I don't own anything except any original/own characters and any original plot.

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Chapter 20- The Birth of Ultron

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(Y/n) felt the power before she was ever really close to seeing it. The Mind Stone, and something else, something less concentrated , and more...human.

"Shit!"

"Language! JARVIS, what's the view from upstairs?"

"The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield. Strucker's technology is well beyond any other Hydra base we've taken."

"I can sense the stone. The scepter is here," (Y/n) waved her hand and turned a few of the larger canons into harmless trees, "You guys do realize I can change reality now right? As is do this a lot easier than what we're doing now?"

"We can't risk you harming someone we can get information from if the scepter is moved," Steve pointed out, "And you only got your stone recently, how well can you really control it?"

(Y/n) remembered back to when she removed the Aether from Malekith's body and lost control over finding out that Loki had 'died'.

"Point taken, but I'm quite confident in about half of my abilities."

"Half? You've been training for this your whole life and you can only control half of your abilities?" Nat asked in shock.

"Training and actually holding one of the creating elements of the universe are two very different things," (Y/n) snapped, she twisted her wrist and send a group of soldiers flying away from the battle, "I understand the basis of my powers, but I'm still learning the complicated stuff- Are we really going over this right now?"

"Yeah, I agree. And are we going to ignore the fact that Cap just said 'language?'" Tony questioned.

"I know. It just slipped out."

(Y/n) chuckled. A blue blur passed by (Y/n) and knocked Barton over. As the blur passed by again (Y/n) held out her hand and slowed the creature down to see what exactly they were dealing with.

"What the hell?"

A human, a man to be precise. This creature, mortal, held powers that could only be given to him from an Infinity Stone. What torture did he have to go through to get it?

While (Y/n) was distracted with her thoughts and keeping the man in place, a woman snuck up behind her. She didn't notice the red glow over her feet until she was being flipped onto her back. She groaned as the wind was knocked out of her, and she rolled over on her side. She spotted a flash of red light before Nat yelling into the com drew her attention.

"Clint's hit! Somebody want to deal with that bunker?"

"Drawbridge is down, people," Tony reported.

"Clint's hit pretty bad, guys. We're gonna need evac."

"I can get Barton to the jet," Thor offered, "The sooner we're gone the better. Steve, Stark, and (Y/n) secure the scepter."

"Already on it."

(Y/n) easily took out any HYDRA soldiers that stood in her path. The Enhanced in the field must have been busy with the others because they didn't try to stop her.

(Y/n) placed her hand on the wall and allowed it to dissipate into water, splashing on the ground and over her boots. She stepped over the water, entering the compound.

She followed her senses towards the scepter. She couldn't hear the stone speaking to her like she did before, gaining her own stone had silenced those voices. It was more of a buzzing in her ears, the closer she got to the stone the louder the buzzing got.

"You slowed me down. How?"

(Y/n) swung out her hand, sending out a sudden blast. She saw a flash of blue pass by her.

"You got your power from the stone, I get my power from another," (Y/n) squinted her eyes and everything slowed down. She saw the man pass by, "The only difference is that that the stone is mine entirely."

(Y/) waved her hand and the man was sent against a wall. Now that she had the chance to look at him entirely, she saw that he was younger than she originally thought he was. He looked like a child, well, not necessarily a child, but he was too young to be a part of this fight.

"We are not your enemy," (Y/n) stated, "You can not stop me from getting the scepter."

"We're locked down out here."

"Then get to Banner, time for a lullaby." Steve ordered.

"Guys, I got eyes on the prize," Tony reported.

"Tony do not touch the scepter," (Y/n) shouted, "I'm on my way."

(Y/n) ran to the control room, spotting the red and gold of Tony's Iron Man suit. She saw an open door and entered through it.

"Stark?"

Tony's eyes were distant, like he was seeing something no one else could.

"The other enhanced," (Y/n) put a hand in Stark's shoulder, "Tony, Tony it isn't real."

Tony's eyes glowed gold and he seemed to - quite literally- come back to reality. (Y/n) gave him a cautious look before she grabbed the scepter from it's mantle, taking in a deep breath as she felt even more power flow through her veins.

"The scepter has been secured."

~*~

(Y/n) stood on the aircraft as the Avengers flew back to their tower. She kept her eyes on the scepter, listening to the conversations around her.

"Thor, report on the Hulk?"

"The gates of Hell are filled with the screams of his victims."

"Thor," (Y/n) sighed in exasperation.

"Uh, but, not the screams of the dead, of course. No no, uh...wounded screams, mainly whimpering, a great deal of complaining and tales of sprained deltoids and, and uh... and gout."

"Thor, that isn't helping."

(Y/n) looked back at the scepter. Tony walked up next to her, noticing her distant look.

"It feels good, yeah? I mean, you've been after this thing since SHIELD collapsed. Not that I haven't enjoyed our little raiding parties, but..."

"This brings that stress to a close, meaning I can return to Asgard soon." (Y/n) thought of Loki, alone on Asgard and waiting for her return.

"You can go back to Asgard as soon as we find out what else this has been used for. I don't just mean weapons. Since when is Strucker capable of human enhancement?"

"Banner and I'll give it the once over before it goes back to Asgard. Is that cool with you?" Thor and (Y/n) nodded their heads, "I mean, just a few hours until the farewell party. You're staying right?"

"Yes, yes, of course. A victory should be honored with revels."

"Yeah. Who doesn't love revels. Captain?"

"Hopefully this puts an end to the Chitauri and HYDRA, so. Yes, revels."

The aircraft landed and opened up. Clint was taken to have his wound tended to, and Maria Hill approached Stark.

"Lab's all set up, boss."

Tony pointed at Steve, "Uh, actually, he's the boss. I just pay for everything, and design everything and make everyone look cooler."

"What's the word on Strucker?"

"NATO's got him."

"And what of the two enhanced?" (Y/n) asked, concern evident in her tone.

"Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Twins. Orphaned at ten when a shell collapsed their apartment building. Sokovia's had a rough history. It's nowhere special but it's on the way to everywhere special."

"And their abilities?"

"He's got increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis. Her thing is neural electric interfacing, telekinesis, mental manipulation."

"Powers similar to mine then," (Y/n) entered the elevator, Maria following, "Those poor kids. Children of war always get the worst of it."

"The worst of it? (Y/n), the way they fight, the powers they have, and why they use them...They're like-"

"Monsters?" (Y/n) finished, "You must ask yourself Agent Hill, is it this fight that has been made by monsters, or are they now monsters because of this fight? This is a time of gods and monsters agent, the only difference between the two is how people see them."

The elevator opened on (Y/n)'s floor and she nodded to Maria before leaving. When she entered her room Loki appeared in front of her.

"Hello darling," he smiled.

"Hi," (Y/n) grinned, wishing he was there with her, "I miss you."

"I miss you too love, you'll be home tomorrow won't you?"

"If everything goes according to plan, yes. Then we can spend as long as we want together."

"I long for that day," Loki's head turned, "The council awaits Odin's advice, I shall see you soon. I love you."

"I love you too."

Loki's hologram disappeared. (Y/n) sighed, walking to the nearly empty closet in her room. While every Avenger had their own floor, (Y/n) spent as much time as possible on Asgard. Not only that but now that she could warp reality keeping tons of clothes when she could just shift the ones she was wearing seemed illogical.

(Y/n) pulled out a green swing dress. It reminded her of the pictures Steve had showed her of the 40s. It was shorter than normal Asgardian wear, but according to Nat, people on Earth just didn't wear long dresses to parties anymore.

She quickly dressed and opened the door when Nat knocked, sitting still while the spy did her makeup.

"So how's the married life?" Nat asked.

"Wonderful, after waiting for years it's finally happened," (Y/n) checked herself one last time in the mirror before she nodded in approval and walked out with Nat.

"Yeah I've heard from Clint that it's nice."

"Clint is married?" (Y/n) asked in shock.

"Married with kids, a little Natasha is on the way actually," Nat grinned.

"I must tell him congratulations," (Y/n) mumbled to herself.

"Speaking of babies, you planning on having any?"

(Y/n) flushed, "We haven't directly talked about it but having children would be nice in the future."

Nat nodded. The two entered the elevator and pressed the correct floor button.

"So, about only knowing how to use half of your abilities..."

"Well not all of the stones powers are known so I'll discover them on the way, those are the half I don't know well. I do know how to create widespread illusions that are touchable. I can warp certain realities and create new ones if I focus hard enough, but that would create a bit of chaos depending on how big it is."

Nat nodded in understanding.

"Changing how living things look in only temporary without another stone to assist, but I can change inanimate objects permanently!"

"You've got a lot of stuff going for you there," Nat stated.

"It is a big responsibility, but it helps bring peace that is desperately needed."

The two could hear the music before they even exited the elevator. (Y/n) prepared herself for the socializing and put on a smile. The doors opened and Nat put a hand on her arm and gave her a smile before leaving to get a drink. (Y/n) looked around for familiar faces before spotting Steve.

"Steve!" (Y/n) grabbed an empty glass from the bar and it filled with Asgardian liquor. The liquor the Midgardians had tasted like flavored water.

"Hey (Y/n), you look nice," Steve's eyes sparked with remembrance, "Like a forties girl."

"The thought did enter my mind," (Y/n) chuckled. She noticed Sam glancing at them and knew he wanted to talk to Steve about something. (Y/n) put her hand on Steve's arm, "I know what it's like to lose someone. But he's out there, I feel it. If you ever need assistance, I can see what I can do."

Steve opened his mouth to ask (Y/n) how she knew what he was going to talk to Sam about before she answered, "I've seen you checking messages from Sam, not that I meant to eavesdrop, but they were audio files. Anyways, I wish you luck."

Steve gave (Y/n) smile and the two parted ways. Nat looped her arm through (Y/n)'s and clinked their glasses together while she was walking.

"If you aren't careful you're going to make him fall for you," Nat joked.

"I'm married Natasha, you were at the wedding," (Y/n) rolled her eyes.

"Sometimes I think that I just got really drunk and imagined the whole thing. I'm not even allowed to talk about it with anyone else to ask."

"That's for everyone's good."

"Yeah, everyone does kind of want to kill Loki right now," Nat agreed.

(Y/n) spotted Thor and turned to Nat, "I've things to discuss with Thor, will you be alright on your own?"

"Yeah I'll go find Bruce."

(Y/n) nodded. She approached the table that Thor was at, inserting herself into the conversation.

"Oh, no, no, no. See this, this was aged for a thousand years, in the barrels built from the wreck of Brunhilde's fleet, it's not meant for mortal men," Thor poured a drink for him and Steve.

"Neither was Omaha Beach, blondie. Stop trying to scare us. Come on."

(Y/n) grabbed a glass and filled it with Asgardian liquor. She set it front of the man and stood back. Midgardians were always so insistent on matters they didn't understand.

The man took a small sip from the glass. Almost immediately he fell out of his chair and his friends picked him up to take him out.

"Excelsior!" The man began singing.

(Y/n) chuckled, downing the rest of her glass and refilling it.

After another few hours of wandering and making small conversation with those who talked to her, the majority of the guests had left. That left the Avengers and those in the inner circle together.

"But, it's a trick!" Clint yelled as Thor offered to let the others lift the hammer.

"Oh, no. It's much more than that," Thor assured.

"Uh, 'Whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power!' Whatever man! It's a trick."

"Well please, be my guest."

"Clint, you've had a tough week, we won't hold it against you if you can't get it up," Tony laughed.

"You know I've seen this before, right?" Clint tried and failed to life Thor's hammer, "I still don't know how you do it. Stark, go ahead."

"Never one to shrink from an honest challenge," Tony bent his knees slightly and prepared himself to lift it, "So, I lift it, I rule Asgard?"

"Yes of course," Thor confirmed.

"I will be reinstituting Prima Nocta," that made (Y/n) scoff and roll her eyes. Tony tried to lift the hammer but, of course, failed, "I'll be right back."

Tony left and grabbed the hand to his armor. Again, he failed to lift it.

"Are you even pulling?" Rhodey questioned.

"Are you on my team?" Tony snapped.

"Just represent!" Rhodey summoned his metal hand as well, "Pull!"

"Alright, let's go!" Both of them tried to pull up the hammer but failed.

Bruce was up next, he only tried for a few seconds before mocking the Hulk and roaring.

"Steve, how about you try," (Y/n) sent a smirk at Thor.

Steve grabbed the handle of the hammer and pulled. The hammer budged a little and Steve stepped back, shaking his head. Thor let out a sigh of relief, laughing.

"Nothing."

I know you stopped to protect Thor's pride, (Y/n) thought to herself, looking at Steve.

Steve looked up at (Y/n), tilting his head to the side in confusion.

"Did you say something?" He asked.

"No..."

"Widow, you wanna try?"

"Oh, no no. That's not a question I need answered," Nat shook her head.

"All deference to the man who wouldn't be king, but it's rigged," Tony stated.

"You bet your ass," Clint added.

"Steve, he said a bad language word," Hill tattled.

"Did you tell everyone about that?"

"The handle's imprinted, right? Like a security code. 'Whosoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints' is, I think, the literal translation?"

"Interesting theory Stark," (Y/n) stood up and brushed off her dress. She easily picked up the hammer and flipped it in her hand, handing it to Thor, "I'll give you an even simpler one. You aren't worthy."

A loud screeching sound went through the room. (Y/n)'s head snapped towards the source, her sword appearing in her hand in her shock.

"Worthy...No...How could you be worthy? You're all killers."

This thing, this being, held a level of consciousness that could relate to...The mind stone.

"Stark you didn't," (Y/n) whispered.

"JARVIS."

"I'm sorry, I was asleep. Or... I was a dream?"

Tony tapped his watch, "Reboot, Legionnaire OS, we got a buggy suit.

"There was a terrible noise...and I was tangled in...in strings. I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."

"You killed someone?" Steve questioned.

"Wouldn't have been my first call. But, down in the real world we're faced with ugly choices."

"Who sent you?" Thor asked.

"I see a suit of armor around the world." Tony's voice came through Ultron's speakers.

"Ultron!" Bruce realized.

"In the flesh. Or, no, not yet. Not this chrysalis. But I'm ready. I'm on a mission."

"What mission?"

"Peace in our time."

Suddenly, the Iron Legion bots broke through the walls and began to attack the team.

(Y/n) swung up her sword and sliced one of the bots in half. Thor pulled her back and behind the bar counter. (Y/n) picked up a glass and turned it into a shield. She stepped out from behind the counter, holding up her shield to protect herself.

"Stark shut them down!"

"I'm trying," Tony snapped back in response.

One by one the robots of the Iron Legion fell as they were shut down. (Y/n) felt a presence behind her and she swiped her hand to the side, sending the robot into the wall and making it shatter into different pieces.

"That was dramatic!" Ultron exclaimed, "I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to... evolve? With these? These puppets? There's only one path to peace: The Avengers' extinction."

Thor chucked his hammer at Ultron, destroying his physical body. But something about how confident he was, facing the Avengers head on. He had a backup.

(Y/n) was proven right as Ultron's voice rang through the speakers around the lab, "I had strings, but now I'm free. There are no strings on me. No strings on me..."