The med-bay, moments before a haven of advanced healing, was now the epicenter of a rapidly escalating crisis. Ranger's body, or rather the entity now piloting it, sat bolt upright, its blue-glowing eyes fixed on the Human Torch who was currently a raging inferno at the breached wall.
"Hostile detected." the voice emanated from Ranger's form, cold, metallic, and utterly devoid of inflection. "Designation: Johnny Storm, aka 'Human Torch.' Affiliation: Fantastic Four. Biological relation: Brother to Susan Storm. Primary abilities: Pyrokinesis, encompassing flame generation, manipulation, and absorption; sustained flight via thermal updrafts; inherent immunity to extreme heat; thermokinesis. Maximum recorded energy output potential: Supernova state, estimated at >1,000,000 degrees Fahrenheit, with catastrophic environmental consequences."
"Looks like you did your homework after I kicked your tin-can ass, huh, sparky?" Johnny jeered, his arrogance blazing as brightly as his flames. "And what's with the glow-stick routine? Don't tell me you're trying to be some kinda cyborg now to get a rematch! You couldn't beat me then, and you sure as hell can't beat me now, Whatever scrap heap you duct-taped to that metal body ain't gonna save you now." With a defiant roar, Johnny unleashed a torrent of fire, a cohesive wave of plasma that surged towards Ranger.
"Johnny, stop! It's a misunderstanding!" Susan screamed, her voice tight with panic, already raising her hands to project a force field.
"It's not a misunderstanding, Sis! I'm gonna fry this circuit-head for good!" Johnny shouted back, his fire blast intensifying.
Before Susan's shield could fully form, a massive Ultralink construct, one of the sixteen that had assimilated the med-bay's equipment, moved with impossible speed. Its multifaceted, metallic body interposed itself, absorbing the brunt of Johnny's fire. The construct glowed cherry-red, some of its outer plating beginning to smoke, but it held.
"Threat classification: D-minus, localized pyrotechnic capabilities," Steel's voice announced from Ranger's body. "Re-assessed to D-plus due to uncontrolled aggression and potential for collateral damage. Directive update: Lethal force parameters unlocked. Environmental destruction within designated combat zone: permissible. Primary mission objective: Elimination of hostile entity 'Johnny Storm'."
The defensive constructs, hulking amalgamations of lab equipment and structural debris, lumbered forward with surprising agility, forming a phalanx that blocked the intense heat waves from reaching the still-recovering Ranger and the delicate, now-Ultralinked medical systems. Simultaneously, the very structure of the Baxter Building seemed to respond to Steel's silent command. Reinforced blast doors slammed down, isolating the immediate combat zone. Walls shifted, reconfigured, channeling Johnny and his fiery attacks away from sensitive areas, effectively corralling him. Other sections of the building seemed to open, conduits and panels retracting as if the skyscraper itself was an extension of Steel's will.
A new Ultralink, this one seemingly formed from a nearby, heavily shielded chemical storage unit, slithered into the combat zone. Turbo energy, now tinged with a faint, ominous crimson from the Reality Stone's influence, pulsed as it touched discarded canisters and piping. These components flowed and merged, the Ultralink shaping them into a grotesque but undeniably powerful humanoid form, its "skin" the dull grey of cryo-containment plating, its "hands" ending in nozzles. This "Canister Construct" moved with a chilling purpose towards the ongoing inferno.
N'Baro Aksteel X377, still inhabiting Ranger's form, remained impassive on the med-bay slab, its attention solely focused on the intricate process of healing Ranger's deeper, esoteric wounds. The med-bay Ultralinks, a swarm of smaller, more delicate constructs, continued their work, their articulated limbs injecting precisely calibrated chemicals and bio-restorative hormones directly into Ranger's exposed organs and regenerating tissues, visible where his skin had been burned away.
Suddenly, another section of wall near Ben and Susan exploded inwards with a roar of frustrated rock and mortar. The Thing charged into the room, his massive form shaking the floor, Susan Storm following close behind, her face a mask of anger and concern. An Ultralink construct, slender and whip-fast, materialized a shimmering blue shield between them and Ranger just as Ben was about to speak.
N'Baro Aksteel X377 didn't give them time. "Susan Storm, the 'Invisible Woman.' Benjamin Jacob Grimm, the 'Thing.' Am I to interpret your unscheduled, and rather destructive, re-entry as a hindrance to the host's ongoing critical treatment protocols?"
"No! We're not here to interfere with that! Please, you have to stop this!" Susan pleaded, her eyes darting from Ranger's still form to the distant sounds of Johnny's enraged shouts and the thud of combat.
"Then I advise you to step aside. The hostile entity will be neutralized shortly. Full operational control of your... domicile... will be restored upon successful completion of the host's treatment and the elimination of the immediate threat." Steel's cold, metallic voice offered no room for negotiation.
"Now hold on a minute, you AI, or whatever the hell you are!" Ben Grimm lumbered forward, placing himself protectively in front of Susan, his rocky fists clenched as he stared down the unmoving form of Ranger. "I know you got a legitimate beef with Matchstick for what he did to your host, and believe me, I'm first in line to give him a clobberin' he won't soon forget. But you don't get to 'eliminate' him. He's a damn fool, a reckless idiot, but he's still just a kid, our kid. So, if you're hellbent on killin' Johnny, then I guess you and me, we're gonna be enemies, right here, right now."
The blue orbs that were Ranger's eyes under Steel's control scanned The Thing, a silent, analytical assessment. "Revised directive parameters considered." Steel's voice stated after a moment. "The 'elimination' directive for hostile 'Johnny Storm' shall be downgraded to 'detainment and incapacitation.' In return, your previously agreed-upon compensation for damages will be significantly decreased to reflect this deviation from optimal threat neutralization. Furthermore, you and all affiliated entities will refrain from any interference with the host's recovery process. Are these revised terms acceptable?"
Ben looked at Susan, who, despite her fear, gave a small, determined nod. "Acceptable." Ben growled. "Now, you gonna bring that little firefly in here so I can have a word with him? A very loud word?"
"Negative." IT replied. "Threat classification for 'Johnny Storm' has been elevated to C-minus due to unpredictable escalations and is now considered an active hazard to ongoing critical operations in this sector. If you wish to observe or communicate with the hostile, approach via the designated access corridor." As Steel spoke, a section of the wall behind Ben and Susan shimmered and slid open, revealing a reinforced passageway. They exchanged a look and cautiously stepped through.
The corridor opened onto a viewing gallery overlooking a larger, now heavily damaged, section of the lab. Below, the battle raged. The Ultralink constructs, their once-gleaming metallic hides now scorched and pitted, some sections actively melting from the intense heat, were relentlessly pressing Johnny. The Canister Construct was at the forefront, its nozzles spraying torrents of what looked like supercooled liquid – liquid helium, Ben realized with a jolt – directly at the Human Torch, attempting to extinguish his flames even as they flared with renewed intensity. Other, more heavily armored constructs used their bodies as shields, absorbing Johnny's fireballs to protect the Canister Construct.
A smaller, almost insectoid Ultralink zipped up to the gallery. "Target 'Johnny Storm' is approaching containment threshold. Your intervention is not required and would be counterproductive to current tactical objectives."
Ben sighed, watching as one construct, a brute made of reinforced girders, swatted Johnny to the ground like an errant fly. The Canister Construct immediately doused him with another blast of liquid helium. Johnny tried to flare up, to get to his feet, but another construct delivered a series of brutal, piston-like punches to his torso, driving him back down, while the helium spray continued.
Johnny, seeing his sister and Ben through the swirling steam and smoke, roared, "Ben! Susan! Help me! Smash these damn things!" The small Ultralink beside them swiveled its optical sensor towards them, a silent, expectant pause.
"Course not, kid. We ain't gonna help ya outta this one." Ben said, raising his hands in a gesture of mock surrender, though his eyes were fixed on the pummelling Johnny was receiving. "Besides." he added, a grim satisfaction in his voice, "it's actually kinda fun watchin' you get your ass handed to ya for a change."
"You're not actually going to… to kill him, are you?" Susan asked the small Ultralink, her voice laced with genuine concern despite her anger at Johnny.
"Negative." the construct's synthesized voice replied. "Hostile 'Johnny Storm' will be left with injuries fully reparable by your current medical technology. However, the psychological trauma induced by sustained, controlled incapacitation and sensory overload is… a different variable, outside our primary treatment parameters."
"If you could take down Johnny this easy, even when he is half way to going all out." Ben asked, genuinely curious as he watched one construct expertly trip Johnny, sending him sprawling again, "how'd your host, that Ranger fella, get so damn messed up in the first place? It just don't add up." He paused. "You know, it'd be even better if I had some popcorn for this show."
Instantly, a small compartment on the Ultralink beside him opened, and a container of freshly popped, perfectly buttered popcorn was offered. Ben blinked, then shrugged and took it. "Well, I'll be..."
"The primary AI." the construct explained as Ben munched, "was temporarily compromised by the esoteric assault from entity 'The Void,' rendering it incapable of advanced combat functions or strategic decision-making. Host 'Ranger' was operating on rudimentary autopilot and emergency biological preservation protocols. Hostile 'Johnny Storm' was exceptionally fortunate to have encountered our integrated system in such a severely diminished and defenseless state."
"So that's why he didn't fight back proper…" Ben mumbled, passing the popcorn to Susan, who took a handful, her eyes still anxiously fixed on the brawl below. "Relax, Suzie, relax. They ain't hittin' him that hard. Just makin' sure he stays on the ground while that other fella keeps sprayin' him with that… that freezy stuff to cool his jets."
"Liquid helium." the construct supplied helpfully.
"Yeah, that stuff." Ben said, patting Susan's back reassuringly. "He'll be fine. Probably. Besides." he added, trying to sound confident, "it's not like he's gone full Supernova. He still cares enough not to use that little party trick with us in the damn building. He ain't that stupid."
A sudden, intense wave of heat washed over the viewing gallery, so powerful it made the reinforced transparisteel window vibrate. The popcorn in Susan's hand spontaneously combusted. Her eyes widened, and she instinctively threw up a shimmering, multi-layered force field, shielding herself and Ben from the sudden, searing inferno erupting below. The temperature in the combat zone skyrocketed.
"Johnny, stop! Don't you dare go Supernova, you idiot!" Ben and Susan both screamed, their voices filled with genuine terror.
But Johnny Storm, his face a mask of incandescent rage, his body now a miniature, uncontrolled sun, clearly didn't care, or perhaps couldn't hear them over the roar of his own power. The surrounding Ultralink constructs, even those made of exotic alloys, began to buckle and melt under the sheer, overwhelming thermal energy. The Canister Construct, despite its cryo-systems, was engulfed in a flash of white-hot flame, its specialized nozzles melting into slag, its internal liquid helium tanks likely vaporizing.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Johnny shrieked, his voice a distorted roar, not directed at any specific construct, but at the sky, at the universe, at the perceived injustice of his situation. "I'LL BURN YOU ALL!" He unleashed his full power, a torrent of plasma and radiation that was no longer controlled, no longer targeted, just pure, annihilating heat.
"Burn," he bellowed, a god of fire gone mad. "BURN!"