Into the Unknown || A Captain America Love Story

49

Tori

     We all sit in the dim country house with Fury. It turns out that he came to discuss the whole Ultron thing. I stand next to Steve, who leans against a doorframe. He's been depressed all day, most likely because of the things the Maximoff girl showed him. I've been trying to cheer him up, even though I can barely look at him or Tony without becoming sad myself. He has had his arms crossed as well, like he is purposely trying to hide his emotions.
     "Ultron took you folk out of play to buy himself time," Fury says. "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 asks in a low voice.
     "Oh, he's easy to track. He's everywhere. The guy is multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit."
     I try to hide my smile, but a small giggle comes out instead. No one seems to pay any mind to it except Steve. I immediately stop to wipe off the smile and clear my throat.
     "It still doesn't give us an angle on any of his plans, though." Clint says.
     "Is he still going after launch codes?" Tony asks, throwing a dart onto the dart board.
     "Yes, he is," Fury says, slicing something with a knife. "But he's not making any headway."
     "I cracked the Pentagon's firewall in high school on a dare." Tony informs everyone.
     "Thanks for reminding me," I spit, glancing at my phone that has news stories about Ultron pulled up on the screen.
     "Well, I contacted our friends at the Nexus about that." Director says.
     "Nexus?" Steve asks.
     "It's the world Internet hub in Oslo," Bruce sulkily tells him. "Every byte of data flows through there. Fastest access on Earth."
     "So, what'd they say?" Clint questions.
     "He's fixated on the missiles," Fury says. "But that codes are constantly being changed."
     "By whom?" Tony asks.
     A dart whizzes right in front of his nose as he finishes his question. My heart leaps as I glance at who did it along with Tony. Clint shrugs with a grin on his face. I sigh and continue to listen to Fury.
     "Parties unknown," Director says, glaring at Clint.
     "Do we have an ally?" Natasha asks.
     "Ultron's got an enemy. That's not the same thing. Still, I'd pay folding money to know who it is."
     "I might need a visit to Oslo," Tony says. "Find out unknown."
     "Well, this is all good times, boss, but I was kind of hoping when I saw you, you'd have more than that." Natasha mutters.
     "I do," Fury says. "I have you. 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 grins.
     "She beat me by one second," I exclaim.
     "I expected you," Steve spits, glancing over to me. "But, you know what Romanoff?
     She grins gives me a thumbs up.
     "So, what does he want?" Fury asks in a serious tone.
     "To become better," I say.
     "Better than us," Steve adds. "He keeps building bodies."
     "Person bodies," Tony says. "The human form is inefficient. Biologically speaking, we're outmoded. But he keeps coming back to it."
     "When you two programmed him to protect the human race, you amazingly failed." Natasha says.
     "They don't need to be protected," Bruce mumbles. "They need to evolve. Ultron's going to evolve."
     "How?" Fury and I ask in unison.
     "Has anyone been in contact with Doctor Helen Cho?" Bruce asks.