chapter xii.
(   age of ultron   )

nothing ever
lasts forever,
everybody wants
to rule the world
everybody wants to rule the world ─── lorde

new avengers facility, upstate new york
may 28, 2015

"Stark."

My eyes slowly trail up from my sketch and my lips purse as I recognize that there is only one person I really know who would call me specifically by my last name. I swivel around in my chair so that I can see Nick Fury standing in my bedroom doorway of the new Avengers facility. I give the serious man a kind smile, folding my legs up on my desk chair as he stands in his ever black uniform. I don't necessarily expect him to return such a smile, but what concerns me is the utter lack of any teasing or even his usual fondness that I see in his eyes.

Something's wrong.

My own smile slowly fades as I uneasily drum my finger against my inner thigh, "Hey."

He stares at me for a longer moment, looking just as he has ever since we first met four years ago. It's always as if he's studying me, searching for something that lies beneath my skin. Sometimes I just wish he'd tell me what it is he's looking for. Sometimes... I feel like everyone is searching for something within me. If they just told me what they wanted so badly, then maybe I could give it to them. Maybe I could finally satisfy them.

And maybe Nick Fury finds it. Maybe he doesn't. Either way, he lets out a quiet sigh and pulls a cream colored file out of his black jacket.

"I wasn't going to give this to you, Stark. I debated 'bout it for a long, long time." He shakes the file at me slightly and proceeds to sit down on the corner of my desk, peering down at me with his one eye, "But Romanoff thought you deserved the right to choose whether or not to look at this."

There's a small pause where the two of us stare at each other and a pit of dread wells up in my stomach.

Still, a sad and joking smile comes over my face, "Nick, I swear to the high heavens, if you're about to tell me I have another sibling out there..."

"Ah." He gives a nod, looking out my big bedroom window to the beautiful green landscape that stretches out beyond, "Well. That is not the case here."

I laugh a little, leaning back in my chair, "Thank God. I don't think I could take another shock like that."

He just gives another nod, not even daring to break a smile.

"Fury," my fingers rub against the metal of my thrusters and I shake my head, "what's in the file?"

He frowns down at the cream file still in his hands, but he doesn't exactly address my question, "People see you two certain ways, Stark. Some... They see you as a good, brave young woman who has fought all her life, readying to take on the reins of her father's company and change the world for the better. Just like her grandfather and father did before her."

I feel my expression flicker a little and I stay quiet for a moment, not certain as to how to respond.

"It's a big legacy to live up to." I tell the ex-director quietly, slowly lifting my eyes up to meet his one.

"It is."

As the silence lengthens, I struggle to meet his piercing and searching gaze and awkwardly rub at my kneecap as I ask, "And the other? You said people see me two ways. What's the other way?"

He shakes his head before plopping the file down onto the desk before me, "That's the other way."

I stare down at the file that holds no emblem on it, no mark of S.H.I.E.L.D. or symbol of the Avengers. It's just blank. My fingers softly rub at the edges of the cream thing, still feeling that dread well up in my stomach. I don't want to know what people see me as, do I? It clearly isn't stellar or Fury wouldn't be telling me in such a mysterious, reluctant way. But I do want to know. I've always wanted to know the answers and I know that now is no different. I take in a deep breath and I move to open the file, only for a large hand to land down on top of it.

I look up at Fury quickly, raising my eyebrows in expectation, "What?"

"That Stark legacy you were talking about," he squints his eye at me, giving his head a slight shake, "This ain't it. You open this file, you're taking a different path."

My throat suddenly feels tight and my heart beats a little harder, "I don't understand."

"Everybody's got a trigger, Lisa Stark. Everybody's got a trigger." He stands, straightening his jacket and pointing a long finger at me, "You open that file, you just might find yours."

My eyes fall back to the file, a strange feeling washing over me.

"You have the right to choose, Miss Stark."

I look back over at Fury as he still stands in my doorway. I can see Dad, Steve, and Thor walking up from a distance, still too far away to hear or be heard.

Fury dips his chin at me, "Choose wisely."

He doesn't move until I slowly acknowledge him, nodding and saying quietly, "Yeah."

He gives another nod, turning from my bedroom and walking away without another word. My chair slowly swivels so that I can look back at the file that stays resting on my desk, an aura of fear suddenly radiating off of it in my mind. My heart still beats hard and my fingernail creates a repetitive tapping against the wood of my desk while I just keep staring.

"Hey Smalls?"

I spin back around and let out a heavy breath, smiling at Dad as he has now taken a place in my doorway, "Hey. Look who decided to drive on by and pay us a visit!"

"Yeah, well, you just can't seem to get rid of me, can you?" He throws his thumb over his shoulder, "Did I just see Patchy walk out of here?"

I yawn casually and nod, "Yeah. He just had something to show me."

He raises an eyebrow, "Is everything good?"

"Always." I respond, straightening from my hunched position.

"Well, the few of us are headed out. Was wondering if you had it within your heart to say goodbye to your old man?"

I give him a scolding expression, standing so that I can walk over to him, "Don't you dare start guilting me like this again."

"I'm not! I'm not!" He says in a defensive high voice, swiftly standing to walk over to him, "It's, just, you know."

I raise a playful eyebrow as I stop about a foot from him, "Dad."

He gives an exasperated sigh, rolling his eyes and shaking his head, "God, why'd you have to go and grow up, Lees?"

I shrug, pressing my lips together, "Just the way it goes, I guess."

"I hate it."

"I know you do."

He glances over his shoulder at where Steve and Thor stand, talking and waiting for us, "You sure you wanna stay here with Captain Do-Good and the weird band of misfits?"

I sigh, but I still give him a sympathetic smile, "Yes, Dad, I'm sure."

He doesn't give up without a fight, which I would be disappointed if he did, "You could always come back to the city with me. You're young. You got a lot of life left, maybe it's time to hang up the cape and come on home? It's safer for you there, anyway. We could just lounge around the penthouse like we used to do, when it was just you and me."

"Come on, Pal, it's always you and me." I punch his arm playfully and he gives me a funny look, rubbing his arm, "But I can't live with you forever." He gives me a sad frown and I nod a little, "It's time."

"The rules have changed." Steve keeps his hands on his belt as the four of us walk down the glassy hallway not two minutes later, "We're dealing with something new."

I roll my eyes, smirking at how they try to defend their unworthiness.

"Well, the Vision is artificial intelligence."

"A machine."

I frown at them, sliding my hands in my pockets, "Hey, I'm not sure you can call him a machine. Is a synthetic being a machine?"

"Either way," Steve points from me to my father, "it doesn't count, right?"

"No, it's not like a person lifting the hammer."

"Right!" Steve swiftly agrees, again motioning between the three of us, "Different rules for us."

"Nice guy." Dad shrugs, sauntering beside me, "Artificial."

"Thank you."

I laugh a little, hooking my arm with Dad's.

Thor just saunters and smirks despite them both, stating, "He can wield the hammer, he can keep the Mind Stone. It's safe with the Vision." His eyes look away, staring off into space with a nearly prophetic voice, "And these days, safe is in short supply."

There's a short pause as I follow his gaze, feeling that frightening sense I have whenever the visions fall over me.

And then Steve completely severs the feeling as he begins thoughtfully, "But if you put the hammer in an elevator..."

Dad throws a hand out to him, playing along, "Would it still go up?"

Steve sighs out with a song, "Elevator's not worthy."

Thor smiles between the three of us, clapping a hand on myf ather's shoulder and shaking him, "I'm gonna miss these little talks of ours."

"Not if you don't leave." Dad shakes his head, cocking it to the side.

"He's right, you know! You don't have to go." I lean forward on the tips of my toes, also giving a grin.

He smiles at the two of us, pulling his hand from Dad's shoulder and leading further down the hall, "I have no choice. The Mind Stone is the fourth of the Infinity Stones to show up in the last few years."

"Which," I sigh in agreement as we step outside to the drive and lawn, "is not a coincidence."

He frowns at me, "Someone has been playing an intricate game and has made pawns of us. And once all these pieces are in position..."

"Triple Yahtzee?"

"Real mature, Dad." I roll my eyes, bumping his side with mine as he slides on his sunglasses.

Steve responds seriously, glancing over at the god of thunder, "You think you can find out what's coming?"

"I do." Thor states strongly, which leaves me with a bit of peace as he gives me a firm nod, "And then we shall face what comes."

I nod, "We shall."

He then smacks Dad in the chest. "Besides this one," he walks a few steps away, "there's nothing that can't be explained."

I love this dreamboat so much.

I smirk smugly over at Dad who just silently agrees, sliding his hands in his suit pant pockets. Thor turns back to the three of us, giving us a smile and a nod of farewell before he strongly raises his hammer. Bright colorful light rains down, surrounding the god before he is completely swept up out of view and all that is left behind is his rather beautiful markings in our freshly laid out grass.

Three heads drop down so that we can stare at the sizzling ember-like grass.

"Huh." I poke at the intricate burnt design in the grass with the toe of my converse.

Dad frowns, swiping his head over to look at us "That man has no regard for lawn maintenance."

I laugh loudly as we all turn from the fiery design, slowly stepping towards the on the gravelly driveway that leads away from the facility.

Dad sniffs a little, "I'm gonna miss him, though. And you're gonna miss me. There's gonna be a lot of manful tears."

He clicks his car keys and the orange Lamborghini drives itself out of the retracting garage door, sliding up to our side.

Steve looks over, "I will miss you, Tony."

"Yeah?" Dad looks back at him, tilting his head to the side before he bumps me with his shoe, "Well, it's time for me to tap out. Maybe I should take a page out of Barton's book. Build Pepper and Lees a farm, hope nobody blows it up."

I roll my eyes, smiling, "Please don't."

Steve just nods, "The simple life."

"You'll get there one day."

"I don't know. Family, stability..." Steve shakes his head, looking back at us, "The guy who wanted all that went in the ice seventy-five years ago. I think someone else came out."

Dad just nods a bit, moving to get into the car before he looks back at Steve to ask, "You all right?"

Steve glances around as the most recent trainers yell out orders for the recruits, "I'm home."

Dad smirks before planting a kiss on my head, "Don't do anything too stupid."

He slides into the car and, before he clsoes the door, I clasp my hands behind my back to say, "I'll keep it to the average level of stupid, I promise."

He smirks wider and winks at me before I watch the orange sportscar zoom down the gravel road. I know he looks back, just as I look after him. He's still him. I'm still me. This isn't the end. God, the person who tries to separate us is an absolute idiot. But it is time I grow into my own. I've been trying for a while now. This is a necessary step, as painful and as lonely as it feels right now.

I take a deep breath, nodding to myself. Steve and I look at each other before we turn back towards the facility. We find Natasha in the passageway and her arms crossed over her chest, staring off into space with a distant expression on her face. I think we both feel it. That feeling. That knowledge. That truth. Everyone always leaves.

T'Challa and Bruce are just new additions to the list, I guess.

I frown at her a little, glancing over at Steve who casually says, "You wanna keep staring at the wall, or do you wanna go to work?" he glances around, giving her a mocking nod, "I mean, it's a pretty interesting wall."

"I thought you and Tony were still gazing into each other's eyes." She quips back, stepping over to be by Steve's other side and taking the tablet from him, "How do we look?"

The three of us strongly turn from the passageway, walking down the hall towards the training room.

"Well, we're not the '27 Yankees."

Natasha looks down at the tablet once more, "We got some hitters."

"They're good." I concede, folding my hands behind my back as I raise my chin high.

Steve stares straight ahead, finishing for me, "They're not a team."

Natasha dips her chin, "Let's beat them into shape."

Steve pushes the double doors open and the three of us step out onto the balcony with firm expressions on our faces.

Rhodey, wearing his War Machine suit, lifts his face mask to meet our eyes.

Vision turns over his shoulder to look over at us.

Sam lands down, wearing his Falcon suit, smiling confidently.

Wanda's red tendrils land her safely on the other side of the room.

Steve takes a deep breath as my lips curl into a slight smile, preparing myself to hear the words that have given the world and everyone in it hope.

"Avengers..."

Dang it, Steve! He never finishes that line, maybe in Infinity War, we'll get it. ANYWAY, your thoughts? That first part IS SO CRAZY IMPORTANT, what do you think is in that file? What do you think is going on? I need your theories?! The second half was really just closing this movie up and the next chapter which I'm just about to post is the end credits scene that YOU NEED TO READ, AH!

Alrighty, comment, vote, and follow, please and thank you!

Future Quote from ma story:

We sit in silence for a few moments before I raise a hand to my forehead, dropping my chin down, "You don't have to stay, T."

His dark brows bend and he shakes his head a little, "Yes. I do."

"No, that's not what I mean. Really, I don't," I suck in a quick breath, "I don't want you to see me like this."

- Lisa Stark and T'Challa Udaku, end of Poison and Wine