Chapter 11: the truth
They all gathered around the fire, their shadows dancing in the flickering. After escaping Ultron's trap, they had all holed up in an abandoned theater. Immediately, they began asking Tony to tell them what was going on, just as he had promised.
"I created Ultron to be a force for peace, law, and order," he began, his voice echoing around them. "But its programming evolved. It began to believe the only way to truly bring order to the world was to control it. That's when it turned on us."
"That's why Ultron didn't kill you?" Interrupted Hawkeye angrily. "Because your his DADDY!"
"Just because he built it, doesn't mean he's its father," replied Gwen in a whisper.
"My armor was damaged in the attack," continued Tony, ignoring the interruption. "Cap told me to get the kids to safety. I couldn't get to you in time, Francis."
(FLASHBACK)
The news was blaring on the TV. The reporter was saying something inaudible, but they knew what it was.
A robot was destroying New York.
The Avengers gathered around a table, a map of the city unrolled beside on of the world. "What's that plan?" Asked Peter quietly.
"We beat this thing and go home, same as always," replied Clint, although the doubt in his voice carried to all the others.
"We have to think of something!" Said Janet, Natasha nodding in agreement. "We'd be done already if Tony hadn't mad this thing so freakin durable!" She complained, smiling to let him know she was joking.
Tony didn't reply, only pausing for a moment from fiddling with his sparking armor to look mournful. Logan put a sympathetic hand on him shoulder, which probably scared them all more than the robot.
The mutant opened him mouth to speak but was interrupted by a wail from behind him. They all turned to see little Gwen butt-slide her way into the room. (A/N: you all know what I mean!) Steve stared hard at her as Peter stepped forward and picked her up before their leader turned and watched the newscast once more, and finally turned his gaze back to the maps.
He sighed. "Here's the plan," he said loudly, gathering everyone's attention. "Tony, take the Quinjet and get the kids someplace safe. The rest of us will make a stand here at the mansion to by you some time. If we can beat it, then come back when you're sure it's safe. If not, keep them safe. If we fail, any survivors will be forced to make their own choices. Do as you please then. But for now, we are all Avengers. This plan may seem like a pretty grim course of action, but lets face it, every time we've fought this thing, we've barely made it out with our lives. I'm not going to get anyone's hopes up when we all know how it's going to turn out. This is my last order as your leader. Avengers, assemble!"
(END OF FLASHBACK)
"Hawkeye's name is Francis!" Shouted Pym, interrupting the hero's thoughts.
Laura grinned. "I'm gonna get some mileage outta this one!" She exclaimed. The boy smacked Pym over the head with an arrow, ignoring Laura.
"I thought Ultron had already gotten to you, otherwise you would have come with the others," continued the old man, only to be ignored. He let his gaze travel over the group. "I raised you all... hopefully as your parens would have wanted. I owed it to them. Ultron was my fault."
"Why didn't my father help?" asked Toruun.
"Ya, or mine?" continued Griffin.
"Thor left the Avengers when his father, Oden, died. He said Asgard was his responsibility from then on, not Earth. As for Johnny... Well I'm not sure. There were many groups trying to keep order in the world at that time, and we tried to stay out of each others way. Ultron destroyed most of them, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Outsiders, and many others. Those that survived his purge either went into hiding amongst the regular humans, escaped into Europe and Asia, or traveled to Wakanda to help out on the front lines. If I had to guess, he probably went to Asia after Europe fell. If you want him, I bet he's there. But I haven't been able to find anything official about him, just like-" he suddenly went quiet, like he felt he had said too much.
"Just like... What?" Asked Griffin. They all stared intently at him until he sighed.
"Just like Logan," he replied. Laura's eyes went wide. "Rumor has it that he had escaped and taken refuge in the Canadian wilderness, but I haven't seen anything concrete yet. I've made contact with Ororo in Wakanda but she says if he's there, she doesn't know it. He's simply vanished! But, knowing him, he's alive."
Laura turned away, trying to hide her tears. She was suddenly presented with the prospect that her father was alive, but at the same time she half-hoped he wasn't. If he was, that meant that he hadn't bothered to care for her almost her entire life. She suddenly felt a hand squeeze hers. She glanced up and saw Hawkeye give her a reassuring smile.
"A few months after we crashed, Vision found us," continued Tony, trying to get back on topic. "He survived by staying intangible. He became my eyes and ears in the real world. We kept track of Ultron's capabilities and movements, trying to find a way to defeat him. But I couldn't bear the thought of losing you, so I kept you hidden, and I kept the truth from you. Until Vision told me you were alive, I thought we were the only Avengers I knew for sure had survived the attack. I didn't know your father escaped."
"You weren't the only ones, Tony," said a voice from the shadows. They all turned to see the old woman who had told them where Tony was being held.
"Betty!" Exclaimed the old man.
"The Hulk survived too," she said.
"What's a... Hulk?" Asked Pym.
"The Hulk is a monster," replied Hawkeye. "That's what my dad said. He used to tell me stories. He said the Hulk was the strongest one was!"
"Sounds... Exciting," commented Laura.
"What, like a monster, monster?" Asked Azari. "With fangs and stuff?" Gwen gave a shiver at the thought.
"Francis is right," said Tony. "The Hulk was a monster, a creature of pure rage."
James narrowed his eyes in thought. "Is the Hulk strong enough to defeat Ultron?" He wondered aloud.
"He won't help you, James," replied Betty. "He's too scared."
"He's hidden from Ultron all these years too... Where?" asked Tony.
"Where he always goes! The desert," she replied.
The old man thought for a moment before moving toward Hawkeye. "Can you help us get out of the city?" he asked.
"Ya right!" Replied the boy angrily. " Help the guy who created Ultron, who got my dad killed! What do you think my father would have done, Stark?!"
"Clint? He would have punched me in the face! Then he would have helped me."
The boy seemed shocked. "Wow. You really knew my dad."
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They stood in a small sewer, staring at a de-powered drone.
"We've had it for a couple of years," Explained Hawkeye. "But the minute you fire it up, Ultron will know. He's-"
"He's wired in, I know!" Interrupted Tony. "But I know how to wire him out."
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They gathered in they cockpit, the Scavengers leaving to begin a distraction to help them escape.
"We're really leaving then?" Asked Griffin. She seemed unusually pale and frightened. At their nods, she backed out of the room, fear in her eyes. Maya and Pym followed her. They found her in a corner, crying and shivering.
"What's wrong!?" Asked Pym as he ran over to her.
"She gets panic attacks, sometimes," replied a voice. He turned as saw Hawkeye approaching, as he'd seen them leave. "We can calm her down."
However the boy ignored him, instead choosing to turn towards her. "Hey look at me," he said, forcing her to look into his eyes. "I'm right here, I promise. I'm right here." Slowly, her began to stop shivering and allowed herself to be pulled into his arms.
Hawkeye loosed a small smile before backing out of the room. Through the walls, he could hear the explosions throughout the city that said the Scavengers had begun their distraction.
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Pym was sleeping, one arm on Vision's head, the other around Griffin and Maya, who lay nestled in her lap. As he drooled on the android, she did the same on him, and the dog on her. Azari and Gwen were similarly sleeping nearby, wrapped in each others arms.
In the next room over, Tony was working quietly while he spoke to Betty. "You did a good job with them, Tony," she told him.
"I should have done better," Was his only reply.
"Oh, you're being too hard on yourself!"
Nearby, Toruun and Laura stared out the window in a companionable silence, simply watching the landscape pass by.
Similarly, Hawkeye stared out a window in yet another room. He glanced backward as he heard the approaching footsteps of James. "Everything ok?" Asked the redhead.
"Ya..." He replied. "It's, ya... It's just, I've never been outside the city before. It's really big out here!"
"That's how we felt when we went INSIDE the city!" Said James. He paused, thinking about something. Finally he turned back to the white haired boy. "Why'd you come back for us at the Citadel, after everything you said?"
"The Scavengers look up to me. They rely on me! And it's only a matter of time until Ultron wipes out every single one of them. So if you guys have even the slightest shot at taking down Ultron, I've gotta try! Otherwise, what's the point?" They paused to let that sink in. "Besides, anything to impress a girls, right?"
"Girl? Wait, you mean Toruun? Dude she's like my sister!"
"No, I meant Laura! But getting all defensive like that... It almost sounds like you were jealous!"
"Shut up!" Replied the redhead with a glare that would have frightened even Laura.
