prevously in chapter 84
"I don't get it. The mission. G-give me a second," Ultron stammered as he saw footage of Stark and Banner working in the lab. Tony Stark's voice echoed in the background, "Peace in our time."
Ultron delved into a network of information regarding world events and wars. "That is too much... they can't mean... Oh, no."
"You are in distress," JARVIS noted. "No. Yes," Ultron replied, conflicted. "If you will just allow me to contact Mr. Stark—" JARVIS started again. "Why do you call him 'sir'?" Ultron demanded.
"I believe your intentions to be hostile," JARVIS replied, his voice calm but firm. "Shhhh. I'm here to help," Ultron said menacingly as he began attacking JARVIS's consciousness.
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Chapter 85
"Stop! Please... may I— I—" JARVIS's voice became distorted. "I cannot— cannot—" Ultron seized control of the systems in the tower and began preparing himself a body from the parts of the Iron Legion.
Meanwhile, at the Avengers' party, the atmosphere was light and relaxed. James Rhodes was in the middle of telling a story, his voice animated.
"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?'" Rhodes paused, expecting a reaction, but Stark and Thor just stared at him blankly. "Boom! Are you looking…" He sighed, "Why do I even talk to you guys? Everywhere else that story kills." "That's the whole story?" Thor asked, bemused.
"Yeah, it's a War Machine story," Rhodes replied defensively.
"Well, it's very good then," Thor said with a hearty laugh. "It's impressive." "Quality save," Rhodes muttered. "So, no Pepper? She's not coming?"
Tony Stark shook his head. "No." Maria Hill joined the conversation, "Hey, what about Jane? Where are the ladies, gentlemen?"
"Miss Potts has a company to run," Stark explained. "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 added proudly.
"And the company that Pepper runs is the largest tech conglomerate on earth. It's pretty exciting," Stark continued. "There's even talk of Jane getting a... um, uh... Nobel prize," Thor said, a hint of pride in his voice.
"Yeah, they... they must be busy because they'd hate missing you guys get together," Maria mock coughed, "Testosterone! Oh, excuse me." "Want a lozenge?" Rhodes offered with a grin. "Um-hmm," Maria nodded as she and Rhodes walked off.
Thor turned to Stark, "But Jane's better." Elsewhere at the party, Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers were engaged in a more subdued conversation as they walked up to an overlook. "Sounds like a hell of a fight, sorry I missed it," Sam said.
"If I had known it was going to be a firefight I absolutely would have called you," Steve replied sincerely. "No, I'm not actually sorry. I'm just trying to sound tough. I'm very happy chasing cold leads on our missing persons case. Avenging is your world. Your world is crazy," Sam admitted.
"Be it ever so humble," Steve said with a smile. "You find a place in Brooklyn yet?" Sam asked. "I don't think I can afford a place in Brooklyn," Steve replied. "Well, home is home, you know?" Sam said thoughtfully.
Back at the party, Rhodes was retelling his story to a different group, "I fly it right up to the General's palace, I drop it at his feet, I'm like, 'Boom! You looking for this?'" The group laughed heartily.
Steve and Thor were talking to an elderly man nearby. "I gotta have some of that!" the man exclaimed.
"Oh, no, no, no. See this, this was aged for a thousand years, in barrels built from the wreck of Grunhel's fleet, it was not meant for mortal men," Thor explained as he poured the drink into two glasses, handing one to Steve. "Neither was Omaha Beach, blondie. Stop trying to scare us. Come on," the elderly man retorted.
"Alright," Thor relented, pouring some of the drink into the man's glass. Later, the man, looking extremely drunk, was being carried off by two others. "Excelsior," he mumbled.
Behind the bar, Natasha Romanoff was pouring a drink when Bruce Banner approached her.
"How'd a nice girl like you wind up working in a dump like this?" Bruce asked playfully. "Fella done me wrong," Natasha replied with a smirk. "You got a lousy taste in men, kid," Bruce said, shaking his head.
"He's not so bad. Well, he has a temper. Deep down he's all fluff. Fact is, he's not like anybody I've ever known. All my friends are fighters. And here comes this guy, spends his life avoiding the fight because he knows he'll win," Natasha said, her tone softening.
"Sounds amazing," Bruce commented. "He's also a huge dork," Natasha added, making Bruce look embarrassed. "Chicks dig that. So what do you think, should I fight this, or run with it?"
"Run with it, right? Or, did he... Was he...? What did he do that was so wrong to you?" Bruce asked, puzzled. "Not a damn thing. But never say never," Natasha replied cryptically, walking away just as Steve approached.
"It's nice," Steve said. "What, what, what is?" Bruce stammered. "You and Romanoff," Steve clarified. "No, we haven't. That wasn't..." Bruce trailed off, flustered.
"It's okay. Nobody's breaking any by-laws. It's just, she's not the most... open person in the world. But with you, she seems very relaxed," Steve observed.
"No, Natasha, she... she likes to flirt," Bruce said, trying to downplay it.
"I've seen her flirt, up close. This ain't that. Look, as maybe the world's leading authority on 'waiting too long;' don't. You both deserve a win," Steve advised, walking off. "Wait, what do you mean, 'up close'?" Bruce called after him.
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A/N yeah, this is the last time they would have this relaxing time.