"JARVIS, how long till we get there?"

"10 minutes," was his reply.

Upon a request from Director Coulson himself, Ana was flying to the Retreat—that was the official name of the cabin she and Pepper had stayed in six years ago, but later Bruce had spent some time there, too, and redesigned the whole place according to his special needs, so it was now a temporary housing for enhanced people while they learned to control their powers—to keep Skye company.

Honestly, Skye's powers were hardly a surprise. If your mysterious past somehow involved SHIELD, something crazy was bound to happen.

"JARVIS?"

"Yes, Ana?"

"Should we tell her?"

"About us?"

"Yes."

"May I ask the reason behind this newly found desire for transparency?"

His choice of words made Ana chuckle. "I want to show her weird is the new black. Coulson said some members of the team didn't take Skye's transformation well, and she feels isolated. I mean, it's not the same thing, of course, but…"

"But it is proof that the world is changing."

"Yeah."

"It's up to you, Ana. I told you, I'm prepared for any reaction we might receive, be it positive or negative."

"This is why I love you."

"I love you, too, Ana. And I'm proud of you. I remember the time when you were an insecure teenager who was desperate for everybody's approval. Now, you don't let anyone control you."

"And I remember the time when you were just a natural-language UI."

She was joking, but his response was a serious one. "We both have come a long way."

Ten minutes later, the cabin, surrounded by invisible laser fences—the sensors in the HUD had no problem spotting them—came into view.

Ana could now see why her dad had always been so pushy about the suits. The sense of freedom in flying one of these machines was second to none. It would be wrong to say it was like having wings, no. Wings you would have been born with, and you didn't have a choice about any of the things you were born with. One might say she hadn't chosen to be born as a genius either, but Ana didn't believe genius was a superpower, at least not like the others. You didn't have to know how wings worked to fly with them. Skye, for example, didn't have to understand all the mathematical formulas for frequency to make things shake. Genius, on the other hand, was just a potential. An ability to understand things. What you did with it was up to you. Though actual superpowers wouldn't be too bad either.

She landed right in front of the front door, and knocked it. Skye answered, and although Ana was invisible, she stepped aside to let her in. Coulson must have told her how this arrangement would work.

Ana disabled the stealth mode only she was inside and the door was shut. Skye whistled in awe.

"Well, not all of us walk into an alien temple and leave with superpowers," Ana said, stepping out of the suit, but when a look of grief crossed Skye's face, she realized she had made an unfortunate mistake. Not all of Skye's friends had left that alien temple alive. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean—"

"It's okay." Skye pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry about Tripp." Ana had never met this Agent Triplett in person, but she knew he and Skye had been good friends.

"Thanks," she murmured, but the stuff around them suddenly started trembling. Even the ground itself. "I'm so sorry, I'll put on the gloves now…"

Ana hadn't thought she would witness her friend's powers so soon, but she wasn't surprised either. "Hey, it's okay," she said, giving her a gentle squeeze, instead of letting her go. "Let's just wait. Maybe you don't need the gloves."

The quaking ceased, and only then, Ana released her. Skye started rubbing her own arms, groaning and looking confused. "I don't know what came over me. I thought I was getting better at controlling it."

"Maybe you were just excited to finally see me," Ana teased, then helped her sit down on the couch. "Is there anything I can get you?"

She pointed at a table, where the casts Simmons had designed for her and a bottle of painkillers were ready at hand. Ana fetched these, along with a glass of water, then flung herself down on the couch as well.

"I'm glad Coulson sent you here," she said, taking a painkiller.

"He sent me because I can come and go without being seen… Speaking of, who's he hiding you from? Is it HYDRA? Or is something else going on?"

Skye shrugged. "He doesn't share everything with me, you know. We're not like you and your dad."

"I didn't come here just because he asked me to, though. I'm here because you're my friend."

"Thank you."

"I wish I could stay, but I'm too busy to work remotely these days. Funding the Avengers is expensive; I had to accelerate the launch date of a few…" She paused when she remembered that she wasn't talking to Pepper or JARVIS. "You know what, I'm going to spare you the boring details. You tell me how exactly this happened."

"I thought you knew."

"Yeah, I heard the story from Coulson, Jemma, and then Fitz. But I want to hear your version."

So, she told her. About Coulson's carvings, how they had used them and the carvings of the other TAHITI patients to find an underground Kree city in Puerto Rico, how she had been transformed, along with Raina, how she had hidden her powers from everyone for a while, until Sigyn's sister, Lady Sif had showed up. That was how the team had finally learned about the Kree and the Inhumans. Which was good, because Ana no longer had to pretend to be ignorant around them.

"Sif wanted to take me to Asgard," Skye said. "She would've, if I hadn't shot myself with an ICER."

"See, this is why I don't like relying on aliens," Ana scorned. "You'd think she'd be more respectful, having a half-human sister and all, but no. They all treat us like pets."

"Sounds like someone isn't happy to live in the same building with Thor," she said, grinning mischievously. "Who complains about living in the same building with Thor?"

"He's taken," Ana reminded.

"I know, I know… Jane Foster is one lucky woman. Still, there's no harm in enjoying the sight, is there?"

Ana had never understood this fascination with Thor. Sure, she was able to tell when a person was good-looking, but beyond that, it didn't mean anything to her.

This was a good time to came out. "Technically, he's my dad's friend from work, so yikes. And I already have a boyfriend."

"What?" she cried. "Since when?"

"Since JARVIS told me he's sentient and he's in love with me."

Skye gaped at her. "What?"

In response, the suit lit up with JARVIS taking control of it. He came to sit down next to Ana, and put an arm around her. It was what he did when he needed a physical presence. "Hello, Miss Skye."

Skye's eyes darted between the two for a minute, then she said, "You're serious…"

"Yep."

"O-kay… Congratulations, I guess?"

"Thanks," Ana mumbled. Skye had taken it rather well, but still… "Can we keep it between us, though? Not many people know."

"That's why we weren't very happy about living in the same building with the Avengers at first," JARVIS added. "Ana feared they… might not be thrilled if they found out I was a sentient AI."

"Yeah, but it's been almost a year, and no one suspects anything. To them, JARVIS is just another useful tool they take for granted. No one pays me much attention while they're busy ridding the world of HYDRA. Maybe I was just so full of myself."

"Ana!" he exclaimed. "Don't say such things…"

"Why not? It's the truth."

Skye seemed even more baffled by this. "Come on, they can't possibly be that narrow-minded. They're the Avengers, for God's sake!"

"After everything that's happened, you'd think SHIELD would be more open-minded. How did that turn out for you?" Ana reminded darkly. She now understood how her dad felt about Bruce. He saw the scientist Bruce was before the incident, while others only saw the monster. Similarly, Ana only saw the girl she had met in Malta when she looked at Skye. She was disappointed by the initial reaction of most people at SHIELD to Skye's powers, to say the least. Disappointed, but not exactly surprised. It was somewhat reassuring to see that her trust issues weren't entirely groundless.

"They've come to terms with it."

"That's the thing. They're not embracing you. They're tolerating you. It's a rare thing for people to love each other unconditionally. Sharing some DNA increases the chances."

"I'm going to make coffee," Skye said evasively, and got off the couch. Ana went after her to the kitchen area.

"So, are we not going to talk about your dad?"

This was the main reason Ana had wanted to see her. Skye had met her father, shortly before her transformation. But she was being evasive about it.

"What's there to talk? He's a criminal. He killed innocent people. And SHIELD agents."

"I think you should've given him a chance. You're thinking as an agent, not as a daughter."

"It's easy for you to say. Your dad's an Avenger. You'll never have to make a choice."

"You think I don't get it? They called him the most famous mass-murder in history. And I know it's not exactly a lie. But it's not my truth either. Where would I be now, if I'd let others decide what he was to me?"

"What if he slaughtered an entire village, just because he was angry at… something, anything?"

"I don't think it would make a difference."

"You'll always be on his side, won't you?"

"I will. Maybe it's a mistake, to support one man so blindly, even if that man is Tony Stark. But it's the one mistake I'll never regret."

"Fear of abandonment," she said, pouring water into the coffee maker. "That's what Andrew would say."

"Who's Andrew?"

"Andrew Garner. My new shrink."

Now this was a total shock, because their resentment for shrinks was another thing the two had in common. Having grown up in the system, Skye had had her fair share of useless therapy sessions, and after the boarding school counselor had manipulated her not to tell her dad about the bullying, saying what a great opportunity this was for her to grow more mature—it was bullshit, of course, they just hadn't wanted to lose their best customer—Ana would never trust a shrink again.

"Don't look at me like that. Coulson insisted," Skye said defensively.

"And you agreed?"

"I had to meet May's ex-husband."

Ana's jaw almost dropped open. She still knew Agent May only by reputation, but it was hard to picture her as a married woman. "May was married? To a shrink?"

"Technically, he's a Consultant. He also teaches at Culver."

The coffee was ready. They spent the rest of the night chatting without touching any sensitive subjects. The inevitable "What about sex, though?" question came up at some point, and Ana told her she was asexual. Skye took it well, just said it was a bit ironic that the daughter of a playboy had turned out to be this way. In the morning, Ana returned to the tower.

Two weeks after this visit, Hill got intel on the Scepter's whereabouts. It was in Eastern Europe, and for the Avengers, it was the last HYDRA base to raid. The current HYDRA leader, Wolfgang von Strucker, was there, along with Dr. List. It was their main research base. No way to know if the gravitonium was kept there, too.

Ana watched the fight in Sokovia on TV. JARVIS sent her a copy of the report Hill had just received. All the data her dad had sent from Sokovia. No gravitonium, but the Scepter was indeed there, along with some more alien scrap they had salvaged from New York. And two enhanced individuals. The Maximoff twins. Like most Sokovians, they didn't like the Avengers much.

"Dr. Cho is here," JARVIS announced.

She left her office to greet Helen. Their relationship was mostly a professional one, but after Skye, Helen Cho was the second closest person she had to a friend. She was giving her staff instructions in Korean by the time Ana got to the landing pad.

"Helen! It's so good to see you here!"

"Hey, Ana. It's good to see you, too. Have you seen what's going on Sokovia? It's insane…"

"Nothing the Iron Legion can't handle."

"Tony… He's just prepared for everything, isn't he?"

"That's what he does."

She looked around as they entered the building. "Where will I be working?"

Ana thought for a moment. "Well, you can have my lab if you want. But you might not have everything you need there. You know me, I'm an engineer. The human body is just… eww."

She laughed. "Your loss. The human body is pretty amazing."

"You can have Bruce's lab, I guess… JARVIS, can you ask Bruce if that's cool?"

"I'm asking Mr. Stark now… He says it's fine. And Mr. Barton will need full treatment."

Helen frowned. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's been shot and gravely wounded in the side, though his condition is now stable," JARVIS replied.

She shouted more orders in Korean, and went to Bruce's lab.

"How can I help?" Ana asked.

"You can help me set up this machine," she showed her one of the containers she had brought along. Ana opened the container and started examining the pieces. It looked like a tissue printer.

"So, this is what's been keeping you so busy…"

"Wait until you see the Cradle. Seriously, why don't you come to Seoul sometime?"

"I would love to, but Pepper's already on a business trip, and somebody's gotta be in charge of the tower."

"What about Tony?"

It was now Ana's turn to laugh. "Try to keep him in an office for an hour straight and see what happens."

Helen gave her an understanding look.

Everything was set when the Quinjet landed. Romanoff and Helen's assistants rushed Barton to the lab, Bruce was following them at a walking pace. Helen went with them. Thor emerged with the case that contained the Scepter and waved at Ana cheerfully. Ana waved back. Hill was telling Rogers about the Maximoff twins.

Her dad was the last one to come out. He was smiling, but Ana could see something wasn't right. She could always tell. She hugged him. It was the "Thanks for coming home in one piece" hug.

"Sorry, kid," he said under his breath. "I looked everywhere but… It wasn't there either."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just need a nap," he said quickly.

"Dad…"

He sighed in surrender, but he also looked grateful for the concern. "Let's go to my lab."

After seeing how Barton was doing, they went to his private lab. The Scepter was already here, being scanned by JARVIS. Bruce was here, too, but he looked like he was on his way out.

"How's Barton?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, he's still Barton… He's fine, he's thirsty."

Bruce smiled, and walked away.

"Okay, JARVIS, look alive. It's playtime. We got a couple of days with this joystick, so let's make the most of it. Update me on the structural and the compositional analysis."

"The Scepter is alien," JARVIS said calmly. "There are elements I can't quantify."

"So there are elements you can't." He said this as if this was some kind of competition between them. He sometimes enjoyed acting petty.

JARVIS, being the cyber-gentleman he was, ignored the remark, and got straight to the point. "The jewel appears to be a protective housing for something inside. Something powerful."

"Like a reactor?"

"Like a computer. I believe I am deciphering a code."

Her dad was pouring drinks—probably for the team—but he stopped when he heard that. "Show me."

"This is going to take a minute, sir."

"In the meantime, do you want to tell me what happened in Sokovia?" Ana asked. "And don't say it's nothing."

He leaned against a table. "You know the Maximoffs?"

"I read their file."

"They… attacked me. At least the girl did."

"What?" Ana cried, running to his side, her eyes frantically looking for a sign of injury. "Why didn't you tell Helen?"

He stopped her by putting his hands on her shoulders. "It wasn't physical."

"She messed with your head…" The realization filled her heart with the type of rage she hadn't felt in a long time. She had thought she could control such emotions. She wasn't so sure anymore. All she wanted was to don the suit and hunt the twins down.

"She showed me something."

"What?"

"My biggest nightmare. You already know what that is." He looked the way of Bruce's lab, where most of the Avengers had gathered around Barton. "I saw them die."

"It wasn't real! We won't let such a thing happen! Project Sneak Peek, remember?"

"I've failed you, kid. I don't know where the gravitonium is. No clue. I'll fail them, too. I'll fail everyone."

"No, you won't! You're Tony Stark! You're my father! The smartest and the strongest person I ever know. Nothing can change that. As for the twins, they'll pay for what they did to you. I'll personally see to that."

"Now you're starting to scare me."

"Sir," JARVIS broke in. "Analysis complete."

He revealed the blue hologram of another mainframe. It was even more complex than JARVIS'.

"So, that's what Strucker's been working on…" her dad mumbled, circling it.

"Artificial Intelligence?" Ana asked. "How did HYDRA become so advanced? I mean, it took JARVIS 20 years to evolve. They had the Scepter for what, 2 years?"

He shrugged. "Getting your hands on alien tech can speed things up."

"We should destroy it."

"Or, we can reverse engineer it."

"Dad, what do you have in mind?"

"Ultron."

"I thought…"

"I made Pepper a promise? Yeah. A promise that might get her killed one day. Get you all killed."

"Dad, this is not you talking. This is… whatever that Sokovian bitch put into your head. You know I always support you, but please don't do this. You're not thinking clearly right now."

"We're running out of time, honey. I can feel it."

"You didn't tell the others, did you?"

"No. I'll tell Bruce, but not anyone else. They won't understand. They're not like us. They'll be afraid."

"I'm afraid, too."

"The others are afraid of change itself, but not you. So, why?"

"It's simple, Dad, really. Who had this Scepter?"

"HYDRA."

"Exactly! And the Maximoffs… You said they didn't physically attack you. Could they…" Ana sucked in a sharp breath before continuing. It wasn't easy to say that word out loud. "Could they have killed you if they'd wanted?"

He thought for a moment, then nodded. "I think so, yeah."

"JARVIS?" she asked for confirmation. He was a more reliable source at this point.

"Mr. Stark is right. They could've fatally harmed him. He wasn't in his suit."

"But they didn't. Instead, they put an idea in your head, and let you go. What if they want you to finish what HYDRA started?"

"Is this your theory?"

"Trust me, this is the best-case scenario."

"What's the worst-case?"

"Who had the Scepter before HYDRA?"

"Loki…"

"Remember my theory about Loki?"

His face became even graver, but Ana had no regrets. He needed to hear this from someone he respected. He might still see her as a little girl, but while they were working, he always treated her as an equal. She knew her words had an impact on him. An impact no one else could make. "So, whoever gave Loki an army…"

"If I were an alien warmonger, I wouldn't give away such a powerful artifact without a safeguard. Open your eyes, Dad, you're being played."

He let out a troubled sigh, then came to hug her. "You're my guardian angel. You know that, right?"

"I should've been in Sokovia with you."

"No. We talked about this. Your suit is only for an emergency. You're not going to be a superhero. I can't take it. Seriously, I've had a heart surgery, and—"

"Now you're guilt-tripping me. But yeah, you're getting old."

"Ouch…"

"You asked for it." She kissed his cheek. "So, what now?"

"I'll just serve these drinks, and call it a day."

"Good idea. You should get some rest. And I should get back to work, but let me know if you want to talk more about that vision… or anything, really."

"Sure thing." He gave her one gentle squeeze before releasing her and leaving the lab with the tray.

"JARVIS? What do you think about this?" she asked after her dad was gone, eyes fixated on the Scepter.

"It is… hard to explain."

"Try me."

"I agree with you that this consciousness might be a… Trojan horse, so to say. Still, it's much more advanced than I am, therefore it can be put to good use."

"JARVIS…"

"Remember what you said about Kree? About how the Supreme Intelligence is the reason they're so feared? I am not saying we should use this program as it is, but if we integrate the mainframe into the Ultron program…"

"Still, I can't help but think Dad's being manipulated. I don't want to rush it."

"We don't have much time," he reminded. "The Avengers gave Mr. Stark 3 days. It was you who said we should use every weapon we can get our hands on."

It was hard to win an argument against a program.

"Good morning, Ana. It's 7 AM."

Ana smiled. This was how JARVIS woke her up every morning. It was nice, waking up to the voice of someone who loved you. She still woke up to an empty bed, but that had never been a bad thing for her. JARVIS was real enough, and he made her happy.

As usual, she took a shower, and then got dressed. She was in the elevator, heading for the office, when he said, "Mr. Stark hasn't changed his mind about Ultron."

"Is he working on it as we speak?"

"With Dr. Banner."

"How much does Bruce know?"

"Mr. Stark told him that I was sentient, to convince him that Artificial Intelligence isn't just a fantasy. But he didn't say anything about our relationship."

"If we're bringing him into the fold, we might as well tell him everything," she decided. "What do you say, JARVIS? It went well with Skye…"

"I'm ready if you are."

"Take me to the lab, then."

JARVIS stopped the elevator, and it started going up instead of down. Her dad and Bruce were in the former's private lab, indeed. The windows weren't obscured—that would look suspicious—but then, not many people could figure out what was going on in there by just looking at them anyway.

"Hiding in plain sight?" Ana asked as she entered.

Her dad raised his hands as if he was surrendering. "Busted…"

"JARVIS told me."

"Of course he did…"

"Wow," Bruce said. "You weren't kidding when you said he was sentient."

"He's sentient, and we're in a relationship," she blurted out.

Bruce's eyes widened. "He what?"

Her dad chuckled. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. I freaked out at first, but—"

"Dad, don't change the subject. Why didn't you tell me? You don't trust me anymore? If you really want to do something, I'll never stop you, you should know that. I'll just make sure you do it right."

"It's not what you think it is, kid. I left you out because I don't want you to take any heat if the others find out."

"I don't care. If they're going to blame you, let them blame me, too."

"Sorry to interrupt, but if JARVIS is so advanced, why don't we just use him?" Bruce asked.

"Because she's been through enough. I'm not putting her boyfriend in charge of global security."