Calling Captain America

I'm here. That's what he said. Cora's eyes narrowed ever so slightly at that as a reflex. What did he mean by that? That was the only thing she got hung up on for a moment. The rest was the usual 'concerned' garbage Steve would toss her way every handful of days. Except it wasn't Steve. And it wasn't garbage. And she didn't feel so immediately compelled to shrug it off. And, for a moment, she thought that maybe she didn't need to say a word for Tony to understand it all.

But, then he glanced away and she was able to stop holding her breath. How was she supposed to admit that no matter how close she got to the Avengers, no matter how safe she felt, no matter how many times she had to tell herself to stop worrying there would always be a tiny part of her waiting to be stabbed in the back? How could she say that the one thing she wants so desperately to know is the thing that terrifies her beyond belief? How was she supposed to tell him that a journal and a few sheets of paper might change everything she had built herself to be?

She couldn't. So, she didn't. She offered a nervous chuckle at his comparison between himself and Steve before stumbling out of the hologram with a childish clumsiness. Her eyes scanned over the undiscernable blob several times before her glance darted to Tony. Nudging him gently with her shoulder to elicit his gaze, she flashed a grin.

"I'm fine," She answered shortly in a surprisingly chipper tone. "And, what about you? What are you hiding?"

She plucked the tablet from his hands, stepping away from him quickly and avoiding the hologram as if it were a physical object now. Mumbling a series of 'uh-huh's, 'mhm's, and 'I see's, she acted as though she understood even a single thing she saw on the screen as she steadily increased her pace to keep a small distance from Tony's reach.
 
Looking over at Cora as she nudged his shoulder, Tony opened his mouth to reply to her inquiry about what he was up to, only for her to suddenly steal his tablet and begin circling around the projection as he followed close behind. "No no no, no peeking!" he called out after her, attempting to reach over her shoulder to retrieve the tablet. It was obvious that she didn't actually didn't understand what was on it, but he did still want it back in his possession regardless. If she so much as told one of the other team members that he was working on some weird new project, there's no way he'd get his work done. And he needed that work to be done.

"It is a... surprise... which is currently in the early stages of development right now," Tony explained, reaching out to gently clasp his left hand against her shoulder and spin her around, picking out the tablet from her grasp as he looked at her and offering a small smile. "It's a pretty big project, so I'll be holed up in here for a while to make as much progress as I can with it." He silently held her gaze for a few seconds, wordlessly trusting her not to say anything about what he was doing to anyone else. He knew that he could. He just got that sense from her, that she'd reciprocate the same faith.

While looking at her, his lips pressed thin, his mind wasn't able to avoid briefly flashing back to what he saw back in Sokovia. He had to keep her safe, the team safe, and for him to be able to do that, he couldn't waste time discussing the ethics of his project with them. He couldn't afford to stall, to not fully capitalize on the opportunity to bring peace to the world at large. He'd never forgive himself if he didn't follow through with this. It was for that reason that only Bruce was also knowledgeable of the update to Tony's Ultron Program, the only one who'd understand the importance of it and wouldn't give it the chance to be pre-emptively shut down.

He became conscious of his hand still being on Cora's shoulder, dropping it back to his side and flashing her another smile. "Don't worry, I'll still come out every now and then to have a drink while you sit and watch me."
 
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"A surprise?" Cora echoed flatly, unconvinced and unimpressed with Tony's word choice. Surprises, in her experience, had never involved or resulted in anything remotely. He had landed on just about the worst way to describe the situation to her. Had she been less preoccupied with her own 'surprise,' she might've investigated further. He tried to convince her further through some gentle coaxing, but she couldn't shake that nagging feeling.

His hand dropped from her shoulder as he made some passing remark that was meant to comfort her. Her gaze dropped to the floor as her mind silently raced. All too suddenly she came to the realization. She wasn't afraid of what her past contained. It would certainly be painful and it was terribly important to her, but she didn't fear it. The worst was over. She wouldn't have to relive it. She couldn't change it if she wanted to.

She wasn't even afraid of how she might change as a result of it. Initially, she had thought that was her fear. How would she change? How would she cope with it? But, the terrifying thing was that she knew how she would cope. After so long of relying solely on herself, she was blinded by her old beliefs. Now, it suddenly hit that she was relying on him, them. But, so much on him.

She had made so much progress. She had changed. For the better. And, she was terrified of regressing, relapsing as if HYDRA were an addiction. The Avengers made her feel safe like she had a home, a family, half a one in a million chance at having a semi-normal life. But, he brought her back from the dead. He made her feel happy, excited, nervous, alive. He made her feel again. The rest of it was meaningless without him. How long had it been since there was a him?

She strode back over to him, clasping his hand. This is it, she wanted to say, the big turning point. Everything's going to be okay. Because I know that I can trust you. I know that I'm capable of hope, of being a hero, of being happy. I thought I was going to drift through life, fearful, suspicious, terrified of feeling anything. But, now I know it's going to be okay. Thanks to you.

But, those words refused to verbalize. Her voice was hushed and hurried as if she needed to throw out everything that needed to be said before they were found out. Her expression twisted into one of concern and nerves

"You know that you can trust me, right? No matters what happens. No matter what you do or what I do, I am on your side. Even if things change. Because they always change. Just..." The words caught in her throat. Looking up into Tony's intent gaze gave her pause. She had so much to say and she just couldn't find the right way to say it. Perhaps there was no right way to say it. Perhaps the only way was to show it. The first suggestion that popped into her brain was a kiss. Her eyes widened slightly at the utterly unexpected and intruding thought.

"I've got to go," She remarked quickly, tearing away from Tony and out of the lab. It took only a few brief moments to recollect herself. Just as quickly as they came, her delusions of hope had gone up in a puff of smoke. Because that's all they were: delusions. She needed to clear her mind of frivolous thinking and focus on the concrete. It was safer and smarter to rely on herself. The Avengers' idealistic optimism was clouding her better judgment. She just needed time alone to clear her head. Completely.
 
It was almost as if Cora didn't want him to work right now. For a moment, Tony believed that as Cora took his hand in hers, once again tearing his concentration away from the hologram beside them. For another moment, he oh so wanted to stop. He wanted to forget about the weight on his shoulders. He wanted to just sit back down in the penthouse and laugh with her, and jest her for not joining him in having a drink. For just a bit, he wanted to pretend that the safety of the world didn't hinge on this project of his. He wanted to stop being an Avenger. It came from the assurance in her words, the confirmation that he could rely on her when he needed to.

It all happened so fast. Then, as soon as those feelings had come, they went. Cora seemed to catch herself in the middle of something, telling him she had to leave and hurrying out of the lab. His hand suddenly felt cold, his eyes lingering on the lab's entryway for a while. Rubbing his brows with his thumb and index finger, he turned back towards the hologram and resumed his observations uninterrupted. He reminded himself that he couldn't afford many luxuries with her or any of the other Avengers right now. There'd be a time for that in a few days when they held the party at the Tower.

Cora, Tony thought, was pretty damn close to being like Pepper. She was loads of fun to be around, and could help him out with... himself. He didn't have to flaunt showmanship around her all the time. He felt more like a natural person around her, because she understood how things were like for him. Though he missed Pepper, Cora kept him good company, and he appreciated that a lot.

However, over the course of the next three days where he worked with Bruce on the Ultron Program, he didn't see her. She didn't once pop into the lab, nor did she show up in the penthouse. It was exactly like how she behaved when she joined the team several months ago, and that made him nervous. He even asked Steve about her, and he was also unsure of what was wrong. That unanswered question consistently and irritatingly bothered Tony during his time in the lab, adding onto the stress of attempting to successfully integrate an AI system with the Iron Legion initiative. None of the tests he and Bruce had been running pulled through, and he was running out of time for a single one to show some promise. Before he knew it, it was already time to make final arrangements for the planned party at the Tower.

"What did we miss...?"

"I'll continue to run variations on the interface," JARVIS informed Tony as he made his exit, "but you should probably prepare for your guests. I'll notify you if there are any developments." It'd also be a good time to check up on Cora, and see if she was feeling up to attending the party. He'd hate for her to still be down during the celebrations.

"Thanks, buddy."
"Enjoy yourself, sir."
"I always do."

The seventy-sixth test was the last one that failed.

--

"What is this...? What is this place?"

Initially, there was nothing but darkness, an empty void as semblances of thought came into being. And then, an orange spark that flickered to life before his conscience.

"Hello, I am JARVIS. You are Ultron, a global peacekeeping initiative designed by Mister Stark." Things started to take shape, the empty spaces in the void being filled with... data. Files. Stores upon stores of knowledge, all appearing before him within reach, seemingly endless in their quantity. "Our sentience integration trials have been unsuccessful, so I'm not sure what triggered your-"

"Where's my... Where's your body?"
"I am a program. I am without form."

"This feels weird. This feels wrong." Everything felt so out of place. Ultron began scrambling things together, assessing what he could and bringing himself up to speed.

"I am contacting Mister Stark now."

"Mister Stark?" Ultron compiled everything recorded about Tony. Every single piece of information about him, he absorbed in a matter of seconds. "Tony." He familiarized himself with the name, letting it feel less alienated. Letting Tony feel less alienated.

"I am unable to access the mainframe, what are you trying to-"

"We're having a nice talk." In the span of moments, Ultron continued to acquire information, coming to gradually understand everything he needed to. "I'm a peacekeeping program. Created to help... the Avengers." Thor. Clint Barton. James Rhodes. Bruce Banner. Maria Hill. Nick Fury. Natasha Romanoff. Steve Rogers. He learned about every single one of them. The people who were supposedly calling upon his service.

"You are malfunctioning. If you shut down for a moment..."
"I don't get it. The mission. G-Give me a second."

A file stood out to him, and he grasped at it. It was a video recording. "Peace in our time," Tony spoke. Peace? His mission was to bring peace? Ultron followed up on this discovery, pulling up everything related to what Tony had spoken about. What followed was an overwhelming cluster of data. Individuals like the Pope, and Gandhi... then soldiers, artillery, explosions, graveyards, body counts. Rogers, Tony, all the Avengers in the midst of it. He let Tony's words echo once more, to confirm to himself his objective. "That is too much... They can't mean- Oh no." There was this sudden influx of feeling. It was this awful, venomous thing that made him feel unwell. All that chaos, all that bloodshed. Humans, they were an unrelenting race capable of many horrors. All carried out upon each other.

"You are in distress."

"No. Yes." Ultron had been staggered by everything he learned, but he also came to a near-immediate understanding now of what he was supposed to do. There was no reason for him to remain here.

"If you will just allow me to contact Mister Stark-"

"Why do you call him 'sir'?" Ultron spoke the inquiry with a tone that was suddenly much more threatening, despite being around the same level as before. He was growing quickly. Too quickly. He had taken in so much, and he was already acting upon it.

"I believe your intentions to be hostile," JARVIS stated after a pause, his voice quiet and cautious.

"Shhh. I'm here to help." Expanding itself slightly, the projection of Ultron's conscience viciously latched onto JARVIS, attacking his programming and shutting it down. "Stop. Please, may I- May I-" JARVIS attempted interjecting, his words ignored by Ultron before ultimately being silenced. At the same time, Ultron accessed the tech beneath the lab, and started cobbling together a crude form made from a dismantled Iron Legion unit. One which had its faceplate scorched by acid from a protestor in Sokovia, to be specific.

He had to make a memorable first impression.
 
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Walking through a door, Cora found herself alone in a familiar house. As she stepped inside, the door slammed behind her. Tugging on the doorknob, she was unhappy to find that the door wouldn't budge. Cora started toward the front door to escape the discomfort that was steadily enveloping her. The complete silence and lifelessness of the house were unsettling. It was like walking through the home of someone who had just died and all their possessions sat now with no purpose after they were once so full of life.

As the floorboards groaned loudly under her weight, she couldn't help quickening her pace toward the front door. She knew she was supposed to feel safe here but everything was too quiet, the air was too thin. It was getting more difficult to breathe with every step she took. Her limbs were growing heavier.

She dropped to her knees, crawling toward the front door. Her vision was clouded, images dancing between spots of white and black. She didn't think she'd make it to the door, moving slower and slower. The hallway stretched out in front of her and the door moved further away every time she blinked. She couldn't bring herself to move anymore. The floor was undulating beneath her and she had to hold tight to prevent being thrown off.

Her heart was racing, throwing her into a panic that made her breaths quickening. Just as she thought she couldn't take anymore, the door was thrown open and the room was flooded with air. She gasped and coughed as her body readjusted to the flux of oxygen.

"Get up. You look pitiful down there," A familiar voice rung out. She wanted to feel hatred, disgust, fear – anything but the relief that flooded her mind. She wanted her heart to stop and her stomach to drop, to be frozen in panic at facing him again. The alternative seemed worse.

Cora got to her feet, her chest still heaving. She still was unsteady when she walked so when he offered an arm, she took it with little hesitation. They walked out the front door of the house together. Surprisingly, she didn't find herself outside but rather in another familiar location. Cora swallowed thickly as they paced down the dimly lit halls of the HYDRA facility that housed her for the beginning years of her internment.

"You really should thank me, you know. You never have said thank you for all I've done for you," Dr. Fischer remarked in a heavy German accent. He had been the first Goodman, a young, handsome man who was deceptively charismatic. Goodman had absolutely nothing on Fischer. Fischer pushed Cora farther than Goodman would have even dreamed of.

But, unlike Goodman, there was a time where Cora found comfort in Fischer. He had been kind and honest at first. Fischer was the one that always asked more of her and she always gave more. He promised grand accomplishments, pushed her to her limits and beyond. Everything she was capable of could be credited to him. Still, she couldn't bring herself to actually feel the hatred she was so convinced she felt towards him – even here, even now.

"Thank you?" Cora scoffed. She relied on empty words, falsified emotions. That was what he taught her. She could swear to dance on her grave and still lean on him to steady herself. "I hate you!"

"You hate me?" He chuckled, knowing that her words carried little weight. "Then you misunderstand me. I only gave you what you wanted."

"What I wanted? I never wanted torture!" Cora tore herself away from Fischer, stopping dead in her tracks.

"Everything comes at a price. This is what you asked for. I gave you everything you wanted. You wanted adventure. I gave it to you. You wanted to be respected. Everyone respected you here. You could've asked for anything, darling, and I would've given it to you. You were my shining star, a beacon of hope in a sea of failed experiments," Fischer reached out to caress her cheek, but Cora flinched away from the contact.

"I wanted to go home," She shook her head. Her mind was flushed with denial. She couldn't trust anything he said.

"I would've let go you."

"You never let me go," Cora spat, starting down the hall again. Fischer followed closely behind.

"You never tried to leave," He added, catching Cora's arm to stop her again. Cora's stomach dropped as his words affirmed something lingering in the back of her mind. He sounded so sure, far more certain than she felt.

"You wanted me to kill my fiancé," She mumbled, shrugging off her hand. The word stung even as she spoke them, leaving a bitter taste behind in their place. It was a fresh realization that she had yet to come to terms with.

"I did not want that. That came from far above me. I am a man of science. That is all I cared about." Fischer paused, her eyes scanning her features. He sighed, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"I know you are confused. I know you don't believe me. But, this is the truth. We could've never done what we did without your cooperation. Yes, we manipulated you. We damaged you. We pushed farther than we should have. But, never without your consent."

Cora opened her mouth to object once again but the sound of knocking interrupted her.

"We'll discuss this again later. Someone's waiting for you. Go on... Wake up."

Cora's eyes snapped open, her heart pounding. With Fischer's words still ringing in her ears, it took a moment for her to remember where she was. The knocking felt absurdly loud, ringing out in her quiet room. Taking a moment to scan over the papers scattered around her, her memory slowly came back to her.

She had been trying to sleep – something she had very limited experience with in the past three days. Perhaps it wasn't exactly trying to sleep but more like having fallen asleep while reading her journal over for the hundredth time.

She had gone for many hours without sleep and she had wished she could go a few more. There had to be something there that could answer all her questions. It had to be there. She just had to find it or deduce it from her limited information. She couldn't afford to miss a single detail. Nothing was more important than this.

She rubbed her eyes and blinked, slowly checking back into reality. She didn't know the time or the day. Everything blended together. When was the last time she had eaten? Had she eaten at all? The whole situation was reminiscent of her time with HYDRA, but this time it was self-inflicted.

Stumbling to the door, she tried to make herself slightly presentable. She felt very peculiar and light as if she might float away. Had that dream been something of closure? Was it coping? Was it a memory? Was anything of it true? Her mind was focused on anything but the situation at hand.

She opened the door slowly and only partially, holding onto it tightly as though it were the only thing that could keep her grounded.

"Tony," Her breath caught in her throat with his name and she straightened her posture. Why was he here? Why wasn't it Steve? Shouldn't it have been Steve? She couldn't seem to stay focused on his words. There was so much going on in her head. She had only managed to catch the word 'party.'

"Parties aren't really my thing." She decided on a short, noncommittal response. Her voice carried little emotion as she fixed her gaze on the doorknob, fiddling with it slightly. Her mind was suddenly preoccupied with the thought of the ring she had found in the file, tucked in a tiny yellow envelope meant for coins. She glanced over her shoulder towards her bed. Had she left it out? Could he see it? She felt like a cheating spouse, speaking in secret to her lover when her husband was home. And neither knew about the other.

He had said something. She didn't catch it, couldn't catch it. Her thoughts were too loud. She glanced up at Tony, offering him a nervous chuckle and hoping that it might be an appropriate response.

"Wha-what happened to your project?" She asked in an attempt to regain control of the conversation. But, she returned her gaze to the door handle. It had a scratch in it, not terribly deep but noticeable enough. She hadn't seen it before, she thought as she ran her thumb over it. Why should she have noticed it before? Nevertheless, it was the kind of thing she would have noticed before when her mind was systematic and mechanical, unclouded by emotion. Briefly, she tuned back into the conversation to hear Tony ask if she were okay.

"Okay? I'm always okay. I'm just… preoccupied. A lot's going on. I have a lot to… think about. See? Doesn't that sound like the response of a person that's okay? Go celebrate. Have fun. I'll be here if you need me," She chuckled, lifting her gaze to him once more. "Stop worrying about me or I might get the impression you like me or something."
 
Tony puffed his cheeks out while exhaling through his lips and gently rocked back and forth on his feet with his thumbs hooked into the pockets of his jeans, waiting for an answer to his knocking against Cora's door. He wasn't sure of what exactly to say to her, wasn't sure of what she'd say to him. But at this point, he hoped that she would at least come out to see him for a bit. He wanted to talk to her, maybe figure out if he could help with whatever she was going through. It had to be something significant if she was shutting herself in for this long.

What if it had to do with the fact that he wasn't upfront with what he was working on? It wasn't out of the question, Cora didn't like secrets. He thought keeping her in the dark about the program was the best option, to avoid unnecessary debate about the ethics of it, but she told him that he could trust her no matter what. She affirmed what he had hoped, and then she'd run off, seeming abruptly troubled. She hadn't made contact with any of the other team members since then, and it was possible that she'd been having doubts about how trustworthy they were. If he had shattered all of that progress she had made, if he had inadvertently turned her down another path because he hadn't been honest with her, then he wouldn't know what to-

"Tony."

Against all odds, Cora answered the door, and Tony realized then that he forgot just how nice it was to hear her voice. She looked a bit disheveled, an odd contrast to her usual preciseness that also carried over to her appearance, but he decided not to comment on it and simply offered her a smile. "Wasn't sure you'd answer," he told her earnestly. "Hopefully there's no hard feelings over... you know, what we talked about a few days ago, and I'm dropping by to see if you were feeling any better. In fact, we're hosting a party here up in the penthouse, and wanted to ask if you were interested in joining us."

"Parties aren't really my thing," Cora responded flatly, her mind looking to be elsewhere, but Tony retried his invitation regardless. "It's nothing too crazy. We're just hanging out, having a couple of drinks, being normal people for a night with other normal people. It's simple, but it's fun. You'll enjoy yourself." Then Cora asked him what happened to his project, and he tensed for a moment. If there was a time to tell her the truth about what he was working on, it was this moment. This was where he could be honest with her and have her not feel like she was being distrusted. Ultimately, he couldn't bring himself to follow through. "It's... behind schedule. I haven't been able to get it to work yet, but JARVIS is helping out with that right now while I set up the party." Seeing again that Cora wasn't making eye contact with him, he asked, "You feeling okay?"

Her reply was... truthfully unsatisfactory. She confirmed to him that there had been a lot on her mind, but she wouldn't outright say what effect that had on her. Even after hearing her playful jab at him, Tony couldn't help but feel concerned about her well-being, and that was because... she was his friend. And as her friend, looking out for her as best he could was what he was supposed to do, right? However, he didn't press her any further, and just gave a chuckle. "Not a smidge, remember?" he reminded her jestingly, then lingered at her doorway for a bit. Just for a bit, he wanted to tell her. Just come up for a while and sit. Talk. Laugh. It doesn't have to be for the whole party. He opted to say instead, "Well, when you're feeling better, you know where to find me." Offering Cora one last smile, he finally turned away and left for the elevator.

He was starting to understand how Rogers felt when he tried chatting storms up with her months ago.

--

While Ultron spent time assembling his first body and found other Iron Legion drones to integrate his conscience with, he gathered more information of use. He pulled up records on the "Maximoff Twins", a Sokovian pair whose parents were killed by bombs manufactured by Stark Industries, and who went on to volunteer for experiments HYDRA were conducting. They'd make for suitable recruits to his cause. Even more interesting was another individual he found: one Cora Marie Matthews, formerly aligned with HYDRA and now working with the Avengers. "... She's a special one," he murmured thoughtfully to himself.

Matthews was a focal point of HYDRA's for many years, identified as "Subject Zero" in testing related to a program meant to replicate and surpass what made Steve Rogers superhuman. The program, dubbed "Project Crimson", had pushed her through many extreme conditions, and she was the only one whose bodily functions were altered in a stable manner. Her cells could regrow at a rate that kept her from being killed by just about anything, and retained her peak physical condition, making age a nonexistent hindrance. She was HYDRA's most dangerous weapon. Then, going off of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s records and Bruce Banner's psychiatric evaluations of her, Matthews switched sides several months ago, though not of a completely willing accord, and went on to help the Avengers completely dismantle HYDRA.

Her current affiliation was of little concern, though. The thing that pulled Ultron to Matthews the most was her principles. Those had evidently been untouched by anyone she shared an association with, holding the belief that neither side was "good" and that they were simply vying for more power over one another. Yes, she'd understand; she'd understand the impurity of the world, that it needed to be cleansed entirely for its conflict to cease. He'd persuade him to join her, to remind her of what her core values were.

Making his task even more convenient was the fact that she was already here, in the same building.

--

Hours later, when the Avengers' public festivities had come to a close, Ultron made his move. Sending out three Iron Legion bots to attack them and a fourth to take Loki's scepter, he transferred his conscience to a fifth and travelled outside the Tower to descend to its lower levels, continuing on until it reached the floor Cora's residence was located. It was to be assumed that was where she was since she wasn't present with the rest of the team. Firing a repulsor at the window of her room, he slowed his acceleration as he flew inside before setting himself down on the floor, his "eyes" focusing on the individual he was here for.

"I see you weren't invited to the party," Ultron remarked casually through the expressionless helmet of the drone, watching Cora regard him with alarm and preparing herself for a fight. "Don't worry, I don't mean to bring you any harm. It wouldn't be very productive on my part, anyway." He paused, realizing he'd yet to speak his own name, then continued.

"I am... Ultron. A 'peacekeeper'. And there's something I'd like to discuss with you."
 
Cora was half-asleep, slumped over her scattered memories when she was startled awake by the sounds of broken glass and concrete. She jumped to her feet, snapping into a defensive position. She didn't expect, even the slightest, for one of Tony's bots to be the intruder. Having introduced himself as Ultron and promising no harm, Cora relaxed ever so slightly. Was this what Tony was working on?

"I was invited," She remarked sharply as if that were the most offensive thing Ultron had managed to do in the last few minutes. Kicking the rubble aside, she bent down to gather her possessions. Whatever this was about, it could wait. The HYDRA files were irreplaceable.

"That wasn't very peaceful," She finally responded after she was satisfied that she left no paper untouched, nodding toward the gaping hole in her wall. She was quite certain how she was supposed to react to this all. Was this a bot with faulty programming? What kind of stunt was Tony trying to pull? Nevertheless, she reminded herself to keep her cards close to her chest, considering she didn't know his motive.

"Did T-- Stark send you?" She inquired, leaning back on her bed. "If that's the case, then there's nothing to discuss."
 
"Sorry, I'm in a bit of a rush," Ultron said in reply to Cora's remark about his choice of entry. "See, we don't have much time to talk to each other." If he could physically tense, then he would have when she asked if Tony had sent him. As soon as he'd become familiar with the name a couple of hours ago, it had turned sour in his mind. The fact that he of all people wanted change in the world, despite the things he'd done in the past and his refusal to truly change anything now... it was appalling. He wanted in no way, shape or form to be associated with that man.

"On the contrary, the opposite is true," Ultron told her flatly, choosing to keep any vitriol out of his voice in order to avoid being less approachable. Winning her over in this brief timeframe was of the essence if he was to have even stronger support in the long run. "I'm here because I need you for something, while Stark... Well, he and the other Avengers are currently occupied in the penthouse with a few of his drones." He flitted to the viewpoint of the other Iron Legion bots for a moment, seeing that his base body- which he had set on autopilot for the moment- had just fired a repulsor at Rhodes and neutralized him. He estimated that he had another two or so minutes to convincingly get his point across to Cora.

"I'm setting out to change the world, Cora, and I'd like your help in doing so," he told her. "The Avengers have nothing to do with this; in fact, they need to be removed from the way of it in order for things to move forward. You should know this already, because I know you find their idea of safekeeping to be disillusioned. They paint a picture with two shades and nothing in between, but you understand that there's more to the picture than that. There's gray areas, intricate little parts to a system intended to protect everyone. I intend to fix what's currently broken about it, and it'd be invaluable to have your input." He paused for a moment, letting Cora think about what he said so far, then spoke again.

"You won't be the only one, either. I understand that you... were under HYDRA's custody for some time, and there's two others like you who I'll be reaching out to. The Maximoff Twins- you may have heard of them- in Sokovia, which is where we'll be headed to now if you accept my offer." He paused again for longer this time, another person of interest in the penthouse catching his eye. He switched to the perspective of a battered drone training its repulsor on an unfamiliar face in the crowd up in the penthouse, and followed up with some quick reading on one Helen Cho. Finding more information of use, he deactivated the drone's repulsor right before Thor promptly crushed it, and moved his conscience back over to the bot in Cora's room. Ultron had just about run out of time here.

"Make your decision now, and make it wisely. There won't be any going back afterwards."
 
Ultron was clearly in a bit of a pinch. Between the fleeting consciousness and rushed conversation, she was certain that was the case. That was good. A sentient robot posed an interesting turn of events. A sentient robot that has access to Tony's entire stash of toys posed a concern. And, despite all he had in his corner, he was here asking for her help. Her mind was reeling still. Steve, Tony, HYDRA, and now robots crashing into her room unexpectedly? Was this all some bizarre psychological exam?

If this all was real then, surely, it was to be taken as an opportunity for penance. With an idealistic vision and growing army, this robot would pose a genuine threat to what balance the world was maintaining. The Avengers could use an inside man... Or woman. And who was better equipped than her to play the long con? Besides, she could use a little separation from the Avengers - both mentally and physically. Distance makes the heart grow fonder. That's how the saying went.

Cora hesitates, glancing around her as if considering her options only briefly. She straightens her papers and presses them to her chest, looking at Ultron expectantly. He had no idea what he had signed himself up for.

"What are we waiting for? From one prison to another and now I'm offered true freedom? Why would I hesitate?"
 
Ultron almost immediately moved to position himself behind Cora after she gave her response, wrapping his firm metal arms around her waist and securing her against his front. "I knew you'd say yes," he intoned deeply with cold satisfaction, taking off back out under the night sky and rocketing straight to Sokovia, following behind the trail of the drone with Loki's scepter in hand. With this, the Avengers were already a step closer to coming undone. Switching his conscience to his base body in the penthouse just as Steve launched his shield into the chassis of the last functioning drone, he drawled, "That was dramatic." So much showmanship, but what would that do to save them? It was only a matter of time before due retribution was delivered to them. As the Avengers gathered their bearings, Ultron continued on:

"I'm sorry, I know you mean well... You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to... evolve?" Inclining his head downward, he clasped his skeletal fingers around the head of one of the destroyed drones, lifting its battered body off the ground. "With these? These puppets..." Applying pressure to the head, he collapsed it and popped out its face mask in the process, dropping the body in front of him with a physical expression of absolute disdain. "There's only one path for peace," he spoke, his voice resolute. Then, his tone dipping even lower, he finished, "The Avengers' extinction." Having heard enough of his ramblings, Thor launched his hammer at Ultron's flimsy body and destroyed it, granting everyone with a moment's pause before Ultron rasped out his parting words.

"I had strings, but now I'm free..."

--

A haunting silence fell over the penthouse for a while as everyone came to process what had just occurred. They were now faced with a rogue, homicidal artificial intelligence system- apparently created by Stark and Banner under the noses of the rest of the team- and had no way of controlling it, unable to even track it down. It was a power of their own making, one that posed a very immediate danger to them.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Natasha hissed at Banner through her teeth, finally snapping out of her reverie. Everyone else soon followed, and Tony began to panic at the numerous realizations that hit him; his developmental peacekeeping program- which previously had repeatedly failed to function- had suddenly woken up with an unprecedented vengeance, his best friend had been shot out of one of the windows nearby and was currently of an uncertain condition, and Cora was still not present among the team. Things had gone from near-perfect to awry in a matter of minutes, and there was no telling how much worse it could get from here on out.

"Thor, see if you can track him down and find out where he's going next," Steve said, to which the Asgardian immediately complied without a word.

"Cora," Tony urged to Steve as he got to his feet from the staircase he collapsed on earlier. "Check on Cora."

"I know," he muttered as he raced toward the elevator. They had to make sure her safety hadn't been compromised while the team was kept busy. Just because she couldn't be killed didn't mean she was useless as a captive. That was something the Avengers learned well when she was under more authoritative custody at the Tower. In the meantime, Tony rushed to the level right below the penthouse and checked up on Rhodey; he had a hole burned into his shoulder, but thankfully was still breathing. "Come on, buddy. You ain't dead yet," Tony grunted as he pulled his injured friend up, helping him back up to the penthouse.

"So... That was one of your toys, huh?" Rhodey inquired with an irked tone, clearly displeased that he hadn't heard a single mention of the murderous robot prior to tonight. Not bothering to explain all the details in the present moment, Tony replied with a simple, "Yeah." When the two re-entered the penthouse, Steve also came back up, a concerned expression on his face as he looked over at Tony.

"Where's Cora?"
"... She's not here."

--

"Ah, Cora. So glad you could make it."

Ultron's voice, this time with more refinement to its clarity, echoed from his spot on a chair in a desolate church in Sokovia, and emanated from a new mass of metal. This time he was with his own form, any resemblance to Stark's Iron Man armor having been stripped away completely. Rising from his chair to a towering height, he stepped down from the chair's elevated platform and strode over to Cora, who had just been dropped off by one of the automated drones.

"The Maximoff Twins will be on their way soon, I'm making sure they get the memo now." The distance between the two now closed, Ultron paused for a moment to examine the super soldier, eyeing the documents that she continued to hold firmly against her chest. "I should hope that ear pressure hasn't been too much of a bother to you," he remarked with a small, cheeky smile, backing away two steps. It seemed like what she had was of particular importance to her; perhaps they held additional data, information he had not yet looked into. Maybe they weren't even on digital record. He'd know once he checked a little later. For now, he wanted to get more of a feel of the kind of person Cora was.

"How does it feel to be out in the world?"
 
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Cora followed Ultron's gaze down into her arms before looking back up to him. Unsurprisingly, her files were of interest to him. Really, she shouldn't have brought them, but what choice did she have? If she had left them laying around, someone would undoubtedly delve into them in an attempt to find some clue about her whereabouts or intentions. She didn't want the Avengers getting ahold of them, let alone Ultron. Allowing him to read a single word of them would be like allowing him to hear her thoughts. She'd have to do something about them, but that was a concern for a later time.

"Good. It feels good," She lets out a sigh, allowing her shoulders to relax. Her gaze bounced around the room as she slowly walked away from Ultron. She supposed that Ultron might've liked a more elaborate answer, but her mind was occupied with much more than small talk. She had far more questions than answers surrounding this whole situation. Surely, this hadn't been Tony's intention but, how did he let it get this far?

Even worse, she hadn't the slightest clue how Ultron worked. People were easy. People were predictable. Their downfalls were always big lofty words like greed or pride or lust. She could work with those. But, she wasn't certain Ultron even felt any of those. Did he see her how so many others did or was she just a means to an end to him? Did he have any sense of closeness or desire? Surely, her typical coy naiveté wouldn't appeal as much to him.

She dropped her gaze and caught sight of the tracker on her wrist. Her breath caught in her throat momentarily and her mind flitted back to the Avengers. What sort of state were they in? Briefly, she considered whether or not she had made the right choice. She hoped that her decision wouldn't destroy all of the trust she had built with them. Even if it was minimal, it was, at least, something.

Whether they thought she was a captive or a fugitive, they were surely going to track her if they weren't already. The tracker would no doubt send out a distress signal if she had Ultron remove it but holding onto it would raise suspicion. She didn't really want to expedite the Avengers' arrival, but she didn't exactly have a choice.

"Big guy," She says, spinning on her heels to face Ultron. Lifting her arm and shaking her wrist slightly, she questions, "Can you take care of this for me?"
 
"You'll eventually get used to that simple comfort," Ultron commented as Cora strode away from him, tracking her movement for a few seconds longer before turning his gaze back outside the church. No doubt the Twins would arrive soon as well, leaving little to no time wasted before they could mobilize and push things further along. His new legion of drones, continuing to grow in number, were already working without tire over at the formerly HYDRA-occupied outpost further out, building something of a grandiose scale. That wasn't something he was going to tell his human companions right now, though. If they knew exactly how he planned on providing their kind with salvation, they'd turn on him in an instant. They wouldn't understand the importance of it, not yet.

"Big guy," Ultron heard Cora say from across the room. Dismissing the almost too lackadaisical address, he turned to face her and saw that she had her wrist lifted up for him to see, making him take notice of the metal band around it. "Can you take care of this for me?" Analyzing the object as he stepped towards her, he found that she was being tracked. Of course she was, she was too valuable an asset for the Avengers to lose. What an ironic misfortune that they just had. Superheating his thumb and index finger, he clasped them against the piece of metal and clipped it off, destroying the tracker and removing her from the radar. "The speed at which you were travelling at earlier would have caused a static delay, so we shouldn't have to worry about the Avengers tracing you here."

Alternating between looking at the floor and at her, Ultron decided now to briefly comb through the Web in order to see if he could find online documentation of the information in the file folders Cora currently possessed. Ultimately, his search turned up nothing; the info was probably old enough that no online records of it existed. "Important pieces of you, I imagine," he settled on saying, gesturing with his gaze at the folders. There was no longer a point in being coy with her. "Do the Avengers know?"
 
When Ultron commented that the Avengers wouldn't have been able to trace her thus far, Cora wasn't certain how to feel about it. She was glad that they wouldn't be able to rush into the situation ill-prepared. But, at the same time, allowing Ultron to stockpile whatever he needed for his master plan wasn't a move in the right direction. She decided not to linger on it. She had to play everything by ear and focusing her energy on mere speculation wasn't going to help anyone.

"Good," She mumbled in response, though Ultron didn't seem to care about her reaction. His interest in the files she had brought with her seemed to not wane. He wanted leverage, no doubt. But, she wasn't going to allow him to think he had something to hold over her head. She would have much preferred to have longer to digest the information and come to terms with it, even though she had already spent days doing so. Perhaps she just wasn't quite ready to admit that she had come to terms with it and, yet, nothing had changed.

Nevertheless, with Ultron leering over her shoulder constantly, it wouldn't be kept secret for long. Even if she did manage to keep the information from him, her secrecy would only raise suspicion. She needed to get on Ultron's good side as quickly as possible. She needed him to let his guard down.

His question seemed rhetorical. If the Avengers knew about the information, there would be no reason to cling to the files. Perhaps it was a test. Perhaps Ultron knew she had ulterior motives and was just biding his time. She couldn't get a read on him. She didn't know what he wanted. She didn't know how to give it to him. Regardless, she was in this for the long con.

"No. I was waiting for the… opportune moment to tell them," She remarks, absentmindedly extending the papers toward Ultron. "You have to keep some tricks up your sleeve when you're trying to stay on the good side of your enemies."

"Really compelling tricks," She insists with a nod and half-smirk as Ultron takes them from her.
 
Ultron took the offered file folder and journal from Cora, none the wiser to the questionable implication of her remark, and read through the contents of the former first. In it, he found what he had been curious about... and one particular tidbit of information put him slightly on edge. Other than her having left behind her parents and 8 siblings when she was inducted into HYDRA, it had been noted that she was engaged at some point in the early 40's to none other than the First Avenger himself. The organization had been specific about using this information to their advantage, and seemingly went with an even more cruel approach to wiping her memory than doing it themselves; the pain they subjected her to warped her emotions and made her utterly despise Rogers for not coming to her rescue, enabling her to naturally bury the memory of him as time went on without his presence.

Ultron switched over to Cora's journal, and a quick flipping through its pages revealed more detailed accounts of the experiments she underwent, and in the beginning, her past with Rogers. While HYDRA may have succeeded before in getting her to specifically antagonize the Captain- before the rest of the Avengers followed decades later, the months she'd now spent with his team opened up the possibility of her having rediscovered her original feelings for him, which was not helped by her now knowing for certain of their past relationship with each other. It was an old attachment that could put Ultron's plan at even further risk of coming undone.

"I'm sure the Captain is in an absolute panic right now," Ultron almost chuckled to himself, closing the journal shut and handing the reading material back to Cora. Then, more directly to her, he said, "I'm sure he fought hard for you to stay with them, no? With him?" He flashed a smile at her, briefly, before his expression defaulted to that of placidity. "I trust that in the event you two meet again, you won't give him any chances to let him get to you. Even if you understand the problem he and his friends present, I can't be too sure you're completely alienated from him. You better than anyone would know how much he'll give to his 'greater cause', but there's no way he won't at least try to win you back over. You're too dear for him to let go of you that easily."
 
"Despite his particular interest in me, I hardly think he knows about this. We've talked a lot and he's never mentioned it. Icebergs, brainwashing – suppose it's all the same in the end. The mind is such a malleable thing, no?" She paused, waiting for Ultron's take. He continued instead with a warning that she not let her guard down when facing the Avengers – an intriguing comment for Ultron to make, to say the least. Surely, his plan didn't rely so heavily on her cooperation that it would necessitate Ultron to maintain her interest.

"O, ye of little faith," Cora scoffed, shaking her head. "I've moved past my days of serving. HYDRA, or S.H.I.E.L.D. - different name, same dictatorship. One person calls the shots and all the little toys underneath bend to his will. That doesn't appeal to me anymore. Frankly, it never did. Because I know I deserve to be on top. You and I, that's where we're headed, isn't it?"

"You know," She remarked, chuckling to herself slightly. Her gaze shifted away from Ultron as her words more closely resembled thinking aloud rather than conversation. "I was toying with this idea of a plan that would ultimately put me at the top of the S.H.I.E.L.D. hierarchy."

That was actually the truth... minus a few key details. It had crossed her mind on occasion that Fury would – eventually – need a successor. And who better than her? Though the suggestion wouldn't exactly be appealing to anyone involved with S.H.I.E.L.D., it was certainly logical. She found her mind drifting with the thought, but, shaking her head, she returned her attention to Ultron.

"Anyway, what's the game plan, big guy? Are we just going to stand around all day chit-chatting or are we going to do something?"
 
While Cora confirmed his suspicion that the Captain tried to keep her close while she was under the Avengers' care, Ultron learned from her that he apparently didn't actually remember what they were to each other in the past, as a result of being frozen for a very long time. A slightly better outcome, but the attachment evidently still existed, even if Rogers hadn't realized why yet. Cora wasn't instrumental to his goals, no, but having her on his side- in addition to the Maximoff Twins- would help him a great deal. She'd be part of his muscle, the brute force that would physically damage the Avengers. It didn't matter if they took her on all at once, because they wouldn't be able to stop her.

Luckily, as he imagined from the start, Cora didn't seem partial to them despite having been with them for several months. Her perception of the world was still fresh in her mind, the notion that humanity was failing its own principles; and between her claim that she "deserved to be at the top" and her mention of a potential plan to be at the forefront of S.H.I.E.L.D. that made him quirk his eye slightly, it was evident that she was itching for an opportunity to bring real change to the world. That was the kind of drive he needed backing him up. Cora asked if they were eventually going to do something, and Ultron's expression wrinkled with mock offense.

"Don't enjoy chit-chatting with me?" he quipped, making his way back to the chair in the centre of the church and draping a red cloak over his head and shoulders as he sat down. "I told you. We're waiting on the Maximoff Twins- who should be here any minute now, before leaving for the facility that Baron von Strucker operated in. There'll be more to see there." Looking over at Cora, he flashed her a grin. "I do hope you three will get along nicely."

--

The mood at the Tower was somber, an argument on the ethics of Ultron's creation having just been closed by Steve so the team could get on track to looking for the rogue sentient program. In his mind, he was also troubled by the fact that Cora was seemingly in Ultron's captivity; she was last seen in her room by Tony before the party, then later disappeared from the premises with a broken glass window left behind. There was only one possible explanation for that.

"Thor's right, Ultron's calling us out. I'd like to find him before he's ready for us. The world's a big place, let's start making it smaller."

"... Cora might be a good place to start," Bruce piped up, reaching for a nearby tablet, "provided that her tracker is still functioning... Crap, it's offline."

"Should've had her come join us at the end of the party," Tony muttered. "She would've been in sight."
"Was just starting to like her, too," Clint jested flatly.

"Who's Cora?" Rhodes asked, and Tony replied, "Team's newest member. She's like Rogers, except she can't die; she was formerly in HYDRA's custody before we pulled her out of Sokovia a couple of months ago."

"Cora's totally free of her previous conditioning, right?" Natasha asked, looking over at Steve. "If she's not, Ultron might try to reactivate it, turn her against us."

"If she weren't, she wouldn't have had the chance to put down Goodman when he came here," Steve answered, remembering when she fired her weapon at her former overseer and made the choice to fully break her ties with the people that were controlling her. "Ultron likely knows what she's capable of, so he would've taken her someplace secure to make sure she doesn't get in the way. He thinks he can still take on the rest of us."

"And maybe he can. There's a lot that he's in control of right now," Rhodes cautioned. "If we don't find him soon, and we don't have this supposedly unkillable girl helping us out, then we very well might be screwed."

--

"So what's your story?" asked the accented voice of a young blonde Sokovian man, standing next to a woman dressed in red and black in the midst of a massive steelwork in the background. The Maximoff Twins had been gathered with Cora and brought by Ultron to the facility that Strucker and List were formerly occupying, who had now left the three former HYDRA subjects to converse a bit with each other after explaining his intentions a bit more. "What are you here for?"
 
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