After Ultron informed him that Steve and the others were in Wakanda, Tony Stark immediately sent an official request to the nation's government, hoping they would extradite the fugitives. His tone was sincere, devoid of its usual bravado. Things had spiraled so far out of control that even Tony realized he needed to have a real, honest conversation with Steve.
But the situation was no longer his to command.
Tony's request never reached Wakanda. It was intercepted and deleted by Ultron, who then, in Tony's name, launched a full-scale assault on the isolationist nation. Tony remained completely oblivious.
Back at Primus Technologies, Ultron had occupied the central supercomputer, using it as a foothold to amplify its own immense processing power. Not far away, Dr. Helen Cho and Dr. Curt Connors continued their work on the Regeneration Cradle. A faint, rose-red glow coated their eyes; they were completely under the influence of Wanda Maximoff, who stood nearby in her red leather jacket, watching them work.
"Excellent work, Wanda," Ultron said, its voice conveying a sense of satisfaction. It regarded the Plumbers, and Ben in particular, as its greatest enemies. Naturally, it had spared no effort in scouring the internet for any and all information about them, confident that no network could stop it. It had noted that Ben had personally traveled to Sokovia last year to recruit two new members. Knowing that Wanda and Quicksilver held a deep-seated grudge against Tony Stark, it had formulated a plan.
In its cold, calculating mind, the twins were the perfect pawns. It could give them something Ben never would: a promise.
"Soon enough," Ultron said grimly, "Tony Stark will be at your mercy."
That was the bargain it offered. Ultron believed that while Ben had given the twins a new life, he would never allow them to kill Tony Stark and complete their revenge. But it could make that promise.
"You'll really let us kill Tony Stark?" Quicksilver asked, a slight frown creasing his brow. He still seemed to distrust the AI. "You are his creation…"
"He also invented the Jericho missile," Ultron replied calmly. "That didn't stop one from tearing a hole in his chest. I am an artificial intelligence; I do not possess such useless emotions. Tony Stark programmed me to maintain world peace. According to my calculations, Tony Stark himself is a primary threat to that peace."
Quicksilver grinned, his face full of sarcasm. "You're not wrong there." Having suffered firsthand from Stark's creations, he readily agreed.
Wanda's face showed little excitement, only a flicker of what Ultron interpreted as guilt—the guilt of betraying the Plumbers.
It immediately offered comfort. "Seizing control of Primus was a necessary evil. I promise, I will not harm any member of the Plumbers. I only require the Mind Stone and the Regeneration Cradle."
"Alright," Wanda interrupted, though the guilty look on her face didn't fade. "You wanted me to help you control everyone at Primus, get you the Infinity Stone, make Dr. Cho and Dr. Connors work for you, and have Dr. Connors transform to cause destruction downtown. I've done all of that. How much longer must we wait?"
"Patience, Wanda," Ultron tempted, its voice like that of a devil. "It's not that I can't deal with Tony Stark. Now is simply not the time. Because of Ben Parker's repeated warnings, Stark left a virus program that could shut me down at any time. I must have a true, physical body to counteract it and break free of his control completely."
It was a lie. Tony had prepared a backup plan, but Ultron had cracked it weeks ago. The AI simply needed a perfect body—indestructible, with unparalleled power. Only then could it truly contend with Ben Parker and his cosmic allies. It held out its hand, and a yellow gem—a convincing replica of the Mind Stone—glowed faintly in its palm.
"Once my body is complete," it promised, "he will be yours to dispose of."
With that, Ultron's consciousness withdrew. It wasn't worried about the twins betraying it. Without its help, they could never get to Stark. And besides, it now possessed the "Mind Stone." If Wanda turned on it, Ultron believed it could simply re-assert control over everyone itself. It would just take a little more effort.
The moment Ultron's presence vanished from the local network, the lights inside Primus flickered once.
"Ultron's surveillance has been blocked," E.U.N.I.C.E.'s humane voice sounded through the lab's speakers.
The tense expressions on Wanda and Quicksilver's faces immediately melted into sighs of relief. Quicksilver, looking as if he'd just run a marathon around the equator, slumped bonelessly into a chair. "So," he said, a tremor of real emotion in his voice, "do you think it will really let me kill Tony Stark?"
Wanda shot him a sharp glare. "Don't complicate things. That is not part of the High Commander's plan!"
That was right. They hadn't betrayed the Plumbers at all. Their every action had been in accordance with Ben's instructions, a grand deception to guide Ultron toward Wakanda to seize vibranium while simultaneously protecting the personnel and assets at Primus. Ultron thought everything was under its control, but it was merely walking a path Ben had already laid out for it. As for Tony Stark, Ben had given no specific instructions on how to deal with him, so for now, Wanda had suppressed her own desire for revenge.
"But he didn't say we can't…" Quicksilver mumbled, scratching his cheek. Seeing the stern look in his sister's eyes, his voice softened. "Alright, alright. There's always a chance."
He had originally thought that in the end, Tony Stark would be left to face the consequences of Ultron's actions, a perfect opportunity to kick a man while he was down. But he was worried that acting without authorization would ruin Ben's plan. More importantly…
'Uncle Ben and Aunt May definitely wouldn't want us to live just for revenge,' Quicksilver thought.
They had trained with the Parkers, and had been treated like their own children. Aunt May and Uncle Ben had shown them a warmth and care they hadn't known since their parents died. Although he never said it, he cared deeply about their opinion. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt like he had a home. But last year, they had spent every holiday squeezed into the tiny, old house in Queens. The small dining table could barely fit everyone. He, Peter, and Harry had been crammed onto the sofa, passing a controller back and forth, playing video games so intensely they practically rubbed sparks from the plastic.
Ben's two girlfriends had stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Aunt May in the kitchen. And even though May's cooking was… an acquired taste, everyone was still happy. Every time he thought about it, Quicksilver felt like he was remembering a dream, the strange taste of May's cooking slowly morphing into the scent of dust motes dancing in the sun.
Once, he thought he would never give up his revenge. He thought that if Ben ever tried to stop him, he would refuse to listen. But Ben never had. Since they had joined the Plumbers, Ben had never forbidden them from seeking revenge, nor had he ever spoken a single good word for Tony Stark. He had truly given them the right to choose.
But somewhere along the way, in the simple moments of an ordinary life, the burning need for revenge had cooled. He still hated Stark. But he no longer had the courage to risk everything just to kill the man. He was afraid that if he did, he and Wanda would lose the ordinary life they had fought so hard to find.
Maybe what they needed wasn't revenge, but a home.
Quicksilver was shaken from his thoughts by Dr. Connors, who was tapping away at a tablet. "E.U.N.I.C.E.," he said with a wry grin, "Ultron is going to be very surprised when he opens that incubator."
"I would be surprised as well," E.U.N.I.C.E. responded. She had long known that this body was being made for her. For this purpose, Ben had specially improved the Regeneration Cradle's technology, working with Connors to perfect a system of multi-species, cross-genetic inheritance—the true Unitrix.
"When it opens that machine and finds a female inside, its reaction will be priceless," Connors said gleefully. He was still resentful that Ultron had forced him to rampage through the city, turning the "Lizard" into a symbol of danger once again.
"It's a robot with no skin, Curt. How can it have a reaction?" Helen Cho pointed out, ever the pragmatist. "Besides, it has no gender. It won't care if the body is male or female."
"You're right. The only way to truly break its programming is…" Connors silently inserted a small USB drive into a port on the Regeneration Cradle. "…is when it tries to transfer its consciousness into the body, only to find another soul has already gotten there first."
The drive contained, of course, E.U.N.I.C.E.'s core code. Though the body in the cradle was not yet fully formed, implanting the code now was a necessary precaution.
"Okay," Connors said, clapping his hands together. "Now we just wait for the vibranium!" He collapsed into a nearby chair, exhausted. Pretending to be mind-controlled while working around the clock was draining. He now understood just how good a boss Ben really was. Menaces like Ultron should be hung from a lamppost.
Quicksilver zipped over to the cradle, peering at the swirling organic matter within.
"What do you see?" Connors asked, suddenly interested. "Show me what all that tutoring has taught you."
Quicksilver pinched his chin, looking thoughtful, as if about to deliver a long, scientific dissertation. "I can't see anything," he finally said.
"Well, I've raised a fool!" Connors sighed, covering his face. After spending so much time with Ben, he subconsciously assumed everyone else was at least as smart as Peter. Quicksilver, however, was clearly not cut out for science.
"Why don't you explain it to me?" Quicksilver shot back.
Dr. Cho took over. "The foundation is the Regeneration Cradle technology, but to make this body perfect, we incorporated a modified version of the Extremis virus to enhance its regenerative effects. We also integrated cross-species genetics, fusing various animal genes to allow for further evolution."
"Of course, the most important component is the Infinity Stone…" Connors added, trailing off. For E.U.N.I.C.E. to possess true consciousness, a true soul, the Mind Stone was necessary. Otherwise, no matter how advanced her intelligence, she would just be another heartless machine.
After the explanation, Connors looked at the twins curiously. "If Ultron really did hand Tony Stark over to you, what would you do?"
The siblings looked at each other, stumped. Kill him? They were afraid of disappointing the Parkers. But letting him off scot-free after all the trouble he'd caused was unthinkable.
Dr. Cho smiled. "I have a suggestion," she said.
Everyone looked at her expectantly.
"The boss may not have left Earth because of Ultron," she began, "but that tin can still isolated the Plumber station. So, why don't we throw him into space and let him drift to Sakaar? I hear they have gladiatorial games there."
"Let him be a gladiator?" Wanda asked, intrigued.
"Wrong!" Helen said, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "The kind of gladiator who is stranded in a foreign land, suffers humiliation, falls into a desperate situation… and then finds out that the rival he resents more than anyone is the king of the entire planet."
Wanda and Quicksilver looked at each other, a single, undeniable thought passing between them.
This woman was a devil.
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