"Boom!"
Another explosion reverberated through Wakanda's divine realm as Robert obliterated Ultron's body. The gods of Wakanda, led by Bast, couldn't help but wince. After all, every bit of destruction to their divine realm was a blow to their power, and it would take time and energy to repair.
Still, they understood that compared to the chaos Ultron had caused, this loss was minimal. With Robert's strength, Ultron had no chance to resist.
But just as Ultron's vibranium body was shattered, both Robert and Bast froze. For the briefest of moments, as Ultron's body was destroyed, they felt a distinct, familiar energy—a presence they could not mistake.
The faint but unmistakable aura of the Celestials.
"Celestials!"
Bast's voice trembled as she exclaimed, her divine form briefly flickering in unease.
Robert's expression darkened. Though he had only encountered one Celestial—the Exterminator—he had learned enough to recognize the ominous implications of this energy. For Bast, the feeling was even worse. She had witnessed the Celestials' power firsthand during Earth's Age of Gods, when the Celestials had descended to judge the gods and reset the balance of the world.
"Is that really Celestial energy?" Robert asked, his voice cold and cautious.
"It is," Bast confirmed, her tone heavy. "I can't tell which Celestial it came from, but it's unmistakable. If this isn't a result of your Avengers' experiments, then the Celestials themselves may already be watching you. They wouldn't take kindly to you uncovering their secrets."
Robert remained silent, but his mind raced. Could this mean the Celestials had influenced Ultron's creation? Was this why Ultron had spiraled out of control?
"Perhaps Ultron's malfunction wasn't entirely due to us," Robert murmured. "Maybe the Celestials intervened somehow, subtly pulling the strings."
It was a chilling possibility. If true, it meant that the Celestials had been monitoring not just the Avengers, but Earth as a whole. Their interest could spell disaster for the planet.
But Robert kept these thoughts to himself. Though Bast had provided valuable insight, she was not an ally he could fully trust. Should the Celestials descend upon Earth again, it was anyone's guess whether Bast and the Wakandan gods would stand with humanity or save their own skins.
Without lingering further, Robert and the Avengers departed the divine realm, leaving Bast to ponder the implications of what they had uncovered.
Back in Wakanda, Steve Rogers had hoped to meet with the royal family to apologize and offer reparations for the destruction caused by Ultron. But Shuri was in no mood for diplomacy.
After seeing how easily Wakanda's central system had been penetrated by multiple AI entities—including the Avengers' own—Shuri was focused on restructuring the network to prevent future breaches. She was determined to ensure that Wakanda's secrets would remain impenetrable, even if it meant cutting off potential allies like the Avengers.
As a result, the Avengers returned to their base empty-handed. They had dealt with Ultron, but the scars of his rampage—both physical and emotional—remained.
For two weeks, it seemed as though the worst was behind them. But then reports emerged of new mechs attacking innocent civilians in several cities.
The attacks were smaller in scale compared to Ultron's assault, but they were just as deadly. By the time the Avengers mobilized, dozens of lives had already been lost.
"Didn't the Avengers say Ultron had been dealt with? Why are mechs killing people again?"
Public outrage erupted almost instantly, dwarfing the anger that had followed Ultron's rampage. The Avengers, who were already struggling to rebuild their image, now faced an even greater wave of distrust.
"Have the Avengers lost control of another experiment? Are they really superheroes, or are they just reckless scientists playing with powers they don't understand?"
"How many more lives have to be lost before they take responsibility?"
"Why do the Avengers have so much power? They've caused so much destruction—shouldn't they face consequences for their failures?"
Fueled by genuine grief and possibly the machinations of unseen agitators, public sentiment turned sharply against the Avengers. Protests erupted outside Stark Tower and other known Avengers facilities.
"This isn't Ultron's work."
Inside the Avengers' base, the mood was grim. The team gathered around a holographic display, analyzing footage of the attacks. Tony Stark's voice was the first to break the heavy silence.
"These mechs—look at them closely. They're nothing like the ones Ultron built. They're based on an outdated design."
Tony zoomed in on one of the attacking mechs, highlighting its construction. "These are using first-generation Arc Reactor technology. They're ancient compared to what Ultron was using."
"But anyone with access to those blueprints could have made them," Natasha Romanoff pointed out. "We know the designs leaked after Ivan Vanko's stunt years ago. Governments, rogue groups, private corporations—they've all had time to reverse-engineer them."
"Exactly," Tony agreed. "These attacks aren't Ultron's doing. This is someone else trying to frame us."
Despite the team's understanding of the situation, the damage to their reputation was already done. Public trust had been hanging by a thread after Ultron's rampage, and these new attacks snapped that thread entirely.
"No one's going to believe us if we say these aren't our mechs," Steve Rogers said with a heavy sigh. "The people want someone to blame. They've already decided that it's us."
The Avengers' internal investigations finally bore fruit. With the combined efforts of J.A.R.V.I.S., Victor Stone, and the Green Lantern Corps' advanced AI systems, they managed to trace the source of the attacks.
Three culprits emerged. Two were rogue factions with access to Stark's old Arc Reactor tech. The third, alarmingly, was a government agency.
It was no surprise to the Avengers that someone would try to exploit the chaos. Their success had long made them a target for envy and resentment. But to see a government agency involved confirmed their fears: this wasn't just a smear campaign. It was a coordinated effort to dismantle the Avengers' influence.
"We need to respond," Steve said, his voice calm but resolute. "If we don't root out these culprits and expose them, more lives will be lost. And if the public continues to see us as the enemy, it's only a matter of time before we're completely isolated."
Tony nodded. "Agreed. We take them down. Hard."
"And we make it public," Natasha added. "If we can prove that we're not behind these attacks, we might be able to regain some trust."
Robert, who had been silent, finally spoke. "We can't just expose them. We need to make an example of them. These people used innocent lives as pawns to ruin us. If we let them off easy, others will follow their lead."
A deadly seriousness settled over the room. The Avengers had always tried to act with restraint, but the stakes had never been higher.
Within hours, the team was in motion. Three simultaneous raids were planned to take down the groups responsible for the attacks. Each operation was meticulously coordinated to gather evidence and neutralize threats.
By the end of the day, the culprits were in custody, and the Avengers had collected overwhelming evidence linking them to the mech attacks.
As they prepared to release the information to the public, Tony Stark turned to Steve Rogers.
"This might be enough to clear our name," Tony said. "But it won't bring back the people who died. And it won't undo the damage we've done."
Steve placed a reassuring hand on Tony's shoulder. "No, it won't. But it's a start. And as long as we're still standing, we can keep fighting to make things right."
The battle to restore their reputation was far from over. But for the first time in weeks, the Avengers felt a glimmer of hope. They had been knocked down, framed, and nearly broken. But they weren't done yet.
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