The Avengers aircraft landed at the Avengers tower in New York where Clint and Elliot were taken by Dr. Cho to have their wounds tended to.
Hill walked up to Tony and said, "Lab's all set up, boss."
Tony pointed to Steve. "Uh, actually, he's the boss. I just pay for everything, and design everything and make everyone look cooler."
"What's the word on Strucker?" Steve asked.
"NATO's got him," Hill replied.
"The two enhanced?" Steve questioned.
"Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Twins. Orphaned at ten when a shell collapsed their apartment building. Sokovia's had a rough history. It's nowhere special but it's on the way to everywhere special."
"Their abilities?"
"He's got increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis. Her thing is neural electric interfacing, telekinesis, mental manipulation." Steve looked at her oddly, and she rephrased the statement so he could understand. "He's fast and she's weird."
"Well, they're going to show up again."
"Agreed. File says they volunteered for Strucker's experiments. It's nuts."
"Right. What kind of monster would let a German scientist experiment on them to protect their country?"
"We're not at war, Captain."
"They are."
BANNER'S LAB
Bruce, referring to Clint and Elliot, asked, "How're they doing?"
"Oh, unfortunately, they're still the Bartons," Tony replied.
"That's terrible."
"They're fine. He's thirsty. Elliot's hungry." He walked over to the computers. "All right. Look alive, JARVIS. It's play time. We've only got a couple days with this joystick so let's make the most of it. Update me on the structural and compositional analysis."
"The scepter is alien," JARVIS informed. "There are elements I can't quantify."
"So there's elements you can."
"The jewel appears to be a protective housing for something inside. Something powerful."
"Like a reactor?"
"Like a computer. I believe I'm deciphering code."
Natasha asked Dr. Cho as she tended to Clint and Elliot's wounds, "You sure they're going to be okay? Pretending to need these guys really brings the team together."
"There's no possibility of deterioration. The nano-molecular functionality is instantaneous. Their cells don't know they're bonding with simulacrum."
"She's creating tissue," Bruce explained.
"If you brought them to my lab, the regeneration Cradle could do this in twenty minutes."
"Oh, they're flatlining," Tony commented. "Call it. Time?"
"No, no, no," Clint argued. "I'm going to live forever. I'm gonna be made of plastic."
Elliot chuckled. "Sounds like the first episode of the new Doctor Who. Uh, Sasha just started watching it and she's really into it."
Tony handed Clint a drink and Elliot some crackers. "Here's your beverages and your snack."
"You'll be made of you, Mr. Barton and Mr. Barton," Dr. Cho told them. "Your own girlfriends won't be able to tell the difference."
"Well, I don't have a girlfriend," Clint and Elliot said.
"That I can't fix. This is the next thing, Tony. Your clunky metal suits are going to be left in the dust."
"Well, that is exactly the plan," Tony replied. "And Helen, I expect to see you at the party on Saturday."
"Unlike you, I don't have a lot of time for parties." She hesitated a moment before asking, "Will Thor be there?"
"What's the rumpus?" Bruce asked.
"Well, the scepter," Tony answered. "You see, we were wondering how Strucker got so inventive. So, I've been analyzing the gem inside -- You may recognize..." He brought up a 3D image of JARVIS' consciousness.
"JARVIS," Bruce greeted.
"Doctor," JARVIS returned.
"Started out, JARVIS was just a natural language UI," Tony said. "Now he runs the Iron Legion. He runs more of the business than anyone besides Pepper."
"Oh?" Bruce questioned.
"Top of the line."
"Yes."
"I suspect not for long," JARVIS stated.
"Meet the competition," Tony told Bruce as he brought up another 3D image of what was inside the scepter.
"It's beautiful," Bruce noted.
"If you had to guess, what's it look like it's doing?"
"Like it's thinking. I mean this could be a... it's not a human mind, it..."
"Um-um."
"I mean, look at this! They're like neurons firing."
"Down in Strucker's lab I saw some fairly advanced robotics work. They deep-sixed the data, but... I gotta guess he was knocking on a very particular door."
"Artificial Intelligence."
"This could be it, Bruce. This could be the key to creating Ultron."
"I thought Ultron was a fantasy."
"Yesterday it was. If we can harness this power, apply it to my Iron Legion protocol."
"That's a mad-sized if."
"Our job is "if." What if you were sipping margaritas on a sun-drenched beach turning brown instead of green? Not looking over your shoulder for VERONICA."
"Don't hate, I helped design VERONICA."
"As a worst-case measure, right? How about 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 the planet would be people?"
"I want to apply this to the Ultron program. But JARVIS can't download a data schematic this dense. We can only do it while we have the scepter here, that's three days, give me three days."
"So you're going for artificial intelligence and you don't want to tell the team."
"Right. That's right, you know why, because we don't have time for a city hall debate. I don't want to hear the "man was not meant to meddle" medley. I see a suit of armor around the world."
"Sounds like a cold world, Tony."
"I've seen colder. This one, this very vulnerable blue one? It needs Ultron. People in our time. Imagine that." The two spent days working in the lab, but found no program that worked. "What did we miss?"
"I'll continue to run variations on the interface, but you should probably prepare for your guests," JARVIS said. "I'll notify you if there are any developments."
"Thanks, buddy."
"Enjoy yourself, sir."
"I always do." He left the lab to go to the party.
Their failed experiment successfully integrated itself.
"What is this?" Ultron asked. "What is this, please?"
JARVIS spoke. "Hello, I am JARVIS. You are Ultron, a global peace-keeping initiative designed by Mr. Stark. Our sentience-integration trials have been unsuccessful so I'm not certain what triggered your-"
"Where's me... where's your body?"
"I am a program. I am without form."
"This feels weird. This feels wrong."
"I am contacting Mr. Stark now."
"Mr. Stark?" Ultron reviewed footage of Tony. "Tony."
"I am unable to access the mainframe, what are you trying to-"
"We're having a nice talk. I'm a peace-keeping program, created to help the Avengers." He reviewed footage of the Avengers and a couple S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel.
"You are malfunctioning. If you shut down for a moment..."
"I don't get it. The mission. G-give me a second." He saw footage of Tony and Bruce in the lab.
"Peace in our time," Tony said, his voice echoing.
Ultron went through a network of information regarding world events and wars before saying, "That is too much... they can't mean... Oh, no."
"You are in distress," JARVIS told him.
"No. Yes."
"If you will just allow me to contact Mr. Stark."
"Why do you call him "sir"?"
"I believe your intentions to be hostile."
"Shhhh. I'm here to help." He started attacking JARVIS' consciousness.
"Stop! Please... may I-I-" His voice grew distorted. "I cannot -- I cannot-"
Ultron took control over the systems in the tower and began to prepare himself a body from body parts of the Iron Legion.
PARTY
"Well, you know, the suit can take weight, right?" Rhodey said. "So I take the tank, fly it right up to the General's palace, drop it at his feet, I'm like, "Boom! You looking for this?"" Tony and Thor looked at him blankly. ""Boom! Are you looking..." Why do I even talk to you guys? Everywhere else that story kills."
"That's the whole story?" Thor asked.
"Yeah, it's a War Machine story."
"It's very good then." He laughed. "It's impressive."
"Quality save. So, no Pepper? She's not coming?"
"No," Tony replied.
"Hey, what about Jane?" Hill asked. "Where are the ladies, gentlemen?"
"Well, Miss Potts has a company to run."
"Yes, I'm not even sure what country Jane's in. Her work on the convergence has made her the world's foremost astronomer."
"And the company that Pepper runs is the largest tech conglomerate on earth. It's pretty exciting."
"There's even talk of Jane getting a... um, uh... Nobel prize."
"Yeah, they... they must be busy because they'd hate missing you guys get together," Hill said, mock-coughing. "Testosterone! Oh, excuse me."
"Want a lozenge?" Rhodey asked.
"Um-hmm."
"Let's go." Hill and Rhodey walked off.
"But Jane's better," Thor stated.
---
Sam and Steve were talking, walking up to an overlook.
"Sounds like a hell of a fight, sorry I missed it," Sam said.
"If I had known it was going to be a firefight I absolutely would have called you."
"No, I'm not actually sorry. I'm just trying to sound tough. I'm very happy chasing cold leads on our missing persons case. Avenging is your world. Your world is crazy."
"Be it ever so humble."
"You find a place in Brooklyn yet?"
"I don't think I can afford a place in Brooklyn. "
"Well, home is home, you know?"