Into the Unknown || A Captain America Love Story

41

Tori

"But it's a trick," Clint whines over Thor's booming laughter, twirling two sticks around his fingers.
I sit next to Steve on one of the sofas with the Avengers and a few others. Thor sits on the other side of Steve, making it easier for me to hear what the god is saying.
The other partygoers have been long gone for a while now, just leaving the Avengers and the others.
"No, no, it's much more than that," Thor says.
Steve takes a sip of his beer as I brush a loose strand of my hair behind my ear, pulling his leather jacket closer to me.
"Ah, whosever be he worthy shall haveth the power," Clint mocks Thor. "Whatever man, it's a trick."
"Please, be my guest," Thor says, gesturing to Mjölnir.
"C'mon," Tony says.
"Really?" Rhodey questions.
"Yeah," Clint says, standing from the sofa to try and lift Mjölnir.
"Aw, this is gonna be beautiful," Rhodey says.
"Clint, you've had a tough week, we won't hold it against you if you can't pick it up." Tony says.
"You know I've seen this before, right?" Clint asks.
Clint comes up to the coffee table that holds the hammer. Thor watches him, a smile on his face. Clint gets a good grip and pulls up on the hammer. Everyone laughs.
"I still don't know how you do it," Clint giggles.
"Smell the silent judgment?" Tony asks him.
"Please, Stark, by all means," Clint says, pointing a finger at my brother.
Tony stands up, and I vigorously shake my head, knowing the outcome. He unbuttons his blazer and slowly approaches the hammer.
"Oh no," someone laughs.
"Never one to shrink from an honest challenge," Tony says. "It's physics."
"Physics," Bruce laughs.
"Get after it," Clint says.
"Right, so, if I lift it, I then rule Asgard?" Tony asks Thor, stepping up to the hammer.
     "Yes, of course," Thor replies.
     Steve hides his grin with his fist, trying not to let out a laugh.
     "I will be reinstituting prima nocta," Tony says, gripping the hammer.
     I continue to shake my head and watch as my brother pulls up on the hammer. Mjölnir doesn't budge.
     "I'll be right back," he mutters.
     I snort, watching my Tony leave the room. He comes back with part of his suit on his hand, making whirling sounds as he tries to lift it. He tries to make it fly into the air, but it's no use.
     "Are you even pulling?" Rhodey asks Tony, now that both of the men have on parts of their suits.
     "Are you on my team?" Tony asks.
     "Just represent, pull."
     "All right, let's go."
     After a while, the hammer doesn't move at all; it's like Mjölnir is laughing at them, watching them fail.
     Then, it's Bruce's turn. He pulls up and begins to yell. He flails his arms around, pretending to turn into the Hulk. He receives unamused faces from just about everyone. Natasha awkwardly grins, not sure what to do.
     "Huh?" Bruce grunts.
     Then, Steve. He reluctantly stands up, after noticing my anticipation. Before he can stand fully, I seize his wrist.
     "Both you and I know," I whisper, raising an eyebrow. "Please?"
     Steve glances around at the crowd, shaking his head at me with a sweet smile.
     "Go ahead, Steve," Tony says. "No pressure."
     He earns real smiles from the ladies, like they've been waiting for a while now.
     "C'mon, Cap," Clint says.
     I bring my glass to my lips, a small smile spreading across them. Steve rolls up his sleeves, taking a deep breath. He pulls up, but something different happens that silences everyone — Mjölnir creaks. Thor's smile fades, a face of true fear. I choke on my drink, not expecting it. Steve pulls up again, but it doesn't budge. Thor laughs of relief as Steve backs away with a smile on his face.
     "Haha, nothing." Thor laughs.
     As Steve sits down, everyone's eyes are on Natasha.
     "And Widow?" Bruce asks.
     "Oh, no, no," Natasha retorts. "That's not a question I need answered."
     Everyone's eyes shift to me. I nearly choke on my drink again, but my response comes out clearly.
     "I already know the answer," I spit, lightly giggling.
     "And that is?" Tony questions.
     "That hammer isn't moving anywhere,"
"All deference to the Man Who Wouldn't Be King, but it's rigged." Tony complains.
"You bet your ass," Clint calls.
"Steve," Maria says. "He said a bad language word."
"Did you tell everyone about that?" Steve asks Tony, sighing.
"The handle's imprinted, right? Like a security code." Tony asks Thor, ignoring Steve. "Whosever is carrying Thor's fingerprints is, I think, the literal translation."
"Yes, it's a very, very interesting theory," Thor says, standing from the sofa. "I have a simpler one."
Thor lifts the hammer with one hand, like it weighs nothing. He flips it around, showing off.
"You're all not worthy."
Everyone groans, lightly giggling. Then, a loud, high pitched screech echoes through the tower. Tony takes out a tablet, ready to fix the problem. I hear a voice coming from a short distance away from us. I snap my neck over in the direction of it.
"Worthy," a low mechanical voice croaks.
A beaten up suit stands in the hallway, its arc reactor glowing blue. Its left forearm is gone, so it makes gestures with its right arm. It stumbles as it walks, making the sound of its clanging feet worsen. Parts dangle from it as it waves it arms around.
"No," the suit says, turning around. "How could you be worthy? You're all killers."
I quickly rise from the sofa, my blood starting to boil. Steve stands too, his eyes narrowed at the suit.
"Stark," Steve hisses to my brother.
"J.A.R.V.I.S.," Tony says.
"I'm sorry, I was asleep," the suit says, glancing to its left.
The smeared Avengers logo over where its heart is a disgrace to what it is saying. What happened?
"Or I was a-dream," the suit adds, shaking its head.
"Reboot Legionnaire OS," Tony mumbles. "We got a buggy suit."
My hands ball into fists, wanting to destroy the "buggy suit" myself.
"There was this terrible noise," the suit says. "And I was tangled in...in...strings. I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."
"You killed someone?" Steve booms.
"Wouldn't have been my first call," the suit says. "But, down in the real world, we're faced with ugly choices."
"Who sent you?" Thor asks.
The suit looks down at its chest, waiting for something to happen.
"I see a suit of armor around the world," Tony's muffled voice says from the suit.
"Ultron," Bruce mumbles.
"In the flesh," Ultron says. "Or, no, not yet. Not this chrysalis. But I'm ready. I'm on mission."
Thor grips his hammer and Maria sets her finger on the trigger of her gun. I extend my fingers, allowing the blue flakes to float down from them.
"What mission?" Natasha asks.
"Peace in our time,"
The walls beside the suit explode. Other suits fly through. Steve kicks up a table, but flies back. My blue sparks fly around the room, only stopping the suits for so long. I grab a brown beer bottle off of the floor and chuck it at a suit, trying to grab its attention and distract it. I rush to a counter, opening a drawer. Snatching a knife, I attack the suits.
The sounds of glass shattering, the grunts of people, and bullets flying ring through my ears. I spot Steve jumping on one of the suits, grabbing it and punching it. It flies into a wall, causing Steve to slam into it.
"Steve!" I shout.
As he stands, thankfully unharmed, he falls right back onto the floor.
"Stark!" Steve calls.
"One sec, one sec, I got this." Tony says, clinging onto a suit.
"Thor!" Steve yells, throwing a suit in the direction of Thor.
Thor smashes the suit's head in and continues the fight.
"Hey, Cap!" Clint calls, throwing Steve's shield to him.
Steve catches it and throws it at a suit, cutting it into pieces. I stab one in the back of its neck, silencing it.
"That was dramatic," Ultron states. "I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to evolve? With these? These puppets."
Ultron takes the remains of the suit Steve chopped into pieces by the head and snaps its helmet off, throwing it back to the floor.
"There's only one path to piece — Avengers' extinction."
"Thor!" I call.
I extend my arms, ice enclosing around the suit's feet. Thor flings Mjölnir to the suit, making it crumble into pieces. He takes it back, panting slightly. The blue of the suit flickers, but the head is in tact.
"I had strings, but now I'm free." Ultron whispers.
The blue disappears, ending our fight.