Chapter 10: Chapter 10 - Meeting
Tony, with some difficulty, manages to say:
"Please, speak using words, buddy."
"Stark, I can define you using much more than just words"
Thor said, squeezing Tony's neck with a furious look.
"Thor, what about Ultron?"
Steve asked as he approached Thor.
Upon hearing Steve call his name, Thor looked at him almost instantly. And with a quick and precise movement, he released Stark, who fell violently to the ground. He lay there for a moment, gasping as he tried to catch his breath.
"He escaped my grasp after 150 kilometers to the north, and what's worse, he has the core now. And once again, we'll have to retrieve it"
Thor said, casting an angry look at Tony, who was still on the ground.
"Our new enemy can move freely through the internet"
Nattasha said, getting up from a chair and pausing before continuing.
"And to make our situation worse, he's free. And his name is Ultron."
"I can't understand"
Peter said, drawing everyone's attention to him. He paused before continuing.
"Was it you who created this program, Mr. Stark? Were you trying to kill all of us?"
Upon hearing Peter's words, Tony Stark began to walk slowly toward a computer. In that place, Bruce was standing facing everyone. Tony, with an ironic smile on his face, began to laugh softly, finding the situation amusing.
"Do you find this situation funny, Stark?"
Thor said, approaching Tony but being stopped by Steve.
"Of course, it's not funny... right? This is terrible, a complete disaster"
Tony said sarcastically. His tone of voice was laden with irony, and he struggled to contain his laughter.
"This could have been avoided if you hadn't toyed with something"
Thor said, looking in Tony's direction but being interrupted by him.
"You know what's even funnier?"
Tony said as he approached Thor before continuing.
"You guys not understanding why we need this."
Tony was in the middle of an argument with Thor when Bruce, another member of the group, decided to intervene in the conversation and express his concerns about what Tony was saying.
"Tony, maybe this isn't the right time..."
"Are you serious, Bruce?"
Tony questioned, turning to focus all his attention on Bruce. He then continued:
"Every time someone comes yelling at you, are you going to lower your head and wag your tail like a dog?"
"Only when I end up creating a killer robot"
Bruce said ironically, looking at Tony.
"We didn't create it, not even close"
Tony said frankly.
Upon hearing those words, Bruce stared at Tony, incredulous at what he had just heard, and replied.
"No, Tony, we did create it... it just didn't turn out the way we wanted."
"I know, we made some mistakes in our calculations," Tony said, looking at Bruce, and continued.
"But were we close to developing an interface? No... we were far from it."
"Something you managed to do right, and very well, especially here. However, the Avengers should be very different from S.H.I.E.L.D."
Steve said as he slowly moved away from the sturdy wooden table. He began to walk with firm and determined steps toward Tony, who was on the other side of the room. His look was serious and determined as he continued.
"We, as the Avengers, don't manufacture weapons of destruction; we eliminate them. And we are not initiators of wars; we are those who end them. Our mission is to bring peace and security, not conflict and destruction."
"Has anyone forgotten that I had to carry a nuclear bomb into a wormhole?"
Tony questioned, with a serious and piercing look, as his eyes scanned each face present in the room.
"No, nobody talks about that"
War Machine said, standing next to Agent Hill.
"I saved New York"
Tony added.
"Nor that either"
Rhode said, looking at Tony.
"You remember, a hostile alien army invaded through a hole in space, and we were 100 meters below..."
Tony said, taking a brief pause before continuing:
"We are the Avengers; we can deal with arms dealers all day long, but... up there, it would have wiped out everything, and how would we have put an end to that?"
"We would have done it together"
Steve replied to Tony's question and continued.
"We would have lost together."
Tony approached Steve, saying.
"If we had to lose... we'd lose together."
Steve, with the help of the other Avengers, and now with a clearer plan in mind and the assistance of Peter Parker, began to prepare to face Ultron. Tony, who was a bit more distant, looked at everyone gathered. Despite differences of opinion and the tension in the air, he knew they needed to work together if they wanted to defeat Ultron.
"So, what's the next step?"
Nattasha asked, looking at Steve.
Steve picked up a folder from the table and opened it, revealing a series of information and plans.
"First, we need to track Ultron's activity on the internet. He could be hiding anywhere, but let's start where he was last seen."
As Steve explained the plan in detail, Bruce Banner looked at Tony with a worried look.
"Tony, do you have any ideas on how we can neutralize Ultron? You created him, you know his weaknesses."
Tony sighed, recalling the mistakes he made in creating Ultron.
"I know I made a mistake, but I don't have a specific plan to shut him down. Ultron is smart; he has become autonomous. We need to be careful."
Steve nodded and looked at Peter.
"Do you have any special skills that could be useful on this mission?"
Steve asked.
Peter nodded in response to Steve's question.
"Well, in addition to my spider abilities, I'm also good with technology. I can help track Ultron online and maybe find a clue that leads us to him."
"So, that's our plan"
Steve declared, leaning slightly forward, making eye contact with each member of the team present.