ＩＭＰＥＲＩＡＬ ◼TONY STARK◼

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"Thought we'd probably find you down here, seems to be your hiding spot,"

Audelia Motter let out a huff, putting down her tools as she slid out from underneath of one of the Iron Legion bots, putting the repairs on their mainframes to a halt as she saw Tony and Bruce standing before her.

"Someone has to take care of these things," she shot back at her boyfriend, a small smile on her face as she wiped some of the grease from the bot onto her dirty work pants. "I would like to know why my work is being interrupted, though."

"Tony was telling me about the analysis on the gem, inside of Loki's scepter," Bruce added in as Tony brought up a hologram of JARVIS's mainframe structure in the middle of the room before them. "I'm not sure what the gem has to do with JARVIS, though."

Audelia got to her feet, moving her way over to the hologram of JARVIS as she walked around it, Tony and Bruce's eyes following her.

"JARVIS was cutting edge technology from the second Tony designed him," she spoke, looking up at the pair. "Started as a basic language UI and now he controls the entirety of the Iron Legion. Pretty much runs Stark Industries right alongside Pepper at this point. Top of the line technology, but seeing what Strucker and Loki were both capable of with that gem...I have a feeling we've been outmatched."

"And this, is why I'm absolutely in love with her," Tony shot into the conversation, sending a wink her way.

He moved beside the hologram of JARVIS, bring up another hologram scanned from the gem itself. Both Audelia and Bruce's eyes widened as the hologram shone a bright blue, a stark contrast to JARVIS beside it. It was twice the size, the entirety of it constantly moving back and worth, almost as if...

"It's thinking," Deli breathed out in wonder, moving closer to the hologram as she looked over the parts moving back and forth.

"It's not a human mind, but look at this..." Bruce told the pair, standing beside Tony as he too examined the gem. "It's almost like neurons firing."

"Strucker did have some very advanced tech down in that lab," Audelia said, looking back to Tony as she stepped away from the hologram. "I wasn't able to dig up any of the specs-"

"But I think we all know what door they were knocking on,"

Audelia froze as she realized what he meant.

"Artificial Intelligence..." Bruce whispered.

The woman took a step back, shaking her head as she paced around the room, running her hands down her face as she desperately tried to pretend that wasn't where this conversation was going, even though she knew. She knew the second Tony mentioned it on the jet.

"This is it. This right here could be the key to creating Ultron,"

Bruce let out a laugh, shaking his head.

"I thought Ultron was a fantasy?"

"He is, and he needs to stay that way because it's a completely idiotic idea,"

Tony and Bruce turned to look at Audelia, her arms crossed an eyes narrowed at Tony. Bruce let out a sigh, rubbing his temples as he already could imagine the conversation that was to ensue.

Tony let out a sigh, shaking his head as he turned fully toward the love of his life.

"Audelia, think about it. If we can harness the power within this gem, apply it to the Iron Legion protocal-"

"Do you even hear yourself?" Audelia asked incredulously. "You are talking about the biggest IF known to man right now! I know Bruce is on my side with this!"

Tony turned to Bruce, who shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head. Tony glared at him, pointing down at him.

"What if you were sipping margaritas on a sun-drenched beach turning brown instead of green? Not looking over your shoulder for VERONICA?"

"I helped design that, remember?" Bruce cut in as Tony shook his head.

"As a worst-case measure, right? How about a best-case? What if the world was safe? What if next time aliens roll up to the club, and they will, they couldn't get past the bouncer?"

"The only people threatening this planet in the end would be people," Audelia jumped back in, stalking up to Tony as she stood right in her partner's face. "I love you, I have always loved you and I have always backed you up on your crazy ideas, but not this one. Tony, this is insane. You don't understand the power within that gem. If it can think for itself, then how do you expect to control it? You want to go for artificial intelligence in three days, and I bet you don't want to tell the rest of the team."

"Of course not, because they'd all sound like you right now," Tony shot back, glaring down at Audelia as she took a step away from him. "Don't act like you weren't on board with Ultron when we first created the idea."

"I was on board with it when the thought was to create him from scratch, not to use some mystical gem from somewhere in the universe that we know nothing about!"

Tony shook his head, stepping away from the pair as he wandered toward the door of the room. Bruce placed a hand on Audelia's shoulders, squeezing it in comfort as Tony stopped in the doorway.

"I see a suit of armor around the world,"

"That sounds like a pretty cold world, Tony," Bruce chimed in.

"I've seen colder. This one, this very vulnerable blue one? It needs Ultron. There's too many people I love, too many people we all love at risk without him," Tony paused, locking eyes with Audelia. She held his gaze for a moment before looking away, hearing him sigh. "Peace in our time. Imagine that."

Tony Stark left the room, leaving the lab in silence as the blue and orange glow of the gem and JARVIS illuminated the room. Audelia turned away, running a head down her face as Bruce's hand dropped off her shoulder.

"I know it's ridiculous, but he's just trying to do the right thing," Bruce chimed in, trying to comfort his friend. "You know Tony. All he wants is to keep you safe, you and Aurora. He's just trying to do the right thing."

"Yes, but you also know Tony," Audelia chimed in, turning around to look at Bruce. "He tries to do the right thing, but doesn't think long enough to realize he's doing the wrong thing. The Avengers protect this world, we put our lives on the line to protect the people we love. Ultron isn't the answer. So if you're going to help him create him, fine, be my guest. But just know I want no part of it. This is Tony's mistake to make. I'm his best friend and his girlfriend, I can't solve all of his problems for him anymore."

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I'm back bitches