6
Clint's Home
"Jules, you alright?" Tony asked softly as she stepped out of the bathroom, now in clean and fresh clothes. She nodded at her brother, attempting a small smile.
"What did you see..?" Tony asked
"Things I never wanted to see. It's okay honestly, I don't want to relive it again" Juliet answered, shaking her head
Tony nodded, wrapping an arm around his sister and pulling her into him. He placed a soft kiss on top of her head, smiling slightly.
"Cmon kiddo, let's get you some food"
"I'm not a kid Tony" Juliet rolled her eyes
"And I'm not in love with Pepper, now let's go." The siblings laughed, walking downstairs.
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Juliet walked outside, sitting on the stairs as she finished eating, watching Tony and Steve chop wood, overhearing their conversation.
"Thor didn't say where he was going for answers?" Tony asked Steve
"Sometimes my teammates don't tell me things" Steve replied, "I was kind of hoping Thor would be the exception"
"Thor's always the exception, it's Thor." Juliet mumbled to herself. (Juliet biggest Thor stan confirmed??)
"Yeah, give him time" Tony said simply, "We don't know what the Maximoff kid showed him."
"Earths Mightiest Heroes. Pulled us apart like cotton candy." Steve said, grabbing more wood
"Seems like you walked away okay" Tony pointed out
"Is that a problem?" Steve questioned
"I don't trust a guy without a dark side" Tony shrugged, chopping wood again. "Call me old-fashioned"
"Well, let's just say you haven't seen it yet" Steve said
Juliet's eyes widened, listening to the two. The last thing we need is them to bicker like a married couple again. She thought to herself.
"You know Ultron is trying to tear us apart, right?" Tony asked
"Well I guess you'd know. Whether you'd tell us is a bit of a question" Steve responded
"Banner and I were doing research" Tony defended
"What about your sister?" Steve questioned
"Leave Juliet out of this - you know she didn't" Tony spoke quickly
"You did research, that would affect the team" Steve observed
"That would end the team!" Tony said, "Isn't that the mission? The Why We Fight? So we can end the fight, so we get to go home!"
Steve ripped apart a piece of wood with his bare hands, staring at Tony. "Everytime someone tries to a win a war before it starts, innocent people die." Steve spoke harshly, "Everytime."
Laura walked over to the men, "Sorry, Mr.Stark.. Clint said you wouldn't mind but our tractor doesn't seem to want to start at all. I thought maybe you might.."
"Yeah, I'll give her a kick" Tony said, "Jules wanna help?"
Juliet nodded, jumping off the stairs and walking over to them.
"Don't take from my pile" Tony warned Steve
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"Hello Deere" Tony said, Juliet laughing at him, "Tell me everything. What ails you?"
"Do me a favor" Nick Fury's voice came about, making Juliet jump slightly as they turned. "Try not to bring it to life"
"Why, Mrs.Barton you little minx." Tony whispered, "I get it, Maria Hill called you, right? Was she ever not working for you?"
"Artificial Intelligence" Fury said, "You never even hesitated"
"Look, it's been a really long day" Tony started
"Tony-" Juliet sighed
"Let's skip to the part where you're useful" Tony said ignoring Juliet slightly
"Look me in the eye and tell me you're going to shut him down" Fury responded seriously.
"You're not the director of me." Tony said
"I'm not the director of anybody." Fury said back, "I'm just an old man who cares very much about you"
"And I'm the man who killed the Avengers" Tony said, "I saw it, I didn't tell the team. How could I? I saw them all dead, Nick. I felt it." Tony looked at Juliet, suddenly understanding she had a similar situation happen to her.
"Because of me. Us maybe. I wasn't ready. I didn't do all I could" Tony started
"Maximoff girl, she's working you, Stark" Fury said, "Praying on your fear."
"I wasn't tricked. I was shown." Tony said, "Wasn't a nightmare, it was my legacy. The end of the path I started us on"
"You come up with some pretty impressive inventions, Tony" Fury said, looking between the two Starks. "War isn't one of them "
"I watched my friends die" Tony sighed, "You'd think that'd be as bad as it gets, right? Wasn't the worst part"
"The worst part, is that you didn't" Fury said, making both Tony and Juliet pause and look at him.
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The group had moved inside now, discussing the Ultron situation as they sat in the kitchen.
"It still doesn't help us get an angle on any of his plans though" Fury was saying,
"Is he still going after launch codes?" Tony asked
"Yes, he is" Fury responded, "But he's not making any headway."
"I cracked the Pentagon's firewall in Highschool on a dare. Juliet knows the story" Tony said
"Well, I contacted our friends at the Nexus about that" Fury said
"Nexus?" Steve asked
"It's the world internet hub is Oslo." Bruce spoke up, "Every byte of data flows through there. Fastest access on Earth."
"So what did they say?" Clint questioned
"He's fixated on the missiles" Fury said, "But the codes are constantly being changed"
"By whom?" Juliet asked, trying not to laugh as she watched Clint get a perfect score on the dartboard Tony was playing
"Parties unknown" Fury responded, looking at her
"Do we have an ally?" Nat asked
"Ultron's got an enemy. That's not the same thing" Fury explained "Still I'd pay folding money to know who it is."
"I might need to visit Oslo. Find our unknown" Tony said
"Well, this is good times boss" Natasha said, "But I was kind of hoping when I saw you, you'd have more than that"
"I do. I have you" Fury said as if it was the most obvious answer
"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. 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."
"Steve doesn't like that kind of talk" Natasha smirked, nudging Juliet who held her hand up to cover her mouth as she laughed
"You know what Romanoff?" Steve began
"So, what does he want?" Fury asked
"To become better" Steve said simply, "Better than us. He keeps building bodies"
"Person bodies" Tony added in, "the human form is inefficient, but biologically speaking, we're outmoded. But he keeps coming back to it."
"When you two programmed him, to protect the human race" Natasha started, looking at Bruce and then Tony, "you amazingly failed"
"They don't need to be protected " Bruce said, "They need to evolve. Ultrons going to evolve."
"How?" Fury asked
"Oh my ... has anyone been in contact with Helen Cho?" Juliet asked, looking around
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Word Count: 1194
Written: May 26, 2022 - August 2, 2022
Published: August 2, 2022
A/N
You guys deserved the long chapter :)