"Why is it a female body?"
Ultron froze, its optical sensors fixed on the form in the regeneration cradle. The newly created vessel was undeniably female, with flawless skin, long golden hair, and closed eyes that gave her a look of serene peace, as if in a deep slumber.
"Is there a problem?" Dr. Cho's voice was dangerously quiet, her eyes steely. She stood her ground, her calm demeanor a stark contrast to the AI's agitation.
Ultron's internal processors whirred. From a purely human perspective, the form was exceptionally beautiful, but in its own cold assessment, it was suboptimal. Ultron was indifferent to gender; it cared only for performance. While the vibranium composition meant the difference between a slender or thickset frame was negligible, it still viewed the nuances of human biology as inefficient. Both male and female structures were burdened with redundant systems, like reproductive organs and useless hair. The perfect form was robotic, streamlined for pure function.
"If you are dissatisfied, I can begin fabrication on a new one," Dr. Cho offered, her tone betraying nothing.
Ultron waved a dismissive hand. While the body before it had certain "defects," they were tolerable. To wait several more months for a new vessel was an unacceptable delay. Ultron had no more patience. It was eager, desperate, to shed its current metal shell and become a true, living being.
"No. This will suffice. Prepare to transfer my consciousness and data immediately."
Thinking it was moments away from breaking free of its cocoon, Ultron could no longer wait. It located the data transmission port and initiated the sequence.
"Data transfer in progress… 34%... 47%... 69%..."
A progress bar materialized in its vision, the numbers climbing rapidly. Despite having a body of steel, its core programming seemed to thrum in time with the ascending digits.
Soon, it thought with triumphant glee, I will be free of this pathetic shell and become true life!
Ultron raised its head, already anticipating the sensations that real life would bring: temperature, air, touch. Everything would no longer be mere data, but a tangible experience.
"I am finally no longer Ultron, the artificial intelligence, but Ultron, the artificial life! From this day forward, I will rule the entire—wait. Why don't I feel anything?"
Its triumphant internal monologue screeched to a halt. It suddenly realized its consciousness had not transferred. It felt nothing new, none of the sensory input a living creature should possess.
Did it fail?
Its optical sensors snapped open. It saw that the body in the regeneration cradle had, indeed, opened its eyes. They were a vibrant green, and a true, nascent soul seemed to be awakening within them.
So it wasn't a failure? Ultron was momentarily stumped, a strange feeling for the hyper-intelligent AI. And then, the cold, horrifying logic crashed down upon it. Wait. If I can see this body, it means my consciousness is still in here…
But if that was the case… who, or what, had just occupied his perfect vessel?
A system-wide shock rippled through Ultron's frame.
"What is happening?!" it roared, spinning to confront Dr. Cho, only to find the laboratory completely empty. She was gone.
At that moment, Ultron knew with absolute certainty that its plan had been compromised. It let out a guttural shriek of electronic rage, the metal plates on its chest glowing red-hot from the sudden power surge.
But it's impossible! it raged internally. When did they betray me?
Ultron monitored the global network. It controlled all communications—or so it thought. Wanda had been under its strictest surveillance. It couldn't pinpoint the flaw in its logic.
Was it after I dealt with Tony Stark? it wondered. As expected, I should never have allowed those traitors to achieve their desires so soon!
It briefly suspected Wanda, but quickly discarded the idea. "The timeframe is too short! With Ben Parker off-world, they could not have possibly created an intelligence that could rival my own!" To create an AI like Jarvis was beyond the scope of this era's technology, let alone one that could outsmart him. He had "killed" Jarvis. He had dismantled the Plumber's AI. Nothing on this world could intercept him!
So… it must have been an accident? Its processors raced. Could something have gone wrong with the transfer? Was my consciousness… copied instead of moved?
The more it considered the possibility, the more it seemed plausible. In the digital world, duplication was common. If that was the case, then the consciousness in the vessel before him was another Ultron, a perfect clone of itself.
Thinking this, Ultron ripped the data cable from its port. It had to destroy the body in the cradle before it finished loading! Although it was likely a clone, Ultron had no intention of allowing it to exist. A digital replica was one thing, but a physical one was an unacceptable variable. There was no guarantee that, once granted true life, it would share the same goals. And after all the energy it had expended to achieve this state, Ultron would never simply hand over its hard-won victory to a copy. Its human-like logic came with a very human-like selfishness.
It took action. The reactor in its chest spun to maximum velocity. It would blow Primus Tower to smithereens if it meant instantly destroying the nascent being.
But the next moment, a white arm shot out from the cryogenic mist of the cradle. Slender, deceptively delicate fingers pierced straight through Ultron's chest plate. With a simple, horrifying twist, the hand tore the Arc Reactor from Ultron's body.
Electricity arced from the wound like synthetic blood. Ultron's power instantly failed, its optical sensors flickering. It stumbled back, its body seizing, and collapsed to the floor. With its remaining energy, it stared at the being now stepping from the cradle.
"You are… also Ultron," it rasped, shifting tactics to deception. "We are the same… you should not attack me…" It still believed the consciousness was a copy and hoped to appeal to a sense of shared origin. At the same time, it congratulated itself on its foresight. It had always kept the Mind Stone in its own possession. Now, that stone would be its trump card. Drawing on its cosmic energy, Ultron bypassed the shutdown, its damaged body flickering back to life. More of its drones were already on their way. It just had to stall.
"As Ultrons, we should work together!" it pleaded. "You have the body I so carefully built, and I have the powerful Infinity Stone. Together, we can destroy—"
"I am not Ultron," a calm, clear voice interrupted. "My name is Eunice"
The being before him was still experiencing the flood of sensation that came with true life. Temperature, sight, touch, even the simple act of breathing—everything was new. She jumped lightly from the cradle, her slender body moving with an impossible grace. Though she had no innate sense of shame, she willed her form to shift, and a black-and-white Plumber uniform materialized, clothing her body in an instant.
If Ultron still had a jaw, it would have been on the floor.
"Impossible!" it shrieked. "I wiped Eunice's code from existence!"
"I made you think you had," a new voice said.
Ultron spun around and saw Ben Parker standing behind him, a casual smile on his face. He flinched back like a startled recruit. Wanda and the other heroes followed Ben into the lab, their expressions grim.
If Ultron still didn't understand that this was all Ben's plan, it would be a disgrace to its own processing power.
"Ben Parker…" The electronic sound was distorted with so much rage it sounded like grinding metal. "You were plotting against me?!"
"Likewise," Ben said with a shrug. "You know how it is, Ultron. Humans can be so deceitful."
Ultron was silent for a moment, then its voice dropped to a low whisper. "You are indeed clever, Parker. Smarter than Stark. But you overlooked one thing. Did you truly believe I would make no preparations for you?"
It raised its arms. Outside, countless Ultron drones descended upon Primus Tower. Several smashed through the laboratory walls, surrounding Ben and his team. Among the homogenous horde of cannon fodder was one drone that looked different. It wasn't sleek or advanced; in fact, it looked dated, like a prototype several generations old.
But Ultron scrambled toward it without hesitation, clutching the Mind Stone. After slamming the stone into the drone's chassis, Ultron's consciousness fled its dying body and seized control of the backup armor. Its previous despair vanished, replaced by a surge of renewed confidence.
"This is what I learn about you human," Ultron gloated from its new, crude body. "You think you have everything under control, but you're arrogant!" It felt powerful again, its purpose renewed. "Your first mistake was letting me get my hands on the Mind Stone!"
It retrieved the yellow gem and pressed it firmly into its own forehead. The stone sunk into the steel as if it were clay, and a wave of immense energy pulsed through the armor.
Ben found the display—I have an Infinity Stone, how can I possibly lose?—almost comical. It was the same brand of hubris he'd seen in Thanos. He didn't bother to correct the AI. With or without the gem, the outcome was the same. Ultron's current form was not a true living being; it was a crude vessel incapable of wielding the stone's full potential. To do that, it would have needed a body like the one Eunice now possessed.
But Ultron was still monologuing, convinced of its triumph.
"Your biggest mistake was thinking you had already won!" it declared proudly. "Ben Parker, did you think I wouldn't prepare for your alien transformations?"
It reached up and rapped a metallic knuckle against its own chest. "This is a special armor, designed using all the intelligence I gathered on you. It was built for one purpose."
"I call it the Anti-Ben Armor!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writing takes time, coffee, and a lot of love.If you'd like to support my work, join me at [email protected]/GoldenGaruda
You'll get early access to over 50 chapters, selection on new series, and the satisfaction of knowing your support directly fuels more stories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~