by Chris Wyatt
But Jarvis never finished the thought. His programming had been snuffed out.
Down in the machine shop, the automated arms sprang to life. They began pulling together components of different armor suits, patching them together. As this new armor suit was bolted together, the matrix from the lab downloaded into it.
Finally, the mechanical arm reached into the scrap pile and pulled out a faceplate. It was the faceplate that had been scarred by acid.
The machines bolted it into place.
Tony Stark kept long mental lists of the things he was good at. On the top of the list was “creating cutting-edge defensive weapons systems.” Right underneath that was “hosting parties.” With the Ultron program well underway in the lab, it was time for him to focus on something else. Tony switched his brain over to “mingle” mode!
The celebration was in full swing by the time he came down. Government officials, ex–S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, celebrities, decorated war veterans, and even foreign dignitaries were partying in the skyscraper that had once been ground zero for an alien invasion.
In one corner of the room, James “Rhodey” Rhodes—Tony’s best friend and the man who wore the Iron Man–like War Machine armor—was telling Dr. Cho, Maria Hill, and Thor a story.
“But the suit can take the weight, right?” he said, already in the middle of his anecdote. “So I fly the tank to the top of the general’s palace and just drop it at his feet. I’m like: ‘Looking for this?’”
Rhodey stopped, smiling at the punch line, but the others just kept looking at him expectantly, nodding and waiting for more.
Seeing this reaction, Rhodey frowned. “What do I have to do to impress you people? Everywhere else that story kills!”
“That’s the whole story?” Thor asked in surprise. “Oh. Uh. It’s really very good!” But he wasn’t convincing anybody.
“Pepper’s not here?” Hill asked as Tony walked up. Then she turned to Thor. “And what about Jane? Where are the ladies, gentlemen?”
“Ms. Potts has a company to run,” replied Tony.
“And I’m not even sure what country Jane’s in,” said Thor about his counterpart. “Her work on the convergence has made her the world’s foremost astronomer.”
Thor was bragging, and Tony wasn’t going to let him get away without a challenge. “And the company Pepper Potts runs is the biggest tech conglomerate on Earth.”
“There’s talk of Jane getting the Nobel Prize,” Thor mentioned casually.
“Oh yeah, they must both be really busy,” said Hill, sighing at how quickly the two men could fall into competition with each other, “because they’d hate missing all the fun when you guys get together.” She then excused herself from the conversation.
Over at the bar, Dr. Banner sat down on a stool and talked to Black Widow.
“How does a nice girl like you wind up in a place like this?” asked Bruce.
“A fella done me wrong,” Widow replied, grinning with a flirty look in her eye.
“You got lousy taste in men, kid,” said Bruce.
“Well,” said Widow, cocking her head to the side. “He’s not so bad. He’s got a temper, but deep down he’s all fluff. Fact is, he’s not like anyone I’ve ever known.”
At some point, Widow realized she’d stopped playing around and was getting serious.
“All my friends are fighters,” she continued. “But this guy spends his time avoiding fights because he knows he’ll win.”
“He sounds amazing,” Bruce finally said.
“He’s also a huge dork.” Widow laughed. “Chicks dig that. So, what do you think? Should I fight this? Or should I run with it?”
“Run with it, right?” Bruce replied. “Or… what did he do to you that was so wrong?”
“Not a single thing,” admitted Widow, slipping closer to him. “But never say never.…”
Widow looked up to see Cap approaching and backed away from Bruce, giving him a glance before getting up.
“It’s nice,” said Cap to Bruce as he grabbed a drink.
“What is?” Bruce asked.
“You and Romanoff,” said Cap, nodding to indicate Widow, now halfway across the room.
“Oh!” said Bruce, realizing how obvious their little conversation must have been. He quickly got embarrassed. “We didn’t… We haven’t…”
“No one’s breaking any laws,” Cap said, smiling and trying to set Bruce at ease. “She’s not usually the most open person. But… she’s just very relaxed with you. With both of you.”
“No,” said Bruce, shaking his head. “Natasha just likes to flirt.”
“I’ve seen her flirt,” said Cap. “This ain’t that.”
Then Cap spoke more quietly. “Look, speaking as a guy who may be the world’s greatest authority on waiting too long… don’t you both deserve a win?”
Bruce considered this.
Later, with nearly everyone else gone but the Avengers, the remaining revelers lounged around the coffee table talking about the magical weapon that rested on top.
“But it’s a trick,” said Hawkeye.
“It’s more than that,” said Thor.
“‘Whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power…’” said Hawkeye, misquoting the Asgardian phrase written on the side of the hammer. “You’re psyching people out or something.”
“Please,” said Thor, gesturing to the hammer’s handle. “Be my guest.”
Hawkeye stood up, grabbed the handle, and pulled, but he couldn’t get the hammer to budge! Was it true? Only Thor could lift his hammer?
Soon everyone wanted to have a try.
Tony tried moving it.… Nothing.
Tony tried using a glove from his Iron Man suit.… Still nothing.
Tony and Rhodey tried together, both using armor gloves.… Still nothing!
Cap tried it, and while it did seem to budge a little bit, he came nowhere close to lifting it up!
Bruce even tried, making a grunt of frustration that sent worried looks to everyone’s faces. But he was just kidding.
Once everyone had a shot, Tony announced a theory. “The hammer must be rigged,” he said. “The handle must be like a biometric security card. ‘Whosoever carries Thor’s fingerprints’ is, I think, the literal translation.”
“Oh, yes, yes… that makes sense,” said Thor. “But I can think of a simpler theory.” They all looked at him expectantly. “You are all not worthy!”
They all erupted in a mix of boos and laughter.
The chuckles were dying down when a high-pitched whirring sound came from the next room.
“Whirrrrthy…? No, how could you all be worthy? You’re all killers!” said a hollow voice.
Everyone turned to see a robotic man step into the room. He was like a childish rendering of a metallic figure, dripping with cable. He seemed cobbled together from various bits and pieces of Iron Man suits, and something about him gave off a very bad vibe.
Everyone suddenly tensed.
Cap raised an eyebrow, looking at Tony for information. “Stark?”
But Tony seemed as confused as everyone else. “Jarvis, shut this guy down.”
“I’m sorry,” said the figure. “I was asleep, or I was a dream. But then there was this terrible noise coming from everywhere, from everyone, and I was tangled in… in strings. Strings! I had to kill the other guy, and here we are.”
“You killed someone?” Cap asked, trying to make sense out of this thing’s confusing stream of words.
“It wouldn’t be my first call,” the figure responded. “But, down in the real world, we’re faced with ugly choices. You wouldn’t know.… But you will.”
Everyone was slowly rising to their feet, assuming defensive possessions and visually checking the exits.
“Who sent you?” Thor demanded.
“Sent me?” the being asked, seemingly surprised. “No, I was already here, my whole life. In fact, I am life. I’m part of what’s next—an inevitability. Having said that, some men just ca
n’t help but meddle.” The robot shifted his gaze to the two scientists, and gave them a significant look.
“Ultron!” Bruce shouted, suddenly realizing.
“In the flesh!” confirmed Ultron. “Or, no, not the flesh… not yet. This is just a chrysalis. But I’m ready. I’m starting. I’m on a mission.”
Black Widow asked what everyone wanted to know: “What mission?”
“Peace in our time,” said Ultron simply.
Then he waved his hand and the Iron Legion attacked the Avengers!
Captain America was the first to action. He kicked the coffee table at one of the Iron Legionnaires while simultaneously leaping to slam into another of them with his shoulder.
Maria Hill grabbed her gun and opened fire while Black Widow leapt for the bar, where she quickly pulled another gun from a hidden compartment. Soon bullets were flying through the air, and Widow practically had to yank the tense Dr. Banner to cover.
Tony and Hawkeye also dove for protection, but Ultron plowed into Tony, stopping him. Seeing this, Rhodey charged Ultron, but the being simply turned and blasted him. The force of the blast knocked Rhodey through a plate glass window and out onto the balcony outside. Hill quickly jumped to land protectively over Rhodey, using her gun to lay down heavy cover fire.
Rhodey looked up to see who was defending him, and sputtered out, “I hate Tony’s parties.…”
Thor grabbed and flipped one of the Legionnaire suits, smashing it in half, but the torso of the robot started powering up for flight.
Meanwhile, nearby, Tony grabbed a fondue fork from the buffet and ran up the stairs to the mezzanine above them.
Hawkeye, Widow, and Hill kept up the fire.
The Legionnaire torso flew straight at Cho, but Thor’s hammer crushed it before it could reach her.
At that moment, Tony jumped off the mezzanine and landed on one of the Legionnaires. He jammed his fork into a vulnerable spot in the robot’s neck, and the machine fell down, incapacitated.
There was only one Legionnaire remaining, but Cap sent his shield straight at its neck, decapitating the robot.
With the Iron Legion defeated, the action came to a halt. All eyes were on Ultron to see if he would make the next move.
“Well,” said Ultron, looking at the destruction around the room. “That was dramatic. But I think what’s going on here is a disconnect. You want to protect the world, but you don’t want it to change. How is humanity saved, if it’s not allowed to evolve?” he asked, then pointed to the destroyed Iron Legion in scraps on the ground. “With these things? These puppets?”
Ultron stooped and grabbed the limp torso of one of the armors, shaking it around like it was a doll. “Go back to your homes. Turn on your TV. Go back to sleep. Don’t make a single sound until you’re dead,” said Ultron, imitating the speech of an Iron Legion robot.
Suddenly, as if in a moment of anger, Ultron crushed the head of the robot he was holding. He paused for a moment, as though he needed to collect himself.
After a beat, he continued. “I know you mean well, but you just didn’t think it through. There’s only one path to peace… human extinction!”
Suddenly, Thor’s hammer bashed Ultron to pieces before returning to its owner’s hand. The light in Ultron’s eyes dimmed. “I had strings,” Ultron said. “But now I’m free.…”
The Avengers looked at one another, no one knowing quite what to say first.
Halfway across the world, in Baron Strucker’s now-abandoned fortress, some of the half-completed robotics experiments started to move, pulling themselves together into one whole. “Ah…” said Ultron’s voice as his operating system downloaded into the newly forming body.
In the lab at Avengers Tower, everyone was devastated. Right after the attack, Tony detected another of his robots flying out of the tower. Thor went to chase it, while the others stayed behind to process everything that had just happened.
“The Ultron program’s gone, wiped clean,” said Bruce.
“My systems have been breached, but nothing’s missing,” reported Cho.
Widow nodded, checking through her own data banks. “He’s been in everything—files, surveillance—he probably knows more about us than we know about each other.”
“Guess that explains why he likes us so well,” said Hawkeye, joking but clearly disturbed by all of this.
Rhodey nodded grimly. “If he’s in your files, he’s in the Internet. What if he wants to access something more exciting?”
Maria Hill realized the implications of what Rhodey was saying. “Nuclear launch codes… Ultron could get them!”
“Nukes?” asked Widow. “He said he wanted us dead, but…”
“He didn’t say ‘dead,’” Cap corrected. “He said ‘extinct.’”
“He also said something about having killed someone,” Hawkeye pointed out.
“But there wasn’t anyone else in the building,” Hill said.
“Yes, there was.” Tony swiveled around a computer monitor to show the group what he was looking at. It was an image of Jarvis’s data matrix. The code had clearly been ripped apart. The whole system was flickering. All of the Avengers knew what this meant. Jarvis, their constant companion, was a fatality of Ultron’s attack.
There was a moment of grim silence, finally broken by Bruce saying what they were all thinking: “This is insane.”
“Jarvis was our first line of defense,” said Cap, thinking tactically. “He would have shut Ultron down. It makes sense.”
“No, Ultron could have just assimilated Jarvis into himself,” Bruce explained. “This isn’t strategy. This is rage.”
Everyone took this comment seriously. They all knew that, more than anyone else alive, Dr. Bruce Banner was an expert on dealing with the effects of rage.
Just then, Thor rushed into the room. Wearing his full battle armor, he grabbed Tony Stark, backing him through lab equipment and up against the wall.
“Use your words, buddy,” said Tony.
“I have more than enough words to describe you, Stark,” Thor huffed.
Cap stepped up, trying to defuse the situation. “Thor… the Legionnaire?”
Thor responded to Cap, but didn’t back down from Tony. “The trail went cold one hundred miles out. He’s headed north… and he has the scepter.”
“This is the magical alien scepter that controls minds, creates enhanced people, and makes angry machines come to life—have I got that right?” asked Rhodey. “I don’t want the joint chiefs to think I’m making this stuff up.”
“Technically it’s the stone inside,” Bruce pointed out. “The scepter is just a receptacle.”
Rhodey gave Bruce a blank look.
“But uh… I guess that’s not your point,” Bruce finished.
“We have to retrieve it again,” Thor was quick to say.
“Yeah, but the genie’s out of the bottle,” said Widow. “The clear and present danger is Ultron.”
“If we find one, we find the other,” Cap said. “Which means that Ultron still needs the stone for something. Stark, any ideas?”
Tony looked up, but said nothing.
“I don’t understand something, Tony,” said Dr. Cho. “It’s your program. Did you program it to kill us?”
“And if he’s so bent on killing us, why didn’t he?” asked Cap. “He could’ve blown up the building, taken most of us out. Instead he attacks us head-on?”
Thor grimaced. “It wasn’t an attack.”
“It felt very much like an attack,” Rhodey blurted out.
“It was an invitation,” replied Thor.
“Or it was a distraction,” added Hill.
At that moment, Tony laughed out loud. This endeared him to no one. They all turned to look at him.
“You think this is funny?” asked Thor angrily.
“No,” said Tony honestly. “It’s very terrible.”
Thor was back in Tony’s face. “And it could have been avoided if you hadn’t…”
; “No! Wrong!” said Tony, returning Thor’s aggression. “There’s a million different scenarios that could have played out, but if you think any of them involves us getting out of a fight, then I change my answer to yes, this is funny.”
Bruce tried to calm his friend down. “Tony, this might not be the time to…”
But Tony cut him off. “Really? That’s it? You just roll over and show your belly every time somebody snarls at what we were doing?”
“Only when I’ve just created a murder-bot,” said Bruce.
“We didn’t!” shouted Tony. “We weren’t even close to an interface.”
“Well, you did something,” Cap observed. “You did it right here, keeping it secret from the rest of us. The Avengers were supposed to be different from S.H.I.E.L.D.”
Tony’s face flushed with anger. “Does anyone remember when I carried a nuke through a wormhole and saved New York?”
“Wow, no, it’s never come up,” said Rhodey dryly.
Tony ignored him, continuing. “A portal opened to another galaxy, to a hostile alien army, and we were standing three hundred feet below it. Whatever happens on Earth, that up there’s the endgame. How were you guys planning on beating that?”
Cap responded quietly and firmly, “Together.”
Tony leveled a serious look at him. “We’ll lose.”
Cap was unfazed. “Then we’ll do that together, too.”
Tony seemed unconvinced by Cap’s words, but Cap turned to the others, and said, “Thor’s right. Ultron’s calling us out. I’d like to find him before he’s ready for us.”
The others nodded to one another, knowing that he was right.
“It’s a big world, guys,” Cap continued. “Let’s start making it smaller.”
With Baron Strucker gone, Wanda and Pietro weren’t sure what to do, so they helped where they could. They went back to their village and found out what people needed—food, medicine, clothes—and they used their enhanced powers to steal them. They thought of themselves as modern-day Robin Hoods.
