The masked woman put away her oddly shaped gun. Her cold voice came through the mask, tinged with mockery:
"Did you think all we wanted was that pathetic little stash of vibranium Klaue had? Ultron's appetite is far bigger than you imagine."
Before her words had faded, her figure melted completely into the shadows and vanished.
Boom!
Tony landed heavily on the deck.
He looked around, his voice urgent and frustrated beneath his faceplate. "I blew Ultron apart, but this was a trap! His target is Helen Cho. We fell for it!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze landed on Thor's motionless body, and his expression changed sharply. "Thor!"
The three of them rushed over. Steve helped Thor up and checked his breathing, letting out a small sigh of relief. "He's alive. Just unconscious."
Avengers Tower.
When everyone returned with the unconscious Thor, they were greeted by utter devastation.
The once-orderly laboratories and common areas looked as though a hurricane had swept through them. Instruments and equipment lay toppled everywhere, and broken glass and metal fragments littered the floor.
Helen Cho was missing.
Natasha, Hawkeye, Rhodey, and the others lay sprawled across the floor, unconscious.
Clearly, Ultron had already succeeded.
"Damn it!" Tony muttered, immediately pulling up the tower's surveillance footage.
Images flickered across the screen.
Shortly after they had left, a woman wreathed in purple flames of magical power had stormed straight into Avengers Tower.
She ignored every physical defense and energy barrier. Defensive systems strong enough to withstand missile strikes were as flimsy as paper before her, torn apart with ease.
She moved through the tower unopposed, effortlessly taking down the Avengers who had stayed behind before calmly leaving with Helen Cho.
As they watched the terrifying power the woman displayed with every casual movement, the