May 2nd, 2015
Manhattan, New York
-Avengers Tower-
It had been a long time since AJ Frost really dolled up for a night out. The last time it had been when Bucky had taken her on a date in London where they had picnicked and eaten the worst ham sandwiches she had ever tasted. Of course, she didn't say that to Bucky who grimaced as he swallowed a bite of the sandwich but refused to say that the condiment he used was the very wrong choice, stubborn man he was. AJ had just smiled and took little bites that she could hide later in the grass. That was the last time she really dressed up. Other than going on missions where she was forced into dresses she hated and wearing far too much eye shadow for her liking.
Tonight was different.
It wasn't her style from the 40's -- but it was a style she was comfortable in. And one that Natasha gave her the nod of approval of. (Which was always a good thing). AJ wore a black flowy tunic top with tight black leather pants that were just tight enough to hug her curves. She paired the outfit with some nice black ankle boots and an assortment of golden bands and bracelets on her left wrist and a silver ring that shined on her right hand.
Her bobbed hair fell in her eyes as she tried to clasp together the necklace she planned on wearing tonight. It was the necklace that Thor had given to her as a birthday present; a necklace that had belonged to Frigga, his mother, given to her by Loki, which was odd. AJ couldn't imagine Loki as anything but a madman, but he was once a son who loved his mother. And despite his horrible traits, he did have good taste in jewelry, and the necklace really did bring out the green in her eyes. Besides; Loki hadn't given her this gift. Thor had. Tonight was his going-away party and AJ wanted to wear it for him. Thor had been a good friend and AJ would miss him terribly, so she wanted to show him that even with him gone, a part of him would always be with her.
There was a knock on her door and AJ sighed in relief at the timing. "Come in!" She called out and listened as the door softly opened, followed by feather light steps. She smile, knowing it was Steve. He had the feet of a ballerina, which was what made missions with him so perfect. He made very precise movements that you could hardly hear coming up from behind. Unlike Natasha, who you could not hear at all. "Steve can you give me a hand?" She asked as he walked into her bathroom. "I can't get this damn necklace to clasp." AJ complained.
Steve chuckled and walked over to her, moving behind AJ to assist her with the necklace. Once it was clasped, Steve moved to stand in front of her. "You look beautiful, Jay." He told her with a friendly smile.
AJ laughed at his words when she saw the glint in his eyes that told her that he wasn't simply being a gentleman; he wanted something. "What are you buttering me up for, Stevie?"
He grinned. "Can't a guy tell his best friend he thinks she looks beautiful?" AJ gave him an obvious look and Steve rolled his eyes. "Our next mission," He began, "We could really use Andrew's skills." AJ made a face, not liking the idea of it. "Listen, I know you worry about him,"
AJ cut him off. "It's not just that I worry about him." She admitted, "It's his cocky attitude. He may have enhanced ability when it comes to combat, but he doesn't heal like I do. He's not bulletproof like Kai — he's vulnerable and...one of Henry's son already lost his life because of me, I don't want that to happen to Andrew."
Steve frowned. "Brian didn't die because of you, Jay. He made his choice."
"A choice that killed him."
Steve sighed. "Jay."
She knew he was right, deep down. AJ still worried. "I know I have to loosen my grip on him but...it's hard. He's all I have left of my family and...it would kill me if anything happened to him." Steve frowned at her words. "But," She said causing Steve's eyebrow quirk up. "I trust you and the team not to let anything happen to him so...I won't fight you if you bring him along."
Steve grinned and held out one arm, waiting for AJ to take his arm so they could leave her room. "You look handsome too." AJ said once she was against his side, feeling his arm drape over her shoulder. "And I say that with no hidden agenda."
"Yeah, yeah." Steve chuckled. "I have a surprise." Steve told her as they stepped out of her bedroom and walked towards the elevator.
"What?"
"Sam helped me invite some Vets from the war." He told her causing AJ's eyes to widen as she moved out of his hold and looked up at him as they waited for the elevator doors to open.
"Any we know?" She asked, hoping that somehow the soldiers might be from the 107th.
"You might. You were a nurse at the recruitment center." Steve reminded AJ, causing her to let out a huff of air at that, the doors opened and they both stepped inside the elevator.
"There were only so many memorable people, Steve." She said in a dry tone, teasing him. "I dreaded going to work every morning knowing I'd get hit on by frisky wanna-be soldiers who were coming in to enlist."
"Bucky?" Steve smirked.
"Yes, he was one of them!" AJ laughed. They stepped into the elevator and AJ could hear the sound of music playing in the distance. The party had already started. "I wonder if any of them would even remember me?" She thought out loud.
"Oh, come on, Jay. A dame like you? Who wouldn't?" Steve teased causing AJ to roll her eyes.
"You still don't know a bloody thing about women, Stevie." She mimicked Peggy Carter's accent.
When the elevator doors opened, AJ was greeted by Tony, who was holding a glass of champagne for her. "Come here, I want to introduce you to a few people." He told AJ, ushering her away from Steve.
"I'll catch up with you later!" Steve shouted over the music and chatter.
She spent a good hour speaking to scientists from all over the world before Thor ushered her away from Tony with a flask in his hand. "Rogers told me that if I didn't swoop in soon, you'd be talking to them all night." Thor told her causing her to flush red. Talking science was one of AJ's greatest joys. It reminded her of the days she worked with Howard and Erskine, and even Nathaniel Adams, Quentin Belfort, and Colin Sullivan while at Camp McCoy. "-And that Tony was less likely to put up a fight if I were the one taking you away."
AJ chuckled. "I'm sure if he weren't distracted that he'd be putting up a fight." She said. Tony was present, but he kept checking his phone every few minutes, probably waiting on a call from Pepper to let him know that she had landed safely. AJ's eyes scanned the room for Andrew, wondering if he was doing the same thing. But her nephew was nowhere in sight.
Pepper had brought her latest assistant with her, Sara Palmer, a women whom AJ's nephew was absolutely smitten with. Sara was young and smart and funny and beautiful, but more importantly, she was someone that Andrew could talk to easily. After his time in the stone during terrigenesis, AJ knew it hadn't been easy on Andrew waking up months into the future. She was glad that he had someone to talk to that also gave him peace. AJ had Clint, Natasha, and Coulson after she woke up decades into the future. That had helped; Sara was something more to Andrew. It was very clear to see.
"Jay," Steve said once she and Thor walked up to him. "This man here says he remembers you."
AJ looked to the man and smiled. "Holy cow," the older man chuckled. "You look just as pretty as you did in 1941." Her brow quirked up, trying to figure out who the man was. "I met you Christmas Eve." AJ felt her heart twist at the date. That was the day she met Steve and Bucky for the first time, it was also the day she met Frank Jackson. "I'm sure you don't recognize me, I've gotten quite old, Ms. Frost." He chuckled.
And then it clicked. AJ laughed as the man transformed into that round faced twenty-year-old who had tried to pick her up while getting his physical. He was no longer an old man, he was a kid with a bright face and straw colored hair that was too floppy for AJ's liking. "Mr. Kelley." AJ said with a warm smile.
The older man grinned, but AJ still saw the youthfulness in his eyes. "Yes, ma'am." He chuckled. "I had been working up the courage to ask you on a date the entire time you were examining me." AJ bit down on her lower lip as she recalled what she had said to him. "This woman turned me down before I could even get the words out."
Thor laughed loudly, clapping Steve on the shoulder, who was trying to hold back his own chuckles. AJ covered her face with her hands and let out a groan of embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Dave." AJ apologized once her hands left her face. "You had to have been the thirtieth person to try and ask me out that day and I just," AJ made a face. "I reached my breaking point."
The old man grinned and nodded his head. "Oh, it's alright. I found myself the love of my life right after I asked you out." AJ raised his brows in intrigue. "She worked at the bakery across the street from the recruitment center. I went there to eat my feelings."
But AJ didn't laugh, she just smiled politely while thinking that she too had met the love of her life after her encounter with Mr. Kelley. Before she began her exam on Frank Jackson, she had spotted a golden cross necklace bunched up in the seat that Steve had been sitting in while he was there with Bucky. If she hadn't of seen that cross...she wouldn't have met Steve or Bucky.
She felt Steve move next to her, swinging his arm over her shoulder to show her comfort. He remembered the date, too, it seemed.
Thor stepped in, seeing the sadness in AJ, and began to talk about the flask he was holding. Or more importantly, the liquid inside of it. Dave had seen Thor already pouring the liquid into a shot glass for AJ and Steve and told the God of Thunder that he had to try some as well.
"Oh, no, no, no. See, Mr. Kelley, this was aged for 1000 years." He handed Steve his glass. "In the barrels built from the wreck of Grunhel's fleet." He handed AJ her glass, "It is not meant for mortal men."
An older man on Thor's left piped up, another older gentleman who was a VA cap on his head."Neither was Omaha Beach, blondie. Stop trying to scare us," He scowled. "Come on," He then ushered Thor to give them some of the drink.
Thor looked to Steve who simply shrugged in response, already having had some and then down to AJ. "If he thinks he can handle it."
Thor nodded and poured only the smallest amount possible and gave it to the man who later had to be carried out of the building while repeating the world; excelsior.
After only two sips of her drink AJ started to feel light headed and dizzy. Apparently, even inhumans couldn't handle Asgardian booze. She quit the second she started to see double of Steve and Thor. Steve barely felt a buzz and AJ was to blame for that. She had worked so hard on the serum to make sure that the cells of the subject would always regenerate, making them heal faster -- and apparently incapable of getting drunk. No matter how hard they tried. Peggy had told AJ she had found Steve trying to get drunk after Bucky's fall in what was left of the bar she had her first drink with Bucky in.
AJ leaned against the counter and took in a deep breath closing her eyes as she tried not to let her sadness overwhelm her. But she missed Bucky; no matter how much of a broken record it was for her to say -- she missed him and she wanted him here with her. There was no denying it.
AJ felt someone move to stand next to her, leaning against the bar as well. "You feeling it?" She smiled, opening one eye to see it was Sam who occupied the empty space.
"Eh," She smirked and shrugged her shoulders. "I've had stronger whiskey during the war."
Sam laughed at that. "You want me to help you find Steve?"
AJ shook her head and moved her hand to pat down on Dave's back, who was facedown on the bar next to her. "I'm going to have a couple more waters to sober up so I can make sure Mr. Kelley gets home safely." She told Sam.
"Old friend?" Sam smirked.
"Yes, actually." AJ smirked back. "He hit on me in 1941. I was quite a catch."
Sam grinned and nodded his head. "You're still a catch." He spoke truthfully, causing AJ to flush. Damn Thor and his asgardian booze! She hid her face while shaking her head as Sam laughed. "I'm heading out soon," Sam told her. "You want me to give Mr. Kelley a ride to his place?"
AJ looked up, skin back to its normal shade and nodded his head. "Yeah," She told him. "Though, I'm not exactly sure where he lives."
"I can find out his address from the VA. Don't worry, I won't leave him stranded." Sam said.
AJ chuckled and patted Mr. Kelley on the back. "It was good seeing you, Mr. Kelley. I'm glad life went well for you." She whispered.
Sam was smiling at her when she looked back to him and moved forward to hug AJ goodbye. Her arms awkwardly moved around him as she hugged him back, still embarrassed for her reaction earlier. She was allowed to take compliments, right? Especially if they were kind. Just because Sam told her that she was still a catch didn't mean that she didn't still love Bucky with her whole heart -- it just meant that she was human...right?
"Hey -- have you seen Andrew?" AJ asked Sam.
"Yeah" He said with a grunt as he moved Dave's arm around his shoulder. "He didn't feel like celebrating; said he was gonna meet up with some of his old crew from when he was in SHIELD. But he'll be back tonight." Sam walked over to her, Dave slumped against his side. "He still thinks you're mad at him for his comments about Bucky." Sam told her. "He just wanted you to have a good night."
AJ frowned. "I'm not upset with him." She told Sam.
"Yeah," Sam nodded his head. "That's what I told him -- especially after you pulled a robbery heist and stole back all of Bucky's things from the Smithsonian -- which, by the way, is incredibly badass." He added, causing AJ to chuckle. "But you Frosts are too hard on yourselves. Andy is just trying to give you time. He'll be back though." AJ nodded her head, giving Sam a smile, and watched as he walked away with Dave Kelley. "Follow the sound of Thor's loud voice and you'll find Steve, Jay."
She chuckled at Sam words. Follow the sound of Thor's voice -- follow the yellow brick road. AJ smiled at that and walked forward upon hearing Thor laughing loudly. And just as AJ was finally feeling sober; a sort of shock caused her body to shiver and before she knew it, her ankles gave out, her legs wobbling like a newborn horse. Thankfully someone was there to catch her before she fell, "Easy now," They said, causing AJ to blink up at them. It was Clint...but it wasn't his voice. "It seems as though you have had too much of Thor's drink, Adelyn." She blinked again and shook her head. "Adge?" That was Clint. But who was the voice before? AJ closed her eyes tightly and nodded her head, letting Clint help her up.
"Just a few sips." She answered once she was able to stand on her own. AJ ran her fingers through her hair and shook her head in confusion. "Did you just call me Adelyn?" She asked Clint.
Clint narrowed his eyes at her in confusion. "What?"
AJ shook her head, feeling much better in that moment. It seemed that the effects of the alcohol were wearing off. "You asked me if I had too much of Thor's drink -- and you called me Adelyn."
Now his eyes were crinkled in worry. "No," He drew out the word. "All I did was catch you and then you started to mumble that you had just a few sips." His eyes then moved to her neck. "Does your necklace always glow green?"
AJ inhaled deeply. "Must be some weird Asgardian thing." She mumbled, changing the subject. "I need food."
Clint still looked worried but took AJ to get something to eat which made her feel a hundred percent better. No more double vision or dizziness.
"You should have seen her the first time she was allowed to eat an actual meal after she was taken out of cryofreeze." Natasha said with a laugh, sitting next to Jordan as AJ ate another slice of pizza, sandwiched between Thor and Steve.
"I had this party catered by some of the best chefs in New York and Adelyn decides to order a pizza." Tony complained, but ate some of the pizza nonetheless.
"I also charged it to your account, just a heads up." AJ said, causing everyone to laugh. She stretched her legs out across Steve's lap so that her back was against Thor's side. "I could hardly handle a few sips." AJ told them both when Thor offered her another swig. "Poor Dave Kelley is going to wake up with a nightmare hangover."
Thor went on to talk about the liquor some more which led to him talking about his many battles and of course, his hammer.
"It's a trick !" Clint said as he spun two drum sticks causing AJ to giggle when Thor shook his head.
"No no it's much more than that." Thor disagreed.
"Ah," Clint began to mimic Thor, "Whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power!" AJ laughed loudly, head falling on Thor's shoulder. "Whatever man! It's a trick!"
Thor chuckled and then motioned to Mjölnir. "Please," He smirked at Clint. "Be my guest."
"Come on." Tony egged on.
"Do it!" AJ added.
"Really?" Clint laughed.
"Yeah!" Both Tony and AJ said together.
Clint pulled himself off the ground where he was sitting next to Maria, both drumsticks now in one hand.
"Oh, this is gonna be good." Rhodey chuckled.
"Clint, you've had a tough week. We won't hold it against you if you can't get it up." Tony teased, making AJ snort, the rest of the room joining in to laugh.
Clint grinned and looked to Thor as his hand rested above Mjölnir. "You know I've seen this before, right?" Clint asked and then looked down at AJ.
She had been there too when Thor had tried to pick up Mjölnir after he was banished by Odin to earth. It had been heartbreaking watching Thor cry out in agony, the one thing left of his identity turning its back on him as well. But she had also seen Thor's powers come back to him.
Clint grunted as he tried to lift the hammer. They all laughed, including Clint when he failed to lift it. "I still don't know how you do it!" He shook his head as he let go.
"Smell the silent judgement?" Tony directed at Clint with a smirk.
"Please," Clint motioned to Tony. "Stark, by all means!"
Tony instantly stood up, unbuttoning his jacket and walked over to Mjölnir.
"Uh oh!" Rhodey laughed.
"Never one to shrink from an honest challenge."
Clint laughed. "Get after it." He told him as the two passed and Tony took Clint's place in front of Mjölnir.
"It's physics." Tony said, sliding his hand through the small strap of leather at the end of the hammer.
"Physics!" Banner laughed.
"Tony, you're gonna break your wrist." AJ giggled as she watched him prepare to lift the hammer.
He ignored her. "Right so, if I lift it, I then rule Asgard?" Tony asked Thor.
"Yes, of course." Thor answered and AJ giggled next to him.
"I will be reinstituting prima nocta." Tony declared, making them all groan.
"Just lift the damn thing!" AJ shouted at Tony, causing him to chuckle before he gripped the handle tightly and tried his hardest to lift it. He grunted, putting his foot down on the table to get a better leverage as he tried to hoist it again. When that failed, Tony looked to them all and said. I'll be right back, and returned soon after with his iron man arm on. "Cheater!" AJ laughed when he walked up to Mjölnir and tried to lift it using the enhanced arm. When that didn't work, he and Rhodey tried to lift it with War Machine's enhanced hand, and Iron man's. Both grunting in frustration when it wouldn't work.
"Are you even pulling?" Rhodey asked, a little breathless from the amount of strength he was using, trying to get the hammer to budge.
"Are you on my team?" Tony shot back.
"Just represent! Pull!" Rhodey snapped back at him.
"Alright, let's go!"
It didn't work.
Banner was next.
He let out a loud groan as he stood on the table while trying to lift the hammer, letting go and mimicking the Other Guy only to be met with silence, only a few finding humor in the fact that he was pretending to turn into the Hulk. Natasha looked at Bruce with her lips pressed together in a smile and shook her head with her nose scrunched up, letting Banner know it was too soon to make jokes like that.
"Steve's next!" AJ said, sitting up and clapping her hands against his back until he sat up and walked over to the table.
"Go ahead Steve. No pressure." Tony said.
Steve began to roll of his sleeves and AJ let out a low whistle, causing him to blush.
"Come on, Cap!" Clint cheered on Steve as he gripped onto the handle of Mjölnir tightly.
AJ's hand flew against Thors chest and the room went silent when they heard the slightest sound of the hammer moving. "Oh my God." AJ whispered. But Steve used all his strength to lift it but still couldn't manage to.
She felt Thor's chest move when he let out a sigh of relief while chuckling nervously. "Nothing." He continued to chuckle, moving to reach for his glass of beer and swallowed a large sum of it.
"Your turn Jay." Steve said as he took his spot next to AJ.
"No." AJ shook her head. "I already know the outcome."
"Oh, come on, Adelyn!" Tony complained. "You made us all do it!"
AJ laughed. "I did no such thing!"
"Do it!" Barton yelled.
AJ glared at them all but got up from her seat and walked over to the table. She used one arm to grab onto the handle and barely tugged at it before shrugging in defeat.
"Oh, come on!" Tony complained. AJ rolled her eyes and then gripped the handle with both of her hands and tugged at it. "It seems as though Adelyn cannot be the Queen of Asgard." He said when she failed. AJ stuck her tongue out at Tony and walked back over to sit between Thor and Steve again.
Tony then cleared his throat and they all looked to Natasha.
"And, Widow?" Banner asked her with a smile.
"Oh, no, no -- that's not a question I need answered." Natasha said and drank from her beer, letting her head rest on Jordan's shoulder.
"All deference to the Man Who Wouldn't Be King, but it's rigged." Tony agreed with Clint.
"You bet your ass!" Steve chuckled and clapped Tony on the shoulder.
"Steve!" Maria near choked as she swallowed her drink. "He said a bad language word!" She pointed to Clint.
Steve shook his head and looked to Tony. "Did you tell everyone about that?"
Tony ignored him. "The handles imprinted, right?" He asked Thor. "Like a security code." He suggested. "He whosoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints, is I think the literal translation."
"Yes," Thor sat up off the couch. "It's a very, very interesting theory." He told them. "I have a simpler one," Thor said and lifted Mjölnir. "You're all not worthy."
Everyone groaned at Thor's word. "Mean!" AJ laughed while Steve closed his eyes, shaking his head and said; oh, come on!
The sound of a high pitched noise filled the room, forcing them all to cover their ears. Tony made a face while pulling out his phone to check what had malfunctioned.
Worthy, AJ heard.
She closed her eyes, trying to focus on where the sound was coming from. The sound of metal scraping against the floor causing AJ to open her eyes and stand up, moving next to Thor where the noise was coming from. The rest of the Avengers looking in that direction now too.
"What the hell is that?" AJ asked, seeing what looked like a mangled version of one of the Iron Legion suits.
No, the voice said, getting louder as it stumbled forward. "How could you be worthy?" It asked. "You're all killers."
"Tony?" AJ looked to the man who looked equally confused and concerned as her. Stark, Steve said as well.
"J.A.R.V.I.S," Tony called out, trying to get help from the system.
"I'm sorry," The thing limped closer to them. "I was asleep. Or...was I a dream?"
"Reboot Legionnaire OS. We got a buggy suit." Tony told J.A.R.V.I.S but got no response.
"There was this terrible noise and I was tangled in...in, strings. I had to kill the other guy." He said causing them all to get into combat stance, ready for a fight. AJ already felt a cold mist leaving her fingers. "He was a good guy." The thing told them.
"You killed someone?" Steve asked.
"Wouldn't have been my first call." It answered back. "But, down in the real world, we're faced with ugly choices."
"Who sent you?" Thor asked next.
And then they heard the sound of Tony talking. I see a suit of armor around the world.
"Ultron." Banner said, confusing everyone except for Tony.
"In the flesh." He stood straight. "Or- no, not yet." He corrected himself. "Not this...chrysalis. But I'm ready." AJ could see Maria slowly stand, the gun she always carried on her person now out, finger already pressed to the trigger to be ready to fire at this Ultron. Thor gripped onto Mjölnir a little tighter and AJ looked over to Steve, who had his hands balled up into a fist. Where's his shield? She tried to remember the last place Steve placed it.
They had brought it out to show the WWII Vets -- but where had it been last placed? You can create a shield to protect him with your ice, she heard the idea in her head.
"I'm on a mission." Ultron told them all.
"What mission?" Natasha asked, her body now shielding Jordan to keep her safe.
"Peace in our time."
AJ raised her hands and a shield of ice surrounded them all as more of Tony's Iron Legion suits crashed through the walls and at them. But their boosters quickly began to melt the ice. Steve kicked the table in front of them when the ice melted and a suit came right at him and AJ, the force of the hit causing both of them to fly backwards and hit the ground. AJ groaned and listened to the sound of shots being fired in the room, metal hitting against Thor's Mjölnir and furniture around them being thrown and then the sound of glass shattering and Maria calling out Rhodey's name. Briefly, she saw a flash of long blonde hair running for cover -- Jordan. Good, AJ thought when the doctor got to safety. One less civilian to get hurt.
AJ pushed herself off the ground and ran towards one of the Iron Legion suits. She used her ice to try and take it down. But only the ground around it froze. She looked down to see that on it's wrist was one of the bands Stark and Banner designed for the team to wear so that they won't be affected by her powers. "Dammit, Tony." She muttered as it grabbed her by the throat. AJ's hands flew up to its face, pulling on the wires to yank it apart manually. The hand around her throat faltered and she staggered backwards. Ducking when Thor shouted for her to and the suit was destroyed by Mjölnir.
When she looked up, Thor was grabbing her by the arm to help her stand up and she could see Steve jumping up on one of the suits only to be pushed back into a wall that crumbled on impact. It gripped onto Steve and threw him to the ground.
"My powers are useless." AJ told Thor. "They're all wearing the damn wristbands Tony made for the team!"
"You were a warrior before you had your powers -- you still are one! Fight!" He urged her. AJ inhaled deeply, found the first thing she could use as a weapon, and did exactly what Thor told her to do; fight.
The sound of Iron Legion repeating we are here to help, filled the room. AJ used the heel of her boot to smash down in the neck of one of the suits, her hand digging in for wires to yank out and disable. "Tony! Get a handle on these things!" She shouted, seeing that he had jumped on one above her and was using a screwdriver to try and deactivate it.
"Once sec, one sec!" Tony grunted. "I got this."
Please back away. We are here to help. Please back away. We are here to help. Unsafe. Unsafe. Is unsafe. Is unsafe.
"Come on!" Tony continued to work on the one suit. "That's the one."
AJ was grabbed by one of the suits, yelping as it threw her across the room. But before she could hit the ground, Banner was jumping through the air, and he blocked her from slamming straight into the wall; instead slamming against him as they fell onto the ground. She was quick to crawl away from him, thinking that the pain may have triggered the Big Guy, but he held up his hand while breathing hard. "It's okay. I'm good." He assured her.
AJ crawled over to him and helped him stand up. "Thanks." She said and Banner nodded. "This isn't the best environment for you to be in right now."
"I've got a handle on it." Bruce told her.
AJ's head whipped in the direction of where her name was being shouted. Andrew . He was standing in the doorway searching for her face in the mess and standing next to him was Kai Palani. When one of the Iron Legion suits flew at them, Kai grabbed it by its neck and snapped it in half, using his Inhuman powers to easily snap the suit in half. Andrew spotted AJ and ran to where she and Bruce were crouched down.
"What's happening?" He shouted. "Why the hell are Tony's suits going rogue?"
Steve's shield flew right above their heads and AJ heard the sound of one of the suits breaking apart. Then everything got quiet. Every one of the Iron Legion suits had been destroyed.
"That was dramatic." Ultron said, limping away in his mangled suit. "I'm sorry. I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through." AJ got up off the ground with the help of her nephew and she followed after Steve, who was doing the same to Ultron. "You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change." AJ looked to Tony, their eyes meeting briefly before her focus was turned back to Ultron. "How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to evolve?" Ultron picked up one of the now destroyed Iron Legion suits. "With these?" He asked. "These puppets. " He crushed the head of the suit. "There's only one path to peace." He looked to them all. "The Avengers extinction." Thor's hammer went flying through the air and crushed the already mangled suit into hundreds of pieces.
AJ inhaled deeply through her nose, listening the eerie voice singing; I had strings, but now I'm free...there are no strings on me...there are no strings on me.
_
"All our work is gone." Bruce said as they all stood in the lab of the Avengers tower. AJ hadn't wanted to step foot back into the lab after Andrew finally woke up from terrigenesis. She had spent months in this lab worrying over her nephew, spent countless sleepless nights in this room. But after Andrew woke up, AJ hadn't been able to bring herself to go back inside.
Now she stood next to Steve, leaning against the desk while wearing Tony's jacket for warmth. This room was always the coldest.
"Ultron cleared out -- he used the internet as an escape hatch." Banner continued.
"Ultron," Steve shook his head in frustration.
"He's been in everything. Files, surveillance. Probably knows more about us than we know about each other." Natasha said, folding her arms over her chest. Jordan Connor was on her knees patching up the cuts that Natasha had gotten while sliding across shards of glass to get to safety, muttering something under her breath that AJ couldn't hear. Knowing Jordan, she was likely angry that Natasha had gotten herself hurt -- or that they were even in this situation in the first place.
"He's in your files." Rhodey said as he walked forward. "He's in the internet. What if he decides to access something a little more exciting?"
"Nuclear codes." Maria said while trying to pick a shard of glass out of her toe with tweezers.
AJ really wished she hadn't made fun of Andrew saying that world ending disasters happened daily for them -- she should have had that thought process too. But she had been so happy to have Andrew back that she would not allow the bad stuff in; she'd lock it away. AJ had grown too soft. That needed to change.
"Look, we need to make some calls." Rhodey began. "Assuming we still can."
"Nukes?" Natasha said, skeptical. "He said he wanted us dead-"
"He didn't say dead, " Steve cut off Natasha. "He said extinct. "
"He also said he killed somebody." Clint added.
"There wasn't anyone else in the building." Maria said.
"And Kai and Andrew only showed up when Iron Legion went rogue." AJ added.
"You're forgetting someone, Adelyn." Tony walked forward, pressing a button on his phone to show a hologram of a ball of data -- she recognized it. Except that it was nearly as mangled as Ultron's suit -- the data belonged to J.A.R.V.I.S
AJ walked over to the hologram, along with Bruce and Kai. "How?" AJ whispered, crouching on her knees to get a better look.
"This is insane." Bruce said, examining what Ultron had done to J.A.R.V.I.S.
"JARVIS was the first line of defense." Steve looked down at the ground as his arms folded over his chest. "He would have shut Ultron down -- it makes sense."
Kai shook his head, "Nah. Ultron could have assimilated J.A.R.V.I.S."
Bruce nodded his head. "This isn't strategy. This is...rage."
"Wait -- both of you were working on this with Tony?" Jordan asked, speaking up for the first time since the attack.
AJ sighed, wanting to know the answer as well but quickly had to stand up when Thor charged at Tony, his large hand going around his throat as he lifted him off the ground.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Steve said, hurrying over to them."
"It's going around." Clint mumbled under his breath, referencing the rage Bruce had previously mentioned.
"Come on, use your words, buddy!" Tony managed to choke out as AJ grabbed at Thor's arm to get him to let Tony down.
"I have more than enough words to describe you, Stark." Thor seethed.
"Stop!" AJ shouted, tugging at his arm. "This isn't going to help anything!"
"Thor!" Steve shouted next. "The Legionnaire?"
Thor glared at Tony but dropped him on the ground. AJ hurried over to Tony, helping him stand up properly. "The trail went cold about 100 miles out, but it's headed north." Thor told Steve and then glared down at Tony again, only to have AJ give him a firm look, causing his eyes to drift back to Steve. "And it has the Scepter." He spat out. "Now we have to retrieve it again."
"Genie's out of that bottle." Natasha commented. "Clear and present is Ultron."
"I don't understand." Dr. Helen Cho said, who had been studying the mangled suit Ultron had possessed. "You built this program." She looked over to Tony who had walked away from AJ and stood next to Bruce and Kai. "Why is it trying to kill us?"
It was quiet for a moment and then Tony started to giggle.
"Mmm-mm." Bruce shook his head at Tony in a fast motion, trying to get him to stop.
Thor moved forward only to have AJ put her hand on his chest. He stopped walking, but there was no stopping him from speaking. "-You think this is funny?" Thor asked Tony.
"No." Tony smiled as he turned to face them. "It's probably not...right?" He giggled again. "This is very terrible. Is is so...it is." He laughed again. "It's so terrible ."
"-This could have been avoided if you hadn't played with something you didn't understand." Thor said in anger.
"No, I'm sorry." Tony said, walking over to where Thor and AJ stood. "I'm sorry -- It is funny." He said now. "It's a hoot that you don't get why we need this." His voice turned sharp.
"Tony, maybe this might not be the time." Bruce said softly.
"Really?" Tony turned to look at Bruce. "That's it? You just roll over -- show your belly every time somebody snarls?" He mocked.
"Only when I've created a murderbot. " Bruce said back to Tony.
"We didn't," Tony said as Thor began to walk away, AJ's hand falling from his chest in the process. "-We weren't even close ." Tony said and then asked Kai and Bruce, "Were we close to an interface?"
Bruce made a face, and Kai did his best to avoid eye contact with Maria, who was glaring daggers at the man she was casually sleeping with.
"Well -- you did something right." Steve said. "And you did it right here." AJ looked over to see Steve walking over to where she was standing in front of Tony. "The Avengers were supposed to be different from S.H.I.E.L.D."
"-Anybody remember when I carried a nuke through a wormhole ?" Tony asked.
AJ rolled her eyes at Rhodey. "No. It's never come up." They heard about it constantly. But joking or bragging about it was just Tony's way of coping.
"Saved New York?" Tony asked next.
"Never heard that." Rhodey replied.
"Recall that?"
"Stop." AJ told Tony who shook his head at her.
"A hostile alien army came charging through a hole in space -- we're standing three hundred feet below it!" Tony said motioning up to the roof. "We're the Avengers." He told them. "We can bust arms dealers all the livelong day. But that up there , that's...that's the endgame." He swallowed hard and AJ frowned at the way his voice trembled. "How were you guys planning on beating that?"
"Together." Steve replied.
"We'll lose." Tony moved forward, stepping in front of AJ and blocking her view of Steve.
"Then we'll do that together, too." Steve said. AJ looked down at Tony's hand to see a slight tremor. She frowned, moving forward to his side and grabbing a hold of his shaking hand. He squeezed onto her hand tightly. "Thor's right." Steve said. "Ultron is calling us out." He stated the obvious. "And I'd like to find him before he's ready for us. The world is a big place...let's start making it smaller."
They all went off on their own but AJ stayed behind with Tony.
"What's really going on, Tony?" She asked him, taking a seat at his desk. "What's got you so shaken? What happened in Sokovia?"
Tony let out a bitter laugh. "Shoulda known you wouldn't let that go."
"What has got you so spooked, Tony? It can't just be the chitauri ship...what'd you see?"
Tony inhaled deeply before he looked down at AJ. "The future." She didn't say anything, waiting for him to elaborate. He didn't. Tony just shook his head and forced himself to look away from AJ who was quick to grab his hand, forcing him to stay looking at her.
"Talk to me." She urged him.
"I kill the Avengers." Tony whispered. AJ tilted her head to the side, not understanding. "Everyone -- everyone in the world. Cap, Romanoff... you ."
"No," AJ shook her head in disagreement. "That's not going to happen."
Tony pulled his hand out of her hold and walked away, running both his hands through his hair. "It wasn't a risk I was willing to take and...I thought that by creating Ultron...he'd somehow save us but now...I think I created the thing that's going to kill you all." She frowned but before she could disagree with him, Tony began to speak again. "-He knows everything about us -- he's been in my system; he knows how to create more of the bracelets -- you're defenseless, Adelyn."
She couldn't help but give into a snort. That was her first thought too. "I was SSR Agent before I had my powers -- and when I first started at S.H.I.E.L.D, I wasn't allowed to use them. I can take care of myself without relying on my powers, Tony...ye have little faith." She stood up and walked over to him. "Besides...the bracelets don't affect my healing." She reminded him. "And as long as I still have that little perk...I don't want to brag or anything, but I'm kinda invincible."
Tony let out a loud huff at her words. "I know you're worried Tony but...like Steve said -- we'll do this together. As a team."
Tony shook his head. "If you end up dying because me," He started. But AJ cut him off by wrapping her arms around his shoulders and hugged him. It took Tony a while to untense, but when he did, he wrapped his arms around AJ and hugged her back.
"I am not going to die because of you, Tony." AJ told him. "Not without seeing my guy again."
Tony laughed.
But AJ was serious. She refused to die without seeing Bucky one last time. Even if it was just a glimpse across the room. That would be her dying wish. To see Bucky one last time before she died. AJ just hoped it wouldn't come down to that -- her dying. Because she wanted years with Bucky -- decades. She wanted the life they deserved.
God help anyone who stood in her way.
