Jack sat in the quinjet, fidgeting with one of the zips on his cargo pants. When his brother wasn't around, he was very quiet, the team noticed. Jack didn't really have any relationships with the Avengers, only joining for missions when Liam was. When someone walked past him, Jack's eyes flew up and he warily watched them. Tony ended his call with Maria and went to the front of the quinjet.
"Hey, you wanna switch out?" He asked Clint.
"No, I'm good. If you wanna get some kip, now's a good time, cause we're still a few hours out."
"A few hours from where?"
"A safe house."
-Time skip-
"Gh- Aren't you bored already?" Groaned Liam and glared at the female Maximoff.
"No. I was just getting started." She responded with thick Sokovian accent.
"You know, I broke out of a mind control of a fucking GOD! You won't get into my head!" He yelled out and braced the wall in his mind for another attempt of break-in. The witch huffed in annoyance and rolled her eyes.
"Well, you are definitely better at protecting your mind than your team-mates." She giggled.
"What?! What the fuck did you do?!" That was the chance Wanda took to get in.
She saw something. Even if it was only a second of the man's life. Skinny boy, lying on a metal table bound by his wrists and ankles. He was arching his back and his mouth was open wide, screaming his heart out. That was all Wanda caught before Mills forced her out. She stumbled back, her hand flying to her temple. Her eyes widened as she looked at the man in the cell with new emotion. Wanda then snapped her gaze away and hurried out of the room. Only then did Liam allowed himself to let out a shaky breath.
-Time skip-
The stay at Barton's was both refreshing and unnerving. Jack never interacted with kids, but apparently, his 'fluffy and soft' black hair seemed to excite the children into tugging and styling it.
"Not. A. Word." He said to Tony, who when he saw Jack with pink bows and purple glittery stars in his hair almost burst out laughing. Steve bit his bottom lip, trying to keep his face neutral and Natasha, when she returned from the shower, covered her mouth with her hand. Even Fury, as he appeared out of nowhere chuckled.
"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." Began Fury after everyone finally settled around the dining table.
"What about Ultron himself?" Asked Steve.
"Ah. He's easy to track, he's everywhere. Guy's multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit. Still doesn't help us get an angle on any of his plans though."
"He still going after launch codes?"
"Yes, he is, but he's not making any headway."
"I cracked the Pentagon's firewall in high school on a dare." Humourlessly snorted Tony.
"Yeah, 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." Explained Bruce to Steve.
"So what'd they say?"
"He's fixated on the missiles, but the codes are constantly being changed."
"By whom?" Asked Tony with a frown.
"Parties unknown."
"Do we have an ally?"
"Ultron's got an enemy, that's not the same thing. Still, I'd pay folding money to know who it is." Jack perked up.
"Could it be Liam?"
"I doubt he's in Oslo. And I bet the first thing he would do is contacting you. I think that if he's alive, then Ultron is keeping him somewhere cut off from any tech, basically blinding him."
"Maybe he did. Maybe he did make a contact. At first, I thought it was a hallucination after Hulk sent me through a few walls but now-. I saw him, well, more like a hologram of him. He looked surprised to be there but shouted: Tony, Ultron has base in S- and then it cut off." Tony said and Jack let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. His brother was alive.