"Wow! Isn't this the SHIELD helicarrier that was previously controlled by Hydra under Pierce?" Barton recognized the vessel immediately. He had seen it before during his time with SHIELD.
During the Hydra conflict, Pierce had forcibly ordered the helicarrier to take off, attempting to use it as his trump card. Fortunately, Tony had repelled Crossbones and his special forces team, bringing the vessel safely back to ground.
However, it had suffered considerable damage in the conflict, and Nick Fury lacked the resources to repair it, so it had been left in storage collecting dust.
Now, seeing this aerospace carrier suddenly appear to rescue the citizens of Sokovia, Barton and Natasha felt a surge of pride. This represented the best of what SHIELD stood for!
Yet thinking of SHIELD's current state, they both had to sigh. Even if Fury was reluctant to admit it, SHIELD was effectively finished.
He had already begun planning to reorganize a new agency to replace SHIELD's functions.
[Naturally, Ultron wouldn't simply watch as Fury and his team evacuated the citizens and ruined his plan. He dispatched numerous drones to attack the helicarrier.]
[Hill in the command center immediately detected the threat: "Sir, we have multiple bogeys converging on our starboard flank!"]
[Nick Fury responded calmly: "Show 'em what we got."]
[Hill pressed her earpiece: "You're up."]
[Several approaching Ultron drones were suddenly shot down as a figure flew into view. It was Rhodes in his War Machine armor!]
[He soared through the air, charged his repulsors, and eliminated the incoming drones with precision.]
["Yes! Now this is gonna be a good story!"]
[He fired a missile to destroy another enemy, then continued with his machine gun barrage.]
[Tony flew in to join him, quipping: "Yep. If you live to tell it."]
[Rhodes replied coolly: "You think I can't hold my own?"]
[Tony rolled his eyes and retorted proudly: "We get through this, I'll hold your own."]
["You had to make it weird."]
[After their brief exchange, the two armored Avengers turned to engage the remaining Ultron drones.]
[On the ground]
[Captain America directed crowds of people toward the rescue boats. Police officers and SHIELD agents maintained order while guiding evacuees. A mounted Gatling gun provided cover fire against potential Ultron drone attacks.]
[Barton spotted a lifeboat approaching overhead and immediately signaled to it. Wanda led people out from their shelter: "Let's go! Everyone move, now!"]
["Lifeboats secure to deploy. Disengage in three, two... Disengage." The agent on the helicarrier momentarily fumbled his words before completing the command.]
[Suddenly, alarms blared throughout the command center. Hill looked up to see an Ultron drone hurtling directly toward them.]
["Incoming!!!" Hill barely had time to shout before it smashed through the glass and into the bridge.]
[Fury dodged sideways to avoid impact, but the drone moved with such velocity that it couldn't stop, crashing into one of the control stations.]
["Oh my God!!!" A young agent who had never faced combat screamed in terror.]
[The Ultron drone, severely damaged from the collision, crawled across the floor toward them. Hill immediately drew her pistol and fired repeatedly.]
[Fury grabbed a piece of metal debris and drove it forcefully into the drone, destroying its central processor.]
"Obviously the staff in the command center are ordinary people who've never experienced combat, so they panicked when faced with an attack," George Stacy observed, shaking his head at the SHIELD personnel's reactions.
Despite their administrative roles, it was clear some lacked the necessary psychological resilience for crisis situations.
As a police chief, George prided himself on maintaining composure during critical incidents—a key factor in his professional advancement.
2nd gen Spiderman didn't comment on George's assessment. He wasn't as stringent in his judgment, recognizing that the civilian staff were ordinary people reacting normally to extraordinary danger.
George understood Andrew's perspective just from his expression but remained silent. Everyone had their own standards, and he couldn't expect Andrew to share his strict viewpoint. As long as people performed their duties effectively, different approaches were acceptable.
For instance, during a recent high-profile robbery where criminals had openly challenged police authority and overwhelmed officers with superior firepower, it was 2nd gen Spiderman and Gwen who had ultimately resolved the situation without casualties.
The "Spider Couple" had gained worldwide recognition for their heroism.
[Inside the church]
[Thor had been pinned down and beaten by Ultron for some time before being seized by the throat: "You think you can save them? I'll turn this rock into a meteor. It'll carry enough energy to crack the planet. You can't stop this."]
[Thor glared at Ultron: "I am Thor, son of Odin, and as long as there is life in my breast... I am running out of things to say! Are you ready?"]
[He smiled and looked past Ultron's shoulder. Before Ultron could react, Vision swung Mjölnir and sent him flying across the church.]
[Thor gasped for air and raised his hand, recalling Mjölnir to him.]
["It's terribly well-balanced," Vision observed, examining the hammer before Thor summoned it back.]
[At the mention of Mjölnir, Thor's fatigue vanished. He immediately perked up and flourished it: "Well, if there's too much weight, you lose power on the swing, so..."]
[Aboard the helicarrier, Tony destroyed an Ultron drone and formulated a new plan: "I got it! Create a heat seal! I could... I could supercharge the spire from below."]
[Before he could position himself beneath the core machine, a lifeboat above was attacked by Ultron drones, damaging its propulsion system and causing it to list dangerously to one side.]
[Tony immediately accelerated toward it. The Ultron drone responsible was attempting to escape when War Machine intercepted it mid-flight. Rhodes mounted the drone and relentlessly fired his machine guns until it was completely destroyed.]
[Tony reached the damaged section and supported it from below. FRIDAY analyzed his earlier proposal: "A heat seal could work with enough power."]
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