Tony's shocking words silenced everyone.
Even Jarvis, lying in the crater within Ultron's body, opened his eyes and remarked with a faint smile, "Genius."
Malrick's expression darkened instantly.
"You playboy, still thinking about kids? Wait another three years!" he snapped. Then, smirking, he added, "And for the record, in my world, I'm your older brother, Tony!"
Tony blinked. "You're my older brother? Jarvis, tell me the truth—is this rebellious kid actually my son or my brother?"
Jarvis gave a gentle smile. "From what I've observed, it's usually Master Malrick who ends up taking care of you, Mr. Stark."
Tony's jaw dropped. "So he really is my older brother? What, am I still in high school in that world?"
Malrick sighed. "Relax, Stark. I'm not from your world, and I'm definitely not your brother here."
He turned back to Jarvis. "How's Ultron's situation?"
Jarvis's new body stood perfectly still as his eyes flickered with streams of data. "I've cleared all traces of Ultron from the network. However, he seems to have hidden another steel body somewhere in the city."
"Can you locate it?" Malrick asked.
"Of course."
Jarvis rose gracefully from the ground. As he inspected his new form, a flicker of surprise crossed his face. "So this is what it feels like to have a body. Fascinating… it's nothing like existing as a stream of code."
He flexed his arms and legs, testing the sensation of motion. The metal surface of his body shimmered, and a suit of elegant armor appeared, adjusting seamlessly to his form.
This was Vision's body—able to reshape itself at will, capable of touch, sensation, and self-regulation. Though still built of metal and circuits, it was as close to human as any machine could be.
After a brief moment of awe, Jarvis turned and soared toward the city's control core.
"Wait, Jarvis!" Tony shouted, his voice sharp.
"Shutting down the thrusters will make the entire city fall! If it hits the ground, it'll destroy half the planet's ecosystem! We need another way!"
Jarvis glanced back with calm assurance. "Don't worry, Mr. Stark. Master Malrick will handle it."
"Malrick?" Tony turned toward him. "What exactly is your plan?"
Malrick was already airborne, rising above the city's edge. "I'll catch it—with my arm."
Tony froze. "With your arm…?" His face paled as realization struck.
"That's insane! You'll pierce straight through the foundation like a needle!" he yelled. But Malrick was already gone, shooting toward the underside of Sokovia like a comet.
At the same moment, Jarvis reached the control core and placed his hand on the mechanism.
"Jarvis, wait—" Tony shouted, extending his palm as if he could stop him.
Too late.
The thrusters shut down with a deafening metallic hum. The vibration ran through the entire floating city, and then the engines sputtered out.
The momentum shifted. Sokovia began to slow, then dip.
Weightlessness washed over everyone.
"Are we… falling?" Hawkeye gasped, crouching to steady himself. "Can we make some kind of massive parachute?"
"Too late!" Tony snapped. His faceplate slid shut. "Friday! Ultron's out of the network—deploy every drone and aircraft nearby! Evacuate as many civilians as possible!"
Captain America was already barking orders. "Hawkeye, get to the residential zones! Wanda, get your brother—we'll need him! Thor, help Tony keep the skies clear!"
Mjolnir spun in Thor's hand as he shot into the air after Tony. They were preparing for the worst. Sokovia was falling fast.
And yet, Wanda Maximoff stood calmly amidst the chaos, arms crossed, an amused smile on her lips.
"I told you," she murmured. "You don't need to worry."
As the city began its descent, Wanda started to count softly. "Five… four… three…"
Captain America, climbing over a wrecked RV, heard her but didn't understand—until the ground itself trembled.
The entire city shuddered. Buildings, lamp posts, cars—everything jolted as though caught mid-fall by some invisible hand.
Steve nearly lost his balance but steadied himself, eyes wide. "It stopped falling?"
He looked to the horizon. The clouds that had been rushing upward were now drifting at a steady pace. No, not drifting—the city itself was descending… slowly.
"Did Malrick really do that?" he whispered.
Jarvis's voice echoed above as he soared past. "Of course. Master Malrick's Bio-field can accomplish anything."
He shot across the sky toward the far end of the city, where a Quinjet was taking off.
Inside was Ultron—its consciousness transferred into one last metallic body with a sleek, inhuman face.
Behind it, Hulk charged across the ruins, roaring as he leaped after the aircraft.
Jarvis accelerated to intercept.
Meanwhile, beneath the floating city, Malrick floated beside the massive thrusters. One hand pressed firmly upward against the city's base, the other brushing his hair back casually.
The entire weight of Sokovia rested in his palm—billions of tons of steel, concrete, and rock—and yet, the ground beneath him didn't crack.
From above, Tony and Thor could only stare in disbelief.
"What in the world…?" Thor muttered. "If I tried that, I'd have shattered the entire foundation by now."
Tony's eyes widened. "This guy's supposed to be Superman-level, but this… this is absurd! How does someone even do that?"
Below them, Malrick glanced up. "You two done staring? Go help the civilians. I'll have Sokovia back on the ground in a minute."
And he did.
Within moments, the floating city descended slowly and gently, settling back into its original place on Earth. Malrick even stomped the ground once, leveling out the uneven terrain with ease.
From above, the Avengers could only watch, dumbfounded.
Malrick stood alone beneath the city, adjusting his coat as if he'd just finished a minor chore.
Tony stared in stunned silence. "That's… not scientific. Not at all."
Thor gripped his head. "What manner of being is he? You sure this dude is my brother?"
________
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