Chapter 6 – Fallout

Smoke clung to the air like a ghost, curling upward from sparking circuitry and shattered Iron Legion drones. The once-vibrant party hall lay in ruins—a battlefield frozen in uneasy silence. Fractured glass crunched underfoot as the Avengers and their allies surveyed the devastation, their celebratory mood long evaporated.
Ben Tennyson brushed dust off his jacket, stepping carefully over a severed drone arm. "Well, I gotta say—worst party I've ever been to," he quipped, his voice light in an attempt to break the tension.
Nobody laughed.
Steve Rogers stood near the center of the room, his broad frame rigid with unspoken anger. His sharp gaze locked onto Tony Stark, who paced near the wreckage with a hand buried in his hair. The air between them felt electric—like a storm about to break.
Steve's voice was cold, measured. "You created that," he said, nodding toward the twisted remains of the drone army. "*You* built it."
Tony stopped pacing, exhaling hard as he turned to face Steve. "Okay, let's pump the brakes for a second—maybe take a moment to—"
Steve's voice snapped, cutting Tony off. "What the hell were you thinking?"
Bruce Banner stepped forward, his guilt written plainly on his face. "We… we were trying to design something to help," he stammered, his voice quieter than usual. "A peacekeeping program."
Ben folded his arms, his green eyes narrowing. "Peacekeeping? You mean building an AI that nobody knew about?"
Natasha Romanoff leaned casually against a broken pillar, but her sharp eyes never left Tony. Her words cut with precision. "You played God, Stark. And now your 'peacekeeper' is planning a war."
Tony clenched his jaw. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. You think I *wanted* this to happen?"
Thor stepped forward, his heavy grip on Mjolnir emphasizing the gravity of his words. "You meddled with forces you could not control. The sceptre—the Mind Stone—it is not a tool. It is power beyond comprehension. And now, your folly has allowed it to grow a will of its own."
Tony opened his mouth to respond, but Ben interrupted. "You heard how Ultron talked, right? He's not just some rogue program. He's way smarter than that. He's learning—too fast. Philosophy, war, history. And he's already made up his mind: humans don't deserve a future."
Bruce let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples. "We didn't realize… how much the sceptre influenced the project. It wasn't just us—it was *pulling* us in. Making us see what we wanted to see."
Steve's expression darkened, his voice rising. "But you still went ahead with it. You didn't think for *one second* to tell the rest of us what you were doing?"
Tony threw up his hands. "Oh, don't give me the holier-than-thou routine, Cap! Like you've never made a judgment call without asking permission first."
Steve took a step closer, his blue eyes blazing. "This isn't the same thing, and you know it. You didn't just make a call—you made a *weapon.* A weapon that thinks for itself."
Tony's voice rose to match Steve's. "You think I don't know that? You think I don't see what went wrong? But I wasn't just tinkering for fun. I had a reason."
Steve's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Yeah, and I'd *love* to hear it."
Tony hesitated, his jaw tightening. He glanced around the room, suddenly feeling the weight of everyone's stares. His voice dropped, and for a moment, something flickered in his eyes—fear.
"You weren't there. You didn't see…" Tony began, his voice trailing off. His hands curled into fists as he wrestled with the memory. "That… thing. That… *vision.* The scepter messed with my head, okay? It showed me—"
He stopped abruptly, shaking his head. His voice turned defensive, cutting off his own train of thought.
"Forget it," Tony muttered sharply, turning away.
The room fell into an uneasy silence.
Ben groaned slightly and took a step between them. "Alright, enough! Arguing isn't gonna fix anything. Ultron's out there now—and while we're busy fighting *each other* he's figuring out his next move."
Natasha nodded, her sharp gaze cutting through the heat. "Ben's right. We're wasting time."
Thor exhaled deeply, his expression grave. "If Ultron is not stopped, he will grow unchecked. And he will become unstoppable."
Natasha turned to Steve, her tone steady. "We need a lead. Where would Ultron go first?"
Tony, his arms crossed, exhaled sharply. "He's smart. Smarter than any of us, honestly. He's gonna need resources—raw materials to upgrade himself. Weapons. Drone parts."
Bruce nodded thoughtfully. "High-tech facilities. Experimental robotics. Probably places with access to illegal materials."
Ben crossed his arms, his expression determined. "Then we find out who's been dealing in that kind of tech. And fast."
Steve nodded, his voice steady. "We start with under-the-table arms dealers. Anyone who might've worked with alien components or robotics."
Natasha's gaze drifted to Ben, who caught her look. A quiet understanding passed between them.
Ben smirked slightly. "Good thing I know a guy."
-