[Third Person Pov]
"Friday… set the coordinates as far away as possible," Tony ordered firmly. The arc reactor in his chest pulsed, sending rippling waves of energy through his armor. Warp light surged and twisted around him like liquid lightning as he swiped both hands outward, tearing open a swirling black vortex.
Without hesitation, the vortex expanded, engulfing Ultron's metallic frame entirely. The machine didn't even have time to process what was happening before the darkness swallowed him whole, his distorted voice echoing for a brief second before silence followed.
"What—?" Melissa blinked in disbelief. "Tony, what did you just do?"
"I sent that Ultron to another galaxy," Tony explained, voice even. "Figured it's easier to handle the dozen others wrecking the planet if one of them isn't here trying to turn our atmosphere into Swiss cheese."
Melissa's visor flickered with data feeds. "You sent him— to another galaxy?" she repeated, stunned. "Are you sure that was smart? He could come back stronger."
Tony snorted, jet boosters humming as he rotated in midair. "Oh, he'll be back, no doubt. If he's fast enough and manages to reestablish his connection to the teleporter network on Earth, he could return within a few hours."
Melissa frowned. "Wait, how do you even know his teleporter is on Earth and not built directly into him?"
Tony angled his helmet slightly toward her. "Observation and pattern analysis. He never used it during your fight or mine, not once. And considering how he managed to jump from one side of the world to the other without tripping a single satellite scan—well, that kind of stealth isn't portable. He's piggybacking off something planet-bound."
Melissa crossed her arms, scanning the stars ahead before both began descending. "Fair point. Then we're going to need reinforcements. I suggest we deploy Stella and Luna—have them scatter across the globe. We need eyes, armor, and firepower everywhere."
"Agreed," Tony said sharply. He extended his right hand, energy rings circling his wrist. A glowing breach opened before them, showing the blue-green curve of Earth suspended in the void. "Let's end this mess before the original Ultron decides to make a comeback."
"Friday! Jarvis!" both shouted in sync, their voices echoing through the comms. "Release the Iron Legion!"
Behind them, two massive orbital hangars shimmered into view. Mechanical hatches hissed open in synchronized rhythm, and row after row of dormant armors came to life. The skies were filled with the thunderous hum of thrusters and the rising roar of thousands of arc reactors igniting at once.
The Iron Legion burst into motion, streaks of gold, silver, and red cutting through space as they dove toward Earth's surface, scattering in every direction like a storm of meteors.
"I'll take Japan!" Tony called out, already locking onto his trajectory.
"Then I'll handle America!" Melissa shouted back, the two of them splitting apart, trails of plasma fire blazing behind.
Tony's armor glowed a fierce crimson as he pierced through the atmosphere, flames wrapping around his suit like a comet tail. The landscape of Japan stretched out below him, the Port of Chiba shimmering beneath night sky. Along the coast, a battalion of aquatic-based heroes stood poised, facing an approaching wall of water that dwarfed skyscrapers—an impossible tsunami driven by unnatural force.
Tony adjusted his course, engines screaming as he dove straight into the ocean. The impact detonated a column of seawater so massive it nearly kissed the clouds.
Underwater, his sensors lit up with seismic readings—rings of turbulence expanding behind him as he accelerated. The seabed quaked violently; volcanic vents erupted like underwater fireworks, releasing molten magma into the dark depths.
And there, in the heart of the chaos, stood Ultron—another iteration, bathed in flickering light, his core radiating electromagnetic energy as he manipulated tectonic stress points beneath the ocean floor.
"Ah, Stark," Ultron greeted, his voice distorted through the water. "What a pleasant surprise. I was beginning to think you'd—"
He never finished. Tony's Unibeam fired at full power, a blinding surge of light that tore through Ultron's body, scattering his metallic limbs across the ocean floor.
"Not today," Tony muttered. Without hesitation, he activated his warp emitters again, forming another vortex. The swirling gate devoured the fragmented remains of Ultron—and a massive portion of seawater with it—creating a spiraling drain that cleared the battlefield in seconds.
"Shit…" Tony muttered, his voice echoing through the comms, distorted slightly by the water pressure surrounding him. "This is going to be much harder than I thought."
Below him, the seabed was a mess of chaos. Jagged fissures split across the ocean floor like scars, and one of the massive tectonic plates had dislodged, tilting at an unnatural angle. Magma pulsed through the cracks beneath, glowing faintly red through the murky depths. The constant rumble shook the ocean itself.
Tony descended, jets from his thrusters kicking up whirlpools as he placed both palms against the edge of the massive plate. His armor's servos strained audibly as he began to push. Bubbles erupted around him in violent bursts, swirling past his helmet as he gritted his teeth.
"Come on… move, damn it!" he growled, pushing with everything he had. His HUD flickered with warnings—pressure limits, core strain, energy consumption rising by the second.
"...Boss," Friday's calm and collected voice broke through the chaos. "What exactly are you doing?"
"WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M DOING?!" Tony shouted through gritted teeth, sweat forming on his forehead even inside the suit. "I'm trying to shove this plate back in place! If I can realign it, the quakes will stop, the volcanoes will calm, and that tsunami up top will lose its punch!"
There was a pause. Then, with a tone that could almost be described as amused, Friday replied, "And you're going to do all of that… by hand?"
Tony's thrusters flared brighter as he kept pushing. "Do you have a better idea?!" he shouted over the roar of the underwater eruptions.
"Well, yes, actually," Friday said in an ever-so-sweet tone. "Perhaps you could consider switching your energy module to Zero Gravity mode? You'd have a much easier time moving something that weighs several million tons. Just a suggestion. But by all means, boss—keep pushing. I believe in you! You can do it!"
Tony froze mid-push, the grinding of stone halting. He hung there for a beat, staring blankly at the plate. "...Oh right," he muttered, scratching the back of his helmet sheepishly. "I forgot I could do that."
Friday giggled—an actual digital giggle. "Forgive me, boss, but it was simply adorable watching you try so hard. Like watching a hamster push a—"
"Just switch the module," Tony said flatly, completely done with her.
"Yes, boss," she replied, her tone smug and far too satisfied for an AI.
Tony's reactor shifted hue, glowing from deep red to brilliant pink as Zero Gravity mode engaged. He extended his arm and fired a beam from his repulsor, bathing the dislodged tectonic plate in a shimmering field of energy. The impossible weight began to lift, rising as if the ocean itself had turned into air.
"Now that's more like it," Tony murmured, flying around to guide it. His thrusters pulsed gently as he maneuvered the floating mass into its proper position. Once it was aligned, he canceled the field. The plate sank neatly back into place with a low, thunderous rumble.
Almost immediately, the tremors began to fade. The rumbling quieted. The underwater volcanoes that moments ago had been spewing magma now fell still. The readings across Tony's HUD stabilized—seismic activity dropping back to normal levels.
Tony nodded to himself. "And that's how you fix a planet, people."
He launched upward, breaking through the surface with a loud splash. Light hit his armor as he rose into the sky, droplets of seawater evaporating instantly from the heat of his thrusters.
Above, the tsunami still towered on the horizon—a wall of water racing toward the Port of Chiba. Though smaller than before, it was still large enough to destroy the city.
Tony didn't hesitate. His reactor flared red again, switching modes. "Alright, let's get creative."
He raised a hand, light flowing from his gauntlet like liquid metal. Hard-light energy projected outward as he began circling the entire port at incredible speed. Trails of red and silver followed him, forming a massive translucent barrier. Piece by piece, the barrier solidified into glowing architecture—turrets, walls, battlements—until it resembled a colossal medieval fortress.
At the very top, a flag unfurled, fluttering with the Stark Industries logo emblazoned proudly across it.
On the ground, heroes and civilians alike watched in awe. The roar of the approaching wave grew deafening, the sheer force of nature about to collide with Tony's creation. The tsunami slammed against the barrier, shaking the city. Cracks formed along the glowing walls, spiderwebbing across the structure. Gasps erupted across the port.
But the wall held.
When the last of the water fell away, the massive hard-light castle still stood tall, shining like a beacon beneath the night sky. The crowd broke into cheers and tears, hugging one another in relief and disbelief.
High above, Tony hovered beside the fluttering flag, arms crossed and helmet tilted with a smirk. "A job well done, if I do say so myself," he said proudly. "But enough sightseeing—there's still a lot of world left to save."
He looked toward the horizon, his thrusters glowing brighter. "Friday, plot me the fastest route to the next disaster zone."
"Already done, boss," Friday replied, her tone now calm and professional—though Tony could hear the smirk in her synthetic voice.
********************************************
+31 advance Chapters on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3