Runaway

Chapter 18

"Ultron took you folks out of play to buy him some time." Fury tells us as we all gather in the kitchen. I stand in the doorway next to Steve, both of us leaning against the doorframes, arms crossed over our chests and legs crossed at the ankles. "My contacts all say he's building something. The amount of Vibranium he made off with, I don't think it's just one thing."

"An army?" I guess quietly, but it seems to be loud enough to get the attention of the former director. 

"What?" He asks, turning to me. I shrug one shoulder half-heartedly, raising a brow slightly. 

"He wants to take us out and cause mass-hysteria." I say. "We've already proven that he can't do it alone. So he needs an army. I can almost guarantee that's what all the vibranium's for. He's trying to make a nearly indestructible army." 

"Well that's a comforting thought." Clint mumbles. I smirk. 

"What about Ultron himself?" Steve asks Fury after everyone had taken a moment to ponder my theory and let it sink in. 

"Ah. He's easy to track, he's everywhere. Guy's multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit." He says. I laugh under my breath, receiving a look from Steve that silently tells me this is no laughing matter. I roll my eyes and turn my attention back to the one-eyed man. "Still doesn't help us get an angle on any of his plans though."

"He still going after launch codes?" Tony asks.

"Yes, he is, but he's not making any headway." He assures us. I nod to myself. Well that's a plus.

"I cracked the Pentagon's firewall in high school on a dare." Tony says, making me furrow my brow in confusion. If Tony could hack the Pentagon as a teenager, why can't Ultron, a freaking intelligence bot, get the launch codes? 

"Yeah, well, I contacted our friends at the NEXUS about that." 

"NEXUS?" Steve repeats in confusion.

"It's the world internet hub in Oslo." Bruce tells him. "Every byte of data flows through there, fastest access on earth."

"So what'd they say?" Clint asks Fury.

"He's fixated on the missiles, but the codes are constantly being changed." He says. Well that answers my question. 

"By who?" Tony asks. 

"Parties unknown."

"Do we have an ally?" Nat asks, tilting her head to the side slightly.

"Ultron's got an enemy. That's not the same thing." Fury tells us. "Still, I'd pay folding money to know who it is." 

"I might need to visit Oslo, find our "unknown"." Tony says. 

"Well, this is good times, boss, but I was kind of hoping when I saw you, you'd have more than that." Natasha tells the former director.

"I do." He argues, looking between the six of us. "I have you." He pauses for a moment. "Back in the day, I had eyes everywhere, ears everywhere else. Here we all are, back on earth, with nothing but our wit and our will to save the world. So stand outwit the platinum bastard." 

"Steve doesn't like that kind of talk." I say with a smirk. Steve looks at me, a slight look of amusement in his eyes. 

"You know what, Bekah?" He says. I just smile mischievously at him before turning to face Fury again when he speaks.

"So what does he want?" He asks, making the playful air in the room become serious once again. 

"To become better." Steve says. "Better than us. He keeps building bodies.