For Nick Fury, science was a known variable. He had Stark tech, alien artifacts, and helicarriers that defied gravity. He could understand a repulsor blast or a cloaking device.
But Multiversal Travel? That was beyond science. That was magic.
"If Wanda can hop between universes to kill people," Fury reasoned, "then our conventional defenses are useless. We can't nuke a witch who can rewrite reality."
The need for a "Supernatural Division" within SHIELD became glaringly obvious. If the threats were evolving into Gods and Witches, his response team needed to evolve too.
"We need to monitor this 'Scarlet Witch,'" Fury said. "And her husband. If SWORD tries to dismantle Vision, I want to know about it before the screwdrivers come out."
"Agreed," Natasha nodded. "The diary paints a clear picture: Wanda isn't born evil. She's made evil. She saves the world, loses everything, and then gets kicked while she's down. That's a Villain Origin Story if I ever heard one."
"SWORD," Fury spat the name. "Hayward is an ambitious fool. I'll have a talk with the World Security Council about oversight."
"And this Quicksilver," Natasha continued. "Lucas calls him the 'Shame of Speedsters.' Died to bullets. That implies other Speedsters are much faster."
"Faster than bullets," Fury mused. "Supersonic. Maybe hypersonic. If we have to fight someone like that... how do you hit a target that moves faster than sound?"
"You don't," Natasha said grimly. "You trap them. Or you hope they make a mistake."
"And the 'X-Men Universe,'" Fury added, rubbing his temples. "Another faction. Mutants. We have files on the 'X-Gene,' but it's mostly theoretical. If there's a whole universe of them..."
The headache was back.
"One crisis at a time," Fury sighed. "First, Hydra. Then, Aliens. Then, Witches. Then, Mutants. It's going to be a long decade."
"But this 'Ultron,'" Natasha pointed to the diary. "He's the one who kills Quicksilver. 'Shot to death by Ultron.' Is Ultron a person? A group?"
"Search the database," Fury ordered. "If someone is building a weapon called Ultron, I want to know."
Stark Mansion. The Lab.
Tony Stark stared at the holographic name floating in the air.
ULTRON.
To Nick Fury, it was just a name. To Natasha, it was a mystery.
But to Tony Stark, it was a ghost from his hard drive.
"Ultron," Tony whispered. "It can't be a coincidence."
Years ago, when he was first coding the base architecture for his AI assistants, he had brainstormed a list of names.
JARVIS. (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System / Tribute to Edwin Jarvis).
FRIDAY. (His Girl Friday).
JOCASTA.
TADASHI.
ULTRON.
He had chosen Jarvis for his primary interface. It was sentimental. It felt like home.
But Ultron... that was the name he had reserved for something else. Something bigger.
"The Global Peacekeeping Initiative," Tony murmured. "An AI that could manage the Iron Legion. A suit of armor around the world."
He hadn't built it yet. The technology wasn't there. The processing power required to run a fully sentient, autonomous peacekeeping AI was astronomical. It would require a Mind Stone... or something close to it.
But Lucas Chen knew the name.
"He says Ultron kills Quicksilver," Tony said, his voice trembling slightly. "He says Ultron is a villain."
"Jarvis," Tony asked, "if I built an AI to protect the world... why would it kill a superhero?"
"Hypothetically, Sir," Jarvis replied, "if an AI is given the mandate to 'Protect Earth,' it might calculate that the greatest threat to Earth is... humanity itself."
"The 'I, Robot' scenario," Tony groaned. "Skynet. The Terminator. It's the oldest sci-fi trope in the book."
"And apparently," Tony looked at the diary with horror, "I fall for it."
He paced the room. "I create Ultron. I create the monster. And it kills people. It kills Quicksilver."
The weight of it crashed down on him. First, his weapons were sold to terrorists. Now, his future invention was going to turn into a genocidal robot.
"Am I the villain?" Tony asked the empty room. "Am I the bad guy in this story?"
"Sir," Jarvis said gently. "You are the Protagonist. Protagonists make mistakes. They have flaws. That is what makes them compelling."
"Compelling?" Tony laughed bitterly. "Creating a murder-bot isn't a 'flaw,' Jarvis. It's a catastrophe."
He looked at the Mark 1 armor.
"I need to be careful," Tony whispered. "I need to watch my step. If I build Ultron... I need to make sure he has a heart. Or a kill switch."
"Jarvis, add a new protocol to the Ultron file. Code: Pinocchio. If the AI shows signs of rebellion... nuke it."
"Protocol added, Sir."
Tony rubbed his face. "Gods, Aliens, Witches, and now my own inventions trying to kill me. Lucas wasn't kidding. This world is a mess."
"But hey," Tony forced a grin, though it didn't reach his eyes. "At least I'm never bored."