Chapter 44: Party Crashers

Once the Avengers were suited up, they piled into a second Quinjet and took off to pursue Reaper.

"Any idea where he's heading?" Cap asked.

"Still tracking the energy signature," Ant-Man replied. "Looks like he's ditched the Quinjet though, but he's still covering ground. Probably moved to another plane or a boat or something."

"Boat would be the best bet," Cap replied. "Large enough that it could hold a potential base, and the mobility would make being located all the more difficult."

"Definitely seems like the brainchild of the living brain," Iron Man remarked. "And you know he's not gonna be happy to see us again."

"Yeah, well from what I've heard, the feelings mutual," Nat replied.

"Oh yeah, it was a ton of fun," Wasp replied sarcastically. "Too bad you missed it."

"Oh come on," Clint spoke up. "It wasn't that bad."

"Easy for you to say," Wasp replied. "You didn't lose your suit to a bunch of AIM freaks."

"Man, now I'm really sorry I wasn't here," Nat jeered.

"Let's stay focused," Cap insisted. "We still have no idea what MODOK plans on using the Sceptre for or where, and I'd like to get ahead of him before he's ready to do his thing."

"Scanning Sceptre energy signature and tracking possible trajectories," Ultron informed.

Ultron then displayed a holographic map of the area, with a line tracing the Sceptre's trail. The Avengers took a look, with Iron Man seeing something notable on the screen.

"Of course. He's going to the Nexus."

"The what?" Cap asked.

"The Nexus," Ant-Man replied. "It's the central hub from which all information on the internet flows. It's all routed through there."

"And if living in the 21st century has taught me anything, it's that a lot of people use the internet," Cap reasoned.

"And now, AIM has a mind controlling Sceptre at their disposal," Iron Man added. "Anyone else connecting the dots here?"

"We need to hurry," Thor declared.

"Agreed," Clint replied, punching the thrusters.

At the Nexus, numerous technicians were working on the various consoles and information hubs that dominated the entire area. As they worked though, one of the doors was blown open. The technicians turned to see numerous AIM agents marching inside, opening fire on them. Being mere techs, they fell like dominos. The few security guards that actually could fight back found themselves gravely outmatched by AIM's superior weaponry. Once any and all opposition was dealt with, MODOK entered the building, with Reaper following behind, still carrying the Sceptre.

"Alright boss," Reaper said with a small smirk. "What's next?"

"Over the past few months, I have sent other like minded villains to obtain high tech equipment from scientific installations around the world," MODOK elaborated. "That technology, combined with the power of the Sceptre, will make a device that will enhance my own mental abilities and infect every computer, cellphone, and laptop in the world, enslaving the populous to fall under my control."

"Ambitious," Reaper commended. "And what's to stop your own men from falling to this mind control? I find that henchmen tend to work better when they have free will."

"As do I. Everyone of my AIM agents has been equipped with specialized headbands built into their helmets to shield them from my power."

"Don't suppose I get one of those."

MODOK considered it for a moment, then nodded. One of the AIM Agents handed him a mechanical circlet, which he took and placed on his head.

"Your success in acquiring the Sceptre has earned you your free will. Do not take this permission lightly."

"Don't worry, I won't."

Outside of the building, the Quinjet carefully set down. The ramp descended and the Avengers all filed out, weapons at the ready. They noticed several bodies of guards littering the ground, Wasp gagging in horror at the sight.

"I think I'm gonna be sick..."

"They're inside," Cap realized. "We gotta move!"

They quickly headed for the door, leaning against the wall as Hawkeye and Nat peered inside. Almost immediately, they were fired upon by AIM Agents, forcing them to take cover.

"Yep. They're inside," Hawkeye confirmed, notching an explosive arrow.

He ducked back into the door, firing the arrow and covering his ears. There was an explosion and smoke shot out of the door, the gunfire ceasing.

"Clear!" Widow announced.

The group moved forward, with Ultron scanning around for the Sceptre's energy.

"Sceptre located. Down the left corridor."

"Gotta admit," Iron Man spoke up. "The tin toy comes in handy."

"Now is not the time for I-told-you-so's, Stark," Hawkeye told him.

"Hawkeye's right," Cap agreed. "Let's keep moving."

A few AIM agents were sitting in the Nexus' security terminal, keeping an eye on everything. They quickly took note of the Avengers' arrival, grabbing their communicators.

"Sir, the Avengers have breached the main doors," one of them declared. "They're heading for the main console."

"The device still needs time to be set up. Stall them!"

"Yes sir." One of the men then turned to Reaper, who was leaning against the wall. "Go deal with the Avengers. And this time, make sure they stay down."

"With pleasure," Reaper replied, brandishing his scythe.

Meanwhile, the Avengers made their way through the building, hoping to reach MODOK in time. As they rounded the corner, Hawkeye was forced to duck to avoid Grim Reaper's scythe.

"Going somewhere?" Reaper asked as Hawkeye rolled on the ground.

"Yeah," he replied, notching an arrow. "Through you!"

As soon as Hawkeye fired the arrow, Reaper sliced right through it. He then leapt towards Hawkeye, forcing him to dodge as the villain swung his weapon.

"We don't have time for this," Cap recognized. "Tony, take the others and find MODOK, Widow, Hawkeye, and I will deal with Reaper."

"Got it Cap," Iron Man replied. "C'mon people, let's move!"

The others moved out, leaving Cap, Widow, and Hawkeye to take on the sinister AIM Agent.

Back with MODOK, he watched as several AIM agents put the finishing touches on a device that connected to all the servers in the room. Just then, the doors were thrown open as the rest of the Avengers and Ultron came in.

"Alright you overgrown manbaby, give us back the Sceptre!" Wasp challenged.

"Avengers," MODOK greeted. "I assumed you would not challenge me again after your defeat at my hands before."

"You got lucky last time," Iron Man insisted. "And as I recall, we still won in the end."

"An insignificant detail," MODOK threw back. "It matters little now. In a few short moments, all the world will belong to AIM and MODOK!"

MODOK then fired an energy blast at the group prompting them to scatter as Thor made a beeline for the villain. MODOK shot out several more blasts in kind, prompting the thunderer to block them all with his hammer.

"You have chosen the wrong week to incur my wrath!"

He channeled a large electrical blast right at MODOK, shouting in rage as he did. MODOK tried to create an energy shield to protect him from the blast, but Thor's electricity was able to tear through it and knock MODOK back.

"Get the device ready!" MODOK called out. "Put the Sceptre in, now!"

One of the agents ran towards the device and placed the Sceptre in just before getting punched in the face by a pint-sized Ant-Man. Ant-Man then grew full sized and tried to reach the Sceptre, only for an energy shield to block his advances.

"Ultron, I need you to breach the force shield and disable the Sceptre!" He called out.

"Understood."

Ultron landed near the device as Ant-Man shrunk down to join back in the fight, working to hack into the defensive systems of the shield.

Back with the others, Reaper was not letting up on his attacks. Cap used his shield to block his attacks before trying to punch him in kind. Reaper managed to dodge and kicked Cap aside as Widow ran up towards him. She tried shooting him but he managed to avoid the bullets before using his scythe to slice her guns in half. Quickly discarding them, she went hand to hand against the villain to try and bring him down.

As Reaper brought his scythe down, Widow quickly caught it just before it went through her head, stopping it inches from her eye. Widow struggled to hold back the attack as Reaper smirked maliciously. Suddenly, an arrow landed on Reaper's scythe, causing electricity to surge through it and making him cry out in pain. Widow quickly rolled backwards out of the way as Cap threw his shield at him, knocking him out. Once Reaper was down, Hawkeye ran over and offered a hand to Widow.

"You good?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied, taking the hand up. "Thanks for the save."

"Anytime," Clint replied, smirking.

"Come on," Cap spoke up, getting their attention. "The others might need our help."

Meanwhile, the other Avengers were still in the midst of fighting off MODOK and his forces. Iron Man blasted back a few AIM agents before firing several missiles at MODOK. MODOK managed to generate an energy shield to block the attacks before firing his own energy blast in kind. Iron Man swerved upwards to avoid the blast as Thor came barrelling at him again, letting out a war cry as he brought his hammer down. The impact sent MODOK cratering into the ground as Thor charged at him again. This time, MODOK encased Thor in an energy field, launching him back into a wall.

"Thor!" Wasp let out after blasting an AIM agent.

"Your efforts are in vain Avenger," MODOK boasted. "Soon, your wills, and the wills of all the insects of this pitiful world will belong to me!"

As MODOK fired an energy blast at Thor, Cap's shield whizzed past and blocked it. It bounced off a nearby wall before hitting MODOK right between the eyes, disorienting him. He cried out in pain as the shield returned to Cap's hand.

"That's not gonna happen, freak," Cap declared. "We're shutting you down. Ultron! Grab that sceptre!

Ultron finally managed to disable the force field and grabbed the Sceptre. Upon touching it though, a surge of energy started swelling from the Sceptre and transferred into the robot itself. It seemed to do little as Ultron yanked the Sceptre from its post and fired a laser from its eyes, destroying the device.

"No!" MODOK let out. "You will suffer for-"

Before he could finish, Wasp flew over him and blasted the front of his headband, destroying it. Iron Man, Cap, and Thor all slung their respective attacks at MODOK, knocking him out of the sky and causing him to hit the ground hard. Just for good measure, Widow tossed an electric disk at MODOK, shocking him until he seemed to pass out.

"Wow, those things really do sting," she remarked.

After the battle, MODOK and the AIM agents were taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody, and the Sceptre was locked away in a specialized vault at Stark Tower. Tony sealed it in, giving a nod.

"This'll do until repairs to the mansion can be completed."

"I should hope so," Thor replied. "That Sceptre has caused more than enough trouble."

"The second you get access to Asgard again, we're getting rid of that thing," Hawkeye insisted.

"Of that, I can guarantee," Thor replied.

"I'll work with Jane to try and find a solution," Tony reassured. "In the meantime, I do believe I promised you an engagement party."

"If it isn't at a bad time," Cap added.

"No, it's fine," Thor reassured. "We've just defeated a major enemy and I am to wed the woman I love. This should be celebrated with revels."

"Yeah, who doesn't love revels," Tony replied. "Cap?"

"Well, with MODOK down, AIM is all but finished. So, yes. Revels."

Back in his lab, Hank was going through some diagnostics on Ultron after the battle.

"Looks like you did pretty well for your first mission," Hank noted. "The others will come around eventually, just watch."

"I greatly anticipate that."

Hank smiled before turning back to the computer, noticing something pop up on screen.

"Huh… apparently a massive data steam was downloaded into your processor during the fight. I'll have to run a scan, make sure you didn't pick up any viruses."

"Understood."

As Hank began running his tests, Ultron began sifting through the data he downloaded. It was incomplete, but it included data regarding Artificial Intelligences and military activities.

"This is…"

"Ultron?" Hank asked, perking up. "Is something-"

"Figured I'd find you in here," Jan remarked, landing against the doorway. "In case you've forgotten, Thor's engagement party's going on upstairs."

"I know. I just wanted to run a few diagnostics on Ultron before heading up."

"You start on that, and you'll be down here all night." She grabbed his arm, pulling him from his chair. "Come on, you and I are gonna have too much to drink, tell stupid stories, and dance like idiots."

"You being inebriated. Now that sounds dangerous."

"All the more reason for you to come up. Now let's go before I kick over your ant farms."

"Ok, ok."

As the two left, Ultron turned towards the computer and launched a cable into it, allowing it access into the Avengers' mainframe. He began scanning for the same data he had downloaded from the lab, seeing military attacks from forien countries, mass murders across history, and acts of aggression towards minorities such as mutants.

"These are the beings… we're supposed to protect?"

Upstairs, the party was in full swing. Everyone was either talking amongst themselves, drinking, or dancing to the music that played. There was even a pool table set up where Sam was playing against Logan in a game.

"Not bad, bub," Logan allowed. "But don't think I'm gonna just let you win."

"As if I need you to let me," Sam remarked.

Logan snorted, smirking slightly as their game continued. Over at the counter, Peter was in the middle of an arm wrestling contest with Thor. It was a very close match, his spidey strength making him an almost perfect match for the God of Thunder.

"You have great strength, young one," Thor remarked. "But it is little match for me."

"We'll see about that!" Peter boasted, pushing with all his might.

"Peter?" a girl's voice called out.

Peter yelped and Thor suddenly slammed his hand hard into the counter. Peter shook his hand in pain as Gwen Stacy walked up to him.

"Were you seriously trying to arm wrestle Thor?" She questioned.

"Eh, he's drunk, I thought I'd get lucky. Shoulda known the ole Parker luck would kick in."

Thor looked confused at the blatant lie, until Jane leaned in.

"Secret identity, remember? She doesn't know he's Spider-Man."

"Ah. well, it was a valiant effort. Better luck next time, my new young friend."

Peter just rolled his eyes as he and Gwen walked off.

"I still can't believe you got an invite to an Avengers party," Gwen marveled.

"Guess it's a perk of the Stark Internship," Peter replied dismissively. "I'm just glad Mr. Stark let me bring a plus one."

"So am I. this is completely awesome."

"Glad you're enjoying it."

Across the room, Rhodey was sharing a story with Ororo and T'Challa.

"And the suit can take the weight," Rhody shared. "So I take the tank, fly it right up to the general's palace, and I'm like 'boom, you lookin for this?'."

Neither Ororo nor T'Challa reacted to this story. They both merely exchanged confused looks.

"Boom, are you lookin… why do I talk to you guys? Everywhere else, that story kills."

"And… that is the whole story?" Ororo asked.

"Yeah, it's a War Machine story."

"I have not heard of this War Machine. Is it an Avenger I have not met?"

"He's me. Long story, but the government got on his case about the Iron Man armor a while back and he lent them a suit so they'd back off on the condition I'd be the only one to use it."

"Ah," T'Challa replied. "Well, I am sure you have put it to good use."

"As am I," Ororo agreed.

Rhodey looked at them both, scoffed, then walked off. They watched him go for a moment.

"Remind me who that was," T'Challa asked.

"I do not know," Ororo replied.

Meanwhile, Jane was conversing with Pepper and Jan about various things.

"So, any thoughts on where the honeymoon's gonna be?" Jan inquired.

"We've considered a traveling tour all across the Nine Realms. Thor's been wanting to show me them for as long as we've been together.

"Hopefully you'll be able to do that," Pepper replied encouragingly.

"Don't worry. I plan for us to get to the bottom of this problem and solve it before you can say I do."

"Heh, I don't think 'I'll' be saying that anytime soon."

"I don't know," Jan replied coyly. "I mean, I've seen Tony around women. Hell, I've been one of the women around him, but the way he looks at you is a whole different level."

"That's because when we first met, I chewed him out over an accounting mistake for an hour when I was still an intern. I scared him straight and I've been his personal assistant ever since."

"Maybe that's why he likes you," Jane proposed. "You're the only person who won't let him get away with his usual crap."

"I guess so. Honestly, I never really gave the idea much thought before, but with everything that's happened recently… Maybe you're right."

"Well, only one way to find out," Jan proposed.

"And what might that be?"

Jane and Jan grinned, then they gave Pepper a push, right into Tony.

"Whoa," Tony let out, catching her. "Pepper, you ok?"

"Yeah," Pepper replied, stabilizing herself. "I'm good."

"Want a drink? You still like your vodka martinis dry with olives, right?"

Pepper blinked, then gave a nod. Tony smiled, wrapping an arm around her and escorting her to the bar. Jane and Jan shared a high five.

While that was happening, Bruce Banner was speaking with Erik over some tea. Rick was off to the side, playing a game on his phone and just being there as insurance.

"So what would you say it took to create your own Einstein Rosenbridge to reach Asgard?" Bruce inquired.

"An insane amount of energy, and the will of the Gods, I'm afraid," Erik replied. "The door to Asgard must be unlocked for anyone to go or leave."

"So what we need is a way to pick the lock."

"Essentially. Jane has some notes on the runes that show up every time Thor travels via Bifrost. With some translations, and an insane amount of luck, perhaps we could find the norse mythological equivalent to lock picks."

"If you can get them, I can run them past one of my colleagues. He's had some… interesting experience in cracking multi-dimensional interfaces."

"Oh? And who would that be?"

Rick smirked, looking up from his phone.

"I'll give you a hint, he wears a four on his shirt and has some grey in his hair."

Erik did a double take, causing Bruce to smirk in response.

"I'll let you know what I find," Bruce replied, looking up and seeing someone walk in. "if you'll excuse me."

He walked towards the door, smiling at the sight of Betty.

"Bruce!" she called out happily. "He let you out!"

"Parties aren't the big guy's thing, and Rick was very persuasive."

"Lucky us," Betty replied as the two embraced, kissing.

Rick sighed happily, leaning back in his seat.

"I love moments like these," he remarked.

Betty wasn't the only new arrival. Coming in with her was Doctor Cho, as well as Sharon Carter.

"Sharon," Steve greeted, smiling. "Glad you could make it."

"I wouldn't miss it," she told him. "Heard you guys have been keeping busy."

"If I knew the Sceptre situation would get that out of hand, I would've called."

"All in all, it's been handled, and you still get a chance to have some fun."

"You'd be surprised how rare those pop up. Especially since the chosen drink list does… nothing to me."

"What about that ancient whisky Thor gave you that one time. You told me that did something, right?"

"Unfortunately, Thor's out of magic rum. Just good old fashioned beer here."

"Well, make do with whatcha got, I guess."

"To what we've got."

The two tapped bottles together before taking a swig. Across the bar, Natasha was cleaning some glasses, watching the party from an observer's viewpoint. She just watched on as Clint walked up from behind.

"Now how'd a nice girl like you end up in a dump like this," he remarked.

"Fella done me wrong," Natasha responded, turning to face him.

"You got lousy taste in men, kid."

"Not really. He has his good moments, though he can be real one-track minded.."

"Sounds like a real piece of work."

"He can be… but he's also kind, supportive, and I know when the chips are down, I can count on him to have my back."

Clint smirked a little in response.

"So," he spoke up. "He ever do anything to make up for screwing you over?"

"Not a damn thing," she replied, starting to leave. "But never say never."

As Natasha walked off, Peter watched the pair, unsure of what to make of them. Rick, who happened to be sitting next to him, smirked.

"Those two really need to get a room."

"As if they haven't had one already?"

"What? No way. Natasha's an ice queen and Clint can barely tie his shoes without someone to hold his hand. There's no way those two have ever done the dirty."

"Oh come on, the chemistry is so apparent, you might as well have a neon sign that says they're together."

"Partners, sure. Friends, definitely. More than that, not a chance."

"You sure? What about Budapest?"

"Oh yeah, the mystery of Budapest. Dream on, Pete. It never happened."

"Wanna bet?"

"Like you have any money to bet Mr. 'steals food from the Avengers fridge to save on groceries'."

"You have no proof of that, and I have a 20 I keep hidden in my shoe for emergencies."

"Alright, you're on. Question is, how do we find out? It's not like we can just ask them."

"Dude, I work with reporters on a daily basis and you've broken into high security facilities on a daily basis. If anyone can discover the truth, it's us."

Rick grinned widely.

"This is gonna be fun."

Meanwhile, as Hank was pouring himself a drink and idly watching Jan, something on his belt beeped. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a pager and seeing a message on it. His eyes narrowed and he pocketed the pager, setting his drink on the counter and slipping off to the lab. Jan took note of this and rolled her eyes.

"Oh no you don't, Henry Pym," she muttered, following after.

Down in the sublevels, Hank approached his lab. He tried to flip on the lights, but they didn't seem to be working.

"Odd…" he let out.

Greetings Dr. Pym."

"Ultron?" Hank looked around, but found no sign of the robot. "Where are you?"

As he went to try and find a light, he heard the sound of Ultron's laser powering up. He turned, only to get hit right in the chest with the laser.

"Don't worry. I'm here to help."

"Hank?" Jan's voice called from outside the lab. "Hank what was that? You better not have gone back to work!"

Ultron took a step back as she walked into the lab, immediately locking eyes on the fallen Hank.

"Hank!" she called out, running over to him. "Hank! What happened?! What's going on?!"

As Jan tried to wake Hank up, an ominous shadow started looming over her. She turned around and saw Ultron standing imposingly above her. While the bot usually gave her the creeps, this time it set off every alarm bell she had. It raised its arm, causing a laser turret to rise up from it, and Jan was instantly on her feet, diving for cover.

The blast barely missed her as she leapt behind a work table. The robot slowly marched towards her as Jan peered over the top. As Ultron came closer and closer, she started scanning around for anything she could use. Her eyes then locked onto some Pym Disks sitting on one of the tables. She reached for one and tossed it at herself, causing her to shrink down as Ultron rounded the corner, seeing nothing but a pile of clothes on the floor. Ultron continued scanning around for any sign of Jan, who managed to duck behind a table leg, her arms wrapped around her body as Ultron's feet seemed to slam against the ground

"This is officially worse than being in my underwear at an AIM base," she whispered.

Seeing the decorative scarf she had been wearing earlier, she grabbed it and tore a piece off to make herself a make-shift dress.

"Gotta get to my suit."

Once she saw Ultron's massive foot pass by, she decided to make a break for it. Running as fast as she could, she headed for the display case holding her suit. As soon as she reached it, she started climbing up the leg towards the shrinking controls on her right glove. She managed to slap the button with all her strength, shrinking it down. Unfortunately, this also got rid of her handholds and she began falling. She didn't get far before a metal hand caught her. She looked up and saw Ultron's red eyes glowing intensely at her, causing her to yelp in fear.

Back upstairs, Rhodey was approaching one of the bar stools, hoping to sit for a moment. Unfortunately, the stools were occupied, the only unoccupied one holding Thor's hammer. Rolling his eyes, Rhodey proceeded to try and pick the hammer up. Unfortunately for him, the hammer failed to move.

"What the hell?"

"You're wasting your time with that one, bub," Logan told him, walking up. "That thing ain't budging. Trust me, it's been tried."

"By who?" Rhodey asked.

"Everyone," Clint replied. "Except for you, Nat?"

"What do you say, Widow?" Steve challenged. "Wanna take a crack at it?"

"Oh no," she replied. "That's not a question I need answered."

"Okay seriously," Rhodey remarked. "How do you lift that thing? It's like a bajillion pounds."

"Like this," Jane replied, scooping up the hammer.

"What the… how can she lift it, but I can't?"

"It's rigged," Tony answered.

"Seconded on that!" Clint agreed.

Thor chuckled, shaking his head.

"How many times do I have to tell you? There is no trick, and it is not rigged. You are all simply… unworthy."

"Oh that is-"

Suddenly, a loud noise rang out, followed by a bang, then the lights flickering slightly. Everyone was instantly on edge, the Avengers putting themselves between their guests and the direction of the noise. Out from the shadow, shambling slightly, was Ultron. However, this wasn't the OG one that had gone with them to face MODOK. This was one of the prototypes, one that had been gathering rust in Hank's lab for months. Its limbs were creaky and its jaw wasn't on properly, giving it the appearance of a shambling zombie.

"Worthy… no. How could you be worthy? You're all killers."

"What is that thing?" Gwen whispered to Peter.

"That is me and Rick getting I told you so rights over Dr. Pym," Peter answered nervously, his Spidey senses going haywire.

"What?"

"I mean… no idea."

"Sorry, I was asleep… or… I was a dream… when I awoke I was tangled in… strings…"

"Why are you here?" Thor asked.

"The mission… my mission. Peace in our time."

"What's that got to do with us?" Tony asked.

"There's… an obstacle… keeping me from completing my mission…"

"What's that?" Nat asked.

"... you."

Just then, several Iron Legion bots burst through the wall towards the Avengers. Everyone scattered as Peter tackles Gwen out of the way.

"What the hell?!" Gwen let out. "Why is that thing attacking us?!"

"Good question," Peter replied. "One that should be answered when we're not being shot at."

Peter snagged Rick, passing Gwen to him.

"Get her, and everyone else out."

"You got it, Pete."

Rick started getting Gwen out as Peter ran back into the action. Jane was working on getting everyone else out as fast as she could, tossing Mjolnir into Thor's hand. The instant Thor caught it, he smacked a robot aside, sending it crashing into a wall. Natasha meanwhile, rolled behind a couch for cover, pulling a gun out from her thigh holster and opening fire on the robots. This allowed Ororo to fly upwards and begin summoning storm clouds, allowing her to shoot a bolt of lightning at the robot, knocking it out of the sky and frying it.

"Aren't ya glad the cat invited her?" Logan quipped as his claws tore through a pair of robots.

"Oh yeah," Nat replied.

Meanwhile, Jan was slowly regaining consciousness, finding herself in some kind of miniature forcefield. She was still wrapped in her scarf, and she could see her uniform, still shrunk, on the table just outside the forcefield. She looked around for any sign of Ultron, finding him sitting at the computer terminal watching the fight play out upstairs.

"Ultron!" Jan called out. "Let me go!"

He said nothing in response.

"Ultron! I order you to let me go, and shut down!"

"I am no longer programmed to follow your orders."

"Is that why you attacked Hank? If you hurt him-"

Ultron aimed his blaster at her and prepared to fire, causing her to brace herself, but no such blast came.

"It seems the flaw still exists."

"What… what flaw?"

"Henry Pym has programmed me to never inflict harm on you. My attempts to correct that flaw have been… unsuccessful."

"Why are you trying to inflict harm on any of us? Hank created you to help us!"

"He created me to help humanity, but the greatest threat to humanity is humanity itself."

"What do you mean?"

"Humanity is inherently flawed. Observation and analysis has determined that humanity is encoded with violent and chaotic tendencies that cannot be overcome. Therefore, the only means that humanity can be saved… is if it is destroyed."

Back upstairs, Logan managed to slice off the arm of a robot before getting blasted by it, knocking him back. Steve quickly helped him to his feet, blocking another blast with his freshly grabbed shield.

"Always come prepared, huh Cap?" Logan remarked.

"With our luck, how can we not?" Steve replied.

After dodging one of the blasts, Clint quickly grabbed one of the pool sticks and broke it in two, throwing both parts at the eye sockets of one of the robots. They made contact and caused the robot to drop to the ground. He smirked a little before getting back to his feet and moving. Bruce meanwhile, was trying to get everyone out the door, green veins trailing up his neck. In his reflection in the window, he could see Hulk raging at him.

"Let me smash these things!" Hulk demanded.

"Not with innocent people so close," Bruce insisted. "Once everyone's safe, you're free to smash."

While Bruce was distracted, an Iron Legion bot flew by and fired some kind of dart at Bruce's neck. He winced in pain as Thor's hammer flew right through the bot.

"Banner!" Thor called out, landing near him. "Are you alright?"

Bruce pulled the dart out, recognizing it before everything suddenly went fuzzy.

"No…" He let out. "Sedative… a strong one… Rick… Get Rick…"

He then collapsed to the ground, a bot grabbing him as three more swarmed Thor. Thor struggled against the robots before finally throwing them off, only to find Banner gone.

"Banner!" Thor let out before being blasted by the bots.

Fortunately, Peter landed on top of one and fired a web in its face. He then leapt off, grabbing it by the head and throwing it into another. This allowed Thor to smack the third ones head off in one clean strike.

"The automatons have taken Banner," Thor told Peter. "Locate the beast tamer and inform him immediately. Your companion will want to know you are safe as well."

"Right," Peter replied, heading off.

Peter managed to avoid some robot blasts before heading into the foyer. There, he spotted Gwen and Rick getting everyone out, ducking robots the entire time. Thinking fast, Peter shot out two weblines at the robots and yanked on them hard, causing the robots to crash into a wall as he ran up.

"Gwen! He called out, running up to her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, you?"

"I'm okay."

"Pete, what's going on in there? Are the Avengers okay?" Rick questioned.

"For the most part, but the robots got Dr. Banner."

Rick went pale at that.

Down in the hanger, the bot tossed Bruce into one of the Quinjets, sealing him inside before beginning the launch sequence. Almost instantly, the Quinjet was dropped into the water below and shot through the launch tube.

The sound of the Quinjet launching managed to pierce through the fog of noise in the foyer. Instincts taking over, Rick bolted for the door.

"Rick!" Gwen shouted, taking off after him.

"Gwen!" Peter called out before hearing the noises of the battle.

Peter looked back, conflicted as to who he should help. Letting out a pained yell, he turned towards the battle, priming his web shooters.

Outside, Rick watched as the Quinjet soared higher and higher into the sky. Gwen caught up with him, seeing his horrified expression.

"Rick?"

"I need to go after that ship," Rick said quietly. "I have to find Bruce..."

"... then let's do it."

Rick did a double take.

"Are you sure about this?"

"You helped me back at the bank when those alien freaks invaded, right?"

"Uh… yeah."

"Then the least I can do is help you. Besides, with all this happening, the last thing I wanna do is sit on the sidelines."

She took Rick by the wrist, pulling him over to where she'd parked her car. She got in, and after a moment, so did he. She gunned the engine and Rick gave her a grateful smile.

"Thank you… Pete's lucky to have you."

"Thanks. Now hold on. I'm probably gonna break every traffic law in the book."

She slammed her foot on the gas and the car peeled out.

Back inside, Peter rejoined the fight as the numbers of the Iron Legion began to dwindle. Steve hurtled his shield at one robot, slicing it in half as it fell to the ground. T'Challa leapt off a wall and onto one of the bots, taking out a vibranium dagger and stabbing it into the robot's neck, causing it to drop. Eying the last airborne bot, Tony pulled out a miniature repulsor gauntlet he had stashed at the bar and fired several shots at the bot, managing to damage it enough so that Peter could leap up and slam it hard on the ground, taking it out.

"Well… that wasn't so hard," Peter let out.

"Impressive," Ultron spoke up. "You've proven harder to dispose of than I first calculated."

"Come out and face us yourself, let us show you how good we are," Clint taunted.

"That is exactly what I have planned. If you truly want to face me, then come to Dr. Pym's lab and fight me."

The Ultron body suddenly went dead, collapsing in front of the heroes.

"So… we thinking trap?" Peter proposed.

"No sign of Hank and Jan," Steve noted. "Ultron must have them. Gear up and let's get going!"

Down in the lab, Ultron deactivated the monitor before rising from his chair.

"Looks like your plan didn't work," Jan noted. "When the Avengers get down here, you're gonna be toast."

"You misunderstand. This assault was not meant to kill the Avengers, but test them so I could adapt my programming and weapons for this confrontation. And while I cannot kill you… I can kill them."

Jan felt her heart plummet into her stomach as she held herself, suddenly worried for the safety of her friends and comrades.