Chapter 282: The Silent Infiltration
Inside Avengers Tower.
The Avengers who had previously mutated from gamma radiation had now returned to normal, thanks to the combined efforts of Stark and Dr. Banner.
"So, in the end... Dr. Banner really left, didn’t he?" Reed’s tone carried a trace of melancholy as he listened to Stark’s explanation.
"Yeah." Stark crossed his arms, his voice low. "This was the best I could do for him... or maybe not even that. Truth is, I didn’t really do much at all."
Reed stepped forward and gave Stark’s shoulder a reassuring pat. "Tony, you’ve already done more than enough. If it were me, I’m not sure I’d have been able to help him the way you did."
"The real problem is General Ross." Stark’s voice sharpened with irritation. "That guy’s not going to stop. He’ll chase Banner to the ends of the earth until he’s dragged back in chains."
Reed shook his head. "More than worrying about Banner... I’m worried about you."
"Me?" Stark chuckled dryly. "You’ve got to be kidding. Reed, I’ve never felt better in my life."
But even as he spoke, Stark suddenly felt that same strange sense of disharmony within his body creeping back again. He forced it out of his mind, brushing it off.
"You injected yourself with a virus and fused an armor system directly into your body. You can’t possibly believe that comes with zero risks." Reed frowned deeply.
"Enough, Reed. You’re a scientist too—you know as well as I do that this is stable." Stark waved dismissively, his voice edged with impatience. "And I know my own condition better than anyone. I’m fine. More than fine." He curled his lip in defiance.
Reed didn’t press further, but Stark knew the truth: ever since merging with the Extremis virus and the Genesis Armor, there was always that gnawing feeling of being... watched. As if unseen eyes were on him every moment.
And indeed—he was right.
Somewhere on Earth, a silver figure sat motionless in a chair, his metallic fingers tapping softly against the armrest. Crimson eyes glowed as they fixed on the holographic display before him.
The screen showed live feeds from Avengers Tower. Next to the highlighted footage of Stark, a line of text scrolled across the bottom:
Target: Tony Stark
Operating System: Genesis
Status: Full Override
Ultron’s search for the Destroyer had yet to yield results. Gene wasn’t surprised—if Ultron were that easy to track down, he wouldn’t have repeatedly returned as one of Earth’s greatest villains. The cat-and-mouse game was part of what made Ultron so dangerous... and so entertaining.
"Creator, detecting anomalous energy fluctuations," Skynet reported abruptly.
Even before the warning, Gene had sensed it too. Onboard S.W.O.R.D.’s orbital command ship, defenses weren’t limited to technology alone. Anticipating mystical threats, Gene had spent a full month weaving a layered magical barrier around the vessel. Any incursion from the arcane side triggered his alerts, and no ordinary sorcerer could hope to breach his wards.
With a casual wave of his hand, Gene parted a controlled gap in the barrier. "Relax, Skynet. This isn’t an enemy... just an old friend."
Space itself rippled before him. From the distortion stepped a figure cloaked in deep green, clad head to toe in gleaming silver armor.
Victor Von Doom. Or more fittingly—Doctor Doom
.
"Victor." Gene turned his chair slowly to face him, his voice calm, almost cordial. "It’s been a while."
While the two spoke, elsewhere within the massive command ship, another presence stirred.
A figure phased silently through a wall. His body glowed with an otherworldly yellow hue, a flowing crimson cape trailing behind him. His face was pale, almost inhuman, a blue gem gleaming at his forehead.
He glanced around with expressionless precision before stepping fully into the corridor, his voice low and mechanical as he muttered to himself:
"Mission report: infiltrate S.W.O.R.D. headquarters.
Agent: Vision.
Primary objective: acquire artificial intelligence data—targets include codenames Skynet and Red Queen.
Secondary objective: destroy S.W.O.R.D. command ship A.I. core.
Tertiary objective: seize control of S.W.O.R.D.’s ultimate weapon.
Mission status: in progress."
Vision moved like a ghost through the command ship. To him, solid walls were meaningless—he drifted through them as though they didn’t exist.
Ultron had built him with a special enhancement: the Frost Gem, fused directly with his neural network. Its power granted him abilities unlike any other—he could hypnotize electronic systems, bending them to his will just as a sorcerer hypnotized men. Cameras, sensors, firewalls—all blind to his presence.
And more than that, the Frost Gem gave him mastery over his density. He could become intangible, walking through barriers with ease, or turn solid with crushing force.
Now, Vision glided unimpeded through the ship’s most secure sectors. Encrypted bulkheads and layered defenses might as well have been illusions. Step by step, he advanced toward the heart of S.W.O.R.D.’s mother ship—where its most classified systems and secrets were held.
At last, he emerged into the deserted control center. The beating heart of S.W.O.R.D. itself.
One thought crossed his mind as he reached out toward the terminals.
Once he claimed this system, not only would he seize control of the command ship—he might just claim dominion over the very destiny of humankind.
--------------
T/N:
Access Advance Chapters on my
P@treon: [email protected]/MPHFics