The opportunity hath murky turn’d.
BANNER
My disappointment’s vast—we miss’d our window.
ROMANOFF
Did we? I prithee, is our situation
So dark that we deserve not something light,
So sad that we have earn’d not some sweet bliss? 20
BANNER
The world just saw the Hulk upon display—
The real Hulk, loose and free—for its first time.
Thou knowest well that I must leave anon.
ROMANOFF
Yet thou assumest I must stay? I had
A dream, a vision caught in creeping shadows, 25
The type that seemeth normal at the time,
Yet when one waketh—
BANNER
—What was thy grand dream?
ROMANOFF
That I was an Avenger. I’d become
Aught more than those who train’d me to destroy
And ply assassination had made me. 30
BANNER
Thou art immensely hard upon thyself.
[She steps toward him.
ROMANOFF
Yet did I hope that was thy job—was it
A simple dream and nothing more?
BANNER
—What art
Thou doing by these words, too large and sudden?
[She takes his hand.
ROMANOFF
I shall run with thee, seek the shades of night, 35
If running is the future thou intendest.
As far, as fast as thou dost wish, I’ll go.
BANNER
Art thou gone mad? Thy promise is too big.
[He steps away from her.
ROMANOFF
How can I make thee understand my words,
No longer cloak’d beneath obscurity— 40
BANNER
Natasha, pray, take heed: where can I go?
Where in the massive world am I no threat?
ROMANOFF
Thou art no threat to me, Black Widow thine.
BANNER
Canst thou be certain? E’en if the large man
Were never seen again, no future lies 45
Within the thorny path that I must trod.
[He indicates the room around them.
I cannot, may not, shall not, live in such
Familial comfort—children, spouse, and home.
If thou canst view the numbers, calculate:
One, physically it may never be. 50
ROMANOFF
’Tis true for me as well—my body, too—
One who doth bear the marks of my dark past.
The Red Room where I train’d to be a soldier,
Where I was wholly rais’d—therein they hold
A graduation ceremony, Bruce. 55
They sterilize each pupil—’tis efficient.
One fewer thing o’er which their minds must worry.
The single item that could matter more
Than any mission thereby is expung’d.
All is made easier by this approach, 60
E’en killing. Tell me, now: dost thou imagine
Thou art the only monster on the team?
BANNER
Thy one and my one, broken and afraid—
Shall the summation be two who survive?
Shall we just disappear, with purpose grand? 65
ROMANOFF
’Twill be less dim, if thou wilt take my hand.
[Exeunt together.
ENTER TONY STARK AND STEVE ROGERS, CHOPPING WOOD OUTSIDE THE HOUSE.
STARK
Is’t true Thor told thee not where he would seek
His answers?
ROGERS
—If thou wilt consider Barton,
Thou knowest, sometimes, my team doth not tell
Me ev’rything, though in this instance I 70
Suppos’d that Thor might the exception prove.
STARK
If thou wilt give him time, he may yet be.
We know not what the sister Maximoff
Reveal’d to him.
ROGERS
—“Earth’s heroes most profound.”
Thus are we known, yet they pull’d us apart 75
Like cotton candy at some jubilee.
STARK
It seemeth thou hast walk’d away in health.
ROGERS
Is that a problem? Doubtest thou my soul?
STARK
I trust no person sans a darker side.
ROGERS
—Let us say, 80
Perchance thou hast not seen my darkness yet.
STARK
Is’t plain to thee that Ultron doth attempt
To rend our team asunder in a trice?
ROGERS
Thou certainly wouldst know, as his creator,
Though whether thou wouldst tell us is uncertain. 85
STARK
Ill-manner’d man, hear: Banner and myself
Were plying research, nothing else.
ROGERS
—Such research
As would affect the team.
STARK
—In truth, my friend,
Such research as would end the team completely.
Is’t not our mission? Is’t not why we fight? 90
Would we not end the fight and home return?
[Rogers pulls apart a piece of wood with his bare hands.
ROGERS
Whenever someone undertakes to end
A war or skirmish ere it hath begun,
Full many innocent shall die—each time.
ENTER LAURA BARTON.
LAURA
I beg your pardon, gentlemen, for this 95
Curt interruption of your conversation,
But, Master Stark—Clint said you would not mind—
Our tractor will not start. Perhaps you could—
STARK
I’ll look upon it. [To Rogers:] Take not from my pile.
[Exeunt Steve Rogers and Laura Barton. Stark walks into the barn and sees the tractor.
Holla, Deere. Tell me ev’rything thou need’st. 100
What aileth thee, and wherefore start’st thou not?
ENTER NICK FURY.
FURY
Grant me one favor, Tony: do not try
To bring the farming vehicle to life.
STARK
[aside:] Ingenious Lady Barton, little minx.
[To Fury:] Maria Hill hath call’d thee, is that so? 105
Hath ever she not been in thine employ?
FURY
Intelligence by artificial means—
You did not hesitate to cross that bridge.
STARK
In troth, the day hath long and tiring been—
As long as plays by bard Eugene O’Neill— 110
Thus, may we skip along unto the lines
Where thou becomest useful unto me?
FURY
Look me in th’eye and tell me you did plan
To shut him down.
STARK
—I shall do no such thing—
Thou art not the director of me, Fury. 115
FURY
I’m not director over anyone,
But one old man who cares about you, Stark.
STARK
It seems I, then, go down in history
As he who did th’Avengers kill.
FURY
—What’s this?
STARK
I s
aw the vision, yet told not the team. 120
How could I? They lay dead before mine eyes.
The lot of them, all slain, and I could feel’t.
The whole world, too, because of my deeds, Nick.
This vision caught me wholly unprepar’d,
For it appear’d I had not done whate’er 125
I could my friends and planet to protect.
FURY
This Wanda Maximoff doth work you woe.
She playeth on your fear an ’twere a harp
And she a virtuoso on the strings.
STARK
It was no trick of th’ear, but sight of eyes— 130
The music I could see as plain as day.
’Twas not a nightmare, ’twas my legacy—
The coda that resulted from the downbeat
That I, the great conductor, first began.
FURY
You are a great composer of inventions, 135
Your oeuvre most impressive, Tony, yea.
War, though, with all its clangs and dissonance,
Is not among your better works.
STARK
—Indeed,
I stood and watch’d while my friends took their rest—
Thou mayhap would consider this the worst. 140
’Twas not, however, the worst note I hit.
FURY
The worst note was that you died not with them;
Your sound continued while theirs faded hence.
[They walk inside the house.
ENTER THOR ON BALCONY, WAITING. ENTER DOCTOR ERIK SELVIG ON BALCONY, SEVERALLY.
SELVIG
Your look—the hoodie and the pantaloons—
Is far less formal than your normal fare. 145
It suits you well, near human do you look.
If you, though, hop’d for inconspicuous,
A near miss ’tis.
THOR
—I come to seek thy help.
SELVIG
’Tis always well to be the one who’s needed,
When often have I been the one in need. 150
THOR
’Tis dangerous, this favor that I ask.
SELVIG
I should be disappointed if ’twere not.
[Exeunt together.
ENTER STEVE ROGERS, BRUCE BANNER, NATASHA ROMANOFF, AND CLINT, LAURA, COOPER, AND LILA BARTON IN THE HOUSE. STARK AND FURY WALK IN AND GREET THEM.
FURY
[to all:] Holla, Avengers—here are we, as one.
Let me explain how ye are hither come—
Vile Ultron took your party out of play 155
That he, thereby, might gain some time to plan.
My contacts various report that he’s
Engag’d in building something grand. The vast
Sum of vibranium with which he did
Abscond suggests ’tis not one thing alone. 160
ROGERS
Yet what of Ultron—where’s the beast himself?
FURY
He simpler is, an easy prey to track,
For he is ev’rywhere—doth multiply
E’en faster than a rabbit Catholic.
Regrettably, his omnipresence hath 165
Not help’d us understand his larger plan.
STARK
Is he still seeking launch codes?
FURY
—Yea, forsooth,
Yet makes no progress nearer to that end.
STARK
I crack’d the firewall of the Pentagon
When I was but a teen, upon a dare. 170
FURY
Our friends at Nexus I have ask’d thereof.
ROGERS
What’s Nexus?
BANNER
—The grand hub of th’internet
That is in Oslo found. Each byte of data
Flows through the mouth of Nexus at some point.
They have the fastest access known on earth. 175
BARTON
[to Fury:] What did these peregrines report to thee?
FURY
Upon the missiles Ultron fixateth.
The codes, however, constantly are chang’d.
STARK
Indeed? By whom?
FURY
—By parties yet unknown.
ROMANOFF
Have we some ally hiding in the shadows? 180
FURY
Nay, Ultron hath an enemy, it seems,
Which, as you know, is not equivalent.
Still, many ducats I would gladly give
To know th’identity of this code changer.
STARK
Immediately must I Oslo visit, 185
To find the one unknown.
ROMANOFF
—As fun as ’tis
To see thee, boss, I hop’d when next I laid
Mine eyes on thee, thou wouldst have something we
Could use and would not cloud the matter more.
FURY
I something have—’tis you. The great Avengers. 190
Once I had eyes and ears most ev’rywhere,
Whilst ye enjoy’d the best technology,
Which was such stuff as dreams are made on, truly.
Stand we again within reality,
Naught but our wit and will to save the world. 195
Rank Ultron doth believe th’Avengers are
The only thing betwixt him and his mission.
Should he admit it to himself or not,
His mission is to bring worldwide destruction.
This life—this little life that we call ours— 200
Wrapp’d in a shroud and buried in the grave.
Stand, then, Avengers—once more to the breach!—
Outwit the bastard platinum, ye brave.
ROMANOFF
Steve liketh not that darker shade of language.
ROGERS
Hold thou thy tongue, thou pesky Romanoff! 205
FURY
What wanteth Ultron?
ROGERS
—To, at last, turn better,
E’en better—yea, and stronger, too—than us.
He buildeth extra bodies constantly—
STARK
In human form—and wherefore should that be?
The human body inefficient is; 210
We are outmoded biologically,
Yet ne’ertheless doth Ultron thence return.
ROMANOFF
When you dim-witted fellows programm’d him
To save the human race, you fail’d in full.
BANNER
Behold these pictures on the table here, 215
The paintings little Lila did create
Of butterflies from chrysalis emerging.
The human race no greater safeguard needs—
’Tis evolution it requires to thrive.
Methinks that Ultron planneth to evolve. 220
FURY
I pray, what do you mean? Evolve how so?
BANNER
Hast been in contact with the greatest mind
In nat’ral science, Doctor Helen Cho?
FURY
Of course—who else could give him what he needs?
[The Avengers begin preparations for their departure. Exeunt all except Stark and Rogers.
ROGERS
I’ll take Clint and Natasha for support. 225
STARK
It shall be well, but prithee ply thou but
Reconnaissance and nothing more. I shall
Unto the Nexus, join thee when I may.
ROGERS
If Ultron truly doth construct a body—
STARK
I sense thy meaning—it shall stronger be 230
Than any one of us could ever hope,
And peradventure all of us combin’d.
An android by a robot fabricated.
ROGERS
But how I miss the days when th’oddest thing
That science ever conjur’d was myself! 235
ENTER NICK FURY.
FURY
I shall take Banner to Stark Tower now—
Is’t well with thee if I take Lady Hill?
STARK
It is apparent she is wholly thine.
ROGERS
What is thy plan, Director Fury, sir?
FURY
I know not, but it shall dramatic be! 240
[Exeunt.
ENTER CLINT AND LAURA BARTON.
BARTON
The flooring of the sunroom I shall fix
When I, hereafter, to the roost return.
LAURA
Then shalt thou find another section of
The house to tear apart—I know thee well.
BARTON
Nay, ’tis my final project—thereupon 245
I’ll lie my feathers down and be at rest.
It is my promise, if I have thy heart.
[They kiss.
LAURA
Take it completely as thou dost depart.
[Exeunt.
SCENE 4
U-Gin genetics research lab, South Korea.
ENTER ULTRON, HIS BOTS, DOCTOR HELEN CHO, AND VARIOUS ASSISTANTS. ENTER WANDA AND PIETRO MAXIMOFF, ASIDE, LOOKING ON. THEY WORK NEAR THE REGENERATION CRADLE.
CHO
’Tis beautiful, the process that occureth!
The atoms of vibranium aren’t merely
Compatible withal the cells of tissue,
But bind them—something S.H.I.E.L.D. could ne’er
imagine.
ULTRON
Most versatile of ev’ry substance on 5
The planet, and they us’d it for a Frisbee.
How typical of human witlessness—
They scratch the surface, yet look not within
To see the many possibilities.
[Loki’s scepter is split, revealing an Infinity Stone. Ultron picks it up and drops it into a body forming in the regeneration cradle.
CHO
It shall be hours ere cellular cohesion, 10
Yet we may start the stream of consciousness, sir—
We now shall upload thy cerebral matrix.
WANDA
His head I can detect—it seems he dreams.
CHO
The term’s not apt, I would not call it dreaming—
’Tis merely the base consciousness of Ultron, 15
The noise of information, nothing more. Soon—
ULTRON
How soon? I would not too impatient grow.
CHO
A phys’cal brain complete are we imprinting,