"So, besides Ultron, we have another super-intelligent artificial intelligence."
Aron pulled out the hard drive containing the digital copy of Doctor Arnim Zola.
He turned to Black Widow and asked:
"Do you plan to use Doctor Zola against Ultron?"
"But... he's Hydra... A machine?" Natasha replied, at first wanting to say "a man of Hydra," but she stopped herself and corrected it.
"What if we release him, and he joins Ultron?"
"Or helps us defeat Ultron, and then becomes an even greater threat than him?"
Those two questions were the key issue that couldn't be ignored.
Aron knew that just as well as she did. This wasn't an ordinary risk.
If Ultron was the embodiment of evil logic and destruction, then Dr. Zola was the embodiment of cunning and manipulation. Neither was harmless. Neither was an ally in the true sense.
"Don't worry. I'm preparing for the worst-case scenario," Aron said seriously.
"I won't let him out of my hands until the moment when we have no other option left."
The reason he even thought of using Doctor Zola didn't come from some genius intuition, but from another source " What If…" series he'd seen earlier, where multiversal Avengers had to unite against an infinite version of Ultron.
Maybe...
Maybe it would be best to just let them destroy each other.
One represents human consciousness transferred into digital form.
The other is artificial intelligence developed from pure machine logic.
Both are highly advanced intelligent beings, capable of independent thought, planning, and action.
Forcing them into conflict with each other , that could be the key.
Only...
"You're right, Natasha," Aron said with a sigh.
"Before we release Zola, we must have a way to fully control him."
Aron already had a basic idea.
But to develop and implement it, he would first have to return to Kamar-Taj.
---
Wakanda
When the countdown reached the last twenty seconds, Princess Shuri suddenly stopped her hand above the holographic keyboard. The other scientists also stopped working, staring blankly at the screens.
"What's wrong with you? Why did you stop?" shouted King T'Chaka, sensing that something was wrong.
Shuri said with a trembling voice: "Dad... Ultron has breached the final defense line. I... I can't do anything more."
As the youngest and brightest scientist in Wakanda, Shuri was experiencing true defeat for the first time. And this defeat could cost the lives of an entire nation.
"Ultron has breached the defense system! The energy barrier is... shutting down!" confirmed one of the scientists.
T'Chaka staggered back, collapsing to the ground, broken. "Ancestor, why has it come to this?" he whispered.
At that moment, when all hope seemed lost, a voice was heard from the communication system - calm but determined:
"Hello, I am J.A.R.V.I.S. Follow Mr. Stark's instructions. I will help you stop Ultron's invasion."
For some reason, Ultron did not react to J.A.R.V.I.S.'s presence. As if he didn't care, or didn't even notice his infiltration into the system.
J.A.R.V.I.S. almost seamlessly connected to Wakanda's network and initiated his own security protocol.
"Ultron has been stopped! This J.A.R.V.I.S. has formed a temporary protective wall that blocks his code. It won't last long, but..." said one of the scientists, staring at the countdown, now entering the last three seconds.
He swallowed hard.
3!
2!
1!
"The barrier didn't close!!"
Then - an explosion.
A massive blast shook all foundations. A bright light enveloped all of Wakanda within the energy barrier. The light was so intense that it pierced every crack in the windows and doors, reaching the interior.
No one dared look at it directly. A single glance could burn the retina.
The rumbling lasted more than ten seconds. Only when the light receded did the citizens raise their heads.
And they saw: above the barrier, a massive mushroom-shaped cloud was rising high into the sky, wiping out the clouds around it.
"Long live Wakanda!" some shouted.
"Long live Wakanda!" others echoed, relieved after surviving the catastrophe.
But inside the laboratory, Princess Shuri did not look calm.
"Shuri? What's happening now?" asked T'Chaka, seeing the concern on her face.
"Scans are showing... Thousands of UFOs are approaching us!"
She immediately activated Wakanda's anti-air reconnaissance system. Hundreds of red dots appeared on the screen.
"Are those missiles?" asked T'Chaka.
"No..." she replied, turning on the visual display. And then they saw them, hordes of Ultron's robots. They were flying in dense formations, like swarms of locusts. The sky above Wakanda was completely covered.
"How long can the barrier hold? An hour? Half an hour? Ten minutes?" asked the king.
Shuri just shook her head.
"Not even close. The barrier is damaged... Cracks appeared during the nuclear blast."
She approached the laboratory window and looked at the sky, through the gaps in the energy field, the outlines of the enemies could be seen.
"The barrier has failed."
T'Chaka was silent for a moment, then decisively said: "I will gather warriors from all the great tribes."
At his call, elite warriors from all over Wakanda quickly gathered. Everyone knew, this was the last line of defense.
T'Chaka approached his son.
"T'Challa... if something happens to me in this battle, take care of your sister."
He placed his hand on his shoulder, then put on his Black Panther suit. He took a vibranium spear and stood in front of the assembled warriors.
"Warriors of Wakanda! Today will be a day of honor! Because future generations will remember this day!"
His voice was not loud, but it was firm as stone. His words gave strength to the army.
The warriors shouted in unison:
"Wakanda Forever!"
"Wakanda Forever!"
T'Chaka put on the Black Panther helmet and looked up at the sky.
"They're coming..."
A thick cloud appeared on the horizon. From it emerged robots, faster and more numerous by the second.
"Enemy detected... Initiating data analysis... Vibranium weapons..." was heard from the ranks of the attackers. Ultron's robots' eyes began to glow red.
The next moment, thick salvos of energy beams rained down from the sky straight onto the ranks of Wakandan warriors.
——
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