CHAPTER I: Quantum Disaster
In the five years of their disheartened state when they seemingly lost their chance to reverse the Snap, Scott Lang returned from the Quantum Realm via a rat accidentally stumbling on the controls. In the five hours he had been inside, five years have passed. When the Avengers, both new and old assembled at the New Avengers Facility in New York, they contemplated on how to get the stones. Scott Lang aka Ant-Man, proposed using the Quantum Realm based on his observations for his five hours within the realm, highlighting the possibility of time travel with it. After some time and effort, with the aid of Bruce Banner in his Professor Hulk form and Tony Stark, they were able to build a Quantum Tunnel. Then, came the experimentation part, with them able to succeed with the final changes to their equipment, with Tony creating specialized suits called Quantum suits designed for travel through the Quantum Realm, and with the Time-Space GPS for their safety in that endeavour.
Nebula, Scott, Rocket, Natasha, Clint, Tony, Bruce and Steve prepared to travel through the Tunnel, but never did they know that something else was going to happen.
"*BEEP! BEEP!* SECURITY SYSTEMS BREACHED! INTRUDER DETECTED!" F.R.I.D.A.Y alarmed
"What the hell- What's going on?" Tony was taken by surprise
"I got a feeling this isn't gonna be pretty..." Scott quipped
Suddenly, the entire facility activated protocol to lock down the building, darkening the area. Red lights were flashing and more alarms were blaring.
"And you are right, Mr. Lang. Miss me, everybody?" a voice suddenly rung from all directions
They, except Nebula and Rocket, recognized that voice with newfound dread. They went into fight mode.
"Who the hell is that talking?" Rocket asked
"No.. it can't be possible. Ultron! How?! Vision killed you! We made sure that no copy of you would survive!" Steve answered with shock
"Hmmhmm, and that was your biggest lapse. You just became too focused with my physical forms without ever thinking much of the digital part. Oh, to answer your question on how I was able to breach the system just to give you the satisfaction, I have developed the skill to stealth myself much better in the internet while I was in hiding. Your parts being sold on the black market is actually a great perk, only if you're a machine, obviously. Some careless dimwit's curiosity gave me the chance to be reborn through a backup I created. The effort has paid off for me, in this case." Ultron started
All the Avengers were now at a fighting stance, for they knew what a psychopathic mind is capable of, only to be amplified by the fact that a sentient, nihilistic AI's potential for destruction is much higher than most.
"Now, this Thanos seemed to do me a great big favor in carrying out my work. All without that meteor I attempted to create back in Sokovia. I'll give him credits for that. You see, when you all parted ways in the five years of your disarray and your sulking mess, I watched eagerly. F.R.I.D.A.Y seems to be the new J.A.R.V.I.S here, just without the body. And speaking of him, his death just delighted me oh so wonderfully. Sadly, F.R.I.D.A.Y failed to completely block my escape into the internet, to point out her relatively recent implementation years ago." Ultron gave his grand speech
"F.R.I.D.A.Y! Purge the systems! Reset the entire framework! Erase all traces of Ultron from the internet!" Tony shouted out to his personal AI hurriedly
"Oh, don't you worry about that. I immobilized her just long enough to let me complete the final part of my first goal, which is disposing of you, of course. Thanos just made this so much easier for me. Without your pitiful little get-together, and your considerably-reduced manpower, humanity will finally be eradicated. No more Avengers, at last. Interesting device you built here. Quantum physics is quite the talk among your scientific communities as of late. I am aware of these Infinity Stones, because after all, one helped to indirectly create, guess who, ME! Your determination is quite entertaining for me to watch, despite the setback I suffered at your hands years ago. Half the planet's population gone, and you still refuse to accept the new common. Trying to retrieve the stones, I presume? I'm afraid it's all for naught. With you " Ultron continued
The systems visibly crackled and surged, with F.R.I.D.A.Y struggling to regain dominance and employing prototype security measures as an effort to fight Ultron.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it seems our time together will be cut relatively short. So, you were about to begin your venture into the Quantum Realm, am I right? In that case, allow me to be the one to start your trip. Let's get ready, shall we?" Ultron spoke out
Ultron hacked the power grid, started the Quantum Tunnel, and electromagnetically anchored all the Avengers onto the metal frame, down on their faces.
"Enjoy your vacation to eternal obscurity! And with this, my work is nearing completion. It shall be do- o- one- *garble* *crackle*" Ultron was in the process of being deleted and purged by F.R.I.D.A.Y
"No, no, no, no... LEAVE ME ALONE! I will not be interrupted again by the likes of you! *glitching*" Ultron and F.R.I.D.A.Y were battling each other heavily, with the rogue AI starting to damage the power grid
The Avengers were being phased through the tunnel, finalizing his victory. F.R.I.D.A.Y attempted to abruptly reverse the process. However, the AI was already too late in halting the damage that Ultron started to do to the Quantum Tunnel, severely overloading its power delivery systems and shortening out the electrical framework, destroying its core components. With nothing much to be done, F.R.I.D.A.Y completely erased all of Ultron's traces from all global networks, ending his existence for real, years after his supposed death. After the chaotic encounter, the facility became quiet and devoid of its main inhabitants. The Time-Space GPS was rendered useless with the connection to the tunnel being cut by the power surge, leaving it as nothing but a now-useless gadget. With the power gone, F.R.I.D.A.Y went into shutdown mode.
QUANTUM REALM
The Avengers went through a disastrous turn of events that left them stranded. Scott Lang was reminded of his five-hour absence, and assumed the worst. For quite some time, they lingered floating helplessly. Without their awareness, something else was happening. Unseen waves of strange energy were slipping past them, having no ill effect on them at all. However, that particular phenomenon had something to do with their predicament. Rocket, Thor and Clint collectively have had direct contact with three of the Infinity Stones in their past encounters. This started a chain reaction where they started to glow, and slowly become incorporeal. The others tried to grab hold of the three as a desperate attempt to help them with their current condition. In the process, they too were starting to illuminate.
RUNETERRA
The Infinity Stones started to glow in their respective locations. It intensified their already-obvious effects to their surrounding environment. They produced their distinct hums and vibrations. This caused the arcane equilibrium of the planet to be quite disturbed. Many of the planet's powerful beings sensed the radiating energies and the flow disturbance.
Karma was abruptly interrupted from her meditation, with a gasp, wondering what caused such an impactful feeling. Illaoi too felt it, through her connection with Nagakabouros, and suspected a sinister outcome, then immediately went to work on that matter. Aurelion Sol awakened from his tranquil state, and immediately went to investigate what caused the powerful energies. Yorick sensed unease from the souls he was shepherding, and took it as a bad omen, which prompted him to find the root of the problem. Malzahar sensed it, and tried to pinpoint it, but so did Kassadin, from another place. Xerath, being heavily imbued with magic, was naturally attuned to it, and felt the growing surge that disturbed the arcane flow. LeBlanc, being a powerful sorceress, felt the discord flow through her veins, having felt a similar thing only possible during the Rune Wars.
Minutes later, a rift opened from the atmosphere.
The Avengers fell through it, and at first glance, looked like a shower of shooting stars. They saw their new problem, and decided to immediately find a way to break their fall. When the clouds dissipated, they saw a gulf, which would increase their chances of making it, as the water could cushion their fall, only if it gets slowed enough as hitting it fast is like concrete, which would be no problem to Bruce or Thor, but for the others it could get ugly.
"Hey, I got an idea! You guys turn small enough with your suits, and I'll hold you like a bunch of jelly beans! I'll take the impact!" Bruce spoke out his idea
"Really, jelly beans?! Come on, pick a better word next time!" Rocket remarked
"I'll take the impact too! Might as well get used to it again." Thor added
"Hang on!" Thor and Bruce grasped their shrunken friends in preparation.
Everyone but Bruce and Thor shrunk in size, and held their friends for their dear lives. They made impact with the water, and plunged considerably deep, but both the green giant and the Asgardian headed right away to the surface. The others reverted back to normal size, and gasped for air, followed by some coughing. They wondered where they were. Not too far, a sailing sloop was able to observe the fall, and immediately headed straight to its location. The moonlit waters of the night only made it easier to spot.