Covert Affair | Natasha Romanoff

Chapter 42: No Intention Of Hurting Her?

Back at Barton's house, Nick Fury convened with the rest of the team, discussing their next moves.

"Ultron took you folks out of play to buy himself time," Fury explained, his tone serious. "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."

"What about Ultron himself?" Steve Rogers inquired, ever focused on the mission.

"He's easy to track, he's everywhere," Fury replied. "Guy's multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit. Still doesn't help us get an angle on any of his plans though".

"He's still going after launch codes?" Tony's voice cut through the tension. Nick's response was solemn. "Yes, he is, but he's not making any headway." Stark leaned forward, "I cracked the Pentagon's firewall in high school on a dare."

Fury's tone was grave as he revealed, "Yeah, well, I contacted our friends at the NEXUS about that."Confusion flickered across Steve's face. "NEXUS?". Bruce clarified, "It's the world internet hub in Oslo, every byte of data flows through there, fastest access on earth."

Clint Barton interjected, "So what'd they say?" 

"He's fixated on the missiles, but the codes are constantly being changed," Fury informed them.

Stark's curiosity was piqued. "By whom?"

"Parties unknown," Fury replied.

Natasha's sharp gaze cut through the tension. "Do we have an ally?"

Fury's response was grim. "Ultron's got an enemy, that's not the same thing. Still, I'd pay folding money to know who it is."

Stark's mind was already racing. "I might need to visit Oslo, find our 'unknown.'"

Romanoff's disappointment was evident as she glanced over at Zero, who remained zoned out, lost in her own thoughts. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Zero appeared calm, her presence a quiet reassurance amidst the chaos. "Well, this is good times, boss, but I was kind of hoping when I saw you, you'd have more than that," Romanoff remarked. She shifted slightly, cuddling into Natasha's side for comfort.  Fury couldn't help but notice the intimate gesture. His brows furrowed in confusion, a paternal instinct kicking in as he observed the scene before him.

But he pushed aside his confusion, "I do, I have you. Back in the day, I had eyes everywhere, ears everywhere else. Here we all are, back on earth, with nothing but our wit, and our will to save the world. So stand. Outwit the platinum bastard."

Romanoff couldn't resist a sly smile as she teased, "Steve doesn't like that kind of talk."

Rogers met her gaze squarely. "You know what, Romanoff?"

Fury redirected the conversation. "So what does he want?"

Rogers spoke with certainty. "To become better. Better than us. He keeps building bodies."

Stark added his insight. "Person bodies. The human form is inefficient, biologically speaking, we're outmoded. But he keeps coming back to it."

Romanoff's observation was biting. "When you two programmed him to protect the human race, you amazingly failed."

Banner interjected with a sense of urgency. "They don't need to be protected, they need to evolve. Ultron's going to evolve."

Fury's question hung in the air. "How?"

Banner's response was immediate. "Has anyone been in contact with Helen Cho?"