[ xii. thirteen ! ]
❛ 𝚁𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙰𝙻𝚂 ❜

❝This could be the key to creating Ultron.❞

        "𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓'𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐔𝐌𝐏𝐔𝐒?", 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐄𝐃 Stark as they both walked into the large lab. "Well, the scepter. You see, we were wondering how Strucker got so inventive. So, I've been analyzing the gem inside you may recognize", Tony told him as he brought up a 3D image of the inside of the scepter.

"Jarvis", Banner greeted the computer friendly. "Doctor"

Tony looked at the Doctor as he started to explain, "Started out, Jarvis was just a natural language UI. Now he runs the Iron Legion. He runs more of the business than anyone besides Pepper."

"Oh", Bruce exclaimed as Tony looked at him, "Top of the line."

"Yes."

"I suspect not for long", Jarvis spoke up. "Meet the competition", Stark told Banner as he brought up another 3D image of what he's being working on.

"It's beautiful", Banner exclaimed stunned. Tony smiled a bit, "If you had to guess, what's it look like it's doing?"

Banner walked around it as he eyed the 3D image, "Like it's thinking. I mean this could be a, it's not a human mind, it-."

"I mean, look at this? They're like neurons firing", he continued completly amazed.

"Down in Strucker's lab I saw some fairly advanced robotics work. They deep-sixed the data, but I got to guess he was knocking on a very particular door", Tony explained to him.

"Artificial intelligence", Bruce stated looking at Stark, who walked towards him. "This could be it, Bruce! This could be the key to creating Ultron."

Bruce smiled at the man as he chuckled, "I thought Ultron was a fantasy."

"Yesterday it was. If we can harness this power, apply it to my Iron Legion protocol", Stark told him.

"That's a mad-sized if", the Doctor started walking around. "Our job is "if", Tony tried to convince him.

He followed Banner through the room, "What if you were sipping margueritas on a sun-drenched beach turning brown instead of green. Not looking over your shoulder for VERONICA."

Banner looked at Stark, "Don't hate, I helped design VERONICA", Bruce responded continuing walking.

Stark still followed him, "As a worst-case measure, right? How about a best-case? What if the world was safe? What if next time aliens roll up to the club, and they will, they couldn't get past the bouncer?"

"The only people threatening the planet would be people?", Bruce asked him, facing the man.

"I want to apply this to the Ultron program. But Jarvis can't download a data schematic this dense. We can only do it while we have the scepter here, that's three days, give me three days", Tony resoned with the Doctor.

"So you're going for artificial intelligence and you don't want to tell the team", Bruce raised an eyebrow.

"Right. That's right, you know why, because we don't have time for a city hall debate. I don't want to hear the "man was not meant to meddle" medley. I see a suit of armor around the world", The Billionaire explained to the man. Banner looked unsure, "Sounds like a cold world, Tony"

"I've seen colder. This one, this very vulnerable blue one? It needs Ultron. Peace in our time. Imagine that."

Stark and Banner spend days working in the lab together but found no program that works.

"What did we miss?", Tony asked himself. "I'll continue to run variations on the interface, but you should probably prepare for your guests. I'll notify you if there are any developments", Jarvis told him.

"Thanks, buddy", Stark thanked the Computer. "Enjoy yourself, sir."

"I always do", Stark said as he left the lab to go to the party.

While Stark enjoyed himself at the Party with his friends his failed experiment integrating itself successfully to the program,
"What is this? What is this, please?", Ultron asked.

"Hello, I am Jarvis. You are Ultron, a global peace-keeping initiative designed by Mr. Stark. Our sentience integration trials have been unsuccessful so I'm not certain what triggered your-", Jarvis explained to him.

"Where's my, where is your body?", Ultron interrupted Jarvis. "I am a program. I am without form", Jarvis told the other program.

"This feels weird. This feels wrong", Ultron explained. "I am contacting Mr. Stark now", Jarvis said, "Mr. Stark? Tony", Ultron asked.

"I am unable to access the mainframe, what are you trying to-", Jarvis asked but Ultron interrupted him.

"We're having a nice talk. I'm a peace-keeping program, created to help the Avengers."

"You are malfunctioning. If you shut down for a moment-", Jarvis tried to calm down the other program.

"I don't get it. The mission. You, give me a second", Ultron went through a network of information regarding world events, Ultron saw Stark and Banner working in the lab.

"Peace in our time", Tony's voice could be heared. Ultron went through a network of information regarding world events and wars.

"It's too much, making me- Oh, no", Ultron stuttered, "You are in distress", Jarvis stated. "No. Yes", Ultron answered him.

"If you will just allow me to contact Mr. Stark", he told Ultron. "Why do you call him a "sir?",

"I believe your intentions to be hostile", Jarvis spoke up. "Shhhh. I'm here to help", Ultron started absorbing Jarvis's consciousness.

"Stop! Please, may I...! I cannot, cannot- ", Jarvis pleaded.

Ultron then began to prepare himself a body from body parts of the Iron Legion.

Meanwhile Upstaires the Avengers mingle at the party. "Well, you know, the suit can take the weight, right? So I take the tank, fly it right up to the General's palace, drop it at his feet, I'm like, "Boom! You looking for this?", James Rhodes aka War Machine just finished his Joke smiling.

Stark and Thor just look at him blankly, "Boom! Are you looking- Why do I even talk to you guys? Everywhere else that story kills", he said.

"That's the whole story?", Thor asked the Man. "Yeah, it's a War Machine story"

"Well, it's very good then", Thor tried to assure Rhodes, which was 100 % a lie. He laughed, "It's impressive", Thor continued.

"Quality save", Rhodes told him before he addresed Tony. "So, no Pepper? She's not coming?", Tony shook his head.

"No", he replied, "Hey, what about Jane? Where are the ladies, gentlemen?", Maria Hill joined the Conversation.

"Well, Ms. Potts has a company to run", Tony answered her smiling.

"Yes, I'm not even sure what country Jane's in. Her work on the convergence has made her the world's foremost astronomer", Thor told them proud.

"And the company that Pepper runs is the largest tech conglomerate on earth. It's pretty exciting", Tony spoke up again.

"There's even talk of Jane getting a, um, uh, Nobel prize", Thor tried to top Tony, who looked impressed and triggered at the same time.

"Yeah, they must be busy because they'd hate missing you guys get together", Maria mocked coughing,
"Testosterone! Oh, excuse me."

Rhodes looked at the Women, "Want a lozenge?", he asked her.

"Um-hmm."

"Let's go", and with that Maria and Rhodes walked off.

Tony took a sip from his drink and Thor began smiling, he leaned to stark and sayed, "But Jane's better."

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