The relaxed atmosphere of the room had vanished as everybody turned around to face the other side of the room, where what Ayana could only describe as a robot stood, its glowing eyes seemingly staring through them.
It was one of Tony's Iron Legion, still beaten up from the fight in Sokovia days before. The Avengers 'A' on its chest served as a kind of irony, the symbol which stood for hope and safety now serving as one of chilling eeriness.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Ayana stood slowly from her chair, watching it carefully. The rest of the Avengers also rose to their feet, and the familiar click of a gun from could be heard as Maria armed herself.
"Stark," said Steve, his expression one of seriousness as he watched the new threat.
"JARVIS, reboot, we got a buggy suit," Tony said, pulling a tablet out of his pocket.
"I'm sorry, I was asleep...or was I a dream? There was a terrible noise, and I was tangled in strings. I had to kill the other guy, he was a good guy," the robot continued on, its voice sending a shiver down Ayana's spine.
"You killed somebody?" Steve asked.
"Wouldn't have been my first call. But in the real world, we're faced with ugly choices," it said. Ayana could have sworn that it inclined its head slightly to face her, and her heart pounded rapidly inside her chest.
"Who sent you?" Thor demanded.
"'I see a suit of armour around the world,'" Tony's voice echoed around the room, but he hadn't spoken; the robot had played a recording.
"Ultron," Bruce gasped, looking towards Tony. Ayana turned to face him incredulously.
"In the flesh. Or no, not yet. Not this...chrysalis. But I'm ready. I'm on a mission," Ultron explained.
"What mission?" Natasha asked.
"Peace in our time."
With that, the glass behind Ultron exploded, sending thousands of shards over the floor. At least a dozen sentry bots came soaring out, soaring straight towards the group. The team scattered, and Ayana jumped out of the way just in time as Steve kicked a table over, using it to defend himself and the others.
Ayana suddenly, inexplicably found herself wishing she'd left her hair up as a drone flew towards her, knocking her down a flight of stairs and to the pit below. She let out a cry of pain as her head collided with something, and her vision blurred.
Without thinking she raised her hands and winced at the brightness of the energy that appeared, turning her head quickly to shield herself from the shrapnel as the bot exploded.
Ayana barely had time to get her breath back as she pulled herself to her feet, and another bot swooped down towards her. Her head pounded and the room swam as she focused all her energy on destroying it. Again she was forced to duck out of the way as there was a flash of fluorescent light, and it was obliterated.
Before another robot could fly at her, Ayana hauled herself up the staircase, gripping the handrail tightly. The Avengers were scattered around the room, locked in their own fights. A sharp gasp left Ayana's mouth as she spotted Tony high above them, clinging to the back of a bot as he attempted to dismantle it.
Helen Cho was cowered in the corner, hiding behind the grand piano. The top half of a bot hovered in front of her, heavily damaged but still fighting. It raised a hand, and a sound akin to an Iron Man suit's power charging could be heard through the room.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Ayana raced forward, hand outstretched as she fired a blast of white hot energy at it. It exploded in a flurry of metal, and Helen screamed as in her dazed state Ayana miscalculated the force of her power, accidentally destroying the grand piano, too.
"Thank you," said the doctor gratefully, slowly rising from her hiding place. "You saved my life."
Ayana simply nodded, unsure of what to say. Her head was pounding, and blood was soaking her hair, dripping uncomfortably behind her ear and down her neck.
"Well, that was dramatic!" Ultron exclaimed as Steve threw his shield across the room, destroying the last bot.
"I'm sorry," he continued, "I know you mean well. But how is humanity supposed to evolve if it's not allowed to change? Not with these puppets," he scoffed, reaching down to the floor to pick up a lifeless bot. He squeezed its head until it exploded, then threw it to the floor.
"There's only one path to peace; the Avengers' extinction."
With a snarl, Thor swung his hammer around before hurling it at Ultron, destroying his body. Mjolnir came flying back to Thor with a force that made him take a step back as he caught it, but the robot's distinct voice could be heard through the room.
