I'll Never Let You Fall (Book 3)

Chapter Five

We stood in the lab, away from the wreckage. I sat on the counter, next to Steve. Bruce tapped away at the computer, I looked at Steve to see his jaw clenching and unclenching. I reached over and put my hand on top of his. His eyes met min, he scooted closer to me squeezing my hand.

He wiped his thumb across my forehead, when he pulled it away I saw red streaking down it, "will you stop getting hit in the head," he whispered in a teasing tone.

"All our work is gone. Ultron cleared it out. He used the internet as an escape hatch," Bruce addressed the team.

"Ultron," Steve scoffed, sending a glare to Tony's back.

"He's been in everything," Nat added to the shit pile, "files, surveillance. Probably knows more about us than we know about each other."

"He's in your files, he's in the internet," Rhodney said as if we didn't know, "what if he decides to access something a little more exciting?"

It clicked in my head almost immediately, "nuclear codes." Rhodney indicated I was correct.

"Nuclear codes," Steve repeated.

"Look, we need to make some calls, assuming we still can," Rhodney reasoned.

"Nukes," Natasha questioned, "he  said he wanted us dead-"

"He didn't say dead," Steve interrupted, "he said 'extinct'."

"He also said he killed someone," Clint added.

"There wasn't anyone else in the building," Maria shrugged.

"Yes there was," Tony finally spoke up, he revealed a fully damaged Jarvis.

"This is insane," I gasped.

"Jarvis was the first line of defense ," Steve explained, "Jarvis would have shut Ultron down it makes sense," Steve shrugged insensitively.

"Ultron incinerated Jarvis, this isn't strategy, this is rage," Brice said gravely. Thor stomped in, grabbing Tony by the throat, I gasped as Steve attempted to break them up.

"Looks like it's going around," Barton noted sarcastically.  Tony gasped for air, uselessly pulling at Thor's hands tight grip.

"Come on, use your words buddy," Tony begged.

"I have more than enough words for you Stark," my brother sneered.

"Thor the leigionaire," Steve quickly changed the subject. Thor looked to me for approval, then dropped a gasping Tony to his feet.

"The trail went cold about 100 miles out," Thor began his report, "but it's headed north and it has the scepter," Thor glared at Tony as I sighed in disappointment. "Now we have to retrieve it, again," Thor finished in annoyance.

"The genie's out of that bottle," Nat said, "clear and present as Ultron."

"I don't understand," Helen Cho addressed the room, then specifically Tony, "you built this program. Why is it trying to kill us?" Tony suddenly busted out in laughter, slamming his hands down in amusement.

"Tony no," Bruce murmured, shaking his head.

"You think this funny," growled Thor, who was getting fired up now.

"No," Tony answered quickly, turning towards everyone, "it's probably not right?" Everyone looked as confused as I felt. "Is this really terrible? Is this so- it is, it's so terrible."

"This could have been avoided if you hadn't messed with something you couldn't control," Thor thundered.

"No," Tony exclaimed, "no it is funny. It's a hoot, that you don't get why we need this."

Attempting to calm the situation, Bruce stepped in," Tony maybe this may not be the best time..."

"Really," snapped Tony, "That's it? Just roll over and show your belly every time someone snarls?"

"Only when I've created a murderbot," Bruce exclaimed, his eyes growing wide.

"We didn't," Tony defended, "we weren't even close. We're we even-"

"Well you did something right," I spoke up, "and you did it right here."

"The Avengers were supposed to be different from SHIELD," Steve added.

"Anyone remember when I carried a nuke through a wormhole," Tony asked the group, causing us all to groan.

"Here we go," I muttered.

"Save New York? Remember that? A hostile alien army can charging through a hole in space, and were standing 300 feet below it. We're the Avengers, we can bust arms carriers all the live long day, but that," he pointed to the ceiling, "that's the endgame. How are you guys planning in winning that," Tony ranted.

"Together," said Steve.

"We'll lose," Stark replied.

"Then we'll do that together too," I finalized, "Thor's right, Ultron's calling us out. I, for one, would like to find him before he's ready for us," I jumped off the counter preparing to leave the room. "The world a big place, let's start by making it a little bit smaller."