"Well," I said finally, breaking the silence, "I'm terrified."
Tony blinked. "That might be the first time I've ever heard you say that."
"And you should take it seriously," I replied. "Because this threat isn't just dangerous. Ultron doesn't just have an army of robots, he has all of the Infinity Stones."
That got everyone's attention.
"That's… bad, right?" Clint asked.
"What are the Infinity Stones?" Natasha said.
I nodded. "Right. I guess you guys haven't really run into them yet."
I took a breath. "Before the universe even existed, there were six singularities. When the Big Bang happened, those singularities condensed into six objects of unimaginable power—the Infinity Stones."
No one interrupted me.
"Each one represents a fundamental aspect of existence: Space. Time. Power. Mind. Soul. Reality." I glanced around the room. "A normal human can't even safely hold one, let alone use it. You need insane levels of power just to survive the contact."
"And if someone has all six?" Steve asked quietly.
"They become a god," I said bluntly. "They can bend reality however they want. Life, death, both become trivial. Child's play."
Silence followed.
"How do you know all this?" Natasha asked.
"My master gave me a crash course a while back," I said casually.
Which was… mostly a lie.
The Ancient One had explained the Time Stone to me, sure, but the rest came from knowledge I already had. Knowledge I definitely couldn't explain without raising a lot of questions.
"You have a master?" Tony asked, eyebrows raised.
"Magic master," I said. "She's been teaching me magic for about a month now."
Tony stared at me like I'd just told him the moon was made of cheese.
"Come on, Omni," he said. "I thought we talked about this. Magic is just science we don't fully understand yet."
"I watched my master pull a rabbit out of a hat just for fun," I shot back. "That hat was scanned six ways from Sunday, completely normal. No tech. No tricks." I shrugged. "Magic is a lot more than science, Tony."
"Okay," Tony said, pointing at me, "I would love to meet your master and prove you wrong."
"She'd get sick of you in about two minutes and throw you into the Mirror Dimension," I replied flatly.
"…The what?" Tony said.
"Alright, that's enough," Steve cut in. "Omni, is there a way to stop Ultron?"
I exhaled slowly. "With that kind of power? If I'm being honest, the safest option would be fixing the machine and going home."
Everyone stiffened.
"But," I continued, "I don't think that's actually safe. If Ultron figures out we traveled to another universe, he'll follow us. And once he learns multiverse travel is possible…" I shook my head. "He won't stop at our Earth. He won't stop at this universe. He'll wipe one out, then move on to the next. And the next. Endlessly."
Silence.
"So yeah," I said quietly. "We have to end him here."
"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Nat asked.
"The only real option I can think of is destroying the Infinity Stones," I said. "Problem is, they're nearly indestructible."
Steve frowned. "Nearly?"
"The only thing powerful enough to destroy an Infinity Stone… is another Infinity Stone," I said. "Which means I'd have to build a machine powered by one."
Tony winced. "Meaning we'd have to steal one from Ultron."
"Exactly," I said. "Which is still insanely dangerous, because he could literally snap his fingers and we'd all be dead." I glanced at Old Tony. "But from what Old Tony been saying."
"You don't have to call me Old Tony," the older man said dryly. "Just Tony is fine."
"It's easier if we call you Old Tony," our Tony replied immediately.
Old Tony raised an eyebrow. "So what, are we calling you Young Tony?"
"…That's not terrible," Tony admitted.
"Tonys," Steve said sharply. "Focus."
Both of them went quiet.
Old Tony smiled faintly, eyes distant.
"I miss that," he said under his breath.
"Anyway," I continued, "just like Old Tony said, Ultron's been doing all of this personally. He's traveling from planet to planet with the Infinity Stones, wiping out entire worlds."
I looked around at the room.
"He could just snap his fingers and erase all life instantly. But he doesn't."
That got their attention.
"This is personal for him. He's got Tony's personality, ego, control issues, the need to prove something. He wants people to understand how powerful he is. He wants to be the last thing they ever see."
I clenched my jaw.
"That's why he's been going the extra mile, destroying worlds one by one instead of all at once. And I'm pretty sure he already knows you're still alive. He's just saving you for the finale."
No one spoke.
"Because once you're gone," I finished quietly, "his purpose is gone too. So he's savoring every second of it."
I took a breath and shifted gears.
"If we can get a group of heroes to distract him, long enough, I can steal one of the Infinity Stones when the opportunity arises, use it to power the machine and Destroy them."
I paused.
"After that?" I shrugged. "Ultron without the Stones is still dangerous, but he's manageable."
"It's a good plan… on paper," Francis said, drawing everyone's attention. "But there are a couple of problems. From Tony's stories, Ultron beat the Avengers without the Infinity Stones. Now he has all of them."
He looked around the room.
"The second he sees Avengers from another universe, he'll figure it out. And once he does, there's no reason for him to savor the moment anymore. What's the point of dragging it out when he can just kill all of you instantly, and then go wipe out another world? He won't hesitate."
I nodded slowly. "You might be right. Which means the only real option is this: you fight him first, while the rest of the Avengers stay hidden. When the time is right, I steal a Stone to power the machine, and then everyone jumps him at once."
Steve's head snapped toward me. "Omni… are you seriously suggesting letting these kids take on Ultron?"
"Why not?" I said. "They're tough enough. And I fought Ultron back in our world and I'm seventeen." I paused. "…I probably shouldn't have said that."
"This is different," Bruce said. "He has god-like power."
"And they've got a goddess on their side," I shot back. "Asgardians are basically gods, right?"
"Yes," Thor and Torunn said at the same time.
"No," Tony said flatly.
Everyone looked at him.
"I'm just saying," Tony added, shrugging, "you're extremely powerful aliens who came to Earth a long time ago. Humans just mistook you for gods."
Thor stared at him.
"We can argue theology later," I said quickly. "Right now, this plan makes sense."
"No," Steve said firmly. "We are not letting any children participate in this battle, including you. You build the machine. We handle Ultron."
I stared at him. "Are you seriously telling me, one of the most powerful people in this room, to sit on the sidelines?"
Tony smirked. "I want to see you try that line on the Hulk."
"I can literally throw the Hulk into space," I said. "And that's me being nice. I could take over his body, knock him out with magic, or absorb his radiation and weaken him completely. I'm a jack of all—"
"Jack of all trades, master of none," Natasha cut in.
"Oh, I didn't expect you to know the rest of that saying," I said. "But that's not me. I'm a master of all my forms."
Steve crossed his arms.
"The answer is still no."
And just like that, the room split down the middle.
"Look, Cap," I said calmly, "I respect you, but you can't order me around. I'm not even part of your team."
"Same goes for us," James added, stepping forward.
Steve turned to him. "We are trying to protect you."
"No offense," Azari said evenly, "but we don't really need your protection. We've been fighting Ultron a lot longer than you have."
"And I agree with Omni's plan," Torunn said. "Logically, it makes sense that we face Ultron first."
"For the record," Pym Jr. added, "it doesn't matter if you have the Hulk. Ultron killed our Hulk too. What makes yours different?"
Steve and the others still didn't look convinced.
"Steve."
Old Tony's voice cut through the room, drawing everyone's attention.
"For a long time," he said, "when I was hiding them, I had the same fears you do. But the past few years taught me something." He looked at the kids. "They're ready. And they won't be fighting alone."
He straightened, pride and steel in his voice. "I may be old, but my armor still works—and I've got plenty of fight left in me. This plan is our best chance to succeed."
Silence filled the room.
Steve looked at Old Tony, weighing it. Seconds passed before he finally spoke.
"…Fine," Steve said. "But make no mistake, the moment those kids are in danger, we jump in."
Old Tony smiled faintly. "I wouldn't expect anything less, old friend."
I nodded. "Good. Then here's how it goes down. When Ultron shows up, the younger Avengers engage him first. When the opening appears, I steal one of the Infinity Stones and power of the machine, then everyone else, comes out and hold Ultron down so I can destroy, the rest of the Infinity Stones."
I looked around the room.
"After that," I added, "we rip whatever's left out of him."
"It sounds easy on paper," Clint muttered.
"Yeah," I said quietly. "And it's going to be anything but. So stay sharp."
Because if we messed this up even once…
There wouldn't be a second chance.
Betty Brant POV
I was in Overwatch with the others, everyone except Peter and Cindy. After I finished building the devices, they headed out to track the remaining symbiotes. We were patched directly into the cameras on their suits.
"Do you think Franklin's okay?" Kamala asked quietly. "That blue portal just disappeared out of nowhere. There's no sign of him… or the Avengers."
"I wouldn't worry about Franklin," I said. "From everything he's told us, everything he's survived, I'm sure he's fine."
"And let's not forget," Ned added, "whatever Franklin actually is, he's with the Avengers. Earth's Mightiest Heroes."
Ava nodded. "Yeah. Whatever he's dealing with right now is probably child's play for him. He's gone up against way worse."
"Exactly," Beth said. "He literally told us he beat a zombie Thor. An actual god. He'll be fine."
Kamala smiled, reassured, but only a little. "You guys are right. I just… always get nervous when he goes out." She hesitated. "Remember, he did get hurt fighting Ultron. Even if it was just a black eye." She looked down, picking at her nail polish. "I just wish my training was finished already so I could have his back out there. He always has mine."
I noticed the way she kept peeling at the paint.
I'd seen her do that before.
And from the look Ava gave me, she'd noticed too.
That was definitely going to be a problem later, but right now, we had more immediate concerns. Potentially dangerous aliens loose in the city.
"Okay," I said, straightening. "Peter just found one."
The feed shifted.
A Japanese woman was walking calmly down the street, whispering softly to herself. I ran a facial scan, and her information popped up beside the video.
"Yuriko Watanabe," I read. "NYPD detective. No red flags."
"That's good," Ned said, relieved. "Looks like the symbiote found a stable host."
"Alright," I said. "Peter, move on to the next target. We'll keep an eye on her. When Franklin gets back, we'll decide what to do next."
Because no matter how confident we sounded.
Until Franklin was back?
None of us were really at ease.
"Cindy, move in on your target," Beth said.
I glanced at the second screen, and froze.
"You've got to be kidding me," MJ2 muttered.
We all recognized her instantly.
Mary Jane Watson.
One of the popular kids at our school. She used to hang out with Peter and Ned back in the day… until she didn't. After that, she ditched them for the popular crowd and never looked back.
"I vote we capture her, tie her up, and toss her into one of our prison cells," MJ2 said flatly.
"…We have prison cells?" Yolanda asked.
MJ2 really didn't like Mary Jane. The two of them had gotten into a fight a couple of years ago, something involving Peter. I didn't know all the details. Only Franklin and Ned did. All I knew was that after that day, the two MJs couldn't stand each other.
"We do," I said, "but you're not doing that. Cindy, disengage and come back to base. Peter's already moving on to the last target."
"Out of everyone in New York," MJ2 groaned, "why did it have to be Mary Jane? Why couldn't the symbiote have better taste?"
I didn't answer, but a bad feeling settled in my stomach.
Those two already hated each other. Now they were both bonded to highly dangerous alien symbiotes. If emotions flared even a little…
That fight would be catastrophic.
"Wait," Ned said suddenly. "I think I know where Peter's heading."
We all shifted our attention to Peter's camera.
I frowned. "I don't recognize this neighborhood at all. Ned, what do you mean?"
"If he keeps going the way he is," Ned said slowly, "he's heading straight for Flash's house."
The room went dead quiet.
"…Uh-oh," several of us said at once.
Flash Thompson was bad enough on his own. But if Ned was right, and a symbiote bonded with him?
He might be extremely dangerous.
"We might have to act before Franklin gets back," I said reluctantly.
Ned shook his head. "Are you sure? I really think we should wait. Even Peter and Cindy would struggle if Flash turns hostile." He hesitated. "And we're not ready."
He started counting it off.
"We're not done with our magic training. Kamala isn't ready. MJ shouldn't go. Yolanda isn't ready either. And even though Ava's fully trained, she doesn't have her amulet."
The silence that followed was heavy.
Because he wasn't wrong.
I stopped and thought for a moment.
Ned was right, about all of it.
The only other people who could maybe stop something like this, or at least slow it down long enough for Peter and Cindy to take it down, were Courtney and Cindy B. But ever since everything came out, since we found out Cindy had feelings for Franklin, they'd been keeping their distance. They were off the table.
Ted and Hector weren't around either.
That left only one real option: wait for Franklin.
But keep Flash under constant watch.
I was pulled out of my thoughts when Peter's camera feed shifted.
An old gas station came into view, but that wasn't the important part.
Behind it was Flash.
He was lifting an inhuman amount of weight like it was nothing. When he dropped it, his body changed, muscle swelling, skin swallowed by a black, liquid-like mass until he became something huge and monstrous.
A hulking figure.
All black.
It kicked a wrecked car aside like it weighed nothing. Its mouth moved, it was talking, but the audio wasn't picking it up.
"We have confirmation," I said quickly. "Peter, head back to base. Now. We need to make a plan."
Before Peter could respond, the black symbiote snapped its head toward his direction.
"Oh God," MJ2 whispered.
Without warning, the creature launched itself.
Peter reacted instantly, dodging, swinging to the side of another building. The moment he landed, he spun and fired multiple web-balls.
They did nothing.
The symbiote slammed into the building with a thunderous crash and lunged again. Peter dodged, but the thing punched straight through the wall behind him, concrete exploding like paper.
I was already moving.
I rushed to the console, hands flying as I locked onto Peter's location.
"Peter," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady, "when I say so, jump. As high and as fast as you can."
"Okay," he whispered.
The symbiote laughed, a deep, distorted sound.
"Okay?" it said. "What kind of answer is that, little spider? Why are you here… spying on us?"
Peter stayed silent.
"That's fine," the creature continued. "You don't have to tell me. I'll just beat it out of you." It tilted its head. "Or I can crawl inside your mind and take it myself."
"Peter, now!" I shouted.
He didn't hesitate.
With everything he had, Peter jumped.
I slammed the button.
A portal snapped open above him, green light swallowing his body as he flew straight through. I closed it immediately.
Peter reappeared in the main room, skidding across the floor.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then we all let out the breath we'd been holding.
"I don't think we can wait for Franklin on this one," Yolanda said quietly.
"I'll call my dad," Ava said immediately.
Ned leaned back in his chair, rubbing his face. "I hope Franklin's enjoying whatever enemy he's fighting right now."
He looked at the screens, still showing Flash's last known location.
"Because I'm pretty sure," he added, "we got the worse one."