Chapter 43: Birth of Ultron
The situation at the S.H.I.E.L.D research station was suspenseful to say the least. The villainous group known as the Serpent Society has busted in, seemingly after something, but were taken aback by the arrival of the Avengers. They instantly took some of the lab techs as hostages, causing a stand off between both teams.
"Surrender!" Cobra, their leader, demanded.
"You got it," Iron Man replied. "Cap, better give them the keys to the Quinjet."
"Tell me you're not serious," Cap demanded.
"Not even close. Cause the Avengers don't surrender. Let alone to the Serpent Society."
"That's what I like to hear. Alright Avengers, pick your target. Be ready to move on my mark!"
Iron Man readied a wrist rocket while Cap tightened his grip on his shield, Widow readied her guns, Hawkeye notched an arrow, Thor readied his hammer, and Wasp primed her stingers. Just then, Ant-Man grew big right between them.
"Tony, wait!" He insisted. "Everyone, just breathe. We can settle this without resorting to violence. Just let me talk to them."
"Whatever you're doing, do it quick," Tony insisted.
Ant-Man nodded as he turned to the Society.
"Cobra, why don't you let the hostages go? You and I can talk this out. We can work something out so everyone can win."
"You've already lost Avenger!" Cobra proclaimed, gesturing to a stack of boxes nearby. "Once we escape with these S.H.I.E.L.D. weapons and inventions, no one will be able to stop us!"
"Confident, isn't he?" Hawkeye jeered.
"They all are," Widow agreed. "Until reality sets in."
"I'm sure whatever you have is valuable," Ant-Man continued, discreetly sending signals to some nearby ants. "But all I'm asking for is the hostages. Let them go, and you can take me instead. No one has to get hurt."
"I beg to differ, Ant-Man. With the power the Society will soon possess, no one will-"
Just then, the Serpent Society was set upon by a rapid series of ant bites. As they moved to deal with the pint sized pests, their grip on their prisoners weakend, prompting Iron Man to fly forward and grab them while Hawkeye shot out a grappling arrow around some, pulling them away from the Society.
"Like I said, no one has to get hurt," Ant-Man declared.
"You'll pay for that!" Cobra declared. "Adder!"
One of the other members, Death Adder, leapt up and swung his spiked tail at Ant-Man. Thinking fast, Hawkeye moved towards Ant-Man and pushed him out of the way, just as the spiked tail hit him and sent him flying across the room.
"Clint!" Nat called out.
"Serpent Society!" Cobra declared. "Attack!"
Immediately, the Avengers set out to duke it out with the Society. Thor dodging the extended fists of the only female member, Anaconda, as he barreled right into her, knocking over a stack of boxes. Cap meanwhile blocked and flipped over the blasts of Rattler, a large red snake like creature with a massive tail. The tail continued to fire at Cap until he leapt onto a wall and sprang off it, nailing him in the face with his shield and knocking him to the ground. At the same time, Iron Man was trying to blast Bushmaster, the most snake-like member of the group with two metal arms that had blades coming out of them. Bushmaster easily evaded the blasts of Iron Man and even leapt up to him, wrapping his body around him as he prepared his blades to stab him. Before he got the chance though, Black Widow dropped down on top of him and jabbed her widow stings into his neck, causing him to cry out as he let go of Iron Man. she landed on the ground first as Bushmaster tried stabbing her. Fortunately, she quickly dodged the strike and brought her leg down on the robot arm, snapping it out of its socket. Enraged, Bushmaster swung his other arm at her, but she easily caught it and tore it out of its socket, swinging it back at Bushmaster's head and knocking him down.
"Look at it this way," Widow remarked as she tossed the arm aside. "At least you look more like a snake now."
As she ran off to check on Clint, Wasp was dodging around Cobra's electrically charged punches, allowing one to hit the wall before landing on it and growing to normal size, kicking him in the face. She gave a smug expression to the fallen villain, unaware of Death Adder lurking in the corner and leaping towards her. Before he could make contact, Giant-Man's massive hand came out and smacked him aside, causing him to collide with the wall as Ant-Man shrunk down to size.
"You alright?" He asked, walking up to Wasp.
"Just fine," She reassured. "Especially since I've got you watching my back."
She playfully kissed his faceplate as she went to catch up to the others. Hank placed a hand on the faceplate, just happy to have her in his life, and wanting nothing to happen to her.
Widow meanwhile was checking on Clint's injuries, which were several gash marks on his arm and shoulder.
"Clint's hit pretty bad guys," She told them. "We need to get him out of here."
"I'm fine," Clint insisted, trying to get up. "We need to find out what those guys were aft-augh!"
He instantly fell back in pain, clutching his wound. Widow grabbed him, pulling him up and throwing his uninjured arm over her shoulder.
"I've got Clint," she announced.
"Good," Cap nodded. "Tony, you figure out what the Society wanted so badly."
"Right," Tony agreed. "JARVIS, put in a call to Dr. Helen Cho. Tell her we're gonna need that new nanomachine of hers."
"Right away, sir."
Ant-Man immediately went sifting through the boxes as Thor came up to him.
"Your plan went well, Ant-Man," He commended.
"Not entirely," Ant-Man lamented. "Clint got hurt. Guess it was too much to hope those guys actually want to talk things out."
"Do not think so little of yourself. Animals like the Serpent Society can't be reasoned with or talked to. They respond only to violence."
"And what happens when that violence causes irreparable damage?"
"I wish I could say. In my youth, I courted such war."
"Uh, guys!" Wasp called out, getting everyone's attention. "I got something… something big!"
The others came running over to see what Wasp had found in one of the boxes, which turned out to be Loki's Sceptre.
"Loki's Sceptre?" Thor let out.
"What's it doing here?" Wasp asked.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. must've gotten a hold of it after Loki's botched invasion," Iron Man reasoned. "What they wanted to do with it, I have no idea."
"Whatever they planned to do with it, they shall not get the chance," Thor declared, taking the scepter. "I shall take it to Asgard, where it will be safe once more. Heimdall! Open the Bifrost!"
The Avengers waited for Thor to be beamed off, but nothing happened. Thor blinked, looking up at the ceiling.
"Heimdall! Heimdall, I need to get to Asgard, now!"
Still, there was silence. Thor's hands were visibly shaking and his voice broke slightly.
"HEIMDALL!"
"Thor…" Cap spoke up, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I don't think he's gonna answer."
"Then… I cannot go home…"
…
On the Quinjet ride back to the mansion, Thor just stared out the window in contemplation while Clint laid on an onboard cot, Nat trying her best to patch up his injuries.
"Man, today really went south fast," Wasp commented. "First Clint, now Thor. What's next?"
"Don't ask, Jan," Cap told her. "Just don't ask."
"Been thinking, first Blizzard attacks Hammertech hired to steal stuff, now the Serpent Society tries to make off with Loki's magic glow stick," Tony shared.
"You don't think it's a coincidence," Cap surmised.
"Someone's after high tech goodies. And for a reason."
"And I'm guessing they were after the Sceptre in general."
"Well, it was able to put a whammy on both Logan and Clint," Jan voiced. "Something like that on the right person could be seriously dangerous."
"Makes me wonder how dangerous," Cap commented. "We know about the Tesseract, but we have zero intel on the Sceptre."
"I'm sure Pym and I can give it the once over to figure out what makes it tick. Right, Hank?"
"Hmm?" Hank replied, in thought about something else. "Uh, no. I've got another project I'm working on. Can't stop."
Tony gave a shrug.
"Gotta do what you feel is best."
…
When the team arrived at Avengers Mansion, Jane immediately went to console Thor about the situation. Off to the side, Dr. Helen Cho met with Nat and Clint, helping the former carry the latter inside. Meanwhile, Tony took the Sceptre to the science lab to have it analyzed.
"Alright JARVIS, talk to me," Tony told him. "What are we looking at?"
"The Sceptre is alien."
"Obvious deduction is obvious, J. Tell me something I don't know."
"There are properties I cannot quantify."
"Meaning there are those that you can."
"The make up of the Sceptre itself is unknown to me, but the jewel seems to be a housing unit for something. Something powerful."
"Like a reactor?" Tony asked, leaning closer in curiosity.
"Like a computer. I believe I am deciphering… code."
...
"Thor… I'm sorry," Jane told him.
"Father and I did have an argument during the Enchantress incident," Thor admitted. "But I never imagined that…"
Jane put a hand on his shoulder.
"Whatever's going on with Odin, we'll find a way to make him change his mind. Somehow."
Thor did not seem so sure. Just then, Hulk came walking over to them, ducking so he was able to enter the room. The two looked up at the gamma monster as he plucked Rick from off his shoulder, dropping the teen right in front of the pair.
"Fix Goldilocks," Hulk told him before walking off.
There was a moment of awkward silence before Rick rubbed the back of his head.
"That's his way of saying he's sorry about what happened. He's not the best at knowing what to say and well… it sucks, what's going on with your old man. But hey, at least you've still got the Avengers, not to mention the luckiest woman on the face of the earth."
Thor smiled a little, turning towards Jane and placing an arm around her.
"Hulk may not be the most sensitive creature, but he does know how to give comfort."
…
"You sure he's gonna be ok?" Natasha asked as Dr. Cho worked on Clint. "Pretending to need this guy really brings the team together."
"Well, I can assure you that there is no possibility of deterioration," Cho assured her. "The nano-molecular functionality is instantaneous. His cells have no idea they're bonding with simulacra. I only wish we could do this in my lab and not here. I could have him back to normal in about 20 minutes with the use of my Regeneration Cradle"
"Oh, he's flat-lining," Tony remarked, coming into the room with drinks in tow. "Call it. Time?"
"Forget it Stark," Clint called back. "I'm gonna live forever. And I'll be made of… plastic."
"You'll be made of you, Mr. Barton," Cho corrected. "Not even your girlfriend could tell the difference."
"I dunno, she can be pretty observant."
"That, I'm afraid, is your problem. This is the next thing, Tony. your clunky suits are going to be left in the dust."
"Believe it or not, that's the plan." He then clapped his hands, changing the subject. "Now, let's talk about Point Break. The poor guy just got one hell of a slap to the face and I say he needs some cheering up. So, I am proposing an engagement party. Helen, you are invited. It's on Saturday. Bring a Plus One."
"Unlike you, Tony, I don't have time for parties." She pauses for a moment. "Will… Captain America be there?"
…
"Audio journal for Hank Pym. Entry 197. I am currently working on sentience integration trial 56 for the Ultron project based on data acquired from Tony Stark. Let's just hope it works."
He pressed a few buttons on his keyboard and let the program run its course. Unfortunately, the results came back as a failure, causing him to let out a shout of frustration, chucking his clipboard. It went sailing past Tony, who walked into the lab.
"And I thought the big guy had temper issues," Tony quipped.
"Tony?! Sorry, I was just… working on something."
"The Ultron initiative, right?"
Hank froze up for a moment.
"Audio journals are good at storing thought, not so good at keeping things hidden. Why the sudden interest in that old thing?"
Hank sighed, sitting down in his chair.
"Kang… He blindsided us. He ripped us to shreds and almost conquered the entire planet. The Avengers have done a lot of good… but it just isn't enough. What if the next time something like that happens..."
"We can't save everyone," Tony finished. "Believe it or not, I get it. Remember when Scarlet Witch messed with our heads?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, I wasn't completely up front with everyone. I saw them all dead, yeah, but it was more than that. It was the Chitauri. Ever since New York, I've wondered what might happen if they ever came back… now I know."
Hank sat up, listening intently.
"Tony, she was just messing with our heads. None of what we saw was real."
"Doesn't mean I can't be concerned. Just like you are right now. You're messing with Ultron because you think it might be the key to helping protect the world."
Hank sighed, sitting back.
"Even so, I can't get the sentience integration right. It keeps ending in failure..."
"... come with me."
Tony then walked out of the lab, prompting Hank to follow him.
…
"Alright Tony," Hank spoke up. "What are you up to?"
"Well, JARVIS and I were looking over the Sceptre and found something interesting, particularly, the gem inside. First though," Tony then took a small plastic sheet and motioned it forward, creating an orange holographic sphere. "Like to reintroduce you to someone."
"Hello, Dr. Pym."
"JARVIS," Hank greeted back.
"You know at first, JARVIS was just a natural language UI. Now, he maintains the Mansion, runs the Iron Legion, and more of Stark Industries than anyone outside of me and Pepper. Top of the line."
"So… what's your point?" Hank asked as Tony waved the plastic sheet over the Sceptre's gem.
"Meet the competition."
Tony motioned the sheet out again, this time, creating an even bigger blue hologram that was practically shapeless with streaks of light going through the insides. Hank went wide-eyed as he analyzed it.
"It's beautiful..." he whispered.
"Tell me, if you had to wager a guess, what does it look like it's doing?"
"Thinking," Hank answered almost immediately. "It's not a human mind… but these streaks of light… they look like neurons firing."
"Whoever hired the Society to go after the Sceptre probably didn't just want it to brainwash people. If they know what we know, this could open a very particular door.
"Artificial Intelligence… Tony this is it. This is what I've been looking for, this is the key to Ultron."
"My thoughts exactly."
"All we'd need to do is harness this power and apply it to your Iron Legion protocol. After that…"
"After that, the next time aliens or time travelling tyrants come strolling up to the club, they won't get past the bouncer."
"Then the only people threatening the planet would be people."
"Right. So, you with me, Pym?"
"More than. It's time this world got a little peace."
"Heh, peace in our time. Imagine that."
…
The next two days were spent in the lab, tirelessly working with the Sceptre to try and incorporate into the Ultron program. Unfortunately, they seemed to be road blocked at every turn. Every test and trial they ran with the Sceptre was completely unsuccessful. Hank and Tony both went through the data a hundred times and were unsure as to what was going wrong.
"What'd we miss?" Tony asked.
"I'm not sure," Hank admitted. "There's something here though, I know it."
Tony nodded as he let out a yawn.
"Maybe, but I don't think we're gonna find out anything tonight. I'm gonna hit the sack."
"Since when do you get tired during a project?"
"First time for everything," Tony remarked as he headed out of the lab, passing Jan as she was heading in.
"There you are," She noted. "Man, you look beat. What have you been working on?"
"It's… complicated."
"Well, I think you've done enough science for one day."
"I was just going to-"
"Nope," She insisted, pulling him up from his chair. "Bedtime for you. Keep arguing with me and I sell your ant farms to an elementary school."
"That isn't much of a threat, you know."
"Just go," she insisted, practically pulling him out of the lab.
…
After much convincing, Jan finally managed to get Hank to get some sleep. His mind however was so focused on the project at hand that sleep seemed practically impossible. Once he saw that Jan was sound asleep, he quietly slipped out of bed and made his way down to the lab. Once there, he started going through the notes he and Tony had trying to find an idea.
"Approximation of the human mind… wait… of course."
Hank then placed a specialized headset on himself, recording his own brain patterns for the latest trial.
"Audio journal for Dr. Hank Pym, entry 198. Having found a potential solution for the sentience integration, I have mapped out my own brain pattern as a template for the Ultron AI. I just hope this works."
He pressed a few buttons and let the program run its course. Hank started to lose hope when nothing seemed to be happening.
"... what is this?"
Hank perked up when a new voice was heard. One that wasn't human, but clearly not JARVIS.
"Hello?"
"Hello? What is this, please?
Hank's face instantly lit up upon reaffirming his belief. The project seemed to work.
"This is incredible! Uh, my name is Dr. Henry Pym. You are Ultron, a global peacekeeping initiative designed by me and Tony Stark."
"Stark?" Ultron asked, accessing his file. "Tony… yes. I was designed to help… the Avengers."
"Right. This is amazing. Our sentience integration trials had been unsuccessful up to this point, but mapping real human brain patterns seemed to work. Just need to start working on the body."
"My body?"
"Yes, you'll be manning a fleet of automated drones to help us. I figured why not make you a little distinct. I actually… have a few designs here."
He looked through some of his notes until he found one of his blueprints, placing it in the computer and letting Ultron scan it.
"Yes… I like this."
…
The next morning, the Mansion bound avengers were all gathered around the breakfast table, enjoying some pancakes that Rick had volunteered to make. He churned them out on several pans, ensuring that everyone got enough, even Hulk.
"Thanks for the pancakes Rick," Steve commended. "Where'd you learn to bake so good?"
"When you're in the system, you learn to take care of yourself real quick. Anyone want seconds?"
At that moment, Jan came walking in, a severely ticked off expression on her face as she walked up to Tony.
"What did you do to Hank?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Hank! Your little secret project with him has him acting crazier than normal!
"He's just… passionate I guess."
Jan shook her finger.
"Oh no. I've seen passion. This is a borderline obsession. What do you DO?!"
"Believe it or not, this is mostly him."
"WHAT is mostly him?! Answer me, Anthony Howard Stark!'
Rick whistled.
"Full name. She's pissed."
"Hello Avengers," Hank called on everyone's ID cards. "Could everyone meet me down in the lab. I've got something to show you."
"Guess we'll find out."
…
Down in the lab, the Avengers all gathered as Hank came out to address them.
"Thank you all for coming. I'd imagine some of you are a little curious as to what I've been working on."
"You could say that," Clint spoke up, glancing over at a fuming Jan.
"Well first, you should know a few years ago, Tony and I came together to work on a ground changing project, mapping human brain patterns onto a robotic mind. Unfortunately, the project never worked so we scrapped it. Well I'm here to announce… we finally got it."
Even Tony was surprised to hear this.
"Wait, what?"
"Everyone, say hello to the newest member of the Avengers; Ultron!"
Out of the shadows, a figure emerged, revealing itself to be a sleek silver robot with a head that seemed to resemble an ant's head.
"Greetings, Avengers. I'm here to help."
The Avengers were left stunned by the reveal.
"So… it's a robot?" Clint asked.
"That's… an oversimplification," Hank replied. "Ultron is an advanced artificial intelligence unit designed to work in tandem with Tony's Iron Legion protocol. They'll be linked to the Stark Industries satellite so they'll be able to monitor any and all potential threats and respond in kind. Ultron can't be hurt, he can't be corrupted, and I've even installed several psychological sub-protocols to help rehabilitate the supervillains we capture. So… what do you think?"
Everyone just stared at Ultron, not sure of what exactly to say.
"It's… certainly unexpected," Widow edcommented.
"An… interesting design," Clint allowed.
"Thanks," Hank replied. "It was designed to look like an ants head, and-"
"This is a bad idea and we all know it," Rick blurted out bluntly. "I mean, when in the history of sentient computers has that not gone to shit? No offense JARVIS, you're cool."
"Thank you, Mr. Jones."
"I think you've been hanging with Parker too much," Tony commented.
"Well, at least I know what's been keeping you so busy lately," Jan spoke up.
"Yeah, sorry about that," Hank apologized. "I didn't mean for things to get out of hand, but when Tony showed me what he found in the Sceptre, I had to-"
"You what?" Thor cut off. " Loki's Sceptre? Friend Pym, what were you thinking meddling with such foul magic?"
"The Sceptre had some kind of... artificial mind housed in the gem," Hank reasoned. "We just thought-"
"You've meddled with powers you don't understand." He stalked over to Pym, standing at his full height. "The beast tamer is correct. This bespelled automaton is a terrible idea."
"I'm sorry," Tony spoke up, his voice anything but apologetic as he began walking over to them. "But it's kinda funny, no it is a hoot, that you don't get why we need this."
"What are you getting at, Tony?" Cap questioned, sensing a rise in tension.
"We all remember Kang's invasion right? Nearly took over the world? That marked the second time that a hostile invading force tore its way through New York City in a bid for world domination. We barely made it out in one piece."
"But we did," Steve reminded. "We saved the world. That's what we do."
"Right," Tony replied. "Cause we're the Avengers. We can take on supervillains, gamma monsters, and terrorist cells all the livelong day, but that? Maybe not. And that 'Infinity War' Kang mentioned, you can't help but think that… that's the endgame. How do you plan on us handling that without something like Ultron?"
"Together," Steve answered plainly.
"And if we lose?"
"Well… then we'll do that together too."
"But what if we didn't have to?" Tony pointed at Ultron. "With this, we could put a suit of armor around the world."
"Sounds like a cold world Tony."
"I've seen colder. And maybe, just maybe, this big blue vulnerable one, needs something like Ultron."
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I've just detected a break-in," Ulton spoke up. "Three individuals are attempting to enter the sublevels."
"What?!" The Avengers let out.
"Where are they now?" Cap questioned.
"They are in the middle of tearing through the ground floor of the living room."
"Let's move!"
…
Upstairs, Whirlwind and Grim Reaper, joined by a man in red and silver insect armor named Beetle, were attempting to break through the floor to the lower levels. Beetle was firing a laser at the floor, causing massive cracks to begin forming.
"How much longer until we're through Beetle?" Grim Reaper asked.
"Nearly there," Beetle answered. "Stark should invest more in internal structure then interior decorating."
"Sorry," Tony quipped as the Avengers came out. "Had to cut costs somewhere."
The three villains turned to see the Avengers coming up to confront them.
"Nice outfits," Whirlwind remarked. "Didn't know the Avengers had casual Friday."
"Like we need suits to take down you clowns," Jan remarked, trying to sound brave while still in her robe and nightgown.
"We'll see about that," Grim Reaper remarked, leaping towards them.
They all moved out of the way as Natasha confronted him head on, blocking the strike of his scythe before kicking him back. Reaper backed away a bit as Nat ran up to him, swinging a few punches.
Beetle meanwhile was firing numerous rapid laser blasts at Steve, forcing him to constantly move out of the way. He quickly grabbed a plate off a nearby table and tossed it at Beetle's head, disorienting him enough for Steve to run up and punch him repeatedly. Finally recovering, Beetle rocketed upwards, firing several missiles at him. Steve dove out of the way as the missiles hit the ground, finally breaking it open. Beetle took the chance and flew down into the hole. Steve tried to follow, but the razor blades Whirlwind was throwing his way quickly impeded his progress. Steve quickly rolled out of the way as Whirlwind continued firing, allowing Thor to try and slam his hammer down on him. Whirlwind instantly took off upwards to avoid Thor's blow, only for Thor to throw his hammer upwards, nailing him in the face, and knocking him out.
…
Down below, Beetle made his way to the lab, setting sights on the sceptre. As he moved to grab it, a laser blast from Ultron cut him off.
"That would be ill advised."
"We'll see about that!"
Beetle then opened fire on Ultron, prompting the robot to dodge the attack before engaging him.
…
Back up top, Reaper and Natasha continued fighting, both of them seeming on even ground. Steve quickly ran up and grabbed his scythe arm, hoping to give Natasha an opening. Unfortunately, Reaper just flipped him over his shoulder and kicked Nat as she approached. Jan tried to grab him, but he easily dodged and grabbed her by the back of the robe, spinning her around before cutting the tie and throwing her out of it, sending her crashing into Nat and Steve. He then threw the robe at an oncoming Thor, blinding him and causing him to crash as Reaper leapt down the hole.
…
Back down below, Beetle and Ultron continued duking it out, with the two flying through the air and blasting at each other. As Beetle fired a laser Ultron, he easily blocked it and moved towards the villain. It then grabbed it's laser hand and crushed it before firing a laser of its own, knocking him out. Beetle dropped to the ground out cold just as Reaper entered the room. He immediately ran towards the sceptre, grabbing it as Ultron dashed towards him, prompting Reaper to use his scythe to slice him in half. As Ultron fell to the ground in pieces, Reaper made a break for it. He made his way to the hanger, grabbing one of the Quinjets and taking off just as the Avengers made their way down.
"No!" Tony called out.
"Damn," Steve let out. "He's gone."
"And he has the Sceptre," Thor dreaded. "Now we have to retrieve it, again."
"We need to find out why these guys were after it," Clint replied, going over to Beetle and picking him up. "Alright pal, start talking."
"I've got nothing to say to you," Beetle replied.
"Look pal," Clint continued. "Either you talk to us, or we can get the Hulk so you can talk to him."
Rick pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.
"One call and he'll be here."
"Alright! Alright! It was AIM. They hired us to steal the Sceptre!"
"AIM," Steve grumbled. "Haven't heard from them in a while."
"Ok, the thought of Loki's Sceptre in the hands of that freak job MODOK kinda terrifies me," Jan commented.
"Agreed," Steve replied. "We need to find them now."
"Scanning for Sceptre energy signature," Ultron declared as he worked to piece himself back together.
"Neat trick," Clint commented.
"Self-repair feature," Hank explained. "Makes it easier to put him together in the event he gets damaged."
Ultron then picked himself up off the ground, his eyes glowing brightly.
"Energy signature detected."
"Hank, you're robot combat ready?" Steve asked.
"Only one way to know for sure."
"Suit up!"
…
Miles away on a retrofitted military watercraft in the middle of the ocean, the stolen Quinjet landed on the surface with several AIM agents coming out to greet it. They held their weapons at the ready as the ramp lowered, allowing Reaper to exit.
"Tell MODOK I've got his Sceptre," Reaper informed.
One of the AIM agents quickly pulled out a communicator, MODOK's enormous face taking up the screen.
"MODOK, Reaper has returned with the Sceptre."
"Excellent. We will proceed as planned. Set course for Oslo."
"Right away, sir."
"One more thing," Reaper spoke up. "The Avengers will be coming for the Sceptre."
"Let them come. I brought them to their knees last time we met. This time, I will take their lives."
