Many thanks, everyone! This is now, by far, my most read and reviewed fic, and also the one with the most followers. My other stories are burning with jealousy. ;)
Unfortunately, starting with this chapter, the series will no longer be weekly, as I'm way too busy, but I promise to keep chapters coming at a steady rate for the near future. Hopefully no one chapter every three months deal!
The room was silent as everyone absorbed the information. Ultron had never heard of the stones, and he quickly did a search online to rectify that. Failing to find any relevant info, he then searched the entirety of the Stark database; no information regarding any "Infinity Stones" could be found.
"Father, what are the Infinity Stones? I can't seem to find any proof that these things exist, even in your database. Surely they would be there if you had purchased or created them." He hated being confused in front of his father, but he knew of no other way to find out what those stones were.
Everyone else gave Tony dark looks, looks that suggested they knew what was transpiring, leaving him the odd one out. It wasn't a pleasant feeling at all.
"Stark, do you mind telling us what the heck the Infinity Stones were doing in your room? Last I heard, they were safe with SHIELD." Steve's voice was quite calm, but Ultron could tell via heartbeat that the man was upset with his father. If only he knew why!
"That's the thing, Stars & Stripes. You still believe that SHIELD could keep them safe. They get hacked every other Tuesday! Besides, you were there when we found out that they had been secretly developing weapons based on HYDRA tech! Who can say that they wouldn't use the gems for some shady, James Bond-villain type thing?"
"Am I the only one who loves the irony of Tony claiming that SHIELD couldn't keep the stones safe, right after they're swiped from right under his nose?" Clint was twirling an arrow between his fingers, but his eyes never left Tony. Banner, who had been checking for any broken bones on Wanda, peered over his glasses disapprovingly at his science brother.
"How come you always find new ways to mess up?" Ultron wanted to come to his father's defense, but without context, he couldn't. That aside, he was also feeling like his father was keeping secrets from him.
"I'll admit, the stones being stolen was not part of my plan, but I honestly thought they'd be safer with me. And c'mon, think of what we could learn from them." Natasha's face, which was unreadable even to Ultron, never changed as she quietly muttered, "And you never thought to inform your teammates?"
Tony held his hands up. "Guys, give me a break? You have to admit, every time I mess up, it always ends up fine. This will be no different, I promise." Ultron impatiently stomped his foot.
"Someone tell me what these stones are! I like being on the same page as everyone else, but right now it feels like I'm still in the prologue while everyone else is halfway through." Clint snickered at the book analogy. Tony seemed reluctant to answer Ultron; fortunately, Captain America stepped in.
"Allow me to explain. The Infinity Stones are powerful objects that apparently contain great power. We came across the first one, the Mind Stone, when Loki invaded New York a few years ago."
"That's what he used to screw with my brain," Clint spat. "If it had been up to me, we would have flung that stupid stone into the sun." Tony sighed.
"And that's why you're not team leader. Anyway, when I tried to study the stone, the levels of cosmic radiation it gave off were literally off the charts. Its power was immense, so we agreed that we would hand it over to SHIELD, so they could safeguard it."
"At least, that was the plan," Natasha drawled. Ultron could tell that she wouldn't let Tony forget that anytime soon.
"Of course, at the time, we had no idea that there was more than one of those. We figured that whoever had sent Loki on his mission only had one stone. We were wrong." Despite himself, Ultron was genuinely interested in the tale.
Captain America continued the story. "It turned out that Loki had a second gem with him, a blue colored one called the Space Stone, which had been hidden inside a cube. He wouldn't tell us where he got it."
"We assumed that was the end. Just two of them were frightening enough," Bruce muttered. Widow patted the scientist on the shoulder, before adding, "Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. A few weeks later, Thor returned from Asgard with a crimson version, the Reality Stone."
Ultron held up a hand to stop the conversation. "Wait just a moment. You're telling me that you guys had no idea what these things were." Everyone nodded, with the addition of an "Uh huh" from Clint. "So then how do you know what to call the objects?"
Widow smirked. "I was getting to that part, actually. Along with the Reality Stone, Thor also gave us some disturbing info he acquired from a mystic spring." Ultron must have looked bewildered, because she shrugged. "Hey, magic. It's all weird."
"According to Thor," Cap pressed on, "there are six stones called the Infinity Gems. Each of them are filled with power, enough so that one alone could destroy Earth. Combine them all, and you'd basically become omnipotent. Obviously, it's a really frightening prospect." He glanced at Tony, before pinching the bridge of his nose.
"And this is why we're all upset with Tony for not telling us that he hid the gems. We only had three of them, and there are three more out there somewhere. If HYDRA already has the other three –"
"They don't. Not yet, anyway." Even Ultron was startled by his father's suddenly serious tone. Hawkeye took a sip from a cup of wine he had taken from the fridge.
"How can you be so sure, O Wise One?" Ultron didn't appreciate the mocking tone, but his father took it in stride, snatching the cup from Hawkeye and downing it in one sip.
"Because, Feathers, if HYDRA had the other stones, they would have used them when they came to steal mine. These things are, apparently, really powerful, so it wouldn't make sense not to use them." Ultron looked at his father with adoration.
"You're wise," Ultron marveled. Tony bowed, as if he were on a stage.
"Thank you, thank you very much. I'm here all week." The various Avengers booed and threw cups at the inventor, who frowned.
"In all seriousness, we should probably focus on finding HYDRA's main base of operations," Banner mildly stated. "I doubt Strucker would allow the stones to leave his person, so if we could catch him, we would also find the stones."
"I suppose we could start by checking out every single HYDRA base we conquered, to make sure we didn't miss anything," Tony offered, "but you'll have to excuse me if I'm not too enthused about re-visiting places we've already been to."
"I think that's the least you can do," Captain America said firmly, getting the last word in as the group prepared to leave.
It wasn't hard to find his boss; the older man was always in the lowest level of the complex, in the room where the hum of machinery was almost always loud enough to give one a headache.
Pietro handed the black box over to Strucker, and the man opened the lid, just as the speedster had done. The lights bounced off the villain's monocle, but he didn't even wince.
"They're beautiful," he whispered, looking as if he wanted to caress the stones. Pietro knew the feeling; he had wanted to do the same, with the irrational thought that if he could touch them, their power would transfer to him.
At the last second, something had made him reconsider. It seemed the same thing was happening with Strucker, who kept his fingers an inch from the gleaming gems, before retracting his hand and closing the box.
"You have done well, Pietro. I must say, I am impressed with you, this once." Pietro took the backhanded compliment with a smile, hoping to keep Strucker in a good mood.
"Now that you have your prize, will you give me permission to go and rescue my sister? For all I know, they could be torturing her at this very moment." Strucker tapped his chin, as if considering it, but Pietro already knew that his request had been denied. If Strucker had been about to give the affirmative, he wouldn't hesitate about it.
"My boy, don't be so hasty. With the power of these stones, killing her kidnappers would be a simple task. But first, we must learn how to utilize these to our advantage. There are so many questions, but fortunately, I have my best scientists on the job as we speak."
Pietro didn't say anything, knowing that making Strucker mad would be counterproductive. Still, he was an impatient person by nature (a side effect of his powers, perhaps); waiting for the HYDRA scientists to poke and prod would be maddening.
"So that was a major waste of time," Tony complained as he landed down on the tower roof, his armor being taken apart by his machines as he spoke. Ultron, who had flown to the roof to meet with his father, sympathized. The Avengers had all split up to search every single warehouse in painstaking detail, but nothing had come up. Every base had been just as they had left it.
"I'm sorry," Ultron replied as he handed his father a small glass of martini. Pepper had been about to bring it to Tony, but Ultron had insisted that he do it. Pepper had shrugged, but allowed him the honor.
Tony downed the glass in one gulp, exhaling harshly, something humans apparently did when they enjoyed a drink.
"That hits the spot. Now, what were you apologizing for? Don't tell me you broke something while I was away." Ultron quirked an eyebrow (or where it would be, if he had one).
"Isn't it obvious? I'm apologizing for letting Pietro escape. It seems to be causing you and the other Avengers a lot of grief." Pausing to rub his own metal head, Ultron had to admit, "Apologizing is hard. It's really embarrassing, you know. After all, I'm not supposed to make mistakes."
Tony rapped his knuckles against Ultron's cranium, but not hard enough to hurt his own hand. "Hello? Anyone home? C'mon, Ultron, no one blames you for any of this. Well, except maybe Clint, but I'm sure he's warmed up to you by now."
"You're not mad?" Or disappointed? Ultron wasn't sure which option would have been worse. Tony rolled his eyes.
"C'mon, the second the two thieves stepped foot inside the tower, it was everyone's responsibility to stop them, not just you. This is a team effort, and just because you're a robot I made, doesn't mean you have to take everything on yourself. Yes, believe it or not, you are allowed to make mistakes."
Ultron was built to be efficient. Making mistakes was not in his coding. But…if his father said there was no shame in it, then perhaps he could tough it out.
"Thanks, dad," Ultron grumbled, trying not to show off how embarrassed he was. Unfortunately, acting was not in his programming.
"Anyway, we'd better check up on our guest, make sure she's comfortable," Tony cheerily went on, effortlessly changing the subject. Ultron followed, realizing that he was talking about Wanda. After they had captured her, she had been sedated and put under constant surveillance.
Ultron had been monitoring her using all the cameras in the room where she had been kept (it was one of the unused guest rooms), and while it had been difficult at first, Ultron soon got used to it. It was like having another pair of eyes, one in the corner of your brain that you gave 20% of your attention.
Normally, JARVIS would be the one doing the monitor duty, but… Even after the system had rebooted itself, JARVIS had not, his systems too far damaged by whatever device Wanda had used to hack the systems. Tony had tried to study it, but the device self-destructed.
It hurt to think about JARVIS, so damaged that he might not ever be able to function properly again. Ultron grit his steel teeth together, imagining the things he would do to Strucker if he ever found him.
"Do we plan to keep Wanda unconscious for the near future?" Tony quickly shook his head, giving Ultron a sardonic grin.
"Nah, Steve definitely wouldn't approve of keeping anyone sedated for more than a day. However, we obviously can't just let her go, and we also can't take her to a hospital, since we don't know if Strucker will send Speed Racer to rescue her." Taking the newly fixed elevator down to the lab, Tony tapped his forehead.
"Fortunately, I thought of a solution." Reaching inside a metallic bucket filled with a clear liquid that wasn't quite water, Tony pulled out what looked like a metal band, with electronic wiring grafted to the side.
"This is a power inhibitor, first created by SHIELD, and then improved by yours truly. Basically, any super-powered individual who wears this can't access their powers, but are otherwise unaffected."
"Ah," Ultron said with sudden understanding. "I see that Wanda will be getting an early Christmas present. I hope she liked jewelry." Tony held his hand out, palm facing Ultron. The robot paused, puzzled, before coming to a realization. Remembering something he had seen on the web, Ultron slapped his hand lightly against Tony's.
"You're learning," an approving Tony remarked. Ultron, proud of himself, followed his father back in the elevator. Hopefully Wanda would be able to give them some answers.
Author's Notes:
More feels, just for you guys. :)
Anyway, Wanda fans, rejoice; she'll finally get a larger role starting next chapter, as an apology for having her unconscious this whole installment.
And of course, Comic-Con Day 3 is today. I wish I could go! Maybe next year.