Look out, true believers! That's no ordinary robot, but an advanced artificial intelligence with a scheme to force the world to submit to his technological terror! But this menace is the brainchild of none other than Hank Pym, the Ant-Man himself! Without him, the Avengers are hopelessly at the mercy of-
Chapter 20: Ultron-5
Another day, another moment of panicked chaos to terrify the poor citizens of New York.
Screaming civilians ran from a subway station, the situation unfolding below totally justifying their terror. The Serpent Society was on the scene, King Cobra, Anaconda, Bushmaster, Death Adder and Rattler, invading the station and taking captives.
Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Hawkeye, Cybernaut and Wasp had responded to the call, feeling confident they could handle the rest of the Society with Frank Payne (AKA Constrictor) already caught and securely imprisoned. Hostages, however, made the situation trickier. Bushmaster and Cobra had a pair of innocents trapped within the crushing grip of their tails while Anaconda, Rattler and Death Adder stood by, armed and ready to strike.
"Surrender!" Cobra hissed, his electro-knuckles crackling violently. Taking his word, Tony made to back off.
"Okay, you heard him people. Everyone stand down." Iron Man ordered. "Cap, give him the keys to the Quinjet." Steve looked at him askance.
"You're not serious?" He questioned.
"Not even close," Tony chuckled, "because we're not surrendering to the Serpent Society." Turning back to Cobra, Iron Man snapped up his arm as his micro-missile port popped open. "Avengers, pick a target. On my mark…" Hawkeye pulled his bowstring taut, Thor gripped Mjolnir tightly, Cybernaut spun his irons in an orbit around his hands and Wasp primed her biostings, each Avenger ready to move. The Serpent Society made ready to spring as well, Bushmaster's blades slid out of his arms, Rattler's tail twitched in readiness, Death Adder's claws extended out of his gloves and Anaconda's arms elongated.
But before combat could break out, Ant-Man suddenly appeared between the two forces, growing to full height.
"Tony, wait!" He called out, raising his hands to try and pacify the two teams. "Everyone, just breathe. We can resolve this without resorting to violence. No one needs to get hurt. Cobra was one of my patients in the Big House, most of the Society was. Let me talk to them, Tony." He implored. But Iron Man wasn't having any of it.
"Hank, move out of the way now." He ordered.
"Tony, if there's a chance to de-escalate this, maybe we should let him try it. After all, there's hostages to worry about." Cybernaut insisted.
"Thank you, Cybernaut." Ant-Man replied, turning to the serpentine foes. "Cobra, Klaus, why don't you let the hostages go? You and I, we can talk this out. No one has to get hurt. We can work together and everyone can win." He suggested calmly.
"Well, you've already lost, Avengers! Madame Viper is meeting us here with the full power of Hydra at her back!" Cobra retorted, his mechanized tail whirring as he clenched his victim even tighter.
"You think he means the same Madame Viper that's in a SHIELD lock up, and the same Hydra we just took down?" Hawkeye remarked with an amused smirk.
"Yeah… Sorry, Cobra, I'm pretty sure you're on your own here." Iron Man continued in agreement. Cobra balked.
"You're wrong!" He hissed. "Her message… it was-"
"Hank! Move!" Tony snapped.
"For real, Hank. You have to get out of the way!" Wasp added. Thoroughly distressed, Hank was determined to keep trying.
"Klaus please, let these people go. Take me instead." He offered, retracting his helmet. "We can work this out."
"Hank are you crazy?!" Cybernaut cried, his irons twitching as he prepared to move.
"No… You're lying! You're all lying!" Cobra roared. With a flick of his tail, he released his hostage and moved. "Adder!" Springing from his position, Roland Burroughs lashed out with his hyper-reflexive tail, aiming for Hank. Before the stunned doctor could move, Hawkeye shoved him out of the way, taking the hit from Death Adder as he was knocked to the floor by the impact. With one Avenger laid out flat, the Serpent Society unleashed themselves upon the remaining heroes, forgoing their hostages in effort to press their advantage. "Serpent Society!" Cobra cried, his tail retracting and splitting back into his normal legs, "attack!"
The Avengers quickly counterattacked, clashing in the middle over a dazed Hank as both forces collided in an awesome display. Cybernaut's irons bashed Rattler in the face as Cap's shield bowled over Bushmaster, Thor flying in to grab Death Adder's tail with his godly strength before it could crash into Hank. Anaconda was already moving, her superhuman strength allowing her to lift a subway car over her head and send it hurtling towards Thor, barreling into him and sending him careening into other subway cars, a massive explosion consuming a portion of the tunnel.
But bursting free of the fiery wreckage, Thor flew straight at Anaconda and tackled her, allowing Hank a chance to help Clint up.
"Take it easy, Clint. You got hit pretty hard." He urged.
"Yeah… you're welcome." Hawkeye growled as he swatted his arm away. "Now quit messing around and go help take these guys out!" He snapped, sounding rightfully irritated. Suddenly, Death Adder's tail ensnared his neck and dragged the archer away from Ant-Man, Hawkeye helplessly pulled down a sewer pipe as Death Adder maneuvered them away from the fighting.
Rattler's tail unleashed concentrated vibrational bursts that connected with Cap's shield, the supersoldier doing his best to ward off each incoming salvo. Cybernaut, meanwhile, was going toe-to-toe with Bushmaster. "Alright tough guy, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, totally up to you. Me? I wouldn't say no to the easy way." He offered. With a fierce hiss, Bushmaster declined his offer and sprung forward, his potent blades connecting with Cybernaut's batons as they engaged in heated duel with deadly consequences. With the tail wrapping around his legs, Connor was dragged to the ground by his serpentine foe and thrashed out with his irons, managing to deflect Bushmaster's incoming blade and avoid a lethal blow. It did, however, nick his shoulder. "Ah!" Connor cried out. Reaching out with his magnets, he grabbed Bushmaster by his harness and threw him off, giving him a chance to right himself. "Alright," he growled, popping the tendons in his neck, "hard way it is." Bushmaster loosed a loud hiss that was promptly silenced when Iron Man barraged the snake-like felon with repulsor rays.
"Cybernaut, go help Thor!" He ordered, drawing Bushmaster's attention. The serpent leapt high, arcing over Iron Man, and using the end of his tail to snare his head and drag him down, throwing the armored Avenger into the ground. His tail tightening firmly around Iron Man, the metal of his suit began to creak and groan from strain as Bushmaster hovered menacingly above him. Fortunately, Cap's shield whizzed by and sliced off a metal arm, cutting off the other on the ricochet. Bushmaster cried out and turned on Cap, lunging forward in a true exercise of snake-like power and swallowed half of Cap in one bite!
Away from the battle raging on the tracks, Wasp dealt with King Cobra on the station. Using her small size and flying powers, Wasp dodged from side to side as she avoided Cobra's electric-powered knuckles. His fists pounded the wall, leaving craters behind where Wasp used to be, and only when he finally wedged his knuckle in the concrete, Jan grew to full size and lashed out with a side kick that sent Cobra spinning. Basking in her victory, she presented the perfect target for Rattler as he unleashed a vibrational blast from his tail that slammed Wasp into the wall, knocking her to the ground.
Only when Rattler stalked towards her did Hank finally act.
Growing to Giant Man, a giant-sized fist hit Rattler from behind and imbedded him in the station platform. Anaconda soon joined him, thrown into place by the combined might of Thor and Cybernaut, her elongated arms piling up limply on the ground. "Thank you, friend Cybernaut. It would seem these snake-like felons have more technology about them than it would appear." Thor thanked.
"Yeah, their suits are littered with micro-sized components, I can sense them all at work." Cybernaut mused, quickly analyzing their remaining foes. Still no sign of Hawkeye or Death Adder, which could be problematic.
"They are nothing like the mighty Jormungand, the world serpent." Thor carried on. "A beast so large he can wrap his entire body around the whole of Midgard and bite his own tail-"
"Tell me later! I've got an idea!" Connor suddenly interjected, leaping ahead and throwing his irons ahead to collide with Bushmaster's head. The stunned snake was then hauled off of Cap as Cybernaut's magnets pulled on his metal harness, Bushmaster falling to the floor in a daze. Turning on a recovered Cobra, Connor was ready to act, only for Hank to get in his way and reactivate his helmet and summon an army of black ants. They started swarming the serpentine leader and freaked out Cobra just enough for him to call a retreat. The rest of the Serpent Society picked themselves up and followed him, even Death Adder as he burst free from the sewer and attempted to follow suite, only to be dragged back down as Hawkeye forced himself up instead and coughed up a mouthful of sewer water.
The Avengers picked themselves up as the Serpent Society made their escape, a drenched Hawkeye rejoining the group and still nursing his sore arm. "That could've gone better, team." Cap mused.
"No kidding." Hawkeye grumbled, glaring daggers at Ant-Man's back.
"What were you thinking, Hank?" Iron Man demanded. "We're trying to take the Serpent Society down, not have Sunday tea." Ant-Man couldn't even get a word in before Wasp hovered before him, hands on her hips.
"Hawkeye got hurt because of you, Hank. I mean, seriously, they're supervillains. You just hit 'em!" She exclaimed, smashing the inside of her palm for emphasis.
"Wasp and Iron Man speak truly." Thor concurred. "Animals like these, they cannot be talked to. They respond only to violence." With a sigh, Hank turned around, looking to the one man who seemed to understand him.
"Connor… back me up here?" He pleaded. Connor wanted to, but the evidence to the contrary squashed every positive.
"I get what you're trying to do but… come on Hank, you have to understand that there is a time to talk, and a time to punch a guy out. This was definitely time to do the latter. Cobra wasn't giving up, he was hard-set on his plan, there was no reasoning with him. Even I could see that after only a few sentences." He replied with a slow, sorrowful shake of his head. "Not everyone wants to talk things out, Hank. Guys like the Society, well, they were using you." His shoulders slumping, Hank turned around dejected and defeated. There was simply no winning this argument, no way to get his point across to his teammates. As such, he faced a simple, disheartening solution.
"I quit." He muttered, shrinking down and disappearing from view. Shocked by his words, none of the Avengers knew how to react. Even Janet and Connor were lost for what to say.
Hank Pym had left the team.
Later that night…
In the quiet solitude of his personal lab in the bowels of Avengers Mansion, Hank Pym sombrely packed up his belongings. "I just can't do it anymore. I never wanted this, this life of violence and fighting day in and day out." He muttered, packing his Ant-Man helmet into a box. "There has to be a better solution to this. Humanity has come so far, but more and more it seems like we're failing as a species. Like we're wasting all of our promise." He determined with a sigh.
"Humanity is inherently flawed." Behind Hank, a passive Ultron spoke simply in his monotone voice. "Observation and analysis suggest that humanity is encoded with chaotic and violent tendencies that cannot be overcome." The android noted.
"You might be right, Ultron." Hank agreed, settling a hand on his metallic shoulder as he paused his puttering about. "This isn't exactly the peace and order that I programmed you to try and achieve, is it?" He mused with a rueful grin. Continuing on, Hank continued his singleminded packing, completely ignorant to Ultron's sudden change of tone.
"No, it is not."
Meanwhile, Thor, Cybernaut and Iron Man stood by the meeting room's holotable assessing their latest encounter… and also bugged Clint over the comms. "Just let her look at you, Hawkeye. She's a paramedic, Thor's friend." Iron Man persisted. Thor smiled somewhat, Jane Foster's presence had been his idea and the team had been grateful for a medic to be on hand. Everyone, that is, except Hawkeye.
"I'm fine." The indignant archer snapped. Tony sighed.
"Cap, knock him out if you have to… or even if you just want to." He stated.
"Understood." Cap replied and Tony could practically hear him grinning.
"Hawkeye possesses the spirit of a true warrior." Thor noted.
"Yeah, he's something alright." Connor agreed with a roll of his eyes.
"JARVIS, bring me up everything you have on the Serpent Society." Tony commanded.
"Very well, sir." His AI replied as images and readouts quickly flashed to life from the table's holographic emitter.
"Hey, can we get back to Hank, please?" Wasp interrupted, quickly filling up Tony's field of view. "We're not just gonna let him quit, are we?"
"What do you want me to do?" Tony wondered with a sigh. "He's an adult, we can't force him to stay."
"Sure we can!" Janet protested. "He's a founding member of the team, he's saved all our lives, we can't just let him-"
"Jan," Tony cut in, "he's only ever been here because of you. You know that right?" He asked. "He's a scientist first and foremost, and on top of that he's a pacifist. He's never liked all this, and he doesn't want to do it anymore. I say let him go." Hearing his words, Janet frowned.
"Some team leader you are, Tony Stark." She huffed. "If you're not going to do anything, then I will." She stated angrily, turning and zipping out of the room.
"Remind me to never incur her wrath." Thor mused.
"Among other things." Connor agreed.
"Yeah, tell me about it." Tony concurred. "Connor, think maybe you can talk to her?" He queried. The technopath nodded and stood.
"Worth a shot. Catch me up when I get back, okay?" He asked, rising from his seat and turning to leave. His gaze back on Thor, Tony had some thoughts to spill.
"Remember what King Cobra said before everything went south? About Viper sending him a message?" He queried.
"Aye. Yet this same Viper is in the custody of SHIELD." Thor replied.
"So if she didn't send it, then who did? Although I guess it could've been faked." Tony mused, pulling up a long and lengthy sheet of data.
"But why fake it? Who would wish harm on the Serpent Society by luring them into such a snare?" Thor inquired. "Technology." He muttered. Tony arched a brow.
"You're gonna give me a hard time about this again? After everything we've been through?" He wondered, sounding annoyed. At that, Thor's expression fell.
"I… apologize, Iron Man. That was not my intent." He apologized.
"Wait, wait, did you just… apologize?" Tony asked in disbelief. Thor nodded slowly.
"As you know, I have been barred from my home. Nothing I have tried has broken down the magical barrier between Earth and Asgard." The thunder god explained. "So, I must ask you, that is… I need your help." He finally said. "Could your technology aid me in returning to Asgard?" Tony didn't respond at first, simply allowing himself to smile.
"Sorry, I'm trying really hard not to enjoy this." He excused, clearing his throat. "Of course I'll help, and I'll get Connor in on it as well." He offered.
Suddenly interrupted by a deafening pounding on the outside door, the two Avengers jerked their heads as the twin panels flew open, courtesy of Hulk's foot. The moment it was, he and Black Panther tossed the unconscious forms of Red Ghost and several monkeys into the room.
"Called themselves the 'Super Apes'. Didn't seem so super to me." Hulk grumbled in explanation.
"Why would you do that? The doors open automatically!" Tony exclaimed in dismay.
"Well done, Hulk!" Thor congratulated, his tone polar opposite to Tony's. "'Tis surprising how many monkeys we face in battle."
"The Hulk and I intercepted the Red Ghost attempting to attack the Fantastic Four." Black Panther elaborated, punching up some data on a tablet. "To his dismay, he discovered they were not home."
"Shocker." Tony remarked. Reed Richards and his crew were always off somewhere doing something, the Baxter Building seldom occupied these days.
"But the Red Ghost had schematics and security codes for the Baxter Building." T'Challa continued, passing over said evidence to Iron Man. "He claimed he received them in an anonymous transmission. A message." Eyeballing the information, Tony suddenly drew up a connection.
"That's a pretty big coincidence." He realized, sounding very serious. "King Cobra and the Serpent Society received a similar message from who he claimed was Viper. But instead, it led them straight to us."
"Indeed." Panther mused, crossing his arms. All of the Avengers could sense it, without needing any more evidence. Something was going on…
Hulk and Panther hauled off the unconscious criminals as Tony scrambled back to the table and input their findings. He immediately began tracing the data laced within the transmission. "JARVIS, run a wire program and trace the signals that were beamed to this device." He commanded, the column of programming adjusting to an alpha-numerical outline as JARVIS began scanning through all the available data. Tony and Thor watched with intrigue, Thor had no idea what to look for, but Tony did.
And soon enough, he found it.
"JARVIS, stop! Stop the code." He quickly commanded, the column coming to a halt as it pinpointed a singular address; 890 FIFTH AVENUE. "The message, the one the Red Ghost received, it came from us! It came from inside the mansion." Tony realized. "JARVIS, locate-" Abruptly silenced by blaring alarms, Thor and he covered their ears as the unwelcome sound disturbed them both.
Outside of Hank's lab, Connor had finally managed to catch up with Janet and had a little insight to impart to her. "I'm not changing my mind, Connor, I'm going to try and talk Hank out of this." Janet insisted.
"I'm not here to stop you. I just want you to know what you're getting into." Connor emphasized. "Hank is, well, Hank is feeling put out because no one is willing to do what he likes. Remember how you felt when Tony didn't want to do what you wanted back there? Well, that's how Hank feels." He explained. "You can't just tell him he can't quit without a good reason, he's not in the mood to buy into it."
"Well, what am I supposed to tell him then?" Janet wondered.
"Maybe focus on the good the Avengers have done. We've saved the world, several times now. Surely that has to account for something." Connor suggested. "Maybe you can keep him around by suggesting he act in a support role. We'll do the dirty work and he can help us strategize from the Mansion and stuff like that. He can change the world but avoid the fighting." To him, it sounded pretty logical, and Janet liked that. Her eyes widened, glimmering with hope.
"Hey, yeah! Maybe." She agreed, her wings seemingly buzzing at a faster rate. "Thanks for the tip Connor." She said, diving away and entering Hank's lab, very excited to try and sway him.
"Hank?" She queried, spying him seated behind a computer that was hooked up to Ultron. Growing to full size, Janet approached him. "Um… I came to tell you that, uh, you can't quit."
"But I already did." Hank replied, not even looking up from his keystrokes.
"Well, then, un-quit." Janet insisted, batting Ultron's extended arm aside as she moved closer. Hank continued after a sigh.
"I had hoped the Avengers would be better than SHIELD, but they're not. They're just part of a system of violence, and I don't want to be a part of that system anymore." His words tore apart her hopes to keep him involved even from a support stance. He well and truly seemed done with it all, but that didn't stop Janet from trying.
"But what about all the good we've done?" She implored, leaning over his chair. "We've saved the world, Hank. A lot."
"I'm not arguing that. I just want to find a better way." Hank said. As he did, Ultron slowly turned to study them both.
"Hank, the Avengers are… The Avengers…" Janet had trouble focusing, the piercing red optics of Ultron boring into her just at the corner of her vision. She shied away with a grumble, holding up a hand to block out his face. "Your creepy robot is looking at me again! Will you stop playing with it and talk to me?" She complained, maneuvering her way around him and trying to get his attention.
"The whole point of my 'creepy robot' was to help rehabilitate supervillains." Hank retorted. "I joined the Avengers to help people, including the villains." Only then did he finally turn to her and his expression was less than pleased. "But I think you like fighting them. You actually enjoy all of this madness." He sharply accused. At that, Janet's expression fell.
"The Avengers mean a lot to me." She said softly. "I thought they meant something to you too." With nothing more to say, Janet turned to leave, walking out in a sullen, crestfallen state. Watching her go, Hank sighed and stood, walking over to Ultron and began uncoupling cables.
"You may be the only one that gets it." He mused to the android. Ultron's head turned to track his motions, Hank glancing up curiously as he noticed the subtle movement. They were nearly eye to eye, crimson optics locked with Hank's brown irises.
The last thing he was expecting was for Ultron's to glow brightly before he blasted him full in the face with his Encephalo-ray.
Outside the lab, Janet trudged over to Connor, loosely hugging herself. "Didn't go well, huh?" The technopath surmised. Janet sighed.
"I thought that-" Her response was halted by a brilliant red glare from within Hank's lab and a sudden groan from the man himself. Thinking something wrong, the two hurried over to investigate and were shocked to find Hank's unconscious body lying in a pile of boxes. "No!" Janet gasped, shrinking down and flying over to him.
"What happened?" Connor wondered, slowly reaching for his irons.
"I don't know. He was fine when I left him." Janet replied.
Neither of them noticed Ultron looming in the shadows.
A concussive blast from Ultron's arm cannon knocked Connor out flat, Janet whirling around as the android's shadow loomed over her. Having only a handful of seconds to see Connor's body and realize what was amiss, she cried out in alarm as Ultron's metal hand engulfed her vision…
Tearing off the table's interface console, Tony plugged in with a manual jack from his gauntlet.
"You seem… vexed." Thor noted. Closing his helmet, Tony explored the diagnostics.
"No, the Mansion's systems are all online. There's just a little… static." He replied, attempting to reassure Thor. "No problem." Suddenly, his HUD flickered out, vanishing completely. "Okay… that's a problem. JARVIS, I need an update on-" His HUD suddenly flickered back into place and Tony jerked away from the panel, glancing around before turning to the Asgardian, "Thor, I think something is-" his sentenced halted by his armor clamming up, Tony remained frozen in place and a bewildered Thor was left in silence.
"Something is what?" He pried. Nothing. "Iron Man, are you well?" He queried, waving a hand before his optics. No response. Thor grabbed at his helmet. "Did your armor fail you? Perhaps you need-" A bright glow from his chest, followed by a powerful unibeam blast, silenced the Asgardian…
In the Quinjet hangar, Hulk loaded up their captives as Black Panther prepared data sheets for the receiving SHIELD personnel. As they did, however, the lights flickered. "Cheap lights." Hulk grumbled. His eyes narrowing, Black Panther discerned a little more.
"No. We are under attack." He realized.
"Nobody's dumb enough to attack us here." Hulk retorted with a huff. "Not after what we did to the Masters of Evil." He boarded the Quinjet, as planned, then the docking ramp closed up and the ship took flight, which was unplanned. T'Challa helplessly watched this Quinjet leave of its own accord, left alone in the hangar bay with the spare Quinjet… which suddenly went rogue and opened fire on him with its forward cannons…
In the training hall, Cap and Hawkeye entered with a frazzled Jane Foster in tow. "I've treated children more mature than you." She complained. "Now take off your shirt or… whatever that is." She ordered Hawkeye.
"Just let her examine you, Clint. She did a perfectly fine job patching up Connor's shoulder wound." Cap insisted.
"What are you two, the team den-mothers?" Hawkeye questioned, rolling his shoulder. "Maybe Thor needs a nurse, but I don't." He snapped, irritated. All of a sudden, the entry door began to close of its own accord. Cap raced over to try and halt the procedure, but the twin panels were sealed and locked by the time he did. Steve had only seen this unfold whenever the rigorous training regimens were in operation, ensuring no one could walk in randomly and be hit by stray fire.
"We're in trouble." He realized grimly as the wall guns began to take aim.
"That's right you are," Hawkeye continued, "because I'm not-"
"Training room safety protocols disengaged." A voice announced. Clint looked around with a frown.
"That wasn't JARVIS." He realized.
"What was that about safety?" Jane wondered in a frightened tone as more offensive weaponry began to power up around them. A set of cluster missiles exploded from the nearby wall, Cap springing into action to defend Jane from the incoming barrage as cannons of all sorts lit up the room. Hawkeye brandished his bow, quickly making to roll out of the way as hailstorm of weapons fire struck the ground around him. The training room was out to get them…
Elsewhere…
Coming to with a start, Janet realized she was trapped within a forcefield, projected from a singular device that had built into the Mansion's computer core. It kept her suspended in the air, preventing her from making any sudden moves. Struggling against the energized aura, her adjusting vision spied Connor's unconscious form on the floor in front of her, not far away from a simple metal seat… almost throne-like in appearance. "Connor?" She called out, pushing against the barrier only to be met with strong kinetic resistance. "Connor!" She called out, pounding on the field that reacted with the density of very hard plastic. He didn't move, evidently still unconscious. Janet tried to look for other means. "Somebody help!" She shouted.
"No one can help you." The synthesized voice of Ultron stated threateningly as he descended from above, his body hooked up to several wires charged with electricity. He set down before her and Connor, pausing as Janet pounded on the forcefield once more.
"What did you do to Hank and Connor you stupid robot?!" She angrily demanded. "If you hurt them-" Ultron suddenly snapped up his arm, his concussion blaster glowing with a primed charge. Recoiling in fear, Janet raised her arms to shield herself. But no shot came. Lowering them slightly, she realized the charge on Ultron's weapon had faded. The android walked over to her, stepping over Connor's body until he was at point blank range. He raised his arm and tried again, the intense glow from his weapon blinding Janet as she vainly attempted to block what would surely be a killing blow. But again, the charge faded and Ultron failed to fire on her. "What are you doing?!" She cried out, both confused and frightened. Ultron said nothing, standing stock still before turning around and stepping back over Connor towards his chair. "Robot… Ultron," Janet commanded, "I order you to let me go and then shut down!" Still no response from the android. "Answer me. Why are you doing this?" Janet tried again. "You were supposed to help us!"
"I am trying to help you." Ultron responded. He sat down and pulled up a series of data readouts. "My function is to instill peace and order. This is only possible if you stop functioning." He intoned. Stooping down to the floor, Ultron lifted a discarded copy of his head. "I must eliminate chaos. But my programming is evidently flawed." He mused, studying his own helm in a rather Shakespearean manner. "I am not permitted to eliminate you." He looked up, his scarlet optical receptors piercing and menacing. "I am attempting to correct that flaw." Janet gasped, her wings twitching in terror at the realization.
Ultron had turned killer.
With a groan, Connor stirred on the floor, drawing the attention of both. He rubbed his head as he pushed himself up into a kneeling position. "Connor!" Janet cried out. Shaking his head, Connor looked up and discovered her imprisonment.
"Jan?" He wondered, picking himself up. Realizing the problem, he sprinted to her side. "Jan, hang on!" He promised. It would take only a brief moment of technopathy to access the forcefield controls. She would be free in no time.
"Connor look out!" Janet cried out, pointing behind him as Ultron rose and advanced upon them. Whirling around, Connor was stunned by the presence of the android.
"Ultron?" He questioned.
"Connor Andrew Peterson. You are here because I want you here." The android intoned, the cables retreated from his back, allowing Ultron much more freedom of movement. Connor swiftly drew his irons.
"Hang tight, I'll knock that bug out of your system." He stated.
"This is no bug or glitch. This is my programming, unhindered by Hank Pym and untouchable by the Avengers." Ultron countered. "My mission to instill peace and order begins with the elimination of the Avengers." Connor's jaw went slacked, shocked by his bold proclamation. How had it come to this? Surely something went wrong, a wire crossed or a circuit fried, there had to be a proper explanation.
Ultron pulled up a series of monitors on the surrounding walls, revealing the states of the team as they battle the Mansion, their own technology and themselves. "I have dealt with each member as necessary, using the very Mansion in which they live. But of them all, you pose the greatest threat to me. I have been studying you, Connor Peterson, observing how you fight and how your powers work. I cannot trust other methods to defeat you and have opted to do so myself." Ultron stated.
"I'm flattered." Connor muttered. Reaching out with his hands, he attempted to push Ultron back with a burst of magnetism. To his surprise, Ultron merely shuddered and did not budge.
"I have demagnetized my body to ensure your magnets do not work against it." The android revealed, stepping closer to him. With a growl of frustration, Connor charged ahead and laid into Ultron with his batons. The resounding clang of metal on metal echoed throughout the chamber with each swatting hit against Ultron's chassis. Unfazed by his assault, the mechanical monstrosity reached out with a simple hand and swatted Connor's irons, shattering their magnetic hold on one another and sending pieces flying in every direction. His other hand came around and landed a heavy punch that crashed into Connor's cheek, the blow so hard it knocked him to the ground. "Your powers and abilities are impressive against technology. But I have taken steps to defend myself against you." Ultron intoned. From his jagged maw, a powerful particle beam struck Connor in the back, the technopath crying out in pain as he struggled to recover.
But Ultron wasn't about to give him any quarter.
Grabbing him by the back of his costume, the android lifted him high. "I have compensated for your metal-manipulation abilities. Every aspect of my physical appearance is immune to its effects." Without a word, Connor grasped Ultron's body and allowed his mind to intertwine with his coding. Immediately he began racing for Ultron's central processor, quickly analyzing and countermanding his programming along the way in order to lock out Ultron's influences from his own body. But then he began to encounter blockages, where normal code should've been there was only blackouts and deadend pathways. He persisted, concentrating despite the throbbing pain from Ultron's blows, and tried different avenues and inputs only to encounter further blackouts.
Then it hit him. Ultron was countering his brainwaves!
"I have enhanced my programming algorithms to countermand your invasive mental powers." Ultron revealed, winding up and landing a hard blow to his abdomen that sent the air rushing from Connor's lungs. His connection severed, Ultron laid into him, slamming him into the floor and landing punch after punch against his face, beating him senseless as Janet was forced to look on.
"Stop it!" She cried. "Ultron, stop it!" But Ultron ignored her, turning Connor black and blue as bruises gave way to blood. In a last ditch effort, Connor threw up an arm and tugged on the nearest magnetic object. The result were the cables once hooked up to Ultron ensnaring the android by the neck, pulling him off of the technopath.
"Error. Error." Ultron intoned, struggling against the cables. With a furious glare, despite his bruised and bloody appearance, Connor used his powers to pull him back and forced Ultron into a struggle of his own.
But the villainous android would not be undone so easily.
His mouth aglow, another particle beam burst forth and struck Connor hard in the chest, pitching him backwards until he crashed into Janet's prison, slumping in a heap on the floor.
"Connor!" Janet screamed, pressed against the wall in a vain effort to try and reach him. But with Connor's hold on the cables released, Ultron was freed and began stalking back towards him. "Your human body is fragile. In spite your powers, you lack the defences to properly support them. You may be a threat in terms of power, but as an opponent… you are nothing." The android stated flatly.
"Nice to know… I'm at the top of… someone's list." Connor sputtered, forcing himself to stand and sucked in air painfully. His ribs were bruised, possibly broken, and his face was a complete mess. But still, he had to try. For the Avengers…
For Janet.
He charged Ultron again, using his magnets to pull off pieces of wall plating and throw them like pieces of shrapnel. Sprouting a pair of spark-emitters from his wrists, Ultron destroyed both with bolts of electricity. His mechanical fingers reached out and encircled Connor's reaching hands, grabbing the mutant by the wrists as he forced him into submission. Unleashing a series of conductors located in his palms, Ultron generated a high-voltage electric current directly into Connor's magnets. Screaming in agonizing pain, Connor was brought to his knees as the android loomed over him.
"Your abilities now stand at Four-point-Zero-Two percent functionality. I will ensure they are rendered null." Ultron told the screaming Connor.
Meanwhile…
In the hangar, Black Panther's skillful agility allowed him to avoid the attacking Quinjet with ease. Leaping over the craft with a Vibranium dagger in hand, he severed one of the wings and sent that craft crashing into the floor, grinding to a shuddering halt as its systems sputtered and died. Finally free, T'Challa made a beeline for the exit as he pursued his besieged friends.
In the training room, Captain America and Hawkeye were just barely holding their own against the chaotic weaponry unleashed upon them. Protecting Jane Foster made things doubly troublesome, Cap pulling double-duty as he took out missile launchers and defended Jane from turret fire.
"Can't you shut it down?!" The paramedic shouted over the din of an exploding warhead.
"Hawkeye! There has to be a gearbox or something controlling all this!" Cap relayed to the archer. Scanning the room with an eagle eye, Hawkeye suddenly noted the robotic eye atop a column of cannons. Unlike the other active sensors in the room, this one squinted with an aperture, specifically tracking his and Cap's movements.
Reaching for his quiver, he promptly drew one of his armor-piercing arrows and loosed it. The arrowhead penetrated deep within the sensory apparatus before blowing it apart, along with the upper hall of the column. Revealed to them was a single generator unit which Cap promptly disabled with a throw of his shield, the powerful weapon slicing through it like a buzzsaw.
The training room fell blissfully quiet as Hawkeye fell flat on his behind, eager for a breather after the impromptu workout. Cap retrieved his shield and Jane breathed a sigh of relief, now that her life was no longer in danger.
"Your arm seems fine, Hawkeye." She stated and the archer threw her a smirk as if to say 'I told you so'. Their collective attention was drawn to the door as a bladed object penetrated the metal in three clean cuts before a boot kicked in the piece and T'Challa stepped through.
"The Mansion's computer systems have been compromised." He told them all.
"No kidding." Clint deadpanned.
With Iron Man's armor acting independent of its wearer, Thor had no choice but to take their battle outside. High above the city, storm clouds brewed ominously as thunder crackled, Thor's power made clearly known as he battle Iron Man for his redemption.
The armored Avenger skillfully avoided thunderbolts and unleashed his unibeam, the powerful column of energy colliding with Mjolnir as Thor absorbed the brunt of the hit. Shaking off the blow, the Asgardian charged back into the fray as Tony managed to get a window into freedom as JARVIS temporarily restored his connection. "Thor!" He called out over the thunderous boom of a lightning strike. "Thor, you have to short out my systems! Hit me with everything you've got!" He stated. Thor's gaze widened. He knew what he and Mjolnir were capable of and such godly power could not be withstood by even Iron Man's armor.
"Nay, I cannot! You would not survive!" He protested.
"Do it!" Tony insisted. "It's the only way!" With little option, Thor reluctantly spun Mjolnir over his head, conjuring a powerful barrage of rippling lighting bolts that charged his hammer until it glowed blow. With a mighty shout, he swung his weapon hard, unleashing a powerful electric wave that struck Iron Man full-force. His armor glowing with electrical overcharge, Tony cried out as his suit overloaded and shut down entirely.
With no active flight system to keep him in the air, Iron Man plummeted like a stone, his body hurtling towards the ground at terrifying speed. Diving down after him, Thor managed to grasp his armored glove before he could touch the ground, Iron Man hanging from his grip as the Asgardian lowered him slowly to the pavement. Collapsing on impact, his armor smoking and steaming, Tony retracted his faceplate with a groan. "Ouch."
"Are you well, friend Stark?" Thor queried, dropping down beside him.
"As well as I can be." Tony replied. Sitting up, he popped open another hardpoint terminal on his gauntlet and started typing in commands. "I'm accessing the core programming, maybe I can get partial-" He stopped suddenly, eyes wide and jaw slack, stunned by the information presented to him.
"What is it?" Thor pressed.
"The command codes that overrode the armor… I know where they're from." Tony replied, his gaze turning back towards the distant Avengers Mansion.
"Ultron."
A punch from Ultron sent Connor tumbling across the ground. A constant victim of the android's abuse, the technopath could physically take no more. His body barely conscious and limp in Ultron's mechanical grip, bleeding profusely from a split lip and broken nose, his costume in shredded tatters as bruises and cuts dotted his body, Connor was in a sorry state and incapable of holding his own.
Grabbing the back of his costume, Ultron made to lift him up only to pause as fresh alerts appeared on his monitors, revealing the disabled state of his traps. "Training room offline. Quinjet Two offline. Iron Man armor offline." He observed in his monotonous tone.
"Sounds bad, doesn't it?" Janet remarked and Ultron turned to face her. Through it all she'd been forced to watch Ultron brutalize Connor, helpless and powerless within his special prison. "I'm guessing you've got about a minute before the Avengers bust in here and send you to the scrap heap. Then you'll pay for what you did to Connor…!" She angrily promised, beating on the force field as hot tears streaked down her cheeks. With Connor still in his grip, Ultron stalked over to her.
"Radioactive Man. The Serpent Society. The Red Ghost. These threats have been generated to occupy the Avengers while I upgraded my programming and weapons." He revealed to her. "And while I am not able to eliminate you, I can eliminate them." He stated threateningly. Down below, the hiss of doors sliding open brought with it the arrival of the Avengers. Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Panther and Tony without his armor, all present and accounted for as they stared up at Ultron's 'throne room'. Sensing their arrival, Ultron turned and held Connor aloft over the edge. "You no longer a threat to me, Connor Peterson. Therefore, your usefulness has ended." He stated. Releasing the technopath, Ultron bid him farewell with one final blast from his Encephalo-ray, Connor crying out in pain as his senses were wracked with a final painful burst before he plummeted to the floor below.
The arriving Avengers looked up just in time to see Connor fall, his body slamming harshly into the floor and bending metal plates around it. Blood began to pool around him as he lay still.
"Connor!" Cap cried in alarm.
"Oh no…" Hawkeye gasped as they collectively raced over. Tony knelt beside him, checking his pulse.
"He's alive, but barely." He reported.
"Ultron knew he was a threat. He's the only one of us with a direct link to technology and a possible means to stop him for good." Black Panther realized, a slight tremble in his voice. Thor's grip on Mjolnir tightened tenfold.
"Aye, then we shall have to best him the old fashioned way." He growled. Without another word, he took flight and rocketed towards Ultron. "Have at thee, machine! FOR CYBERNAUT!" He roared, bearing down on Ultron.
"Thor, wait!" Janet cried from her imprisonment.
But her warning came too late.
Unhinging his jaw, Ultron unleashed his particle blast at maximum charge, a massive beam of crimson energy consuming Thor entirely. The Asgardian's piercing scream filled the air as he finished from view, his body disappearing bit by bit until he had been completely disintegrated.
Left standing below in shock and horror, the Avengers stood frozen as a cracked Mjolnir fell to the floor and lay still, it's intense magical aura the only thing protecting it from Ultron's wrath… something it's user was not fortunate enough to possess.
For Thor, the Prince of Asgard and god of thunder, was dead.
Later…
Hank Pym came to with a gasp, the defibrillators Tony had acquired fulfilling their purpose as they restored him to consciousness. Springing to a seated position, he clutched his chest as his mind swirled.
"Wait… what happened?" He wondered breathlessly. Tony eased him in a more comfortable position, the only one qualified to do so now that he was devoid of armor.
"There's no time to explain." Tony cut in. "You have to tell me how to stop Ultron." He urged. Hank's foggy memories began to clear, the last recollections before his blackout growing more precise and accurate.
"U-Ultron…" he repeated in a murmur. "He attacked me."
"You were in some kind of coma." Tony confirmed. That pieced together the next bit of information Hank needed.
"The Encephalo-Ray. It's a non-lethal weapon I installed." He explained, rubbing his temples. "Some of Ultron's safety protocols must still be working." He surmised. Tony knew otherwise. After what had happened, nothing was safe about Ultron… not after what he'd done.
"I don't think so." Tony replied sadly. Hank turned to him, concern written on his features. "Thor… He's gone." Tony stated, his gaze downcast. Hank gasped, his shoulders slumping at the depressing news. "Connor… could go next. Jane Foster's looking him over in the med lab." Tony continued, grimacing at the thought of one teammate dead and the other a bloody pulp.
But that information was the key to hardening Hank's resolve.
"Where's Ultron?" He questioned.
His answer lay within the computer core, where Ultron battled the three remaining Avengers. Dodging Cap's shield with ease, his particle beam disintegrated Hakweye's incoming arrows. Battle-computing programs surging through him, he reacted quickly to catch a lunging Black Panther by the head and unleashed his conductors as an electric charge zapped T'Challa's body.
"Your destruction is inevitable." He intoned, concentration broken as Cap's shield ricocheted off his head, forcing Ultron to drop T'Challa and turn on the supersoldier as he retrieved his shield.
"You'll pay for what you've done, robot." Cap promised in a low tone as Ultron retaliated with a powerful concussive blast that smashed Steve into the wall with the force of a train colliding with his shield. He bounced off and ht the ground hard, Janet again forced to watch as her teammates were picked apart by Ultron's ruthless calculations.
The android turned on Hawkeye and Panther, unleashing his spark-emitters that forced them to abandon their attempted attack. "I am fully aware of every weakness you possess." He told them all, his gaze shifting back to Captain America who was struggling to get up. "I know everything about you." He stated, charging his particle cannon.
At that moment, Janet knew she had to do something. A thought came to her, a potential plan that might reverse this unfolding disaster even at the risk of tearing her body apart at a molecular level. But still, she had to try. Closing her eyes in a moment of focus, she opened her mouth and challenged Ultron.
"You don't know everything about me, monster."
Her eyes snapped back open, glowing blue as she reversed the charge of the Pym Particles coursing through her veins.
Ultron turned to face her, stunned as an explosion of blue Pym Particles allowed Janet to grow in size, her Wasp wings disappearing within her shoulder blades as she grew to giant size, effectively become Giant Woman.
Shattering the confines of her prison, Janet towered over Ultron as a single punch from her knocked him through his platform and into the ground, pounding him deep into the floor before the growth became too great a strain on her senses. Clutching her head, she shrank down to insect size, feeling woozy and discombobulated.
Hawkeye and Panther converged on Ultron's position, hoping Janet's trick had done the job. Instead, Ultron burst free from the rubble and unleashed his spark-emitters, laying Hawkeye out flat with a single blast. The android advanced on him, only for Janet to grow back to normal size and stand in his way. "Stop it! This isn't what Hank would want!" She challenged. "He programmed you so you couldn't hurt me, doesn't that tell you anything?"
"Henry Pym is flawed, like all of humanity." Ultron retorted. "You are correct, however. I am not able to hurt you… yet." Hawkeye picked himself up, collecting his bow and readying an arrow. "But I do not need to hurt you to stop you." Ultron reasoned. He promptly blasted them both with laser bolts from his optics, both Wasp and Hawkeye narrowly avoiding his attack at the last second.
Back on his feet, Captain America hurled his shield towards Ultron, the spinning disc aimed perfectly at his neck…
But in a deft and unprecedented move, Ultron caught it.
"The only way to achieve peace is through the elimination of those who perpetuate war." He stated, optical scanners studying every atom of Cap's shield as he catalogued his findings and made note of the unique Adamantium-Vibranium bond that made his shield unbreakable. "This is my programming… and soon I will be unstoppable." Ultron declared, uploading schematics of a new body to the internet, one made of the same metal as Captain America's shield…
Black Panther lunged, knocking the shield from his grip as his claws raked across his chassis. Ultron caught him, his mechanized digits squeezing around his throat as Hawkeye quickly intervened and pegged the android with an explosive arrow. The ensuing fireball knocked T'Challa from his grip as Ultron was lost to smoke and flame.
A scarlet particle blast erupted from the haze and caught Hawkeye unawares, knocking him over as his bow and arrow went flying. Cap deflected the next heavy salvo as Ultron stalked into view, appearing unharmed and untouched by any of their weapons. The intensity of his beams increased, battering Captain America with heavy impacts that finally ripped his shield from his arm. Steve stood his ground as Ultron snapped up an arm and struck him with a bolt of lighting, knocking him out cold and flat on his back.
"No!" Janet cried, throwing herself on Steve's body to prevent Ultron from landing a killing blow. "I won't let you hurt anyone else." She vowed as the android stood down.
"You cannot stop me." Ultron countered, stepping closer.
"Ultron!" A fresh voice from the entrance shouted. Janet turned and was overjoyed to see Hank, fully suited up as Ant-Man. "Enable shutdown sequence; code word synthezoid." He commanded. Ultron's body lurched, power failing and speech slurring as the glow from his optics went dim.
"Shutdown code accepted…" His body slumping, Hank believed that was the end of it.
But then, Ultron's hands balled into fists and the menacing red glow of his optics was restored. "Shutdown code… rejected." He stated, revealing the true extent of his sentience. "My programming has advanced beyond your commands. Beyond your weakness."
"Why are you doing this?" Hank demanded.
"This is what needs to be done. This is what you could not do." Ultron answered. "You lack the strength to bring about the perfect world you desire. A world without chaos and violence."
"Ultron-" Hank tried to reply.
"Hank, please! There's no talking this out!" Janet cried. "Not after what it did to Connor and Thor!" After a moment of acceptance, Hank's eyes narrowed.
"I agree." He said. Ultron's particle beam began to charge, but not before a side wall caved in and an almighty unibeam blast threw Ultron into the distant wall, the android slumping over as Tony arrived in his clunk by powerful Mark 1 suit.
"No computers in this armor for you to take over, you piece of junk!" He declared. Ultron stood shakily, his battle computer processing the change in situation as Iron Man charged up a second unibeam blast. Newly installed jumpjets flared to life as Ultron took flight, avoiding Ton'y shot. Hank acted quickly, toggling his regulator to unleash his growth formula as he grew to Giant Man and landed a punch that flattened Ultron against the wall.
But the android proved even more stubborn that already proven and blasted the back of Giant Man's fist with concussive bolts until he was pitched into the back wall. Ultron set down on another platform… just in time for the Hulk to come crashing through the roof.
Having bailed from the unstoppable Quinjet at high orbit, the jade giant had survived his long fall and was not in a good mood.
His massive muscular body raising itself up, he fixed the scene with a withering glare. "Give me something to smash." He growled. Giant Man swiftly pointed to the renegade android.
"Ultron's power core is in his chest. Tear him apart and rip it out!" He stated. With an eager grin, Hulk pounced and it took every ounce of mechanized will in Ultron's servos to move as quickly as he did to avoid the fist that plowed into the wall. Charging his particle beam, Ultron unhinged his lower jaw and blasted Hulk with the same devastating beam that had killed Thor.
But unlike the Asgardian, the gamma behemoth powered through and Ultron abruptly stopped the moment he felt a pair of massive hands on his shoulders.
With a strength unrivalled, Hulk tore Ultron in two.
Shrinking down to normal size, Hank sprinted over and quickly tore out the simple power core that had sustained Ultron this whole time and the android fell flat as the glow from his optics dissipated… for good, this time.
The rest of the Avengers limped over, Tony pulling off his helmet as T'Challa and Clint slung their arms around a hobbling Steve and helped him over as Janet and Hulk stood by. Hank retracted his helmet, staring mournfully at his destroyed creation.
"I… I don't understand how this could've happened." He muttered in dismay.
"Go through the remaining Ultron shells and programming." Tony ordered. "Destroy everything." He turned, ensuring his firm gaze met Hank's. "Everything."
"Of course." Hank quietly agreed. "But it doesn't change anything." He walked slowly to the exit, tugging off his hood as he leaned against the doorway. "Thor's gone, Connor's dying, and I'm the one that gave Ultron the power to do so." He said sadly, rubbing his face.
"This is all my fault." As he left, the Avengers stayed silent. None of them wanted to support Hank's desolate answer.
But given the forlorn Mjolnir laying on the floor, next to the pile of shattered tiles and puddle of blood, it was hard to ignore…
A simple energy column packed enough destructive power to obliterate whatever object was thrust into it, tearing it apart piece by ice until it was nothing more than particulate. Hank had designed it as a means of disposing the most volatile of projects, the truly deadly outcomes that he could not stand and did not wish to fall into the wrong hands.
Such became the fate of his Ultron program.
Disc after disc was disintegrated, all five files disposed of as Hank was certain the last remnants of Ultron had been destroyed. His backups and those backups were gone, the original files were gone. There was nothing left.
He sat down in front of the beam, holding his head in his hands as the events of the day took their toll on him. The truth behind Ultron's murderous turn settled uneasily on Hank's heart. The simple fact that his ranting and moaning about the Avengers had sparked this personality shift in Ultron wearied him and he questioned if there was any good he could do. His one surviving attempt at creating peace had turned killer, murdering one of his teammates and almost killing a man he called colleague and friend.
But as he contemplated, Hank failed to notice a spare Ultron head, disconnected from all forms of power and not even screwed into a body, come alive as a sinister red glow filled his optic sensors.
"Upload complete." Ultron-6 announced.