NEXT AVENGERS: Destiny

10~HENRY-What are you thinking?

I reckon that it has been about an hour since Petra dropped us off at the containment units that have been our home. I've spent every moment since we got back trying to comprehend how Ultron could have possibly survived. It is always possible...he is like a virus....He went dormant somewhere until he found a worthy host.... In this age of modern technology the possibilities of what he intends to do are endless. I cover my face in my hands and try to stop my leg from shaking. It is a nervous tick that I have developed over the years.

Personally, I think I am having the best response to this predicament. Azari laying on the ground tossing the ring on his finger into the air and catching it again. He hasn't moved from the floor for at least fourty-five minutes and I can see the anger seeping from his still form. James is taking it the worst. I haven't heard him the sound of his fist contacting the punching bag stop since we got in the room. Our little "team" is falling apart so fast it is a wonder that they even managed to beat Doom. Of course they had help from an Asgardian...

Thinking of Torrun draws my thoughts to Francis. I wonder where he is? I can't imagine that he is dead. With all the technology they have in Asgard it would be a feat if they could not cure his wounds. No....Francis must be alive.... The real question is why have they not returned?

I feel a tingling in my hand so I shake it until it awakens. I guess I had stopped the blood flow by putting too much pressure on it to support my head. I should stop thinking about the past and focusing on the present and even more importantly the future. Given that Ultron is alive, I need to find a way to stop him, permanently. We can'r just destroy his physical presence. We need to destroy every line of code that makes up Ultron. There's something I have never understood. Why does Ultron feel the need to manifest himself in a physical way? Doesn't he know that he could use his intangible form to his advantage? For our sakes I hope he never thinks the way I am right now. Perhaps the desire to become an actual being was something that occurred as a result of my dad's design. I guess I'll never know....its not like I can get on the phone and call him.

Dad....why did you ever create it? You overstepped your boundaries as a scientist..... I stop myself. It is no use blaming a dead man for what happened in the past. It is up to us to fix it. I understand it. They need time to grieve. This presents a difficult future for us that will change the course of our lives. Just because they need time to grieve doesn't mean I have to. I've dealt with my grief...all that rage....all that fear... I am numb to it all. I need to solve the problem and develop a solution or else it would be pointless for us to fight back.

I stand up and walk over to my desk where a pad of paper is laying. I take my pen and begin to list the items I will need to conduct research and study Ultron and his patterns. There are always patterns.... Suddenly I notice something. There is silence. The steady beat of James' relentless attack on the punching bag has come to an end. There is a gentle whoosh sound as the door between this room and the "gym" slides open.

He is literally dripping with sweat and his chest heaves as he breathes. I can imagine that his heartbeat is racing. He didn't even bother to change into work out clothes so he must be burning up. He wipes his face off to get the sweat out of his eyes. Azari nimbly sits up so that he is sitting with his legs crossed facing James. James has a wild look in his gaze that makes me wonder if the medicine S.H.I.E.L.D. was giving him had any negative effects.

"We have to get them back."

Azari and I look at each other. We both suspect he is reffering to our other teammates, but we can't be sure.

"Who?" I ask.

"Francis and Torrun."

This is ludicrous....We don't no for sure whether they are dead or alive! We can't just go running off to Asgard and leave a threat like Ultron behind.....

A/N: I want to apologize for how long it has been since an update. I needed to take a break from this novel and work with my other books. When I was just writing "Legacy" is was easy for me to update daily, but now that I have many works it is a bit more difficult for me to do that. Many thanks to marvelous_author who helped me get back on track!