Cherreads

Chapter 43 - Chapter 43

Franklin POV

I materialized still in my alien form, and the first thing I noticed was the silence.

The city around us looked like it had been bombed into oblivion. Rubble everywhere. Buildings shattered. Dark clouds hanging low, thick with smoke and dust.

"Where the hell are we?" Natasha asked.

"We're on another Earth," I said, scanning the skyline. "And judging by the architecture, even in this condition, I'm pretty sure this is New York."

Everyone froze.

"This can't be New York," Steve said. "What even happened here?"

"I'm almost certain it is," I replied, finally shifting back into my normal form. "As for what happened?" I shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine." I sighed. "And even though this is only my third time hopping multiverses… I'm already getting sick of it."

"What?" Hank asked.

"Long story," I said.

Steve looked at me. "Alright. You've got the most experience with this kind of thing. What's the plan?"

I thought for a moment. "From what I've learned, multiverse jumps like this usually aren't random. They happen for a reason, usually because someone needs help." I glanced back at the ruined skyline. "That portal wasn't an accident. It locked onto Avengers Tower."

"So someone built it," Nat said.

"Exactly," I nodded. "Someone wanted you here. I was just… collateral." I exhaled. "First step is finding whoever made the portal. Once we do that, we'll know what kind of crisis we just walked into."

I looked around at the destroyed city.

"And judging by this place," I added quietly, "it's a bad one."

"Pretty sure we've landed in some kind of robot apocalypse," Clint said.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"…Why do you say that?" Bruce asked.

Clint didn't take his eyes off the sky as he reached for his bow. "Because there's a horde of robots flying straight toward us. Right now."

We followed his gaze.

He wasn't exaggerating.

An army of robots, hundreds, maybe thousands, cut through the clouds, metal bodies gleaming as they closed in fast.

I sighed. "Robots. Sure. Why not? I've dealt with evil superheroes and zombies already, might as well add killer robots to the list."

"You really need to explain your other multiverse adventures someday," Janet muttered.

Captain America didn't miss a beat.

"Alright," he snapped, already moving. "Tony, Bruce, find cover. We can't risk the Hulk rampaging, and Stark, you don't have his armor."

"Rude, but fair," Tony said.

"Clint, find high ground, but stay close. Thor, when they're in range, bring the thunder. Try to thin their numbers."

Thor twirled Mjolnir, lightning already crackling.

"Hank, Janet, you're with me and Natasha. We keep the fight grounded."

Then Steve turned to me.

"Omni, I don't know the full extent of what you can do," he said. "So do what you do best."

I grinned and tapped the Omnitrix. "Aye aye, Captain. And yeah, I know exactly the alien for smashing clankers."

I slammed the dial.

"Humungousaur!"

The transformation hit hard, but I didn't stop there.

I slammed it again.

"Ultimate Humungousaur!"

Natasha stared up at me. "…What the hell?"

Tony's eyes practically lit up. "Okay, you have to let me study how that thing works."

"Never," I said flatly.

The first wave of robots crossed into range.

Thor hurled Mjolnir skyward and rocketed after it, summoning a massive thunderstorm. Bolts of lightning tore through the sky, shredding dozens of robots midair.

But even as they fell, more kept coming.

"Alright, they're almost on us!" Natasha shouted. "Tony, Bruce, cover, now!"

They dove into a nearby trench. I followed, mostly because there wasn't much else to hide behind.

"Don't worry," I said, planting myself in front of them. My arms reshaped, metal flowing into massive cannon barrels. "I've got you covered."

I glanced back with a grin." If I stop covering you, that means I'm dead."

The cannons began to glow.

"But that's not going to happen."

The robot army reached us in seconds.

Energy blasts lit up the sky as they opened fire. I answered immediately, my cannons roaring as I tore through the front line, metal bodies exploding midair.

Thor didn't even slow down. Even though his lightning wasn't doing much anymore, he adapted on the fly, literally, rocketing through the swarm with Mjolnir, smashing straight through the machines and ripping them apart with raw momentum alone.

Natasha fired a burst from her Widow's Bite, no effect.

"Great," she muttered.

She dropped the gauntlets, yanked two pistols from her back, and went to work. Clean shots. Precise. Every bullet straight through sensors and processors, robots dropping one after another.

The Wasp shrank down to pin-size and became a blur, weaving through the chaos. Her stingers flashed as she strafed weak points, peppering joints and optics, disabling machines before they even knew she was there.

Ant-Man went smaller.

Way smaller.

He vanished into the robots themselves, slipping through seams, tearing out circuitry from the inside. A robot would stagger, spark, shut down… and Hank would pop out, already diving toward the next target.

Captain America was everywhere.

Shield crashing into metal, fists following right behind. He fought three, four robots at a time, bashing, spinning, never stopping. He hurled the shield, decapitating machines in a single throw, and it snapped right back into his hand like it had a mind of its own.

The battlefield was chaos.

But we were holding the line.

Hawkeye was a blur of motion, loosing arrow after arrow into the swarm. Some detonated on impact, ripping robots apart. Others burst into expanding foam, locking machines in place. A few were pure trick shots, pinning joints, snapping wings, dropping enemies out of the sky.

Even so, the real problem was obvious.

They just kept coming.

"Cap," I called out, blasting another cluster from the air, "we need to pull back. This isn't sustainable, we need a better way to deal with this."

"Alright," Steve said immediately. "Thor, make us an exit. Tony, Bruce,you're up fir—"

"Avengers… assemble!"

The voice was young. Confident. Loud enough to cut straight through the chaos.

We all turned.

Five figures burst onto the battlefield like they'd been waiting for that exact moment.

The first was a red-haired guy dressed in black, a red star emblazoned across his jacket. He carried a shield, smaller than Cap's, but he wielded it with the same confidence, smashing robots aside with brutal precision.

Beside him, a blonde girl in mystical-looking armor charged forward, sword blazing as she carved through machines like they were paper.

A black teenager followed, completely bald, strange markings etched across his skin. Dressed in dark gear, he moved with terrifying efficiency, tearing robots apart with raw strength and energy.

Above them, the youngest-looking member swooped in, yellow armor, mechanical wings cutting through the air as he rained fire from above.

And finally another archer.

White hair. Black-and-white suit. His arrows flew in perfect sync with Hawkeye's, their shots crossing midair and striking targets with flawless coordination.

The robot army faltered for the first time.

Whatever this world was…

It wasn't undefended.

From my past memories, I knew exactly who these teenagers were.

These weren't just random heroes.

They were the next Avengers, the Children of the Avengers.

James Rogers, son of Captain America and Black Widow.Torunn, daughter of Thor and Sif.Henry Pym Jr., son of Ant-Man and the Wasp.Azari, son of Black Panther and Storm.And Francis Barton, son of Hawkeye and Mockingbird.

And they were terrifyingly good.

Torunn tore through the robots like they were nothing. In ten seconds flat, she dropped forty of them, her sword flashing, every strike precise and brutal.

James hurled his shield again and again, cutting robots in half as it ricocheted through the battlefield. And of course, it snapped right back into his hand every time.

I grimaced.Half Steve Rogers… still inherited that ridiculous shield physics.

Pym Jr. stayed small at first, shrinking and firing concentrated blasts for a solid minute, then suddenly grew, towering over the battlefield. In his giant form, he crushed entire clusters of robots underfoot.

Azari's hands shifted, energy crawling over his fingers as his nails elongated into crackling lightning claws. He carved through the machines with savage efficiency, electricity ripping through metal.

Francis kept pace with Hawkeye, firing arrow after arrow, until he suddenly stopped.

He reached into a small device at his waist. It was tiny at first, but when he pressed a button, it unfolded, expanding into a glowing beacon.

It pulsed once.

A deep, resonant wave rippled across the battlefield.

Instantly, every robot dropped.

Power dead. Systems offline.

Silence.

When it was clear no more were coming, all five of them turned toward us.

"Sorry about that," James said, looking straight at Tony. "Looks like the coordinates were off."

The Avengers just stared.

"What?" Tony said flatly.

"There's no time to stand around," Francis added. "Those Ultron units definitely sent out a signal. We need to move. Now."

"Ultron is here too?" Natasha asked sharply. "And what do you mean, you got the coordinates wrong?"

I stepped forward. "I think I know what's going on. And if I'm right, you should absolutely listen to them."

The kids all turned to me.

"Wait," Pym Jr. said, squinting. "You can talk?"

Torunn tilted her head. "What manner of beast are you?"

I powered down from my alien form, shifting back into my normal body.

"Not a beast," I said calmly. "And if we don't move fast, more will show up."

Pym Jr. blinked. "Wow… I don't remember him from any of Tony's stories."

"Pym," James said firmly, already moving, "he said we need to go. That means now."

Whatever crisis this world was facing…

Just got a whole lot bigger.

We followed the teenagers back to their ship, it wasn't far. Once we boarded, my eyes immediately locked onto the front.

Was that… Vision's head?

"Glad to see you all made it back," the head said calmly. "And I see you've returned with… additional company."

"We don't know who this guy is," Francis said flatly. "Just get us out of here. Now."

"Affirmative," the Vision-head replied. "Returning to base."

The ship lifted off and sped away. No one spoke. Not because we didn't have questions, but because none of us even knew where to start.

Thankfully, the trip didn't take long.

We descended into a massive canyon and landed at its center. After disembarking, we followed the teenagers into what looked like a natural cave, until it very clearly wasn't.

Set deep into the stone was a massive metal door.

James walked up to a keypad, punched in a code, and the door slid open with a heavy mechanical groan.

Inside was… a graveyard of technology.

Broken machines. Old consoles. Half-dead screens. Pathways carved into the rock, wired with cables and power conduits running in every direction.

We moved deeper until we reached the central chamber.

An old man sat there, hunched in front of a massive computer. He slowly turned around.

And the second he did the room froze.

Because he looked exactly like Tony.

Older. Worn down. Eyes heavy with years of loss.

But unmistakably him.

"Okay," Tony said carefully, staring. "Someone explain to me why I'm looking at an old version of myself."

I exhaled slowly. "I think I know what's going on," I said. "And if I'm wrong, or missing something, feel free to correct me."

"Ook?" Pym Jr. said helpfully.

"Just like in our world," I said slowly, choosing my words carefully, "I'm guessing Tony Stark, and Hank Pym, built Ultron here. But unlike our timeline… you didn't stop him."

I paced a step, eyes never leaving the older Tony.

"He upgraded himself. Built an army. Wiped out the Avengers." I glanced around the room. "All of them, except one. I don't know how you survived, but you did."

No one interrupted me.

"I'm also guessing Ultron didn't stop there. He probably wiped out half the population on Earth. He's still out there somewhere, most likely holed up in some high-tech city." I shrugged. "But that part isn't what matters right now."

I looked back at the console. "You built a device. One that can pull Avengers from across the multiverse. That portal over Avengers Tower? That was you. That's how we got here."

I paused, finally turning toward the teenagers.

"But them?" I shook my head. "That's the part I couldn't figure out. I mean, I have a theory, but it sounds insane. There's no way these kids are the actual Avengers kids of this world."

I let the words hang, like I was just guessing out loud.

The room went dead silent.

The teenagers stared at me.The Avengers looked stunned.Old Tony looked… impressed.

"You almost got everything right," he said at last. "Just missed a few details."

I exhaled. "Then fill in the gaps for me."

He leaned back slightly.

"I built Ultron," Old Tony said. "Alone. No team. No safeguards." His voice hardened. "And I've been fighting him for years."

He looked at the kids.

"And while I was doing that… I was also raising them."

He met my eyes.

"They are my Avengers kids."

The room erupted.

Every Avenger stared in shock.

No one spoke.

"And right now," Old Tony continued, "Ultron isn't even on this planet anymore."

The room went still.

"He upgraded himself far beyond anything we ever imagined. First, he took an old… friend of mine for himself." His jaw tightened. "Then someone came to Earth looking for the Mind Stone. That person already had the other Infinity Stones."

My stomach dropped.

"With all that power," Old Tony said quietly, "Ultron became unstoppable."

He let out a slow breath. "The only thing I could do at that point was get the kids somewhere safe. While I was hiding them, Ultron built an entire army, layer after layer of drones, and completely wiped out Earth."

No one spoke.

"We evacuated," he finished. "There was nothing left to save."

The Avengers looked shaken.

So was I.

Because what he was describing sounded way too close to Infinity Ultron—and if that was true, this wasn't just going to be hard.

This was the kind of fight you lose.

While Ultron was gone, leaving only his drones behind, Old Tony went on, "me and my Avengers scavenged what we could. Parts. Components. Anything usable. We started building a multiverse teleporter."

He glanced at the damaged tech around us. "The drones made it hell. The workmanship isn't pretty, but it works. Barely."

He looked at all of us then. Real hope in his eyes.

"I'm just glad you're here," he said. "We need your help. If Ultron didn't stopped, I have no doubt he already wipe out all life in this universe."

A pause.

"And eventually," Old Tony added, "he'll come back to finish us off."

No one argued.

Because deep down, we all knew.

He was right.

__________________________________________________________________

AN: I wanted to make this chapter a bit longer but some things came up and I had to rush to get this one out.

More Chapters