Authoress Note: Welcome to Chapter 44 of God of Lies and Mischief and the Woman of Many Faces. Thank you to all who have left reviews. It really does mean a lot to me that you are all enjoying this story. I'm hoping to add more Loki soon enough, but it will take time for me to have it all written up when he returns. I have up to Chapter 113 planned out. I'm excited to show you guys what is to come. Without further ado Chapter 44. Enjoy!

Chapter 44

Everleigh held a glass in her hand dressed in a light green dress that rested on her thighs. She took a breath as Rhodey talked to Tony and Thor.

"Well, you know, the suit can take the weight, right? So I take the tank, fly it right up to the General's palace, drop it at his feet, I'm like, "Boom! You looking for this?""

Tony and Thor looked at Rhodey blankley.

Everleigh blinked a few times her brows furrowed.

""Boom! Are you looking..." Why do I even talk to you guys? Everywhere else that story kills." Rhodey complained as he looked at the two men.

"That's the whole story?" Thor questioned looking at Rhodey.

"Yeah, it's a War Machine story."

"Well, it's very good then." Thor laughed, "It's impressive."

"Quality save. So, no Pepper? She's not coming?" Rhodey asked Tony.

"No." Tony said, shaking his head.

"Hey, what about Jane? Where are the ladies, gentlemen?" Maria questioned coming up to them.

"Well, Miss Potts has a company to run." Tony pointed out.

"Yes, I'm not even sure what country Jane's in. Her work on the convergence has made her the world's foremost astronomer." Thor said thinking.

"And the company that Pepper runs is the largest tech conglomerate on earth. It's pretty exciting."

"There's even talk of Jane getting a... um, uh... Nobel prize."

"Yeah, they...they must be busy because they'd hate missing you guys get together." Maria mocked a cough. "Testosterone! Oh, excuse me."

Everleigh let out a soft laugh covering her mouth.

"Want a lozenge?" Rhodey questioned looking at Maria.

"Um-hmm."

"Let's go."

The two of them left Everleigh with the two happily taken men.

"But Jane's better."

Everleigh shook her head walking away. "Each woman is good in their own way, Thor." She let out a breath as she walked away from the two of them knowing that they were going to try their best to outdo one another of whose girlfriend was better. She walked to the bar where Bruce was at. "Hey Bruce."

Bruce turned his head looking at Everleigh. "Leigh, you look better."

Everleigh let out a chuckle as she put the glass down on the bar.

"Oh I don't mean it as a bad thing. You just look more at ease and you're not avoiding us any more."

Everleigh shrugged her shoulders. "Figured that avoiding my friends wasn't the best thing to do."

Natasha came over to Bruce and Everleigh mixing a drink for the younger spy.

Bruce looked over at Natasha. "How'd a nice girl like you wind up working in a dump like this?"

"Fella done me wrong." Natasha mused with a small smile.

"You got a lousy taste in men, kid."

"He's not so bad. Well, he has a temper. Deep down he's all fluff. Fact is, he's not like anybody I've ever known. All my friends are fighters. And here comes this guy, spends his life avoiding the fight because he knows he'll win."

"Sounds amazing."

Natasha put the drink down in front of Everleigh.

"He's also a huge dork."

Bruce cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"Chicks dig that. So what do you think should I fight this, or run with it?"

"Run with it, right? Or, did he... Was he...? What did he do that was so wrong to you?"

"Not a damn thing. But never say never." Natasha said walking away before winking at Everleigh who was now sipping at the drink she had made.

Steve approached Bruce and Everleigh. "It's nice."

"What, what, what is?" Bruce questioned looking over at Steve.

"You and Romanoff."

"No, we haven't. That wasn't…" Bruce said, stumbling over his words.

"It's okay. Nobody's breaking any by-laws. It's just, she's not the most... open person in the world. But with you she seems very relaxed."

"No, Natasha, she... she likes to flirt."

"I've seen her flirt, up close. This ain't that. Look, as maybe the world's leading authority on "waiting too long;" don't. You both deserve a win." Steve said, walking away.

Bruce looked at Everleigh rather confused. "Wait, what do you mean, "up close"?"

Everleigh looked up at Bruce. "Oh no, you're not going to ask me that. You really should ask Nat or Steve. It's none of my business what happened."

ULTRON

Time had passed and almost all of the guests had left except for the Avengers, Maria, and Dr. Cho.

Thor's hammer sat on the table that was in the middle of the group who were around.

Clint gestured to the hammer with his drumstick he was twirling in his hand. "But, it's a trick!"

"Oh, no. It's much more than that." Thor said, looking over at Clint.

"Uh, "Whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power!" Whatever man! It's a trick."

"Well please, be my guest." Thor mused with a smile as he went to sip some of his mead.

"Come on." Tony said, rolling his eyes a little bit.

"Really?" Clint questioned looking up at Thor.

"Yeah!" Everleigh chuckled as Clint got up to his feet. She took a sip of her beer that she had been nursing for a little while.

"Oh this is gonna be beautiful." Rhodey mused as he sat back and watched.

"Clint, you've had a tough week, we won't hold it against you if you can't get it up." Tony mused.

Everyone else laughed.

"You know I've seen this before, right?" Clint grabbed Thor's hammer and tried to lift it, but couldn't. "I still don't know how you do it."

Everleigh let out a soft chuckle.

"Smell the silent judgment?" Tony questioned ribbing Clint a little bit.

"Please, Stark, by all means." Clint said, looking at Tony.

Tony got up to his feet.

"Oh, here we go." Natasha said shifting back in her seat.

"Okay." Maria said as she took a sip of her drink.

"Uh-oh." Rhodey said as he watched his friend.

"Um-hmm." Clint said as he took his seat next to Everleigh.

"Never one to shrink from an honest challenge." Tony said rather proudly.

"Get after it."

"Here we go." Everleigh said, shaking her head lightly.

"It's physics."

"Physics!" Bruce said, looking at Tony with his brows furrowed.

"I'm sure it's more than that." Everleigh said, shifting some to watch a bit closer. She had a feeling that Tony wouldn't be able to lift the hammer.

Tony grasped the hammer firmly in his hand. "Right, so, if I lift it, I...I then rule Asgard?"

"Yes, of course." Thor confirmed as he looked at Tony.

"I will be reinstituting Prima Nocta." Tony tried to lift the hammer, but he failed. "I'll be right back." He left and came back wearing part of his Iron Man suit. He tried to lift it again, and failed once again.

Rhodey soon joined in with his hand also armored like Tony's. The two of them trying to lift it.

"Are you even pulling?" Rhodey asked taking a jab at his friend.

"Are you on my team?"

"Just represent! Pull!"

"Alright, let's go!"

They both pulled as hard as they could, but they couldn't even lift it.

Bruce was up next trying to lift. He roared as though pretending to change into the Hulk, and everyone looked at him either warily or grinned. "Huh?"

Steve came up next to try.

"Let's go, Steve, no pressure." Tony said with a cheeky grin.

"Come on, Cap." Rhodey said, hoping that perhaps Steve would be able to pick it up.

Steve started pulling on the hammer and managed to budge it a little.

Thor watched on slightly alarmed of what Steve was doing.

Steve failed to lift it.

Thor laughed in relief. "Nothing."

"And?" Tony said leaning back a little frustrated that no one was able to lift it so far.

"Widow?" Bruce asked, looking at the red head.

"Oh, no no. That's not a question I need answered." Natasha said, taking a sip of her beer.

"What about you Leigh?" Clint questioned looking over at the blonde haired woman.

"Oh no thanks, that hammer is more trouble than what it's worth. You know that Clint." Everleigh said as she shifted a little bit.

"All deference to the man who wouldn't be king, but it's rigged." Tony said, letting out a scoff.

"You bet your ass." Clint said, twirling his drumstick again.

"Steve, he said a bad language word." Maria teased the blond haired captain.

"Did you tell everyone about that?" Steve questioned looking at Tony.

"The handle's imprinted, right? Like a security code. "Whosoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints" is, I think, the literal translation?" Tony questioned looking at Thor.

"Yes, well that's, uh, that's a very, very interesting theory. I have a simpler one." Thor got up to his feet and lifted his hammer before flipping it. "You're all not worthy."

There was a chorus of disagreement from the others.

There suddenly was a loud screeching sound, like a microphone feedback, causing everyone to cover their ears.

They let their hands down as it faded.

Tony pulled out his device.

One of the Iron Legion suits, heavily damaged, stumbled into the room. "Worthy... No, how could you be worthy? You're all killers."

"Stark." Steve said, looking at the genius.

"JARVIS." Tony said his brows furrowed in confusion.

"I'm sorry, I was asleep. Or... I was a-dream?"

Tony tapped his device. "Reboot, Legionnaire OS, we got a buggy suit."

"There was a terrible noise... and I was tangled in... in... strings. I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."

"You killed someone?" Steve questioned slowly getting up to his feet.

"Wouldn't have been my first call. But, down in the real world we're faced with ugly choices."

"Who sent you?" Thor demanded.

Suddenly Ultron played a recording of Tony's voice.

"I see a suit of armor around the world."

"Ultron!" Bruce said, getting up to his feet.

"In the flesh. Or, no, not yet. Not this... chrysalis. But I'm ready. I'm on a mission."

"What mission?" Natasha questioned not liking where this was going.

"Peace in our time."

The walls suddenly exploded, and several Iron Legion bots barged into the room. They began to attack the team, who all went into defensive mode to fight back.

Rhodey got knocked through a window.

"Rhodey!" Maria yelled.

Bruce climbed over the bar to avoid the fire from the bots.

Natasha grabbed him and dragged him down causing him to land on her.

"Sorry!"

"Don't turn green!"

"I won't!"

Everleigh sent blasts of blue magic at some of the bots as she and the team fought back,

One of the bots stole the scepter.

"Come!" Natasha yelled at Bruce trying to get him out of there.

The Avengers, while they fought back, mostly tried to avoid getting hit.

Everleigh tried her best using her magic to keep her friend safe from the open fire.

"Stark!" Steve yelled at Tony.

Tony was attacking one of the bots with a fondue fork.

"We are here to help."

"One sec, one sec I got this!" Tony hollered at Steve.

"We are here to help…" A half-destroyed Iron Legion bot used its thrusters to hold itself aloft, advancing on Dr. Cho. "We are here to help... Is unsafe. Please back away."

"Hmm." Ultron said.

The Iron Legion lowered its weapon, and Steve grabbed it, throwing it away for Thor to hit with his hammer.

"Thor!"

Tony continued to try and attack the bots with his fork.

"It's unsafe. It's unsafe. It's unsafe."

"Come on! That's the one!"

"It's unsafe."

He shut it down and it fell to the floor.

The fighting continued until Clint threw Steve's shield to him. "Cap!"

Steve used his shield to dismember the last bot.

"That was dramatic! I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to...evolve?" Ultron picked up one of the bots. "With these? These puppets?" He crushed the head of it. "There's only one path to peace: The Avengers' extinction."

Thor threw his hammer and destroyed Ultron's body.

"I had strings, but now I'm free. There are no strings on me, no strings on me."

Everleigh panted softly sweat dripping from her forehead.

ULTRON

The Avengers gathered in the lab.

"All our work is gone. Ultron cleared out, used the internet as an escape hatch." Bruce said, shaking his head lightly.

"Ultron." Steve said, crossing his arms.

"He's been in everything. Files, surveillance. Probably knows more about us than we know about each other." Natasha said thinking. Everything was now in Ultron's hands and it wasn't a good thing.

"He's in your files, he's in the internet. What if he decides to access something a little more exciting?" Rhodey questioned rather concerned.

"Nuclear codes." Maria pointed out.

"Nuclear codes. Look, we need to make some calls, assuming we still can."

"Nukes? He said he wanted us dead." Everleigh said, shifting rather nervously.

"He didn't say dead. He said extinct." Steve said, shaking his head lightly.

"He also said he killed somebody." Clint pointed out.

"But there wasn't anyone else in the building." Maria said, shaking her head.

"Yes there was." Tony said as he brought up the now destroyed 3D image of Jarvis' consciousness.

"This is insane." Bruce said, running his hands through his hair.

"JARVIS was the first line of defense. He would've shut Ultron down, it makes sense." Steve said, letting out a breath.

"No, Ultron could've assimilated Jarvis. This isn't strategy, this is...rage."

Thor suddenly barged in and grabbed Tony by his throat holding him up off of the ground.

"Woah, woah, woah!"

"It's going around." Everleigh said, shaking her head. "Thor put him down."

"Come on. Use your words, buddy." Tony said, struggling a little bit in Thor's hold.

"I have more than enough words to describe you, Stark." Thor snapped.

"Thor! The Legionnaire." Steve said.

Thor released Tony. "Trail went cold about a hundred miles out but it's headed north, and it has the scepter. Now we have to retrieve it, again."

"The genie's out of that bottle. Clear and present is Ultron." Natasha said thinking.

"I don't understand. You built this program. Why is it trying to kill us?" Dr. Cho questioned looking at Tony.

Tony started to laugh.

Bruce shook his herald trying to get him to stop.

"You think this is funny?" Thor snapped looking at Tony.

"No. It's probably not, right? Is this very terrible? Is it so... is it so... it is. It's so terrible."

"This could've been avoided if you hadn't played with something you don't understand."

"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It is funny. It's a hoot that you don't get why we need this."

"Tony, maybe this might not be the time to-" Bruce said only to get cut off.

"Really?! That's it? You just roll over, show your belly, every time somebody snarls."

"Only when I've created a murder bot."

"We didn't. We weren't even close. Were we close to an interface?"

"Well, you did something right. And you did it right here. The Avengers were supposed to be different than SHIELD." Steve snapped at Tony.

"Anybody remember when I carried a nuke through a wormhole?"

"No, it's never come up." Rhodey said, shaking his head.

"Saved New York?"

"Never heard that."

"Recall that? A hostile alien army came charging through a hole in space. We're standing three hundred feet below it. We're the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all the live long day, but, that up there? That's... that's the end game. How were you guys planning on beating that?"

"Together." Steve pointed out.

"We'll lose."

"Then we'll do that together, too."

Tony looked at Steve for a moment before turning away.

"Thor's right. Ultron's calling us out. And I'd like to find him before he's ready for us. The world's a big place. Let's start making it smaller."

"It won't be an easy thing for us to do, Steve." Everleigh said, shaking her head. "It's worth a shot to stop him."

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This is the end of chapter 44. I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter. I have to admit that this is one of my longer chapters. And it really does feel rather fulfilling to have a longer chapter for once for this story even though it is few and far between having long chapters. I know a lot is going on in this story. I have to say that I'm thinking ahead to WandaVision and the question is should Everleigh be an innocent bystander and Wanda pulling her into the chaos by making her imagine Loki there with them as a reality for her? It's just an idea that I'm thinking of. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. I'll try to update next Monday. Until next time.