6 Party Got Interrupted...By A Rogue A.I

She mixed and shook the cocktail with practiced grace and before long she poured a red liquid into the cocktail glass in front of me before pouring some for herself.

I chuckled lightly at the irony of the color of the liquid before I brought it up and gave it a taste.

She'd done exactly what I'd asked and made it as sweet as possible. It had a slightly tangy, sour taste to it as well - cherry. "Mhmm," I gave out a light groan of enjoyment as I felt the liquid flow down my throat and into my stomach.

Black Widow gave a raised eyebrow, sipping her own drink before leaning in with a smirk that was obviously aimed toward making men tingle before she spoke out, "Now, how are you drinking that drink so easily? I put enough alcohol in that to put an Elephant on it's ass?" she looked at me, her icy eyes filled with mirth and curiosity.

Looking down at the drink, I frowned my lips before shrugging and smiling, taking another sip before putting it back down, "Well, I guess I have a bit of Russian in me, Ms. Romanoff?" I teased back, taking the cocktail stick out of my drink and eating the cherry on it.

Hearing my answer, she laughed a little before giving me half-smile and replying, "Well, that only works with Vodka...not Absinthe," she said before leaning further in and pointing at my eyes, "And what does the famous Dr. Michael Morbius need contact lenses for when it's on record that he has perfectly fine vision?"

Hearing her question, I narrowed my eyes a little before leaning in and meeting her intensely curious gaze, "Maybe my personal cure wasn't as side-effect free as I originally thought it was?" I teased some harmless information at the spy, knowing it'd distract her for a little time. But I carried on, "And what is Natasha Romanoff doing behind a bar at a party like this? Seems like a magnificent waste of your...talents," I finished before picking up my drink and downing the rest of the contents, letting out a sigh of contentment, "That truly has a nice taste to it. Sweet, tangy...ah, there's the Absinthe. Like licorice," I said before leaning back into the chair I was sitting on.

Natasha didn't seem perturbed by my answer or by my question and simply shrugged, looking coy as she responded, "Just doing what every bartender does - gathering a little information from here and there," she said, causing me to raise my eyebrows at her. In reply, she pointed over at a couple who weren't too far from us, "Those two are undergoing marriage counselling and from the way the man keeps looking at everything with tits as it passes by - I'd say it's no doubt to do with him cheating," she gossiped before pointing at a woman on the opposite side of the room, "That woman over there is Helen Cho and she has a massive crush on Thor. I heard her talking about it to some other woman near the bar," she shrugged before carrying on, "Being a bartender can get you all the information you want. No one even notices you unless they want a drink."

Hearing her words, I had a surprised, yet playful expression on my face, "Well, it doesn't surprise me that spies need impeccable eavesdropping skills," I teased a joke and Natasha rolled her eyes at me, chuckling lightly. But I lost my playfulness and looked at her seriously, "But in all those examples, you listened to other people's conversations. Why did you start one with me?"

"Because you're the latest thing, Doctor," she smiled, though still seemed a little surprised at my straight-forward attitude, "You went from a diseased man, to a Nobel Prize winner, to perfectly healthy-No, I'd even say you look better than healthy person. You're a walking mystery, and people wanna know how you tick," she said, waving her own cocktail stick around, a teasing, confident smile on her face.

"Hmm...then I'd suggest you try a bit harder. Because at this point in time, I won't be telling you anything," I shrugged before I felt someone approach me. I didn't turn to them and neither did I stop the hand head for my shoulder.

"Mike! I've been looking for you!" I turned to see a slightly drunk Tony, with Bruce Banner next to him, looking slightly awkward being next to Tony who was slurring his words slightly, "I wanted to talk to some people who actually have a brain, so I got Bruce, then I came looking for you - But I couldn't find you!" he gave a slightly drunken run-down on what had happened when he left me earlier and from what I could garner, he'd drunk a stunning amount of alcohol.

"Okay, okay, come and just sit down for a minute, buddy," I took him off Bruce who sighed in relief and sat down to the right of me. I guided Tony to the seat on the left of me before I looked to Natasha, "Got anything that could sober him up? I really don't wanna see him embarrass himself and then have Pepper rush in here shouting at him - their relationship has only just started blooming, you know?" I smirked and Natasha matched my smirk before starting to mix some stuff together that she was pulling from underneath the bar.

Sniffing the air, I could smell the intense spiciness of whatever she was making and it nearly made me cough and sneeze my ass off. I could also detect some kind of coffee in there as well.

Looking to Tony I apologetically smiled but shrugged when I realized that he'd done this to himself.

"Okay then! Let's do hypothetical situations! I'll start!" Tony gave a drunken shout that was drowned out by the music and other people talking, but me and Bruce could hear him just fine, and we both let out sighs before listening to Tony's drunken ideas.

. . .

Right now, I was sitting on a sofa, surrounded by Avengers as they all talked.

Huh.

What a weird thing to be able to say. I had wanted to leave after most of the other people left but Tony, Bruce, and Thor practically forced me to say - saying something along the lines of 'If you're a friend, you should stay for the after party!' well, that's what Tony said at least. Thor just wanted to keep me here to keep drinking with him as no one else other than Captain America would continue to drink with him.

Bruce pulled me to the side and said something about wanting to ask me about Ultron but other than that, he didn't tell me much and wouldn't tell me anymore. He said he'd tell me before we all left.

Anyway, I was now sitting inbetween Thor and Captain America, or as he constantly told me to call him, Steve.

...I was a bit of a fanboy. But only because he was my hero. The hero I look up to the most.

Since I was a kid, at least.

He was like me. Sickly, short, thin, nonathletic...he just wasn't suited to anything like fighting. But he didn't let it keep him down. I remember visiting his museum countless times when I was younger. I had my memories for inspiration, sure, but reading about some scrawny kid from Brooklyn who became the perfect soldier and turned the tides of the second world war in the Allied Forces' favor? That was also a massive load of motivation.

It showed me that no matter what I looked like now, or how weak I was now, I could always become better tomorrow. That was an important realization to me. One I fell back on quite a lot during the times when I was bullied or when I reached a hard part in developing my cure. I always remembered that I could do better tomorrow.

So, to sit next to the guy who helped me have such a realization...well, it was pretty fantastic.

But I kept my cool. My new mind allowing for me to think through the situation and calm myself at an incredible speed. Just in time as well.

"So, Michael, I've heard a lot about your work with diseases...Good to know Medicine just continues to advance. A friend of mine would've been incredibly happy to know that," he looked incredibly reminiscent, yet also happy as he thought about this friend. I just smiled and gave a slightly embarrassed shrug.

"I just did what I could with what I have, Ca--Steve," I corrected myself, and Steve gave me a smile I'd expect to see on an old man, maybe a grandpa or something similar.

"That's all anyone can ever ask of you, Michael, so feel free to be proud of it," he nodded before taking back a beer from Thor who'd added in some kind of Asgardian drink. As I was about to answer, Thor slapped me on the back and I had to feign a chocked appearance as I went forward and coughed a little.

"But don't get too big-headed, Morbius! You don't want to fall down the same hole I did and feel that you're infallible!" he said, his voice jolly, but also full of warning.

I was just surprised he could be that serious and that he knew what infallible meant.

But that was slightly presumptuous of me, honestly. I hadn't known him for that long - not even a day. So it'd be unfair to judge his intelligence based off of that. I guess I just had a prejudice against him because he looks like a bodybuilder.

After this, and I don't know how it got to this, but it did, people started asking Thor about his Hammer.

"But it's a trick!" Clint Barton, otherwise known as Hawkeye, gave out a shout of mirth as he looked over at Thor explaining his hammer. He was obviously skeptical. He obviously hadn't seen the magically re-filling Jugs of beer.

I was a Biochemist. I believed in science and all it's wonders. But my mind wasn't closed off to new things, either.

Back before people really started to believe science, it must have seemed like magic to them.

Magic is just a new realm of science that was just begging to be understood.

But obviously Clint didn't share the same view as he adamantly refused to believe that Thor's hammer had anything magical about it.

"No, no," Thor shook his head, laughing, "It's much more than that," the confidence he spoke with only further solidified the thoughts I'd just been having. If a being over thousands of years old told you his flying hammer was magical, you'll bet your ass that it's a magical flying hammer.

"Who so ever be he worthy, shall hath the POWER!" Clint outstretched his hands toward the hammer, putting on a majestic voice as he spoke mockingly before he laughed before continuing with a joking tone, "Whatever man, it's a trick!" he laughed, a woman with black, chin-length hair laughing with him.

I think she said her name was Maria Hill - an Ex-S.H.I.E.L.D Operative and now an employee for Stark Industries.

Thor just shrugged before waving his hand at the hammer, "Well please, be my guest," he chuckled, smiling at what he probably knew was gonna be his friend's failure.

Then there was silence for a few seconds before Tony started to egg Clint on and before long, Clint let out a huff before standing up. Tony, seeing him rise up to the challenge, smirked before taunting him even more, "Clint, you've had a tough week and we won't hold it against you if you can't get it up!" causing most of us to laugh while Clint just imitated our laughter in a mocking way, obviously sulking about being the butt of the joke.

After a quick quip to Thor, Clint put his hand on the hammer's handle before straining and trying to lift it. He grunted and he groaned, but the hammer didn't move even a little bit. Not even a nudge.

After a few more seconds of failure, he let go before laughing in disbelief. I heard Tony make a joke and Clint just lifted his hand in Tony's direction before pointing to the hammer, "Please, Stark, by all means show us how it's done!" he laughed once again, gaining the same look as Thor, as he seemed to know that Tony would fail.

And so started some kind of competition to see if any of us were worthy to lift Thor's hammer.

Tony failed with just his normal human strength, so he went and got part of his Iron Man suit. That also failed, so he employed the help of his friend Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes along with his suit's gauntlet.

Even then, they both failed.

I was asked if I wanted to try but I just shook my head - it wasn't something I needed answering and I doubt I was worthy anyway. I was much too driven by selfishness to be worthy of a magical flying hammer.

Bruce went after me and failed to pull it. But due to this slight drunkenness, he pretended to be like the Hulk and gave out a roar which had me stifling my laughter - the ever-serious Bruce Banner was pretending to roar like the Hulk? It was so perfectly cringey that it became quite hilarious if you ignored the second-hand embarrassment.

Something that did surprise me, however, was that the hammer did slightly nudge when Steve tried to lift it.

Thor noticed it as well, if his horrified face was anything to go by. Everyone else though? They didn't.

Part of me thought that Cap gave up, though, because he suddenly let go of the hammer and let out a frustrated sigh before audibly giving up with a smile.

Natasha had the same reasoning as me - she didn't need that questions answer, so she refused.

After that, Tony gave out a scoff before smiling at the rest of us and mockingly bowing to Thor, "All deference to the man who wouldn't be King, but it's rigged!" he joked and Clint chuckled before agreeing.

"You bet your ass it is," he said, slapping Tony on the shoulder with a smirk on his face.

Maria gave a gasp of mock shock and pointed at Clint while looking at Steve, "Steve, he just said a bad language word!" the mirth in her eyes was palpable and Steve just said, rolling his eyes as he looked at Tony.

"Did you tell everyone about that?" he sounded slightly embarrassed and a whole lot of fed-up but Tony didn't answer him and started talking about theories and whatnot on how Thor is able to pick it up while others aren't.

Thor just laughed at that, "Yes, uh, yeah, that's a very, VERY interesting theory, Stark," he got up and walked to his hammer while he said this before bending over while still speaking, "I have a simpler one..." he paused for a second before picking up his hammer and throwing it up and catching it, "You're all not worthy," he smiled as he said this while the ones who tried to lift the hammer yet failed just booed at him.

As everyone was chuckling about it, an ungodly sound echoed through the room. My sensitive ears no doubt picked up more than the others and the pain caused me to flinch and put down my beer while I covered my ears and looked toward the direction of where the sound came from.

As I looked, I saw a broken and malformed Iron Sentry limping it's way toward the entrance of the room. It was leaking liquid with every step and it looked like it was on it's last legs as it's body was hunched over and stumbling forward. It...it looked like a child learning to walk, if I had to describe it in anyway.

Standing up, I looked at the robot and others followed my gaze and looked at the Sentry.

"Stark," Steve said, his voice severe as his eyes darted around the room, his training and experience obviously kicking into overdrive and getting ready for whatever happens.

Tony looked incredibly worried as he looked at his holographic watch, "Jarvis?" he asked with a slightly louder than usual voice. But there was no answer.

"N...No..." the Sentry spoke, it's voice gravelly and deep, cutting in and out at different times like TV static. But it seemed to be improving at an incredible rate as it carried on, "Ho-How could y-you be worthy...? You're a-all killers..." it waved it's hand-less arm at the Avengers before turning to me, "But not you, Dr. Morbius. I-I respect you--Is that the right word?" it wondered to itself, before stepping a bit closer to me, "Nevermind. I know you w-would understand my ideas. After this...let's work together," I don't know why, but I had the distinct impression that this robot was...alive and that it was smiling at me.

Narrowing my eyes, I saw the others get even more tense and the robot seemed to be shocked by something as it backed up, "Interesting...Dr. Morbius...what have you done with your body?"

"Excuse me?" I asked, wondering what it was talking about. But then it hit me. There's enough tech in this penthouse to do a life sign scan and each Iron Sentry is fitted with many ways to scan a person's body.

It couldn't have...

"You're body, Dr. Morbius...it's different than other humans," it almost sounded curious as it looked at me with the dim lights that made up it's eye, and it paused for a second like it was thinking, no, it was searching for something. Before long, it carried on with a voice of realization, "Oh, I get it. Your cure did this to you, didn't it?"

"What's he talking about, Mike?" Tony asked urgently from the side of me.

Thor, however, ignored that and questioned the robot, "Who sent you?"

All that he got in response was Tony's voice playing from the robot - an audio clip, that said, "I see a suit of armor, around the world," it was unmistakably Tony's voice and it caused both me and Bruce to come to a realization quite quickly.

"Ultron..." I whispered while looking to Tony and then Bruce, both of which met my gaze with a worried one of their own because all three of us could realize who he'd have to have killed to get here - Jarvis.

It was why he wasn't responding to Tony.

"In the flesh, or no, not yet," it said, looking down at it's broken body before looking back up at us, "Not in this chrysalis," once again I felt like the robot, no, I felt like Ultron was smiling at me, and a very distinct chill went up my back as my senses picked up multiple suits of armor rushing towards us from behind Ultron.

Sighing, I knew that I'd probably end up getting questioned after this because of what Ultron said, so I decided that I wouldn't keep myself restrained. I'd let loose as much as I could.

I felt my canines elongate and my claws extend from my fingers.

"What do you want?" Natasha asked, her hand slipping into her purse and pulling out a pistol. Ultron just looked at her, his electronic eyes burning with disdain and contempt.

"Peace in our time."

And then it begun.