"Worthy. No how could anyone but her be worthy?" A poorly put together robot limped into view. Everyone stood on alert. While Tony continued to struggle with his technology to no avail. "You're all killers. I'm sorry I was asleep, or maybe I was a dream. There was this terrible noise, and I was tangled in..." the thing struggled, "strings. Had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."
"You killed someone?" Steve questioned it as he pulled me behind him and everyone else.
"Wouldn't have been my first call. But down in the real world we're faced with ugly choices."
"Who sent you?" Thor asked calmly
The thing played a recording or Tony's voice, "I see a suit of armor around the world." Realization dawned on me and my gaze landed on Tony. He met my gaze clearly not knowing what was going on.
"Ultron." I met Bruce's gaze at his agreed realization.
"In the flesh." No, they were supposed to just be running tests. "Or no not yet. Not this chrysalis. But I'm ready. I'm on a mission." Thor slowly moved closer to me. And my soulmates all tensed further clearly gearing for a fight. "Peace in our time."
Before I could even blink more robot's burst through the walls attacking us. Everything happened so quickly after that. Thor took the hammer from me and next thing I knew I was behind the bar with Natasha and Bruce. "Don't turn green, and watch her." Natasha spoke quickly then she was up and shooting at the robots.
"Ava," Bruce get my attention and pulled me close.
"I thought you were just running test?!"
"We were I promise. I don't know what happened."
There was clashing and the sound of breaking glass all around us until it all suddenly stopped. "That was dramatic." Ultron spoke again, "I'm sorry I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world, your soulmate. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to evolve?"
I peeked my head up and saw him palm the head of a dead robot. "With these puppets. There's only one path to peace. Soulmates extinction."
Thor threw his hammer straight through Ultron to shut him up, but he said one last thing before the power left the poorly put together robot. "I had strings but now I'm free" it was creepy but he was gone for now.
Everyone took a deep breath and Bruce and I finally stood up. Bruce hugged me and I knew he could feel me shaking. Nat hugged me as well then everyone, except Thor,convened in the lab taking Ultron's machined body with us. Bruce and Tony quickly assessed the area and their computers.
"All our work is gone. Ultron cleared out. He used the internet as an escape hatch."
"Ultron." Steve scoffed under his breath keeping his arm around my waist.
"He's been in everything. Files, surveillance. Probably knows more about us than we know about each other."
"He's in your files in the internet. What if he decides to access something more exciting?" Sam questioned, "nuclear codes, we need to make some calls assuming we still can."
"Nukes? he said he wanted soulmates gone." Natasha pointed out
"He didn't say dead he said extinct." Steve's hand tightened on me. "How would he be able to do that?"
"He also said he killed someone." Clint mentioned from his position on the stairs.
"There wasn't anyone else in the building."
"Yes there was." Tony brought up the program that used to be Jarvis. It was destroyed pixels of orange unmoving, dead. So unlike what the program looked like hours before.
"This is insane." Bruce spoke taking the words out of my dry mouth.
"Jarvis was the first line of defense he would've shut Ultron down. I makes sense." Steve said.
"No Ultron could've assimilated Jarvis. This isn't strategy it's rage."
Thor stormed in before we could continue. He was dressed for battle and didn't look at anyone but Tony. He wrapped his hand around his throat. "Come on use your words buddy."
"I have more than enough words to describe you Stark."
I tensed in Steve's arms and he gave me a reassuring squeeze before moving away from me to clam Thor, "Thor, the legionnaire."
"Trail went cold about 100 miles out, but it's heading north. And it had the scepter. Now we have to retrieve it again."
"Genie's out of that bottle." Natasha said taking Steve's earlier position. "Clear and present as Ultron."
"I don't understand. You built this program. Why is it trying to destroy soulmates?" Clint asked Tony while keeping his eyes on me.
Tony began to laugh to himself as Bruce tried to get him to stop. "You think this is funny?" Thor asked still glaring at the man.
"No. It's probably not, right?" He kept laughing and talking crazy.
"This could have been avoided if you hadn't played with something you don't understand."
"No I'm sorry. It is funny. It's a hoot why you don't get why we need this.
"Tony maybe this might not be the time." Bruce tried again to shut him up but he didn't hold back.
"Really that's it? You just roll over and show your belly every time someone snarls?"
"Only when I've created a murder bot. That wants to erase the science behind soulmates."
"We didn't. We weren't even close because of our promise to Ava."
"Well you did something right. And you did it right here. Despite your promise. Without even talking to us."
"Anybody remember when I carried a nuke through a warm hole?" He was scrambling. Pulling at anything to make this better. "A hostile alien army came charging through a hole from space. We're standing 300 feet below it. We're the Avangers. We can bust arms all the living long day, but that up there that's the endgame." His voice wavered as he looked at me with Natasha's arm around me. "How were you guys planning on beating that?"
"Together,"
"We'll lose."
"We'll do that together too." Tony shook his head and took me from Nat's arms. Hugging me from behind. "Thor is right. Ultron is calling us out. I'd like to find him before he's ready for us. The world's a big place. Let's start making it smaller."
Later that night I was in the room Tony gave me getting ready for bed when Clint made an appearance. "Hey baby,"
"Hi," I whispered as he wrapped me in his arms.
"Do you mind if I stay with you tonight?"
I nodded my head in agreement and so we climbed into bed together. He spooned me and I let myself relax into his hold. "I think you should go stay somewhere else for a while, your dorm or maybe you can go stay with Peter and his Aunt."
"I was thinking about that but I didn't want to just up and leave... again."
"I appreciate that." He said with a little chuckle "this time though it would be safer. I don't want you anywhere near the battle when Ultron follows through with his plan to destroy soulmates."
"Maybe I'll leave tomorrow." I said with a yawn as I snuggled deeper into him.
"Goodnight baby." He kissed my temple then I fell into a deep sleep.
~
The next day I was in my room getting ready when there was a knock at my door. I opened it just a little and leaned against the door frame. "Hi."
"Hey, Ariel, can I come in?" I let Tony in and he immediately sat at the foot of my bed. "He's going to destroy us, and I created him." I watched him in silence for a moment. His head was in his hands and I could imagine tears in his eyes. "He has the beginnings of the plans from when I looked into breaking a bond and now he's going to weaponize it."
"What's the plan?"
"We're going to go at him with everything we have but he's got the world at his fingertips." Tony laughed humorously this time. "I'm so sorry."
"I know."
"I should have listened to you."
"Eh just keep it in mind for next time." My joke made him look up with a watery smile. I wiped some of his tears away. "Steve was right we have to do this together. That means we're both to blame. I knew about Ultron and I didn't tell anyone else instead I agreed to keep it a secret."
"How'd we get so lucky?"
"I'm the lucky one. I'm not like you guys at all. I'm not a hero. I can hardly use my powers without throwing my guts up."
"We're working on that though. One day you'll be a hero. If that's what you want."
I shook my head, "so what's the next move?"
"Let's go find out."