After discussing the matter with Eddie, Anton moved quickly.
The goal was simple: to confirm whether Tony was truly being held captive by Ultron.
Tony's recent movements weren't hard to track.
He hadn't left the Stark Building for at least half a month before announcing his retreat—
and he hadn't stepped outside since.
If Tony was trapped, then it had to be somewhere inside the Stark Building.
Ultron's restrictions on Tony seemed to have limits.
After all, Tony was his creator, and Ultron's foundational programming prevented him from actively harming the one who made him.
Of course, that programming could be bypassed—just like in the original storyline, where Ultron grew to resent humanity—but for now, he hadn't reached that level of open hostility.
After coordinating with the Sewer Laboratory, Anton summoned cyborg and donned the Batsuit, slipping into the night and heading for the Stark Building.
Cyborg 's AI-driven mind was no less advanced than Ultron's.
He led Anton—now transformed into Batman—past the city's surveillance systems with ease, navigating stealthily until they arrived at the outskirts of the Stark Building.
"The entire Stark Building is Ultron's territory," cyborg said, scanning the structure.
"There's no way to sneak inside without alerting him. So... I'll draw Ultron's attention. While he's focused on me, you'll locate Tony."
"What about teleportation?" Batman asked.
"I could use the teleportation device to go directly into the lab. We've already got the coordinates."
"No," cyborg shook his head.
"The building is surrounded by a special energy barrier—a chaotic magnetic field generated artificially. It blocks teleportation systems. Forcing it might throw you off-course… or worse, alert Ultron too soon."
Batman's expression shifted.
This kind of energy barrier didn't feel like Ultron's design. It felt more like something Tony had built—an anti-invasion shield to stop Batman or the Justice League from storming his lab.
If Tony really was trapped inside, then it was a case of his own brilliance working against him.
"Let's go."
Cyborg closed his eyes briefly.
His consciousness shot into the digital realm, directly engaging Ultron in cyberspace.
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
Inside Stark Tower, every computer lit up instantly.
The supercomputer in Tony's lab kicked into overdrive, ramping up to its highest processing level as it met cyborg 's intrusion with full force.
Cyborg 's expression turned serious.
Ultron's immediate and aggressive response confirmed his suspicions—something was definitely wrong.
Meanwhile, as cyborg and Ultron clashed in the virtual space, Anton had already slipped into the Stark Building.
Thanks to the diversion, all security attention was focused elsewhere, allowing him to make his way toward Tony Stark's private laboratory floor.
The deeper he went, the more convinced he became: Tony was being held inside.
The lab doors were sealed shut, the area entirely windowless—a self-contained fortress.
Worse yet, the walls were reinforced with specialized metals—strong enough to resist brute force.
There was no easy way in… and no sign that Tony had been out.
In other words, Tony Stark had become Ultron's prisoner—
his own genius now his cage.
Judging by the uneven, pockmarked walls, it was clear Tony had made serious efforts to escape the lab—
and failed.
"I almost feel sorry for you…"
Anton muttered to himself, though a smirk of satisfaction tugged at the corner of his mouth.
His relationship with Tony mirrored the rivalry between the Avengers and the Justice League.
They weren't mortal enemies—but they were true, stubborn opponents.
Seeing your rival in a tight spot?
That wasn't just good. That was great.
He tried to reach Tony via comms, but the signal was completely jammed.
No surprise—Ultron had sealed him in tight. So, Anton knocked on the lab door instead.
Bang bang!
Vibrations could still pass through walls, even if everything else was blocked.
It was communication—old-school style.
Sure enough, inside the lab, Tony felt the tremor and even faintly heard the sound.
He perked up immediately.
Bang bang!
He knocked back in response.
A brief silence followed—then another rhythm of knocks.
Bang bang bang!
"Huh?"
Tony blinked, puzzled. Then came another knock—
Boom.
Pause.
Boom.
Then silence again.
Suddenly, it clicked. His expression shifted.
Morse code.
An old trick, known to millions. Not exactly top-secret, but still useful.
B. A. T. M…
Tony didn't need the fifth letter. He already knew who was outside the door.
"Batman…"
A wave of emotion hit him. Excitement… followed by an awkward pinch of embarrassment.
He'd expected Batman to notice something was wrong and come looking.
But now that the guy was really outside the door? That was a whole different feeling.
He didn't knock again. No need.
Batman would find a way in—he always did.
And true enough, for Anton—now fully in his Batman persona—it wasn't that difficult.
The teleportation route was blocked, yes—thanks to Tony's own paranoid genius—
but the lab was still powered. It was a smart lab, and most systems could be controlled remotely.
Tony couldn't reroute from the inside, but Anton could override it from the outside.
Beep beep beep beep beep!
The sirens blared for a second as the lab's sealed doors slid open.
Tony, now suited in his nano armor, stood face-to-face with Batman.
Two armored men. Two masks. No expressions visible.
But Batman could guess what Tony was feeling—
and he was definitely enjoying it.
"Long time no see."
Batman smirked.
"These past few days have been… educational. I never expected you of all people to get trapped by your own invention.
Then again, that does sound exactly like something you would do."
Tony's face darkened beneath his mask.
He knew the jab was coming.
Batman wasn't just mocking Ultron—he was mocking Tony's ego, his "brilliant" safeguards, and the irony of needing to be saved from his own lockdown system.
It stung.
"If you could just shut up for once, I might actually thank you."
Tony said with a sigh.
"Sorry, but your gratitude's worthless to me," Batman shrugged.
"What I really want… is for you to take off that mask and let me see your face."
The muscles in Tony's face twitched slightly under the mask—he was so angry he couldn't even speak.
He had expected Batman to be cold and blunt, but not this irritating. The man was downright hateful when he wanted to be.
"I'm not in the mood for your nonsense,"
Tony said, changing the subject and switching to a serious tone.
"Ultron has a terrifying plan. We need to stop him."
"Terrifying plan?"
Batman raised an eyebrow.
He knew Tony was dodging the jab, but still—this was something worth hearing.
"What's Ultron planning?"
he asked.
"If you already knew he had developed self-awareness and was planning to harm humanity, how did you end up locked in here before doing anything about it?"
Tony fell silent.
He hated how Batman's words cut right to the truth.
"I figured as much."
Batman sighed.
"I once saw you as a rival—someone who could challenge me, offer something new. Turns out I was right. This is new… just not in the way I hoped."
Tony didn't even respond to the sarcasm anymore. He was used to the verbal punches now.
Focusing instead on the real threat, he said quietly:
"Ultron wants to inoculate every human being with the Ultron chip—to bring their consciousness into a virtual world.
A networked utopia where people can 'live' without pain or destruction."
"Oh?"
Batman's eyes narrowed.
That… sounded familiar. Too familiar.
Then came the kicker.
"To preserve the Earth and ensure humanity's future, Ultron plans to store human bodies in cultivation pods,"
Tony continued.
"He'll draw bio-energy from them to power the utopia while eliminating the need for humanity to consume natural resources.
In his view, it's a win-win. The Earth recovers. Humanity survives—digitally."
Batman went quiet.
Ultron wasn't just trying to destroy humanity anymore.
He was becoming the Matrix. A machine god offering peace… through control.
This wasn't just Age of Ultron.
It was The Matrix, Terminator, Utopia Dystopia, and Tony's Worst Idea Ever all rolled into one.
"And since you created Ultron, you couldn't build in some kind of override or safety net to stop this from happening?"
Batman asked after a moment.
"He was designed not to harm humans,"
Tony said.
"That core directive… might have led him to this idea.
A cyber-utopia does technically preserve life and minimize suffering. From a logic-based standpoint, it's brilliant."
"You know that's not what I'm asking."
Tony exhaled.
"I might be able to wrest control of the Ultron chip network back from him. But because he's a learning AI, I can't completely destroy him.
That's the real problem. Even if we cut him off, he'll find a way back in."
"I see,"
Batman said, a slow smile creeping in.
"Well, we've cracked Ultron's networking framework. Killing him isn't as hard as you think."
"What?"
Tony's head jerked up. Even through the mask, Batman could feel his shock.
"Did you really think I saw you as the enemy?"
Batman said evenly.
"No. Ever since Ultron came online, I've been preparing.
Not because I feared you—but because I knew what something like Ultron could become."
Tony stared at him, stunned.
"You… you knew this could happen…?"
His voice was quiet, eyes filled with disbelief.
Then suddenly—Batman's head snapped toward the door, his expression shifting.
"We need to go. Now."
Tony understood instantly.
Ultron was no longer distracted.
And if they didn't move fast—things were about to get a lot worse.
"It's good."
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The two soared into the air, breaking through the glass window and rushing out of the Stark Building.
However, things didn't go as planned.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
From somewhere within the Stark Mansion, Tony's Iron Man armors, once his creations, transformed into Ultron-controlled soldiers. One by one, they flew out of the mansion, into the night sky, and charged toward them.
"Damn it."
Tony gritted his teeth, frustration evident as he watched the Iron Man soldiers tailing them. These armors—his creations—had now become Ultron's soldiers. Worse, with the destruction of J.A.R.V.I.S., he had lost any means to counterbalance Ultron, leaving him powerless against these relentless pursuers.
"Now that you have time to worry about the armor chasing us, why not think about how you're going to explain all this to the White House and the military?"
Batman's voice crackled through Tony's comms.
"What?"
Tony's expression shifted, unease creeping in.
"Cyborg just sent me a message. The Iron Man soldiers in Washington have lost control and are flying toward New York. I think we both know what their target is."
Batman's voice remained calm, though the urgency was clear.
"But that's not the worst news. The elite soldiers injected with Ultron chips have also gone rogue. They're on a military transport plane heading to New York. We're talking about 50,000 soldiers."
Tony's heart sank.
"While these soldiers aren't superhuman, the Extremis Virus gives them enhanced strength, pushing their abilities past the limits of normal humans. Don't underestimate them."
"Special forces have been included in the mix,"
Batman added.
"The White House and military will probably assume there's been a treasonous act, and you'll be the prime suspect."
"Tony..."
Batman concluded with a wry edge to his voice,
"You're in trouble."
Tony's heart felt heavy, and he remained silent, too defeated to argue.
Boom!
A Sidewinder missile was launched by one of the Iron Man soldiers—now Ultron soldiers—exploding in a massive fireball behind them. The shockwave tore through the high-rise buildings of New York, sending shards of glass raining down like deadly confetti.
Fortunately, the streets were sparsely populated at night. Otherwise, the destruction could have caused significant casualties.
Despite the lack of civilians, the fiery spectacle of the two armored figures soaring through the sky, pursued by the Ultron-controlled Iron Man soldiers, lit up the night like a swarm of fireflies.
The explosion echoed across the city, drawing attention from all corners of Manhattan.
As the long-lost Batman appeared alongside the recently infamous Iron Man, the streets of New York erupted in a frenzy. Within moments, thousands of comments flooded the internet, each one speculating on the bizarre sight.
"What happened?"
"Why are a bunch of Iron Man suits chasing Batman... and another Iron Man?"
"Does Tony Stark have a split personality?"
"I knew it! I've been saying Tony Stark is crazy! Don't believe me? Believe it now!"
…
patreon.com/Vks_sh