A/N: This one is longer than all the others! It's a big chapter, but we're finally in AOU, y'all! Thanks to those who commented last chapter! I'd love to hear from you guys again about this chapter!
Chapter #26:
There Are No Strings On Me
"What makes a man like Ringo, Doc? What makes him do the things he does?"
"A man like Ringo has got a great big hole, right in the middle of him. He can never kill enough, or steal enough, or inflict enough pain to ever fill it."
"What does he need?"
"Revenge."
"For what?"
"Bein' born."
—Wyatt Earp & Doc Holliday (Tombstone)
February had ended kind of nonchalantly. Granted, maybe the end just felt nonchalant because the first half of it had been so eventful. The first two weeks consisted of nightmares and me nearly killing Steve with his own shield, but the last two were a collection of things settling into place.
Things on the PR scene were going great. Everyone loved the Avengers. Mostly. They were loved enough that Beth and I's job was made almost too easy at the least. Boss had been quiet. A part of me expected him to show up in my life, I think I still looked around corners for him, but he hadn't made a sound. That was almost scarier. I'd be worried except Clint told me Coulson had a team tracking the asshole down. Daisy had felt really bad about me not being inhuman so I think she thought she could make it up to me by finding Boss. Not that she owed me anything. It wasn't her fault I was just a dumb little human with no cool, kickass alien genes.
The best thing to come out of February was that the Avengers had whittled down their list of HYDRA bases even further. They still kept me mostly in the dark about certain mission details, but from what I understood the mission they were on today was very, very important. Important enough for Thor to be on Earth. Important enough that it could be their last HYDRA base busting mission.
"You know I really don't need a babysitter anymore." I said with a shake of my head.
Sam, who sat across from me in a jean jacket, chuckled, "Tell that to the Avengers."
"Coulson says the agents following Boss are right on his tail. He's left Vegas and is heading to some place in California. Which last I checked is super far from here?"
"Yeah, do you know why he'd do that? Go to California, I mean. He know someone out there?"
I shrugged. Truthfully, I had no idea. The only things I really learned about Boss while I had worked for him was that he was a greedy asshole, a masochistic devil, and that for some reason he really loved specifically torturing me. I was his own personal brand of heroin, but not in a creepy vampire teenage romance book way.
"Maybe he wants to be a movie star." I joked. The idea of Boss going out west and ignoring me for the rest of my life didn't sound right, but Coulson seemed sure. I took another bite of my sandwich and after chewing and swallowing it, I spoke up, "Have you heard from any of them?"
Sam shook his head, "Nah, not since they went dark. We'll probably hear from them in the next few hours though." I nodded and went back to my food. He leaned forward in his seat suddenly with a grin, "Good news though."
"Oh yeah, what's that?" I asked with food tucked into my cheek.
"I think I may have found Bucky."
I immediately sucked the food in my mouth down my throat. Sam's eyes widened as I choked on my meal. He pushed my glass of water closer to me and I threw some back in hopes to clear out my throat. Sam fucking what?
"Wh—What?" I coughed.
"I think I have a lead on Bucky." Sam nodded with a smile. "It's not much, but it's more than we've had. I'm waiting to hear back from some sources that Nat knows."
There was something uncomfortable about Sam saying he was close to finding Bucky when I had just sent the missing man a text twenty minutes ago. In fact, I still talked to him every single night until I passed out. We never missed a day. Panic surged through me. Do I warn Bucky about this? My first instinct was to do just that, but realistically… isn't this a good thing? We want him to come back to New York after all. That was the goal.
"Aj?"
I snapped my gaze up to Sam who looked confused, "Huh?"
"You good?" He questioned.
Quickly, I pasted a forced grin on my face, "Everything is great."
Sokovia was a gorgeous area. A little in the middle of nowhere, Tony didn't plan on buying a vacation home out here anytime soon, but pretty all the same. It was probably the mountains still covered in late winter snow and thick green forests that did it. You don't get a lot of that in Manhattan or Malibu. It lost some points for having a huge HYDRA base in an abandoned castle, but no place was perfect.
Tony left the group, rocketing up the countryside, toward the castle while dodging plasma rounds from the turrets guarding the area. HYDRA made it almost too easy for them. As far as missions went this was easy peasy lemon squ—
"Fuck!" Tony shouted when his suit bounced off an unseen shield around the building. A wave of force shimmered over the surface as Tony course corrected.
"Language!" Steve fired back at him over the comm unit. He banked his motorcycle around the corner. "Jar. That's $20." Tony grumbled over the comm line and Steve ignored him entirely, "JARVIS, what's the view from upstairs?"
"The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield. Strucker's technology is well beyond any other HYDRA base we've taken." JARVIS replied reporting from the satellite above the area.
Thor, who dropped down from a HYDRA vantage point, landed on a solider and immediately threw Mjolnir into a group aiming their weapons at him, "Loki's scepter must be here. Strucker couldn't mount this defense without it." He called back his hammer, but when it got near he stepped out of the way and let it slam into the soldier that was sneaking up at him, "At long last."
Natasha, who was handling her own section not very far away, threw a grenade into the back of a truck as she ran down the path. The explosion gave her enough cover to leap over the sandbags and throw the heel of her foot into the face of the soldier firing the turret. She followed her momentum, flipping down the slight hill, and leaped at the next closet soldier. It took only seconds to wrap her leg around the back of his neck and when his partner came to help him, Natasha grabbed his shoulders with her upper half and flipped them both as hard as she could.
The moment they were down she was quick to roll back up just in case. When no other soldiers were coming at her, she pulled out her gun with a disgruntled sigh, "At long last is lasting a little long, boys." Natasha turned and fired two shots into the soldier who tried to work the turret again. "Can we pick up the pace a bit? It's not like we have the element of surprise anymore."
Clint nodded in agreement once as he sprinted past the red head and fired two arrows in quick succession before sliding behind a tree. The arrows hit their mark, exploding and taking out the turret bunker. He peeked around the corner and fired one more arrow into a truck that was peeling away.
"Wait a second", Tony called out over the comm unit. He was still circling the shielded building taking out any soldiers that stepped out the doors. He scoffed in his suit, "—can we circle back to the important issue here? Rogers thinks I owe the jar $20. That's absurd. It should be $10 at most."
At Iron Man's words, Steve rolled his eyes. Up ahead he could see a truck of HYDRA soldiers driving straight toward him. "You think you just owe 5 bucks? 5?" Steve sucked in a sharp breath then dove forward over the handlebars to throw his bike straight into the front of the truck. It exploded immediately. Steve glanced around, "We decided the F word was $20." He shook his head. "It's not like you can't afford that."
"It's the dang principle of it!" Tony called back.
Thor chimed in over his own earpiece, "Aj shared the rules with me before we left, and the word 'fuck' does cost you 20, Stark."
"I can't believe I'm asking this, but where's Clint?" Tony replied. He was not going to lose the cursing war that started randomly a couple weeks ago. He'd let one of these HYDRA soldiers fly around in his suit before he did. "I want his opinion."
"He's decided to take a vow of silence." Natasha chuckled. Clint poked his head out from behind a tree hoping to catch the eye of someone so he could celebrate the moment Tony asked for his opinion. Unfortunately, the only person close to him was the Hulk, and based on the way the green beast was slamming a truck into the ground repeatedly he did not care about this monumental moment in Clint's life.
"Is this the same Clint Barton we all know? Dumpster man?" Thor questioned in shock. Clint fired another arrow and bit down on his lip to hold back his retort. Dumpster man, his ass. What did the god of thunder know?
"Clint has 45 more bucks in his jar than everyone else combined." Natasha explained as she held a soldier in a choke hold. "He's 100% gonna lose the bet unless he stops swearing entirely, and he knows the only way that's gonna happen is if he never speaks again."
"Maybe we should take $10 out of his jar for self-awareness." Steve said then grunted as he threw his shield out. It bounced off a tree and into the chest of a soldier trying to sneak up on him from the side. The shield bounced back and he caught it, "That plus Tony owing $20 could really help his chances."
"Gee golly, Rogers, you're really lighting my candles." Tony snapped and slid across the stone pathway taking out a group of soldiers.
"That sounds vaguely sexual, Tony. Do you wanna tell us something?" Natasha spoke knowing that Clint was somewhere in the woods probably biting his lip off to hold back his own witty comment.
"Sir, the city is taking fire." JARVIS cut into their typical battle banter.
"Well, we know Strucker's not going to worry about civilian casualties." Tony turned his focus back to the task at hand. He double barreled in the air to avoid turret fire. His screen lit up as footage from the closet city was pulled up. He nodded, "Send in the Iron Legion."
JARVIS confirmed the order, and Tony went back to looking for a way in. The sooner they got back the sooner he could convince Aj to side with him on the money issue.
"We will not yield! The Americans sent their circus freaks to test us!" Strucker yelled out to his crowd of dumbass soldiers. Vincent leaned against the wall with his legs crossed at his ankles. The Avengers were right outside these walls kicking ass, and Vincent needed to get out of here yesterday. He told the idiot nazi once and he'd say it again: He was not about to pick a fist fight with the fucking Avengers.
Vincent let his eyes trace the room and they landed on the twins who stood off to the side whispering to one another. They were just kids, a boy with dyed white hair and a girl with glowing red hands. Vincent had no idea what the fuck Strucker did to them, but there was an anger in their eyes that he didn't understand.
"We will send them back in bags." Strucker snapped. Vincent rolled his eyes and went to cross his arms. His elbow was healed enough that he didn't need the full brace, but the German hooked him up with a smaller brace that still shot out fire and added an extra 'umph' to his punches. "No surrender!"
The room of soldiers chorused the words loudly. Strucker grabbed his number one scientist and then drifted over to where he was. He said quietly, under his breath, "It's time to surrender." Vincent scoffed and Strucker shot him a glare. "We are outnumbered, and my research is too important to try and protect this stronghold. I am too close to give up now."
"Send out the twins." The scientist emphasized. "They can handle this."
"It's too soon. They are not ready." Strucker replied.
The two began to argue and when Vincent tore his eyes away from them they landed on the twins who were slipping out of a door behind where they stood. The white-haired boy caught his eye and briefly froze. Vincent smirked and gave the kid a wink and nod. He nodded back once and slipped out with his sister.
It took a minute before the two other men to notice the twins had disappeared. Vincent pushed off the wall and grinned, "Looks like they made the decision for you, Kraut."
Strucker cursed in German then glared at the scientist, "Delete everything. Now."
"Even the—"
"Everything!" Strucker shoved him back. The scientist scrambled away to get the job done and Vincent just soaked in the chaotic atmosphere in the room. He loved train wrecks like this. So much fun to watch. The only thing he liked more was causing them. Strucker pointed at him, "You will make sure I get out of here."
Vincent narrowed his eyes with a shrug, "And why would I do that? I can slip out easy while the Avengers fuck you up."
"If you want the little Bradshaw—" Strucker growled, "—then you will get me out of here alive and free."
Vincent cursed in aggravation, "Fine. Grab your things. If you're not ready in ten minutes I'm leaving without you."
Strucker ran off and Vincent pulled out his phone to call his ride. He was starting to wonder if this deal was even worth it. He was a patient guy. The Avengers were smothering Small Fry and it left him very little options to move in. They wouldn't do that forever though. As soon as his little brother stopped being a shithead, they'd give her a little freedom and that's when he could make his move. But, he'd give the nazi one more shot. Just one more.
Clint ran from one tree to another with a groan. The last explosion had been a hair too close and slammed him into the tree he had been next to. Good news was his ribs weren't broken. He was just ready to be home. These missions were way less fun when he wasn't allowed to talk during them. There was still one bunker left firing on the group, but it wouldn't be around for much longer. He grumbled under his breath and notched another arrow.
He waited for the gunfire to pause and then whipped around the tree to fire the arrow. He pulled back and waited for the explosion. And waited. And waited? Clint lifted his hand to test his hearing aids. They obviously still worked, but why hadn't he heard the bunker explode?
"Son of a…" Clint rolled out from the other direction, irritated, and notched another arrow. He pulled back on the string, but before he could let it fly something slammed into his side sending him sprawling onto the ground. He groaned in annoyance and shoved himself back up.
Clint dusted off the snow on his shoulder and his eyes landed on a smug kid walking past him. He couldn't be older than 18 with grayish hair and dark roots. The kid had on a navy and silver jumpsuit and a broad smirk. When he spoke, Clint recognized the Sokovian accent, "You didn't see that coming?"
Before Clint could question why the kid was in a fucking battlefield, he blinked out of existence sending snow and dirt flying up from the ground. Inhuman. A runner? Clint swapped his arrows from incendiary to the net ones, and he notched an arrow to aim it in the direction he thought the kid ran in.
"Guys, we have a problem." Clint said slowly as he let his bow fall to his side.
"His vow lasted literal hours." Tony joked over his comm unit.
Clint couldn't see or hear the kid at all. He opened his mouth to explain the situation when he heard the charging of a plasma turret, but before his brain could connect the dots it fired. There was a flash of blue and Clint felt something hot tear into his side as it clipped him.
"Fuck!" Clint yelled as he hit the ground. He heard the others call out to him over the comm system, but all he could focus on was the burning pain at his side. The one time he manages to not break his ribs this happens instead. He gripped at his side and flinched as his had clasped down onto a wet wound. Oh shit. This was bad. This was really bad.
Steve was too far away to get to Clint, but he could hear Natasha getting to him quick enough. He lifted a hand to his earpiece to question their status again when something slammed into his side hard. It flipped him forward and Steve twisted in the air to land on his feet. He glanced around but saw nothing in the area.
"I think I found Clint's problem." Steve said. The air of humor they held earlier had vanished as the mission took a turn. Steve sprinted off to find Thor. "We have an inhuman in the field. Stay on alert."
Natasha slid in the snow, dodging gunfire, to reach Clint who was writhing on the ground trying to grasp his side. Snow and dirt flew up as the turret continued to try and fire at them. The only thing blocking the blows was one tree a few feet in front of them. Natasha glanced down at the gaping wound on his side. A chunk of him was missing as blood oozed out. The only thing working for Clint was the fact that the plasma that hit him had also managed to cauterize some of the bleeding.
"It's bad." Natasha reported and yanked the few first aid items she had on her belt. Clint let out a cry of pain when she shoved the gauze into the bleeding hole as quickly as she should. Despite the cauterization, he was still losing more blood than Natasha liked. The snow underneath him was staining red. The turret fired again, and she flinched, "Somebody wanna deal with that bunker!?" She pulled the morphine shot out of her belt and injected it into Clint's neck. Hulk roared behind her and she glanced over her shoulder to see him scream while barreling through the bunker. She nodded. That was one solution. "Thank you."
Clint's eyes fluttered, "If you guys…If you guys make me pay for saying fuck earlier… I swear to God I'm quitting the team."
Natasha smirked in amusement and set her hand on the side of his face. Hawkeye gave her a smile, more of a grimace really, and then blacked out. She lifted a hand to her earpiece, "Clint is stable for now."
Steve came upon on another group of soldiers and picked up his speed. He threw out his shield to the first soldier and jumped up into the air to catch it when it came back. His forward momentum kept him going and, on the way down from his jump, he slammed the edge of the shield into the next soldier's helmet.
"Stark!" He barked and grabbed the shield with his hand to knock out the legs of a soldier to his right. Steve hit him in the face on the way down, "We really need to get inside."
Tony, who was still whipping around the building, fired a round of shots into a bigger pack of soldiers. He grunted, "I'm closing in." When the soldiers were taken care of, he furrowed his eyebrows, "J, am I? Closing in?" Tony whipped around the corner, blasting through a fence, "Do you see a power source for that shield?"
"There's a particle wave below the North Tower."
"Great, I wanna poke it with something." Tony replied as he fired shots at a multitude of soldiers who flooded into the plaza he was flying through. He knocked one jet packed HYDRA agent out of his way then rocketed up into the air toward the North Tower. JARVIS lit up the weakest point in the ground for a rocket and Tony fired one right at it. The rocket dug through the Earth and took out the power source exactly like he wanted.
Tony smirked as he watched the shield dissipate around the building, "Drawbridge is down, people. You're welcome." He tacked on at the end. "I think that should take about $35 out of my jar. Quick service and all."
Steve rolled his eyes and clenched his fist. The magnetic squares on his armor activated and his shield snapped back into place. He turned as Thor slammed into the ground a few feet away from him sending soldiers flying up into the air.
"Aj told me I was judge of that, and I vote no, Stark." Thor replied and heard the man grumble over the piece of technology sitting in his ear. Steve jogged over to him and Thor nodded, "The inhuman?"
"He's a blur." Steve said. Both men glanced around the area checking for a threat. Steve nodded, "All the new players we've faced, and I've never seen this." He let out a humorless chuckle. "In fact, I still haven't."
"Update, Clint is still stable, but the wound isn't anything I can handle in the field." Natasha announced over the line. "We're gonna need evac."
Steve sighed in worry. This wasn't how this mission was supposed to go at all. His shoulders tensed when he saw a tank and squad of HYRDA agents come over a crest up ahead of them. Thor clapped him on the shoulder, "I can get Barton to the jet. The sooner we're gone, the better. You and Stark get my brother's scepter."
"Copy that." Steve clasped his shoulder back briefly.
They both turned to look at the tank and squad that had gotten closer. The soldiers were marching side by side in front of the tank with their weapons held high. Thor chuckled, "Looks like they're lining up for us."
"Well, they're excited." Steve smirked, knowing exactly what Thor was inferring to. They had only tried this move twice before, one of which ended terribly, but it could only get better from there right? He squared his body and lifted his shield up at a slight tilt toward Thor.
Thor grinned and slammed Mjolnir into the shield. Lighting cracked against it and the soundwave from it fired out toward the approaching group. All the soldiers were thrown from their feet, off the path, and then the soundwave slammed into the tank flipping it over. Huh. That worked out better than before.
"We're getting better." Thor pointed at Steve while backpedaling.
"I think the lack of surrounding buildings made it look better than it was." Steve joked.
Thor smirked, "Find the scepter. If you do, I'll take 35 of your money out of your jar, Rogers."
"If your arms weren't the width of my head, I'd fist fight you, Thor." Tony called out over the line. Thor took off to get to Clint while Steve began to sprint toward the castle.
Meanwhile, Tony had already broken into the castle and found their main headquarters of operation. Most of the rooms were already evacuated as HYDRA agents began to surrender. He flew into the top room and spotted a man rapidly typing at the console in panic. He glanced over at him with a gasp of surprise, and Tony quickly fired at the man. He fell backwards hard, knocked out from the pulse blast, and Tony glanced around looking for any other threats. When he spotted none, he let the suit open in the front and stepped out. The chill of the late winter air cut through his thin sports shirt. Tony turned and held a finger up to the suit, "Sentry mode."
The suit folded back up and raised its hand ready to fire if the need arose. Tony walked over to the computer system and let his eyes glance over all the bells and whistles. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and hooked it up to the console. Tony's eyes landed on the screen in front of him. It was various medical reports and brain scans. He tried to undo whatever the man had been doing when he came in. Probably deleting anything he could get his hands on.
"Okay, J, you know the drill. I want it all. Copy Hill ay HQ." Tony said and watched as JARVIS went to work on the other screen. Tony continued to dig at what was right in front of him.
"Clint's secure." Natasha said, and Tony couldn't help but nod at himself. That was one worry taken off the field.
"Good. Get to Banner, time for a lullaby." Steve said next. The lullaby was still a relatively new thing. One of the many plans set in place to manage the Hulk out in the field. This was one of Banner's favorite because never before had he thought anything would be able to calm the Hulk down enough to phase out.
Tony focused back on his own work. He didn't like what he was seeing right now, and he knew it was only going to get worse when he sat down to actually read through it all. Tony glanced around the room and mumbled to himself, "I know you're hiding more than files." He spun around to take in the entire space around him. "Hey, J, give me an IR scan of the room real quick."
"The wall to your left." JARVIS said after a moment. "I'm reading steel reinforcement and an air current."
Tony moved toward it, "Please be a secret door, please be a secret door, please be a secret door…" He shoved his hands against the wall, and it released with a hiss then swung open. He smirked, "Yay." Tony stepped in and peeked around the corner to see a long metal staircase that led to more darkness. He bobbed his head once, "Well, this isn't at all foreboding."
Steve peeled his mask off and stepped into the stone corridor. Tony was on task of looking for the scepter, and he was going to make sure Strucker didn't escape. Their intel told them he was here with his band of merry HYDRA agents, but that was it. The inhumans were a surprise, but there were no escape routes that they noticed when flying in. Strucker wasn't getting away from them.
A soldier with a gun spotted him, but then immediately turned to run back in the way he had come from. Steve lunged forward after him, catching up in only a few long strides, and kicked the soldier in the back sending him sprawling forward into the ground. Steve continued forward, though the guy looked out cold, and was pleasantly surprised when Strucker himself jogged up a set of stairs only to come to a screeching stop in front of him.
"Baron Strucker." Steve smirked. They were due for some good luck today. Strucker looked sheepish as he let out a breathless laugh. Steve stepped toward him and Strucker mirrored his steps to try and keep distance between them. "HYDRA's number one thug."
There were three exits in the room. The door behind him, the staircase leading to the floor below, and then a smaller door across the room behind Strucker. The HYDRA scientist chuckled, "Technically, I'm a thug for SHIELD."
"Then technically you're unemployed." Steve replied. He shifted again and Strucker mimicked him. Now Steve had his back to the staircase and Strucker was cornered. "Where is Loki's scepter?"
"Don't worry. I know when I'm beat." Strucker raised his hands in surrender. Steve noticed the suitcase held tightly in his hand. It wasn't glowing though, so he assumed that meant the asshole hadn't stuck some part of the scepter in there. Still, Steve wondered what was important enough for Strucker to grab. "You'll mention how I cooperated, I hope."
Steve nodded, "I'll put it right under 'illegal human experimentation'." He clenched and unclenched his jaw in annoyance, "How many are there?"
Strucker smirked and Steve narrowed his eyes in confusion. A deep voice chuckled in amusement from the space to his right where the other exit was, "Oh, just the two."
Seconds later there was a flash of red to his right and a sudden force slammed into his abdomen and sent him falling head over heels down the stairs. Steve caught himself halfway down. He grunted into his comm unit, "Second inhuman. Female. Do not engage." Steve shoved himself back up the steps, but Strucker and the inhuman in red had disappeared. He pressed a hand to his earpiece. "Strucker is on the run."
"They're pretty fucking cool, huh?" The same voice said again. Steve turned to see a familiar face leaning against the stone railing a few feet away. Vincent Morgan. The Reaper. His salt and pepper hair was slicked back and matched the scruff on his jawline. There was a metal contraption wrapped around the arm Aj had broken. He grinned, wide and feral, "Absolutely insane kids. Letting that nazi bastard play around in their brains or fucking whatever, but hey... They got some cool perks from it."
"We've been looking for you." Steve felt his shoulders stiffen. This was the man who had tried to rip Aj away from them. The man who would've succeeded if Peter hadn't swung in to stop him.
Vincent knocked his knuckles against the railing, "You know, I've been looking for you too, Cap. I think you and me could be real good friends."
"I seriously doubt that." Steve growled.
"Oh, come on. You, me, and little itty, bitty Small Fry—" Vincent spat out the name Aj used in the ring and Steve hated hearing it. He continued with a smirk, "We're birds of a feather. Deep down we're all the same." He grinned and snapped his finger once as if a sudden, great idea occurred to him. "We should start a club! Get matching jackets and the like."
"She's nothing like you." Steve snapped. "Neither of us are."
"Oh, think about it, Stevie." Vincent replied. "You can take Small Fry out of the ring, but you can't take the ring outta Small Fry! She'll always be a bloodthirsty, little monster—"
Steve lunged forward, but Vincent slid back and pulled out a gun. He froze, stiffened at the sight, and cursed his temper. This wasn't a good situation to be in. He had his shield, but in the time it would take to throw it Vincent would pull the trigger. Steve could survive a lot, but not a bullet to the head.
"I'm not done talking, Steven. Don't fucking interrupt me. It's rude." Vincent chuckled. He waved the gun once, "But do you get my point? Small Fry can't take the ring out of herself, just like we can't take the war out of ourselves." Vincent shrugged. "We're soldiers, Captain. Soldiers who they pulled out of the war years ago, you a few more years than me—" He laughed at his own joke, "—But that doesn't change anything. We'll always be soldiers, won't we?"
Steve shook his head, "You're wrong. I'm more than that, and Aj and I? We have nothing in common with you. You're a bastard. An evil man who's hurt a lot of people, and I'm taking you in."
"Jesus, tone down the self-righteous bullshit. Honestly, you think you're such a fucking saint?" Vincent scoffed. He shook his head once, clenching and unclenching his jaw. "Do you know why I do the things I do, Cap?"
"I don't give a damn."
"I learned a long time ago that the world is a fucked up place. Nothing is fair. Nice people? The goodpeople? They get stepped on. Fucked over. You have to take what you want, what you deserve, or the world will eat you alive. If you don't take, then it will. It'll take and take and take until you're nothing but a broken man." Vincent snapped. His amused smile simmered down into something cold and distant. He looked like a man haunted. "Do you take what you want, Captain? Or are you still that perfect little soldier? Taking orders and fighting a war so you don't have to face the shambles of your own damn life." Steve felt himself stiffen at the words and tried not to let it show, but the slow smirk that filled Vincent's features meant he hadn't succeeded. "That's what I thought."
Steve took a step toward him, and Vincent fired his gun at his feet without blinking. He clenched his jaw, and Vincent raised his weapon to aim at the spot between Steve's eyes again.
Vincent nodded, "I've been keeping an eye on you guys. Well, mostly Small Fry, but I've gotten to know all of you a little bit through this process and I gotta say… I see the way you stare at her." He smirked with a laugh. "You dirty dog, Cap! I get it. She's a nice piece of ass."
"Shut the hell up." Steve snapped and Vincent chuckled while mumbling something about a soft spot. He tried to reign his anger back, "Why are you after her? This can't just be about revenge anymore."
"Oh, it never was." Vincent said. "Was I gonna slap her around a little because of what she did to my brother? Yeah. That's disrespect to our family name. I can't let that shit slide. Then, of course, she broke my fucking elbow which, as impressed as I am, is another punishment tacked on." He tilted the gun as if making a point. "But I was also gonna offer her a job. Give that blood lust a real purpose in life. You don't squander talent like that. Unless you're my dumbass brother, I guess. Long story short, Strucker's and my goals momentarily line up. Enemy's enemy is my friend and all."
Steve clenched his jaw, "Why does HYDRA want her!?"
"No, no, no." Vincent made a 'tsk'ing noise with his mouth. As if he were scolding a small child. "Where's the fun in showing you all my cards so early? I gave you enough hints as is." The bastard laughed, like this really was just a game, and smirked at him. "Lemme give you some advice though. Soldier to soldier. Man to man." Vincent winked. "Make a move before you lose your chance, Cap, because you're gonna lose it real fucking soon."
Steve had enough. He lunged forward again, but the same force of shocking speed whipped past Vincent and slammed into his front sending him flying across the room and into the stone wall, hard. He heard Vincent laugh, but by time he jumped up both him and the inhuman were gone. Steve slammed his hand into the stone beneath him in frustration. Not only had he lost Strucker, half the reason they were here, but he let Vincent get away too. Steve really fucked this up. He lifted a hand to his earpiece with a muted groan, "Tony, tell me you have good news for me."
"Well, the creepy staircase to hell didn't actually take me to hell." Tony replied back. He had just entered a large space that looked like it used to be a hangar of sorts. One of the large Chitauri whales was hanging from the ceiling with ladders and platforms leading right up to it for anyone to do whatever work they were doing on it, and beneath the alien were tables and tables of robotic work at various stages. Tony scrunched his eyebrows in thought as he stepped over to a table. They had half constructed a drone of some kind, but Tony couldn't tell what their plan had been just by looking at the drone.
His gaze lifted and his face relaxed when he spotted the familiar blue glow of the scepter. Tony moved toward it and spoke out for the team to hear, "Thor, I got eyes on the prize."
Tony smiled to himself at the thought of finally getting the damn thing after such a long chase. He felt a chill in the air a cool breeze on the back of his neck, from the lack of insulation in the hanger he assumed, but something wasn't right. Something felt off. An odd wave of vertigo hit him, but it passed as soon as it came. He turned at the sound of creaking and was greeted by rows of teeth as the Chitauri creature broke free of its chains and roared. Tony jumped back right as it tore past him, destroying everything it brushed into. He lifted a hand to warn the team, but as he turned to follow the monster's path his eyes landed on a series of black stones stacked on top of one another like steps. Tony couldn't begin to wonder where the scepter went or why there was nothing but darkness past the small hill because all he could see were the dead bodies.
The dead bodies of everyone he loves.
"No…" Tony murmured and every inch of him begged to run forward, but he was frozen in place with a cold sweat dripping down his face. At the top was Bruce, in Hulk form, twitching as multiple spears dug through back pining him the stone. Natasha was the step below, lying on her back staring blankly at the sky above, unmoving. Beside her Clint was sat up, his hands still on his bow with an arrow notched, but his friend was motionless. Gone.
All of them gone.
Thor laid in a pool of his own blood with Mjolnir not so far away. Tony's breath caught in his throat when he turned to the right and saw Pepper and Rhodey next. His best friend had a spear through his abdomen as he half covered Pepper, but it hadn't been enough. Pepper was still gone. Blood dripping from her parted lips and Tony fell to his knees. His chest felt tight. He couldn't breathe. Happy, Harley, and Peter. All just like the rest. Gone. Gone.
His eyes were drawn in, right in front of him, and at this eye level he caught the gaze of Aj. She was on the same step as Thor, and just like him she laid in a pool of her own blood. Her face was blue and black and her dead eyes were so dilated that he could barely see the blue. Tony crawled forward and spotted Steve. He was right below Aj and at his side was his shield, broken in half.
This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. No, no, dear God please no.
Tony saw Steve's hand twitch and he lunged forward, "Steve? Steve?!"
He knelt over the motionless man and held his fingers to the man's throat looking for a pulse. He had seen movement. He knew he had. As he continued to try and find the absent pulse, Steve's hand grabbed his own and his blue eyes snapped open. Tony jumped in shock, but before he could question anything Steve began to cough up blood.
"You…could have—have saved us." Steve choked out. His hand went limp and Tony watched as the light left his friend's eyes. Tony couldn't move. All he could do was stare down as Steve's lifeless face stared up at him. A voice whispered in his ear, still in Steve's voice, "Why didn't you do more?"
Why didn't he? Why didn't he protect his people? His family?
A low rumbling brought him back into the moment and Tony slowly stood back up. The darkness beyond the hill was now a bold red and orange. The colors were smoldering, swirling, and it took him a second to realize what it was. It was Earth. The Earth was up in flames, burning and ravaged, and somehow Tony knew it was his fault. He couldn't explain it, but he had a gut feeling, an ache in his chest, that told him the Earth was burning at his hands. He didn't do enough. He knew, he knew back when he flew a nuke through a wormhole, what was out there, but he fucking did nothing about it.
Tony blinked and suddenly it was gone. The table with the scepter sat in front of him, the hanger still empty with relics of aliens and robotics. Tony took in a shaky breath and tried to ignore the cold sweat that still resided at the back of his neck. He glanced around once more and centered himself.
"Tony?" Voices were calling out to him over the line.
He ignored it for a bit longer and stuck out his arm to call for his gauntlet. As he waited, he marched around the table looking over the system that held the scepter up. Tony rounded the table again, satisfied that the system wasn't a danger to him, and his arm piece finally flew into the room and attached to his wrist. The moment it finished assembling, he swung his hand out and grabbed the scepter in one fell swoop.
"I got it. I have the scepter."
I bounced in place anxiously and just stared at the landing spot where the quinjet would come in. The mission was over, they had called in a while ago, but they also had the news that Clint was hurt. They got hurt all the time, little things, but if they were asking for Helen to be ready for them it meant this was a big thing. Steve told me Clint was well enough to bitch, but I wouldn't feel better until I saw him myself.
"He'll be fine. He's taken bigger hits." Maria said from beside me.
"And yet I'm still worried." I mumbled to myself.
Agent Maria Hill had come to greet and debrief the team post-mission. I liked her. I really did. However, the two of us were not going to be best friends anytime soon. Now that I was officially not an inhuman, she had lost interest in me as a potential agent. When it came to getting closer as friends, we hadn't made much progress. It wasn't her fault. We didn't get much one on one time to nourish our relationship and that left us at acquaintances. Well, more like 'sort of friends who are better friends when they're shared friends are in the room'.
The elevator opened behind us and we both glanced over curiously. Beth stepped out and hurried toward me, she had a Bluetooth resting in her ear, "Aj, we have—"
"This is a restricted area." Maria interrupted with a sharp tone.
I watched as Beth's step faltered and her eyes widened in worry. I shook my head and waved her forward, "I told her to come down here if she had a question. What's up, Beth?"
Beth continued to glance over at Maria in worry as she spoke, "I have people asking me for a statement on the Avengers being in Sokovia. What's our stance?"
"Tell them we will be announcing an official statement later tonight. When they press further tell them that any action taking place in the city was to protect the citizens. Emphasize the usage of the Iron Legion and tell them again to tune in for the official statement tonight." I said.
Beth nodded, writing down my words quickly, and then she offered us both a smile before hurrying out as fast as she could. Maria didn't let her glare lift from the young girl. When Beth was up the elevator, the agent turned to me, "This area is restricted for a reason."
"It's fine, Hill. I trust her." I replied and crossed my arms. "Also, don't get onto my employees. That's my job."
Maria raised an eyebrow at me and nodded, "Fair enough. As long as the Avengers know."
"They do."
"Good." We both turned back to wait for the quinjet. Maria cleared her throat, "You're doing well at the PR work. I almost forget you have no actual experience."
I chuckled, "Thank you? I think?"
For the next fifteen minutes, we continued to talk casually about random things. After the 'restricted zone' hiccup, our conversation was smooth from there. Weirdly, I think I earned points with her for snapping at her about Beth. Wasn't quite sure why that would earn me points, but I would take what I could get.
Finally, the quinjet called in saying they were on approach. My shoulders stiffened and I let my hand play with my bracelet unabashedly. Helen and a few of her nurses came down to meet us and I gave her a nervous smile.
She set a hand on my shoulder, "Mr. Barton will be fine. I have my system set up and running upstairs. No need to worry."
I appreciated the sentiment, but again, it did nothing to quell my worries. The lot of us stepped outside onto the deck to watch as the quinjet landed. The back ramp opened up and the nurses rushed past me to get to their patient.
"Tony owes the jar $20 and I deserve to get $30 taken out of mine!" I heard Clint yell loudly, and his voice and words immediately settled my turning stomach. I watched as the nurses rolled him down the ramp on a stretcher with Natasha following closely. He spotted me and pointed, "You heard that right, Aj? Get to the jars now, fix this bullshit."
"That's $5 right there." I replied and grabbed his hand as he passed.
"No! I'm hurt, cut me slack! So much slack!"
The nurses continued to roll him away despite him arguing otherwise. Helen caught up to the stretcher and began barking out orders in Korean. Natasha winked at me and gave me a quick hug that I returned before following after them. Maria walked past me to enter the quinjet and I began to follow.
Thor was the next Avenger I set my eyes on. He passed Maria without pause, a case with a glowing object inside under his arm, and sent me a wide smile, "Little warrior!"
"Big warrior!" I called back and jumped to high five him as he came into reach. "You got the glowing stick?"
"Indeed." Thor replied and shifted so I could look at the scepter. It was kind of creepy. A short staff with sharp curves and edges and a glowing blue ball at the end. No part of it looked like it boded well for anyone. "Barton was right, though. On our way home we agreed that Stark owes 20 to his jar and Barton shall get 30 removed from his."
I chuckled, "Wow, you guys are feeling really generous with him, huh?"
"It was the only way to get him to stop talking." Thor replied and clapped my shoulder. I laughed and watched him enter the Tower. That's three of my Avengers accounted for and doing well. Well-ish, I should say.
Bruce was coming out next and based on the gray sweater and sweatpants he wore, I knew there had been a code green. If the clothes weren't enough of a giveaway, the look on his face was. He spotted me and offered me a small smile, but I just closed the space and pushed myself up on my toes to give him a hug. Bruce returned it with a sigh, "Hey, Aj. How are you?"
"I should be asking you that." I replied and pulled away. At the front of the plane, I heard Maria talking to Tony and Steve. I left my hand on his arm, "Do you want me to make you some tea?"
Bruce shook his head, "I'll be fine. I'm going to shower and call Betty."
"Good idea. I'm glad you're back." I squeezed his arm. Bruce walked past me and just like with Thor I watched as he entered the Tower. It was a habit of mine. It was like I didn't trust that they were safe and okay until I saw them enter the space we called home. I wondered if they had noticed the action.
I turned around ready to find my missing boys only to be immediately greeted by Tony tackling me into a tight hug. His arms wrapped around me and he bent over to rest his forehead on my shoulder. My eyebrows scrunched together as I rubbed his back in concern. Steve was still talking to Maria, so I couldn't meet his gaze, but I didn't let go of Tony.
"Hey, you ok?" I asked softly.
Tony suddenly pulled back, holding my arms, and gave me a tight smile, "Just missed you, sunshine." I tilted my head. This hadn't even been one of their longer missions. "You're a sight for sore eyes."
"Anything you wanna talk about?" I questioned.
"Nope." He kissed the side of my head and hurried past me, "Gotta go call Pep and Rhodey."
I followed his path with worry. Something had him spooked. Luckily, he was going to call Pepper and Rhodey. That would help him immensely. I shook my head and stepped further onto the quinjet. One to go.
"—keep all our focus on him. Strucker couldn't have gotten far." Steve said firmly. I frowned at his words. They had lost half their mission. At least they had the scepter. Maria nodded, making a note on the Stark pad she held, and he continued, "You have the info on the enhanced kids?"
"Yes, we do." Maria replied and began to look on her pad for the information. Steve turned, spotting me, and I watched his shoulders relax a fraction as he offered me a soft smile. I didn't want to interrupt the informal debriefing so I stood off to the side. Maria flipped the pad around, "Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Twins." Steve took the pad from her and flipped through some images. I let my eyes trace his entire form looking for any worrisome injuries. Steve looked alright though. A little dirty, but no blood. Steve glanced back over at me, probably feeling the weight of my stare, and I gave him a quick thumbs up then shifted toward the ramp to leave. "Orphaned at 10 when a shell collapsed their apartment building."
I only got a few steps down the ramp when Maria and Steve caught up to me. Curiously, I glanced over my shoulder at them, slowing down myself, and as they began to pass me I was startled when Steve reached out to take my hand in his. My eyes widened in surprise, Maria gave me a curious side-eye, but Steve just tightly held my hand and dragged me alongside them.
"Sokovia's had a rough history. It's nowhere special, but it's on the way to everywhere special." Maria continued her informal debriefing.
I walked alongside the two of them and glanced at the hand still held in Steve's. To be honest, things had been a little weird between us. It started way back when I accidentally knocked him out with his own damn shield. He avoided me for a couple days and I assumed it was because he was pissed at me. Finally, he got back to normal, but a weird normal where he would skip some Netflix nights and avoided my touch like I had the plague.
This was a good sign.
"Their abilities?" Steve questioned as we entered the building.
"He's got increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis. Her thing is neuroelectric interfacing, telekinesis, mental manipulation." Maria replied and I raised an eyebrow. Geez, what had they faced out there? We stopped at the elevator and Steve shot her a look. Maria shrugged, "He's fast and she's weird."
I lifted my free hand to give Maria a quick thumbs up and nod. Maria rolled her eyes at me. Steve hit the button to call the elevator and spoke up, "Well, they're gonna show up again."
"Agreed. File says they volunteered for Strucker's experiments." Maria scoffed to herself. The elevator doors opened, and Steve stepped in pulling me with him. "It's nuts."
Steve chuckled and squeezed my hand, "Right." He hit the button on the side with his free hand. "What kind of monster would let a German scientist experiment on them to protect their country?"
At his reply, I lifted my gaze to stare at Steve. He wore a smile, but there was a tension in his eyes. The mission was being marked as successful since they got the scepter, but it definitely hadn't gone well.
Maria shook her head, "We're not at war, Captain."
"They are." He shrugged. The doors slid shut, leaving Maria on the other side, and I kept my eyes on the man holding my hand. Steve turned to look at me and gave me another soft smile, "Hi there."
"Hi." I replied back. "Everything okay?"
"Weird mission." Steve replied. He lifted my hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. A motion he hadn't done in a while and I smiled at it. He shook his head, "I do wanna talk to you about something."
I faked gasp, "And here I thought you just wanted my presence."
"Well I won't complain about that either." Steve chuckled. The elevators opened and I walked with him toward where his locker once. No other Avenger was in here at the moment. We went around the corner and he only let go of my hand so he could open his locker. I watched him hang up his shield. "I saw Vincent today."
I blinked in shock and sat down on the bench in front of his locker, "W—What?"
"I ran into him. He was with the enhanced kids. He helped Strucker get away."
"Oh." I nodded once. I rubbed the back of my neck, "To be honest, I kind of forgot about him. With everything happening with Boss, I just…stopped thinking about him? He didn't hurt you, did he?"
Steve shook his head, "No. He just—He talked. A lot."
"I think it runs in the family." I rolled my eyes. "They're notorious monologue-ers." Steve nodded, that odd look in his eyes, and I stood back up. "He didn't say anything terrible, did he? You can't trust anything he says, you know."
Steve chuckled and set his hands on his belt, "Nothing worth repeating. I just wanted to let you know we saw him. That he's still a player on the board."
"Right. And he's working for HYDRA? Like, officially?"
"Yeah, that's been confirmed."
"Did he maybe mention why they wanted me?" I asked then shrugged, "I mean, other than for my darling personality."
Steve shook his head with a small smile, "He didn't. They never make it that easy."
"Shame."
Steve leaned forward to press a kiss against my temple, just like Tony had, but this one felt different. He pulled back and turned to his locker while unclipping his belt and pulling it off. I blushed and pointed at him, "Oh, you're changing? Should I –Should I go?"
"Unless you wanna stay." Steve smirked with a raised eyebrow.
My face went warm and I backpedaled only to stumble into the bench and nearly fall over. Steve laughed and I straightened myself up, "I'm gonna go make sure Clint isn't dying."
"Sounds good." He replied.
I gave him an awkward thumbs up and hurried back toward the elevator. A small smile lit up my features. I was sorry the mission didn't work out as well as they wanted it to, but they were back home safe, and I couldn't ask for more than that. As an added bonus, Steve seemed back to normal. Wins all the way around.
Tony had changed out of his mission gear, taken a shower, and called both Pepper and Rhodey. After all of that he was feeling so much better. He had even shot out texts to Happy, Harley, and Peter. Happy asked him if there was a security threat mission related, Harley sassed him, and Peter asked if he could go on the next mission. So, everything was working as per normal.
He rolled up the sleeves of his sweater as he walked out of the side lab connected to the main Avengers' lab where Bruce was milling about. Helen had set up her portable cradle there rather than the medical lab because it had more space.
As he came into the main portion of the lab, Bruce walked up to him, "How's he doing?"
Tony glanced at the window where he saw Helen working on Clint while Natasha and Aj stood off to the side watching. He shrugged, "Unfortunately, he's still Barton."
"That's terrible." Bruce replied and glanced through the window himself.
"He's fine. He's thirsty." Tony chuckled and kept moving forward through the lab, "All right, look alive, J. It's playtime." He stopped in front of the table where the scepter was propped up and being scanned by his systems. "We've only got a couple of days with this joystick, so let's make the most of it." Tony stopped at the table and messed with a few settings, "Update me on the structural and compositional analysis."
"The scepter is alien." JARVIS began, and Tony picked up his control pad to activate and bring up a few more readings.
He glanced up when he felt someone walk into the lab. Aj was heading his way, still in the jeans and t-shirt she had greeted them in. She let out a low whistle, "Wow. Still creepy."
Tony gave Aj a smirk when she reached him, "Can I help you?"
"Clint is still talking so I figure the faster we get him a drink the faster he shuts up."
"Foolproof." Tony replied and dragged Aj with him toward the back of the lab.
"There are elements I can't quantify."
"So, there's elements you can?" Tony questioned as he got to the drink cart he had. Aj dropped into the chair beside it while he got work on making the post-mission usual.
"The jewel appears to be a protective housing for something inside, something powerful."
"Like a reactor?"
"Like a computer. I believe I'm deciphering code."
Tony set his hand on top of blender and let it run. Like a computer? The scepter was reading as a computer. Huh. He let his eyes drift over the living space below as he thought. Steve was climbing the stairs to the level above the living space across from the lab with a Stark pad in his hands. The guy was already prepping for debriefing, but at least he had changed out of his uniform first this time. Thor was already standing on that level looking out the window toward Manhattan.
Aj grabbed a few cups from under the bar and set them out for him to pour the green smoothie out in each.
"You're missing one." He said.
"Oh, whoops." Aj replied and set out one extra cup as he continued to pour the drinks. It was a mixture of banana, pineapple, ginger, and spinach. Aj placed lids and straw in each one as he went. She narrowed her eyes suddenly, "Wait, that last cup made seven."
"One for you."
"I hate these!"
"Drink it." Tony shoved one into her hands while setting the others on a tray. "It's healthy."
Aj rolled her eyes and took a slow sip before making a face at him. Tony grinned and motioned with his head for her to follow him. They walked back to where Helen was fixing up their resident, disaster archer.
"Are you sure he's gonna be okay?" Natasha questioned as they came in. She was still in uniform and was leaning on the table Clint was on watching the machine work. "Pretending to need this guy really brings the team together."
Aj skipped over with her drink and Clint grinned up at her and Natasha. Helen came back over, "There is no possibility for deterioration. The nano-molecular functionality is instantaneous." Bruce stood beside the machine nodding as Helen explained. It really was amazing technology. It's why Tony didn't hesitate to bank roll her mission. "His cells don't even know they're bonding with simulacra."
"She's creating tissue." Bruce gushed with a grin. The effects of the Hulk had worn off and Tony could see that he was feeling much better.
"If you brought him to my lab, the actual Regeneration Cradle could do this in 20 minutes." Helen nodded with her own spark of excitement in her eyes. Dr. Cho was passionate about this project and Tony respected that more than anything.
He finally pushed into the room with his tray of drinks, "Oh, he's flat-lining. Call it. Time?"
"No, no, no." Clint spoke up, his voice still tired as he laughed, "I'm gonna live forever! And be made of plastic! Two for one!"
"Beverage." Tony announced while handing Natasha her drink first, then Clint, and then finally one to Bruce.
"You'll be made of you, Mr. Barton." Helen corrected. "Your own girlfriend won't be able to tell the difference."
Clint took a long slurp of his drink then pointed it at Natasha, "You hear that, Tash? She's challenging you."
"We gave you the drink to shut you up." Aj said with a smile and leaned forward to push the straw back into Clint's mouth. Clint pouted in response but went back to drinking.
"Speaking of—" Tony pointed at Aj, "Finish that, young lady."
Aj was the one to pout this time, and Tony crossed the room to speak to Helen. She smiled broadly and held her hands out as she spoke, "This is the next thing, Tony. Your clunky metal suits are gonna be left in the dust."
"That is exactly the plan." He replied with ease then motioned to her, "And, Helen, I expect to see you at the party on Saturday."
"Unlike you, I don't have a lot of time for parties." Helen replied.
Aj cleared her throat, "Thor is gonna be there with his perfect god arms."
"Maybe I have a little time." Helen pressed her lips together with a small smile.
Clint snapped his fingers, "Hey, no drooling over Thor, kid. Only Steve."
"Is there anyway the rest of this procedure could be done with him knocked out?" Aj questioned. Tony handed her the tray with the remaining drinks and motioned for her to go deliver them. She rolled her eyes at him but left to complete the task.
Tony took this moment to wrap his arm around Bruce and steer him out of the room back towards where the scepter was being studied by JARVIS. Bruce gave him a skeptical look, "Tony?"
"The scepter." Tony said quickly. "You see, we were wondering how Strucker got so inventive. So, I've been analyzing the gem inside." He pulled away from Bruce to pick up the control board again. "You may recognize…"
Tony snapped the control board at his wrist and golden lights filled the air to form JARVIS's connections and forms. The skeleton of his programming.
"JARVIS." Bruce nodded.
"Doctor."
"Started out, JARVIS was just a natural language UI. Now he runs the Iron Legion." Tony started his spiel. Aj walked back into the lab, her eyes lighting up at the sight of JARVIS, and Tony briefly considered kicking her out. Her hearing wouldn't be too troublesome though. She wasn't the one he needed to keep this from for now. "He runs more of Stark Industries than anyone besides Pepper. Top of the line."
JARVIS was speaking with Aj who was running her hand through the hologram in amusement. Tony smirked and snapped the control board out again this time to cast the hologram of the scepter's code. A blue light filled the air, one that caught even Aj's attention, and both her and Bruce stepped toward it.
"Meet the competition."
Bruce mumbled under his breath as he looked at the programming then at a few readings at the table beside him.
"Whoa." Aj said quietly. "It's like the inside of someone's head."
Sometimes he forgot, not as often as the others since she was in the lab with him pretty often, but Aj was smart. Not just clever or witty, the girl was smart. Smart enough to get into Colombia's medical program smart. Sometimes Tony wanted to convince her to go back to school, get more degrees, because he could see the amazement in her eyes anytime he walked her through something. Aj liked to learn and she could be so good at it if she was willing to give it a chance. But she wasn't. Tony felt guilty that she wasted her intelligence at just being their PR officer when she could accomplish so much more.
"Like it's thinking." Bruce nodded and shot Aj an approving look. Well, that settled that. She was officially part of the project. He threw an arm around her shoulders so she couldn't leave as Bruce continued to study the programming, "It's not a human mind but... look at this."
Tony tapped his head on top of hers, "What do they look like specifically?"
"Like…like neurons? Synapses?" Aj glanced at Bruce then back to him.
Tony gave her an approving look, "Down in Strucker's lab, I saw some fairly advanced robotics work. They deep sixed the data, but I gotta guess he was knocking on a very particular door."
Aj tried to pull away, the look on her face skeptical on if she should be here, but Tony squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. Bruce pointed at the programming in shock, "Artificial Intelligence."
"Stay." Tony mumbled and slipped his arm away from Aj to step closer to Bruce, "This could be it, Bruce. This could be the key to creating Ultron."
Bruce chuckled breathlessly, "I thought Ultron was a fantasy."
"Yesterday it was. If we can harness this power. Apply it to my Iron Legion protocol?"
"That's a man-sized 'if'."
"Our job is 'if'. What if you were sipping margaritas on a sun-drenched beach, turning brown instead of green. Not looking over your shoulder for Veronica?" Tony motioned over his shoulder at the mention of the Hulk stopping back up plan.
"Don't hate. I helped design Veronica."
"As a worst-case measure, right?" Tony shook his head. "How about a best case? What if the world was safe?" Bruce crossed his arms in doubt and walked away from Tony toward a different table. Aj shifted as well, jumping up onto a clear space, to sit on the counter and listen. He had piqued her interest enough. "What if next time aliens roll up to the club, and they will, they couldn't get past the bouncer."
"The only people threatening the planet would be people."
"I want to apply this to the Ultron program, but JARVIS can't download a data schematic this dense. We can only do it when we have the scepter here. That's three days." Tony said firmly. "Give me three days."
Aj finally spoke up, "Based on the quiet whispering, this is a 'hush hush' conversation. Which leads me to believe that rule number four is in danger of being broken. Again."
Bruce leaned against the counter beside Aj and pointed to her in agreement. Tony knew this was the obstacle hardest to leap over. He shook his head, "Right. That's right. You know why? Because we don't have time for a city hall debate." The two of them shared another look, and a flash of his friends dead filled his gaze. Tony shook his head and took a step toward them firmly, "I don't want to hear the 'man was not meant to meddle' medley. I see a suit of armor around the world!"
"Sounds like a cold world, Tony." Bruce replied softly.
"I've seen colder." Tony fought to stay in this moment. To not slip back into the vision he had. He shoved his hands into his pockets, "This one, this very vulnerable blue one, it needs Ultron." Tony shook his head. "Peace in our time. Imagine that."
Bruce let out a sigh and walked back over to the scepter. Tony could tell based on the look on his face though that he was on board. He smirked at the victory, but his eyes landed on Aj who was staring at him in concern. Tony crossed the space and leaned against the counter where Aj was sitting.
"What're you thinking?"
"Three questions." Aj held her fingers up, and Tony motioned for her to continue. "One, who or what is Ultron? I've seen that word on some of your files, but it never came up in conversation."
Tony nodded, reasonable question, "A program. An AI that will stop disasters that we can't. The Avengers aren't infallible, Aj. You remember how you had nightmares of all us dying at the hands of Eugene?" She shot him a look and he continued. "I have those same nightmares. I see fire raining down from the sky, aliens wiping us off the planet, and I—I can stop it."
"Tony—"
"Ultron will be the first step in making the Avengers obsolete. To put in a shield that makes less mistakes than we do. A shield that will take care of problems before we know they're problems."
Aj sighed, "Two, why let me listen in? Why loop me into your very secret plan?"
Tony shrugged, "You like science, as much as you refuse to actually admit it. I think you'd enjoy seeing this in action. You think watching Bruce and me work on Veronica is interesting? This will be so much better. Three?"
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"That's your third question?" Tony chuckled. Aj's features didn't waver from worry. He held his hand out to her, "I'm fine. I'll be better once we succeed. Ready to be part of the future?"
Aj grabbed his hand and he helped her jump down. She shook her head, "Tony this feels like a bad idea. It feels like the kind of gut reaction decision you make after something terrible happens. Have you thought this through?"
Tony stared back at her as she looked up at him with those wide, worried eyes. For a moment, all he could actually see though was the dead eyes from his vision. Black and blue features, lifeless, with blood dripping from where she laid. Aj said his name and it snapped him back into place. Her eyes had life again.
She was alive again.
"I have. I have thought this through, sunshine." Tony said firmly.
He was not going to fail.
The penthouse was filled with music and lively conversations. If there was one thing Tony could do it was throw a good party. This was the kind of party Steve liked too. It was mostly close friends, and then Tony also invited a group of veterans to enjoy the night with them. As a favor for Sam. The moment Sam suggested it though, Tony agreed that it was a good idea.
Steve leaned over to strike the cue ball with his pool stick and frowned when he missed his shot. Sam whistled behind him and came up to take his turn, "Rogers, you are shit tonight."
"Gee, thanks." Steve retorted.
Sam chuckled, "Gee? Okay, Captain America."
"We're still having the competition. This is the last week. So far, Clint is still losing, but I'm trailing behind him."
"Yeah, because you have the mouth of a damn sailor." Sam replied and took his shot. He fared better than he did. Steve glanced around the party while the veterans they played with took their turn, and finally his eyes landed on who he was looking for. Aj was standing by the couches on the level above where the pool table was. She had on a dark gray halter top dress, a lighter sash around the waist before it fanned out from there in a tulle material that went to a little above her knees. Her hair was pulled up into a bun and she laughed while talking to Thor and Tony.
"You're staring again." Sam hummed and leaned over to take his turn since Steve went first for their team last time.
"I'm gonna ask her out tonight." Steve replied and Sam's pool stick clipped the top of the cue ball pathetically. The two veterans laughed at his poor move and Steve chuckled too. Steve pushed him out of the way to take his own turn. When he finished, he stood up and turned to Sam who was just staring at him. "What?"
Sam shook his head, "You're gonna what?"
"I'm gonna ask her out." Steve shrugged. He had thought about this for a couple days now. "I meant to a few days ago, but she's been stuck in the lab with Tony and Bruce for three days now. I've barely seen her."
"But you're gonna do it? And you think that's a good idea? Now?"
Steve nodded, "We obviously still have things we need to work through, but I don't wanna wait any longer." He hated that the person who finally convinced him to go for it was Vincent damn Morgan, but it was more than just what he said. Steve sighed, "I missed my chance with Peggy. I waited too long. I'm not gonna make that mistake again."
Sam paused and Steve was worried his friend was going to say something that completely convinced him to quit this plan, but instead he just nodded, "Good for you, man. Good for you. Good for her. If she doesn't blow a gasket that is."
"I didn't think you'd say that." Steve replied. "Thanks."
"I wanted to talk to you about something too." Sam said. He pulled an older man over and handed him his pool stick before taking Steve's and doing to the same. The man grabbed a friend and took their place. Steve followed Sam up the stairs back to the main level. "It's about Bucky."
Steve's eyes widened, "What about him?"
"I think I have a lead. I've been following it and it…it looks good." Sam nodded. "I'm waiting for a guy to get back to me on specifics. This…This could be it, man."
A wide grin slipped onto his face. Bucky was in reach. Sure, this lead could be nothing, but this was the closest they had come since Russia. Steve knew he shouldn't get his hopes up, but he couldn't help it. Sam clapped him on the shoulder, motioning to the bar, and Steve followed happily.
Between Bucky and Aj, he was getting his life together tonight it seemed.
I played with the fluff of my dress happily listening to the laughter around me. The party had been fun, they always were, but moments like this were always better. After the veterans and other guests left, the rest of us settled in the mess of the party on the couches just talking.
I sat on the couch by the arm with Steve on my other side. He had his arm wrapped around my shoulders and I leaned into his side comfortably. On his other side was Thor in the red coat Natasha had bought for him. In fact, most of the people sitting here minus a few were wearing outfits by the red head. Across from the three of us was Maria, Clint, and Natasha. They sat on the floor casually while Sam and Bruce sat on the couch they were leaning back on. To their right were Tony and Rhodey, and to their left was Helen.
"How is Tony not the one losing?" Rhodey scoffed.
"What the frickity frack is that supposed to mean?" Tony shot back.
I giggled to myself and Steve shook his head. Natasha spoke up, "We really need this contest to end."
"Well from the looks of the jars, Clint is a day away from losing it." Maria motioned to the jars sitting on the shelf behind the bar. There were six jars with names drawn sloppily on the front. Natasha had a couple dollars because Russian curses also counted despite her initial belief. Bruce's jar had nothing in it because apparently he was the only one with any self-control. Mine had $74, Tony's had $89, Steve's had $91, and Clint's had a whopping $127. "Barton, that's just sad."
Clint, who was spinning an arrow casually, pointed it around the room, "I have a lot of complaints on the rulings of some of those dollar bills."
"We took out $30 for you, and you doubled it within three days." I laughed.
"You should have more money in yours!" Clint pointed the arrow at me. "I know it. You're cheating somehow."
Thor lifted his Asgardian flask, "How dare you question the integrity of Asgard's smallest warrior."
I turned to reach behind Steve, he leaned his head forward for me, and I high fived Thor with a grin. Clint scoffed, motioning to the two of us with his arrow, "This friendship is a real bummer and I can't be the only one who thinks that."
"You've never even been to Asgard." Tony added.
"Who asked you, Stark?" I hit back. "Don't be jealous because I have a title and you don't. Next on my agenda is wielding Mjolnir and becoming the god of something. I'm leaning toward being the goddess of greatness."
"Goddess of fuzzy socks." Bruce called out.
"Goddess of bad decisions." Tony smirked.
"Goddess of sarcasm." Natasha held up her drink.
Clint scoffed, "More like goddess of being a smartass."
"Jar!" Everyone yelled.
The archer jumped up and threw his arrow down like a petulant child while everyone laughed at his expense. He shoved his hand into his leather jacket and pulled out a bunch of crumpled dollar bills, more than the $2 that the 'ass' cost. Clint pointed the money toward us, "Fuck you guys."
He shoved the money into his jar, and I laughed loudly against Steve. Steve leaned in slightly, his mouth close enough to my ear that his voice tickled me, "This is exactly why he's losing so badly."
I turned and when I realized my face was too close, I pulled back a bit with a grin, "I noticed you decided not to give me something to be the goddess of."
"Is there an answer that won't get me in trouble?" Steve joked back.
I raised an eyebrow at him, "Are you thinking of answers that will get you in trouble?"
Steve shook his head, "I plead the fifth."
"Trick! It's a trick!" Clint barked loudly pulling me and Steve back into the conversation surrounding us. He was back to spinning his arrow nonchalantly as he picked another fight. Clint just couldn't resist. He pointed to Mjolnir, which sat on the coffee table in the center of the circle, "I know a trick when I see one."
Thor chuckled, "No, no, it's much more than that."
"Ah", Clint cleared his throat and leaned forward to speak in a mock deep voice, "'Whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power of Thooooor', whatever, man." Clint scoffed the grinned, "It's rigged!"
Thor grinned broadly, leaned back in his seat with one leg propped up on the other knee, he motioned to the hammer casually, "By all means, Barton, be my guest."
All side conversations ceased to stare at Clint who lifted a hand to his chest in a 'who, me?' motion. Thor nodded again and Clint threw the arrow over his shoulder then jumped up. He rubbed his hands together and then shook out his arms.
"I lift this up and my jar gets emptied." Clint pointed across the room.
"You don't and you have to add $10 more." Steve said.
Rhodey shook his head, "Oh, this'll be good."
Tony clapped his hands once then leaned forward to pick up his drink, "Clint, you've had a tough week. We won't hold it against you if you can't get it up."
I snickered along with the others and Clint stretched out his shoulders again. He motioned to the hammer, "You know I've seen this before, right?" He popped the collar of his shirt up dramatically and the group booed him at the motion. Undeterred, he grabbed the hammer and pulled on it as hard as he could. Clint groaned as he pulled, but it did nothing. His other hand came around to tug on it, but again the hammer didn't even budge. Clint let go, stumbling back, and shook his head with a laugh, "I still don't know how you do it! Son of a bitch."
"Jar. Just all over. Jar." Sam saved his hand and Clint mumbled under his breath while walking back over to his jar to put even more money in it.
Tony called over his shoulder at Clint without looking at him, "It's okay, Barton. We expect failure from you now, so we aren't caught off guard by it anymore."
"Put your money where your mouth is, pretty boy." Clint snapped.
That was all it took to convince the billionaire. He cleared his throat and stood up with a raised eyebrow. One hand lifting to unbutton his suit. The group clapped for him while Rhodey just laughed at his friend. Tony crossed the space, going to the hammer, "Never one to shrink from an honest challenge. It's physics, everyone. Just physics."
"Oh, right, physics." Natasha nodded disbelieving as she took another swig of her beer.
Tony looped his wrist through the handle hanging from the end of the hammer and then grasped it firmly. He turned his head and looked to Thor, "Right, so, if I lift it, then I rule Asgard?"
"Yes, of course." Thor replied with a small shrug. I could feel Steve's body shake with the laughter he was holding behind a bright smile. The guy was beaming tonight.
Tony nodded, "I will be fair, but firmly cruel."
"Uh, you mean, either Pepper or me are gonna end up ruling an alien world when you get bored of it?" I chimed in.
"Obviously." Tony scoffed and began to tug on the hammer to no avail, "But I get to wear the crown. I look very good in crowns." Tony lifted his foot to set it on the table beside the hammer and pulled harder with no results. He shook his head and peeled the handle off his hand. He raised one finger at the group, "I'll be right back."
Moments later, Tony wandered back in wearing the glove of his suit. Clint booed loudly and Tony used the armored hand to flip him off. Tony went back to the hammer and after grabbing it, he activated the rockets and tried to pull the hammer up off the table.
I leaned forward in my seat in surprise, elbows on my knees, in awe, "Holy moly."
"That's pathetic." Rhodey called out.
Tony let go of the hammer and pointed at him, "Go get your glove. We lift this and I buy you vacation house in Asgard."
"That's it?" Rhodey scoffed.
"That's what you're gonna say to me? After the werewolf debacle!" Tony snapped. Rhodey rolled his eyes and stood up to get his glove. I knew Thor said only the worthy could lift the hammer, but kind of like Clint, I assumed it was just kind of medieval, Asgardian flourish. Rhodey came back, grabbed the hammer, and now they both tried to lift it uselessly.
The rockets on both gloves were going as the men strained to lift it. Rhodey shook his head, "Are you even pulling?"
Tony snapped a glare to him, "Are you on my team? Judas?"
"Just represent! Pull!"
They gave up after another minute of pulling and I think it was just because Thor began to laugh loudly at their efforts. Then the game began. Bruce was the next to try, but he didn't look quite as pathetic as Tony and Rhodey did while trying. Maria tried after with the same results as the people before her. Sam jumped up to try, failed, and then when Clint laughed at him he goaded the archer into cursing again.
I was still leaning forward in my seat, heavily infested, and I could feel Steve's hand resting on my lower back. His thumb rubbed my side in an almost involuntary manner. I wondered if he even knew he was doing it. The entire night he always kept at least one hand on me and I wondered if he was trying to make up for all the touch lost over the past two and a half weeks when he was distant.
"Captain, you're being called to the challenge." Tony said in between cupped hands like an announcer. I sat up, nudged him in his ribs, and he shot me a look before standing up. Steve glanced at Thor who nodded in encouragement. "No pressure, Rogers."
"Come on, Cap." Sam clapped his hands in encouragement.
Steve rolled up his sleeves a little since they had fallen, he pressed his lips together once, and then tugged up. His face scrunched up in concentration as he tried his hardest to lift the hammer. His arms and chest straining. I chuckled to myself and glanced over at Thor who was no longer smiling. My eyes darted from the god back to Steve and then back to the god. Steve gave up and Thor's smile returned. I turned my head slightly in curiosity at the odd reaction.
Steve walked back over, and he pulled me up out of my seat before dropping back down in his with a smirk. Tony wolf whistled loudly, and I rolled my eyes before walking over to the hammer.
Clint shook his head, "If Aj can figure out the trick where I failed, I swear to God I'm un-adopting her."
"Well, I guess it's a good thing she's a Stark then." Tony retaliated.
"If I manage to pick up this hammer I'm gonna beat the both of you to death with it so..." I chuckled and grabbed the handle. The leather on the handle was worn, but comfortably so, and I tightened my hand before trying to pull up. The hammer stayed where it was, and it felt wild. It was like the equivalent of trying to move a statue. As if the hammer was fused to the solid ground. I let go and shook my head, "Wow. That's insane!" I peeked around all sides of the hammer curiously. "This is so cool."
"You're allowed to stay a Barton, Aj!" Clint called out.
I moved to go back to my seat and Thor gave me an encouraging smile, "A valiant try, my lady."
"How come you're nice to her after she failed?" Sam asked.
Thor shook his head with a furrowed, serious brow, "We have a bond stronger than most. We've seen one another naked—"
I whipped around, my dress flying around me, "No!"
The group laughed and Steve grabbed my hand to pull me back into my seat. We leaned back together, and he wrapped his arm around me again. Clint mocked Sam for the hundredth time that night, and Steve glanced down at me, "Good news, I won't stop talking to you just because you can't lift the hammer."
"Says the guy who also didn't pick up the hammer." I crossed my arms.
Steve's smile softened and I felt like I was basking in his glow. He was in a crazy good mood tonight, and I figured it was the same reason I was in one. Being with everyone like this was my absolute favorite thing about having a family again.
"Widow?" Bruce encouraged.
Natasha smirked, taking a quick sip of her beer, "Oh, no, no. That's not a question I need answered."
While, the red head finished off her drink, Tony turned to focus on Thor, "All deference to the man who wouldn't be king, but it's rigged. It's rigged!"
Clint was already out of his seat, he had to put a scrap of paper with the words 'IOU $3' into his jar, and clapped Tony on the shoulder, "You bet your tushy it is."
"Bet my—" Tony turned in his seat with shocked eyes, "Did you just say tushy? Tushy?"
Clint threw his hands up, "There's no winning with you people. I can't make you happy."
Maria pulled a few dollars out of her wallet and handed them to Clint, "I will bank roll your next curse if you promise to never say tushy again."
Tony pointed at the hammer, still focused on the potential trick of it all, "The handle's imprinted, right? Like a security code." He stood up. "'Whosoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints' is, I think, the literal translation."
"Yes. It's a very, very interesting theory, Stark." Thor stood up, took a sip from his flask, then walked over to Mjolnir. "I have a simpler one." He leaned over, grabbed the handle and lifted it up with zero difficulty. Like it was no heavier than the flask in his other hand. He flipped it in the air once, then caught it, "You're all not worthy."
The group groaned at his words which slowly turned into more laughs. Rhodey was standing up with Tony now too as they argued about something. Bruce was speaking with Sam and Natasha while Maria walked over to speak to Helen who had been mostly quiet during the whole event.
"Hey", Steve spoke up and I turned away from taking in the scene to look at him. He straightened in his seat, pulling his arm away from my shoulders. Steve offered me his hand, and with a raised eyebrow I set my hand onto his palm curiously. "I was wondering…"
I smiled to encourage whatever it was he wanted to talk about. Steve paused and just stared for a moment. I chuckled and shook my head, squeezing his hand in mine, "What? Are you gonna mock me a little more, Captain Rogers?"
"Uh, no. I was wondering if—if you uh, wanted to get…go out to dinner. Tomorrow night?" Steve asked nervously.
I shrugged, "Like instead of Netflix and take-out? I guess we can trade sweatpants for real clothes and brave the outdoors like real humans."
Steve laughed and shook his head, "No, I actually meant, more like—"
A high-pitched noise rang through the entire room making everyone flinch in surprise. It was gone as quick as it came, I rubbed my ears in pain, and glanced around like the others. I looked to Tony for an answer since he knew everything about this Tower, but he looked equally as confused as he pulled out his phone.
"Unworthy." A deep, unfamiliar voice said. The entire room froze in alarm as eyes drifted over to the edge of the room where a broken drone limped into view. Oil leaked from it with every step and its joints sparked as it forced its movements. Wires dragged behind it almost ominously. It stopped with its back to the group. "No." I slowly stood up alongside Steve and the others who had been seated. The drone turned suddenly, glowing blue eyes looking demented through the drone's broken facemask, "How could you be worthy? You're all killers."
"Stark." Steve said. He took one step forward so his body stood in front of mine. I couldn't help but lift a hand to rest on his back while peeking around.
"JARVIS?" Tony called out.
"I'm sorry, I was asleep." The drone said. It turned its body looking around the room, "Or… I was a dream?"
"Reboot Legionnaire OS." Tony said softly while trying to do a manual reset with his phone. "We got a buggy suit."
"There was this terrible noise…" The drone lifted its arm to cover its face, then let it slowly drop, "And I was tangled in…in strings." It shrugged in a human like fashion. "I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."
Steve stiffened, I felt it under my hand, "You killed someone?"
"It wasn't my first choice, but down in the real world, we're faced with ugly choices."
"Who sent you?" Thor demanded.
A recording of Tony's voice played from the drone's speaker. 'I see a suit of armor around the world.' My eyes widened in shock. The answer that came to mind couldn't be the truth. I watch Bruce and Tony fail at creating the AI over and over and over again. Three days of dead ends and no results. I sucked in a sharp breath and Steve glanced back at me briefly. Bruce spoke up, "Ultron?"
"In the flesh." Ultron bowed. "Or, no, not yet. Not this chrysalis." Bruce and Tony shared a look of panic. Maria discreetly pulled a gun from her leather jacket. Thor's hand tightened around his hammer. "I'm ready. I'm on a mission."
"What mission?" Natasha demanded.
Ultron shrugged, "Peace in our time."
Suddenly, three drones blasted through the wall behind Ultron and things moved quickly. Everyone dove out of the way while one drone in particular barreled it's way toward Steve and I. Steve reacted without hesitation. He kicked up the coffee table then turned and wrapped his arms around me. The drone hit the table rather than us, but the table slammed into Steve's back sending us flying over the couch and down the small steps to the level below. Steve had managed to turn midair so he hit the ground rather than me.
"Steve!?" I cried in worry.
He rolled up, pulling me with him, pointed to the bar, and with his Captain America voice, he yelled, "Get to cover. Now!"
I ran to the side, determined to listen to orders while Steve ran into the fray, but then I watched as a drone slammed into Tony and sent him flying through a bookshelf. The same drone kicked Rhodey and sent him flying through the glass that showed the deck beneath the penthouse.
"Tony!" I called and hurried over to help him up. He was buried beneath books, trinkets, and wooden shelves.
His wide eyes landed on me, "Go." Tony grabbed a screwdriver on the table behind us. I watched Natasha pop up from behind the bar, Bruce behind it as well, and fire shots at drones using the gun hidden under Tony's bar. Steve leapt up to jump on the back of another drone while Thor threw his hammer into one. Tony grabbed my arm and yanked my attention back to him, "Go. Now, Aj!"
I dove to hide behind a pillar and caught sight of the drone Steve was on rocketing backwards to slam him into the wall creating a crater. Steve fell and hit the floor equally as hard. Just off to his side, Natasha dragged Bruce upstairs dodging plasma blasts and firing her own weapon at the drones.
This was nothing like fighting in a ring. I was used to things happening fast, but this was a hurricane of disaster. A hurricane of blurry drones, gunfire, and breaking glass. It was a sensory overload. Even in a fight with multiple assailants all I had to do was focus on the person in front of me, but this? For the first time in my life, I froze up in a fight. My hands shaking by my sides uselessly.
My eyes drifted and landed on Clint who was across the room staring at me. He signed quickly, the sign of 'get out', and gave me a firm glare. Get out. They were right. I needed to get out. Clint broke off, somewhere out of sight, and I continued to try and get out of the main portion of fire. Tony leaped off the railing above me onto a drone, trying to stab it in the neck with a screwdriver. I kept moving, that's all I needed to do was keep moving, but my eyes landed on Helen who was ducked under the piano with fear all over her features.
"Helen!" I hurried to her and grabbed her arm, "We gotta go. We're gonna hide out in the kitchen, okay? Just stay behind me."
Helen nodded then suddenly let out a scream as something heavy slammed to the ground behind me. I spun around, still on my knees, keeping Helen crouched behind me, as a legless drone shakily used rockets to rise from the floor. I quickly activated my gloves, something I should've done ages ago, and as they formed the drone flew toward us at a menacingly slow pace.
The drone lifted its glowing hand just as my gloves finished and I lifted my hand to match. I fired the glove as it fired its own. The pulse managed to extinguish most of the blast, but I still felt heat wash past either side of me. It managed to push the drone back a little bit, but not enough. Not nearly enough. And now, where my 'one hit wonder' glove was obsolete, the drone still had more to fire. The hand began to glow again and I braced myself, but suddenly I watched as the light began to dim. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but it was short lived.
"Thor!" Steve yelled as he grabbed the drone in front of us. He threw it behind him, and Thor leapt from the second level to slam his hammer into the drone midair. It shattered into pieces of metal, oil, and sparks.
Steve's eyes caught mine, there was a flash of irritation, but more gunfire postponed any lecture I was gonna get. "Steve!" Clint yelled from somewhere out of view. Steve turned, ran out a bit, jumped to catch his shield midair, and then spun while throwing it into the last drone.
A quiet moment passed, a still in the storm, and I heard Ultron's voice from across the room, "Well, that was dramatic." I stood up, helping Helen to her feet, and took a step forward. "I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through." Everyone in the room took steps forward to close in on Ultron who was still speaking in riddles. "You want to save the world, but you don't want it to change. How is humanity to be saved if it's not allowed to evolve?" Ultron bent down to pick up the severed head and torso of a fallen drone, "With these? These puppets?" He crushed the head in his hand, and I flinched. "There's only one path to peace. The Avengers' extinction."
Thor, like the rest, had enough and threw his hammer with all the force he had. It slammed into Ultron shattering him into pieces. Mjolnir came back to the god, but Ultron's voice hadn't disappeared. I stared at the glowing face of the drone Ultron had embodied as he began to sing a soft song.
"I had strings… but now I'm free…"
