Chapter Text
Peter Parker would do anything for Tony Stark.
Breaking into a highly secured building in the middle of the night was just the newest addition to the list of things Spider-Man has done for the Avenger. And still, he was happy to do it. As soon as May had fallen asleep, Peter suited up and snuck out his window.
While May was in the know of his avenging, Peter knew that she wouldn’t be on board with him committing a crime. Even though Tony had asked him to do it and it was still technically Stark’s building even if the world thought he was dead.
It was all too eerie for Peter’s liking, the TV specials and billboards projecting Tony’s face everywhere. If he hadn’t been in contact with him, he would have thought it was real.
When Tony had shown up on his doorstep with Vision and Wanda, Peter didn’t know what to think. He had been by Stark’s side when the team had split apart and while he wasn’t angry with Wanda, he didn’t know what would happen if he ever came face to face with Steve Rogers. Peter wanted to shake his hand but also punch him in the face. It was complicated. Regardless, he now had a job to do. Tony was counting on him and while there weren’t many things Peter could do for his mentor at the moment, he could definitely do this.
Peter balanced on his fire escape and slipped his mask on. Karen greeted him immediately.
“Good evening, Peter.”
“Hey, Karen. Plot the fastest course to Stark Industries headquarters in Manhattan,” Peter said as he double checked his web shooters.
“On a special assignment?”
“Something like that. Bossman always needs help with something,” Peter joked as he stood up, taking in the night around him.
“Route created,” Karen said.
“Seems like a good night for a swing, don’t you think?”
“If you say so, Peter.” Peter’s HUD lit up with his route and with a quick flick of his wrist, he swung from his fire escape and headed West towards Manhattan. He maneuvered easily through his city, only having to make short cuts to get to the taller buildings a few times. It was late and not a lot of traffic was around, but he knew that would change once he got across the bridge. New York was called the City That Never Sleeps for a reason.
Peter hitched a ride on the train before swinging across Hunters Point and over to the Queensboro Bridge. As soon as he cleared the East River, the city was alive around him. Peter smiled beneath his mask. While he enjoyed saving his beloved Queens, there was nothing like swinging through the bright lights of Manhattan. Peter dove into the maze of skyscrapers.
Cars honked and people waved beneath him as he cut through the busy streets. The new headquarters was between Midtown and Hells Kitchen. After Tony had sold the Tower, the company had moved to a collection of buildings and doubled its employees. Peter preferred the Tower, but he also knew that Tony didn’t want it anymore and it was best if the Avengers didn’t have a home base in an over-populated area.
“Karen, what’s the security like at SI right now?”
“Standard Stark Industries protocols in place. Though my scans indicate that F.R.I.D.A.Y. has been taken offline.” Peter landed on a rooftop across from HQ.
“Why would they turn off the AI that runs the entire building?”
“Protocol states that in the event of Mr. Stark’s death, any and all advanced technology would be shut down unless ordered by CEO or secondary shareholder,” Karen informed him.
“Which would be Pepper,” Peter realized. “Who is considered missing. Okay, we’re going to have to do this nice and easy and hopefully not be seen.”
“The usual then?” Peter laughed.
“You really do get me, Karen,” Peter said with a grin as he took a few steps back and then with a few bounds, cleared the rooftop and landed on the side of the Headquarters. “Tony’s office is on the top floor, right?”
“South West corner of the building,” Karen informed him.
“Easy enough.” Peter shot two webs and pulled himself to the roof. He clocked the many security cameras and with the help of Karen, stayed in their blind spots. Below, he could hear a multitude of voices. “Karen, scan for thermals.” His HUD was lit up with a plethora of heat signatures below him. “It’s nearly two in the morning, why are there so many people here?”
“No employees should be present besides security personnel.”
“So, I’m guessing these aren’t friendlies then,” Peter said. “I can work with that.” Peter headed across the roof and then dropped over the side, landing outside of Tony’s office on the balcony. The room was dark and Peter couldn’t hear any voices through the thick glass so he figured he was in the clear. Just then, on the balcony adjacent to Stark’s two men appeared. Peter acted quickly, swinging below the balcony and pressing himself as flat as he could. Peter then deployed his drone and the spider got a better look at the scene.
The two men were dressed in black, headsets sat in their ears, and on their shoulder were red patches. The design was a skull with six tentacles. “HYDRA,” Peter whispered. Both HYDRA agents were armed and looked to be on sentry duty. Peter was a statue as he waited for them to go back inside. When they finally did, his drone returned to his chest and Peter swung back up onto the balcony. “We have to move fast.”
“Biometric lock detected,” Karen said as Peter’s HUD lit up a section on the glass door.
“Can you override it?”
“Starting decryption now.” Peter waited as his AI took control. He scanned his surroundings, waiting to run into another HYDRA squid, but so far it was silent on his end. If HYDRA had already infiltrated the Compound and SI, how were they going to get out of this one? Peter hoped that wherever Tony was, he had a plan. " Lock override complete.”
“You’re a genius, Karen,” Peter said, coming back into himself. He placed his hand against the scanner and the door opened immediately. A thrill went through the spider as he pushed into the room, sealing the office behind him. He hadn’t been to the new headquarters yet, but he already preferred the previous space. Peter listened for anyone on the other side of the door and as soon as he felt as if he was clear, he headed for the computer.
Peter scoffed at the fact that Tony didn’t have a password on his work computer. “Real tech genius, man,” Peter whispered as he flicked through the screens. “Karen, access any and all files on Secretary Ross and known HYDRA associates.”
“Accessing now,” Karen said as multiple files appeared across the desktop. With a crack of his knuckles, Peter got to work. Using a pattern of code he learned years ago, he moved all the confidential files into the Stark server with extra protection and firewalls. It would take a very powerful decryption program to access it, but he knew Tony would be able to get through.
Peter scanned the hard drive with help from Karen and managed to move all the information Tony had requested. His eyes kept flickering to the door that led to the hallway. Occasionally he would catch a shadow walking past the office or hear the click of boots on the floors, but so far nobody had tried to breach the boss’ office.
He fought the urge to dig deeper into the hard drive to look at any upcoming projects and went straight to the blueprint files. These ones were password protected, but Tony had taught Peter well. From his belt, Peter retrieved a USB key. He had coded the skeleton key last year on a dare from Ned. He never thought he’d get to use it until now. It took less than a minute to bypass the passwords and then the screen was flooded with plans for the Avengers Facility. Peter noted that the armor hall wasn’t listed, but it wasn’t as if a lot of people were aware that it even existed. Peter was one of the few who were granted access to it. Rhodey and Pepper being the other ones besides Stark himself.
It took a lot longer than he would have liked, but eventually, one by one, the files were deleted. He made sure to check for copies and edits as well, but it looked as if Tony only had one of each on this SI server. He erased the plans on the SI secure server as well in case HYDRA had gotten a lot smarter in the years they had been under the radar.
“Karen, do a final sweep,” Peter whispered. As his AI ran through the hard drive one more time, Peter did a lap around the office. He paused when he noticed a framed photo on the bookcase in the corner. He picked it up and held it gently between his fingers. It was of him and Tony. They were working together in the lab Upstate, both with big goofy grins on their faces. It looked as if Peter had just told Tony a really lame joke, but both found it hilarious. Pepper must have taken it, Peter realized. “We’re not going to let them win, Tony,” Peter said softly to himself. “We’ll make sure of it.”
“Scan complete. All files deleted,” Karen spoke to him.
“Great,” said Peter as he webbed up the picture frame to take with him. “Let’s get out of here.” Peter shut everything down and for good measure, wiped the hard drive. He locked up the office and stepped back out onto the balcony. A part of him wanted to race back inside and take out all the HYDRA goons that were trying to erase Tony Stark. However, Tony had trusted Peter to get this done covertly and he had to prove to his mentor that he was ready to take on more responsibilities and that Tony could rely on him.
With the picture frame still in hand, Peter jumped from the balcony, catching himself on a web on the way down. He landed in the alleyway adjacent to the building. A second later and he had his arm raised as someone approached him from behind. “Whoever you are, you’re trying to mug the wrong person,” Peter said as he clocked a man lurking in the shadows.
“Wouldn’t dream of it, Spider-Man,” the man said as he stepped into the light. Peter dropped his arm immediately.
“Nick Fury?” The former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. sauntered over to him.
“Late night work for your boss, Mister Parker?” Peter froze. “Don’t bother denying it. Stark tells me everything.” Peter sighed.
“Of course he does,” Peter said as he checked for cameras before yanking off his mask. “Do you know where he is?”
“I do,” Fury said with a nod. “Though, I believe he wants to keep that under wraps for now.” Peter nodded in understanding.
“What are you doing here?”
“Making the rounds, keeping an eye on things,” Fury gestured to the building. “You stick around, kid, keep your ears open. Stark may think he needs to save the world alone, but he doesn’t have to. Especially with people like you.” Fury gave him a long look that made Peter think Fury knew a lot more about him that he first thought. “I’ll be seeing you again,” Fury said as he once again blended into the shadows. Peter stared after the man in utter confusion.
“He was definitely following me, right?”
“Most likely,” Karen said.
“Fantastic. Let’s go home.”
Tony Stark sat against the wall of the warehouse attempting to catch a signal.
He hadn’t been able to establish communication with Rhodey for days and it was making him anxious. As soon as the awkward reunion was out of the way, the newly re-established team boarded the rogue’s quinjet and headed to a safe house. Natasha had many around the world and she still had access to the one in Union City. Jersey wasn’t ideal, but it was the closest one they had.
Besides their initial conversation, Tony and Steve had barely looked at each other since they got off the jet. While everyone else was talking and getting situated, Tony kept to himself. Wanda hovered nearby, pretending to do her own thing, but Tony knew she was keeping an eye on him. There were too many thoughts running through his head at the moment. He didn’t know how to organize them. For the first time in a while, he felt out of sync with himself. He needed his people. He needed Pepper.
The connection failed again and Tony shoved the computer away from him in a burst of anger. The sounds of it crashing across the floor alerted the team as they all turned to see a distressed Tony Stark ready to blow the machine to pieces. Wanda was at his side in an instant. “You alright?” she asked him. Tony raised his eyes to her.
“Do I look alright?” Wanda grimaced and took a seat across from him, pushing the laptop further away.
“We’ll get ahold of her,” Wanda assured him.
“Maybe it’s best not too,” Tony sighed. “She doesn’t need to be pulled into all of this.” Wanda rolled her eyes. “What?”
“She’s been involved in this since 2008, Tony. I don’t think Pepper minds that much,” Wanda pointed out.
“It’s not fair to her,” Tony said.
“Maybe not, but she’s still by your side, right?” Tony nodded.
“That she is,” agreed Tony. Wanda patted his arm lightly.
“You know, you two can’t ignore each other forever,” Wanda said gesturing over her shoulder at Steve who was speaking with Clint.
“We shook hands,” Tony reminded her.
“Stark…”
“What do you want me to do, Wanda? Take his hand and sing campfire songs? You know what happened.” She did. Wanda had gotten the story from Steve a year ago and then more recently she had seen what happened through Tony’s thoughts. Wanda wanted to slap both of them for trying to kill one another.
“I am not saying you have to be best friends again, but you were the one who said we needed Steve on this, remember?” This time Tony rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“True,” she said as she shifted and then a grimace flashed across her face. Tony clocked it immediately.
“Come over here,” he patted the wall next to him and Wanda slid over. He gestured to her shirt and she lifted it to reveal the incision. Tony got up and got the medical kit Sam had brought from the jet. Tony soaked the surgical spray in alcohol to remove it. “How’s the pain?”
“Not too bad, just when the skin pulls,” Wanda admitted.
“I guess that’s what happens when you shoot a laser beam out of your hand,” Tony joked. Wanda let her head lean against the wall as Tony tended to her surgical site.
“Didn’t know I could do that, did you?” Wanda said with a smirk.
“Did you know you could do that?” Tony asked, amused.
“A little bit. Didn’t think I could do it for that long of a distance though. I’ve been getting stronger since Sokovia. Just had a little bit of a set back with getting shot and all, you know?” Wanda said.
“How nonchalant you sound when talking about how you’re basically the strongest Avenger now,” Tony noted.
“What about Thor?” Tony shrugged.
“He’s not here right now, is he? You two can duel it out when he gets back.” Wanda laughed.
“Wouldn’t that be a sight to see,” Wanda said. Tony smiled up at her. “See, I got you to smile.” Tony taped down her side again and flicked her nose.
“Look at you being all positive. I’ve always pegged you for the doom and gloom of the group,” Tony said and Wanda playfully pushed him. “Hey, watch the stitches.”
“Thank you,” she said, pulling her shirt down. “Thank you for a lot of things.” Tony waved her off as he leaned against the wall next to her. Wanda shifted over and leaned her head on his shoulder. Tony rested his head on hers.
“You should get some rest,” he told her.
“I’ve rested for weeks. We don’t know where Ultron is or what HYDRA is planning. We don’t have time to rest.”
“I think you can afford a couple of hours,” Tony said, his own eyes drifting closed.
“So can you,” Wanda pointed out, her foot tapping the fallen laptop.
“Hey, we’re talking about you here,” Tony scoffed causing Wanda to smile, but then, she grew serious again.
“I need you to promise me something, Tony,” Wanda said in a near whisper. Tony’s eyes opened.
“What is it?”
“If it comes down to a fight against him. You let me take him out. I don’t care if I’m bruised and beaten down. Ultron dies by my hand.” The words settled like stones in Tony’s gut, but he understood. It was all for Pietro.
“I promise,” he told her. “Now you have to promise me something.”
“Anything,” she said.
“Don’t you dare do anything self-sacrificial to take out this son of a bitch. He doesn’t get to take both of you. Do you understand?” Wanda sat up and turned to him. Tony didn’t look away from her as they locked eyes.
“I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction,” Wanda said calmly. Tony watched her for a moment before smiling slightly.
“That’s what I thought,” he said. “Pietro would have been proud of you. I hope you know that.” Wanda nodded her head, her hair falling into curtains around her face. When she lifted her head, her eyes were prickled with tears. “Hold onto that, Wanda.”
“I will,” Wanda promised. Tony reached forward and Wanda leaned in to hug him. He was careful of her stitches as he embraced her. “You’re a good man, Tony Stark. Peter is lucky to have you.” Wanda said in his ear and he tightened his hold on her.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. As he and Wanda embraced, Tony caught Nat’s eye across the room. She watched on with pride in her eyes. Tony ignored her gaze and just held onto the young woman who had become his family through and through.
A little while later, Steve rallied them together.
Reluctantly, Tony joined the team meeting.
“Okay, rest time over,” Steve said. “Wanda, I need you to tell us everything that happened from the time you left us in Belgium to when we met up with Vision.” Tony, Vision, and Clint were sticking by her side ready to clarify things, but Wanda handled her own. She told them the story from the beginning to the end. Steve, Natasha, and Sam stayed silent the whole time, taking in everything she said.
Tony sat on the floor in front of the chair she was perched on, leaning against her legs. He could feel her knees bouncing as she got to the part when she showed up at the Compound. Tony judged Steve’s reaction, but the soldier remained stoic. It only annoyed Tony further. By the time she was finished, Natasha looked pissed, Sam was confused, and Steve looked like a good mixture of both.
“Ultron?” Steve asked, looking at Tony. “You’re sure?”
“Positive,” said Tony, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Steve ran a hand over his beard.
“Jesus…” he mumbled. “Any idea how they brought him back?”
“Could have copied the matrix before he went all tyrannical, but I can’t be sure. Not unless I get access to their computers.”
“Can’t you do that remotely?” Sam asked.
“Little low on tech here, Wilson,” Tony reminded him and Sam clenched his jaw. Natasha looked between the two men and ran a hand through her hair.
“The tension in this room is suffocating,” Romanoff said. “If we’re going to be working together, then we have to get over all of this.”
“Right, let’s all just forget the last year of betrayal and lies, shall we?” Tony said, his anger rising. Wanda placed her hand on his shoulder, but that didn’t even calm him down.
“Can we not do this now?” Cap asked.
“Of course, your highness, my bad,” Tony rolled his eyes.
“Tony,” Clint warned.
“No, let him finish,” Steve said going to stand up. Tony moved to get up as well when both men suddenly had red shields between them.
“Sit down,” Wanda ordered, her hands alight. Steve and Tony both glanced at the witch who had barely moved a muscle to cause the magic. They both returned to their previous positions. “We do not have time for this. You both can go back to punching each other after we take out Ultron. Again.”
“Wanda, it’s not that simple,” Steve said.
“No?” she asked. “To me it is. You lied to Tony about his parents and then Tony got angry. The three of you nearly killed each other and then you left him in Siberia.” Steve seemed surprised by how much detail she knew. Clearly, he hadn’t given her the R rated version. “Stark knows where Barnes is, Steve, I told him.” Steve’s jaw clenched.
“Why would you do that?”
“Because she trusts me, Rogers,” Tony interjected.
“I do,” Wanda agreed. “I trust you both. You both made mistakes that lead to you both being bloodied and hurt by the end of it. But hey, when I first met you I did horrible things too and you forgave me. It took time, but I became a part of this family and I, for one, would like it back. Anyone else?” Clint awkwardly raised his hand and Vision slowly pushed it down again.
“So, I don’t need you two to apologize or serenade to one another,” Wanda continued, “I just need you to help me take out the monsters that attacked me and brought back my brother’s murderer. Do you think you can do that?” Natasha took a sip of her water in approval at that. Steve and Tony locked eyes. Steve nodded first followed by Tony. “Thank you.”
“Just one more thing,” Natasha interjected. “Why didn’t you just tell us what was going on?” she asked Wanda. Shame suddenly crossed the witch’s face.
“I’m sorry I used my powers on you,” Wanda said turning to the three heroes before her. “I was desperate and didn’t have time to think of a plan. I just knew Tony would be able to help me.”
“We would have gone with you,” Sam said.
“I know, but I had to do this on my own. And it was too dangerous for all of us to travel together. I did what I thought was right. Turned out pretty good in my opinion. My powers are working again, I’m not dying, and I managed to get us all back into one room together.”
“Fair enough,” Steve said. The tension was still heavy in the room, but Wanda had managed to pull the focus to the problem at hand once again.
“What do we do about Ross?” Clint asked.
“I still do not think Secretary Ross is our main enemy here,” Vision said.
“What do you mean?” Nat asked.
“While Thaddeus Ross has made some questionable decisions in the past, I do not think he is inherently evil like many HYDRA operatives. I believe that someone else is at the helm of this operation,” Vision explained.
“Any ideas on who?” Tony asked.
“Not as of yet,” said Vision.
“We have to get back Upstate,” Tony said. “All of my files and our weapons are there and we can get a better handle on this at a proper home base.”
“Is the Compound even safe?” Wanda asked. “It was sort of under siege when were last there.”
“Then we take it back,” Steve said. “HYDRA has taken enough. If we take back the Compound, we’ll gain at least a few inches.”
“And what about Ultron?” Clint asked.
“How does he even fit into all of this?” Natasha asked. “From what you’ve said and the readings you got Stark, it doesn’t seem like last time.”
“What do you mean?” asked Tony.
“You created Ultron by using code decrypted from the Mind Stone, right?” Nat asked. Tony nodded.
“Where are you going with this?”
“Think about it,” Natasha continued, “when Vision destroyed the last Ultron in Sokovia, he was gone. He couldn’t escape through the internet or branch out anymore. That particular set of hostiles and Ultron Prime had all the same matrix derived from that,” Nat pointed to the stone in Vision’s forehead. “Once they were gone, that specific version of Ultron was destroyed. It’s too complex to be hacked into. You know this, Tony.”
“So they have better hackers,” Sam guessed.
“Tony decrypted nuclear codes, Sam,” Clint pointed out, causing Sam’s eyes to widen.
“My point exactly,” Natasha said. “What if this Ultron is not our Ultron, but their Ultron. Looks the same, sounds the same, but is more artificial than intelligence. He may have the memories and very well could be the one we fought three years ago, but he’s not going to be able to evolve like he once could. Without the Mind Stone, we’re probably looking at an Ultron that mirrors the one we fought in the Tower, strength wise.”
“Which is still not exactly a comfort,” Steve said as he remembered that evening vividly.
“Don’t think he’s not going to be strong, but he won’t be the mechanical god he once thought he was,” Natasha finished.
“So what you’re theorizing,” Tony began, “is that he’s a sort of pre-evolution Ultron with a different motive. Do I have that right?”
“You always did understand me the best, Tony,” Nat said with a wink.
“If his consciousness is not as evolved as it once was,” Vision said, putting things together, “then perhaps someone is in the driver’s seat this time. A new adversary even.”
“HYDRA is pretty vast,” Sam said. “Could be anyone.”
“I suppose that’s our next mystery,” Steve said.
Suddenly, one of the data pads lit up in red alert.
“What’s going on?” Tony asked. Nat reached over and tapped away for a moment, then her back straightened.
“Perimeter was breached,” she said. “We’ve been compromised.”