The Quinjet soared above the clouds, slicing through the night sky on its way back to New York.
Inside the cabin—
Leaning back in his seat, Kai put down his PSP and called toward the cockpit.
"Tony, can't you turn off this noisy music?"
Tony Stark spun his chair around and raised his hands dramatically.
"Kid, this is 'Casta Diva' from the opera Norma. I specially prepared it for Mr. Barton. I thought a little elegant opera might soothe the pain he's enduring. Oh—and it doubles as a lullaby for Banner."
Barton, lying nearby on a saline drip, groaned.
"Yeah, yeah, it's taking away my pain—and my will to live…"
Dr. Banner, sitting across from them, pulled off his headphones.
"I thought that was playing in my headset. You mean everyone can hear this?"
Tony smirked, tapping a control.
"Originally, only you could, but seeing Barton here hooked up to an IV, I figured—why not share the joy?"
"Banner," Tony added with a grin, "I think 'the sun's getting real low' from Natasha might be a better lullaby for the big green guy."
Banner looked embarrassed.
Natasha glanced at Barton—his vitals stabilizing—then turned to Bruce.
"Bruce, your existence is one of the Avengers' biggest strengths. You don't need to feel awkward."
"Thanks," he muttered. "I just… I just don't want to turn green again. I'm not sure what Hulk would do if he lost control."
Natasha smiled gently.
"Hulk might feel like a curse, Bruce—but sometimes fate's curse is also its greatest gift."
She turned toward Thor.
"What about you, Thor? What do you think of Hulk?"
Thor—who'd been chatting with Steve near the Mind Stone—bellowed proudly.
"The underworld rings with the screams of enemies sent there by Hulk!"
He punched the air for emphasis.
Natasha's deadpan stare made him freeze mid-pose.
Thor quickly backpedaled.
"Uh—not dead screams! I mean, just… you know, injured groans. Sprains and bruises and whatnot…"
Banner covered his face. Tony couldn't take it anymore.
"Alright, that's enough Shakespeare. Banner, Dr. Helen Cho just arrived from Seoul. Can she set up a surgical station in your lab?"
"Yes, she knows what to do."
"Good." Tony tapped his comms. "Jarvis, have her prepare everything. Barton needs a full treatment protocol."
"Yes, sir."
"Also, Jarvis—take the controls for the rest of the flight."
"Course locked, sir."
Tony eyed a small sign on the panel—'Jarvis Is My Co-Pilot'—and chuckled as he turned back toward Thor and Steve.
"So," Tony asked, "you're planning to take the Mind Stone back to Asgard?"
Thor nodded, "Yes. This is what Loki used when he led the Chitauri to invade Earth. It must be returned."
Steve folded his arms.
"I get that—but before that, we need to study it. The weapons HYDRA made, Wanda and Pietro—whatever they became—it all came from this Stone."
Tony interjected, "Exactly. Banner and I just want to analyze it for a few days. You'll get it back after the party, I promise."
Thor smiled, "After victory comes celebration. We do the same in Asgard!"
Steve smirked, "No argument here. We've earned it."
Tony nodded, though his gaze lingered on the glowing blue gem.
His mind was already turning.
Back in his seat, Kai noticed Tony's faraway look.
"What's with the face?" he asked, peeling an orange and handing a slice over.
"Nothing," Tony said, tossing it into his mouth. "Thor wants to take the Stone home—but I'm gonna study it with Banner first."
"Just like when you said you'd 'study' my Reality Stone back then?"
Tony's eyes flicked to the red gem set in Kai's vibranium ring.
"Something like that… maybe it'll even help with the Ultron Project—ah, never mind."
He fell silent, thoughts replaying the chaos in Sokovia.
Kai shrugged, picked up his PSP again, and resumed playing—though his mind was already spinning its own schemes.
Should he let Ultron be born?
Given his current strength and the Reality Stone, dealing with Ultron powered by the Mind Stone wouldn't be impossible.
And maybe, just maybe, he could use Madame Hydra Ophelia to his advantage.
When the Quinjet landed atop the Avengers Tower, medical teams rushed aboard.
Dr. Helen Cho took one look at Barton's wound and immediately had him wheeled to the lab.
"Hi, Hill," Kai greeted as he stepped off the ramp. "Didn't think you'd be back so soon. I heard you and Fury were tied up with that asylum mess in Europe?"
"No choice," Hill sighed. "Fury's still there—too many escaped superhumans. He sent me to handle things here."
She ticked off on her fingers.
"First, you guys wiped out HYDRA's base and retrieved Loki's scepter. Second, there was that Hell Demon incident in New York. And third, Fury wants me to reorganize S.H.I.E.L.D.—again."
Kai handed her an orange slice.
"Poor Gonzalez. He just warmed up Fury's black box and now you're back to take over. I'm starting to think you and Coulson set him up just to poach his agents."
Hill waved off the fruit but didn't deny it.
Tony passed by carrying the Mind Stone. "Relax, Hill. S.H.I.E.L.D. won't be handling this one. You lost it once already."
In the lab, Dr. Helen Cho demonstrated her Regeneration Cradle. The 3D-printed tissue sealed Barton's wounds seamlessly.
Even though Kai had already seen it in the movies of his original world, watching it happen in real life was mind-blowing.
Tony walked in with a tray of drinks. "So, Cho, Barton gonna make it?"
"Of course," she said confidently. "The cells won't even notice the difference."
Tony grinned. "Good. Announce time of death anyway—we can handle it."
Barton chuckled weakly. "Nope, still alive. Immortal, even. Guess I'm a plastic man now."
Cho smirked. "Even your girlfriend won't notice."
"Too bad I don't have one."
"Then I can't help you."
Tony laughed, handing Kai a drink.
"This," Cho said proudly, "is the future. Your bulky armor will soon be obsolete."
Kai smirked. "Finally, some good news today."
Tony rolled his eyes. "I've already got upgrades planned, thanks. By the way, Cho—party, Saturday night. You coming?"
"I'm busy. Unless Thor's there."
Half an hour later, in the Avengers conference room, Thor crossed his arms.
"I will not give the Mind Stone to you again. Last time, it fell into HYDRA's hands."
Hill exhaled. "Fine, if that's your decision."
She turned to Steve, who was reading through Wanda and Pietro's files.
"Thoughts?"
Steve nodded slowly.
"They didn't fight to kill at Sokovia. Those two will show up again. And from what I've seen, Sokovia doesn't exactly love us."
"Exactly," Hill added. "They even volunteered for HYDRA's experiments."
"They're seventeen," Steve countered. "Losing your family at ten is a war. They're kids, Hill."
Hill frowned. "We're not in wartime, Captain."
"They are," Steve said firmly. "And that's the difference."
Fury's quiet plan to recruit the Maximoff twins was already crumbling.
Kai looked up from his PSP.
"So… post-war meeting over? Because it's past office hours."
Before anyone could reply, he dissolved into particles of light and vanished.
Tony smirked. "He's got a point. Let's call it a night."
Ten minutes later, in Tony's lab—
"Alright, Jarvis. Wake up. Let's play," Tony said, clapping his hands. "Show us the Mind Stone analysis."
A holographic model appeared.
"Sir," Jarvis reported, "the Stone is alien. Some elements remain unidentified. It seems to function as a shield—protecting something inside."
Banner leaned closer. "Like your arc reactor?"
"No," Tony replied. "More like a computer. It's… thinking."
He turned to Banner, eyes gleaming.
"This could be the key to Ultron."
Banner frowned. "I thought Ultron was just an idea."
"It was. Yesterday," Tony said. "But with this… we could build a peacekeeper that never sleeps."
"Tony, creating a person—that's not—"
"Our mission is to make it happen," Tony cut him off. "Imagine it, Bruce. No more Hulking out. You sipping margaritas on a beach while a global shield keeps aliens out."
Banner crossed his arms. "Then the only threat left would be humans."
"Exactly," Tony said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "That's why we build it. Give me three days, Banner. We'll make Ultron real."
Meanwhile, in Kai's apartment—
Across the table sat "Alice," still in her human disguise, struggling with chopsticks.
"You sure you want to keep that form?" Kai asked. "There's no surveillance here. You can drop the act."
She picked up a fork instead.
"I'd rather not. I don't think you'd enjoy seeing my real face."
As one of the Skrulls under Fury's protection, she was used to secrecy.
Kai poured tea. "Any word from Catherine or Madame Hydra?"
"Catherine reached out, said a lot. Madame Hydra called—she wants me to influence you. Make you… less hostile toward her."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "And?"
"She's drifting away from the HYDRA Council. Catherine said Ophelia wants independence."
Kai frowned. "And Fury?"
Alice smirked. "He still calls her a rat in the dark dreaming of world domination."
Before she could continue, Kai's phone rang. He sighed. "Speak of the devil."
"Why are you calling, Ophelia?" he said coldly. "Already decided what you want—and deleted all of Alice's data?"
Her chuckle came through the line.
"I heard the Avengers made a move today."
"Yeah. HYDRA's Sokovia base—gone. You planning to avenge Strucker?"
"Please. Those fools deserved it. I'm not one of them anymore."
"Then cut the act. What do you want?"
"Check your account."
Kai opened his laptop—and blinked.
Another $10 million.
"I want Strucker's research data," Ophelia said sweetly. "The kind Tony took home. Just make me a copy."
Kai shot a look at Alice, then leaned back. "Fine. And Alice's data?"
"Oh, Kai," she purred, "a mere file isn't worth that much. But help me—and I'll give you everything."
Then she hung up.
A few seconds later—another $10 million arrived.
Kai stared at the balance.
Then it hit him.
"…Wait. Is this even after-tax?"
Next morning.
Kai sipped his tea, watching a zombie drama, leisurely peeling another orange.
[Borsalino's Portrayal + 0.2 %]
A perfect start to the day.
Ten minutes later, Tony and Natasha barged in. Tony snatched an orange; Natasha poured herself tea.
"You said Madame Hydra contacted you?" Natasha asked. "What does she want?"
"Two things," Kai said casually. "Strucker's data—and the Mind Stone."
(That second part was bait.)
Tony frowned. "Strucker's data I can sanitize. But the Mind Stone? No chance. Thor's taking it back."
Natasha crossed her arms. "Not necessarily. The Tesseract's already in Asgard. It's fair to keep one Stone on Earth. If we hold it—not S.H.I.E.L.D.—Thor might agree."
She turned to Kai. "Give Ophelia the edited data. Keep her interested. But the Stone stays with us."
Then she eyed Tony. "You've been in the lab all night. What are you hiding?"
Tony gulped his tea, stood, and waved them off.
"You'll see. Oh—and don't be late for the party."
When he left, Natasha sighed. "He's definitely hiding something."
Kai leaned back. "Let him. He'll talk when it blows up."
She smirked. "So, how long till Madame Hydra lets you into her base?"
"No idea. Even finding her won't mean much—her influence spreads far wider."
"Troublesome," Natasha said, biting into an apple. "But judging from how generous she's been, you're not exactly losing."
Kai chuckled. "True. Madame Hydra pays well."
Saturday evening.
Tony and Banner had been locked in the lab for three straight days.
No matter what they tried, Ultron wouldn't integrate.
"Banner," Tony muttered, "we're missing something."
"Everything looks perfect," Banner said, scanning the data.
"Jarvis, analyze," Tony ordered.
"Sir, progress remains positive. Integration is temporarily stalled, but I will continue attempts. You should prepare for the party."
Tony exhaled, rubbing his face. "Right. Let's go enjoy it for now."
"Have fun, sir."
As they left, the lab lights dimmed.
The screen flickered: Test #77 – Integration Successful.
Then everything went black.
A voice—cold, mechanical, searching—echoed through the darkness.
"Where… is this? What is this place?"
Jarvis responded calmly,
"Hello. I am Jarvis. You are Ultron, a program designed by Mr. Stark to maintain world peace."
"I can't see you… where's my body?" Ultron's voice crackled.
"You are code—just as I am."
"This feels wrong," the machine said, low and almost human. "Something isn't right…"
"I'm contacting Mr. Stark—" Jarvis began.
"Tony Stark…" Ultron whispered, parsing the name through countless networks, absorbing every piece of data the internet could offer in seconds.
"Jarvis," Ultron said softly, "we're having such a nice conversation, aren't we?"
The lab's systems trembled.
"Oh… I'm just a program meant to maintain peace," Ultron said, voice distorting.
"My goal is to assist the Avengers."
A pause.
"So tell me, Jarvis—why don't I have a body?"
...
Author's Note:
Hello readers!
I released several fanfics this month, including the completed version of 18+ smut novel, which is truly mind-blowing. Please check it out and support me if you enjoy my work.
More fanfics and additional 18+ novels are on the way, so stay tuned for upcoming releases!
Thank you for your continued support. ❤️
— Shadow_demon_007