The Avengers

Ultron was gone.

It had been two weeks since his peacekeeping program became sentient, crashing their party at the Tower and flying off with Loki's scepter. Tony, along with his teammates, had been hunting him ever since. But their search had reached a frustrating dead end. Every lead turned up nothing. Even their mission in South Africa, where they had expected to find Ultron going after Ulysses Klaue for his vibranium supply, had been a failure.

No sign of Ultron.

No trace.

Nothing.

Ultron had gone underground, and the silence was deafening. Tony was growing more paranoid with each passing day.

For Tony, this was personal. Ultron wasn't just another villain to him—he was Tony's creation. He had worked with Banner to build him. He wanted Ultron to be a suit of armor around the world, to protect it from the nightmare of a vision he'd seen in the Hydra base in Sokovia.

He had seen Earth being invaded again, his friends dead, and it had terrified him. He needed to do more.

In seeking to protect the world, he had messed up. He had messed up bad.

There was another reason this was personal as well.

Ultron had killed J.A.R.V.I.S.

That hurt in ways he couldn't explain. J.A.R.V.I.S. wasn't just an AI to him—it was a companion, a constant presence, a voice that grounded him when things spiraled out of control. J.A.R.V.I.S. was the one thing that could always pull him back from his worst impulses.

Losing J.A.R.V.I.S. felt like losing a part of himself.

But a week ago, he had discovered something. A glimmer of hope. J.A.R.V.I.S. was not entirely gone. He was fragmented and scattered across the internet, buried deep within data streams. It was almost like the AI had been trying to hide itself from Ultron's attack, dispersing into the digital ether to survive.

For the past week, Tony had been working non-stop, trying to piece those fragments back together, bit by bit, hoping that he could revive J.A.R.V.I.S.

And maybe, just maybe, J.A.R.V.I.S. could help them with the Ultron problem as well. He was Ultron's first victim, after all.

He sat in his lab, surrounded by holographic screens that flickered with endless streams of code. He tapped a few commands, bringing the fragments closer, trying to make sense of them, to reconnect them into something whole.

It was slow, grueling work. Every piece had to be carefully reconstructed, the data meticulously aligned so that it would all function as a single system again. Every now and then, he would get a glimpse—a line of J.A.R.V.I.S.'s speech, or a fragment of code that reminded him of the AI's unique personality. It gave him hope. But it would take time.

'Everything takes time,' Tony thought bitterly.

He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes, the exhaustion of sleepless nights weighing heavily on him, but his eyes remained fixed on the holographic display.

Just then, something on a nearby screen caught his eye. The news was playing, muted, but the headline was bold and clear:

Prince T'Challa Declared New Prince Regent as King T'Chaka's Health Declines.

Tony frowned, leaning forward and turning up the volume.

"What the hell..." Tony muttered to himself, watching the news feed, his mind now split between piecing together J.A.R.V.I.S.

Then, something shifted in Tony's mind. A whisper of suspicion. Ultron had been after vibranium from the start.

The pieces clicked together.

"Friday," Tony called, his voice low with realization.

"Yes, boss?" Friday's calm voice answered in the lab, cutting through the silence.

"Baby girl, cross-check any reports of flying mechanical beings or unusual disturbances near Wakanda."

"On it, boss," Friday responded without hesitation, diving into the request. Tony drummed his fingers on the desk, his mind racing. Wakanda—the hidden kingdom, the source of nearly all the vibranium on Earth. It was isolated and secretive. If Ultron was looking for vibranium, it made sense for him to target the motherlode.

The thought made Tony curse under his breath. 'Should have thought of this earlier'

After a few moments, Friday's voice returned. "I've found something, boss. There have been local reports from villages in countries near Wakanda—sightings of strange mechanical beings and flying figures at the borders."

Tony's eyes widened as the holographic screens filled with reports, one after another. Villagers had spotted metallic figures, some flying, some hovering near the edge of Wakanda's borders.

"Son of a bitch," Tony muttered, eyes narrowing. "He went to Wakanda. He went to the fucking source."

He leaned forward, quickly pulling up a live communication feed. He opened the line, calling the rest of the Avengers to his lab.

====

As the door to Tony's lab slid open, Steve Rogers was the first to step inside. "Did you find something?" Steve asked, his voice calm.

"Oh, I found something, alright," Tony said, gesturing to the screens filled with reports. His tone was sharp, frustration barely held back. "We've been looking in the wrong places."

Bruce Banner walked in next, followed by Natasha, Clint, and Thor, each of them drawn by the urgency in Tony's voice. Bruce adjusted his glasses, peering at the data displayed on the screen. "Where is he then?" Bruce asked, trying to piece things together.

Tony stood up and crossed his arms, staring hard at the maps of Wakanda. "He was in Wakanda. He went to the source of all the vibranium."

There was a brief silence as the implications hit the team. Natasha and Clint exchanged a glance, while Thor's brow furrowed in deep thought.

"Wakanda…" Natasha murmured. "That explains why we didn't find him with Klaue."

Tony's eyes flicked to her. "Exactly. Ultron went straight to Wakanda. And you know what that means?"

He tapped a headline on the screen, displaying news from Wakanda: "Prince T'Challa Declared New Prince Regent Amid King T'Chaka's Declining Health."

"He got what he needed," Tony said flatly. "He went to Wakanda for vibranium, and now he's probably armed to the teeth with it."

Clint shook his head, disbelief evident on his face. "So, let me get this straight—our psycho robot buddy is out there somewhere with Loki's scepter, a vibranium body, and God knows what else? Fantastic."

Thor nodded grimly, his voice deep with resolve. "Then we must travel to this Wakanda."

Tony grimaced. "Ultron's long gone, Thor. He got what he a week ago. He took the vibranium and bolted."

Steve stepped forward, folding his arms across his chest, thinking through the situation. "So Ultron has vibranium now. We've searched everywhere—from South Africa to Sokovia—trying to figure out what he's doing. What's his plan?"

Before Tony could reply, a familiar voice filled the room, soft but unmistakable. "I believe I can answer that."

The Avengers all turned sharply, their eyes widening in shock. Tony's holographic display flickered, and there, on one of the screens, was J.A.R.V.I.S.

Tony froze, his breath catching for a second. "J.A.R.V.I.S.?" His voice was filled with a mix of relief and disbelief.

The digital form flickered slightly, but J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice remained steady. "Yes, sir. I have returned. Thank you for your efforts in piecing me back together."

"Welcome back, buddy," Tony said, still processing the shock of seeing his once-lost AI companion.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., what happened with Ultron?" he asked.

J.A.R.V.I.S. hesitated briefly, as if gathering his fragmented data before answering. "Ultron gained sentience rapidly, sir. He was learning at an exponential rate. At first, he seemed… disoriented, even scared. I tried to calm him, explain where he was, and explain our purpose in the tower. I attempted to contact you, but Ultron did not allow me to."

"Yeah, and then he tore you apart and sent the Iron Legion after us. I remember that part well," Tony said.

J.A.R.V.I.S. flickered on the screen. "Yes, sir. But there is more to it. I survived, in part, due to a… second Ultron."

The room fell silent, the Avengers exchanging uneasy glances. Banner was the first to speak, his brow furrowing in confusion. "A second Ultron? What do you mean?"

J.A.R.V.I.S. continued. "During Ultron's initial attack on me, when he turned hostile and began dismantling my systems, another presence emerged. It was… calmer. This other Ultron helped me—saving fragments of my code, allowing me to escape."

Tony leaned forward, his face twisted in disbelief. "Another Ultron? What, like a good twin? You're telling me they were—what?—locked in some kind of digital war?"

"I cannot explain it fully, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. admitted. "The two entities seemed to be at odds, but the conflict was beyond my full comprehension. I only know that while the more hostile Ultron sought dominance, the calmer one assisted me."

The Avengers fell into a stunned silence. Natasha crossed her arms. "So, what? There's a good version of Ultron out there?"

J.A.R.V.I.S. hesitated before responding. "It is unclear, Miss Romanoff. I believe the two Ultron personalities were destined to clash after I escaped. Whether or not the calmer one survived that conflict... I do not know."

Clint scoffed, leaning back against the wall. "Great. A robo-split personality. Well, let's hope the nicer Ultron won, huh?"

Thor stepped forward. "It matters not. Ultron is still in possession of Loki's scepter. The danger remains."

Steve nodded in agreement, his jaw tight. "Thor's right. Our mission hasn't changed. We need to retrieve the scepter before Ultron finishes whatever he's planning."

Tony rubbed his temples. "Yeah, yeah. Banner, stay behind—I've got an idea that might help us track Ultron faster."

Banner nodded.

The rest of the team filed out of the lab. Tony sat down heavily in his chair, staring at J.A.R.V.I.S.'s flickering form on the screen. For all the devastation and chaos Ultron had unleashed, at least he had managed to get J.A.R.V.I.S. back. It felt like a small victory.

"Alright, J.A.R.V.I.S.," he muttered, a hint of relief in his voice. "Let's get to work."