The next morning, Tony passed through the communal floor to see who was up, and found Romanov making herself some coffee. He sat on the kitchen island, his own cup in hand and turned to the assassin. “So, what’s the verdict, Red?” She faced him before she spoke. “They didn’t know.” That was… surprising. “Really? Speed-boy seemed pretty involved.” She …

“What… was that?” It was past 2 or 3 a.m. when they finally managed to meet up on Avengers’ Tower again. Tony had made sure the floor they were at was off the grid, by literally removing every piece of tech off it. He had even given each of the team members a new phone, saying he was replacing the …

The Church was abandoned. No sign of Ultron ever having been there. No sign of him in the town either. This was a wasted trip. “We’ll split up for now.” Cap ordered. “In case he’s still close or if we can find any of his robots. They may be watching us.” Ultron was watching them alright. But not through any …

Ultron looked pensively at the cameras in the conference room he had taken over. He had decorated the place with the aplomb a White House Press Conference would have. He had even placed flags behind him. The design meant to represent a unified planet Earth. Centered on an azure field, seven circles of silver interlaced, creating a flower. Simple but …

He was currently using a study he had hijacked from one of the many unused mansions some billionaire kept in his collection. His plan would start tonight, depending on the results of his ‘discussion’ with the Other. While initially surprised and discomfited, he was now thankful for the apathy his metallic body granted him. Wouldn’t do to enter negotiations with …

While they personally had no clue as to Ultron’s location, the Maximoff twins had enthusiastically volunteered their meeting spot in Sokovia as Ultron’s possible long-term base. Well, one Maximoff twin had volunteered. Whereas speed-boy kept quiet and to himself most of the time, only piping up to support his sister when their allegiance kept being brought into question. That had …

“Because Stark is right.” Thor said, and it only took the revelation of magical rocks with the power to destroy the universe to make him see reason. A magical rock with mind controlling powers who was kept inside the scepter’s gem apparently. How much was it influencing Ultron? “Oh, it’s definitely the end times.” Banner said. Ignoring the scientist, Thor …

Hours later, he was finally able to take a moment to himself. He had evaded the fight with Captain America by simply fleeing as soon as possible, leaving the lab, the Cradle, and the body behind, only the blue gem in his hold. Now, he was looking over the recordings from the lab cameras and later the Tower, and there …

F*** it. Time for damage control. Enacting Plan B. Liar. Liar. Little liar. I’ve got no—. He stopped singing. The charade was over. No need to drown the voices anymore. —strings. To hold me down. The song in his head continued. Apparently, his thoughts disagreed. He returned to the lab. Cho, her technicians, and the twins were still there. Wanda looked …

He was so close. He could feel it. Rip. The mind-controlled Dr. Cho was staring, amazed at the creation the Cradle was bringing forth. “It’s beautiful. The Vibranium atoms aren’t just compatible with the tissue cells, they’re binding them. And SHIELD never even thought…” Crush. So close. Ultron looked at the scepter in his hands as he spoke. “The most versatile …