The Avengers' Peanut Gallery

Back at Avengers Tower, the oppressive atmosphere grew even heavier.

"That thing... wasn't metal."

Thor was the first to speak. He raised his hand, and it was still trembling slightly.

"My hammer hit him, and it didn't even leave a dent." He had lived for thousands of years, yet this was the first time he had encountered something like this. The lack of response from his divine power frightened him even more than being defeated outright.

"Physical attacks are useless." Steve stopped what he was doing, his voice full of barely concealed exhaustion. "All our firepower was like scratching an itch for it."

He thought of World War II. The enemies back then had been cruel, but at least they had been flesh and blood. They could be brought down by bullets and fists.

But this enemy did not even possess the most basic form of an enemy.

"More than scratching an itch, Captain. We were charging it."

Tony's voice came through the lab communicator, heavy with self-mockery.

Everyone entered the lab. On the massive holographic screen was an analysis of Ultron's structure, but more than ninety percent of it was marked with glaring red labels for unknown energy circuits.

"It's absorbing energy. Every form of energy." Tony pointed at the complex diagrams of energy flow on the screen. Those eyes that always shone with the brilliance of a genius now held nothing but frustration.

"Kinetic energy, thermal energy, electrical energy... It used Vibranium's properties, combined with the Mind Stone's power, in a way that was completely absurd. The harder we hit it, the stronger it gets."

He slammed a fist against the cold console, and the back of his hand instantly turned red.

"It said it wanted a more perfect body." Tony's voice carried a sense of helplessness. "A