Karma - W. Maximoff

Chapter Six

"Always a pleasure, Nick." Alex sat with her body stretched out on the kitchen counter, head prompt up by her arm. "I just wish it was in better circumstances."

Nicholas Fury smiled down at the young woman he considered a daughter. After Hydra, he had practically raised her as his own and couldn't help the soft spot that quickly grew. "Ultron took you folks out of play to buy himself time. 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."

"What about Ultron himself?" Steve leaned against the wall, watching Tony mess with the branches of a Christmas tree. Natasha sat at the kitchen table, looking at the drawing Lyla had made for her.

"Oh, he's easy to track. He's everywhere. The guy is multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit. It still doesn't help us get an angle on any of his plans, though."

"Is he still going after launch codes?" Tony threw a dart at the board above Alex's head, watching her catch it without a second glance.

Nick put his head in his hands, rubbing a sore under his eye. "Yes, he is. But he's not making any headway."

"I cracked the Pentagon's firewall in high school on a dare." Tony shrugged and put his darts down, moving to stand next to wear Clint was sitting.

"Well, I contacted our friends at the Nexus about that."

"Nexus?"

"It's the world Internet hub in Oslo. Every byte of data flows through there. Fastest access on Earth."

"So what'd they say?" Alex let her head fall against the counter, staring at the plain ceiling.

Fury put the knife he was holding away, continuing to make dinner. He had promised Clint that he would help his family out since he had barged in. "He's fixated on the missiles. But the codes are constantly being changed."

"By who?" Alex ducted to the side as Clint picked up a dart, hitting it into the board right where her head had been. He gave a small shrug, turning away once more.

"Parties unknown."

"Do we have an ally?" Natasha spoke up for the first time, folding her hands.

"Ultron's got an enemy. That's not the same thing."

"Still, I'd pay folding money to know who it is. I might need to visit Oslo, find our unknown." Alex perked up at the mention of money, silently planning out stealing from Tony's wallet later.

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

"I do." Fury gestured his hands around the room. "I have you. Back in the day, I had eyes everywhere. Ears, everywhere else. You kids had all the tech you could dream up. Here we all are, back on Earth with nothing but our wit and our will to save the world."

Fury waited for the team to say something, but when they remained silent he continued. "Ultron says the Avengers are the only thing between him and his mission. And whether or not he admits it, his mission is global destruction. All this, laid in a grave. So stand. Outwit the platinum bastard."

Alex smirked. "Steve doesn't like that kind of talk."

"You know what, White?" Steve couldn't help a smile break through on his face at the change of mood.

"So, what does he want?" The light laughter of the room left immediately, leaving the adults to talk.

"To become better. It's simple; he wants to become better than us. He keeps building bodies."