"Damn it." Bail let his head fall back against his seat, draping one arm across his eyes. "This just keeps getting worse."
After the chaotic Senate session, the Avengers had retreated to their quarters. Waiting for them were Padmé, Bail Organa, and Mon Mothma.
The two senators had been surprised by the invitation to join the Avengers in private, but Black Widow's revelation about critical discoveries on Kamino had immediately secured their cooperation. After all, they numbered among the few who had openly questioned the Clone Army's origins from the very beginning.
Though they'd been briefed on the biochips and emergency protocols embedded in every clone trooper, the Senate meeting's chaos had overshadowed even that disturbing truth.
"I feel trapped," Organa muttered, leaning heavily against the central table in the living area. "We've uncovered a horrifying truth, only to discover another enemy we never anticipated."
"What the Republic faces now isn't merely panic," Mon Mothma observed, her voice carrying the weight of too many sleepless nights. "It's pure terror. Many senators are paralyzed by fear. No matter what information they receive, they cannot seem to decide on any course of action."
"Are we really helpless?" Riyo Chuchi asked quietly, her grip tightening on Quicksilver's arm.
Pietro pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her head, offering what comfort he could. He felt her hold him closer in response.
Senator Chuchi remained deeply unsettled, the tension refusing to ease despite their recent success. She and Quicksilver had just completed a rescue mission, retrieving Chairman Papanoida's daughters from bounty hunters hired by the Trade Federation. Though they'd succeeded in bringing the girls home safely and the blockade of Pantora had finally been lifted, both the Avengers and the senator had come to realize their mission was far more complicated than any of them had imagined.
"And now we're left wondering if the clones might turn on us at any moment," Quicksilver said quietly, barely suppressed anger threading through his words.
"You know what's messed up?" Rhodes shook his head. "Finding out about those biochips doesn't feel like a win. It feels like we just painted an even bigger target on our backs. And Ultron?" He let out a harsh laugh. "Fighting that guy is like trying to punch smoke."
"Why did we even get involved in the first place?" Daredevil's question cut through the room, blunt as always.
"To find our missing teammates," Scott replied, exhaustion evident in every syllable. "Wanda and Vision are still out there somewhere."
Hope reached over and laced her fingers through his. "I just hope this ends soon."
"So what do we prioritize?" Sam asked, scanning the assembled group. "Because right now, Ultron's the immediate threat. He's right here, active, and causing havoc."
"But the Sith Lord is equally dangerous," T'Challa said, one hand thoughtfully stroking his chin. "We cannot afford to ignore either threat."
"We'll take down Ultron eventually," Rhodey stated with the confidence of someone who'd fought the AI before. "We've done it once."
"We had the full team back then," Steve pointed out. "Vision stopped Ultron from escaping into the network. That's how we were able to destroy his army."
"We need to isolate him," Natasha said, drumming her fingers against the table. Beside her, Mara Jade idly twirled a strand of hair, listening intently. "Cut off every escape route. Only then can we finish this permanently."
"I doubt FRIDAY or Karen are strong enough for something like that," Pietro muttered. "Vision had that thing, what did Thor call it? An Infinity Stone? The one from Loki's scepter. That's what stopped Ultron from jumping into other bodies."
"That didn't exactly kill him, though," Matt reminded them. "Ultron could've gone dormant after Sokovia, or Hydra accidentally reactivated him later. Didn't you guys fight a giant version of him before you ended up here?"
"Ultimo," Sam said grimly, and the seven Earth-born Avengers shared a look, remembering that battle.
"You think he's behind all of this?" Scott asked.
"After he showed off that massive body on Coruscant, anything's possible," Rhodey replied.
"God, Vision, where are you?" Sam's frustration was palpable.
"Hey, guys." Peter's voice cut through the discussion, and every head turned toward him. "I've been thinking about something."
The young hero sat up straighter in his web hammock.
"Vision was created using Jarvis, right? Mr. Stark's original AI?"
A few nods of confirmation, though most looked confused about where he was going with this.
"So that means similar code must've been used when they built Ultron too, right?"
Steve took a step forward, his full attention on Peter now. Everyone else leaned in slightly.
"Maybe, just maybe, there's a way we can shut Ultron down without waiting for Vision."
The room went completely silent as Peter rose from his hammock, pacing slightly as he worked through his thoughts aloud.
"Ultron was created by Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner. Every AI Mr. Stark builds has its own personality, its own quirks. He programs those differences in on purpose to keep them distinct. But underneath all that individualization, there has to be some shared foundation code, right? Some baseline architecture they all run on."
"Peter, that sounds like a pretty big leap," Rhodey said, clearly skeptical of the teenager's theory.
"I know, I know, but think about it. If all the AIs share even a small segment of base code, that could be our key to shutting Ultron down permanently." Peter's enthusiasm was building now, his hands gesturing as he spoke. "Like a master shutdown sequence that affects all Stark-built AIs. Kind of like when Mr. Stark destroyed all his old suits at once after the Mandarin thing."
The suggestion hung in the air. Several people were clearly turning it over in their minds, evaluating its feasibility.
"Could we upgrade FRIDAY and Karen?" Scott asked suddenly. "Give them the tools they need to match Ultron?"
"I know where you're going with that, but I don't think it'll work," Natasha said, though her tone wasn't dismissive.
"But if we can find Vision," Hope pressed, "then he could..."
"I don't know if the Mind Stone would make Peter's idea work," Steve said, arms crossed as he thought it through. "Ultron has other components beyond what Tony and Bruce built. But both Peter and Scott are onto something. We need to think outside the box here."
"Tony built Ultron," Sam added. "Which means aside from the whole Infinity Stone factor, there might be weaknesses in his programming we can exploit. Things Tony would've built in as failsafes."
"FRIDAY, Karen," Rhodey called out. "You two up for a challenge?"
"Always ready, Comrade," FRIDAY responded in her Russian-accented voice.
"Absolutely," Karen added with quiet determination.
"We need to try multiple approaches," Steve announced, slipping naturally into leadership mode. "But we tackle this methodically. If we try to do everything at once, we'll spread ourselves too thin and miss something critical."
Natasha nodded. "The more we understand how Ultron's systems work, the faster we can find a solution. But Nat's right, we'll need time to study it properly."
"So what's our next move?" Hope asked, looking around the room.
Mon Mothma spoke up, her voice carrying the calm authority of a seasoned politician. "I believe what your team needs most right now is rest. You have accomplished more in these past weeks than most could manage in months."
"I agree," Organa said, nodding to his fellow senator before addressing the Avengers. "Take time to recover. Meanwhile, we need to contact the Banking Clan and determine the full scope of Senator Amidala's bill. We'll work from there."
"It's a start," Padmé said wearily. "Though given everything that's happened, I expect many senators will support this resolution now."
The senators began preparing to leave. Riyo hesitated, clearly reluctant to release her hold on Pietro. She looked up at him, emotions plain in her eyes.
"I will see you soon," she said softly.
Her gaze held his for a long moment before she rose on her toes to kiss him, tender and lingering.
Several Avengers made exaggerated gagging sounds.
"Jesus Christ, you two," Rhodey groaned, rolling his eyes. "Get a room already."