.

"I don't have a girlfriend."

.

New York.

The world-renowned geneticist Dr. Helen Cho was already waiting in the Tower when the Avengers landed. Straight away, the medical crew removed Clint on a rolling stretcher, and Natasha accompanied his transfer to the emergency care facility.

Entering the Quinjet, Maria Hill greeted Tony. "Lab's all set up, boss."

Pointing to Steve, the genius replied sarcastically as ever, "Well, actually, he's the boss. I just pay for everything, and design everything, and make everyone look cooler."

Underneath Tony's aloof remark there was a trace of something deeper and more complex about the Avengers' sponsor. For the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, the most difficult thing wasn't working on a team per se, no, but accepting the second place on it. Beyond question, Captain America's leadership was respected and acknowledged by everybody, even by Iron Man himself. To make things worse, Tony's narcissism and arrogance were even a most dangerous combination when mixed with his veiled PTSD – exactly what could be used to create chaos.

Even so, the Captain didn't pay attention to any complaints whatsoever, keeping the focus on their job. "What's the word on Strucker?" he asked Maria.

Always professional and efficient, the former Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. had completely adapted to working with the Avengers. "NATO's got him," she answered promptly, handing Steve a StarkPad with the mission's report.

Picking out the images, he recognized the duo. "The two enhanced?"

Maria nodded, "Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, twins, orphaned at ten when a shell collapsed their apartment building." The two of them walked through the Quinjet launching bay, while she continued, "Sokovia had a rough history. It's nowhere special, but it's on the way to everywhere special."

"Their abilities?"

"He's got increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis. Her thing is neuro-electric interfacing, telekinesis, and mental manipulation." After the detailed explanation, she summarized it, "He's fast and she's weird."

Still concerned about the potential of threats, Steve warned, before entering the elevator, "Well, they're going to show up again."

"Agreed. File says they volunteered for Strucker's experiments." Tilting her head, she voiced her disapproval, "It's nuts."

"Right," he replied ironically, "What kind of monster would let a German scientist experiment on them to protect their country?"

The parallels between the creation of the super-soldier and the enhanced were evident, no questions about it. While trying to make amends, she sounded even more patronizing. "We're not at war, Captain."

Before leaving, Steve countered straightforwardly, "They are."

Once more the Captain had shown his high moral values and incredible grasp of humanity – qualities that had earned Maria's ultimate respect, a long time ago.

Underneath Tony's main lab, the Iron Legion returned to the automatic repair workshop.

Meanwhile, Steve and Natasha were watching split images that were showing their other selves in different places on the Tower. Nonetheless, they were focused on the spy, who was waiting in the medical area, anxious to learn the official medical statement of the archer's condition. If something bad ever happened to her partner, she would have to be the one to talk to his family, and she couldn't even think about disappointing them.

Steve knew her too well, and reassured kindly, "Clint will be okay."

Keeping herself in absolute control, not showing her true emotions, she nodded, while trying to think about something else. In any circumstance, for the super-spy, the best defense was always a good offense.

Narrowing her eyes, she questioned, "Do you like the creepy twins?"

Taken by surprise with her suddenly accusatory tone, he explained, "I understand their motivations. It's different."

Leaning against one of the couch's pillowed arms, Natasha looked straight at Steve, and contested, "Even after what that Wanda has done to us?"

"According to Strange, she didn't know exactly what she was doing."

"So, you do believe him."

Touching his chest, he asked, "I'm not feeling hurt anymore, are you?"

Puzzled, she stretched her muscles for a moment, before responding, "No, just a bit sore."

"The story checks, her name, powers… Until we get a better explanation… It all fits, don't you think?"

"That's not an excuse," she replied definitely annoyed. "Clint could be dead."

"No, and I'm not saying that it is. I'm simply trying to get inside their minds." Steve added with compassion, "They were orphaned too young, left misguided, in a land in ruins. Easy targets for Hydra."

"I was younger, and I didn't volunteer to become a secret KGB assassin." Natasha sounded unaffected, but underneath her sheath of ice there were the shame and regret she had already shown him, a long time ago.

"I know, I'm sorry." Staring at her, he spoke with sheer admiration, "But that's why you're the best of us all."

Confused by his unexpected compliment, she gasped, "What?"

"You understand all sides of the coin," he gave her a half smile, "People like me think there's only two, right?"

"Definitely." She hesitated for a moment, before saying sadly, "But there are… sides… I'd rather have never seen."

"It must not have been easy to make the right choice when you grew up with nothing. That's why I trust your judgment above all others."

Natasha's emerald green eyes opened widely, before she looked down, replying, "There's nothing right in trading the KGB for Hydra."

"We were all tricked by them." Raising his eyebrows, he smiled regretfully, "I died for nothing."

Remembering what she had said, back at Sam's house, she contested firmly, "You know I was just teasing you. You saved tons of lives."

Rubbing the back of his neck, he sighed, "It's okay. I hope they're finished for real this time."

"That's why you empathize with the enhanced? Cause we were all fooled by Hydra?"

"I think that they didn't have a chance to learn from their mistakes yet, as we did."

Frowning for a moment, she went on, with a mix of irritation and respect. "Your integrity never ceases to amaze me."

"I believe in second chances, don't you?"

"Well, I guess I have to. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here."

"Stuck with me," he replied timidly.

Steve looked so youthful and open… irresistible… As she had done many times before, Natasha smirked, averting her eyes, while trying to find something to say… a way out.

They had been trapped there for barely a few hours, but the perspective of escape wasn't good. The super-spy couldn't get too relaxed, although it was becoming increasingly difficult not to do so. She wasn't sure if there was something in the 'magical' environment, or if it was just the comforting presence of the gentleman himself. But the place felt too cozy… too intimate. Love is for children. What? Where did that thought come from? The situation couldn't be more complicated. Steve was the one man that Natasha couldn't allow to be this close for too long. Deep inside, she knew it, her resistance was starting to fail, and that was the last thing she should do. Focus, Romanova.

Centering on the wall, she spoke almost casually, "Speaking about second chances, I think she fancies you."

Completely confused, he looked back and forth between her and the images, before asking, "What? Who?"

"Hill."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I think Hill fancies you."

"Oh, God, here we go again," he murmured, burying his face in his hands. "I thought you were done with the matchmaking thing."

"Too much free time around here," she smirked playfully. "Don't you think?"

"No, I don't."

"She declared her loyalty to you against Sitwell."

"Maria's on our side."

"I bet she wants to be on your side. Trust me."

"I trust you my life," he frowned. "But in this case, you're mistaken. The word is that she likes… Thor, I guess."

"Yeah. She praised his godly arms and all S.H.I.E.L.D. knew about it. But that's precisely the perfect cover. Don't you see?" She winked, "No one notices when she gazes upon you."

"I don't see that either."

Chuckling, she jested, "Like you see any one of the bunch of women flirting with you."

Shaking his head, he looked down with embarrassment, replying, "Believe me. I see everything. It doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Women are masters at the art of misdirection."

"Yes, you are," he gave her a small laugh.

Keeping her interrogatory mode, the spy continued calmly, "Are you interested in her? Do you like dark-haired women?"

"No. I'm not interested in any dates at the moment," he answered firmly. "Besides, we work together. It wouldn't be appropriate."

Flinching, she asked with exciting curiosity, "So you're excluding all co-workers?"

Beyond confused by her query and her seemingly disappointed tone, he stared at her for a second, before replying, "What… do you mean?"

But she didn't skip a bit, and teased, "I thought you liked blondes. You didn't call Sharon. She's CIA now."

"No. Of course I wouldn't call her. She's related to my old friend Peggy Carter. It would be too weird… wrong."

Natasha paused, scrutinizing him attentively, and spoke with gentleness, "Peggy was the woman in the photo in that bunker, wasn't she? Brown hair. Gorgeous."

"Yes…"

"I understand. Sharon probably grew up idolizing you, with photos and all the fan stuff. Like Coulson."

"Now you're exaggerating."

"I don't think so. You have been the hero for so many generations. That's why it's not easy to find someone without a slightly… fangirl obsession." Punctuating the last words, she made him blush, and teased even harder, "At least not an American."

"Why are you always trying to set me up with someone else?"

Straightforwardly, she carried on, "I'm being your friend. That's not what you want from me?"

"No!" He thought, visibly ashamed, Did I say it too quickly? Damn it, Rogers.

"Ah… So, who do you want me to be?"

This time, he couldn't evade her question, and stuttered, "I… That's not what I meant. You are my friend. And I don't want you to be anyone but yourself." After a deep breath, he smiled bashfully, "Just… I don't need a girlfriend. Stop trying to fix me, okay?"

"I'm not trying to fix you."

"Well, that kind of sounded like that was what you were doing," he gave her a half laugh.

Pursing her lips, Natasha admitted, "I want to understand you better."

"Can't you just ask me what do you want to know?"

"Fair enough. Are you still in love with Peggy Carter?"

Taken by surprise with her blunt question, Steve answered quickly, "She is married, with kids, grandkids."

"That's not an answer."

"No."

"It means you're not in love with her, or you're not gonna answer me?"

Their moment was disrupted as they saw the archer coming out from the emergency room…

After having his wounds stitched and received the appropriate medicine shots, Clint woke up with Natasha by his side. They brought him to Bruce's lab still under sedation, which would be necessary for him to undergo Dr. Cho's healing procedure.

Observing the high-tech machine that was rebuilding the archer's damaged cells, the spy narrowed her eyes. "You sure he's going to be okay?" Natasha asked Helen while smiling back to Clint. "Pretending we need this guy really brings the team together."

Partners and best-friends for a long time, the two spies always took care of each other, especially after dangerous missions. The grin on the archer's face showed how safe he felt with the spy's presence.

"There's no possibility of deterioration," the geneticist explained, "The nano-molecular functionality is instantaneous. His cells don't know they're bonding with simulacrum."

"She is creating tissue," Bruce added with admiration.

"If you brought him to my lab, the regeneration cradle could do this in twenty minutes," Helen complained.

Bringing beverages, Tony teased, "Oh, he's flatlining. Call it. Time."

"No, no, no! I'm going to live forever," Clint chuckled, "I'm gonna be made of plastic."

Smiling with pride, the geneticist replied, "You'll be made of you, Mr. Barton. Your own girlfriend won't be able to tell the difference."

The sudden personal reference didn't seem to please the archer, and he spoke quite seriously, "Well, I don't have a girlfriend."

"That I can't fix," Helen answered sharply, and then, turned to the genius. "This is the next thing, Tony. Your clunky metal suits are going to be left in the dust."

"Well, that is exactly the plan." Tony smirked, before inviting, "And Helen, I expect to see you at the party on Saturday."

"Unlike you, I don't have a lot of time for parties," she refused, but after a second thought, she asked ashamedly, "Will Thor be there?"

Back in the astral plane, Steve joked shyly, "They all fancy Thor."

"Not me," Natasha replied with an enigmatic grin.

Thousands things were passing across their minds, but they choose to stay in silence. They both valued their friendship a lot, and there were lines that they didn't dare to cross… yet. The key would be to find a way to survive the confinement.

In the days that follow, the soldier and the spy recovered completely from their injuries, while learning to explore the magical cell they were trapped in. Everything was minded controlled, even the screen on the wall, which they could make stop or fade to black, just by concentrating hard. Anything they needed, like a bathroom or a bedroom, would simply appear, fully furnished with supplies to attend both of them. Like prisoners in captivity, they maintained a daily disciplined routine, including workouts and training, to keep their minds and bodies ready for what was yet to come.

The one thing that remained impossible was to find an exit.

Unbeknownst to them all, and despite Dr. Strange's secret efforts, the forces of chaos were already installed inside Tony, clouding his brilliant mind.

The genius became completely obsessed with the advanced alien code that JARVIS found inside the scepter, hoping to use it as a peacekeeping force. "This could be it, Bruce. This could be the key to creating ULTRON. If we can harness this power, apply it to my Iron Legion protocol."

More worryingly, everyone around seemed to be affected, starting with Bruce, who mused, "It's a mad-sized 'if'."

"Our job is 'if'," Tony stated, challenging his fellow scientist to join the clandestine quest.

The outstanding doctor was too easily convinced to break everyone's trust. "So you're going for artificial intelligence and you don't want to tell the team."

"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," Tony said blatantly. "I see a suit of armor around the world."

"Sounds like a cold world, Tony."

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

Two of the most intelligent men on Earth were acting blindly, with arrogance and recklessness. Using their superior scientific expertise, they wanted to impose their beliefs upon their fellow teammates… not unlike dictators.

None of them seemed concerned about the scepter's evil past – when Loki had used it to mind-control Hawkeye and Erik Selvig, among other agents, or when its simple presence had affected the Avengers' minds, turning them against each other, what almost ended up destroying the Helicarrier.

That was a too basic mistake that would have severe consequences. After all, they were dealing with something completely… unknown.

Not long ago, when S.H.I.E.L.D. had been recovering Chitauri lost equipment, three firefighters died after being infected with a lethal alien virus, which was passed along from a warrior helmet, through electrostatic shock. A member of Coulson's team, the biotech genius Jemma Simmons, almost lost her life, before finding an antiserum.

Like its biological counterpart, the code found inside the scepter was hostile to humans. But weirdly enough, even JARVIS seemed to be somehow affected by the chaos. The A.I. failed to inform the possible dangerous outcomes and their percentage of risks, while deciphering its code, and didn't take the appropriate security measures to test it.

They activated the unknown program without knowing its true origin and purpose, allowing it to run free. Working like a computer virus, it infected ULTRON… and attacked JARVIS.

.

.

Author's note: Sorry for the long delay. I had family and health issues that kept me away. Thank God, everything it's getting better. Writing definitely helps me to deal with it all. Thank you for all your kind words and support. It means a lot to me. :)

About this chapter, I tried my best to keep it light, but I teach Computer Science, so it's very hard not to ramble. Besides, I love JARVIS! To be honest, this note is taking me longer than the chapter itself. I know that not everybody reads it, but it's important to me to write it.

Tony once said that magic is science that we don't understand yet. That's okay. But science isn't magic. So, to try and explain something with 'science', even in the fiction world, it has to make a minimum sense, right? The cartoons got it right, simple, and yet, perfectly plausible – ULTRON took control of the Tower, Iron Man's suits and satellites, forcing Tony to shut down all his systems. (Check the references.)

I won't bother you with technical blabbing, but just to make it simple.

Basically, Artificial Intelligence implies that robots are able to make their own decisions and learn from experience. Since they're much faster than us, and can access lots of data at once, they're more efficient, and dangerous.

And codes: think about iOS, Mac, Windows and Android. Apples and pies, right? Alien would be… a rock!

It's not the first time that the MCU drops the ball with JARVIS, making him too smart or too dumb, just to fit the plot. This time they went too far. JARVIS was able to decipher an alien code written in an alien language, running on an alien computer inside the mind gem – one of the powerful infinity stones. Anyway, it means that the code was translated to be integrated into ULTRON's protocols. Therefore, JARVIS was able to read it, and should have identified the hostile programming instantly. Only he didn't.

Then, ULTRON was born and too quickly outsmarted JARVIS, taking control of everything. Yet, he also made a dumb choice – instead of using the Iron Man's suits, he chose the weaker Iron Legion. That was the super villain.

Even having human-like personalities, machines can't fail like we do. It doesn't work for me. It's sad to see a story created to fit the scenes, not otherwise.

What do you think? Please, talk to me!

Please, forgive any English mistake, my 1st language is Portuguese. Commentaries in Spanish are welcomed too.

Love you all,

Xoxo Mari

References: Captain America: The Winter Soldier interview [Chris Evans] Did I say that WAY too quickly?

Ref: TV Series: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013)
1x01 Pilot – [Ward] I don't think Thor is technically a god. [Hill] Well, you haven't been near his arms.
1x06 F.Z.Z.T. – [Jemma] I believe the firefighters initially contracted the virus when they cleaned the helmet, the friction activated some long-decaying Chitauri organism. (…) How it spreads… not through the air or through direct fluid transfer, but through electrostatic shock.

Ref: Cartoon: Avengers Assemble (2013) 2x15 "Avengers Disassembled" – [Tony about ULTRON] He's got my armors, my tower and my satellites.