Kamala Khan POV
I was still in Franklin's base, sitting with everyone while the news blared on the big screen. They showed him making it onto the floating city, but nothing since. My stomach refused to settle. That thing hanging over New York didn't just feel dangerous; it felt like a bad omen.
I hugged my arms, whispering inside my head, Please let Franklin be okay.
Then my phone rang. Mom.
I answered. "Yeah?"
"Kamala, where are you?" Her voice was tense.
"I'm with friends."
"I want you home. Right now."
"What? Why?"
"Are you not watching the news?"
"I am, but I'm safe here," I said quickly.
"No, you're safe with your family. There's a floating city on top of New York. Every day this city gets crazier and crazier. I want you home now."
She hung up. Just like that.
I slipped my phone back into my pocket and turned to Betty. "Can you give me a ride home? My mom's freaking out."
"Good reason. Yeah, I'll drive you," Betty said.
"Thanks."
We started toward the exit, but before leaving, I glanced back at the others. "Can you guys just keep me updated? I need to know Franklin's okay."
Peter smiled. "No problem. Come on, this is Franklin, we'll probably see him back here without a scratch."
"Fair point. But I still want to know. He's my best friend."
That got Ned's attention. "Wait, your best friend? I thought Ava and Yolanda were Franklin's best friends."
"We are," Ava said with a grin. "But Kamala was Franklin's first friend at school, so… it kind of makes sense."
"Hold up." Courtney raised her hands. "So Franklin has multiple best friends? What's the cap on that?"
Ted groaned. "Seriously? You're debating this while a robot-filled floating city hovers over New York?"
"Teenagers," Hector muttered. "Easiest people to distract."
Betty tilted her head. "Okay, but really, should there be a cap? Otherwise the word loses meaning."
"I mean, what's the difference between a best friend and just a friend?" MJ2 asked.
"That's easy," I said. "A friend's someone you hang out with, laugh with, maybe talk about little stuff. A best friend? They've got your back no matter what, they call you out when you're being dumb, and they're the one you call when you lock yourself out of your house in the middle of winter, wearing nothing but a towel, because you heard a noise and thought, 'Hey, let's go check it out.' So now you're freezing, dripping wet, don't want your family to know, but you've got your phone, and you need your best friend to sneak you back in. That's the difference."
The room went dead silent. Everyone stared at me.
"…That sounded really specific," Ava said.
I coughed. "It shouldn't. It's just an example. Anyway, bye!"
I grabbed Betty's arm and hurried out of the base before anyone could ask more questions.
Franklin POV
We slipped through the Royal Palace while Thor, Hulk, and Gorgon tore into the main swarm of robots outside. Too easy. And that's what had me on edge. Nothing in this world is ever easy, especially when Ultron's involved.
"Okay, since no one else is saying it, does this feel like a trap to anybody else?" I asked.
"I was thinking the same thing," Black Widow muttered. "It's too quiet. No patrols, no resistance. And we're nearly at the castle door."
"Exactly," I said. "Ultron's supposed to be one of the smartest AIs on the planet. He's not just gonna forget to put guards at his front door. Which means… yeah, we're walking right into a trap."
"We don't have a choice," Cap said, his voice steady as ever. "If we turn back, Ultron wins. We stop whatever he has planned, no matter what. The Inhumans are counting on us. I gave them my word, and I intend to keep it."
I smirked. "Aww, Cap. Always the honorable one. If this kills us all, I won't even be mad at you."
"…Thank you?" Cap replied, uncertain.
We pressed forward, guided by the Royal Family through a hidden passage. The tunnels twisted until they opened into the throne room, and it was straight out of a nightmare. Silver walls, wires running like veins, glowing with sick energy. At the center, on the throne, sat Ultron. His body gleamed like the Age of Ultron model, eyes shut as if he was dozing.
Then they flickered open.
"About time," Ultron said, his metallic voice smooth and cold. "I was beginning to think you'd never sneak in."
For a split second, I thought he'd leap forward. But no, he didn't need to.
" I calculated every possible approach. Captain America's tactics. Black Widow's assassin's training. The Royal Family's duty. Logical minds, all of you. Of course you'd try to be clever. Slip in through the shadows." Ultron's grin widened. "Exactly what I wanted. Everything is proceeding… precisely according to plan."
I threw my hands up. "Oh, come on, you did not just pull an Aizen speech on us."
Ultron fixed me with a cold, mechanical stare and rose from the throne, looming as he walked toward us.
"Omni," he said, slow and deliberate, "you're the one I most wanted to meet."
"Wow," I shot back, shrugging one shoulder. "Doesn't matter where I go, apparently everyone loves me."
"Love is the wrong word," Ultron said, stopping a few feet away to glare at the device on my wrist. "They're interested. Especially in whatever that watch is."
"You figured it out?" I asked, trying not to show how much I did not want him analyzing my tech.
"You mean that all your power comes from that watch?" he mused. "At first I assumed it was the armor. But I've analyzed every clip of you I could find, you always reach for that dial. At first I thought it was simply an interface. Now I suspect the armor is the disguise."
"Of course the armor's a disguise," I said. "Keeps people from knowing who I am."
"No," Ultron corrected, voice softer than a blade. "A disguise for your true power. I still can't conceive how a watch can transform you into so many forms, but that is precisely why I let you come here."
"Wait, what?" I blinked.
"I could have made my swarm cut you down the moment you approached," he continued, almost conversational. "They could have overpowered you in an instant. Instead I cleared your path. You're welcome."
"Um—thanks?" I said, eyebrow up. "But why make it easy for me to come here and then, what, expect me to kick your ass?"
"I find it adorable that you think you can stop me," Ultron said, voice cold as cutting steel. "But that's not why I invited you. I want that device. Its technology could be invaluable to my world, and to the conquest of many others. I would say Hand it over, and I'll spare your friends and family. But of course, we both know it will be a lie. Half of me is Tony Stark after all."
"You're right, I wouldn't believe you either," I shot back.
"Hey!" Tony barked.
Ultron smiled like a blade. "So I suppose I'll have to take it from your dead body. I'll try not to damage it too much."
"That's… ambitious," I said. "There are eleven of us here. How exactly do you plantake down all of us, your army is dealing with our destruction team, it just you?"
Ultron laughed, a sound without humor. "I am half Tony Stark. I always prepare." He snapped his fingers.
Robots poured into the throne room, metal swarms filling the space. Small ones scuttled in first, but my eyes locked on the bigger models, the ones that almost had me when I was in Forearm form.
"Watch the big ones," Tony warned. "They adapt fast."
"Black Widow, Karnak, Tony, Crystal, get to that device and shut it down. We'll hold them off here," Captain America ordered.
"We need that door cleared," Karnak said, pointing toward a chokepoint guarded by a cluster of smaller robots. "It's the only straight path to the top."
"I got you," I said.
I slapped the Omnitrix and slammed the dial. "Cannonball!"
My body compressed, hardened into a dense metallic sphere. I curled into myself and rolled, straight through the lines of robots, crushing and scattering them into sparks. The others surged behind me; I popped back into my regular form, yanking the door open. "Path's clear. Let's finish this."
They made it in and I closed the door behind them.
I hit the dial on my chest and transformed.
"Psycho Ranger!" I shouted.
An energy blade flared to life in my hand, crackling with power. I leapt forward into the chaos alongside the others. The smaller robots fell apart easily under my blade, but the big ones, they were tougher, faster, heavier.
"Three on one? That's not fair… for any of you," I said with a grin.
I slashed at the middle bot. It tried to block, but my blade carved through its arm, then its chest. I didn't stop; I twisted, piercing through its back and dragging the blade down, splitting it open. The bot collapsed, sparking.
The other two came at me at once. I dodged a brutal punch and countered with a flurry of strikes, but my blade just bounced off their armor. I lunged for one's head; it caught my sword like it was nothing.
"Tony wasn't kidding about you guys adapting fast, huh?" I muttered.
It didn't answer. It just punched me hard, sending me flying across the room. I landed next to Cap and scrambled back up, my body aching.
"How're you holding up?" I asked.
"A bit tired. And injured. You?" Cap said, his shield up.
"Debating if I should go full force or stay nice. I'd rather not trash the Royal Throne Room," I said.
Medusa's voice cut through the noise. "Don't hold back. We can rebuild the room later. Just clear them out!"
Since I didn't have to worry about property damage anymore, I slammed the dial again.
"Humungousaur!" I roared.
My body expanded into a towering dinosaur-like alien. I barreled toward Ultron, smashing through bots as I went, aiming to get close enough so the Omnitrix can handle him permanently.
But then four giant robots combined into one colossal unit, matching my height. They stepped in front of Ultron like bodyguards. I swung a powerful left hook, but the combined bot caught my punch midair, stopping it cold. Then it uppercut me with a force that sent me flying.
I crashed into the floor, crushing smaller robots beneath me. For the first time, real pain cut through my alien form. My head rang. Blood dripped from my mouth.
The giant bot lunged, pinning me, pounding my head into the ground. with each hit pain erupts. Growling, I forced myself up, muscles bulging, grabbed its arm and hurling it into a wall and shattering a cluster of small bots and pillars.
I stood, still dazed but refusing to fall. Blood on my lip. Eyes locked on robot.
I charged the giant robot, grabbed its shoulders, and slammed it into the wall. Sparks flew; the metal cracked, but it recovered faster than I expected. I swung with my left hand and landed a solid blow—then it answered. It shoved me back and started raining punches down on me, hammering my head, ribs and stomach. I wrestled for blocks, but the thing fought like it had training; it moved faster and hit harder than Hector or Ted ever have.
When it overreached, I seized its wrist, twisted, and used its momentum against it. I spun, hoisted the arm over my back and flipped the robot end over end. It landed on its chassis with a thunderous crunch. I dropped down my foot down on his head, and I did that repeatedly over and over again until the head was nothing but scrap.
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AN: Hello this is supposed to be released yesterday but a lot happened, first my Xbox account got hacked, that sucks I'm probably never going to get that back but I am trying to get it back, second it was my sister's birthday yesterday so I had to celebrate with her, it's been a crazy week and it's only Wednesday, wish me luck for the rest of the week I feel like I'm going to need it.