Author's Note: I finally got internet! I'm really excited about that. And I went to see Civil War again and that was just a good way to end my day. I'm so inspired to write now! I just want to get to the Civil War part or at least start leading more up to it. Gah, all the feels. Anyway, we're getting further into Ultron. I swear every chapter I write now is like 15 pages so you'll be getting some long ones! I'm SO disappointed that Agent Carter was cancelled. There is a petition online though to have Netflix pick it up - if you are a fan of the show, please sign it! ABC has no idea what it's letting go of... Peggy can't go down like that.
23 – Revels – May 2, 2015
The next few days were uneventful compared to their successful mission in Sokovia. It was a sort of let down, Aspen thought. All this time they'd been chasing Strucker and now he was beat. She couldn't help feeling like there were still loose ends. Nothing they'd worked so hard to achieve could be that easy, but they had taken him with relative ease. Aspen let herself relax though. She shed the anxiety and guilt that had been riddling her since she'd snapped that man's neck and put on a new coat of confidence. She had been doing her job. If she hadn't extracted that information, they might never have found Strucker and if she'd let the man live, he most definitely would have warned Strucker. At least that's what she told herself. She'd expected to have nightmares, but really her dreams were just tunnels of black, and she woke up feeling like she hadn't dreamt at all. She supposed that was better than the alternative – red blood on stark white tiles.
Tony had planned a big party with a flock of guests. Aspen had a feeling that many of the guests would consider it the party of the century, but she was just glad the team was taking some time to itself. Sometimes they needed to let loose and have fun. Of course Tony's ideas of fun didn't always align with hers, but the distraction of the party guests would be a good one, she decided.
When the night came, she donned one of her favorite dresses. It was something she had actually picked out, not Pepper, on one of the rare shopping trips she'd taken a couple of months ago. She'd never been overly concerned with fashion, but as she pulled the dress out of the bag, she had to smile. It was a deep shade of green, made of a silky fabric that looked like moving water when she walked. An over layer of black lace complemented the green. Steve had already gone downstairs to greet Sam, so Aspen hurried to get dressed, stroking Phoenix's head before leaving their floor and heading to the party. Guests were starting to flood into the lounge, and the music was already blaring. Aspen spotted Tony across the room greeting his best friend Rhodey. She smiled a greeting and looked around for Steve. People were still streaming in, and Aspen felt a tingle of nerves. She knew it was just another party and that these people were Tony's friends and acquaintances, but somehow she felt a rush of anxiety walking amid the crowd. Perhaps she'd gotten so used to watching her back that she felt that instinct even when she was around friends. She hadn't grown up going to parties. She hadn't even attended her own prom. Crowds like this felt like mobs, and she felt her confidence waning.
She felt a hand slide into hers and suddenly Steve was there, and her anxiety faded away. "Hey, sorry," he said. "Sam is over there." He led her over to where their friend stood, beer in hand. He set the bottle down when he saw Aspen and came over to give her a hug.
"Hey, Sam!" Aspen hugged him back. "It's been too long."
"It really has. Life in DC has been dull in comparison to what you guys have been doing."
"Most everyone's life is and that's not actually a bad thing," Aspen said with a smile. "I'm looking forward to a little down time."
"I thought Tony would be glad too but he and Bruce have been locked away in the lab since we got back," Steve said.
"Scientists," Aspen said, rolling her eyes.
"Well now we're here to have fun although Doctor Banner looks a little lost," Sam said, finding Bruce in the crowd.
"He's not super big on parties. It raises his anxiety. Can't say I blame him." Aspen was still much more tempted by quiet nights than party nights, but she put on a smile. "But Tony does know how to throw a party. I don't even know who ninety percent of these people are."
"You kind of have to wonder if Tony does too," Steve said, letting his eyes drift around the room.
"Tony loves a crowd. More people to admire him." She looked around for the rest of her team and saw Natasha and Rhodey striking up a conversation while Doctor Chen spoke to Clint.
"Game of pool?" Sam suggested to Steve, nodding toward the currently vacant pool table.
"You're on. Aspen?" Steve invited her.
"I'll watch."
"Oh come on, Clint tells me you're unbeatable," Sam told her, giving her a playful nudge.
"Yeah, he exaggerates to make me feel better. He is the unbeatable one. I swear that guy never misses anything. Except maybe the garbage. Have you seen his room?"
"He's a bachelor," Sam said. "It's what we do."
"You're not that messy."
"No, but I was in the air force. Being tidy is sort of drilled into us." He grabbed his cue and handed the second one to Steve. "It's the little things like that we never forget." Steve nodded in agreement. "Okay, let's get this game going." He arranged the balls and motioned for Steve to shoot first.
The crowd of people had nearly tripled, and Aspen kept close to the pool table, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of bodies crammed into one space. Outside of her team, she only recognized Maria Hill, Doctor Cho, and Rhodey. It was amazing how many people Tony knew because besides Sam, none of them were Steve's friends. There were a few veterans that Aspen thought might have served in the Second World War – they looked about the right age. She wondered if they had any stories that coincided with Steve's.
"Aspen!" Turning at the sound of her name, Aspen found herself face to face with Lucy Hill. Her arm was wrapped around her boyfriend, Noah, and both looked at home amidst the crowd.
"Hey Lucy, Noah. It's good to see you."
"It feels like its been ages even though we work in the same building," Lucy said.
"I know, and I'm sorry I haven't had much time to visit lately." Aspen felt as if she'd cut herself off over the past few months. Of course their lives had been crazy, but she sometimes forgot that narrow-mindedly pursuing a mission wasn't always the healthiest route. Or maybe even after all this time she was still getting used to having people who cared about her. She'd never been good at keeping friends, so she was lucky that people like Lucy understood.
"I'm so jealous you got to take down Strucker," Lucy said. "I miss seeing action. Not that I ever saw much." SHIELD had fallen early on in Lucy's career as an agent and though she worked for Tony now, she didn't see much action.
"Well, technically Steve took down Strucker by kicking his shield at his face. I had very little to do with it." Aspen glanced at Steve with a smile.
"You don't mince words, do you?" Sam asked his friend with a smirk.
"He had it coming," Steve replied.
"No doubt."
"I can't believe he used to work for SHIELD," Lucy said with a shudder. "So many of them slipped past us."
"Hydra can be scarily organized and good at infiltration," Aspen said. "Without Strucker though, we hope they'll be a little less organized."
"On a brighter note, Tony sure knows how to throw a party," Lucy said, sounding giddy with excitement.
"That's one way of putting it," Aspen grumbled.
"You don't like parties?" Lucy asked, sounding a little surprised.
"They're not my favorite thing," Aspen told her. "I don't like being around so many people. It makes me nervous. And I think drinking and listening to loud music is overrated."
"Sometimes I think you were meant to live in another time," Lucy said.
Aspen smiled. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I know you're dating Captain America who's like from the forties and all, but you have the same values as him. At least what I know of him," Lucy said, glancing shyly toward Steve who was sinking several of the billiard balls into the side pockets. "You aren't concerned about the same trivial things the rest of us are. You're down to earth and serious. Whenever I'm around you I feel so young."
"Funny, that's how I feel around the rest of my team. Except Tony most of the time. He's a total dork in reality. Just don't tell him I said that."
"How many people can call Tony Stark a dork?" Lucy said. "You're so lucky you know him so well."
"Careful, you're starting to make me jealous," Noah told her, his tone teasing.
"Like I'd stand a chance with Tony Stark," Lucy said, her cheeks coloring slightly.
"If you're of the female variety then you stand a chance with Tony Stark," Aspen said, rolling her eyes toward Tony. He was speaking with Thor and Rhodey, staring at his best friend with a look of mild amusement and patience. "I'm glad he has Pepper though. She's good for him. He behaves much better with her around."
"But she's not here now," Lucy said. "I heard she was at a conference in Hong Kong or something. She keeps really busy."
"Yeah, she does. I guess we all do."
"Still – you've got to admit it's nice to relax every once in awhile. Have some fun," Lucy prompted.
"I suppose although this isn't really my idea of relaxation."
"That's because you're too tense all the time." Clint came up behind her, grabbing her shoulders and rubbing them.
"Ouch! Who gave you a masseur's license? You're fired." Aspen grimaced.
"I'm going to go grab a drink. Do you want anything?" Lucy asked Aspen, taking Noah's hand.
"No, you two go have fun. I'm just going to sulk over here," Aspen said. She smiled to show she wasn't really sulking and Lucy and Noah moved off. Aspen turned to Clint. "You didn't invite anyone?" she asked the archer.
"No one to invite. All my friends are here."
"Hmm, you don't have any friends outside the Tower? I find that hard to believe."
"Well I did invite Barney, but he was busy."
"He's always busy. What about Lucky?"
Clint laughed. "I'm not sure Tony would go for that."
"I think we need to get you out to meet new people," Aspen said. "You're getting up there in years. Opportunities aren't going to come around so often. I'm concerned for you."
"You're so complimentary," Clint said. "Jerk." He smiled at her though.
"But seriously. I know we haven't really ever discussed this but I've never seen you even go on a date. You're married to your work but we all need a break from that every once in awhile."
"Where do you think I go when I'm away from the Tower?" Clint asked, his tone growing serious.
"I honestly have no idea." Aspen had never pried, but she couldn't deny the twinge of hurt she felt that he had never told her.
"Maybe I do have someone," Clint said. "Maybe I just try to keep work separate. It's a difficult job to have when you have people you care about."
"If you had someone you would have already told me because you know I'd do everything within my power to keep them safe too," Aspen said flatly. "You wouldn't lie to me."
When Clint didn't speak, Aspen felt a twinge. He hadn't agreed, but she refused to believe he'd keep something like that from her. "Doesn't matter," she said. "Just enjoy the party." She moved off and Clint called her name, but she kept going. Steve watched her with concerned eyes, but she motioned for him to keep playing his game with Sam.
"Drink?" asked the guy working behind the bar. Aspen nearly said no. Normally she would have. Growing up with an alcoholic aunt had influenced Aspen not to drink, but right now she wished she could just push away her anxieties. The crowd of people felt like it was pushing into her, so she gave in. Just this once couldn't hurt. If it helped her relax then that wouldn't be a bad thing.
"Sure. Give me whatever. Just not something heavy on the alcohol," she said, painfully ignorant toward different types of alcoholic beverages.
"Sure thing." He mixed her something that turned out a violent shade of red. Aspen took it with a thanks, seating herself at the end of the bar and taking a sip. It tasted like alcohol and strawberries with a twist of sugar and lime. Not bad though she couldn't quite bring herself to like the bite of the alcohol. Why did parties have to stress her out so much? She hated that she couldn't seep to relax. She couldn't just have a good time like everyone else. Normally it wouldn't have bothered her so much but looking around at all the loud, happy people, she felt alone. Even Steve seemed at ease finishing off his game with Sam. He glanced around for her a few times, but the crowd worked against them as a barrier. When he and Sam finished their game and walked off together, Aspen let them go, sticking to her comfortable seat. Her glass was refilled at some point, but she hardly noticed. A comfortable numbness was taking over her brain and the crowd of people was looking a little blurry. Somehow that made them a little less intimidating.
"Now this isn't like you." Tony slid into the seat next to her.
"What? The sitting alone sulking at a party or the drinking?" she asked, glancing up at him over the rim of her glass.
"The latter."
"Maybe I just need to relax."
Tony reached forward and took the glass out of her hand. "You don't need to relax," he told her. "This isn't your scene. I know it, you know it. The whole room probably knows it. But there's nothing wrong with that. You put up with all these parties and I'm grateful, but I think you're missing the bigger picture."
"And what's that?" Aspen asked.
"You're afraid of large crowds of people."
Aspen stared at Tony for a second and then laughed. "Afraid? I'm not sure that's the word I would use."
"Anxiety. I know the look. I know the feeling." He looked down for a moment. "After New York I'd get these moments where my heartbeat sped up so much but I couldn't seem to get enough air in my lungs. I realized later that these were panic attacks. Now I'm not saying you're about to have a panic attack, but every time I drag you to one of these parties you get this look in your eyes that I recognize. You don't know all these people. You don't know who to trust. You've been betrayed by strangers and friends too often. You're always on your guard and no amount of coaxing or alcohol will change that."
"Where is this going?" Aspen asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I just wanted you to know that you can leave at any time. I won't get offended. It just took me awhile to realize why you hated these parties so much. You're much happier when you're around just your friends. I have no expectations of you getting up and socializing. I just don't want you to be unhappy."
What he said made sense. Aspen had always had trust issues, but she'd never put a name to it. Social anxiety? She didn't know these people – didn't trust all of them. Tony was right. She was on her guard and, no matter the amount of coaxing, she wasn't going to let it down. "Thanks, Tony," she said. "I feel better just knowing you're looking out for me."
"Always. Now go find Steve and Sam. Find a quiet place to chat." Tony stood. "Leave the socializing to me." He gave her a wink.
"Will do."
Tony left, and Aspen watched him go, surprised once more by his sudden perceptiveness. She should find Clint and apologize, but she couldn't see him in the crowd. She couldn't find Steve either and felt a note of panic rising. As if he'd sensed her looking for him, he appeared, eyes catching hers. She stood and moved toward him, twining her fingers with his.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
"I will be," she said. "I just hate parties."
"I know." He led her over to a quiet spot where a set of chairs separated them from the crowd. "Sam's grabbing us some beers," he said. "He can't stay the whole time. He's got work tomorrow morning."
"I'm glad he could come. We don't see him enough," Aspen said. "Do you think I have social anxiety?" she asked the next second, unable to push the thought Tony had planted from her head.
"What?" Steve looked at her, surprise written on his face.
"Tony said I have social anxiety. It's why I hate big parties like this. I don't like being around so many people."
"There's nothing wrong with that. I don't really like it either."
"But you're okay with it. I feel like my heart is about to leap out of my chest because my pulse is racing so much. I feel dizzy – like vertigo only with crowds as if I could fall right into them and never get back up."
"I didn't realize it affected you so much." The worry lines had appeared between his eyes. "We don't have to be here."
"I didn't realize it affected me so much either. I guess I'd never noticed until recently. Like I'm getting worse…I don't know." She understood her reluctance to trust people but she'd never realized how uncomfortable she was around large groups of them. Usually she just forced her way through with sarcasm, but now that she was trying to relax and just be herself, she found it impossible. "It's just – how can I go into battle against Hydra and not blink an eye and yet I come here and I'm suddenly a total basket case?"
"You're different," Steve told her. "That's what makes you so special. You don't thrive on the same things as other people. I don't either, and that's part of what makes us so alike. Hey, Tony did say that the party ends at midnight. After that it's just going to be us and whatever close friends stick around. Then we can really celebrate."
"I think I can make it until then." Aspen put on a brave smile.
"Don't think there's something wrong with you," Steve told her, reaching forward to twine his fingers with hers. "There isn't."
"Thanks. I'm just glad I have a team to look out for me. They can protect me from Hydra and large crowds of partying people."
"What about large crowds of partying people?" Sam sat down next to Steve, handing him a bottle of beer.
"They're overwhelming," Aspen told him.
"Your world is overwhelming," Sam said, glancing at Steve. "And Tony Stark certainly knows how to throw a party, but I hear you."
"You think I'd get used to it, but I don't."
"Well they probably didn't celebrate like this after a successful smuggling mission, right?" Sam said.
Aspen laughed. "Ha, no. Not quite. I suppose it's a change for the better. People appreciate what we do even if they don't fully understand it. No victory for a smuggler except the cash at the end of the deal."
"So Steve said you two might take off for awhile now that the mission is over," Sam said, pursing a more comfortable topic. Aspen smiled, relieved to be moving on from her fear of crowds.
"Yeah, we though it might be nice to pretend to be a normal couple for a little while," she said, turning her smile on Steve. He squeezed her hand.
"Where you thinking about going?"
"I have no idea," Aspen replied truthfully. She hadn't found the energy to think too hard about it in the previous days.
"Somewhere quiet," Steve inserted. "I think we could both use some quiet."
"Yes. Somewhere with no Hydra and no one trying to kill us."
Sam chuckled. "Just take that to a vacation agency and see what they can find you."
"Well I guess that takes Madripoor off our list," Aspen said, turning to Steve.
"Darn."
Across the room Tony was having a lively conversation with Thor and, when Tony caught Steve's eye, he waved him over. "So much for our quiet time," Steve said. "You can stay here if you want," he told Aspen.
"I'll stay with you," Sam promised.
"If you're sure," Aspen told him, not wanting to take him away from the party.
"I'm sure," Sam told her. "This is all a little much for me too. Can I get you something to drink? An iced tea?" He knew her well, and that made Aspen smile.
"Yeah, that would be great." She watched Steve move off toward Tony and Thor while Sam went to get her iced tea. Tony told him something and motioned toward a small group sitting amongst the lounge chairs across the room. Aspen saw military uniforms and realized it was the group of veterans she'd noticed earlier. Steve and Thor moved toward them, and she watched as he greeted the veterans. Even across the room she couldn't miss the flash of sorrow in his eyes – the same flash she saw every time the past came up in even the subtlest of ways.
"I heard they were really excited to meet their war hero," Sam said, returning with Aspen's iced tea. She took it gratefully, the cool condensation on the outside of the glass soothing the fever that had worked its way into her body over the last hour. "Does talking about the past still bother him?"
"It does and it doesn't. It brings up painful memories – especially those related to Bucky. But I know he also likes being reminded of it, likes finding people to connect to it. It's a part of him and if it gets forgotten then he feels like he's lost something vital."
"You appreciate him and his past more than anyone I know."
"I was one of the few who got to see him right after he woke up in this time. I feel like I got to see into a window before it closed. Everyone else had to either be let in or they saw the wall he'd built around his pain." She realized she didn't know much about Sam's past. He seemed happy and stable, undamaged like the rest of them. "What about you?" she asked. "We've talked about your time in the Air Force but what about earlier than that? What made you decide to join?"
"My dad was an idealist," Sam told her. "He thought that if there was something you could do to help someone then you should do it no matter the cost to yourself. In the end that's what got him killed."
"I didn't know – I'm so sorry." How could they have never talked about this before? Then she realized; she'd been waiting for him to open the window, let her in. This was a side to Sam she hadn't seen before.
"He died a hero's death my mom told me. That didn't do much for the pain at first. I was young; I didn't understand. But as I grew older and saw the war and the pain and the fear around me, I realized I wasn't put on this earth to do nothing about it. That's when I joined the Air Force. Flying always seemed to be in my blood. I started to make a difference. It's part of what made losing Riley so difficult. I couldn't save him just like I couldn't save my dad. It's one thing to be told someone died a hero's death but it's another to be okay with it."
"Sacrifice is one of those tricky things. You stand for an ideal but when someone you care about dies for it, it makes you question everything. I felt that way when my dad died. He died to save me. He died a hero's death. But did that really make it any easier losing him? No. It's a fear I live with every time we go on a mission. What if one of us doesn't make it out alive? We're heroes but I don't want any of us to die a hero's death. I don't want any of us to die at all. And in a sense that makes me selfish. I don't want them to die because I care about them, because I'm afraid to live without them."
"It's human, not selfish, but I know what you mean. What if one hero dies and a hundred people live?"
"There aren't enough heroes to go around."
"Well let's hope the threat never gets so big that we have to worry about that."
"Maybe we can convert a few of these party-goers." She gazed around the room. "Like that guy." She nodded toward a guy trying to get a woman to dance with him. "Seems like he already has the superpower of handling rejection."
Sam snorted as he took a sip of his beer. "He could teach me a thing or two."
"Or how about that lady over there. With heels like that she must have incredible balance."
"You heard anything about Julian?" Sam asked.
"Not a word. It's like he vanished into thin air but I know this isn't the last we'll see him. He's too unbalanced and we have too much of a history for him to not come after me again. I'm trying not to worry. I've doubled my powers since his attack."
"Steve says you've really mastered them."
"It's been such a long process. There were times I thought I would never be able to get them under control, but I did. It just took a monumental amount of patience and confidence. And a little help from friends didn't hurt. For the longest time I was fighting who I was. I even had my mom make an antiserum that would reverse the effects, but I never took it. The attack on the Tower happened and I realized I couldn't be responsible for the death of one of my teammates because I was selfish enough to let my powers go. I know it's a personal choice, but it's like your dad said: we weren't put here to do nothing and even if I can do something without my powers, it might not be enough. I was fighting so long and hard with it because it's in my nature to want to save people and I just couldn't realize that I do want these powers. I do want to have every chance to save people."
"You and Steve are a perfect match, you know," Sam told her. "You have the same moral compass that points you so strongly in the right direction that it makes everyone around you want to be like you."
Aspen smiled at the compliment. "I guess that's not a bad thing."
"No, it isn't."
Aspen glanced over to Steve again and saw the way the veterans were looking at him. It was a look you earned, and Steve had earned it a hundred times over. "I look at my life and think how different it could have turned out," Aspen said, watching as Thor poured something into Steve's glass and then into one of the veteran's. "If I'd never met heroes then I might have been stumbling around trying to figure out how to be good in a life surrounded by bad."
"You would have found your way out," Sam told her. "You weren't meant to be a villain."
"Heroes and villains," Aspen said, laughing softly. "There was a time I didn't believe in either."
"Same here. I guess we were both wrong. They've been around us our whole lives, but we hadn't learned to see them yet."
…
After the party died down and the last of the guests had left, the Avengers and their close friends – Maria Hill, Rhodey, and Helen Cho – gathered around the couches in the middle of the lounge in varying states of soberness and awakeness. Doctor Cho immediately curled up in one of the chairs and fell asleep while the others started up a conversation about Thor's hammer. Aspen was only half listening, leaning her head on Steve's shoulder. Clint was twirling a pair of drumsticks in his fingers, still spot on with his hand-eye-coordination even thought she was pretty sure he was completely drunk. Natasha and Bruce chatted, smiles lighting up their faces. Bruce looked more comfortable than Aspen had seen him in a long time. She certainly felt more comfortable with most of the guests gone. She focused on the conversation as Thor invited Clint to try to lift his hammer. Clint heaved on the handle, but it didn't budge. Thor smiled as if he knew that was what would happen.
"Why have none of you tried this before?" Aspen asked, sitting up and watching as Tony, unsuccessfully, tried to lift Mjolnir.
"It's a matter of pride," Tony said stiffly. "I'll be right back."
"What makes you think Iron Man is more worthy than Tony Stark?" Aspen asked when he returned wearing the metal gauntlet of his Iron Man suit. He continued to try unsuccessfully even when Rhodey joined him with a similar glove. Aspen rocked with silent laughter, and Tony sent her a glare.
"You try then," he challenged.
"I don't think so. I saw all the people try to lift it when it fell in New Mexico. I'm not making an ass out of myself."
"Well your boyfriend's up next. Don't insult him."
"I believe in you," Aspen told Steve as he stood, rolling up the sleeves of his blue shirt.
Tony rolled his eyes at her and Clint shook his head. The muscles in Steve's arm bulged, and there was a slight scraping sound as the hammer lifted ever so slightly. Aspen's heart leapt into her throat. Was he actually going to lift it? But it didn't budge after that. She heard Thor chuckle. "Nothing," he said, but she could hear a strand of worry in his voice. Steve had nearly lifted the hammer, and Thor realized it even if he wouldn't admit it. Steve held his hands out in defeat before sitting back down and Aspen wondered if he'd actually tried his hardest. It would be so like him to have the ability to do something powerful but to resist for the sake of his friends.
Bruce tried next doing an impression of turning into the Hulk when he couldn't manage it. "It's incredible how dorky you can all be when we're by ourselves," Aspen said, giving Bruce an affectionate smile.
"Are you excluding yourself from that?" Tony asked.
"Of course. I'm am the essence of professional."
Bruce motioned toward the hammer, looking at Natasha, but she shook her head. "Oh, no no. That's not a question I need answered," she told them.
Tony and Clint began discussing why they couldn't lift the hammer while Thor came up with a simple solution, lifting Mjolnir with ease. "Or you're all not worthy."
They all groaned at his explanation, and Aspen laughed, feeling much more relaxed than she had all night. A second later that feeling was cut off when an earsplitting screech split the air, ringing in their ears. Aspen covered her ears, looking around for the source of the sound. Mechanical clicking followed like something was walking toward them. They turned to find the source of the sound as a croaking voice spoke. "Wooorrrthyyy." It drew out the word like it was testing it and Aspen saw what looked like a melted down robot walking toward them – staggering more like – with wires dangling from it and face half melted off. She recognized it as part of the Iron Legion that had come back from Sokovia damaged. She found herself rising to her feet. Tony's robots shouldn't be moving on their own. She glanced over at him and found the same confused and cautious look on his face as the others.
"No," the mutilated robot continued, taking several wobbly steps forward. "How could you be worthy? You're all killers." Aspen felt a jolt at its words. What did it know of them? Her thoughts flashed back to the Hydra man she'd killed.
"Stark." Steve's eyes were set on the robot as he spoke, caution etched in his brow. His stance told Aspen he was ready for a fight.
"Jarvis." Instead of answering Steve himself, Tony turned to his AI for answers. If Tony didn't have an answer for this they were in trouble, Aspen decided. There was no answer from Jarvis.
"I'm sorry, I was asleep or I was a dream," the robot continued as if they hadn't spoken at all.
"Reboot. Legion error. We've got a buggy suit," Tony said, tapping his fingers on his tablet. Aspen could hear the confusion in his voice. This was his technology; he was supposed to be the one in control.
The robot ignored Tony's efforts to shut it down, continuing on in its monologue. "A terrible noise and I was tangled in…strings." It lifted its arms, inspecting the wires dangling down from them as if it couldn't quite figure out what they were. It didn't seem like an error to Aspen. The suit wasn't buggy, it was thinking for itself. She moved closer to Steve, not taking her eyes off of the robot. "Had to kill the other guy," it continued, lifting its arm almost in a shrug. "He was a good guy."
"You killed someone?" Steve questioned.
"Wouldn't have been my first call, but down in the real world we're faced with ugly choices."
"Who sent you?" Thor questioned. Aspen didn't think it had been sent though. This was one of Tony's creations. The only question was why did it suddenly have a mind of its own?
Instead of speaking with its own voice, the robot stilled, playing a recording for them. "I see a suit of armor around the world," Tony's voice rang out across the room and Aspen turned her eyes on him.
"Ultron." It was Bruce who spoke now, turning to Tony as well. Aspen glanced between the two of them. Who and what was Ultron? Why did Bruce and Tony seem to understand what it was when none of the rest of their team did?
"In the flesh," the robot replied, recognizing the name. "Or no, not yet. Not this chrysalis. But I'm ready. I'm on mission." As he spoke, Thor tightened his grip on his hammer and Maria Hill drew her gun, standing slowly and swiveling around to face Ultron. Aspen readied herself, her powers thrumming along her fingertips.
"What mission?" Natasha asked.
"Peace in our time," Ultron replied. Before they had a chance to contemplate what that meant, three of the Iron Legion came flying through the wood paneled walls, sending out splinters and flying straight at the Avengers. Aspen wasn't sure how this was peace. Steve grabbed her around the waist, pulling her back as he kicked the coffee table up in time to block one of the Legion. The table hit him, sending him flying backwards, taking Aspen with him. They landed hard, the air going out of Aspen's lungs. Gunfire and chaos ensued. Aspen lay still for a moment, gathering her breath. Steve turned to her.
"You okay?" he asked. She nodded. "For now."
The rest of their team was finding cover while they gathered themselves. They'd been unprepared for an attack, especially one that came from within. Rhodey was thrown backwards out of sight while Tony hit the floor hard. Clint slid under a table and Natasha and Bruce disappeared behind the bar. Another of the Iron Legion appeared from nowhere, grabbing the scepter from where it rested in the lab above them and flying off with it before any of them could react. All Aspen could think was that they'd worked so long and hard for that scepter and they were not going to lose it now to some crazy robot. She sent a surge of powers at it, but it dodged, flying out through the glass windows. She tried to pursue it but another of the robots shot at her, sending her ducking for cover again. Everyone was grabbing for weapons, Natasha scoring a gun from the underside of the bar. Steve didn't bother with weapons. He took a flying leap and grabbed one of the robots from behind, arms gripping it in a strangle hold. He pounded on it with his fist, but the robot moved backwards, sending Steve flying into a wall so hard that the bricks behind him crumbled. He winced in pain as the robot grabbed him and threw him down. He hit the floor hard. Aspen dodged the repulsor rays of the robot, sliding across the floor to Steve. Broken glass sliced at her arms and legs, but she ignored the pain.
"I'm okay," Steve said, pulling himself up. He grabbed her hand as the same robot that had thrown him started firing at them again and pulled her to safety. Everyone was fighting – Natasha firing her gun, Thor swinging his hammer. Tony leapt from the balcony, grabbing onto one of the robots with a long screwdriver. Aspen noticed one of the Legion moving toward Helen Cho who was trying to shield herself behind the piano. She stopped it with her powers, keeping it from stepping any closer. Steve ran forward and grabbed the robot. "Thor!" he shouted, swinging the machine toward the demi-god. With a swing of his hammer, the robot was no more. Tony was working on dismantling the robot he'd jumped. Across the room Clint grabbed Steve's shield and swung it in a neat arc, shouting "Cap!" as he did. Steve grabbed the shield, spinning midair and throwing it. It caught other robot in the middle, ripping it in two. Tony had finally dismantled his robot and had fallen to the floor, sliding through the broken glass.
"Well that was dramatic," Ultron said as they panted, their cuts and bruises stinging. None of them were dressed for a fight. None of them had been ready. Aspen looked around at the destruction and wondered why Ultron had used the word 'peace'. "I'm sorry, I know you mean well," he continued. "You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change." Tony sat down with a thump, looking defeated. A trickle of blood ran down his lip. Steve took a step forward, ready to fight if Ultron resumed the attack. "How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to evolve?" Ultron questioned. "There's only one path to peace." He reached down and crushed the metal head of one of the downed Iron Legion. "The Avengers' extinction."
Mjolnir went flying past them, hitting Ultron hard. The metal body collapsed onto the floor and they were left in silence. Oil seeped from the body as the blue light died in the eyes. Aspen realized she was trembling and clenched her fists against her side. Her dress was torn from the glass, and there were several cuts on her arms and legs. A piece of glass was stuck in her bicep, and she pulled it out, ignoring the sharp sting.
"Well," she said, turning to Tony. Her voice shook a little. "You certainly know how to throw a party. Next time don't bother to invite your robot friends."