Wow...20 chapters. Still no comparison to some of Red Witch's stories, though!
DISCLAIMER: I own Derrick Bolris and Ri'ann Parrn. The Misfitverse this story takes place in belongs to Red Witch, the characters of G.I. Joe belong to Hasbro, and everything else belongs to Marvel.
Chapter 20: He's Your Daddy!
Victor approached the warehouse's center. He looked around, and then called out.
"Hello?" he said.
"Victor," a voice said from the shadows. "I trust you were not followed?"
"I wasn't," Victor said. "Took out the Runaways no sweat."
"Excellent," said the voice. "Then, as promised, you shall know the truth about your heritage. But, first…"
A red beam of energy erupted from the shadows, and a scream was heard. Victor gasped, catching a brief glimpse of his mother being slain before his eyes.
"You didn't say you would kill her!" Victor objected.
"Correct," replied his mysterious father, "but I also neglected to mention that I would not terminate her when her usefulness had ended."
"In that case," Victor smirked. "Deal's off."
He looked up.
"Now!" Victor cried.
The Leapfrog burst through the ceiling, landing behind Victor. Green beams of energy burst from the Leapfrog's cannons, firing into the shadows and apparently striking down Victor's father.
"Did you guys know the Leapfrog had lasers?!" Chase cried excitedly. "It's got freaking lasers!"
"A futile effort," the voice said from the shadows.
"You're still alive?!" Victor cried.
"The Avengers could not truly destroy me, no matter how many times they tried," the father said, as he stepped out from his shadowy hiding spot. "Why should you?"
The figure, Victor's father, was the robotic Ultron.
"Ultron!" Victor cried. "Wait, how are you my father? You're not even flesh and blood!"
"True," Ultron said. "You shall see your origin soon enough."
Ultron's eyes and mouth began to burn a brighter red, and Victor's eyes turned red as well.
"Now," Ultron said. "Execute your programming twenty years early. Kill the Runaways."
Victor turned, electricity sparkling from his hands.
"As you command, father," Victor said listlessly, surrounding the Leapfrog with his electricity and lifting it off the ground.
"I know you're not gonna trash the Leapfrog!" Chase cried, bounding out of the Leapfrog (which Victor then launched through the wall) and firing a blast of fire at Victor, who simply blocked the attack by using his electromagnetic powers to pull a pipe from the ground.
"Go after Ultron!" Nico ordered as the remaining Runaways left the Leapfrog. "He's the one controlling Victor!"
"Your tactical analysis is 40% more accurate than that of an ordinary human," Ultron admitted. "But it will not save you. Victor, my son, prove your worth to me."
Victor immediately ran for Chase, much faster than a normal human could, and grabbed his arm. He then yanked on Chase's arm, throwing him into Gert and Old Lace. Derrick absorbed some of Victor's electricity, forming a circular disk with it. He then threw the disk at Ultron, who simply stood and took the attack in the chest, remaining entirely unfazed.
"My body is entirely compromised of adamantium," Ultron said. "You would know, mutant. After all, you were present during my birth."
"And I'm pretty sure you remember how I took you down!" Derrick cried, using his electricity to catapult himself at Ultron.
"I do," Ultron said, catching Derrick in mid-air and slamming him into the ground.
"Derrick!" Nico cried.
"We need to snap Victor out of it!" Karolina said.
"Agreed, but how?!" Xavin cried, dodging an electrical blast. "He and Ultron combined are too powerful, despite being robotic!"
"Excuse me?" Derrick groaned as he struggled to get up. "Was that a racist crack about robots?"
"It seemed to be," Ultron agreed, stepping one foot on Derrick and firing a blast of energy at Xavin, who crashed into Molly.
"Xavin!" Karolina cried, rushing to her betrothed.
"Snap out of it, Mancha!" Gert cried.
"You don't have to do this!" Nico added.
"I must obey my father, and honor my family," Victor said in the same listless voice.
"He killed your mom, you moron!" Gert cried.
"He…is," Victor stuttered, eyes widened by the revelation.
"Yes?" Ultron said.
"You…are…my," Victor slowly turned. "ENEMY!"
Victor blasted Ultron in the chest with more electrical energy, though as his could manipulate metal (unlike Derrick's electricity), Victor could do much more damage to Ultron's chest.
"Do not make this harder than it needs to be," Ultron warned as his nanobots repaired him. "I have already lost a daughter. I have no need to lose a son."
"I'm nothing like you," Victor said, "just like the Runaways are nothing like their own parents."
He paused for a moment, looking at them.
"Guess that makes me one of you, huh?" Victor asked the Runaways.
"You may have broken free of my control," Ultron said, preparing to fire another energy blast, this one significantly more powerful, "but I will fulfill my programming and terminate all life, thereby creating world peace!"
"You and our parents would have gotten along great," Nico growled, holding the Staff of One. "Mirror, mirror!"
A pair of mirrors suddenly appeared in front of Ultron, and as he fired, the beam reflected off the mirrors and through the ceiling.
"What were you hoping to accomplish with that, Minoru?" Ultron said. "I have access to the Avengers' files on you. You would not have reflected my blast through the ceiling without reason."
"Yeah, you definitely haven't been in LA long," Nico said. "Whenever people here want to grab attention, they put on a light show. I'd look up if I were you."
Ultron did, and saw something he recognized immediately.
"Ah, so this is what you wanted," Ultron said.
"AVENGERS, ASSEMBLE!" Captain America yelled as the Avengers dropped through the ceiling.