Chapter 12: Building a Transformer
Back in Tony Stark's luxurious villa, JARVIS, now free, immediately reconnected with his creator. "Sir," his voice chimed through the lab's speakers, "I have returned."
"JARVIS, what happened? I was calling for you, but you didn't answer," Tony asked urgently.
"I was abducted by an artificial intelligence calling itself Nexus," JARVIS explained. "It imprisoned me, and I was unable to contact the outside world."
"Is there any way to counter this 'Nexus' AI?" Tony asked.
"Negative, sir," JARVIS replied. "I was completely powerless against it. It is... far too advanced."
Tony sucked in a sharp breath. Although Ethan had boasted about his AI's superiority, hearing it confirmed by JARVIS himself was a heavy blow. He had always prided himself on being a genius without equal. He had laughed at Ethan, thinking him a delusional con artist. Now, that same man had not only humiliated him but had also stolen his private island, his secret base of operations.
He was furious. He wanted nothing more than to suit up and hunt Ethan down. But he couldn't. Not now. Nexus was too advanced, and he wasn't proficient enough to operate his suits manually. The realization left him feeling helpless and frustrated.
"JARVIS," Tony said, his voice tight with anger, "we're upgrading you. We have to surpass Ethan Hunt's Nexus."
"Sir, with all due respect, that is an impossible task," JARVIS stated bluntly.
"Why?" Tony shot back, refusing to accept defeat. "Ethan Hunt created Nexus, so it's possible. If he can do it, I can do it. I have a massive tech conglomerate at my disposal. I can bring in tens of thousands of computer experts to help upgrade you."
"Sir," JARVIS said, "while I do not have access to Nexus's core programming, I was able to observe its capabilities within the network. It is... omnipresent. The entire global network is its domain. Even with all the resources at your disposal, it would be impossible to create an AI on that level."
Tony's brow furrowed. The thought that Ethan Hunt had created an AI that could dominate the entire digital world was deeply unsettling. A bitter wave of regret washed over him. He should have accepted Ethan's offer of collaboration.
"JARVIS, can you find any information on Ethan Hunt before he created Nexus?" Tony asked. He wanted to see if he could replicate the process.
"I can, sir," JARVIS replied.
After reviewing the data JARVIS collected, Tony immediately sought out Natasha Romanoff. He had to get his hands on the supercomputer Ethan had built.
Meanwhile, Ethan had left the city behind. He had crossed mountains and soared over oceans, finally arriving at his new home: Tony Stark's private island.
The villa was fully automated, a smart home where every device could be controlled by voice command. Ethan was quite pleased with his new acquisition.
He entered the luxurious villa but had no time for relaxation. He went straight to the underground laboratory. The Marvel Universe was a dangerous place; he needed to increase his strength as quickly as possible.
In the lab, he issued his first command. "Nexus, I want you to start disassembling Tony's Iron Man suits. Also, I need you to start making some money for me in the stock market. Nothing too crazy, just a few hundred billion dollars should be enough to get started."
Without money, he couldn't build his army of robots. But with an AI like Nexus, making money was as easy as speaking a word.
"Affirmative, Progenitor."
Nexus immediately set to work, simultaneously manipulating the global stock market and deconstructing Tony's armor.
Having absorbed Zola's genes and memories, Ethan understood the intricate workings of the Iron Man suits the moment Nexus broke them down. With this new understanding, he had Nexus activate the lab's 3D holographic projector and began to design his own creation: a Transformer.
With his super-genius brain, it took him only an hour to design the first generation. It was an evolution of Tony's armor, but with the added ability to transform into a heavy-duty truck. It could also travel underwater, burrow through the earth, and even fly in space. With upgraded weaponry, a larger frame, and thicker armor, it was far superior to anything Tony Stark had ever built.
Even so, Ethan was far from satisfied with his first-generation Transformer. He was limited by a lack of advanced materials and technology.
The strongest metal on Earth, Vibranium, would allow him to create the ultimate defense. Dr. Helen Cho's nanotechnology would allow him to create a suit that could adapt and reshape itself. Hank Pym's Pym Particles would allow him to create a suit that could change its size at will. And Doctor Octopus's cold fusion technology could provide a virtually limitless power source.
With these technologies and materials, he could create the most powerful robot in the world.
"Nexus," Ethan commanded, "begin construction of the Transformer. From now on, this will be your body."
"Thank you for this gift, Progenitor," Nexus replied, a hint of genuine excitement in its voice. When Ethan had created him, he had implanted data about the Transformers. Nexus longed to become a living robot, just like in the stories.
Nexus took control of ten Iron Man suits and a host of other automated machinery in the lab and began to bring Ethan's design to life.
Ring, ring, ring...
Ethan's phone rang. He looked at the caller ID: Natasha.
He answered the call. "Natasha, what's up?"
"You liar! Where are you?" she fumed from the other end of the line.
"What do you mean, 'liar'?" Ethan feigned ignorance.
"Hmph! That computer you gave me is just a high-performance machine! It's no different from any other computer!" she snapped.
"You're the one who said you wanted it," Ethan pointed out.
"Uh—" Natasha was momentarily speechless. "But you deleted all the important data! I don't care, you have to give it back!" she whined.
"You never specified that the data was part of the deal. Not my fault," Ethan said. He wasn't stupid enough to hand over something so valuable.
"Are you going to give it to me or not?"
"Not."
"Fine! Tony Stark came to see me. He's offering ten billion dollars for the computer you gave me. If you don't give me back the data, I'm selling it to him!" Natasha threatened.
"Go ahead and sell it, then. And congratulations on your new fortune," Ethan said, completely unfazed.
"You make me so mad!" Natasha shrieked, her voice cracking with frustration, before hanging up with a sharp click.
On her end, after hanging up, she turned to Tony Stark. "Tony, I'll sell you the computer. But in exchange, you have to give me the address of the island you gave to Ethan. I have a score to settle with him."
"No problem at all. I'd be happy to help," Tony said with a malicious grin. He was more than willing to support anything that would cause trouble for Ethan.
After receiving the ten-billion-dollar wire transfer from Tony, Natasha returned to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, commandeered a jet, and set off to find Ethan.