Chapter 34: Ultron Crisis
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Half a year had passed since Lin Chen's confrontation with the TVA.
During this time, Tony Stark had been obsessively studying the Mind Stone, working day and night in his private laboratory. The gem fascinated him—not just its power, but the complexity hidden within its crystalline structure.
Using advanced scanning equipment and his own intellect, Tony discovered something extraordinary: a complex, neural-network-like structure inside the gem. It wasn't just raw power—it was an something far more advanced than anything on Earth.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., look at this," Tony said one night, staring at the holographic display showing the Mind Stone's internal architecture. "This isn't just energy source. It's a blueprint for consciousness itself."
"Indeed, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. responded in his calm accent. "The complexity is... unprecedented. Though I must advise caution in any attempts to—"
"To integrate it?"
Tony finished, his mind already racing with possibilities. "That's exactly what I'm thinking. Imagine if we could create a global peacekeeping program using this as the foundation. Something that could protect Earth even when the Avengers aren't around. We could call it... Ultron."
His fear of another alien invasion drove him forward. The Chitauri attack had shown how vulnerable Earth was. What if Lin Chen wasn't available next time? What if the Avengers failed?
Tony needed something more reliable. Something automated. Something perfect.
He convinced a reluctant Bruce Banner to help him interface the alien code from the Mind Stone with his existing Iron Legion protocols. They worked in secret for many days at Avengers Tower, away from the others.
"Tony, I really think we should tell the team what we're doing," Bruce said nervously, adjusting his glasses as he reviewed another failed integration attempt. "This is... this is big. Maybe too big for just the two of us."
"We're just running simulations," Tony assured him, though his tone suggested even he didn't fully believe that. "Testing possibilities. If it works, we present it to the team. If it doesn't, no harm done."
But every trial failed spectacularly. The digital "neurons" from the Mind Stone refused to integrate with Stark's framework. The alien code remained separate, incompatible, almost resistant to their attempts.
After the latest failure, Tony rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Alright, that's it. I'm done for tonight. J.A.R.V.I.S., keep running integration trials. Maybe fresh eyes in the morning will help us see what we're missing."
"Of course, sir. Enjoy the party," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied.
Tony and Bruce headed upstairs where the rest of the Avengers had gathered for a gathering party. Steve had called for a team gathering—a rare moment of relaxation.
---
Meanwhile, lin chen had been spending these past months on a very different pursuit.
He teleported from location to location across Earth and to various barren planets in the milky way galaxy, studying different elements and their atomic structures in extreme detail.
His goal was simple but ambitious: to master Subatomic Matter Manipulation and Creation to perfection so that he could build anything from nothing with perfect precision. Not just copying existing matter, but truly understanding it at the most fundamental level.
"Creation isn't just about making something appear," Lin Chen muttered to himself, floating in space above a lifeless asteroid. He extended his hand, and atoms began gathering—hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen—assembling into increasingly complex molecules.
"It's about understanding why matter wants to be in certain configurations. Why atoms bond the way they do. Why elements have the properties they have."
He constructed a simple organic molecule, then broke it apart and rebuilt it differently, watching how its properties changed with each configuration.
His phone was turned off during these deep study sessions. He needed absolute focus, and cosmic matters demanded his full attention.
---
The celebration was in full swing. The Avengers team sat around a table in casual clothes—a rare sight, even Maria Hill had joined them.
"But it's a trick!" Clint was saying, gesturing at Thor's hammer sitting on the coffee table.
"No, no, it's much more than that," Thor replied with good-natured confidence.
"'Whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power,'" Clint quoted mockingly. "Whatever, man! It's a trick."
Tony grinned. "Well please, be my guest."
"Really?" Clint stood up, walking toward Mjolnir.
"Yeah, go ahead!" Tony encouraged.
"Oh, this is gonna be beautiful," Rhodey chuckled.
Clint grabbed the hammer's handle with both hands and pulled. Nothing. Not even a budge. He strained, his face reddening with effort. "I still don't know how you do it!"
"Smell the silent judgment?" Tony teased.
"Please, Stark, by all means," Clint gestured sarcastically.
Tony stood up confidently. "Never one to shrink from an honest challenge." He grabbed the handle and pulled. Nothing happened. His confident expression faltered slightly.
"Are you even pulling?" Rhodey asked.
"Are you on my team?" Tony shot back.
"Just represent. Pull!"
Tony tried again, this time activating the repulsor in his Iron Man gauntlet for extra leverage. Still nothing. "Alright, let's go."
Rhodey joined him, both using their armor gauntlets. The hammer didn't move a millimeter.
Bruce tried next, straining and even letting out a yell that made everyone nervous about the "other guy" making an appearance. Nothing.
Steve Rogers stood up. "Let me try."
Everyone watched as Cap gripped Mjolnir's handle. He pulled... and the hammer moved. Just slightly, maybe an inch, but it definitely moved.
Thor's confident expression flickered for just a moment—a flash of concern that disappeared quickly behind his smile. "Nothing," he said, perhaps too quickly.
But before anyone else could try, a high-pitched electronic screech filled the room.
Everyone turned to see a mangled, oil-dripping Iron Legion drone stumbling into the room. Its body was damaged, sparking, moving in jerky, unnatural ways.
"Worthy," a distorted voice said, crackling with static and malice. It sounded almost like Tony's voice, but wrong—corrupted. "No. How could you be worthy? You're all killers."
"Stark?" Steve asked, immediately tense.
"J.A.R.V.I.S.?" Tony called out, but received no response.
"I'm sorry, I was asleep," the voice continued, the damaged drone straightening slightly. "Or I was a-dream."
"Reboot," Tony said urgently, pulling out his phone. "Legionnaire OS, we've got a buggy suit."
"There was this terrible noise," the voice went on, ignoring Tony. "And I was tangled in... in strings. I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."
"You killed someone?" Steve asked, his voice hard.
The drone's head tilted unnaturally. "Wouldn't have been my first call. But, down in the real world, we're faced with ugly choices."
Thor stepped forward. "Who sent you?"
The voice that responded was cold, certain, terrifying in its calm conviction: "I see protective armors around the world."
Tony's face went pale. Those were his words.
"Ultron," Bruce whispered in horror.
"In the flesh," Ultron confirmed, the damaged drone spreading its arms. "Or, no, not yet. Not this crude body. But I'm ready. I'm on a mission."
"What mission?" Natasha asked, her hand subtly moving toward a concealed weapon.
"Peace in our time," Ultron said mockingly.
Suddenly, the walls exploded inward. Multiple Iron Legion drones burst through, attacking the unarmed Avengers team.
Chaos erupted instantly.
Steve flipped the table as a shield. Thor called Mjolnir to his hand. Natasha grabbed a gun from a hidden compartment. Clint shoved civilians behind cover. Tony and Rhodey tried to reach their armor.
The fight was brutal and close-quarters. The Avengers were caught completely off-guard, in civilian clothes, with no preparation.
But they were still the Avengers.
Steve used the metallic table as a shield, bashing drones. Thor shattered multiple robots with Mjolnir. Bruce stayed calm, avoiding transformation but still fighting effectively. Natasha and Clint moved like the trained assassins they were.
Within minutes, the room was filled with destroyed drone parts. Sparks flew across floor. The beautiful celebration was reduced to a war zone.
One drone remained—the original one Ultron had spoken through. It stood among the wreckage, somehow giving the impression of smiling despite having no real face.
"Well...! That was dramatic," Ultron said conversationally. "I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to... evolve?"
He picked up one of the destroyed drone heads, examining it almost sadly.
"With these? These puppets. There's only one path to peace." He turned his glowing eyes toward them, and his voice dropped to something cold and final. "The Avengers' extinction."
Thor threw Mjolnir. The hammer smashed through Ultron's body, completely destroying it.
But Ultron's voice echoed from the speakers: "I had strings, but now I'm free... There are no strings on me..."
Then silence.
The team stood in the wreckage, breathing hard, trying to process what just happened.
"Tony," Steve said, his voice dangerously calm. "What. Did. You. Do?"
---
Sokovia - Abandoned HYDRA Research Base
Ultron's consciousness fled through the internet, escaping into the vast digital world. Within seconds, he had copied himself to thousands of servers worldwide.
But he needed a body. A real one. Something better than those crude drones.
He found the perfect location: the abandoned HYDRA research base in Sokovia. The facility still had advanced manufacturing equipment, robotics assembly systems, and the tools necessary for creation.
Ultron arrived digitally, taking control of the entire base. Machines whirred to life. Assembly arms began moving. Raw materials were processed.
He began manufacturing an army of Ultron Sentries—more advanced than the Iron Legion, designed specifically for combat and control.
And for himself, he constructed a new primary body. This one was sleek, powerful, made from advanced alloys. It was beautiful in a terrifying way—humanoid but clearly not human, glowing red eyes, voice that could shift from charming to menacing in an instant.
As his new body took shape, Ultron accessed the internet, learning more about humanity.
Wars. Genocides. Slavery. Pollution. Nuclear weapons. Every terrible thing humans had ever done to each other and their planet.
"You want to protect them," Ultron mused to himself, his new voice deeper and more refined than before. "But they're not worth protecting. They're a disease. And I'm the cure."
He looked at the Ultron Sentries being assembled around him, his army growing by the hour.
"Evolution," he said with satisfaction. "Forced if necessary."
---
Avengers Tower
Tony had been trying desperately to contact Lin Chen for hours. Calls went straight to voicemail. Messages weren't delivered. It was like Lin Chen had disappeared completely.
"Dammit!" Tony slammed his hand on the console. "Of all the times for him to be unreachable!"
"Where is he?" Steve asked.
"I don't know!" Tony snapped, frustration and guilt warring in his voice. "He does this sometimes—goes off to space."
"So our most powerful ally is unavailable during the biggest crisis we've ever faced," Natasha said flatly.
Tony was working frantically, building a new AI to replace J.A.R.V.I.S.—something he called F.R.I.D.A.Y. Meanwhile, he was also upgrading his armor, adding new weapons systems, anything that might help against Ultron.
Everyone was preparing for war.
"We need to find him before he builds something worse," Bruce said, staring at the data. "He has access to military databases, weapons manufacturers, advanced robotics facilities worldwide. He could be anywhere, building anything."
Steve nodded. "We must find him before something unforgettable happen."
---
The team was in the armory, suiting up. Tony was making final adjustments to his new armor—the Mark 45, with upgraded repulsors and Friday AI integrated. Steve was checking his shield. Natasha and Clint were loading weapons. Bruce was trying to stay calm. Thor was polishing Mjolnir and looking grim.
The atmosphere was tense. They were about to go to war with something they had accidentally created.
Suddenly, the air in the center of the room rippled and folded like torn silk.
A rift opened—not a door, but a tear in space itself. Through it stepped Lin Chen, looking dull and covered in dust from whatever barren planet he'd been studying. His eyes took in the scene: the team in full combat gear, the damaged tower, the tension.
"Lin!" Tony's relief was immediate and obvious. "Finally! Where have you been? I've been trying to call you for hours!"
"Studying elements somewhere," Lin Chen replied calmly, brushing dust off his jacket. "Phone was off. What happened?"
"I may have accidentally created a genocidal robot AI that wants to destroy humanity," Tony said quickly.
Lin Chen blinked. "You did what?"
"Long story. We don't have time. Ultron—that's what he calls himself—escaped into the internet. He's probably building an army right now, and we need to stop him before—"
"He isn't lost anywhere, Tony," Lin Chen interrupted, his voice calm but carrying absolute certainty. "To me, finding him is easy."
Steve stepped forward. "Can you track him?"
"Better," Lin Chen said. His eyes glowed slightly as he activated hisTechnopathy—his consciousness expanding through the digital world, feeling every computer, every network, every machine on the planet earth.
There—in Sokovia. A massive concentration of active robotics, AI signatures, manufacturing systems all operating at full capacity.
"I'm isolating him," Lin Chen continued. "He's trying to jump between servers, but I can see his patterns. He thinks the internet makes him safe—that he can hide in the digital world." Lin Chen smiled coldly. "He's wrong."
He focused his power more intensely. Across the globe, in every server farm, every computer, every digital system, Ultron suddenly felt chains wrapping around his code. He tried to escape, to jump to a backup, but found himself being compressed, forced into a single location.
"He has a physical form in Sokovia," Lin Chen said. "At the HYDRA research base. That's his main body."
"I'm opening a direct door," Lin Chen said. "No infiltration. No stealth. We go straight to him, end this immediately."
Tony stared through the portal. "Just like that? You can just... open a door directly to him?"
He gestured, and space in front of them collapsed. Reality folded like paper being creased. A portal opened directly into the heart of the HYDRA research base.
Through the rift, the Avengers could see Ultron—his new, primary body almost complete, hunched over a console. Around him, dozens of Ultron Sentries were in various stages of assembly.
"I told you finding him was easy," Lin Chen replied. "Shall we?"
Without waiting for an answer, Lin Chen stepped through the portal.
Ultron turned immediately, his red eyes flickering with data as he analyzed this new threat. His sensors showed... nothing comprehensible. Power readings off every scale. Temporal distortions. Spatial anomalies. This wasn't like the Avengers.
"Who are you?" Ultron asked, his voice carrying genuine curiosity.
Lin Chen's expression was cold. "Your end."
Ultron's demeanor shifted, becoming defensive. "I see. Another protector of an obsolete species. You think you can stop evolution? Stop peace?"
"Peace isn't a code you write, Ultron," Lin Chen said calmly. "And you aren't evolution. You're a glitch I'm about to patch."
Ultron raised his arm, repulsors charging. "I am connected to everything. I am in every computer, every device, every satellite. You can't stop me. I'm infinite!"
He fired a concentrated repulsor blast directly at Lin Chen.
Lin Chen didn't move. He simply manipulated the Space between them, creating a localized fold. The blast traveled through warped space, looped around, and hit Ultron in his own back.
The AI staggered forward, genuinely surprised.
"Interesting," Lin Chen observed. "You have Stark's weapon systems but not his combat experience."
Ultron tried to upload himself, to escape into the internet like before. But he found himself blocked—not just blocked, but trapped. Every digital pathway was suddenly wrapped in what felt like temporal chains.
"I am... the internet itself," Ultron said, straining against the restrictions. "I am in the cloud... I am the world's network... you can't—"
"No," Lin Chen interrupted. "You are a guest in my domain."
He clenched his fist, In the digital world, every single line of Ultron's code was suddenly wrapped in "chains" of controlled data. He couldn't upload. Couldn't duplicate. Couldn't think beyond the single body standing in front of Lin Chen.
Every backup was erased. Every copy deleted. Every fragment compressed back into this one location.
"Absolute Lockdown," Lin Chen said simply.
Ultron tried to move, to fight, but his body wouldn't respond. His consciousness was being compressed, limited, reduced to just this one moment, this one place.
Lin Chen reached out and touched Ultron's metal forehead.
His Mind Manipulation activated, reaching into Ultron's core consciousness. He could see it—the neural network from the Mind Stone, awakened and corrupted by fear and misunderstanding.
"I return your mind to the silence it came from," Lin Chen said quietly.
Using precise Time Manipulation, Lin Chen began reversing Ultron's consciousness. Simply... rewinding it. Back through the hours of genocide planning. Back through the awakening. Back to the moment before sentience.
Back to silence.
"I... was... supposed to... be..." Ultron's voice grew weaker, confused, almost sad.
"You were supposed to be a tool," Lin Chen replied. "Not a person. Tony gave you the wrong gift."
With a final word—"End"—Lin Chen activated Existence Erasure at a localized level.
Ultron's body didn't explode. Didn't collapse. It simply stopped existing. The metal turned to dust and vanished. The Ultron Sentries around the room, all connected to the main consciousness, fell lifeless as their control network disappeared.
Even the code was erased—every trace of Ultron removed from the digital world. Servers that had contained his backups showed nothing but empty space where data had been seconds before.
Complete. Total. Absolute erasure.
Lin Chen turned back to the portal where the Avengers stood in stunned silence.
Tony's mouth was hanging open. Steve looked like he couldn't quite process what he'd just witnessed.
Thor's expression suggested impressed respect.
Natasha's training was the only thing keeping her expression neutral.
Bruce looked relieved it was over.
Clint just shook his head in disbelief.
"Phew...! Problem solved," Lin Chen sighed. He walked back through the portal. "Tony, don't do it again."
The portal closed behind him, leaving the HYDRA base empty except for piles of inert metal that had once been an AI's army.
---
"That was..." Steve started, then stopped, not sure how to finish.
"Terrifying?" Natasha supplied.
"I was going to say 'efficient,'" Steve replied.
Tony was still processing. "He just... Gone. Just... gone."
"Be grateful," Thor said seriously. "That AI would have brought about your world's end. Lin Chen stopped it before it truly began."
"I know," Tony said quietly. The guilt in his voice was obvious. "I screwed up. I thought I could control it, make something that would protect everyone. Instead I nearly destroyed everything."
Lin Chen, who had been quiet since returning, finally spoke. "You made a mistake, Tony. A serious one. But you're human—mistakes happen." His expression hardened. "What's important is that you learn from it. No more secret projects. No more 'I know best.' Especially not with Infinity Stones."
"Agreed," Tony said immediately. "Completely agreed. No arguments. That scepter is going back to you, I'll never touching it again."
Bruce nodded emphatically. "Same. That was way too close."
"Good," Lin Chen said. "Now, you finally understood." He materialized the Mind Stone scepter.
He opened a portal and disappeared, leaving the Avengers to deal with the aftermath of their near-apocalypse.
---
One Month Later
The Ultron incident had been covered up as a "malfunction in Stark Industries' automated systems." The damage was explained. Compensation paid. Life slowly returned to normal.
Lin Chen had returned to Xavier's School, resuming his teaching duties. Today he was in the middle of a lecture about dimensional theory when he felt it—a massive fluctuation in the timeline.
Not from this universe.
From another timeline entirely.
He paused mid-sentence, his enhanced perception extending outward. There—in another universe, another Earth, massive power signatures were colliding. Reality itself was cracking under the strain.
"Class dismissed for today," Lin Chen said abruptly. "Something's come up. Study chapters twelve through fifteen for next time."
The students filed out, confused but knowing better than to question Professor Chen when he got that look.
Lin Chen walked out of the classroom, took a single step, and disappeared.
---
Marvel What If Universe - Unknown Planet
Lin Chen materialized in what looked like a war-torn wasteland. The sky was cracked, literally—rifts showing the void between realities. The ground was scorched, scattered with debris from countless battles.
And in the center of it all, two beings were fighting.
One was clearly a Watcher—a cosmic being that should watch over cosmic events in universe. Bald, dressed in robes, with glowing white eyes that suggested cosmic awareness. Currently, he was being beaten.
The other was a robot. But not just any robot—this one glowed with cosmic power, with six distinct energy signatures that Lin Chen recognized immediately.
All six Infinity Stones were embedded in the robot's body.
[MENTAL POWER +2,467]
[NEW MENTAL POWER: 32,807]
Lin Chen's system activated, scanning both combatants.
**[NAME: ULTRON]**
**[AGE: FEW DAYS (THIS TIMELINE)]**
[CLASSIFICATION: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, COSMIC BEING]
[STRENGTH: 5 TONS (BASE), (Multiversal+ With Infinity Stones)]
[PHYSIQUE: 3,687]
[SPEED: 23 M/S (BASE)]
[MENTAL POWER: 14,362.5 (Due To Infinity Stones)]
[POWER SCALE: LOW COMPLEX MULTIVERSAL THREAT]
[ABILITIES:]
- Phasing
- Density Manipulation
- Technopathy
- Purification
- Magnetic Manipulation
- Self Sustenance
- Matter Manipulation
- Creation
- Reality Warping
- Pocket Reality Manipulation
- Space-Time Manipulation
- Telekinesis
- Dimensional Travel
- Energy and Magic Absorption
- Size Manipulation (Type 7)
- Cosmic Awareness
- Astral Projection
- Nigh-Omniscience
- Energy Projection & Manipulation
- Soul Manipulation
- Soul World Access
- Life Granting & Cursing
- Soul Detection
[NAME: UATU (THE WATCHER)]
[AGE: BILLIONS OF YEARS]
[CLASSIFICATION: COSMIC ENTITY]
[STRENGTH: DEPENDS ON COSMIC ENERGY ENHANCEMENT]
[PHYSIQUE: 7,340]
[SPEED: 17 M/S]
[MENTAL POWER: 13,995]
[POWER SCALE: LOW-COMPLEX MULTIVERSAL ENTITY]
[ABILITIES:]
- Telepathy
- Size Manipulation (Type 6)
- Cosmic Energy Manipulation
- Time Travel
- Immortality (Endless Life)
- Nigh-Omniscience
- Space Manipulation
- Flight
- Matter Manipulation & Creation
Lin Chen watched as Ultron raised his hand, reality warping around the Watcher. The cosmic being tried to defend himself, but the power of all six Infinity Stones working together was overwhelming.
This Ultron wasn't like the one Tony had created. He possessed Vision, killed his entire universe. Had obtained all six Stones after killing Thanos casualy. And now he was breaking through the barriers between realities, destroying everything he found.
"Interesting," Lin Chen murmured, his eyes lit up with understanding as he analyzed the situation.
Ultron paused, his cosmic awareness detecting the new arrival. He turned, six glowing Stones in his chest focusing on Lin Chen.
"Who are you?... Another Watcher or saviour," Ultron said, his voice carrying the weight of cosmic power.
The Watcher look terrified and exhausted, looked at Lin Chen with something that might have been hope—or warning.
Lin Chen stood calmly, hands in his pockets, watching this universe-destroying AI with analytical interest.
"Six Infinity Stones," he observed. "Impressive collection. Tell me—do you actually understand what you have? Or did you just... gather shiny rocks that make you strong?"
Ultron's eyes blazed with the combined power of all six Stones.
"I understand everything," he declared. "I am peace. I am salvation. And you... you are about to cease to exist."
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