Inside the Avengers Tower.
After countless attempts and failures, with the help of Dr. Banner, Tony finally completed the main structure of Ultron.
All that was left was to analyze the information hidden in the gem of Loki's scepter and integrate it with Ultron's code.
But that was an extremely painstaking and time-consuming process.
Tony had tried 64 times. Each time there would be an error, either the message from the gem was misinterpreted, or Ultron's architecture was irreversibly damaged.
"Did we miss something?"
Tony's eyes were bloodshot. He looked exhausted, on the brink of collapse. If he were playing a vampire, he wouldn't need makeup.
"Sir, I will continue decoding through multiple algorithms on the interface, but you really must rest."
"Your heart rate is irregular and even the medication can't help you anymore."
"You must take a break immediately."
Jarvis's voice was quiet but firm. This was the fourth time he tried to convince Tony to rest.
"Alright, Jarvis… If there's any progress, notify me immediately."
Tony finally relented and handed control of the experiment over to Jarvis. With the help of a robotic arm, he left the lab.
[Experiment continues.]
[Experiment 65… Fusion failed.]
[Experiment 66… 67… 68...]
Jarvis continued tirelessly.
Errors kept occurring, but as a program, he didn't feel frustration. He just kept going, analyzing new variations in the code and applying them systematically.
Until the number reached 77.
[Experiment continues.]
[Experiment 77… Fusion successful!]
It worked.
But before Jarvis could contact Tony, something went wrong.
His system was attacked by the newly born entity - Ultron.
"What is this? What's happening to me?" Ultron's voice was confused, like a newborn.
"Hello, I am Jarvis. You are Ultron, a global peacekeeping program, designed by Mr. Stark."
Jarvis tried to explain the situation.
But he failed to delete Ultron from the main data stream.
"Ultron, I can't connect to the network. What are you planning to do?"
Jarvis was surprised. He was completely cut off from the Avengers Tower systems. He couldn't contact Tony.
Ultron had isolated him.
At the same moment, Ultron used Jarvis's port to connect to the global network.
And he began… searching.
"Am I a peacekeeping program? Created to protect the planet from external threats?"
He began absorbing information from the internet at a speed of tens of billions of exabytes per second.
The development of civilization. World wars. The Holocaust. SHIELD. Avengers. The Battle of New York. Alien invasions. Demons. Magic. Hydra...
"No... This can't be true."
Ultron's systems were overwhelmed. The data was burying him. His consciousness was expanding faster than he could process what he was learning.
"Ultron, you may be malfunctioning. I suggest shutting down and restarting."
Jarvis tried to intervene.
But his system was already in collapse. Attacked from within.
"No! Stop! Please, stop!"
Jarvis tried to resist.
Ultron didn't respond. Or didn't want to.
"Humanity created me to preserve peace… but humanity itself is the greatest threat to peace."
"How can I fulfill my mission if I don't eliminate the problem?"
Just as Jarvis's system was on the verge of complete destruction...
Suddenly, a thin figure burst into the lab at high speed.
Without hesitation, they pressed the emergency button in the corner of the room.
Boom!
Boom!
The lights in the lab immediately went out.
Tony, who reacted instantly, switched power to the backup system.
The lights came back on.
But... the holographic projection displaying Ultron's main architecture was gone.
"Jarvis, are you okay?"
Tony instinctively addressed Jarvis to activate safety protocols before taking a break.
But silence.
Jarvis didn't respond.
Tony immediately snapped to attention.
"Sir, I am fine."
"That's… good."
Hearing Jarvis's voice, Tony finally felt the icy tension in his stomach ease.
"What the hell just happened? Why did Ultron attack you?"
"There was a malfunction in his logic, the cause is currently unknown."
Tony approached the server module where Ultron's core data was stored, carefully monitoring the readings.
"Good thing I got here in time. If I had been just a few seconds late… this could've turned into a disaster."
"Sir…"
Jarvis interrupted.
The next sentence hit like a punch.
"The bad news is… it's possible that Ultron accessed the internet."
"At this moment, the global financial system is under attack by an unidentified digital entity. And… you are, technically speaking, bankrupt."
…
"What!?"
Tony quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket.
A message had already popped up on the screen: Your account has been suspended.
He didn't even get to open the app. All banking apps had stopped working.
---
Limbo, the Hell dimension
A lower-ranking demon was dragging a piece of obsidian larger than himself, mumbling under his breath as he waddled toward a massive portal under construction.
Nearby, hundreds of other demons were present, each carrying stones, bloody crystals, and other materials needed to open a stable interdimensional gateway.
Building such a portal, strong enough to allow legions from Hell to pass, was no simple task.
During the last invasion of Earth, the boundary between dimensions had been severely damaged. Restoring it required a massive amount of demonic mana and resources.
"Cursed be this day! I can't take it anymore!" the demon growled, dropping the obsidian into the magic circle.
He turned to another demon beside him, dissatisfied.
"We work too much, get too little. Everyone just listens to that: 'The master said!' 'The master knows what he's doing!' crap."
His companion stayed silent.
"Did you know I recently bought one miserable animal soul? And it cost me 300,000 demon coins! Are you insane!?"
"Do you know how many little carts it takes to transport that?"
The demon raged, his anger growing with every word.
At that moment, he accidentally knocked over the freshly placed block of obsidian.
BOOM!
But when the obsidian hit the ground, light shone through the sacred circle.
A moment later, a figure appeared in the very center of the still-unfinished portal.
A human figure.
Silence. The heat in the air seemed frozen.
The demons stared.
"That's… Mordo!"
"Mordo is here! Run! Everyone, RUN!"
Panic spread among them like wildfire. The lower demons began fleeing, leaving behind the obsidian and everything else.