Inside the New York Sanctum.
Ever since he found out that the money from his card had disappeared, Aron's attitude towards Ultron changed drastically. Not that he was impressed with him before, but now... now it was personal.
His view of Ultron was the same as Florida's attitude towards slackers - no mercy!
No sympathy!
No forgiveness!
"Aron!!"
Before Aron even had time to think about how to get revenge on Ultron, a sharp sound echoed from inside the sanctum, a battle cry filled with murderous intent.
It was Karl Mordo!
He had arrived through a portal from Kamar-Taj, determined and with a clear purpose.
...
When he saw Mordo's threatening expression, Aron was momentarily stunned, then smiled widely, almost cheerfully.
"Yay! Isn't this my dearest friend and brother Mordo! What brings you here?"
Mordo didn't share the same mood.
"A question for you!"
"Why are you using my name in Limbo..."
His voice was serious, his step firm.
Unfortunately, before he could finish the sentence, Aron interrupted him, waving his hand theatrically, with an expression of "righteous urgency."
"Oh come on, let's not talk about Limbo now. We can do that later. You came at just the right time!"
"We've got a world to save!"
"Save the world?" Mordo raised an eyebrow, now completely confused by this sudden shift.
He had come to demand an explanation, but now he suddenly had to save the world?
But before he could react further, Aron had already begun explaining the whole situation about Ultron.
...
A few minutes later.
Mordo's face turned serious. From what he heard, it was clear that Ultron was a global-level threat.
Since he had been in Kamar-Taj, he had no idea something like this was even happening.
"If Ultron gets access to the nuclear arsenal... Oh God," he murmured, as a cold chill ran down his spine.
"Right?" Aron nodded. "That's why I'm saying, you, Mordo, the most distinguished sorcerer of the new generation of Kamar-Taj, are you going to sit with your arms crossed while the Earth crumbles?"
Mordo's eyes gleamed. He forgot why he even came.
Now there was only one thought in his mind: save the world.
"All right. What exactly do we need to do?" he asked seriously.
"First…" Aron paused, forming a small smile. "First, we're going to find a man with whom we have unfinished business."
As soon as he said that, he opened a portal.
"Hey! Wait! I'm not ready yet!" shouted Wanda, running after them.
She didn't manage to catch up, she could only watch as Aron and Mordo entered and the portal closed.
Frustrated at being left to guard the Sanctum again, Wanda stopped in place and stomped her foot angrily on the ground.
---
The Other Side
Inside the Avengers' building, a powerful shock echoed.
Hulk had saved everyone from the ruins.
Sensing danger, he immediately took control over Dr. Banner's body and transformed into Hulk. He spread his arms and with his massive green body blocked the first wave of the explosion, shielding the others.
But even with that...
All the Avengers members were still injured.
Hawkeye got the worst of it, a fragment from the explosion struck his left eye. Now, just like Nick Fury, he wore an eye patch.
"Luckily, it's only epithelial layer damage to the cornea," said Natasha, offering him comfort. "It'll heal over time and won't have a major impact on your vision."
Then she approached Tony.
"Colonel Rhodes just sent a message. Ultron brought down Air Force One and gained access to the nuclear codes. According to the information we have, at least one nuclear warhead has already been activated."
"Besides..." she continued. "Ultron has hacked military communications. Every conversation we have, including this call from Rhodes, is now being monitored."
Natasha's voice was calm. Maybe it was indifference. Maybe despair.
No matter how powerful the enemy they had previously faced, no matter how difficult the task, she had never complained. Because even in the darkest moment, she believed that hope existed.
But now, facing Ultron, for the first time she didn't know where to look for that hope.
A thousand thoughts condensed into just one sentence.
"Tony, you did the right thing."
"I know." he sighed.
Although it wasn't all his responsibility, the fact remained that Ultron owed much of his power to the gem from the scepter.
"Hey, everyone!" shouted Bruce Banner, who in the meantime had returned to human form and appeared with a notebook in hand. "I think I've found the location where the nuclear warhead landed!"
With Jarvis's help, he managed to track the missile's flight and analyze the landing point.
The entire process went by without any interference from Ultron. He didn't even try to hide his intentions.
As if he despised secrecy.
"Do we even need to guess where it fell?" said Clint Barton, now with an eye patch. "Ultron surely wants to attack Russia and start a nuclear war."
"No." Banner shook his head. "The target was the African continent."
He displayed a map on the screen with a clearly marked red dot.
"According to the data, the only relevant location in that area is a small and isolated country called... Wakanda."
Everyone stared at the screen.
"Why would Ultron attack there?" Natasha asked quietly.
At that moment, a portal opened behind them.
Aron and Mordo stepped out of it.
"Because it's where one of the world's greatest treasures is located - vibranium."
"Vibranium?" Steve repeated, looking at his shield. "Isn't that the material my shield is made of?"
He paused, as if something struck him.
"Aron… do you think Wakanda has a large vibranium deposit? Ultron is attacking it to…"
His voice suddenly trailed off. He was thinking of the worst possible scenario.
"…to build himself an indestructible body out of vibranium." Tony finished, who had been silent until then. Seeing Aron, he finally stood up.
His emotions were mixed. The reason he created Ultron was to prove that he could still protect the world, that he didn't need help, that he didn't need anyone.
But reality had hit him hard.
"I'm sorry, everyone," he said quietly. "I screwed everything up."
Tony Stark, the man who never bowed to anyone…
At this moment, he finally lowered his head.
He admitted his mistake to everyone.
——
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