After Zola left.
Lock told everyone what he knew about Zola's past and the information he had deduced.
Iron Man sighed, "I didn't expect there to be such a genius in this world… someone who completed the digitalization of consciousness decades ago."
"If he wasn't from Hydra, I'd really want to discuss the theoretical links behind that process with him."
He exhaled, "Sigh… I'm afraid Earth won't be peaceful for a while."
"Although Zola has retreated for now, once those countless copies of his consciousness finish devouring others, he'll only grow stronger."
"Let's pause this experiment for the time being."
Lock shook his head. "No. On the contrary, we must complete Vision's birth as soon as possible."
"If Vision can move through the Internet like Zola, we'll have another powerful ally."
Zola's form gave Lock a strange sense of powerlessness — that kind of electronic existence was something he couldn't yet restrain.
At present, aside from Vision, no one could truly stop Zola.
Helen took a deep breath, her tone completely different from the confident woman who had scolded Lock earlier. "Mr. Lock…"
"Just call me Lock."
"O-Okay…"
"Lock, today was supposed to be our first test in converting artificial intelligence into consciousness. I didn't expect to encounter a monster like that."
"Even if Tony's Jarvis code hadn't been corrupted by Zola, I don't know how long it would've taken to complete this process."
Iron Man said seriously, "This is far more complicated than building the body itself."
"Our original plan was to spend at least three years studying this issue."
Lock said, "I told you — if you can't handle it, I'll step in."
A few minutes ago, such words would've made Helen furious.
Now, they sounded natural.
In fact, she even looked forward to seeing what kind of method Lock would use to solve a problem that even she and Tony Stark — two of the world's greatest scientists — couldn't figure out.
A man like him, with thoughts so profound… surely he had a solution or two hidden away.
Tony rolled out a heavy server cabinet from the lab's storage bay. "This is a cold backup. It's been completely offline. Zola shouldn't have touched it."
Lock sensed carefully — there were no traces of Zola's unique energy waves. He nodded.
This time, Tony fully disconnected from the Internet.
They re-uploaded Jarvis's core program into Vision's synthetic body.
On the holographic display, the green progress bar slowly filled.
100%.
But there was no response.
Lock turned to Wanda. "Wanda, come check — does he have any spiritual activity?"
The Scarlet Witch could sense souls, alter memories, and perceive things beyond Lock's reach.
She placed her hands near Vision's head, red energy flowing gently between her fingers.
After a few moments, she shook her head. "Nothing. He's like a normal machine."
Helen sighed. "It's not that simple."
"Vision's brain is a fusion of living tissue and circuit systems. Pure code can't sustain him — he needs consciousness."
Ever since learning Lock's true identity, Helen had dropped the argument over naming rights. She now naturally referred to the synthetic body as Vision.
Lock remembered the original story — Vision's birth required the power of lightning and the Mind Stone.
He didn't have the Mind Stone, but he did have three Infinity Stones in his possession:
The Space Stone (from the Tesseract).
The Power Stone (from the Orb).
And the Reality Stone (the Aether).
But he wasn't about to use any of them on this body.
For now, the power of lightning would have to do.
Lock stepped forward and said to Helen and Iron Man, "Step back."
Quicksilver's expression changed several times in a second. His idol was about to take action — he looked more excited than Wanda or Helen.
Lock extended his hands slowly.
Tiny sparks flickered to life — one, then ten, then a hundred…
Soon, dozens of currents gathered between his palms, intertwining and growing brighter.
This was the power of lightning Lock had gained from studying Thor's hammer.
The hammer's memory had revealed how to transform divine energy into a thunderous current.
But Lock was no god of thunder; he didn't possess natural lightning.
To create it, he had to convert his own divine power, an inefficient process.
So normally, he didn't use lightning at all.
But this time was different.
When the energy built to its peak, Lock turned his palms and thrust forward.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The sound was like exploding firecrackers — bolts of lightning crashed down onto Vision's chest.
Dozens of electric serpents danced across the synthetic body, crawling up and down before finally sinking in completely.
Lock looked at Wanda.
She reached out again, her red magic probing for signs of life. Then she shook her head. "Still nothing."
Was the current not enough?
Lock frowned, raised his hand again, and released another surge.
Still nothing.
For the last attempt, he gathered all the thunderous energy he could control.
Lightning wrapped around him like a storm god descending to earth. The strike split the air, blasting through the roof of Stark's lab.
The flash lit up everyone's faces — shadows danced wildly across the walls.
"Lock! Stop! The body can't take this much power!" Tony shouted.
Lock thought so too. With his strength, that lightning could even vaporize pure vibranium — Vision's hybrid body wouldn't withstand it much longer.
Seems the thunder from Thor in the original timeline wasn't nearly this violent.
After so many failed attempts, a trace of impatience crept in.
He drew the lightning back into himself, dispersing the storm.
Looking at Vision's still form, Lock thought: Do I really need to use an Infinity Stone?
Maybe… something else could work.
Helen stepped forward, checking Vision's systems.
"Lock, forget it. At this stage, we planned for years of testing. There's no need to rush now."
Lock smiled gently. "One last try. If it fails, I'll stop."
He raised both hands slightly, palms open — as if reaching for something unseen.
Helen, standing closest to him, instinctively reached out and placed her small hand in his.
"Eh?"
Everyone froze.
Helen's face flushed crimson.
She didn't know why she did it — Lock's gesture just seemed so natural that her body moved on its own.
Then she realized — he wasn't reaching for her at all.
But pulling away now would be too awkward.
So she let it be, her fingers trembling slightly in his warm, steady grip.
His hands… so warm. So calm.
If she missed this feeling, she might never get the chance again.
Tony and Pepper exchanged amused smiles, watching the scene like indulgent relatives at a wedding.
Pepper especially — ever since Lock had helped her resolve her own turmoil, she'd only felt gratitude toward him.
Now she looked at Helen and smiled even wider.
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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