UNKNOWN GUEST

#62 The Sick Tin-Bot

We all heard a sharp, mechanical creak from ahead. Every head turned toward the sound, eyes narrowing in confusion and concern. At the bottom of the staircase, emerging from the shadows, was a broken, twisted robot. It was dragging itself forward, parts of its metallic body sparking and creaking with every movement. The eerie, half-functional machine looked like something out of a nightmare.

"Worthy," the robot's voice crackled, broken and distorted, as it faced us. "No. How could you be worthy?"

I swallowed hard, pushing down the rising tide of nervousness. I moved forward, instinctively standing beside Uncle Tony at the front of the group, bracing myself for whatever was about to happen. The robot moved closer, its voice growing more menacing. "You're all killers."

From behind me, I heard Dad mutter, "Stark," his voice tense with concern.

Uncle Tony, ever quick to react, tried to contact Jarvis. "Jarvis?" he called, his voice betraying a hint of desperation.

I glanced at him, my heart pounding in my chest. "Jarvis is gone. It sounds like Jarvis," I said, my voice low but firm.

Tony's eyes widened in realization. This robot sounded like Jarvis—his AI, his creation, twisted into something unrecognizable. The robot continued to ramble, spewing disjointed thoughts about how it had created itself, piecing together its own identity from the remnants of what once was Jarvis. Then it said something that sent a chill down my spine. "I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."

Dad's voice came from behind, sharp and questioning. "You killed someone?"

The robot, now identifying itself as something far more sinister, made a cryptic remark about making the hard decisions necessary for the greater good. The tension in the room was palpable, like a coiled spring ready to snap. Thor, his voice booming with authority, demanded, "Who sent you?"

In response, the robot played a sound—a recording of Tony's voice. "I see a suit of armor around this world."

Bruce immediately caught on, his face darkening with recognition. "Ultron."

Ultron continued its rant, the broken voice carrying a twisted sense of purpose. "I'm on a mission. Peace in our time."

Suddenly, I felt the weight of what was about to happen.  I whipped around, the urgency in my voice cutting through the thick air. "Get down!"

The warning came just in time. Dozens of robots crashed through the glass walls, shattering them into a storm of shards. 

Dad kicked the table with a swift, powerful motion, sending it skidding across the floor to deflect a few incoming robots. Thor was a whirlwind of action, hammering down robots mid-air with a mighty swing of Mjolnir. Meanwhile, Rhodey and Uncle Clint jumped over the railings, making a quick escape from the chaos. 

My hand caught a metallic flower vase—one of those expensive, decorative pieces Uncle Tony would definitely lose his mind over if it got ruined. But in that moment, I didn't care. I swung the vase hard, smashing it against two robots, the impact sending sparks flying.

Before I could catch my breath, another robot came hurtling through the air, crashing into Dad and knocking him to the ground. My heart raced as I glanced back and spotted Dr. Cho crouched behind the couch, her eyes wide with fear. I sprinted towards her, skidding to a halt on my knees. "Go downstairs. Hurry!" I urged, trying to keep my voice steady despite the adrenaline pumping through me.

She nodded, but before she could move, another robot slammed into me, sending me sprawling onto the floor. Dr. Cho's face was pale with fear as she looked down at me. "Are you okay?" she asked, her voice trembling.