[ xv. fifteen ! ]
❛ 𝙰𝚂 𝙰 𝚃𝙴𝙰𝙼 ❜

❝We're the Avangers❞

    𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄
Laboratory the same evening going through all their technical resources. "All our work is gone. Ultron cleared out, used the internet as an escape hatch", Banner said disbelieving as he looked at the computer.

"Ultron", Steve repeated more to himselfe then to the others. "He's been in everything. Files, surveillance. Probably knows more about us than we know about each other", Anastasija explained to the others as she leaned against the wall. 

"He's in your files, he's in the internet. What if he decides to access something a little more exciting?", Rhodes asked the two geniuses while walking around, hiding his arm.

"Nuclear codes", Maria added worried, "Nuclear codes. Look, we need to make some calls, assuming we still can", Rhodes said to the team.

"Nukes? He said he wanted us dead", Natasha spoke up, "He didn't say dead. He said extinct", Steve corrected her quickly.

"He also said he killed somebody", Clint reminded the others. "But there wasn't anyone else in the building", Maria told them.

"Yes there was", Tony suddenly spoke up he brought up the now destroyed 3D image of Jarvis' consciousness.

Bruce walked towards 3D image, "This is insane", "Jarvis was the first line of defense. He would've shut Ultron down, it makes sense", Steve resoned while he looked at Stark.

"No, Ultron could've assimilated Jarvis. This isn't strategy, this is rage", Banner corrected the Captain.

Suddenly, Thor grabed a hold of Stark by his throat and held him up into the air. "Woh, woh, woh! It's going around", Clint exclaimed  from where he stood.

"Come on. Use your words, buddy", Stark said to Thor, "I have more than enough words to describe you, Stark", Thor spatted in anger.

"Thor! The Legionnaire", Steve said as he looked at Thor who let go of Stark.

"Trail went cold about a hundred miles out but it's headed north, and it has the scepter. Now we have to retrieve it, again", he told the team annoyed.

"The genie's out of that bottle. Clear and present is Ultron", Ana said as she looked at Natasha.

"I don't understand. You built this program, Why is it trying to kill us?", Dr. Chang spoke up lokking scared. Stark started laughing and Banner subtly shook his head at him to get him to stop.

Thor turned to Stark, "You think this is funny?", he asked him angryly, "No. It's probably not, right? Is this very terrible? Is it so, is it so, it is, it's so terrible", he stated laughing again.
Ana furrowed her eyebrows, there was literally nothing funny at all.

"This could've been avoided if you hadn't played with something you don't understand", Thor argued.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It is funny. t's a hoot that you don't get why we need this", Stark argued while he walked towards the God.

"Tony, maybe this might not be the time to—", Bruce tried to interrupt but Tony continued.

"Really?! That's it? You just roll over, show your belly, every time somebody snarls", he started to argue with Banner too.

"Only when I've created a murder bot", Banner contered as he gave the genius a look. "We didn't, we weren't even close. Were we close to an interface?", Tony said to the Doctor.

"Well, you did something right. And you did it right here. The Avengers were supposed to be different than S.H.I.E.L.D", Steve said to Stark while he stepped forward.

"Anybody remember when I carried a nuke through a wormhole?", Tony suddenly asked walking backwards. Rhodes looked at his old Friend, "No, it's never come up", he said ironic.

"Saved New York?", "Never heard that", Rhodes continued. "Recall that? A hostile alien army came charging through a hole in space. We're standing three hundred feet below it", Tony made a pause.

"We're the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all the live long day, but, that up there? That's the Endgame", he points at the sky. " 

How were you guys planning on beating that?", "Together", Steve spoke up looking at Stark. "We'll lose", the billionare answered. "Then we'll do that together, too", Steve told him.

Stark looked at him for a moment before turning away, "Thor's right. Ultron's calling us out. And I'd like to find him before he's ready for us. The world's a big place. Let's start making it smaller", Steve said to them before they all went back to their rooms.

Back at the Avengers headquarters, "He's all over the globe. Robotics labs, weapons facilities, jet propulsion labs, reports of a metal man, or men, coming in and emptying the place", Agent Hill spoke.

"Fatalities?",  Steve asked, "Only when engaged. Mostly guys left in a fugue state going on about old memories, worst fears, and something too fast to see", she answered while they walked up the stairs.

"Maximoffs, well, that makes sense he'd go to them, they have someone in common", Steve stated as he looked at her.

"Not anymore", Hill told him as she handed Steve a tablet, showing a photo of Strucker's dead body with the word "PEACE" written in blood on the wall next to him.

Barton talked on his cell phone, when Steve interrupted him. "Barton, we might have something", "got to go", Barton ended his call.

"Who was that?", Steve asked his friend, "Girlfriend", Clint answered.

After Steve had gathered the rest of the team he showed them the photo of Strucker's body. "What's this?", Tony asked, "A message. Ultron killed Strucker", Steve explained to him.

"And he did a Banksy at the crime scene, just for us", Stark exclaimed, while looking bat the tablet. "This is a smokescreen. Why send a message when you've just given a speech?", Natasha asked looking at Steve and Ana.

"Strucker knew something that Ultron wanted us to miss", Ana spoke up crossing her arms over her chest. "Yeah, I bet he—", her twin started but stooped she looked at the computer monitor.

"Yep. Everything we had on Strucker has been erased", "Not everything", Stark told them.

The team went through the physical files they hade on Strucker, "Known associates. Well, Strucker had a lot of friends", Steve said looking at a file. "Well, these people are all horrible", Bruce said opening a file.

Tony look at it, "Wait, I know that guy", Banner passes him the photo he was looking at. "From back in the day. He operates off the African coast, black market arms", Tony told the Team.

Steve gave him an accusing look, "There are conventions, alright? You meet people, I didn't sell him anything", Stark defended himself while he narrowed his eyes.

Ana stood next to Tony looking inside of the File, there was a photo of a Man named Ulysses Klaue.

"He was talking about finding something new, a game changer, it was all very "Ahab", Tony continued. Ana pointed to the scar on the back of Klaue's neck, "This", she said.

"Uh, it's a tattoo. I don't think he had it—", Tony spoke up but the women interrupted him. "No, those are not  tattoos, this is a brand", she pointed at it. Banner quickly identified the brand on Klaue's neck on the computer.

"Oh, yeah. It's a word in an African dialect meaning thief, in a much less friendly way",Steve looked at him.

"What dialect?", "Wakanada? Wa—Wa—Wakanda", Bruce tried to pronounce it right. "If this guy got out of Wakanda with some of their trade goods—", Tony started his scentence,
"I thought your father said he got the last of it", Steve interrupted Stark.

"I don't follow. What comes out of Wakanda?", Natasha asked the two Man curiously.

They looked at Steve's shield while saying, "The strongest metal on earth." Steve looked up and asked, "Where is this guy now?"

❝𝐖𝐞'𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞❞
❝𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐨𝐨❞