Venom | Avengers: Age of Ultron [5]

Chapter 13

"Anything on Nat?" Banner asked. "I haven't heard, but she's alive or Ultron would be rubbing our faces in it," Tony said. "This is sealed tight," Clint said, jumping off the cradle. "We're gonna have to access the program, break it down from the inside," Banner said. "Any chance Natasha might leave you a message outside the internet? Old-school spy stuff?" Tony asked.

"There are some nets I can cast. I'll find her," Clint said, running off. "I'll help," I offered, following him. He set up one of those radio machines that can monitor wavelengths. We started getting a crackle after a long time, and Clint put the headphones up to one ear, fiddling with a dial. He smiled, turning to a computer and pulling up the location. "Where's that?" I asked, peering over his shoulder.

"Sokovia," He said, pulling up an image of a building. "That must be where they're keeping Nat," I said. I heard yelling from upstairs, and the whining returned. "It's back," I muttered. "What? What's back?" He asked.

"The whining noise," I said. "What whining noise? I don't hear anything," He said. "It started the last time there was an argument. It must be at a frequency only I can hear," I said. He shot a gun straight up, causing the heavily-accented boy from the salvage yard to fall through. "What? You didn't see that coming?" He asked.

There was a lot of thudding, I heard one of Tony's propulsors fire and thunder boom from upstairs, except everything was so much louder. Everything suddenly went quiet, and my curiosity got the best of me. I went upstairs to see a red and silver bot landing on the ground, everyone staring at it. "I'm sorry, that was...odd. Thank you," It said, and a cape materialized out of nowhere.

"Thor, you helped create this?" Cap asked. "I've had a vision. A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life and at its center, it that," Thor said, pointing to the yellow gem set into the bots forehead. "What, the gem?" Bruce asked. "It's the mind stone. It's one of the 6 infinity stones, the greatest power in the universe. Unparalleled in its destructive capabilities," Thor explained. "Then why would--" Cap started.

"Because Stark is right," Thor said. "Oh, its definitely the end times," Bruce muttered. "The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron," Thor said. "Not alone," It said. "Why does your Vision sound like JARVIS?" Cap asked.

"We--we reconfigured JARVIS's matrix to create something new," Tony said. "I think I've had my fill of new," Cap muttered. "You think I'm a child of Ultron," It said. "You're not?" Cap asked skeptically. "I am not Ultron. I am not JARVIS. I am...I am," It said.

"I looked in your head and saw annihilation," Wanda Maximoff said. "Look again," It offered. "Your seal of approval means jack to me," Clint snapped. "Their powers--the horrors in our heads, Ultron himself--it all came from the mind stone. And nothing compared to what it can unleash. But with it on our side--" Thor said. "Is it? Are you? On our side?" Cap asked it.

"I don't think it's that simple," It said. "Aw, great. It's a philosopher," I said only for me to hear. "Well, it better get real simple real soon," Clint said. "I am on the side of life. Ultron isn't. He will end it all," It said. "What's it waiting for?" Cap asked.

"You," It said. "Where?" Banner asked. "Sokovia. He's got Nat there too," I said. "If we're wrong about you...if you're the monster Ultron made you be..." Bruce started. "What will you do?" It asked. "I don't want to kill Ultron. He's unique. He's in pain. But that pain will roll over the Earth, so he must be destroyed. Every form he's built, every trace of his presence on the net. We have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others. Maybe I am a monster. I don't think I'd know if I were one. I'm not what you are. And not what you intended. So there may be no way to make you trust me, but we need to go," It said, offering Thor his hammer.

We all stared in shock, and Thor took it after a bit. "Right. Well done," Thor said, patting Tony on the shoulder. "3 minutes. Get what you need," Cap said.

a/n So, I've been sleeping off a headache for the past two hours, and my grandparents were visiting for my granddad's birthday, so that's why this is so late.