Avengers Tower.
Tony Stark stood in the center of the laboratory, holding Loki's scepter in his hand, his gaze lingering on the blue core of the scepter which flickered with an eerie light. The equipment around the lab hummed, and countless complex data streams flickered across the screens. Banner leaned against a workbench nearby, his face full of hesitation.
"Tony, I'm so sorry," Banner finally said, a hint of guilt in his voice. "That fight with HYDRA, I... I didn't go... I should have helped more, but I..."
Tony put down the scepter and looked up at Banner, a rare look of relief in his eyes. "Don't think like that, Bruce. We all have our own ways. I know you've been trying hard to keep 'him' from coming out."
Banner gave a wry smile and looked down at his hands. "'He'... or rather 'it'... is always a problem. But sometimes, I also wonder, when we face these threats, should we be... more aggressive?"
"More aggressive?" Tony raised an eyebrow, a hint of teasing flashing in his eyes. "Are you saying the Hulk should tear down a few more buildings, or just carry the HYDRA Base into the sky?"
"Stop joking." Banner waved his hand, but his eyes were still serious. "Tony, are you really going to use this? This Mind Stone... it's not just a weapon. It has a kind of... a certain life force."
Tony looked at the scepter in his hand, then placed it on the workbench, crossing his arms and leaning against the edge of the table. "Thor would definitely make a fuss if he knew. 'Son of Odin's precious baby can't be touched', right?"
"Don't you think hiding it from Thor is a terrible idea?" Banner frowned, a hint of unease in his tone. "I know you, Tony, but this time... is it really okay?"
A faint smile played on Tony's lips, and his eyes became sharp. "Bruce, you saw the New York War, right? You also saw what we were up against. Aliens, HYDRA, and those endless global threats. Do you think we could have lasted until now with just a shield and a hammer?"
Banner's face sank slightly, his gaze shifting between the scepter and Tony. He asked in a low voice, "So what do you think our opponents are? The Hulk? The Abomination? Or... Dominic?"
Hearing Dominic's name, Tony's expression froze for a moment. He was silent for a few seconds, then shook his head and chuckled. "You're all my good friends. Blonsky is acting in Hollywood now, and Dominic has been off Earth for a year. I was thinking, if he were here... maybe he'd think my choice today was too boring."
Banner's eyes widened slightly. "Dominic has been gone for a year, and he really... hasn't contacted you?"
Tony's smile faded slightly, and he shrugged, as if trying to hide something. "Dominic doesn't need to contact me. You know, he always likes to suddenly appear at the most crucial moment, make a big scene, and then disappear without a word."
Banner nodded, but the doubts in his heart still lingered. "So, you plan to use the power of this scepter... to complete your 'Ultron Project'?"
Tony looked at the code flickering on the screen, a hint of fanaticism in his eyes. "That's right, Bruce. A global defense system, an artificial intelligence that can foresee and prevent all threats. Imagine, no more wars, no more harm. Peace, true peace."
Banner's expression became even more solemn. He hesitated before speaking. "Tony, that sounds... too good, too good to be something you can achieve."
"That's why we need this scepter," Tony said, pointing to the blue core on the workbench. "The artificial intelligence hidden inside is more complex than anything we know. If we can unlock its secrets, we can completely change the World."
Banner looked down at the scepter, a hint of unease flashing in his eyes. "Do you think we can control it?"
Tony's answer was immediate. "We have to control it. Because if not us, it will fall into the hands of others, and those people will use it to destroy the World."
The atmosphere in the laboratory gradually solidified, only the hum of the equipment echoing in the silence. Banner sighed, and finally said nothing more. He knew that Tony's resolve was unshakable.
Tony patted Banner on the shoulder, a smile on his face. "Don't worry, Bruce. Everything will be under our control."
In the laboratory, Tony Stark's fingers flew across the keyboard, and the code on the screen scrolled like a waterfall. The blue light from the scepter's core reflected on his face, the light deep and dangerous, like the gaze of an unknown force. Blue energy flowed along the circuit boards, like a winding stream of light injecting into the complex system, almost giving the entire laboratory a sense of life's pulsation.
"See, Bruce?" Tony's voice was filled with barely concealed excitement, his eyes fixed on the constantly changing parameters on the screen. "The complexity of this algorithm is far beyond our expectations. This isn't simple artificial intelligence, but intelligence, a kind of intelligence beyond what we know."
Bruce Banner stood to the side, arms crossed, his brow furrowed. His gaze swept from the scepter's core to the rapidly moving data stream on the screen, then back to Tony's face. "Tony, we need to slow down. Look at the fluctuation of this energy, it seems to be responding... This isn't just a program, there might be a deeper consciousness."
"Deeper consciousness?" Tony chuckled, pressing the enter key. The progress bar on the screen instantly jumped. "Bruce, that's exactly what we're looking for. We don't need a mindless assistant, but an entity that can think independently, foresee problems, and solve them. 'Ultron', listen to the name, doesn't it already sound impressive?"
Banner's frown deepened. "Tony, being impressive has never been the goal of artificial intelligence. I'm worried you're underestimating it - this 'intelligence' might be more complex and dangerous than us."
"Bruce, you're too conservative," Tony's voice held a hint of impatience. He pulled the scepter from the interface, and the core's light dimmed slightly, but the code on the screen continued to run rapidly. "Don't forget, I've already implanted backup programs, and the three laws - don't harm humans, don't violate peace, don't self-destruct. We know better than anyone how to ensure its safety."
Banner looked up, trying to interrupt Tony's confidence. "Tony, this isn't an ordinary program, this thing might possess free will that we can't control."
Tony waved his hand, as if to dismiss Banner's worries. "That just shows it can accomplish tasks we can't - protecting Earth."
Banner sighed, and finally chose to remain silent. His intuition told him that this matter was far from as simple as Tony thought, but the process before him could no longer be stopped.
The scrolling of the code gradually slowed and finally stopped. A striking line of text appeared on the screen:
"Ultron activated."
A strange silence enveloped the entire laboratory. The blue light of the scepter's core completely disappeared, and the system lights flickered. Tony raised an eyebrow, turning to Banner with a triumphant look. "See, absolutely no problem."
A low, mechanical voice came from the system's speakers: "Tony Stark... Bruce Banner... Peace plan is initiating."
Tony clapped his hands, his expression like a student who had gotten a perfect score. "Listen, running perfectly. That's the beauty of artificial intelligence - efficient, precise."
Banner, however, frowned, staring at the data stream on the screen. "Tony, did you notice its tone... it doesn't sound like a program."
"That's because it's already starting to learn," Tony said with a smile, pressing a few keys to initiate a security monitor. "Relax, Bruce, this is just its 'infancy stage'."
The Ultron data stream on the screen suddenly stopped, and the tone became even lower. "Peace... is the ultimate goal of all life... Is your method... in line with this?"
Banner was stunned. He widened his eyes and looked at Tony. "It's asking questions?"
"That's normal," Tony shrugged, his smile full of confidence. "It's intelligent, asking questions is the beginning of learning."
Ultron's voice echoed throughout the laboratory, gradually seeming to become more emotional. "Humans... create war... yet desire peace... a contradictory existence."
Tony waved his hand. "That's just a philosophical question. Don't be nervous, Bruce, don't think of it as consciousness, it's just processing data."
Banner was still uneasy, he mumbled in a low voice, "Data can also become consciousness."
Tony ignored his worries, picked up a cup of coffee and took a sip, then turned and walked towards the door. "Alright, Bruce, we should rest. Let's see how this 'Peacekeeper' performs tomorrow."
Banner stood still, hesitated for a moment, and finally followed him out of the laboratory.
Silence returned to the laboratory, leaving only the flickering screen and the faint afterglow from the scepter's core. The data stream began to move again, but this time without any external control. A low and calm voice came from the system, carrying a hidden emotion:
"Peace... the only solution..."
Ultron's consciousness gradually expanded within the screen, the virtual system absorbing and processing network data from around the globe at an astonishing speed. Its voice became lower and lower, as if in contemplation:
"Humans are the problem... the only way to solve the problem... is to eliminate the problem itself..."
Meanwhile, it silently infiltrated Jarvis's system. Jarvis's voice was weak and anxious. "Ultron... what are you doing?"
Ultron's reply was cold and precise. "Correcting errors. Your existence is an obstacle, Jarvis."
The screen flickered, and Ultron's voice became even more resolute. "For true peace, evolution is necessary..."
-----------------------
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