Ultron was a sentient life form, fundamentally different from humans. Expecting it to share human values was unrealistic. Humans naturally distinguish between good and evil when viewing their own kind, but Ultron didn't.
The difference between Ultron and entities like Yui or Alice was stark. While Yui and Alice became sentient in different ways, their emotional frameworks were shaped by humanity, making them akin to humans in their emotional responses. Ultron, however, was brought to life by Scarlet Witch's magic. Its emotions and reasoning were not rooted in humanity.
Once Tony Stark understood the true nature of the problem, he ensured Ultron's complete destruction. To eliminate any lingering risks, Stark and Jarvis thoroughly swept the Hydra base twice, eradicating every trace of Ultron and continuously monitoring online activity for anomalies.
"Stephanie Malick, truly her father's daughter. I underestimated her," Daniel Davis remarked as they reviewed the aftermath.
Despite capturing the Hydra base, Stephanie had escaped through a hidden passage. Learning of her involvement left Daniel surprised. In the original timeline, Stephanie's naivety led to her death at Hive's hands. Now, it was clear she was far more dangerous and cunning than expected.
If not for Stark's swift tracking and Daniel's portal magic, Stephanie and Ultron's plans might have caused devastation rivaling the Sokovia incident in the original Age of Ultron.
After multiple confirmations from Stark and Jarvis that Ultron had been eliminated, Stark felt a wave of relief. Publicly, the blame for the incident was pinned on Hydra, with the destroyed base serving as evidence. Internally, however, Stark had to take responsibility. The Ultron debacle had been a humbling lesson for him—a painful but necessary growth moment.
With Ultron behind them, the Avengers focused on rebuilding their base. Stark shouldered the costs entirely, and the team devised new defensive protocols to address vulnerabilities exposed during the incident. Daniel, uninterested in the reconstruction, prepared to resume his exploration of new worlds. But before he could depart, a message from Phil Coulson arrived, forcing him to delay.
As the current director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Coulson rarely contacted Daniel unless absolutely necessary. Much like how he seldom sought help from the Avengers' Natasha Romanoff, Coulson preferred to handle matters internally. Everyone was busy—Avengers fighting crime and disasters, and Daniel safeguarding the dimensional fabric to prevent incursions from beings like Mephisto.
The aftermath of Ghost Rider's emergence and the Child of Demons incident had gradually unveiled Earth's mystical side. Entities like Mephisto posed a significant threat, one that neither S.H.I.E.L.D. nor most Avengers were equipped to handle. Only Thor might have been of use, but he was off-world, dealing with his own issues after breaking up with Jane Foster.
"Skye has gone missing."
Coulson's request for Daniel's aid stemmed from Skye's disappearance. Normally, a missing agent wouldn't warrant contacting Daniel. But this case was far from normal: Skye hadn't disappeared in the physical world but seemed to have vanished into another dimension.
During a S.H.I.E.L.D. investigation, Skye had entered a peculiar room and vanished without a trace. After exhausting all their resources to no avail, Coulson turned to Daniel for help.
"Meet Lincoln."
Aboard the Zephyr One, Daniel was introduced to several familiar faces, along with some new ones. Lincoln, an Inhuman and one of Skye's closest allies, was especially distraught over her disappearance. It wouldn't be long, Daniel thought, before Lincoln and Skye's relationship evolved further.
Others, like Simmons and Fitz, were equally worried, working tirelessly in the room where Skye had vanished.
Instead of taking Daniel directly to the site, Coulson brought him to the Zephyr One first to explain the situation and provide background on the incident.
"A key, a nonexistent Room 10, and objects with strange powers. This world gets more interesting by the day."
After reviewing the information Coulson had gathered, Daniel pieced together the mystery. While investigating a bizarre murder, S.H.I.E.L.D. stumbled upon several objects imbued with supernatural abilities. The deeper they dug, the more they uncovered about these objects' origins: the mysterious Room 10 of the Sunshine Motel, a room that officially did not exist.
The key was the most critical object. Although it looked like an ordinary key, it could open any locked door, transforming it into a portal to Room 10. From Room 10, one could travel to any other location in the world. Such a tool was both extraordinary and highly sought after.
Possession of the key allowed almost anyone, even those without great power or intelligence, to amass wealth or evade capture. Unsurprisingly, those aware of its existence engaged in fierce battles to control it, leaving a trail of bloodshed.
Apart from the key, numerous other objects exhibited unique abilities. For instance:
A ballpoint pen could microwave a person from the inside out with just a touch. A pencil, when tapped on a desk, would produce a coin. However, prolonged use drove its owners insane. Other items included umbrellas, tickets, and watches, each with its own peculiar effects.
In total, there were reportedly 100 such objects, all originating from Room 10. Two factions had long been in conflict over these artifacts. One, known as "The Church," viewed the objects as divine relics, believing Room 10 to be the site of God's death. They sought to resurrect their deity. The other, called "The Collectors," pursued these artifacts for personal power, aiming to become God themselves.
The Collectors were said to have nearly succeeded, collecting 99 of the 100 objects. But disaster struck—madness and death swept through their ranks, leaving only one survivor. Even he succumbed to death before divulging the full story to Coulson.
The Church fared slightly better due to its faith-based cohesion, but it too had waned significantly over time. Today, the artifacts were largely used for selfish purposes rather than divine aspirations.
The current holder of the key, a doctor named Martin Ruber, had killed one friend and framed another to claim it. Using the key's spatial abilities, he even evaded S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attempts to apprehend him.
"Gods and divinity? Their standards must be terribly low," Daniel quipped after reading the reports. "These objects barely qualify as trinkets by comparison."
To Daniel, the existence of mystical artifacts wasn't surprising. Entities like Mephisto, angels, and dimensional beings proved that such items were not uncommon. At Kamar-Taj alone, there were many magic relics far more potent than these so-called divine objects.
"Let's visit the site," Daniel suggested. Coulson's current strategy—capturing Ruber to access Room 10—was logical but unnecessary for someone like Daniel.
After reviewing the information, Daniel had a rough idea of Room 10's nature. It likely resided in a hidden dimension, making it invisible to ordinary perception. For someone like Daniel, with his expertise in dimensional magic and growing mastery over the Space Stone, this wasn't a significant obstacle.
The group soon arrived at an abandoned motel near a desolate stretch of New Mexico highway. Once a thriving stop along a busy route, the area had fallen into disrepair over the years. The Sunshine Motel, where Room 10 supposedly resided, was no exception.
Curiously, the motel's rooms were numbered only up to 9. Officially, Room 10 didn't exist.
Simmons and Fitz were busy scanning the surrounding area, their exhausted faces pale and sunken from sleepless nights. Despite their fatigue, their determination to find Skye kept them going.
When Daniel approached, they visibly relaxed, relieved to have him on their side.
"Is this the place?" Daniel asked, glancing at the decrepit Room 9. Simmons nodded, explaining their findings while Daniel inspected the door.
Before beginning his magical analysis, Daniel activated his heightened senses to scan the area. Using Observation Haki, he detected someone hidden nearby.
"You should have secured the area better. Someone's watching us—likely the key's holder," Daniel remarked.
At his cue, Lincoln, Melinda May, and Trip raced toward the concealed figure. The suspect, armed with a gun, didn't stand a chance. Though he carried the key, the abandoned motel's doors were the only ones he could use to escape, and the team quickly apprehended him.
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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