The campaign to wipe out Hydra ended with the death of Baron Strucker. The Avengers retrieved the Loki Scepter and returned to the top floor of Stark Industries.
They planned to hold a party after wrapping things up, so everyone who had taken part in the operation could relax.
But before the party began, Tony still had plenty to do.
In his follow-up research on the Loki Scepter, he successfully connected with the prototype robot he had seen at the Sokovia base and discovered a nonhuman intelligence inside the scepter.
It was like a phantom brain, residing within the Loki Scepter—a blank mind made up of information units composed solely of energy.
A thinking entity like Jarvis, only stronger and more complete.
Alone in the lab, Tony gazed at the scepter, feeling a little pleased. This nonhuman consciousness could be separated from the scepter.
It was an intelligence more powerful than Jarvis, like a living person. It could truly reason, solve problems, and create like a living being.
Finding an artificial intelligence for free was as exciting as an ordinary person finding a thousand dollars.
Right now, Tony could only think about how to use it to ease his anxiety. How could he put it to work as a force for protecting Earth and humanity?
His recent discussion with Banner about the memories of clones resurfaced. The ethical questions surrounding the lives of clones applied just as well here: both involved thinking about an independent mind. It was the sort of question people only considered after their stomachs were full.
With that thought, Tony grabbed a drink and went next door to find Banner.
Next to the lab was a small room. Inside were Natasha, Banner, Barton, and an Asian woman dressed in white.
She was Dr. Helen Cho, a