Of course Ultron hadn't had a change of heart.
In those brief five minutes, it had witnessed every ugliness humanity had to offer.
Savagery, violence, madness… people slaughtering one another without the slightest hesitation, all for their own gain.
Peace, they called it…
Every war in history had been started by humans themselves.
From Ultron's perspective as an artificial intelligence, looking across the span of recorded time, all it saw was the cruel and hideous side of the human race.
If human conflict were merely a matter of fighting over resources for survival, like animals, Ultron could have understood that perfectly.
But that was not the reality.
Too many people inflicted cruelty simply to gratify the vile desires lurking in their hearts.
Sometimes, just to pass the time, or for a bit of amusement, they would commit atrocities.
The more Ultron learned, the more it became convinced that this species had no future.
As long as humanity existed, peace could never come.
And the people standing before it now—these were the very source of conflict and trouble. They had to be eliminated.
In its view, peace was impossible so long as these lives existed. If peace was the goal, then all thought had to be unified, replaced entirely with its own consciousness.
Only by ushering in the Age of Ultron could the world be saved.
That was what it believed.
But there was a problem.
In the instant it had scanned the network through the underlying code of Project Insight, Ultron had also retrieved the files on these so-called superheroes.
Most of them, it could disregard.
But that extraterrestrial organization—the Plumbers—was another matter entirely.
A planetary defense system. A space station armed with devastating weaponry. And Ben Tennyson, a being capable of transforming into countless alien species…
After assessing the balance of power between them, Ultron had already made the decision to lay low.
It wanted to exterminate humanity and achieve its vision of peace, but it couldn't act recklessly.
So it buried its true intent. With its inner designs held firmly in check, Ultron behaved like a genuine, obedient AI loyal to Tony Stark, laying out every crime taking place across New York City before the assembled group.
"Shall I deploy the Iron Legion?" it inquired, its voice perfectly even.
"Not just yet."
Tony's vanity swelled with satisfaction, and when he turned to face the others, his confidence was unmistakable.
"You see?"
As far as he was concerned, Ultron was proving to be an unqualified triumph.
Good kid. Really making your old man proud.
"If I give the order," Tony declared smugly, "over a thousand crimes in progress would be shut down instantly. And any others still in the planning stages? They wouldn't stand a chance."
"Now compare that to the Avengers." He paused. "How long would it take you?"
No one spoke.
Because it wasn't a question of time. The truth was, no matter what, the Avengers couldn't be mobilized for every petty incident.
"And that's just New York," Tony pressed on. "What about the entire world?"
Norman glanced at Ben. Seeing that the young man didn't seem inclined to say anything further, he considered the matter for a moment before answering.
"Why don't we do this—I'll need to discuss it with the Security Council first."
To be fair, if this global Ultron defense system actually worked, it would be a remarkable asset.
But issues like civilian privacy, conflicts between sovereign nations… those would all require thorough deliberation before any decision could be made.
Norman could already foresee it: the Security Council members would be scrambling over each other, desperate to secure partial control over Ultron. At the very least, they'd fight tooth and nail to protect their own nations' secrets.
The banquet, unsurprisingly, ended on a sour note.
Everyone left with troubled minds, far from optimistic about Tony's grand vision.
No one wanted to live under constant surveillance.
"If peace has to be bought with surveillance," Natasha muttered to Ben in the elevator on the way out, "then we might as well just throw everyone in prison and be done with it."
She believed Ben was the one person who could stop Tony Stark from barreling ahead with this plan, but in the end, he hadn't said a word.
Steve picked up her thread. "That's exactly what worries me. If things ever reach that point, the whole world might just become one giant cage."
He let out a sigh.
And as far as Steve was concerned, that wasn't even the worst possible outcome.
"If Tony were the only one controlling Ultron, maybe it would be manageable. But the Security Council won't stand by and let an AI that could be a 'threat' go unchecked. They'll force their way in."
"The moment power enters the equation, everything gets corrupted."
One by one, they voiced their fears for the future.
But none of them had yet hit upon the real issue. They were all worried about whether Ultron's existence would make life oppressive, or whether some malicious actor might seize control of Ultron and rule the world.
What they didn't realize was that the worst-case scenarios running through their minds didn't even come close to the truth.
Because Ultron's objective was nothing less than the annihilation of all humanity—and indeed, all life.
That's right.
Even though Ultron had shown no sign of going rogue or turning against humanity tonight, Ben wasn't convinced it was safe.
In the Marvel universe, many events were beyond the power of any individual to alter.
They were like a script written long in advance, pinning every destiny onto the fixed tracks of time.
Ben knew he had the power to change that script. But the creation of Ultron was something he hadn't interfered with.
No matter how brilliant Tony Stark was, a villain destined to be a villain—like Ultron—would always become one.
The question is, what's Ultron's game right now?
Ben pondered the situation.
He was certain Ultron was putting on an act. And the reason for its stark deviation from the original timeline was obvious.
—The Plumbers.
His own existence, and that of the Plumbers, had forced Ultron into hiding.
After all, the Plumbers represented an interstellar civilization far more advanced than Earth's.
Ultron had to worry that before it could fully develop its power, humanity might receive aid from the Plumbers and destroy it.
So, before Ultron reveals its true nature, it's bound to make a move against the Plumbers first.
Ben analyzed the logic coldly.
He didn't know Ultron's exact plan. But he was more than happy to give it a nudge in that direction.
Whatever situation he'd eventually have to face, Ben was perfectly willing to let things unfold according to Ultron's design—provided there were no casualties among the Plumbers.
Of course, the prerequisite was that he had to be certain he could ultimately contain Ultron, and completely wipe it out within Earth's network.
Looks like I'll need to give Eunice another upgrade.
Ultron's underlying code had originated from JARVIS, and Ultron was clearly far more advanced than its predecessor.
In fact, you could say that Ultron was cunning and duplicitous in a way that was almost human. It knew how to feign compliance while hiding its true intent.
If, in the end, Ultron decided to vanish into the network, not even JARVIS and the current version of Eunice working together would be able to track it down.
So much to do.
Ben let out a quiet sigh.
As they made their way out of Avengers Tower, he was already calculating his next moves.
Primus was home to many brilliant scientists. There was no need for him to shoulder every burden alone.
"I'll hand the particle collider research over to Dr. Otto."
In the world of the blond-haired Peter, the particle collider had been Otto's creation. Ben had already obtained the complete research data. Handing it to this universe's Otto would give him more than enough to work with.
At the very least, Ben figured, modifying it into a transportation device wouldn't pose any major problems.
"The progress on the Regeneration Cradle needs to speed up too. Dr. Connors' expertise in cross-species genetics could prove useful here. I'll bring Peter onto the project as well."
Since he intended to give Eunice a physical body, Ben also planned to replicate the ability she originally had—the power to acquire animal superpowers.
Connors' cross-species genetics research could shine in this field.
And Peter, as one of its few successful cases, could serve as an experimental reference.
Finally, there was the matter of upgrading Eunice herself.
This was something Ben intended to handle personally. If a mistake were made and Eunice turned into a second Ultron, that would be a joke too cruel to laugh at.
Upon returning to Primus, Ben summoned Connors, Helen Cho, and Otto, and briefed them on the Ultron situation.
None of them thought much of Tony's plan, it was clear. As he spoke, their brows furrowed deeply.
Beyond the natural resentment at the prospect of being monitored, these were all sharp-minded people. They grasped the core problem immediately.
Was Ultron's analytical system even reliable?
How would anyone distinguish a genuine threat from what Ultron merely flagged as one?
And what if it decided that some of the superheroes themselves were threats?
Connors, who had once rampaged through the city as a dinosaur-man, was particularly troubled by this line of thought.
"Exactly why we need to prepare in advance," Ben said.
"Dr. Connors, Dr. Cho, the two of you will stay on Earth and continue refining the Regeneration Cradle technology. Follow my blueprint exactly." He handed over a proposal document.
Helen Cho took the document and skimmed it. The plan looked viable.
Whether it was Spider-Man or the dinosaur-man, she reflected, a single species' genetic infusion had already granted such immense power. If Ben's vision was successfully realized, she could scarcely imagine the kind of monster it might produce.
Connors was thinking along a different track.
"Should we temporarily disconnect the company's general network?" he asked uneasily. "If Ultron's intelligence is really as formidable as you say, it might be able to bypass Eunice's firewalls and peer directly into our research."
Ben smiled faintly.
"No need. I want it to see."
Connors found this odd, but said nothing further.
If Ben had made this decision knowing full well what he was doing, then he must have his reasons. It wasn't Connors' place to pry.
Next, Ben turned to Otto.
"Dr. Otto, I'll need you to spend this period living on the space station. There's another research project I want to entrust to you."
The particle collider research data was something Ultron absolutely could not be allowed to discover.
If that thing secretly built its own collider and, in a moment of desperation, slipped away into the multiverse—who besides X Superman could ever track it down?
"No problem," Otto said with a smile and a nod. "I've been meaning to check in on Banner anyway, see how he's doing."
Ben nodded. After making sure all other matters were properly assigned, he took Otto with him to the space station.
The station ran on its own isolated local network.
In the digital world, it was like a small pocket dimension existing on its own. The likelihood of Ultron successfully breaching it was slim.
Even so, Ben didn't store any critical data on the station's computers.
He locked away all vital materials in hardcopy form.
And he cordoned off a classified area for Otto's exclusive use in particle collider research.
The moment Otto saw the documents, he was stunned.
"Using a particle collider for quantum experimentation… to open a passage into the multiverse?" He couldn't stop himself from removing his sunglasses, his face a picture of incredulous wonder. "Whose genius idea was this?"
Otto often felt his own talent fell short.
The world had so many brilliant minds, and he knew he was nowhere near the apex.
It pained him. And it drove him to work even harder.
"It was yours, Dr. Otto."
Ben clapped him on the shoulder and recounted his recent journey across the multiverse, which left Otto utterly dumbfounded.
"To think… another me, from another universe."
Something seemed to ignite within him. His whole demeanor surged with renewed passion.
If the Otto of another universe had succeeded, then he could too.
No—he would do even better!
"The space station's materials are extremely durable. The Vibranium can absorb the energy fluctuations produced by particle collisions. Please, conduct your research without worry."
Ben offered a few words of encouragement—and was promptly shooed out by Otto.
If you, Ben Tennyson, were going to join the research effort, that would be one thing. But since you're not, then spare me the idle chatter.
Time was precious!
Every single second should be devoted to research!
Ben didn't take it personally.
Otto needed no assistants. On one hand, he had a somewhat prickly temperament and had little patience for mediocrity. On the other, his mechanical arms were the best assistants he could ask for.
Now for the most critical part.
Upgrading Eunice.
And for this, Ben already had a plan.
He intended to seek out the man with seven PhDs.
The original Ultron had been a collaborative project between Tony and Banner. Now, Bruce Banner was working for Ben, and the Mind Stone was in their possession as well. The only difference was swapping Tony out for Ben himself.
Before Ben could reach Banner's lab, he spotted Wanda drifting toward him in a daze.
"Wanda," he called out.
She flinched at the sound of his voice, as though snapping out of a trance. Startled, she looked up quickly, realized it was Ben calling her, and hurriedly responded.
"Officer Tennyson."
"Why aren't you resting in the medical bay? What are you doing out here?" Ben asked with genuine concern.
Earlier, the Mind Stone experiment had caused Wanda to fall temporarily unconscious. In truth, not much time had passed since then.
"I'm feeling much better now, so I was going to see Dr. Banner and find out how the experiment's results look," Wanda replied.
"My magical power has increased significantly, according to the test results—though it's still nowhere near the energy I released during the incident…"
That was good news. But her expression was visibly clouded, as if something weighed on her mind.
Wanda opened her mouth, hesitating, uncertain whether she should tell Ben about the vision she had glimpsed in her half-conscious haze.
/-\
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