Avengers: Peace in our Time

11-Seoul Train

Dean and Steve were just walking back inside the house when Tony and Fury emerged from the nearby barn. It had been so long since Dean had seen his former boss. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time they'd been around each other. The man walked up to him and pulled him into a hug.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be at the funeral," Fury said as he smiled sadly at Dean.

"It's alright. I understand."

"Still. I'm sorry."

The four of them entered the house to find the others waiting in the large living room. Natasha grinned in spite of the troubled expression she'd been wearing for so long.

"Where's Thor?" Fury asked as he made himself comfortable.

"He went looking for answers," Dean said. "Because of Wanda's vision."

Fury nodded. "Well, I won't waste anyone's time with pleasantries. I think it's clear to all of you what's happened. Ultron took the Avengers out of the game so he could do what he needed without being bothered. Every contact I have is reporting on his activities. The common theme is that he's building something. Something made of vibranium. And with the sheer volume of the stuff he made off with, it's got to be a lot more than just one thing."

"Any word on where Ultron is?" Steve asked.

"Knowing where he is? That's the easy part of this mess. He's everywhere. That's the easiest explanation I can give. He's multiplied so much and inhabits pretty much every corner of the globe. But we still don't know what he's planning."

"We discussed the possibility he could be looking at nuclear launch codes," Dean said, bringing up an old fear.

"He can't get them though," Fury said.

Tony scowled. "Maybe he's not my spawn after all. He can't crack into the codes? I broke the Pentagon's firewall when I was in high school."

"High school?" Dean asked, amused with Tony's big flex.

"Yup. On a dare."

Fury grinned. "I spoke with some friends at the NEXUS about it. How Ultron can't get to the nukes."

"What's the NEXUS?" Steve asked.

Bruce cleared his throat and spoke as if he were afraid his very presence would upset Natasha. Dean made a mental note to try and talk to her about whatever was going on- or not going on- between them. "The NEXUS is the central hub for the internet," Bruce proceeded. "It's in Oslo. Every single byte of data goes through there. Their access is the fastest on the globe."

"What did they say?" Tony asked.

"Ultron's got a hard-on for the nukes but he can't even touch them because the codes keep changing. Constantly blocking him."

Clint cocked an eyebrow. "Who's doing that? Tony, you know anyone on the same level as you and Ultron who could be doing that?

Tony shrugged. "Search me. I have no idea."

"So we have an ally? Or just an enemy of our enemy?" Natasha asked.

Tony cracked his knuckles and patted Bruce on the back. "I think it's time for you and me to pay the NEXUS a little visit."

Natasha smiled at Fury. "Not that I'm not glad to let the good times roll with you, boss, but I was hoping you'd show up with more than that."

Fury waved his hands at them. "I've got you guys."

"We're not exactly in the best capacity," Dean reminded him.

Fury shook his head. "I know that's not true. Yeah, Wanda got into all of your heads. Some more than others. But you're still the team that saved the planet. You'll keep doing that. Back in the day I had my eyes and ears all over the place. Those days are gone now but I still fight. Even with less resources I still fight. And the Avengers will too. You have to. To save the world again. We have to shake this off and stop this bastard."