"And on that note. I will see you all next week," Sam Wilson declared, looking over the gathered group before him. Slowly people started to either nod and get up or just get up and head out. He didn't mind either option. Just watched them closely to see who looked like they might need an extra chat before they fully left the building or if they'd be okay. Most seemed like they'd be perfectly fine so he wasn't too bothered but one woman drew his attention.
She looked younger then most but he also didn't like judging. Her long dark hair fell just slightly over her face, blocking it from clear view. Sam couldn't see her eyes but something about the way she stood there made him feel like he should go to her. Taking another quick look around the room, he headed toward her. Her gaze shifted, green eyes flashed with an odd color but Sam couldn't determine what it was before it was gone and she turned and walked away. Sam frowned. For half a second he wondered if he should let her walk but the last time he had done that, the person had committed suicide that night. Their letter stated that because Sam didn't follow, they figured no one cared about them and so they'd just go.
"Yo! Wilson!" a voice cried. A voice Sam hadn't heard in a long, long time. He looked toward the doorway to see James Rhodes was walking toward him. Sam smiled, examining the man's expression and movements for a hint as to why he was visiting. James was tense but attempting to act calm. Something was bothering him. Something he wanted to keep a secret for if the information got out then people would get hurt. Recognizing that, Sam straightened a bit and headed over to the other airman, forgetting the woman he had been about to hunt down moments before.
"Colonel Rhodes," Sam greeted. James sighed, stepping forward into the room. Nodding, Sam tilted his head toward the small room adjacent to the room he had always set up for his gatherings. The door was open and the blinds up so people had clear view inside and didn't feel like an enemy was hidden from them. Inside the room was Sam's office. When inside, Sam turned and closed the blinds. Not every person wanted that but Sam also knew that James would be fine with it and would likely welcome the barrier. "So, what brings you to my neck of the woods? You have what, three more years before they ask you to sign on again?"
"Something like that but this isn't about that," James agreed. Sam sighed deeply.
"I was sort of afraid of that," he admitted, glancing toward the rather large wardrobe closet in the corner of the room. The closet that held the bag filled with the Falcon gear. "How bad is it? They not get-"
"We don't know. All I know is that Pepper called me saying she can't get a hold of any of them," James informed. Sam frowned. But that made no sense.
"Any? I thought-"
"Any. She can't even get in touch with JARVIS. Something happened to the others and I was wondering if you'd be willing to go check it out with me," James offered. Sam couldn't stop the quirk of his lip in glee. He loved flying in the Falcon suit and certainly didn't get to do it as often as he desired. So, getting any chance was sort of like someone being told they were going to visit Walt Disney World (or an equivalent place that causes extreme desire).
"Should I be prepared for anything?" Sam wondered, though his voice basically gave off the idea that even if James said to leave it that he'd bring it. If anything, depending on what was going on, Sam might be able to get a quick flight in before he needed to return back here.
"Bring it," James agreed, having already been fearing for the worst. Nodding, Sam jumped to the closet and pulled out the pack, quickly sliding it on. Tony had been nice enough to add in enough designs to it that when the wings weren't out there could be a stealth mode on it that made it look somewhat similar to a backpack. And Sam's armor was designed to look a lot similar to a leather biker outfit. All completely normal things for him to be wandering around in. Now prepared, Sam nodded to James and they headed out. "I'm hoping that this is just a simple misunderstanding but it isn't likely when JARVIS is the one who doesn't respond."
"Couldn't Stark just order him not to reply?" Sam questioned. James shook his head.
"No, no. Pepper has high enough access and some sort of protection code thing that allows her to ask even if Tony forbade it. Especially if JARVIS knows she's upset or if Tony's in trouble," James stated. Sam pursed his lips. If Pepper was upset and JARVIS wasn't answering, what could have happened? Why was the AI not talking to her? "I think something happened with the Avengers cause I can't even get in touch with them."
"Weren't they just back from that mission in England or something?" Sam inquired. James shrugged. He honestly didn't pay much attention to what the new group was doing outside of if it interfered with the military or not. Or if Pepper called to complain/vent about Tony. "Damn. We really should figure out some sort of better communication for those of us that are on the reserve list."
"We'll tell that to Tony when we get a hold of him," James agreed as they stepped out together onto the parking lot. Off to the side stood the War Machine armor. Amazingly, unlike anywhere else, no one was crowding around it. A few people lingered nearby, checking it out and waiting to see if James or if Tony would come out of it. But most seemed to just ignore it as if it was a mere statue. "You good to fly?"
"Ready to go, man," Sam said. Nodding, James got into his suit and automatically, it started up.
"Good afternoon, Colonel Rhodes," the automated voice greeted as the system turned on. James sighed. It had taken him a bit to get used to the idea that JARVIS was installed in the War Machine suit and if he wanted the AI removed then the suit likely wouldn't work. The AI controlled too many teeny tiny variables that removing him would make the suit unusable. It would be like getting in a car that didn't have a steering wheel.
"All set?" Sam asked. James nodded and twitched his muscles, setting off the repulsors to lift him into the air. Sam took a small running start before the Falcon suit kicked on and he rose up, wings snapping out. Sighing at the burst of freedom that suddenly hit him, Sam tilted himself ever so slightly in order to line up in the direction needed to head from DC to New York. But, for some reason, his direction didn't shift. Instead, the suit compensated for his change but left him on the same course he started from. Sam blinked a few times in confusion before over adjusting a bit, trying to get the suit to respond. In doing so, he nearly flipped himself completely over but still, his path didn't shift. "Fuck, something's wrong with my pack!"
"Nothing is wrong with the Exo-7 Falcon suit," a strange deep voice called over the small comm unit that Sam had placed in his ear moments before lift off. Sam's eyes widened a bit as he glanced over at James. The other airman didn't look like he was having any issues but then again, unlike Sam himself, all of James was encased in the armor. For all Sam knew, James was freaking out inside. "Everything is in working order. I have simply... Commandeered control so as to... Invite you to see me."
"And if I didn't want to see you?" Sam mused. There was a dark laugh in response.
"Well, I guess you don't really have a choice now," the voice replied. Sam felt a small shudder run down his spine. After dealing with the Chitauri with the Avengers only once, Sam wasn't prepared for something like this. It was now that he was beginning to understand the world he had opened himself into.
"Who are you?" Sam demanded. He needed some sort of clue. While the others hadn't told him much, he knew some of the big enemy names like Hydra, AIM, Thanos and...
"My name is Ultron."
"Clint," Natasha greeted, stepping around the corner of a room that Clint hadn't realized he was in until she did as such. Once again, this Natasha looked exactly like the Natasha that had fallen from the side of that blasted cliff. Clint winced, looking away from her. He didn't want to deal with this right now. He'd deal with anything else.
"Can you choose a different form? Anyone but her," he requested, praying that the Aether agreed. There was a pause before a hand was placed on his shoulder. A hand that was larger then Natasha's. He glanced over to see that it was now Barney Barton standing there. The archer shook his head and looked away. Memories of Barney surged through Clint's mind as he thought about everything that had changed recently. He'd have to let Barney know at some point that he might never have been an uncle. And... God, his kids... Ugh. There had to be a different image. Though, at least it wasn't Natasha. "Better I guess."
"I'm sorry. I need a form that you know. I cannot simply choose for myself," Barney/Aether replied actually sounding sorry for him. Clint scoffed but said nothing. The two stood there, not really looking at each other but unable to see anything else. Neither of them had really created much of anything. Even the room was slowly starting to vanish. Clint looking out into a blank distance and Barney/Aether looking at him. They were silent for a good few minutes before the silence was broken. "I can feel my sister stone. Her power calls to me."
"Yeah, about that," Clint grumbled, looking to it with a bit of a hurt look. Barney/Aether tilted it's head. "It hurts when you try and respond."
"I apologize but our powers are drawn to each other. There is very little I can do to hold back against the draw if she calls," Barney/Aether answered with a nod. It felt bad but it was the truth. They called to each other for a reason. As dangerous as it was, all the Stones wanted to be reunited with each other. They all understood the dangers but they still desired it in some way. Clint pursed his lips and tried to fight back a growl as he once again turned away from the image. In the distance this time, rather then pure nothing, Clint could see the traces of two kids running happily about a circus fairground as a long ago memory returned. He winced at the sight and it slowly faded away to nothingness once again. "I am not doing it to harm you."
"At least I know he won't kill me trying to get you," Clint scoffed before walking a few steps away. Not for the first time did he regret the fact that he went to find the damn Stone. He should have waited when the strangeness started. Should have had Loki go through. Or Thor. Anyone but him. Then he couldn't help but wince at the idea as suddenly the image of Bucky getting bonded with the Aether came to mind and having to be forced to watch as the Aether slowly killed him. Barney/Aether smartly gave the archer the ability to walk away. It just watched him. Watched as Clint's steps began to turn into a small pacing spot. "Will all the stones be like that?"
"If they call out to me, yes," Barney/Aether said in sadness. This was one of the first times in eons that it had purely bonded with a person in the way it had bonded with Clint. And it had been the same with the others as well. If they had not called upon the use of it's power, then they felt pain. Often times it did no damage to the host but a few had been mentally damaged each time. Clint glanced to the image with a disappointed look and almost an angry look. It was clear that he didn't like that idea. Barney/Aether sighed. "We have states of inert energy and active energy. When inert, there is very little chance of us responding to each other. But when active, our energy calls out. The nearer we are to each other the harder it is to resist."
"So, this will happen each time?" Clint huffed in disbelief. Of course that would happen. He should know better with his luck. Barney/Aether nodded. Shaking his head, Clint let out a slightly angered laugh. "Great. Wonderful."
"I apologize," Barney/Aether repeated making Clint wave a dismissive hand in it's direction. He had known from the start that having the Aether inside of him would be an issue. And had even come to terms with the fact that the Aether might even kill him. The fact that he hadn't died yet was pretty much a miracle and his typical brand of blind 'getting out of serious trouble' luck.
They dropped into silence once again. Barney/Aether watched Clint as the archer looked out into the expanse. Slowly, the image of the circus began to appear again. Calliope music started to fill the air along with laughter, shouts of winning prizes and cheers. Just as it faded into full view, a young Clint Barton came running out from the background, pausing as the image suddenly seemed to catch sight of the other two. Almost as quickly as it appeared, it vanished from sight. Clint sighed.
"Does Ronan have the power to get you out of me?" Clint whispered partly in hope but also in fear. As much as he wanted the Aether removed from him, he didn't want Ronan to get it. Or Nebula. They would either use it themselves (Ronan) or return it to Thanos (Nebula). There was no question that either of them getting a hold of the Stone rushing through him would be dangerous to everyone. Barney/Aether tilted it's head, thinking about the question, running through every possibility. "If you tried to stay with me, can he use the Power Stone to remove you?"
"There is a possible chance that he can remove me. But as of this moment, he does not have the necessary items needed to do so. I cannot be conjoined with any random item like my sister stone. To use me, one must have a deeper connection," Barney/Aether explained. Clint frowned, glancing to the image. Deeper connection? That made no sense to him. And besides, he knew for a fact that the Aether had been 'conjoined' with a random item like Ronan's staff.
"But the gauntlet?" he started to ask, stopping when Barney/Aether shook it's head.
"Was much like a storage container. Built to withstand the power of my sisters and I," Barney/Aether informed. Clint pursed his lips and thought about it. The Time Stone was inside the Eye of Agamotto. A device built to encapsulate the stone. The Tesseract/Space Stone had been enclosed in the (in essence) glass cube. Before being released, the Power Stone had been inside the Orb. The Mind Stone had been the Scepter's gem and the Soul Stone... Well, Clint wasn't sure where the Soul Stone had been stored. And when he had gotten it, there had been a magical cap around it. Almost... Almost like Natasha's soul kept it as a Stone. A chill ran up his spine quickly before vanishing.
"Huh," Clint mumbled, seeing the point the Aether was making. Their powers were contained inside things. Even when Rocket and Thor had collected the Aether from Jane Foster, the Aether had been in a small containment tube. But once near the sister stones, it had turned into a stone. As if their power had forced it into that shape.
"We are not meant to stay out for long. Our power is too expansive to not be contained in some way," Barney/Aether added. Clint sighed deeply. So, there was nothing he could do. Nothing to stop Ronan if he became truly determined to get the Aether out of him. Then a thought came to him.
"What about the other set? They all are free roaming stones," he pointed out. Barney/Aether gave him a small smile and waited, watching Clint. He frowned, thinking over what he remembered. There were two sets. One made as if by nature to run the universe and a second made to counteract the first. One weaker... "The other set was the one created by the sorcerers."
"Indeed. They were designed to be stones. Designed to hold their shape and control their own power unless used. Very few note the difference and it was why having two sets seem like such a good idea," Barney/Aether mentioned. Clint sighed.
"So, even if Thanos collected the second set, we'd have the stronger set and could stop him," Clint whispered, awed. Barney/Aether pursed it's lips.
"We do not cancel each other out as much as people think. If this, Thanos, collects the other stones and uses them, my sisters and I might not be able to fix all," the Stone warned. Clint frowned, looking to Barney/Aether in confusion. It sighed again. "This Thanos creature desires half of the universe to disappear. Using the human made set is used, it will work as my sisters and I did. Half the universe would vanish. But, using my sisters and I to return everyone would not be the same. We may only be able to return half of that half. Or, those returned might not be the people you remember. As we did not have a connection to them, we do not know whom we are collecting. Your friend Loki has mentioned coming from various dimensions, correct?"
"Yeah," Clint said, nodding his head. Barney/Aether nodded as well.
"If we returned those vanished from this dimension, we may pull from another's dimension. And, there may end up being double of the same person if we are not careful," the Stone informed. Clint scrunched his face up is disdain at that. So, they were back to the same issue. They needed to stop Thanos before he collected either set. But more importantly, if they wanted the threat of Thanos forever gone then they would need to find someone strong enough to use the Aether's set.
"Do you know-"
"I cannot tell you those that can use my sister's and my power. We are never truly certain a person can tolerate it. We are connected to this dimension and the others in a way and when we search for things like that, we may mention a person in another dimension that could handle it while in this dimension they could not. All you can do is trust your instincts," Barney/Aether replied. Clint shook his head. So much for that idea. He looked off to the distance again as the image of the circus appeared. A teenage Clint rushed past them as if the devil was after him moments before Jacques followed and Barney seconds after him. Clint turned away, the image disappearing. "If you desire... I can help-"
"I'm not using your power," Clint snarled, turning on it as if he would attack. Barney/Aether smiled lightly at him. It knew that for certain. Clint didn't understand how deeply it knew about him. It knew that, unless there was no other choice (and even then he'd disagree with the situation), Clint would not use it's power. He would work hard to find another solution.
"That is not what I was going to suggest," Barney/Aether retorted with a soft chuckle. Clint arched an eyebrow, looking the image over. He wasn't sure he believed the Stone, but he was also curious. What did it want to help him with? "I was going to suggest I help you access your bow."
Clint frowned. The idea had merit. While at the Kyln, Clint had taught himself how to hold back the Aether in case he was attacked. And he had taught himself how to adjust his magic around the Aether's power. But, he hadn't had the chance to figure out why he hadn't been able to access Izril. Nor had he seriously tried to access her since that one time. Not that he had ever had the time since the first attempt to call the bow. He glanced down to his hand, wondering if he should simply try and call upon the bow now.
"If you call her now, she'll come. But I cannot promise she will come in the waking world. Her power is... Blocked by my own." Clint's attention snapped to Barney/Aether. That didn't sound good. "It is not intentional on my part. I feel your bow may be doing it on purpose."
"Why?"
"Much in the way of yourself, blocking your magic from draining others. If I could connect to your bow, we run the risk of it becoming my host and likely, it being destroyed."
"What? But I thought-" Clint cried. Barney/Aether held up it's hand in defense.
"The bow is magic and had a deep connection with yourself in the fact that only you may draw upon her string. Magic items also tend to draw upon other magic items to a degree. Due to my creation, I would be drawn into using your bow as a host and in turn destroying the magic that created it. Your bow would then become my container and it's magic will be destroyed. Anyone would be able to use her."
Today has been rough...
Darius is doing good. Getting into trouble with me today but good. He's been enjoying his days at school, has a bunch of friends but like any child... "what did you learn in school today?" "I don't know." -_- yay...