Spy Games Ch. 20

Avengers: Age of Ultron

(Earth)

I couldn't help the smile on my face as I took in the small blue and green world below me. I'd put far too much effort into the people on this planet to just abandon it all. The fact that there was a certain infinity stone down below that I had passed by once already might have factored in as well, but it wasn't in the front of my mind as I look to Nebula, "Darling, place the call please."

She does so and I wait patiently until the English tone fills the cockpit, "You have reached the Avenger's Tower. May I ask who this is? You appear to be calling from orbit."

Grinning widely, I shake my head, "It's so good to hear your voice Jarvis. Your sensors are correct, I'm currently aboard an M-class spaceship above the planet. Could you perhaps ask Tony if he has time for his sire?"

"… Very well sir."

I don't have to wait long before I hear Tony's voice, "Vali? Where the hell have you been?!"

My eyes roll at his words, "Given where I'm calling you from, that should be obvious. Ended up halfway across the galaxy after a small… accident. I've just now managed to make my way back."

Tony scoffs, "Yeah, I know, everyone knows. Your little departure was caught on several cameras Vali. Just sitting there cross legged one second, the next an implosion of red energy and you're just gone along with a crater fifty feet around. The main youtube video of the event has over eight hundred million views now. Everyone was convinced you either died or left. That was an accident? What the hell were you trying to do?!"

I sigh and rub the bridge of my nose. There's Tony's inquisitive mind, I certainly did not miss his badgering as he tried to figure out everything about me that no one understood. Deciding to step around the subject for now, I reply with, "I was hoping you would direct me to the nearest landing area. Preferably somewhere nice and quiet under Avenger control."

Tony is quiet for a moment and that alone makes me suspicious. Those suspicions are confirmed almost instantly as he replies, "Sure, ever heard of a place called Sokovia? I'll send you the coordinates, we've got a small base set up there. Everyone will be real happy to see you."

He hangs up on me and all I can do is chuckle and shake my head. Well, if nothing else Sokovia is where I needed to be. The coordinates come in and Nebula begins to pilot the ship down into Earth's atmosphere, towards my destiny.

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Avengers: Age of Ultron

(Avengers Base Camp, Sokovia)

I get quite the welcoming party when I step off the landing ramp. Darcy slams into my chest in an instant and I smile as I wrap my arms around her, "Hello love, it's good to see you."

Behind her stand the original Avengers with the addition of Bucky. Nobody else, but I imagine this can't be the only spot the new organization is needed. I imagine my hybrids are spread across the world doing good, or Darcy will quickly tell me otherwise. Instead she leans back, her eyes watery as she smiles at my words, "You've got a new look."

I blink at the non sequitur, but she does have a point. Smiling tightly, I kiss her forehead and give her another hug, "Yes well, one's wardrobe has a tendency to change when one experiences space and entry into the atmosphere of a planet without any sort of spacesuit."

Her eyes widen further at that, "You-"

I cut her off there, taking her face in my hands and kissing her squarely on the lips. That shuts her up, and when I pull back after a moment I shake my head ever so slightly and she gets the message. I don't want to talk about it. Looking past her, I smile at the other Avengers only to blink and furrow my brow, "Where's Natasha?"

That gets… quite the reaction from everyone, but's it's Steve who answers me. And is that judgment I see somewhere in the back of his eyes, "Nat has other things to worry about back in New York. We wouldn't pull her away from her duties there."

"What the hell does that mean? She's an Avenger and she's fought on the front lines of an alien invasion with all of us. What duties in New York mean she can't keep fighting?"

Tony chuckles from his suit, which I notice is much more streamlined than anything I'd ever seen in the movies. It was more of a super suit then a suit of armor now, though it was still bulky in several places, the head and chest most specifically, "She's got a kid now. I'm surprised you didn't know, considering you're the father."

I stop at that, but I can't be too surprised. Part of me had to have known that given the chance, the being that had sent me here would jump at the chance to make sure our coupling was… productive. Sparing a glance to Darcy, I see jealousy but also a certain fondness. I can imagine her being an excellent aunt to any child of mine that's not also hers.

Turning back to the male Avengers I sigh and shrug my shoulders, "I didn't know. Now that I do, I'll be sure to pay her a visit after this. I imagine there's more to this forward base than just a nice and quiet landing site though, so shall we get to work?"

Thor speaks up next, pointing his hammer at Nebula, "You have a Luphomoid with you now. Will you introduce us?"

Looking to Nebula I smile and nod, gesturing between her and the group and back again, "This is Nebula. I freed her from slavery and she in turn was a great help in getting me back to Earth. She's also no longer just a Luphomoid. I saw no reason not to share immortality with her after what she did for me. She's very much combat ready unless you prefer she stay behind."

Nebula inclines her head slightly in greeting, "I will stay by Vali's side. I owe him a great debt."

Darcy lets out a small noise at that and I make a note to pay her some attention soon, probably before I even go find Natasha. Smiling still, I shrug as if to say 'what can you do?' At the end of the day, Nebula's presence is accepted and we get down to what I already knew we were here for. One of Hydra's last large bases is nearby and it seems I lucked out because the Avengers were planning on striking the next day.

I grinned widely and pledged my support to the assault.

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Later that Night

Sending Nebula back to the ship for the night was necessary given the looks I kept finding Darcy giving me. Slipping into her personal tent, I barely had time to make sure the flap closed behind me before Darcy was grabbing me and pushing me down onto her cot, kissing me aggressively, "Mmm, I missed you so much Vali."

I kiss back just as hard, my hands running over her already mostly naked body, the obvious fact that she'd been waiting for me just arousing me further as I respond, "I missed you too darling."

She leans back after I undo the clasp on her bra and expose her delicious tits to the open air. Grinning, she runs her hands over my clothing, "You're a little overdressed for this party Vali."

Grinning back at her, I let my control drift away and my clothing dissolves beneath her hands. The Aether and the Power Stone in conjunction armored me now, and I'd stopped wearing real clothing along the way back to Earth. As far as I could tell, the purple fragment of infinity I'd acquired had no limit to its immeasurable power, so it wasn't like I'd run out and end up naked. It'd also had the side effect of quieting down the Aether's hunger entirely. I wasn't sure I needed to ever actually drink another drop of blood so long as I had it within me.

Darcy certainly seems to appreciate it as she leans down and runs kisses along my jawline, down my neck, and onto my muscled chest. She only stops when she notices the purple glow in the center beneath my skin, the Power Stone's resting place. Running her fingers over it, she frowns, "What is this?"

I smile at that, "A souvenir of my lovely jaunt through space love. Almost makes the entire experience worth it to be honest. Gives me some lovely new abilities… like this."

Bringing a finger to her panties, I smirk up at her wickedly as I dissolve the last bit of clothing on her body, leaving nothing between my hard cock and her wet cunt. She giggles playfully and goes back to kissing me, even as I take hold of her hips and position us so that a moment later I'm sliding into her. She moans into my mouth and I nip at her lip as I begin to thrust up into her.

She meets me eagerly, pushing her ass down onto my crotch faster and harder. A moment later we both move in unison to the ground, knowing that we were a second away from destroying the cot. Then, we're fucking like animals… or more accurately, like hybrids. It's very obvious how much Darcy missed me just by the desperation inherent in her lovemaking.

We manage to avoid tearing down the tent we're in and eventually we're back on the cot with Darcy laying on my chest content for the moment. I find myself considering anything else I might have missed, "… Hey, did Trish Walker ever contact you?"

Darcy blinks, "The radio show host? Yeah she did. Her and her friend came around and got signed up, but her friend, Jessica I think her name was, didn't want much to do with the hero life. So Trish is kind of on reserve. She's stuck around New York mostly dealing with muggers and rapists at night with our backing."

I smile and nod, "That's good to hear. She's wanted to be a hero for so long."

Darcy just mm's and goes back to nuzzling my chest. We lay like that for a little while longer, but we don't need much sleep and we don't get much either, spending the majority of the night cuddling or… entertaining ourselves another way.

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Avengers: Age of Ultron

(HYDRA base, Sokovia)

The fight for this last HYDRA base wasn't much of a fight. The soldiers had plenty of extra gadget and some technology so advanced it was almost magical, but given just who they were facing… well they never had a chance. Bucky had gotten his wish and Steve had gotten the girl originally denied to him by fate itself.

However, a product of his relationship with Peggy meant that he was now also a hybrid, turned by her after a hundred or so off hand comments about growing old and leaving her alone in her immortality by Tony had convinced Steve to ask Peggy for her blood. I had no strong feelings over it one way or the other, Captain America had never been overly important in any of my plans, but this did mean that the only Avengers left who weren't immortal bloodsuckers were a giant green rage monster and a Norse demigod.

Yeah. HYDRA never stood a chance. But this also meant I had to be careful and make sure I got into the base before the others. As we closed in on it, we found an energy field covering the main fortress and I saw my chance to break off from the group, activating my comm I shouted out, "I can make a hole but it won't last long. I'm going in to secure the Staff. Bring down the shield quickly and back me up."

I don't listen for any responses or protests, using a small charge of the power stone to burn straight through the energy field and slip in, letting it close up behind me. Of course I could tear the whole thing down, but to be fair, the Power Stone allows for the destruction of entire worlds. I'm holding back, obviously. Grinning wolfishly, I move towards where I can feel the Mind Stone reaching out.

HYDRA isn't fully evacuated at this point and I go through several guards and scientists on the way to my prize. Eventually though, I stand before Loki's scepter and with a flick of my fingers, destroy the containment measures securing it. Reaching out, I almost close my hand around its shaft when I hear someone trying and failing to sneak up on me.

Hesitating for a few moments more I spin around at the last possible moment, much to the surprise of Wanda Maximoff, who understandably freaks out when my hand closes around her throat. A wave of telekinetic force immediately slams into me, but I don't even flinch as I allow a slow smile to grow on my face, "Hello beautiful."

Her only response is to choke and scratch uselessly at my grip around her neck. With my smile still in place, I release her and she falls to the ground coughing. A moment later she looks up at me with wide fearful eyes and speaks in Sokovian, "You're a monster…"

I sigh and crouch before her, "Ah, are we seeing things we shouldn't be dear Wanda?"

She flinches and her fear turns to shame and a little bit of arousal as I turn my mind to thoughts of her writhing under her brother in orgasmic bliss. Oh? Now isn't this interesting, seems that the incestuous relationship they share in one version of the comics isn't totally out of the question here. Grinning I reach out with a single finger and boop her on the nose, "Now Wanda, we're all monsters these days. It's what you do with it that counts."

She shudders and speaks even as I stand and turn back to my prize, quite sure she's neutralized for the moment, "Me and my brother will never join your Avengers! B-but… why do you already have memories of us doing so? And a man made of metal trying to destroy Sokovia? No… the world…"

Ah, she's stumbling through my memories of a certain movie like a lost puppy. Adorable. Taking a moment, I once again dredge up other memories, specifically of the documents I'd read from Hydra's personal database about them being the ones who created the war in Sokovia to destabilize the place and make it easier to recruit for their experiments. Wanda lets out a wail of denial behind me as I smirk and once more reach for the Staff.

And once more I'm interrupted as a speedy Pietro Maximoff shows up and attempts to slam into me, most likely to get me away from his kneeling sister. I have to hold back to keep the power within me from tearing him apart, but I still allow the Aether to react. As he gets within an inch of striking me, the Aether rises up and my eyes shine with a purple glow as Quicksilver is caught in half an instant and slammed into the ground beside his sister.

This gets another cry from Wanda, this time one laced with rage as she raises her hands to strike at me again. The Aether latches on and forces her to the ground as well, keeping both Maximoff siblings on the ground and out of my hair as I finally take hold of the Staff. Reaching for the blue crystal at its head, I let purple energy seep out and break it open just as I'm interrupted once more, this time by Tony Stark.

"Vali! What the hell are you doing?"

He's far too late though, not that it would matter if he wasn't. The containment crystal breaks and exposes the Mind Stone to open air, to me. Closing my hand around it, I smile and allow it to guide me towards where it wishes to be placed as I did with the Power Stone, only to come to a sudden stop as my smile turns into a frown.

"Hang on, does this absolutely need to go in my forehead?"

Stark responds, probably thinking I'm talking to him, "I don't know what you're doing Vali, but you need to put that thing down now!"

I drop the now broken scepter and raise my free hand to Tony to point at him, "Shut up Tony, I'm having a conversation here!"

Going back to my one sided conversation, I furrow my brow and respond to the Aether's answer, "No, I'm trying to figure out if it's absolutely necessary to its function for it to be planted on my forehead, or if you're just going with symbolism and putting it there because that's where my brain is and it's the Mind Stone. Because if it's the latter, I think I'd prefer to keep it somewhere that won't look ridiculous."

"No, having a glowing yellow crystal above my eyes is not my idea of 'cool'… Good, that's what I thought."

Satisfied with having won my little argument, I bring the Mind Stone to my chest and allow it to slide into place alongside the Power Stone, the Aether moving to cradle and protect it just as it did with its purple counterpart. My senses are suddenly expanded beyond even a four thousand year old Hybrid and I gasp as I hear the thoughts of every person several miles around me.

With great focus I pull back the not so passive mind reading and wag my finger at Tony, "Do NOT attack me Stark, I know you're considering it. I'm fine."

Tony is looking more worried than I would usually expect from him as he steps closer to me and my prisoners, "You sure? Because I just watched you put some sort of alien gem in your chest that came out of a scepter Loki used to control the minds of dozens of men and women, after you argued with it over placement."

I wave a hand dismissively, not bothering to correct him over what I was arguing with. Trying to explain that I wasn't arguing with the yellow stone, but the red fluid already within me was a headache waiting to happen. Instead I turn my attention to the Maximoff twins at my feet, "I'm quite sure Tony. If I was suddenly evil or against you, I would have unleashed these two. They both want you dead very badly."

That draws Tony's attention as he stares incredulously at my prisoners, who I'm slowly pulling off the ground, though not releasing them from my Aether holds or the gags over their mouths, "What? Why? I've never met them in my life."

I roll my eyes at that, "Surely you should know by now that a man like you has pissed off plenty of people without ever meeting them. I think your personality is just so annoying it encompasses the world. As for these two specifically though, Stark Industry weapons killed their parents and they've spent their entire lives as freedom fighters with no one but each other. Until Hydra got their hands on them."

Tony now has a pitying look in his eyes now, but I'm already stepping up to Wanda and removing the gag from her alone, "You know the truth now though don't you my dear? You've seen it in my mind. Stark may be an idiot, but he's a decent person. And the people you thought were your saviors, Hydra, they're the ones who truly did all of this to you. To both of you."

Wanda is looking at me in confusion and fear again and once more she speaks, "H-how can I know what I saw was true? Your mind has become blinding like the sun."

I stare at her for a long moment… it's good to know that I've now protected my mind, but god I'm really not interested in a long drawn out explanation. So, after a second I knock both her and Pietro out. It's not exactly hard. Lying their bodies on the ground gently, I refocus on Tony even as the rest of the Avengers pile in, Steve at their forefront, "Tony! Vali! Neither of you were responding to comms!"

Tony doesn't even turn to address our star-spangled comrade, instead continuing to stare at me, "You going to explain what just happened? What you just did with the Scepter? The whole reason we're here?"

That gets Thor's attention as he stares at the broken weapon at my feet and puts two and two together before turning an accusatory glare on me, "Vali, you have taken a second infinity stone?"

I smile faintly and raise a hand to give off purple sparks, "Third actually, I acquired the Power Stone during my accidental trip through space."

Thor looks ready to explode but Steve steps in and raises his hands, "Hang on here! Infinity Stones? Someone explain what's going on, now."

My smile grows stronger as I do so, "Of course Captain. The Infinity Stones are the remnants of six singularities that existed before the beginning of your universe. They are the reason Loki attacked New York, and why Malekith and his Dark Elves tried to attack Greenwich. There is a being out there in the darkest depths of space named Thanos. He wishes to collect all six Infinity Stones so that he can destroy large swaths of the universe and gain the attention of Death."

Thor snarls, "And if you know this Vali, you must know why the Stones should not be gathered together in one place. It is too dangerous, too much power. It will draw Thanos to Earth."

I keep my own tone calm as I explain my own reasoning, "You might be correct Thor, if I was not here. Your best bet may have been to force Thanos into a scavenger hunt that would see him breaking through the defenses of several different civilizations in order to get what he wanted. But I am here, and as you can see, I am perfectly capable of wielding the Infinity Stones."

Smiling, I raise a hand and let a swirl of red, yellow, and purple energy form into a ball for effect, "Thor, this is the reason I was sent here. Thanos will come to Earth regardless, and without me he may wipe it from existence. I'm here to stop him from doing that to any planet, not just Earth. While I still live, he will not gain control of all six Infinity Stones, that I swear."

Steve's brow is furrowed as he speaks up, "That's a lot of power for any one man, even if you can control it."

I let the energy in my hand dissipate and nod again, "It is Cap. With the Power Stone alone, I could destroy the surface of Earth by expelling enough energy. For a split second after I took the Mind Stone upon myself, I heard the thoughts of every sentient being on this world. Every moment of every day I will have to hold back. But it's a burden I gladly shoulder."

I spread my arms wide, palms open in a universal gesture of peace, "I don't want to destroy the Earth, or any other planet. I don't want to hear the thoughts of billions of people. All I want is to stop Thanos and save this universe from his horrifying plans."

Tony is staring at me speculatively now, "You've said that you were banished by your people because they would not do what needed to be done. This is what you were talking about? Why not just tell us years ago, when Loki first attacked with the Scepter? You've obviously known what it was this entire time."

I sigh, "There's a… process to this, at least for me. The Aether had to be acquired first. In fact, the Scepter rejected me out of hand when it was still in Loki's grasp. The Aether is like a binding agent, a building block for the other fragments. It prepared my body. The Power Stone is an overcharged battery that would have destroyed me if I'd tried to take it in without the Aether. Now just happened to finally be the right time for the Mind Stone."

"And frankly, I couldn't have any of you trying to stop me. This is necessary, much like gifting the fragile human parts of our team with immortality was necessary. That's something you understand quite well given your decision to go behind my back and use my blood to turn yourself and the love of your life Tony."

Thor narrows his eyes, "And will you be aiming for the Tesseract next Vali?"

I roll my eyes at that and shake my head, "While I would gladly accept it if your father wished to gift it to me, I have no desire to be your enemy or attack Asgard Thor. Thanos will eventually come for it, and I have faith that he will either be repelled, or you will be willing to allow me to stop him from taking it. But we are allies Thor, friends even. Aren't we?"

He pauses for a moment before nodding and confirming my statement, "We are. I apologize for doubting your conviction Vali."

I smile and look to the others. Everyone has their doubts, but I've never shown myself to be anything but a 'good guy' despite proving to also be quite the asshole at times. Silence falls so I clap my hands together, "Well then, enough arguing, we should be celebrating! Hydra no longer has the Scepter and we've captured not only another of their heads, but also two of their enhanced pawns."

I raise an eyebrow at richest man in the room, "I do hope you're planning on throwing a party Tony."

After a moment he grins, "Of course I am."

With that said, things wind down. The attack is over and SHIELD and Avenger personnel move in to begin clean up. The Maximoff twins are dragged off for an attempt at recruiting them and I put them out of my mind for the time being. Without Ultron as a catalyst I wasn't sure if they could still be pushed to join the Avengers, but we'd cross that hurdle when we got there.

Now it was time to go back to New York. I had a certain spider to talk to.

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Avengers: Age of Ultron

(Avenger's Tower, New York City)

Natasha met me outside her floor with her chin held high and her arms crossed over her chest defiantly. Frankly, she looked hot, but I wasn't sure exactly why I was getting this reception. Frowning, I stop in front of her and voice my confusion, "Hello Nat. I have to wonder why you seem ready to fight me. I would think I'm the one who has a reason to be upset here."

"I won't let you hurt my child Vali."

Putting aside just how overmatched she is at this point, I can't help but still feel incredulous at this reaction, "What? Why the fuck would I want to harm my own flesh and blood? Where would you even get such an idea Natasha?"

There's a slight shred of doubt in her eyes now, but she stays stalwart, "Thor told us what you told him about your past. I know that it was your firstborn who banished you here. I won't let you take it out on my daughter."

I can only imagine how Thor has butchered the story I told him in his recounting, or perhaps he only told a small part of it, or perhaps Natasha decided to read between the lines and see something that wasn't there, because I distinctly remember telling Thor that I was thankful to Miranda for what she'd done. Taking a moment to breathe in and out, I run a hand over my face, "Natasha… I do not hate my firstborn daughter for what she did. I do not hate the child we had together. I do not hurt children. If Thor had told you the full story, you would know that I could have easily killed Miranda when she did what she did. I came to Earth willingly, despite it being by force in her eyes."

Natasha looks less sure of herself now, so I go for the kill, looking her in the eye, "I will see our daughter Nat. Stand by my side the entire time if you like, but I won't let you keep her from me."

After another long moment, she nods jerkily and I follow her to the elevator that will take us to her floor. Along the way, she asks and I once again explain exactly where I'd been and what happened to me. At this point the story comes out mostly on auto pilot, not really wishing to focus on my memories of the cold emptiness of space.

Soon enough I'm leaned over a crib staring down at a tiny sleeping face with Natasha watching like a hawk from only a couple feet away. I smile at my newest child and then turn to Natasha, speaking softly so as not to wake the infant, "She's beautiful. I'm sure she'll take after you."

Natasha scoffs but I have the senses to detect that she appreciates the compliment despite not a hint of a blush showing on her face. With a sharp gesture she directs me out of the room and once we're in the kitchen I speak more clearly, "She'll be powerful. My daughters always take after my mother."

That gets Nat's attention, "Your Mother?"

I can't help but chuckle as I think of Esther for a moment. She hadn't lasted until my departure from my original universe, but then the vampire life never had agreed with her, "Yes, she was powerful in ways I am not. Expect… unusual things from our child. Some would call it magic, but it's mostly just her infant mind learning what it can do."

I shrug and finish with, "So long as she grows up happy there should be no issue."

Natasha glowers at me at that, "She will grow up happy. I can assure you of that."

Smiling at her protectiveness, I step closer and run the back of my hand down Natasha's cheek as she freezes up at my touch, "Darling, I know neither of us are inclined to romance. We'll never be husband and wife but you and our child will always have my protection. And I know, you don't want it and you may not think you need it… but you have it and that won't change."

Natasha clenches her jaw but I don't get to hear her response as JARVIS interrupts in a quiet tone, "Sir, Ma'am, the festivities have begun upstairs and Master Stark wishes for the two of you to come celebrate, less he be forced to recruit the rest of the Avengers to come get you. His words of course."

I smile at the ceiling, "Of course Jarvis." Looking down at a bemused Natasha I shrug casually, "Well, seems we have a party to get to."

She looks reluctant, glancing towards our child's room. I roll my eyes, "Darling, we both have super speed and JARVIS will be monitoring her every instant that you're gone. She's asleep… it's okay to relax for a bit."

Natasha sighs and nods, "Fine, I'll go change."

I grin rogueishly, "I could help."

That just gets a look and not the sultry 'come fuck me' kind so I watch her hips sway as she departs the room and wait patiently for her to return in attire more appropriate for a group gathering. Soon enough we're headed to the top floor and joining the large party Tony's put together to commemorate our newest defeat of HYDRA, and the final liberation of Loki's Staff… even if it didn't last long past that liberation.

I just sat and smiled, knowing that my actions meant that Ultron would not and could not come into being here and now. For now, things were peaceful. Still, it niggled at the back of my mind. This right here was where any claim to future knowledge ended. I was officially flying blind and only time would tell if I could keep things as together as I had since arriving in this universe.

But really, I already had three of six Infinity Stones. If I couldn't finish this from here, I didn't deserve to win.

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