be caught in the unrelenting hold of a nightmare. Tony dives onto the bed and grabs him by the shoulders.
"Loki, wake up," the inventor urges. "It's a dream, dammit." Tony begins to shake Loki awake, which seems to work because the god is beginning to open his eyes. Tony looks up and sees Minva standing in the doorway, eyes as wide as ping pong balls. He sighs and tries to soothe the girl who seems to be on the verge of tears.
"It's ok. We're ok, Minva. Just go and make sure Frelser is alright. Tell you what, we're going to make pancakes for breakfast. Whatever you want, ok? For now, go into the kitchen get a cookie or something," he tells her, cradling Loki's head against his chest. The girl nods and closes the door again. His attention immediately goes back to Loki, who is beginning to sit up.
"Are you ok? I came in here and you were screaming like someone was ripping you in half...and not in a good way," the inventor says, trying to add some humor to the situation. Loki drags a hand over his eyes, grimacing as he feels his headache begin to flare up again.
"I had a terrible dream. A...a nightmare. I was...I was...I..." Loki shakes his head, a sharp pain in his temple distracting him from what he wants to say. He feels Tony press a warm piece of fabric to his face.
"Your nose is bleeding," the inventor tells him in explanation. Loki frowns and takes a firm hold on the cloth. He's never gotten a nosebleed before. Well...that's not true actually. When he was a child, he ran into a wall chasing after a toy. And then later on due to injuries in the sparring arenas. But never like this, where it happens naturally.
They sit for a while. Tony rubs his back and cuddles with him. Then a sound from the kitchen interrupts their moment. Loki sighs and prepares to get out of bed, but Tony stops him.
"I'll go," the inventor offers. Loki shakes his head. He's spent long enough in bed. According to the clock, he has been asleep for thirteen hours already. Which is another odd occurrence. He silently hopes that he's come down with a Midgardian illness.
"No, I think I need to get up anyway. Perhaps eating something will help." Tony nods and lets Loki take the lead. As they enter the kitchen, Loki instantly snaps on a cheerful disposition. Tony isn't entirely sure how he feels about how quickly Loki can change his mood.
Together, both the inventor and the god begin their day with a heap of silly pancakes and giggling children. And then, just this simple action allows the nagging feeling of wrongness to fade away from Loki's mind.
It isn't until the next day that Tony finally emerges from his self-imposed exile after clearing what he was able to in the lab so that working there will be more comfortable. He's decided that helping the others would be the best course of action. Even if he's not going to be allowed in on the mission, it doesn't mean he can't tell the others what he knows. Bruce gives him a look that says he's grateful he's decided to take the high road.
"Have any more fatalities been reported yet?" he asks. Steve shakes his head. Maria speaks before he has a chance to, obviously not realizing it.
"Nope. It's only when he's been engaged that he attacks. He's all over the globe, though. Robotics labs, weapons facilities, jet propulsion labs, reports of a metal man, or men, coming in and emptying the place." Steve sighs, searching through the box of files. Tony instructs Bruce to set up a database to search for Ultron's signatures.
"All set up boss," Maria says brightly. She's already seen to it and presents the screen on her laptop to them. Tony gives her an approving stare. He hasn't been around Maria to know her, but he sees her value right away.
"Actually, he's the boss," Tony tells her, pointing to Steve. "I just happen to pay for everything...design everything...make everyone look cooler..." he trails off when Natasha nudges him in the side.
"Known associates," Steve begins to read instead. His eyebrows go up. "Well, Strucker certainly had a lot of friends," he remarks. Bruce takes a look over his shoulder.
"Well, these people are all horrible ," is his contribution. Tony joins him, standing on his toes to get a proper look.
"Wait. I think I know that guy," he says. Bruce passes him the photo. "He was a former contact. From back in the day. He operates off the African coast, black market arms." He pauses when Steve gives him an accusing look and Tony does his best to look affronted. "There are conventions, alright ? You meet people. I didn't sell him anything, though." They go on to look at a picture of a man identified as Ulysses Klaue as Tony continues to talk. "He was talking about finding something new, a game changer, it was all very "Ahab." Thor takes a closer look at the picture and points to the scar on the back of Klaue's neck.
"What's this?" he asks. Tony leans in.
"It's a tattoo. I don't think he had it-" he begins to say, but Thor interrupts him.
"No, those are tattoos, this is a brand ," he clarifies. Bruce goes to the computer to look it up. It turns out to be a symbol from the African dialect, meaning a thief.
"In a much less friendly way," he finishes. Steve frowns again. He's not liking this one bit.
"What's the dialect?" Bruce squints at the screen, realizing he needs to clean his glasses more often.
"Wakanada...?" he tries. "Wa...Wa...Wakanda." Tony frowns. He's heard of the place and figures if the man has gone there then he can only be after one thing.
"If this guy got out of Wakanda with some of their trade goods..." he says. He's still trying to think of how it could be possible.
"I thought your father said he got the last of it?" Steve interjects. Bruce swivels around in his chair.
"I don't follow what you're saying. What comes out of Wakanda?" the scientist asks. Everyone but Bruce looks at Steve's shield.
"The strongest metal on earth," Tony says, giving it a light tap. Steve looks like he wants to say ' hands off ' but thinks better of it. There are more important things at stake at the moment than a few smudges on his shield.
"Where is this guy now?"