CHAPTER 20

A/N: I know this isn't that important but I finally was able to decide a character image for Vision's human look. I'm not that big on AI images so it's definitely not that. The choices were between Henry Cavill, OG Vision - Paul Bettany and Paul Walker, and the winner is...

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My deductions had been correct as Steve had called for a round table where he shared information about a military base turned terrorist hideouts where it had been confirmed that they were dealing in stolen Chitauri tech and even some Ultron-droids.

The Chitauri tech was understandable but the Ultron-droid, ehn not so much. The only people who were at the scene and were rounding up the empty cocoon of a body were the Avengers and SHIELD. 

Obviously there was no way for us to secure all the parts on our own so SHIELD was tasked with rounding them up and delivering them safely to Stark so he could make sure Ultron wasn't coming back using those carcasses in any possible way. 

"You just can't trust the government to keep their hands to themselves, can you?" Natasha said sarcastically. 

Steve had a frustrated and wry smile on his face at Natasha's words. 

On my side, I was busy downloading and skimming through the data presented. 

The base was an old Irish military camp during the second World War near the foot of a mountain which made advancing towards it a hard deal since they could spot us; not that it matters if they did. 

"So how are we taking this base?" I asked. 

I could just clear out the thing but I could guess this was a sort of training montage for Pietro and Wanda. 

It was only just now that I realized that the Avengers had no idea of my extensive capabilities, except only what I made known during the Battle of Sokovia and I liked it that way. 

Steve was quite trusting in a way I would consider foolish but I guess his charisma covers up for that very well. 

"I was thinking of putting the new recruits to field work to see how they coordinate." He said while directing a look between Wanda and Pietro, the latter who looked on expectantly, before stopping at me. 

"Hmm?" I tilted my head in confusion as he looked at me. 

He smiled at me as if he just understood something. "I guess I don't need to worry much about you."

I didn't answer him since my answer was very obvious and then turned to look at the other people in the room and raised the question I've been meaning to ask since the beginning. 

"Where's Banner?"

Steve became awkward while Natasha didn't have so much as a twitch in her expression. 

"Bruce won't be joining us for this mission." Steve said but I'd already gotten the gist of it. 

"Got it."

Unlike the others, Bruce's situation was a bit complicated because even if he accepted the Hulk, his problem wouldn't stop there. 

There were different stages to the Hulk and just getting rid of one would only make his other traumas rear their heads in the form of a green monster. 

He was also the strongest Avenger currently outside of Thor. Even I would be hard pressed to knock out a fully raging Hulk. I would have a better chance facing off against Thor than Hulk. 

It wasn't much of who was stronger but the compatibility between myself and the both of them. 

Maybe I'll find a chance to have a word with him after the raid is done. 

"So, Vision, since you are overseeing Wanda and Pietro's training, how do you think they'll function?" Natasha asked, bringing back our topic to the matter at hand.

"They should be fine with a little bit of supervision so no worries there." Pietro had already broken Mach 6, already cruising his way through 2000m/s, and Wanda was getting quite good and innovative with her constructs and hex blasts. 

The both of them looked at me in surprise, not sure why they would, but it's the truth. The two of them had an almost perfect teamwork and synergy with each other that was there even before they started training. 

The training just helped make it more pronounced and efficient. 

"I see. Well since you say so we'll have to take it at face value until proven otherwise." Natasha said coolly. 

Did I mention that I beat her once when she tried to train me and the twins? 

They basically were pushing me into boot camp with the twins and Sam but I couldn't allow that, now can I? 

It was a very cliché way of exerting dominance and letting them know I wasn't to be joked around and I respect that Natasha easily accepted that. 

She left me to train Pietro and Wanda in the way I found 'efficient' and only came to check up on them a few times to see their progress. 

"So are we going to finally address why there's a bunch of Ultron-droids in Ireland?" Wanda asked. 

"Well Wanda, there's this thing known as politics and I don't know if you've heard but they can be real…"

"Bastards. They can be real bastards." Natasha completed Sam's statement not that Wanda was stupid enough to miss it. 

"And let me guess, we can't do anything about it?" She asked as if already knowing the answer which was something we all did. 

"If we can get evidence then it be easy to zip our guys, but unfortunately we got nothing." Sam replied. 

"I'll work on that." I said, catching them by surprise. "We have the resources, we will try to find out who's behind it. It'll help us gain some distance from them."

"Yeah, and conversely make them want to put a leash on us even more." Natasha rebutted. 

I knew her fears but they will have to learn, sooner than later, that politics is the last thing they need to worry about. There will be accountability, yes, but we can't have any government have a deciding power over us or our actions. 

Benefits and saving their own lives were the only things that mattered when politics were involved. Such things frankly disgusted me. 

"They will want to put one on us sooner anyway. Better to fight the growing symptoms than let it fester into a virus." Have I always been this wise? I mean, sure I've read Plato, Aristotle and a few lines from Washington but now I'm suddenly giving out Sun Tzu vibes. 

Was it because of my elevated thought process or something else? Whatever it was, I don't care because I'm so grinding the hell out of this, Al Capone style. 

"Why I understand the reason for the talks going on, letting those old coots decide our every line of action isn't going to be a good thing. Trust me on this." Sam said. 

"Can we please table this discussion for another time? The Accords haven't even been given a hearing so let's keep it aside until then. We have more important things to focus on right now." Steve interjected before this particular line of conversation could go any further. 

I already had a few plans in place in case the Accords were ever given a favorable hearing but those will have to wait for now. No need to worry about something so trivial. 

The Accords on their own were nothing if the Avengers were united and all it'd do is impede our movements quite a bit due to their persistent nuisance but that's easily avoidable in most scenarios. 

My only concerns were how the Accords would affect the upcoming Civil War if the mutants and other heroes got involved. It can quickly escalate into something else entirely if the comics were anything to go by. 

"Tony can't come because he's easily high profile and we don't want the attention this early so it's gonna be just us."

Steve grabbed everybody's attention as he started laying out the plans and alternatives in case for any possible unexpected developments. 

"Vision, can you get inside stealthily once we draw their attention?" 

I nodded. 

"Then you'll pave the way for Pietro and Wanda to enter while we draw outward fire to ourselves. Try and find out what they want the droids for. Trafficking, weapons deal, supply chains and investors. Anything you can find. We need to find the source of the leak before this becomes something else."

Steve said with all seriousness which anyone paying attention to the news will understand why. 

After the Chitauri Invasion, high-level crime syndicates somehow got their hands on modified alien tech and became unbridled in their activities since the police couldn't match their weaponry. It is something that's still ongoing till now. 

"Suit up. We leave in ten."

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