Chapter 6

~~@ @ @~~

A/N

Read authors note at the end.

Marvel quote;

"Hey fellas,  Either one of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil."

Sassy Romanoff to the freshly exercised Steve Rogers.

~~@ @ @~~

After the last of our guests leave for the night, all that remained was me, Steve, Tony, Natasha, Clint, Thor, Banner, Maria and Rhodey.

Dr Cho, lingered closely behind, although she remained near the piano area, having fallen asleep from intoxication.

I'd say the team was fairly filled with alcohol at the moment but no one was that drunk yet.

It usually takes us a while to get intoxicated.

You know what they say--as your pain tolerance increase, your alcohol tolerance would increase too.

We all gathered around the front of the living room, settling on couches and relaxing under the night sky of the starlight above us.

Thor, Steve and I shared a couch.

Tony and Rhodey sat side by side while Clint sat on the ground with his back resting on the couch, Maria flippantly looking over him.

Natasha and Banner were opposite each other so they could talk lightly.

It felt peaceful.

It's times like this when bad things don't happen. When everything is normal and all of us were not at war.

"But it's a trick!" Came Barton's loud outraged voice. He was gesturing at Mjolnir, Thor's hammer that he had placed on the table in front of us.

I'm afraid he had one too many drinks tonight.

Sitting up from my position, I raised a delicate eyebrow, having grown interested.

Thor shakes his head, laughing. "Oh, no. It's much more than that."

The god of thunder didn't wear his usual armour, instead, he wore black slacks with a shirt over a velvet-red long overcoat.

He cleaned up well.

In fact, everybody cleaned up well.

The Super Soldier beside me was wearing a button-up dark blue shirt with slacks. The outfit clung to him almost perfectly.

Natasha wore a black and white dress that popped her red curls and blood-red lips.

Clint still wore his leather jacket, he never leaves anywhere without it.

I couldn't help but shake my head. "We're the goddamn hottest heroes in the world,"

Clint doesn't deter, he's hitting the table in front of him with--how the hell did he find drumming sticks?

"Uh, whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power!" He says, sarcastically, quoting formally. "Whatever man! It's a trick."

A smile slips past my lips at the interaction.

"Sorry Barton, remember the time when I appeared in the room with you guys? You thought it was a trick too," I said laughingly, referring to the time we were in the interrogation room and Barton had been adamant over the fact that I was a trick.

Barton sends me a mock playful glare in return.

Thor shrugs, apparently knowing it was easier to let him have at it. "Well please, be my guest."

I watch my brother's eyebrows raise at the challenge before he smirks at Barton. "Come on."

None of us believes he could do it and Clint looks around, offended.

"Really?"

Thor nods eagerly. "Yeah!"

"What's wrong Barton? Afraid?" I smirked, looking at him.

He huffs before standing up and throwing the drumming sticks to the couch behind him.

Meanwhile, Rhodey looks on in apparent glee. "Oh this is gonna be beautiful."

Tony shakes his head, palm raise. "Clint, you've had a tough week, we won't hold it against you if you can't get it up."

Of course, always with the innuendos. We all laughed.

Clint looks at Thor, eyes flashing with cockiness. "You know I've seen this before, right?"

He grabs the hammer and pulls it with all his might but it doesn't budge.

After several more failed attempts he stops and shakes his head in utter confusion. "I still don't know how you do it."

Tony sighs dramatically. "Smell the silent judgment?"

"Please, Stark--" Clint gestures to the hammer, "By all means."

Tony gets up and I splutter a laugh, already knowing he's going to fail.

"What, no moral support sis?" He jokes at me, pouting slightly.

I shook my head, giving him none. "Sorry Tony, you're on your own."

Natasha high fives me "Oh, here we go."

"Okay." Maria leans back on her seat, enjoying the ride.

"Uh-oh." Rhodey pokes at Tony making him shrug even more openly.

I relax onto Steve's embrace as his arm is enclosed around me. It felt so right. The whole world settled on this moment where all of us were clearly enjoying our lives.

Because at the end of the day we were family.

A little banged up and cracked but still the same.

I hope things never changed.

"Um-hmm." Clint hummed, going to sit back down to watch Tony.

In the meanwhile, my brother proceeded to unbutton the top half of his vest and collared shirt, allowing more room. "Never one to shrink from an honest challenge."

Clint gestures frantically almost. "Get after it."

The Russian rolls her eyes. "Here we go."

Tony wraps the leather strap around his arm and tugs at it. "It's physics."

"Physics!" Banner supported as we all watch Tony try to lift the hammer.

"I'm not sure a mystical hammer is physics," I added unhelpfully to downfall my brother's incoming failure.

Steve nudges me playfully but I winked in return.

Tony ignored what I spoke, placing his foot over the table for an extra boost. "Right, so, if I lift it, I... I then rule Asgard?"

The god of thunder nods, "Yes, of course."

Tony smirks, "I will be re-instituting Prima Nocta."

Idiot.

My brother pulls at the hammer with all his might and you could hear everybody's resounding chuckles.

After a beat, he paused and with determination in his eyes, bluntly says; "I'll be right back."

He disappeared down the basement and returns wearing the armoured gauntlet.

I resisted a giggle when he once again tries to pull but only fails.

"Rhodey, you in or not?" Tony scolds, glaring at War Machine once it's clear he is unable to lift it.

A few minutes later, both Iron Man and War Machine were both pulling at the hammer with all their might using their iron gauntlets.

"Are you even pulling?" Rhodey commented sarcastically, out of breath from pulling so hard.

"Are you on my team?" Tony responded just as snappy.

"Just represent! Pull!"

"Alright, let's go!" They both continue to pull and pull but it becomes apparent they are failing.

"Alright Tony don't be a sore loser," I waved at him, making him forcefully sit down by my abilities.

He pouted, dragging a beer bottle by the ice and cracking it open.

"Who's up next?"

Banner sheepishly makes his way forward and holds onto the handle, Thor looks on forlornly as Banner pulls.

Abruptly he lets out a loud roar, apparently trying to summon the Hulk and everybody quiets, knowing this may not be a good idea.

Natasha and I cracked a smile as we know he wasn't serious.

"Huh," He mumbles embarrassingly before my boyfriend decided it was a good time to try.

"Oh, this will be good," I said out loud, a bright smile tugging at my lips.

Tony's eyes blink with both sarcasm and cockiness. "Let's go, Steve, no pressure."

Rhodey nodded. "Come on, Cap."

Steve wraps the strap around his wrist before an idea flashed in my mind and I sent coils of energy towards the hammer, hoping it'd lift up slightly.

Ironically, when I do this, Steve budges the hammer and in my complete shock, I drop the wave and stare at it in disbelief.

Thor's face grows alarmed, his gaze widened slightly at the hammer and Steve.

However, Steve is unable to lift it so he lets it go, smiling sheepishly.

Thor lets out a breath of air before laughing in relief. "Nothing."

My boyfriend goes back to sitting next to me and I sealed my lips, knowing this was another secret I had to keep.

Tony looks around. "And?"

"Widow?" Bruce asked gently to the Russian. She shakes her head, sipping the beer.

"Oh, no no, that's not a question I need answered, Riles?"

All eyes turn to me and I shrugged, hoping to play it off cool. "I'm afraid if I do pull it, I'd end up ruling a kingdom from outer space,"

They all laughed as Thor sends me a look but I wink at him, knowing he'd feel better if I assure him I won't do it.

He nods to himself, muttering something under his breath.

I think he knows just what I'm capable of.

Both Tony, Rhodey and Clint are standing in front of us, having grown frustrated with sitting down.

"All deference to the man who wouldn't be king, but it's rigged." Tony deduced like the sore loser he was.

"You bet your ass," Clint nodded sportingly.

Maria gaped, astounded. "Steve, he said a bad language word."

I laughed loudly, slapping Steve's arm when he glanced at Tony almost in betrayal. "Did you tell everyone about that?"

"The handle's imprinted, right?" Tony points, gesturing to the hammer. "Like a security code--whosoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints--is, I think, the literal translation?"

Thor gets up, his tied up blond hair falling over his shoulder. "Yes, well that's, uh, that's a very, very interesting theory. I have a simpler one."

Crossing over, he lifts the hammer with ease and flips it in his hand. "You're all not worthy."

Everybody voiced out their disagreements immediately but I simply took a sip from Steve's beer before giving the god of thunder a warning look.

"You know what Thor, maybe I should try to lift it."

The god grins nervously. "There's no need for that, Lady Lorelie, please accept my apologies."

I shared a hidden grin that makes the god even more nervous.

Out of nowhere, a loud piercing ringing erupts around the room and I cringed, feeling the same pounding in my head return with an astounding vengeance.

Everybody looks up in confusion at the noise and I see Tony pulling out his monitor, trying to find out what that was.

"Worthy..."

The deep guttural voice brings all of us to notice an Iron Legion bot approaching us from behind and up the stairs.

I get up immediately, wary of what's to come.

"No... How could you be worthy?" The bot was dripping oil and it was barely standing, given it wasn't repaired yet. "You're all killers." The bot gestures at us.

"Tony..." Calling out a warning, I looked at my brother, but he was furiously typing away on the monitor, frowning.

"Stark," Steve speaks up, having grown suspicious.

Tony taps the monitor, a frown creasing his face. "JARVIS, reboot. Legionnaire OS, we got a buggy suit."

"I'm sorry, I was asleep. Or... I was a dream?" The bot was moving around, confused and in utter shambles.

"There was a terrible noise... and I was tangled in... in... strings. I had to kill the other guy--he was a good guy."

Everybody was moving now, all of us standing having sensed a threat.

I weaved out energy coils behind my back, hoping to catch the bot off guard just in case.

Steve steps up, face serious. "You killed someone?"

"Wouldn't have been my first call." The bot responded and I frowned. He sounded so much like...

"But, down in the real world, we're faced with ugly choices."

The god of thunder clenched his hammer. "Who sent you?"

There's a static noise before the bot plays a clip. "I see a suit of armour around the world--"

Tony?

Bruce looks at Tony having realized what it meant. "Ultron!"

Artificial Intelligence.

That's impossible.

Both Banner and Tony said Ultron was a fairy tale.

Something we were never going to be able to achieve.

Did they build this thing?

Is that why they were in the Lab that night?

The sceptre...

My brother used the goddamn sceptre.

"In the flesh." Ultron agreed, nodding eagerly. "Or, no, not yet. Not this... chrysalis. But I'm ready. I'm on a mission."

The Russian's gaze narrowed. "What mission?"

"Peace in our time."

The doors exploded, two Iron Legion rocketed towards us and I whip out a barrier, as everybody ducked for cover.

Blue, green and gold filled the shimmering barricade as the bots continue to pound their way through, metal fists beating at the shield.

I stumble backwards, my fingers shaking as energy abruptly rushed through my veins.

It hurts.

Without warning more Iron Legion began to crawl out of the gaping hole in the floor. They flew over the barricade, forcing me to release it and get out of the line of fire.

Steve kicks the table but he is thrown backwards as the bot pummel through, knocking him into the glass.

"Steve!" I shout, barely missing a repulsor beam the bot shot at me.

Everything was chaos, both Maria and Natasha tried their best to shoot at the bots but it was useless. The bullets merely rebounded back.

Getting up from my strangled position, I stomp my foot on the ground, hurling a megaton energy wave that shakes the very foundation of the building.

The Iron Legions recoil back from the force, earning enough time for both Steve and Tony to try and take it down.

I watch as they clambered over the suit and try to dismantle it with brute force. Their weapons are all downstairs. There was no time to get it.

We were unprepared.

"Natasha, get Bruce out of here!" I commanded, manifesting an energy blade.

Natasha and Bruce both ran up the stairs as an Iron Legion bot took notice, shooting beams at them.

Boosting up an energy pillar, I sliced my blade clean across the metal torso, and ease myself downwards as the bot burst apart.

Another Iron Legion flew past me towards the Lab and seconds later I felt a loud crash as it grabbed hold of the sceptre.

"Shit!" Running over, I manifest pillars, quickly jumping my way over. The bot shoots repulsor beams after repulsor beams but I evaded it, deflecting each and everyone that went my way.

It's halfway out of the Tower and heading for the balcony when I finally caught up to it.

"Oh no you don't--" I lunge for its neck, wrapping my legs around the metal and crunching my fingers together--forcing the bot to de-stabilize and whirl around.

The sceptre is dropped and I fell with it, snatching at the weapon before running down near the other side of the hall, hiding.

My breathing is laboured as I held the sceptre to my chest.

In the distance, sounds of fighting are still ongoing.

I had to get out of here somehow--

My mind gives out red flags at the same time the familiar pounding make itself home in my head.

The last of Tony's serum was beginning to wear off, making me no longer immune to the effects the Scepter gave me.

"Fuck," I curse, looking at the gem in obvious disgruntlement. The gem was alluring. Calling me.

Beckoning me.

Through the clear blue of the gem, I thought I saw purple eyes but it was replaced with the reflection of my own blue glowing ones.

Through the hue, something was swirling, no--building.

It was something that burns, something that hurts, something that made me gasp and clutch at my arms, feeling the power seize every fibre of my being and all senses.

I gasp.

Too much.

There was too much power.

"I'll need that back," A metal hand slam itself from behind me, through the pillar, and I was pulled back, thrown towards an array of glass.

The sceptre fell from my hands as I'm knocked hard, wheezing for air.

The Iron Legion bot grabbed the sceptre before shooting me one last chilling look. I watch it cautiously, weight on my arms, wondering when it would shoot.

But after seconds passed, it didn't raise its repulsors, but flew off, leaving me in utter confusion.

Why didn't it shoot?

"Cap!" Hawkeye threw Steve's shield at him and the super soldier grabs it before throwing it over to the last Iron Legion bot.

It is crushed against the wall at the force of the shield and splintered to a billion pieces.

Then there was silence. A horrible silence that seem to stretch on, as all of us noticed Ultron before us.

"That was dramatic! I'm sorry, I know you mean well."

"That's horseshit buddy!" I shout, staggering to my feet as pure rage began to fill me. I am aware of the blood that dribbles down my back and my once beautiful dress was destroyed.

Tonight I was caught off guard and when that happened an attack hit us all at once.

We could never catch a break.

"You just didn't think it through..." Ultron faced me, shaking his head. "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?"

He picks up an Iron Legion head, staring it over."With these? These puppets?"

His hand crushes the head before throwing it away. "There's only one path to peace: The Avengers extinction."

Enraged, Thor throws the hammer at Ultron and smashes him to pieces.

Ultron voice begins to fade but it's clear of the threat lingering in its voice. "I had strings, but now I'm free... There are no strings on me..."

The silence that transpired around us burned with a certain level of emotion none of us could understand.

I can feel each of my team members raging emotions and struggle to put a lid on it.

My gaze found Tony's and I wavered in my steps, feeling his emotions run clear.

The pure distress in his eyes tells me so.

"Tony... What did you do?"

~~@ @ @~~

A/N

What do you think is going to happen?

Will Lorelie blame her brother? What will happen to their relationship? Is Steve going to get in the way?

To be honest writing Lorelie is hard and complex and capturing her exact personality is a nightmare. 

However, she's my character and the reason why I created her was because I wanted to showcase to everyone what its like to see from the inside.

Remember that Lorelie's related to Tony and her boyfriend is Steve.

This will cause a major riff in the future.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe created such beautiful characters that I wanted to recreate something new and personal that will hopefully make you guys, the readers, understand from their point of view.

You might be surprise by the events later on.

Good luck. *Much hugs*

VOte aNd CoMMeNt