•32•

35 1 1
                                        

Kate sits in the lab, head on the table. Bruce and Clint are walking around, the latter just pacing. The stupid Cradle is in the middle of the room, waiting to be destroyed safely. Tony walks back in after making some calls.

"Anything on Nat?" Bruce asks.

Tony shakes his head. "Haven't heard. But she's alive, or Ultron'd be rubbing our faces in it."

"This is sealed tight," Clint says. Kate turns her head, watching him try to open the Cradle.

Bruce heads to a computer. "We're going to need to access the program, break it down from within."

"Any chance Natasha might leave you a message outside the internet?" Tony suddenly asks Clint. "You know, old school spy stuff?"

"There's some nets I can cast. Yeah, alright," he says, starting to head out. He stops next to Kate first, though, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'll find her. Don't worry."

Kate flashes him a weak smile, sitting up. "I'll try."

Bruce gets right to work, and she stands, going to help him.

"We can work on tissue degeneration, if you can fry whatever operational system Cho implanted."

Tony grimaces. "Yeah, about that..."

"No," Kate declares, immediately knowing what he's thinking.

"You have to trust me."

"Kinda don't," Bruce replies.

"Our ally? The guy protecting the military's nuclear codes? I found him," Tony says, pulling up a fully in-tact hologram of JARVIS.

"Hello, Dr. Banner, Dr. Carson," he says, giving Kate just a small bit of happiness in this whole mess.

"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."

"So... you want us to help you put JARVIS into this thing?" Bruce asks, pointing to the Cradle.

"No, of course not!"

Kate sighs, relieved. "Oh, thank-"

"I want to help you put JARVIS in this thing."

"Absolutely not!"

"We're out of my field here," Tony explains. "Banner, you know bio-organics better than anyone, and, Kate, you're a jack of... most trades."

Kate shakes her head. "And you just assume that JARVIS' operational matrix can beat Ultron's?"

"I see you remembered my notes," JARVIS comments.

"Of course I did, buddy."

Tony goes on. "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."

"I believe it's worth a go," JARVIS adds.

Bruce throws up his hands. "No, I'm in a loop! I'm caught in a time loop, this is exactly where it all went wrong!"

"I know, I know. I know what everyone's going to say, but they're already saying it. We're mad scientists. We're monsters, guys," Tony says.

Kate scoffs. "No, you're not-"

"The way my brain works — the way yours and Banner's do..." Tony starts. He walks over to her, looking her right in the eye. "Look, Kate, we gotta own it. Make a stand. It's not a loop. It's the end of the line. You with me?"

Fire and IceWhere stories live. Discover now