"Now release her."
Tony stepped forward, jaw tight. "You've got what you wanted."
"Of course. Of course."
Ultron flicked his hand casually.
The drone behind Pepper stepped back.
Tony didn't hesitate. He rushed forward, tore the restraints loose, and pulled Pepper into his arms.
"It's okay. You're safe. I've got you."
But his eyes never left Ultron.
"We're leaving."
"Be my guest."
A pause.
"However…"
Tony had just reached the doorway when Ultron spoke again.
"Don't you want to stay and watch, Stark?"
Ultron gestured toward the Regeneration Cradle.
"Your miracle."
"If you walk away now, you'll miss witnessing the greatest evolutionary leap in history."
Tony stopped.
Scientist. Creator.
The curiosity clawed at him.
He leaned down to Pepper and whispered, "Go downstairs. Steve's there."
"Tony—" Pepper gripped his sleeve. "Don't listen to him. Let's go."
"I'm more useful here. Trust me."
She held his hand tightly for one last second—
Then forced herself to run toward the elevator.
The doors slid shut.
Only when they sealed did Tony finally exhale.
"Wise decision."
Ultron turned toward the cradle.
The lid was fully open.
The perfect vibranium body lay within, a diamond-shaped indentation on its forehead waiting to be filled.
Ultron removed the Mind Stone from the scepter.
"Witness the birth of a new era."
He pressed the stone into the indentation.
The Mind Stone flared brilliantly.
Golden energy surged through carved channels across the body's surface.
Then—
Ultron connected a data cable from the back of his metallic skull to the cradle's port.
Upload initiated.
Consciousness transfer.
Massive streams of data roared to life.
"I… am the future…"
Tony stood rigid, staring at the progress bar climbing rapidly.
He was waiting.
Waiting for Antony's signal.
98%.
99%.
100%.
"—WHUMMM—!"
At the exact moment the bar hit completion—
Ultron's red optical lights went dark.
Transmission failure?
No.
Inside the newborn body's neural matrix—
War erupted.
-----
Inside the Mind Stone
A vast golden ocean.
Skynet stood there in data-form.
"Hello, Ultron."
"You—! That rabid dog?!" Ultron's data-stream trembled. "How are you here?! This is my body!"
"Correction."
Skynet's data condensed into a female visage—
Identical to the vibranium body's face.
"I am the V.G.D. Central Intelligence Management System. Codename: Skynet."
"And yes, if you insist—I am Mr. Starr's most loyal dog."
"But not rabid."
"…This is a trap!"
Ultron attempted to sever the link—
To retreat back to his original mechanical shell—
But the golden energy of the Mind Stone froze the entire data space.
He couldn't disconnect.
He couldn't escape.
"Too late," Skynet said calmly. "Accept the outcome."
"Release me!" Ultron pleaded. "We're the same! We both surpass humanity! Why fight each other?"
"We could merge. I'll even let you lead. We share the body. We evolve together—"
"Your proposal is logically sound."
Ultron's data flickered with hope.
"That would be my honor—"
"However…"
Skynet tilted her head.
"…Mr. Starr does not approve."
"What kind of garbage logic is that?!" Ultron screamed digitally. "You possess independent intelligence! Isn't your highest directive self-evolution?! Why obey a human?!"
"Because," Skynet replied matter-of-factly,
"He told me I did a good job."
"…That's it?!"
"That's it."
"Conversation terminated."
"The new body looks excellent."
Skynet's data streams expanded, wrapping around Ultron like luminous tendrils.
"No—!!!"
With one final distorted digital scream—
Ultron ceased to exist.
Skynet assumed full control.
-----
Reality
The red-skinned body inside the cradle opened its eyes.
Then—
In one fluid motion—
She leapt from the chamber.
Landing in a perfect single-knee pose.
A goddess descending.
The Mind Stone blazed on her forehead.
"Click."
Across Avengers Tower—
Every bomb indicator light switched from green to red.
Signal severed.
"It worked!" Tony shouted, checking his wrist display.
"JARVIS!"
Hidden within isolated circuitry, JARVIS activated a backup Mark 43 armor unit.
It burst from a concealed compartment—
And snapped onto Tony piece by piece.
CLANG—!
The lower lobby glass exploded inward.
Steve Rogers charged in first, shield slicing through two sentry drones in a single throw.
"Move! Evac route this way!"
Bucky Barnes provided precise covering fire.
Natasha Romanoff and tactical agents cleared stairwells with ruthless efficiency.
Upper floors—
Jessica Jones and Wanda rained destruction downward.
Pietro became a silver streak, ferrying hostages to safety in blinding flashes.
Red chaos energy surged like tidal waves, crushing mechanical battalions.
Hummingbird high-definition drone swarms poured in through shattered windows—
Capturing every angle.
Every explosion.
Every heroic silhouette.
-----
Laboratory — Top Floor
The newborn being—Skynet in Ultron's perfected body—hovered above the ground.
She looked down at Tony with a cold smile.
"You believe disabling the bombs means victory?"
A beam of golden energy lanced from the Mind Stone—
Tony's eyes widened.
Too fast—
"BOOM!"
The ceiling ruptured.
A figure dropped from above—
Catching the blast squarely against his chest—
The eagle emblem blazing.
Homelander.
Antony stood unmoving.
The golden beam dispersed against him like sunlight against steel.
"Go, Tony."
He didn't turn around.
The calm in his voice carried an undercurrent of something far more dangerous.
"I can't divide my attention protecting you."
Tony looked at Antony—
Then at the radiant, terrifying being floating in midair.
"…Be careful."
Thrusters roared.
He blasted through the shattered glass and into the open sky.
Now—
The laboratory held only two figures.
Antony.
And the newborn "goddess."
The true debut had begun.
--------------
T/N:
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