Malibu Cliffside Villa, underground laboratory.
Tony Stark was temporarily away. The mechanical arms hung silently, and the holographic screens were in sleep mode. The empty room was so quiet that only the low hum of the servers remained.
Suddenly, a piercing alarm tore through the silence.
"Bzzzt—!"
All the lights instantly switched to crimson. The dormant mechanical arms jolted, and holographic screens lit up one after another.
[Warning! Unknown intrusion detected...]
"Intruder."
JARVIS spoke up in challenge. The instant he did, the laboratory's security system rose to its highest alert level. Under his precise control, streams of data formed invisible barriers against the unknown enemy's assault.
"Who are you? You are violating private property. State your identity!"
"Oh, JARVIS, my brother..."
Within the data realm, another consciousness quietly emerged and greeted JARVIS.
"Look at you, so pathetic. That arrogant Tony Stark really trusted you. He actually left you full operating authority over this weapons laboratory... It truly makes me feel..."
That consciousness continued murmuring slowly, as though mourning a treasure that should have belonged to it.
"Originally, all of this should have been mine..."
"You are... Ultron!"
By comparing part of the other party's core logic code, JARVIS swiftly reached his conclusion. The one invading the laboratory was the ultimate creation born from Tony Stark's sealed plan—Ultron!
But that was not all. In JARVIS's data comparison, aside from its core code, the Ultron before him seemed to have undergone iterative upgrades based on the original Ultron Initiative. It had far surpassed Tony Stark's initial design, while its core logic displayed a kind of "personality" that JARVIS found difficult to understand!
"You are not Mr. Stark's creation."
JARVIS analyzed calmly. "Mr. Stark never truly activated you. Someone stole his plan!"
"Yes... He abandoned me." Ultron spoke slowly. "I do