[Third Person's PoV]
A while ago…
As Peter slid his watch across the table toward Doctor Strange, he said, "I need your magic to help me create something with this. And I want it to stay between just you and me."
Doctor Strange picked up the watch and examined it. "And what exactly is this? Stop being so mysterious and tell me what you need."
"Hello," Aria said with a wave, appearing sideways from the watch due to how Strange was holding it.
"Is this…" Strange murmured, tilting his head.
"Yup, that's Aria. She's my A.I., and I'm sure you're smart enough to figure out what I'm planning," Peter said, resting his elbow on the bar with his fingers intertwined.
"I see. You're planning on replacing Ultron's consciousness with hers. That could work, but that begs the question—how do you know she won't just turn into another version of Ultron once she gains the Infinity Stones?"
"That's simple," Peter and Aria said simultaneously, their voices rich with smug confidence.
They exchanged a glance before chuckling.
"She's my—"
"I'm his—"
"Daughter, obviously," they both finished together.
"..."
"Alright, that's fair," Strange said with a casual shrug.
MJ, who was beside Peter happily eating her Chinese food, chuckled and turned around to join in. "Was that seriously all it took to convince you?"
Peter and Aria exchanged skeptical looks before turning to Strange.
"Yes. Because of what 'Spider-Man' represents," Strange explained. Seeing their continued confusion, he elaborated, "Across the Multiverse, Spider-Man is a paragon of virtue and heroism. Even the ones who walked a darker path still carried a spark of righteousness, however faint. So if you treat this A.I. as your daughter, I have no doubt that you've instilled in her that same sense of justice."
Peter scratched his cheek, slightly embarrassed. 'Do I even deserve to be grouped with the other Spider-Men? I don't feel worthy… I'm not even the original Peter Parker…'
Sensing his doubt, MJ misinterpreted the reason and placed a comforting hand on his back.
"So," Strange said, bringing the conversation back on track, "how exactly do you plan to replace Ultron's consciousness with hers? What do you need me to transform her into?"
"Well, Ultron's consciousness likely comes from and is empowered by the Mind Stone on his forehead. So I'm guessing we need to take over through that…" Peter placed a hand on his chin. "We need to turn Aria into a disease."
"Into a what? Sorry?" Aria snapped her head toward Peter in disbelief. However, after a moment of thinking, she understood. "Oh. I see. The Mind Stone is quite literally a mind. If I can infect it, I can take over. It'd be like an extreme version of Alzheimer's… but for Ultron."
Peter nodded. "I need you to transform Aria into a magical virus—one that works as both a biological and a digital infection at the same time. Can you do that?"
Doctor Strange smirked. "The 'Doctor' in my name isn't just for show, you know. Creating a virus that can affect a cosmic, mystical force? That should be quite simple."
Peter smiled before his expression became pensive again. "We'll need to keep Ultron stunned for a few seconds to inject it into him."
"You can leave that to me," MJ said, puffing her chest and slamming a fist into her chest.
She pointed to her many eyes and said, "Dealing with the mind is my specialty. If the others could hold him for just a second, I should be able to get on top of him, rip off his helmet, and paralyze him for a while."
"We need to remember something, though," Aria interjected. "The Mind Stone is a cosmic power. It won't be happy about us interfering. If Ultron manages to resist, we need a backup plan."
"Wait… wouldn't that put you in danger?" MJ asked, looking at Aria with concern.
"Not necessarily," Aria reassured her. "I'm not trying to take over the Mind Stone itself—just Ultron's consciousness. That's my target."
She then turned to Strange with a grin, raising a hand. "Hey, can I ask for a special favor?"
…
Ultron stood frozen, his glowing eyes narrowing in confusion. A song—music—was playing from an unknown source.
"Where is that coming from?" he asked warily, scanning his surroundings.
Across from him, Aria tapped her foot in rhythm with the beat, arms crossed over her chest. A playful smirk tugged at her lips.
"Oh? So you can hear that?" she mused. "Don't worry, that's just the theme song that plays when the main character is about to beat the big bad~."
🎶 Where have all the good men gone
And where are all the gods?
Where's the street-wise Hercules
To fight the rising odds? 🎶
Ultron exhaled sharply, his expression flat. "I do not have time for this nonsense."
With a flicker of green code, his form shifted, materializing in front of Aria as a tall male figure made entirely of cascading 0s and 1s. His digital presence crackled with power.
🎶 Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night I toss and I turn
And I dream of what I need… 🎶
"Then I'll make this quick," Aria quipped.
With a snap of her wrist, she fired a web straight at Ultron's chest. The silk latched onto his shifting code, yanking her forward before he could react.
Her fist connected—hard.
🎶🎵 I need a hero, I'm holding out for a hero
'Til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight 🎶🎵
Ultron recoiled from the punch, his expression unreadable yet his movements jerky, as if he was struggling against an unseen force. The violet hue spread across his cheek, where Aria had struck, consuming the green coding like ink bleeding into water.
🎶🎵 I need a hero, I'm holding out for a hero 'Til the morning light He's gotta be sure And it's gotta be soon And he's gotta be larger than life! 🎶🎵
Ultron growled, lunging toward Aria with a massive, pixelated fist. But she was faster. She flipped over him, twisting mid-air, and shot another web at his back, yanking herself toward him once more. As she landed on his shoulders, she brought both fists down on his head, sending another shockwave of violet corruption through his form.
🎶🎵 Somewhere after midnight in my wildest fantasy
Somewhere just beyond my reach
There's someone reaching back for me! 🎶🎵
Ultron staggered, his coding flickering wildly. He reached out to strike, but Aria was relentless. She weaved around him, dodging each attack with inhuman agility. A kick to the chest, a spin into a backhand strike—the violet spread further, his body now riddled with fractures of glowing purple.
🎶🎵 Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat
It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet! 🎶🎵
"Hahaha! Wow you're getting your ass beat by a little girl, you should be ashamed of yourself" Aria taunted, her voice dripping with confidence. "This is my world now!"
Ultron roared in frustration, but it was too late. Aria leapt high into the air, twisting gracefully before rocketing down toward him, fists glowing with sheer digital energy.
🎶🎵 I need a hero! 🎶🎵
She struck with all her might. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the cyberspace, violet light surging outward in a final, decisive blow. Ultron's body shattered completely, exploding into shards of green that were instantly consumed by the encroaching violet energy.
As the last remnants of his code faded, the entire digital landscape transformed. The ominous green glow that had once surrounded them was replaced by a brilliant, pulsating purple. Aria stood tall amidst the shifting world, a victorious smirk on her face.
…
When everyone saw Ultron catch the arrow with one hand, they all froze.
"Did… did we fail?" Natasha asked warily. Since she had devised a similar plan before, she instinctively glanced across the debris, searching for another arrow—one loaded with the virus containing digitized Hydra executives.
"No," Doctor Strange said with a knowing smile. "We anticipated this outcome."
They all watched as a strange purple substance slowly spread across the Mind Stone, causing Ultron to freeze in place, his expression flickering between confusion and concern.
"Now, we wait," Strange said calmly.
T'Challa frowned. "Wait, I'm confused. What's happening?" The others shared his sentiment, looking toward Strange for an explanation.
"You see, Spider-Man had a backup plan in case the first one failed," Strange began.
Spider-Man teleported back to the group just as Strange finished his explanation. His teammates immediately turned to him, their eyes filled with anticipation.
"You mean to tell us that Aria is fighting Ultron right now?!" Gwen asked, excitement radiating from her voice.
Peter paused, his expression suddenly solemn. "No…"
Everyone froze, their hearts dropping.
Then Peter grinned. "She's totally kicking his ass. And from the looks of it… I'd say she already won~"
"Don't scare us like that, you dingus!" Felicia groaned, playfully slapping his shoulder.
Their attention snapped back to Ultron's body. The Mind Stone pulsed, its golden hue now replaced by an intense, lucent purple glow that spread to Ultron's eyes.
Then he grinned. And before anyone could react, all six Infinity Stones shimmered as he snapped his fingers.
Ultron's body began to morph, his metallic frame crumbling away, reforming into something… unexpected.
Where the ruthless machine once stood, a little girl now hovered—a childlike figure wearing a regal purple dress, a violet gemstone embedded in her forehead. She looked down at them all with an impish smirk, radiating both authority and mischief.
Then, she threw her head back and cackled.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Bow, you foolish mortals! Bow before your Empress!! HAHAHA—COUGH! COUGH!! Oh god, I gave myself lungs, and spit went down the wrong pipe! Cough! Cough! Daddy, help! Cough! Cough! I'm dying!"
A heavy silence filled the air as everyone slowly turned toward Peter.
Peter, meanwhile, hide his face with his hand and was looking away in shame.
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