Hey guys, sorry for another late chapter. I've been very busy at the moment and didn't want to only give you half a chapter. So, I finished it up in whatever moments I could grab and here we are.
As always, I don't own Marvel.
Much of the speech here is taken from an online transcript, but some stuff obviously changes with the addition of Astraea.
Anyways, we've got a bit of science, a bit of fighting, and a bit of talking on this brand new chapter for you wonderful readers.
Enjoy
A new friend
Tony returns a few moments after Steve and Clint return – they brought with them the two enhanced. Natasha is nowhere to be seen. By the sounds of it, she was kidnapped by an Ultron bot whilst delivering the cradle into the Quinjet. So, they're one Avenger down, but they've gained two young adults who seem to have changed sides. Such is the life of an Avenger.
Astraea doesn't get much time to make awkward introductions with the two newbies (Wanda and Pietro Maximoff she learns). Tony drags her into the lab where he and Bruce are working on the cradle, muttering as he does so:
"You're a physicist and biochemist, right?" Astraea nods mutely in reply. "Great, I want your opinion on something."
'Something' turns out to be the vibranium android currently encased within the cradle. Ultron never managed to upload himself fully, so it's essentially like an empty body with a steering force. Without a consciousness. It's all very interesting, but then Tony drops another bombshell on Astraea and Bruce. The latter is discussing working on degenerating the tissue, but Tony has other ideas.
"Yeah, about that." Tony glances at the two. Astraea leans forward, elbows on the cradle's surface, eyes lighting up with interest.
At the same time, Bruce veers the other way. "No."
"You have to trust me."
"Kinda don't."
Astraea chuckles softly.
"Our Ally? The guy protecting the military's nuclear codes? I found him."
Tony brings up the spherical orange hologram of JARVIS' consciousness. Astraea's only seen it once, briefly, when Tony was showing it to Bruce and she'd walked by. It must have been when they were working on Ultron, Astraea realises because there was another bigger blue sphere in there as well. But all that flies out of her head. It's JARVIS back again! Astraea squeals in joy and happiness, waving in the direction of the hologram.
"Hi J! Nice to see you're safe after all." Her voice quietens slightly. "I've missed your nice little 'hellos' and snarky comments and wit and … It's nice to have you back."
"Hello Miss Blake, Doctor Banner. I have also missed you."
Astraea grins in spite of herself. Maybe the AI doesn't have a real body, but he is as much a real person to the Avengers – especially Tony – as any other human. He's got a real personality that you miss when it's no longer there. Maybe it had been only a few days, but everyone had missed the AI. It is wonderful to have him back. But Tony mentioned him specifically after seemingly suggesting that he has another plan for the android currently sleeping the cradle. Something to do with JARVIS?
"Ultron didn't go after JARVIS 'cause he was angry. He attacked him because he was scared of what he can do. So – JARVIS went underground. Okay? Scattered, dumped his memory. But not his protocols. He didn't even know he was in there until I pieced him together."
Bruce shakes his head, frown lines appearing on his forehead as he takes in the situation. Astraea is sitting on the cradle now as the two me walk around it in a battle of wits. Still, she hops off as Bruce steps closer, his hands ghosting over the surface.
"So … you want me to help you put JARVIS into this thing?" There's a touch of incredulity in his voice.
"No, of course not!" Tony grins and gives Bruce an innocent look. "I want to help you put JARVIS in this thing." Bruce shakes his head as Tony gestures wildly to the cradle. "We're out of my field here. You know bio-organics better than anyone."
"Uh … so why am I here? I mean, it looks like you guys have it all covered so … " Astraea trails off slowly after her tentative question, hand raised halfway in the air.
Tony rolls his eyes. "Because having another biochemist isn't a bad idea. You graduated that course at, what? 16? 17? You've got good at it or at least a very quick learner."
"17. But that's not the point. Doesn't Bruce have like, 20 PhDs, or something? I think he can cope with a vibranium robot."
"Actually, I think it's seven," Tony answers back, leaning against the cradle. "But you can never have too many clever people to help on a project like this." He frowns slightly. "Ok, so maybe you can have too many people, but that's beside the point. I think three people is a good amount for adding an AI to an android built by a robot."
"Whoa, whoa. Wait. You're assuming I'm even doing this. Which, I'm not." Bruce waves at the air in front of them, as if trying to fight them off. "And you just assume that JARVIS' operational matrix can beat Ultron's?"
"JARVIS has been beating him from inside without knowing it. This is the opportunity, we can create Ultron's perfect self, without the homicidal glitches he thinks are his winning personality. We have to." Tony gives him an almost-pleading look, using those dark brown eyes to give an innocent look worthy of Bambi.
"I believe it's worth a go," JARVIS calls from the ceiling.
Astraea glances between the two men and the JARVIS hologram. "I think if it works it'll be just what we need to beat Ultron. I guess there's only one way of finding that out."
"No, I'm in a loop! I'm caught in a time loop, this is exactly where it all went wrong." Bruce steps back, moving away from the cradle, arms thrown wide in a display of stress and struggle.
Astraea tries for a joke. "Ah … but this time you've got another mad scientist for your equation."
Tony moves forward, arms stretched out towards his friend. "I know, I know. I know what everyone's going to say, but they're already saying it. We're mad scientists like Rhea says. We're monsters, buddy. You gotta own it. Make a stand." Bruce shakes his head fervently. "It's not a loop. It's the end of the line."
"Right then," Astraea rubs her hands together, putting on a cheery tone, "let's get started! Operation give our favourite AI his very own body."
"We're not calling it that," Tony mumbles, bringing up another computer screen showing data from the cradle.
"What about operation rock-a-bye baby? Y'know, like in that nursery rhyme?"
"No."
"Mission cradle?"
Astraea keeps the project names going as they work on re-configuring JARVIS' matrix for his new home. It's complicated work, but incredibly fascinating.
Just what I need for my CV. Helped to make an android fitting with the consciousness of the most advanced AI in this part of the world.
oOo
They work for a nearly an hour before Tony spots a problem.
"This framework is not compatible," Tony calls down from his elevated position on the computer station platform overlooking where the cradle lies.
"What?!" Astraea half-shrieks, looking up from the cables she's adjusting. "That's not good."
"The genetic coding tower is at ninety-seven percent." Bruce glances up at Tony, moving around to help Astraea with the large cables on the front of the cradle at the base. "You have got to upload that schematic in the next three minutes."
Just then, another variable decides to make an entrance. Steve strides into the room, still wearing his Captain America suit, trailed by the super-twins.
"I'm gonna say this once," Steve says, employing his commanding Cap voice for full effect. Wanda flits out behind him, a nervous look in her eye-liner coated eyes.
"How about none-ce?" Tony quips back.
"Shut it down!"
"Nope, not gonna happen." Tony strides across the platform and continues his work, as his fellow scientist peek their heads up warily and curiously.
"You don't know what you're doing," Steve argues, stepping closer.
"And you do?" Bruce questions. "She's not in your head?"
Wanda moves further into the lab space. "I know you're angry." Her Sokovian accent is distinct among the mostly American accents in the room.
"Oh, we're way past that." Bruce's voice is flat and unfeeling. "I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade."
Astraea's eyebrows shoot up. She keeps her hands busy with her work but keeps her eyes focused on listening to the tense conversation around her. All it would take now is a spark to erupt the whole room in the flames of a desperate battle to both stop and continue their work.
A few moments later a soft whoosh! of air shoots past Astraea. The slivery blur dashes around the lab, pulling out cables and halting their progress on transferring JARVIS to the Android within the cradle.
"Hey!" Astraea yells, whirling around the see Pietro crash through the glass flooring. Clint stands over him, having shot a bullet through the glass, shattering the pane.
The android's fingers start twitching the cover of the cradle. Tony leaps into action, gesturing to Bruce and Astraea to keep going. They have to finish the process, or everything will go wrong. They could lose JARVIS and the android. And that's something nobody wants.
Just then, Cap throws his shield, sending a fizzing cloud of orange sparks into the air. Everyone cringes and turns away, shielding their eyes from the glow. Tony pulls on an Iron Man gauntlet and fires a repulser blast at Steve, sending him flying backwards. More armour shoots towards Tony as Bruce grabs Wanda around the neck, her hands tinged with red energy. Sparks and flame. The room has erupted and it's about to explode.
Steve reappears, slamming into Tony and sending them both flying in opposite directions. Wanda sends a blast of energy through herself and into Bruce. He shoots backwards, away from the cradle. Astraea takes a defensive position, glaring daggers at the other girl. If they've messed this up and made them lose JARVIS forever – it won't be pretty for them.
Everyone is regathering for the next attack when Thor slides into the room. He leaps onto the cradle and brings his hammer down, wreathed in buzzing blue arcs of lightning. Astraea ducks away, covering her eyes. The lid flies up and a new Being steps out. Thor is thrown backwards, and the rest of the Avengers (plus Wanda) stand ready, quarrel momentarily forgotten about for this new threat.
When Astraea finally peeks out from behind her hands, the android has floated away from the window and is talking with Thor. He has JARVIS' voice, but there's something completely new about him all the same. This isn't JARVIS, but it's not Ultron either. The android is his own being; he just needs to figure out what that means.
"I'm not Ultron. I'm not JARVIS. I am … I am … " The android stutters to a stop, looking around at them.
"I looked in your head," Wanda steps closer to the android, "and saw annihilation."
"Look again," the android invites.
The conversation becomes hostile again, with Clint gazing at Wanda with clear distrust in his eyes. But their new friend seems completely unperpetrated. It's only when the conversation moves to where Ultron is that he actually seems considered.
Clint provides them with the location. "Sokovia. He's got Nat there, too."
"If we're wrong about you," Bruce looks at the android warily, "if you're the monster Ultron made you to be … "
"What will you do?" The android looks at them all. "I don't want to kill Ultron. He's unique, and he's in pain. But that pain will roll over the earth, so he must be destroyed. Every form he's built, every trace of his presence on the net, we have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others. Maybe I am a monster. I don't think I'd know if I were one. I'm not what you are, and not what you intended. So, there may be no way to make you trust me. But we need to go." Then he lifts Thor's hammer, handing it to the shocked god of thunder in front of an equally shocked crowd.
"Right," Thor mutters and moves to pat Tony on the shoulder. "Well done."
Steve announces they have three minutes to get what they need, and Astraea hops down from her perch on the back of the sofa. She creeps over to the new Avenger, watching as he observes them all intently.
"Hi," she murmurs shyly, giving an awkward wave. "Just thought I'd say, um, welcome to the Avengers an' all." Astraea stands silently for a moment. "Nice, uh, nice cape you've got there. Anyways, I was wondering what we ought to call you."
"Vision." The android – Vision – states, looking at her with a keen curiosity.
"Right. Well, I'm Astraea. Nice to meet you, Vision." She sticks her hand out for a handshake, which Vision reciprocates after a few moments, if a little too hard.
Well, he is a new-born after all.
There you go, we now have the newly created Vision for the Avengers team. Next up - the final battle. I am equally excited about and dreading writing that, but we'll see how that goes.
But, I am mega excited for Infinity War after watching the second trailer. I may or may not have watched it several times whilst I was supposed to be studying in my sixth form's study room. hehehe. Well, I can't wait to go and see it. Whatever happens, it's going to be epic.
Thanks for reading; I hope you've enjoyed this.
Look-for-the-miracles