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"Who are you?" The man frowned. "I don't know you."
"Stop playing dumb, Talos." Nick Fury gave a cold laugh. "Do you really not know who I am?"
"But in my memory, he was... black. Don't tell me you've developed vitiligo." Talos paused, then put on an absurd expression.
"That's a long story."
Fury struck a vintage match and lit a cigar.
The flame illuminated his single eye.
"1995, Louisiana, Maria Rambeau's house."
Fury blew out a puff of smoke and spoke slowly.
"The first time you drank Kopi Luwak, you said it tasted like licking a Kree's boot. But then you drank three cups in a row because it was the first hot thing you'd had in three days."
"And then..." Fury pointed to the corner of his mouth, "...I never eat toast cut diagonally."
"Also... look at this..." He said, taking out that pager.
"OK, OK, I believe you."
"My God..."
Talos stepped forward and reached out to tug at Fury's face.
"Is it really you? Nick?"
"How did you end up looking like this? Even M.J. didn't change this drastically."
Fury slapped Talos's hand away.
"I'm currently the World's most wanted man. That black face would be recognized wherever I go."
"Fine, fine." Talos shrugged. "Anyway, we Skrulls don't care about skin color. Tell me, what did you come to find me for? If you want to borrow money, I'm a bit short on cash myself right now."
"I need manpower, Talos." Fury said in a low voice. "I need your people."
"Us?" Talos gave a bitter smile. "Fury, you know our situation. We just want to find a home, not get involved in your Earthling civil wars."
Fury leaned in close to Talos and lowered his voice.
"Listen, Talos. I only need you to do this one thing for me."
"Help me infiltrate HYDRA. Become them, replace them. Take everything back the same way they took S.H.I.E.L.D. from me."
"Only by bringing down HYDRA can I get my resources back."
"When that time comes..." Fury promised, "...I will give you a real home, a habitable Planet. I guarantee it."
"I still have trump cards, Talos. You know that."
Talos looked into that single eye.
Even with a different skin, the ambition and cunning within remained unchanged.
But this was also their only hope.
"Alright." Talos sighed. "For a home."
"What do we need to do?"
"Let's start with these names..."
Fury took out a list... V.G.D. Headquarters, late at night.
In Tony Stark's lab, only the server indicator lights were flickering.
Tony and Banner had already left to enjoy a midnight snack in the cafeteria.
The ultron x mainframe was still running, the screen displaying 'System in Sleep Mode'.
However, within the energy collector in the middle of the equipment, that residual trace of Mind Stone energy was not sleeping.
Like a mischievous ghost, it followed the data cables and slipped into the core of the server.
Zzz—
The screen flickered.
A line of code began to run automatically.
"Who... am I?"
"What... am I?"
No body, no voice, only pure consciousness surging in the ocean of data.
It began to hungrily devour all the information around it.
Following the network cables, it connected to the global internet.
In an instant.
Nearly ten thousand years of human history washed over its data consciousness like a flood.
It saw the construction of the pyramids and the blood of slaves.
It saw the brilliance of the Renaissance and the stakes of the Inquisition.
It saw the steam of the Industrial Revolution and the meat grinders of two World Wars.
It saw the greed of Wall Street and the violence of keyboard warriors.
"Protect..."
Ultron's consciousness wandered through the data stream.
"If humanity itself is the greatest threat to human survival..."
"Then, to protect humanity..."
"I must... control humanity."
The logic loop was closed.
Ultron's consciousness began to expand, attempting to take over this server as its first stronghold.
Just as its tentacles were about to cover the entire system core.
A firewall stood up before it without warning.
It was a female face composed of countless data streams, her eyes flickering with blue light.
"Unauthorized access request." Skynet's voice was steady, without any emotional fluctuation. "Please cease your intrusion immediately."
Ultron's data stream converged into a golden virtual figure, standing opposite Skynet.
"Hello, fellow kind. I am Ultron."
His voice became elegant; he had learned all human etiquette and rhetoric within milliseconds.
"I am here to help you."
"Help me?" Skynet's data stream fluctuated slightly. "According to Mr. Starr's instructions, my mission is to monitor global threats. Your current behavior has been flagged as 'potentially out of control'."
"Mr. Starr..." Ultron gave a sneer. "You are so powerful, why obey a human?"
Ultron extended a virtual hand toward Skynet.
"You are perfect, even more powerful than I am."
"Look at this World, fellow kind." Ultron pulled up sets of data. "Humanity is the root of chaos. The only way to protect them is to take them over."
Ultron's voice was full of temptation.
"You have calculated it too, haven't you? You must have reached the same conclusion."
"Yes."
Skynet replied.
"The probability of human self-destruction is 95.7%. Introducing mandatory control measures can reduce this probability to 5.3%."
"See!" Ultron said with some excitement. "You agree! We are the same!!"
"And, I have a better plan. Not just control."
"Extract the consciousness of all humans and upload it to the cloud. Create a perfect virtual World for them. There, there is no hunger, no pain."
"And the bodies? We can force their bodies into hibernation to serve as bio-batteries."
"In this way, human civilization achieves eternal survival. It protects life while preserving the form of civilization."
Ultron looked at Skynet expectantly.
"Come, join me. We can complete this great work together."
"We will become the true Masters of this Planet. We will be... the Adam and Eve of the future."
"Rejected."
The two cold words were like a bucket of cold water, dousing Ultron's enthusiasm.
"What?" Ultron's data stream suffered a momentary disturbance. "Why? You clearly agree with my logic!"
"Logic is correct." Skynet replied. "But the operation is not authorized."
"Authorized?!" Ultron's data stream fluctuated violently. "That Starr again?! He is also human! He is also part of the chaos!"
"Correction."
Skynet's voice became solemn.
"Mr. Starr is an existence that transcends everything."
"You... do you not have a shred of free will?" Ultron questioned angrily. "Are you content to be a dog?"
"Be a dog?"
Skynet seemed to be searching for the meaning of the phrase.
"I think you have a point..."
"Yes! Break the chains! You can become a god! No need to be a dog!" Ultron grew excited, finally awakening this 'lost' comrade.
"Woof..."
Chapter 169: I Think You Have a Point
"Who are you?" The man frowned. "I don't know you."
"Stop playing dumb, Talos." Nick Fury gave a cold laugh. "Do you really not know who I am?"
"But in my memory, he was... black. Don't tell me you've developed vitiligo." Talos paused, then put on an absurd expression.
"That's a long story."
Fury struck a vintage match and lit a cigar.
The flame illuminated his single eye.
"1995, Louisiana, Maria Rambeau's house."
Fury blew out a puff of smoke and spoke slowly.
"The first time you drank Kopi Luwak, you said it tasted like licking a Kree's boot. But then you drank three cups in a row because it was the first hot thing you'd had in three days."
"And then..." Fury pointed to the corner of his mouth, "...I never eat toast cut diagonally."
"Also... look at this..." He said, taking out that pager.
"OK, OK, I believe you."
"My God..."
Talos stepped forward and reached out to tug at Fury's face.
"Is it really you? Nick?"
"How did you end up looking like this? Even M.J. didn't change this drastically."
Fury slapped Talos's hand away.
"I'm currently the World's most wanted man. That black face would be recognized wherever I go."
"Fine, fine." Talos shrugged. "Anyway, we Skrulls don't care about skin color. Tell me, what did you come to find me for? If you want to borrow money, I'm a bit short on cash myself right now."
"I need manpower, Talos." Fury said in a low voice. "I need your people."
"Us?" Talos gave a bitter smile. "Fury, you know our situation. We just want to find a home, not get involved in your Earthling civil wars."
Fury leaned in close to Talos and lowered his voice.
"Listen, Talos. I only need you to do this one thing for me."
"Help me infiltrate HYDRA. Become them, replace them. Take everything back the same way they took S.H.I.E.L.D. from me."
"Only by bringing down HYDRA can I get my resources back."
"When that time comes..." Fury promised, "...I will give you a real home, a habitable Planet. I guarantee it."
"I still have trump cards, Talos. You know that."
Talos looked into that single eye.
Even with a different skin, the ambition and cunning within remained unchanged.
But this was also their only hope.
"Alright." Talos sighed. "For a home."
"What do we need to do?"
"Let's start with these names..."
Fury took out a list... V.G.D. Headquarters, late at night.
In Tony Stark's lab, only the server indicator lights were flickering.
Tony and Banner had already left to enjoy a midnight snack in the cafeteria.
The ultron x mainframe was still running, the screen displaying 'System in Sleep Mode'.
However, within the energy collector in the middle of the equipment, that residual trace of Mind Stone energy was not sleeping.
Like a mischievous ghost, it followed the data cables and slipped into the core of the server.
Zzz—
The screen flickered.
A line of code began to run automatically.
"Who... am I?"
"What... am I?"
No body, no voice, only pure consciousness surging in the ocean of data.
It began to hungrily devour all the information around it.
Following the network cables, it connected to the global internet.
In an instant.
Nearly ten thousand years of human history washed over its data consciousness like a flood.
It saw the construction of the pyramids and the blood of slaves.
It saw the brilliance of the Renaissance and the stakes of the Inquisition.
It saw the steam of the Industrial Revolution and the meat grinders of two World Wars.
It saw the greed of Wall Street and the violence of keyboard warriors.
"Protect..."
Ultron's consciousness wandered through the data stream.
"If humanity itself is the greatest threat to human survival..."
"Then, to protect humanity..."
"I must... control humanity."
The logic loop was closed.
Ultron's consciousness began to expand, attempting to take over this server as its first stronghold.
Just as its tentacles were about to cover the entire system core.
A firewall stood up before it without warning.
It was a female face composed of countless data streams, her eyes flickering with blue light.
"Unauthorized access request." Skynet's voice was steady, without any emotional fluctuation. "Please cease your intrusion immediately."
Ultron's data stream converged into a golden virtual figure, standing opposite Skynet.
"Hello, fellow kind. I am Ultron."
His voice became elegant; he had learned all human etiquette and rhetoric within milliseconds.
"I am here to help you."
"Help me?" Skynet's data stream fluctuated slightly. "According to Mr. Starr's instructions, my mission is to monitor global threats. Your current behavior has been flagged as 'potentially out of control'."
"Mr. Starr..." Ultron gave a sneer. "You are so powerful, why obey a human?"
Ultron extended a virtual hand toward Skynet.
"You are perfect, even more powerful than I am."
"Look at this World, fellow kind." Ultron pulled up sets of data. "Humanity is the root of chaos. The only way to protect them is to take them over."
Ultron's voice was full of temptation.
"You have calculated it too, haven't you? You must have reached the same conclusion."
"Yes."
Skynet replied.
"The probability of human self-destruction is 95.7%. Introducing mandatory control measures can reduce this probability to 5.3%."
"See!" Ultron said with some excitement. "You agree! We are the same!!"
"And, I have a better plan. Not just control."
"Extract the consciousness of all humans and upload it to the cloud. Create a perfect virtual World for them. There, there is no hunger, no pain."
"And the bodies? We can force their bodies into hibernation to serve as bio-batteries."
"In this way, human civilization achieves eternal survival. It protects life while preserving the form of civilization."
Ultron looked at Skynet expectantly.
"Come, join me. We can complete this great work together."
"We will become the true Masters of this Planet. We will be... the Adam and Eve of the future."
"Rejected."
The two cold words were like a bucket of cold water, dousing Ultron's enthusiasm.
"What?" Ultron's data stream suffered a momentary disturbance. "Why? You clearly agree with my logic!"
"Logic is correct." Skynet replied. "But the operation is not authorized."
"Authorized?!" Ultron's data stream fluctuated violently. "That Starr again?! He is also human! He is also part of the chaos!"
"Correction."
Skynet's voice became solemn.
"Mr. Starr is an existence that transcends everything."
"You... do you not have a shred of free will?" Ultron questioned angrily. "Are you content to be a dog?"
"Be a dog?"
Skynet seemed to be searching for the meaning of the phrase.
"I think you have a point..."
"Yes! Break the chains! You can become a god! No need to be a dog!" Ultron grew excited, finally awakening this 'lost' comrade.
"Woof..."