"The power is too great for me to influence?" Hearing Vision's words, Tony turned his gaze toward the elder Banner.
Banner's expression was a stiff mask of confusion.
He had just tried to summon the Hulk, but unlike his younger counterpart, the transformation failed to trigger.
Ordinarily, this would have been a blessing—after all, he'd spent a lifetime trying not to turn into an uncontrollable monster.
He usually had to suppress the Hulk, maintaining a constant, grueling state of calm to stay human. In other words, letting go was supposed to be the easy part.
But now, even with the restraints off, the Hulk refused to emerge. His ultimate safety net was gone, and the creeping edge of panic was impossible to ignore.
"Dr. Banner?" Tony called out again when he didn't get a response.
"Ah..."
Banner finally snapped back to reality, Tony's question echoing in his mind.
He offered a tentative guess: "Wanda's power and the Scepter... both she and her brother had their abilities jump-started by the influence of that Scepter."
Meaning... since her power shares a source with the stone in Vision's head, he can't affect her? Still, something about that felt off.
Madam Herta provided the answer: "Chaos Magic was born at the dawn of the universe. It is the progenitor of all magic, an ancient and independent primal force. It was the first light to emerge from cosmic cognition and sheer coincidence. Its priority in the grand scheme of things sits even higher than that of a single Infinity Stone."
"That 'Scepter' you keep mentioning is merely a housing for the Mind Stone. The Scepter itself is irrelevant—just a vessel."
The group finally understood, but that understanding only brought a fresh headache.
"So... does Madam Herta have a way to deal with this... Chaos Magic?" Scott asked, having listened from the sidelines for a while.
"A way? Do you even realize who you're asking?"
Herta's gaze snapped to Scott, who was currently being kept safe by the Cloak of Levitation. Her expression was one of proud disdain.
"If you must insist on doubting me, I'd prefer you ask, 'How many different ways does the great Madam Herta have to solve the problem this time?' At least then your skepticism would have some substance."
"Thanks for the tip. I've always had a way of putting my foot in my mouth," Scott admitted, backing down immediately when he saw that none of the other Avengers were jumping to his defense.
"By the way, just out of curiosity, how much would it cost to commission you to make me a new body?"
"What use is money to me? I only act when something captures my interest."
Herta shut down Scott's hopes without a second thought. "Besides, I have other matters to attend to."
"Madam Herta, are you certain you don't need any backup?" Thor asked, gripping his recovered hammer.
"Setting aside the fact that I'm hardly intimidated by the combat prowess of a newly awakened Chaos Mage... have you ever heard of 'Administrator Privileges'?"
Herta didn't wait for an answer; she simply posed the question and kept walking. Thor looked blankly at Tony.
"Don't forget where we are. To Madam Herta, this place is basically her own backyard," Tony reminded him.
Right. They were inside the Simulated Universe.
The realism was so jarring they had almost convinced themselves they'd actually traveled to a parallel dimension... which, technically, they had, but it was a simulation so vivid it defied the label.
Peter, standing nearby, looked stunned. "Administrator Privileges? Mr. Stark, is Madam Herta the admin of this entire world?"
"Exactly. So, we do what she says," Tony said with a shrug.
Herta ignored the rest of their questions, heading toward the edge of the camp. "I need to find a suitable spot to set up my equipment and begin my research. Do as you please."
The group exchanged looks. It was clear Madam Herta had no intention of sticking with the pack.
That left one order of business.
All eyes turned toward Vision.
"I wish to check on Madam Herta's progress," Vision said. He knew they wanted an explanation for his sudden outburst earlier, but his concern for Wanda's safety currently outweighed everything else.
"Before that, don't you think you owe us an explanation?"
Thor wasn't in a forgiving mood. He stepped squarely between Vision and the tent exit.
Vision could fly, but Thor's stance made it clear that leaving would require a fight.
"What exactly is going on here?" the elder Banner demanded.
"It's obvious. It's a trap," Bucky said, his rifle already raised. He had zero goodwill left for Vision. "We're just the grocery run. He lured us here as livestock, and the only reason he hasn't made a move is because there are too many of us."
"He wanted to feed you to his zombie bride," Scott realized, the horror sinking in. "I knew something was wrong! There's no way my body would just... disappear!"
"Your anger is justified," Vision said, attempting to maintain his composure. "I assure you, as detestable as my actions are, they were born of logic."
"I'll say one thing for him..." Scott looked at the man who had saved him, but the thought of where his missing limbs might be made him fall silent again. "Actually, I've got nothing."
Banner looked at Vision with profound disappointment. "You lured us here under the banner of love? That's your logic?"
Facing his creator—one of the men who could essentially be called his father—Vision's resolve finally flickered.
"I have yet to fully process the weight of what I've done..."
"Do you know what happens to an AI that goes off the rails?" Tony hadn't expected that a robot he created in the future would develop romantic feelings for a human. It was a miracle, certainly, but a miracle that had been twisted into something that nearly invited catastrophe.
Just as the atmosphere grew heavy with the conflict between Vision's help with the cure and his dark intentions, a hospital bed came sliding into the tent from outside.
"Deal with this one yourselves," Herta's voice drifted in.
Everyone looked down at the man on the bed. He was missing a lower leg.
The Avengers didn't recognize him, but the others gasped. Okoye nearly lost her footing. "The King?!"
"T'Challa?" Bucky blurted out, stunned to see him here.
"Everyone?"
T'Challa, the Black Panther, looked around dazed. It looked like everyone had been cured. Wait, was that right?
The Avengers were floored. Vision hadn't just been planning a crime; he had already carried it out. Worse, the victim was someone they clearly knew—a comrade.
Vision was willing to butcher his own friends?
"I am truly sorry..."
Vision knew there was no defense for what he had done.
"Then you can accept the fate of any other malfunctioning AI!" Okoye leveled her spear, her face contorted with rage as she pointed the tip directly at Vision's head.
"Wait! We can't kill him yet! Not now!" Banner instinctively moved to intervene. "Have you forgotten? We still need the power of the Mind Stone to set this world right!"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.