Heartlines | Steve Rogers

XVII

SEVENTEEN
─────── ✩《❂》✩ ───────

At that, all of them started to suit up. They knew where to go at that point. Helen was definitely gonna need help. Now, they had to sort out a game plan. "I'll take Natasha and Clint."

"Alright. Strictly recon. I think Meredith should hit the Nexus, she's better at hacking and coding than I am. She can join us as soon as possible. Got that, Mer?!" He called up the stairs.

"Copy! I'll dress nicely." She called back.

"If Ultron's really building a body—"

"He'll be more powerful than any of us. Maybe all of us. An android designed by a robot." Tony cut him off, the hesitance in his voice.

"You know, I really miss the days when the weirdest thing science ever created was me." Steve sighed, a small smile on his lips.

"And everything else back in the old days, too, yeah?" Tony cocked his head at him. Steve narrowed his eyes. He couldn't go one second without making a remark, could he?

"No, I was just confused, and you know that. You just really don't like me, and I know why. I understand, Tony, I do, but you have to let go of that. You have to let go of what Howard made you think about me. Please. I'm not like that. All I want is for us to be friends." He pleaded desperately. He was tired of them always fighting. He just wanted him to know that he understood. Tony gave him an unreadable expression. After a moment, he spoke.

"How are you and my sister?"

"We fixed things. We're better than ever. I'm sorry about what happened earlier." He apologized genuinely.

"As long as she knows you're sorry. Good, I'm glad things are better. But, don't act like I didn't have a hand in fixing them." Tony pointed his finger at him. Steve let out a chuckle.

"I'll drop Banner off at the tower." Fury pulled on his coat as he walked by them. "You mind if I borrow Ms. Hill?"

"She's all yours. Apparently." Tony retorted. Fury let out a breath of air.

"What are you gonna do?" Steve asked him. He shrugged.

"I don't know. Something dramatic, I hope." He glanced between them before walking out. They were off soon enough after that. Meredith dressed in her business casual clothes and flew off from the rest of them and to the Nexus. She landed and stepped out of her suit, walking over to the employees. Without hesitance, they showed her the way.

"A hacker that's faster than Ultron? He could be anywhere, and as this is the center of everything, I'm just a gal looking for a needle in the world's biggest haystack." Meredith spoke as she worked between two computers to track the culprit. It was hopeless for her to try and do it herself, so she found another way.

"How do you find it?" One of the workers asked as she glanced over her shoulder, intrigued.

"It's pretty simple. You lure them out." She replied simply, clicking a button. "Come and get me."

Meanwhile, Selvig accompanied Thor to the Water of Sights in order to return to his dream and find what he missed so he could get some answers.

Steve was then dropped off just outside of Helen Cho's lab. "Two minutes. Stay close."

He ran inside to see everything practically destroyed and almost everyone with it. He spotted Helen in the midst of it. He rushed over to her injured body on the ground. "Dr. Cho!"

"He's uploading himself into the body." She began as he helped her sit-up and tend to her injuries.

"Where?" He demanded. She shook her head. He went to walk away, but she grabbed him. She looked him dead in the eyes.