Seoul, South Korea

Dr. Helen Cho was startled as she was suddenly faced with a creepy-looking robot who's voice she instantly recognized from the party the Avengers had thrown at their tower. "Scream, and your entire staff dies."

Helen stood very still.

"I could've killed you, Helen, the night we met. I didn't," Ultron told her.

"Do you expect a thank you note?" Helen retorted.

"I expect you to know why."

Helen glanced down at the coffin-sized box made of steel in front of Ultron. "The Cradle." She could hear her own voice played through a recording. "This is the next thing, Tony."

Ultron planted his hand on the Cradle. "This … is the next me."

"The regeneration cradle prints tissue, it can't build a living body," she argued.

"It can, you can. You lack the materials," Ultron claimed, as one of his servants showed her a glass tube full of vibranium. "You're a brilliant woman, Helen." Another one of Ultron's servants planted the magical scepter against her chest, using it to corrupt her and control her mind. "But we all have room to improve."

…

From the very top floor of the building, two lab scientists exchanged glances as they heard banging from across the hallway outside the room. As they went to check it out, the banging stopped. In the lab they had just been in, a grate was pulled inside in, opening up a gap in the vents. Percy fleeted down from the shaft and grabbed onto the edge of the vent opening like a spider monkey, swinging as he reached for his trident and pulled it out with him, before dropping down softly and limberly to his feet.

Percy dashed by the lab scientists just as they stopped looking for the source of the strange noise, and he managed to get out of sight just as they turned around. Percy stayed behind cover as he waited for the lab scientists to pass by. Once it was clear, he moved past them and began his search for the Maximoffs … and Ultron.

…

"It's beautiful," Helen admired as the vibranium aided the fabrication of a body inside the Cradle. "The vibranium atoms aren't just compatible with the tissue cells, they're binding them. And SHIELD never even thought-"

"The most versatile substance on the planet and they used it to make a Frisbee," Ultron conveyed. "Typical of humans, they scratch the surface and never think to look within."

Ultron used a laser to break through the scepter's blue gem, which turned out not to be a gem, but just a protection shield for the real prize inside of it; a bright, glowing, green slab of rock the size of a human thumb.

The little stone landed in Ultron's metallic hand before he placed it onto the body as part of its design, right smack where its forehead would be.

…

Percy knew he was close when he encountered the robot guard.

The innocent scientists were being hostage against their will by what Percy could only assume was one of Ultron's lackeys. And considering the AI was a robot with an army of his own, Percy could only assume he had several to his disposal.

The scientists were suddenly startled when three points of a glowing trident suddenly pierced the robot guarding the lab from behind. Percy appeared behind with a finger to his lips to tell them to stay quiet. He then glanced at the door to gesture them to leave the area. They nodded, understanding the message, and left.

Percy moved closer until he found himself where he needed to be.

…

Helen Cho began plugging Ultron to the Cradle. "Cellular cohesion will take a few hours, but we can initiate the consciousness stream. We're uploading your cerebral matrix … now."

"I can read him," Wanda reveled. "He is dreaming."

"I wouldn't call it dreams," Helen corrected. "It's Ultron's base consciousness, informational noise. Soon …"

"How soon?" Ultron urged. "I'm not being pushy."

"We're imprinting a physical brain. There are no shortcuts. Even if your magic gem is …"

They dismissed Wanda's instinct to read into the Cradle as she vividly saw what appeared the destruction of the planet itself, and she screamed, backing away from the Cradle and into her brother's arms for protection.

"How could you?" Wanda demanded.

"How could I what?" Ultron asked, confused.

"You said we would destroy the Avengers, make a better world," Wanda said.

"It will be better," Ultron claimed.

"When everyone is dead."

"That is not- the human race will have every opportunity to improve," Ultron said.

"And if they don't?" Pietro asked.

"Ask Noah."

"You're a madman," Wanda declared.

Ultron perked up as he sensed danger. "Wait a minute ..."

"Argh!" Ultron yelled as a trident went flying into the room and pierced right through the wires that had it plugged into the Cradle. Percy appeared with a smirk as the trident was summoned back onto his hand.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Percy mocked. "Didn't finish downloading the latest software update yet?"

Percy made eye contact with Pietro and Wanda who seemed more relieved than shocked to see him appear, which put a brief smile to his face.

Wanda tilted her head at him, as if telling Percy to keep him distracted as she used her powers to break the scepter's hold on Helen Cho.

"You," Ultron growled as he frustratingly threw down the torn wires on the ground.

"Me?" Percy questioned. "I'm not the one trying to play God. 'Ask Noah.' Dude, you literally might have some loose screws up there. You mind if I open you up to check?"

"You should've stayed in whatever hole you crawled out of."

"Too bad. You caught my attention when you decided you needed to eradicate the planet of every aspect of human life," Percy retorted. "Because news flash, Ultron ... we're not going anywhere."

"You're starting to really piss ME OFF!"

Ultron flew at Percy and grabbed him in a chokehold, the two wrecking and bursting through several rooms as Percy tried to untangle himself from his grip. He managed to pierce Ultron completely through, and although that seemed to disfunction him a bit, he didn't seem too hurt overall. Once he twisted the trident though, Ultron got touchy.

The homicidal AI growled as Percy tried to twist the weapon, tossing him against a tabletop full of chemical flasks. Ultron proceeded to slowly pull the trident out of him and tossed it on the ground before turning around in attention to something else.

"And now, the Avengers are here. Fantastic," Ultron grunted. "I'll deal with you, once I'm in my new body."

Percy managed to stand but Ultron was already flying off, crashing right through a window and soaring off onto the freeway towards the south. Before he could think about catching up with Ultron somehow, Percy was surprised as Captain America came rushing in, blasting through a door and freezing in his tracks at the sight of Percy.

At the other end of the room came the Asian lady that been in the room with Ultron, Helen Cho, Percy remembered.

"Where's Ultron?" Captain America asked.

"He went flying off," Percy said, rotating a shoulder out of soreness before turning his attention to Helen. "Where's the twins?"

"The speedy one took off, carrying his sister with her," Helen informed.

Percy sighed as he frowned at her. "Why were you helping him?"

"He … he …"

"He controlled your mind?" Captain America offered.

"Yeah …"

Percy now turned his attention to Mr. Stripes and Stars himself. "And how would you know about that?"

"Happened to one of our guys in the New York invasion. Loki put him in some kind of spell using the scepter," Steve Rogers.

Percy nodded. "Okay, that makes a lot more sense."

"Did you see which way Ultron went?"

"Yeah," Percy replied. "Saw him fly off towards the bridge crossing the river. Might be taking the highway towards the city."

"We have to get to the Cradle," Steve said.

"I'll help," Percy said.

"You should stay," he advised.

"No," Percy denied. "Tony told me some days ago, but it's definitely confirmed now. I'm one of you now and I'm gonna help you stop this godforsaken homicidal robot if it's the last thing I do."

"I saw Ultron's servants fly off after their master, taking the Cradle with them," Helen added.

"Of course they did," Percy muttered.

"The real power is inside it. The gem's power is uncontainable. You can't just blow it up. You have to get the Cradle to Stark."

"Um … are you sure?" Percy questioned.

"Never been more sure of anything," Helen said.

"Okay, then, Dr. Cho," Percy said. "What's the plan, Cap?"

"If we can't blow up the Cradle, we'll have to try to draw out Ultron," Steve said. He tapped into comms. "You guys catch all that?"

"Yep," Clint Barton voiced.

"So, quick question ... is that the rookie?" Natasha Romanoff asked.

Steve tossed an earpiece at Percy. "You said it, kid. You're one of us now, an Avenger."

Percy curled his lips in amusement before putting on the earpiece. "Yo, eyes in the sky, what do you see?"

"I got a private jet taking off, across town, no manifest. That could be him," Natasha suggested.

"There. It's a truck from the lab. On the loop past the bridge. It's them. I got three with the Cradle, one in the cab," Clint said.

"We might more successful coming at him from two angles," Percy said. "One of us boards the truck and handles Ultron while the other goes up ahead to stop the truck."

"I'll get Ultron," Steve said.

Percy nodded in agreement. Steve's stance was firm on that. "And once he's dealt with, I'm gonna go look for the Maximoffs."

"Welcome to the team, kid," Clint voiced over comms.

Percy smiled as he and Steve exchanged looks. "Let's do this."