NEXT AVENGERS: Destiny

18~HENRY-Stark

Dedicated to ArafinweCarnesir who asked me about this while I was still writing Legacy. I hope this answers your question! Btw. I don't know technical terms for computer tech so please pardon any inaccuracies. Thanks!

It's weird. Working alone. I mean I've always worked alone, but I guess what I'm trying to say is it feels odd to not have James or Azari watching over my shoulder and commenting on my progress. Maybe it's shallow of me, but I perform better when I have an audience. I hold myself up to extremely high standards, but sometimes it is nice to have someone else witness my successes or failures.

I pull my glasses off and massage the bridge of my nose. A headache has slowly been forming behind my eyes and distracting me from the task at hand. Six hours and seven cups of coffee later you would have thought that I would be closer to finding a solution than before. I'm not.

The bit of Ultron's code that I have isolated for experimentation adapts quickly. Whenever I try to "destroy" or erase it, it avoids my attack and sometimes even responds with a blow of its own. It is like a virus, neither dead nor alive, but unlike a virus it does respond to stimuli. Each time I think I have begun to understand it's nature it rapidly changes and causes whatever information I have collected to be rendered useless. I would even dare to say that is learning my methods and predicting my every mood. Luckily, according to other S.H.I.E.L.D. engineers he...it is not yet powerful to assume a host. Somewhere Ultron is rebuilding himself.

I have to wonder if the sample of his old program that I am toying with is like a simple mechanism compared to the evolved Ultron that we face today. I, a genius of computer sciences, am having trouble understanding and stopping a minor portion of him from slipping away from my software and into the world. I can only imagine the devastation that would occur if he manages to escape.

I hear a hiss and whir as the door to my workspace opens. I've grown accustomed to S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents entering and exiting whenever they please so I show no response to the noise.

"You've got it wrong." A voice says from behind.

I look over the symbols I had just typed and scan, looking for some form of error.

"On the contrary, I think it is you who is incorrect."

I hear the crackle of a chip which irritates me and causes me to swivel my chair around so I can see just who would be so callous as to insult me. My visitor is a man, who I estimate to be around 50 or 60, that is eating casually from a bag of Spicy Doritos.

"No-No." He says through a mouthful of corn chips, "It's not that line right there. You've messed up the whole thing. He can destroy that petty attempt without even having to utilize any real form of Artificial Intelligence. Go after another function."

I decide to completely ignore his advice unless he gives me some kind of qualifications that would allow him to say such presumptuous thoughts. He catches me glaring at him so he tilts the bag of chips towards me as if offering me one. I don't respond so he shrugs and reaches for another one.

"Who are you?" I ask.

He walks over to the bookshelf on the wall and starts running his finger alongst the bindings.

"I'm Tony Stark, but you probably know me best as Iron Man." He says bluntly.

Stark....Iron Man....the knight....AN AVENGER....How is he still alive?

"You..You're alive..." I say through shock.

"Brilliant deduction. I'm glad you at least managed to gather that from my presence."

"How did you ever-?" I start before he interrupts me.

"Listen kid, I'd love to talk about my favorite subject, but we don't have time for that. Right now we are going to undo everything your father did and fix this before I have to relive the worst years of my life."

"I-"

"If you aren't going to say something productive then just, shut up. Oh and it would be great if you could get me a chair. I don't think either of us would enjoy sharing that one." He says while he points to my seat.

Well life just got much more interesting....

TONY! What do you guys think of that? (: What POV would you like to hear from next?

ALSO: You may have noticed that this book has received a "new" cover/ title. It is now entitled Next Avengers: Destiny. I feel that it fits this book better than Fallen Son, even though Fallen Son was relevant. (: