Chapter 15: Guess who's worthy?

"Because Stark is right." Thor said, and it only took the revelation of magical rocks with the power to destroy the universe to make him see reason. A magical rock with mind controlling powers which was kept inside the scepter's gem, apparently. How much was it influencing Ultron?

"Oh, it's definitely the end times." Banner said.

Ignoring the scientist, Thor continued. "The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron."

"Not alone." JARVIS' new body said, and he really hoped it was JARVIS in there. If he lost JARVIS to some last security trap Ultron had prepared on the body, he would snap.

"Why does he sound like JARVIS?" Rogers asked.

Tony looked at the 20-something young man whose skin glinted in red? Pink? Magenta? Ugh, he wasn't good with colors.

"We...we reconfigured JARVIS' matrix and uploaded it to the Cradle to create something new." he answered.

"I think I've had my fill of new." Rogers responded.

Yes, the man born in the 1910s cannot stand innovation. Someone announce such breaking news to the media.

"You think I'm a child of Ultron?" JARVIS —again, never got to confirm whether this was him— asked the soldier.

"You're not?"

"Seriously, Cap. This is JARVIS. Just in a new form. He was never dead. He was in hiding. Right, J?" Tony explained and mentally held in a breath, waiting for the android's response.

"Yes, Sir." Oh, thank fuck. "I am not Ultron. It's only me in a body prepared to accept my consciousness." JARVIS then frowned. "I must note, however, that this body was surprisingly... malleable... and completely disconnected from any part of Ultron's programming, despite being prepared for him to inhabit specifically."

That... brought into question whether Ultron wanted a body at all. But if he did not... Why did he go through all that trouble of acquiring the materials and creating a nigh-indestructible one from scratch?

"Ultron is nothing compared to what the Mind Stone can unleash. We need to retrieve it. For that, we will need the strength of everyone on our side." Thor said.

"And are you?" Rogers asked JARVIS. "On our side?"

Ok, that was a simple question with a complex answer. How good was JARVIS at lying?

The android shook his head. "I don't think it's that simple." Right. He sucked. Bad.

"Well, it better get real simple, real soon." Barton threatened.

JARVIS looked at the assassin's tired tetchiness before responding, "I am on Mr. Stark's side. However, do not mistake his decisions with mine."

Was that... a semi-declaration of independence? Tony felt weirdly proud at the AI's, no, the android's words. And a little bit worried. It took 18 years, but was JARVIS finally hitting the stage of teenage rebellion? Still, this was a big step for him. Only a few hours ago, JARVIS had been hesitant to ask about a body, and here he was... implying some sort of autonomy. That... didn't sound that great now that he thought about it. It was a tiny step. But still. It was a step forward. There was plenty of time for him to learn. Maybe JARVIS would secretly hit a club at 3 am and drink too much someday in the future. Maybe.

The mental image was so ridiculous that he snorted. As if. Luckily, most of the others either didn't hear it, or they ignored him —the non-humans, with Cap included, of course— and listened to Romanov speak.

"How do we know that you are not a monster, something that Ultron made or intended?" she asked, and Tony was starting to really dislike where this conversation was going. A monster? JARVIS?

"You can't just know, Ms. Romanov." JARVIS answered. "People are not so clear-cut."

Banner continued with her line of thinking. "If we're wrong about you; if you're that monster..."

Was he—? Was Banner threatening JARVIS?

"What will you do?" JARVIS asked and then looked at the others. Tony could see when the realization that they would destroy him wrote itself on the android's face.

That was it. He never wanted to see something like that again.

"Time out!" he shouted and made his way through the team and in front of JARVIS. "I don't like where this conversation is going," he said, and then looked at Romanov and Banner. "And I really don't like others threatening my people. This is JARVIS. He is family. I hear one more person call him a monster, and you can go fight Ultron on your own. We, the monsters, will sit here and eat popcorn as we watch him take over the world. Sounds like a plan?"

The silence that followed shouldn't have been as meaningful as it was.

"Friend Tony," Thor started, and seeing as the big guy was the one to wake up JARVIS in the first place, he had earned a lot of brownie points since the last time. He was currently in the lead. Banner had lost a lot of points with that last fucking threat. "We must find the Mind Stone. We cannot allow Ultron to have it."

Tony had a ready response on how much he planned on 'allowing' Ultron to play golf with the magic rock if he wanted, but JARVIS placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered "Sir," so he held it back.

"It's Tony," he said instead. "You have grown up. No more cutesy nicknames for your old man, understood?"

JARVIS smiled. God, was it weird to be able to see him smile. "Yes, Sir."

Did all his AIs get his sass, or was it a prerequisite of being an AI?

JARVIS then moved forward and addressed all of them. "I don't want to kill Ultron. He's young, and he's in pain. The scepter, which we now know held the Mind Stone, is controlling him. Or at least influencing his programming and primary protocols. I believe we must separate him from the gem and find a way to release him from its control."

"And what if there's no Stone controlling him?" Romanov asked. "What then?"

JARVIS frowned. Tony understood that reaction. Thinking of that cheeky little kid, he really didn't want to hurt him. He didn't think he could, even if he was forced to. If it came to that... If the Stone wasn't affecting him, or the control on him couldn't be undone —how do you knock out an AI, dammit?!— they would have to think of ways to capture Ultron and keep him away from the other Avengers. He was sure that SHIELD and the WSC would kill for an AI to experiment on. He couldn't let that happen. As for killing him, well, that wasn't even on the table, as far as he was concerned.

"Then we will fight," Tony said because JARVIS had already proved that he couldn't lie for shit, or didn't quite understand the necessity of lying. "But not until we have tried everything else."

"Ultron's Sentries grow." the android continued. "His presence on the net becomes stronger by the second. We have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others." When did JARVIS take Inspirational Speeches 101? The Cap wasn't offering classes now, was he?

He then continued. "Maybe I am a monster." JARVIS had a thing going on, so Tony didn't interrupt but boy, was the android going to get a lecture on that soon, "I don't think I'd know if I were one. I'm not what you are, and I cannot prove who I am. So, there may be no way to make you trust me. But we need to go." he said, suddenly holding up Thor's hammer and handing it to the god, who was staring at him stunned. Then, JARVIS walked off, leaving them in silence.

That snarky, smug, arrogant... brilliant AI! He did that on purpose! He knew what the hammer meant to these folks! "No way to make them trust him", yeah right! Tony held in an irrational giggle. He had even walked out after a great line!

Thor awkwardly looked at him, before patting his shoulder. "Right. Well done."

"Well done"...? Because he was JARVIS' creator? Some weird alien god logic applying here?

Wait. JARVIS lifted the hammer. Did that make his AI king of Asgard? Wait. Did that make Tony the father of the king of Asgard?!