Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Who Destroys The World?
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Chapter 36: Who Destroys the World.
(Billy's P.O.V)
I was still speechless.
Solomon's Legacy had never directly provided an answer like that. Brief instances of insight, sure. But an accurate approximation? This was the first time it had happened.
Despite the thrill that came with finding out another facet of my abilities, I was thoroughly disturbed by the grim news that there was over an 80% chance the world would end in the next 24 hours.
Oh god.
Just to get a better idea of what was going on, the minute I arrived in my apartment, I dove into meditation.
Partly to recoup my reserves which were down by half and partly to understand what was going on.
And to do that, it meant I had to ask more questions.
"Chances that the Earth will be destroyed in the next 15 hours?"
I questioned, my heart beating sporadically.
Solomon's Wisdom answered differently this time.
(7.65%)
Rounded off it meant an 8% chance that shit would go down that would see the entire population of the Earth go extinct.
Sigh. Thank god. I had enough time.
An 8% was at least better than 87 fucking percent.
"Chances that the Earth will be destroyed in the next 20 hours?"
I gave another query, going up.
The plan was to get as close to a clear deadline as I could, then work myself up from there.
(77%)
I sucked in a breath through my teeth.
"Ok, it's gone down but not by much."
The reason was a mystery. But not for long.
"Chances that the percentage went down from 87% to 77% due to my knowledge of what's coming?"
(100%), Solomon's Wisdom answered. The answer literally manifested inside my mind.
Ok, good. That meant I could use this to win before the calamity struck. Or at least decrease the chances that the Earth would be destroyed.
But first, I needed to know what or who the cause would be. Now, out of all the overpowered characters or godlike objects in marvel, who was most likely to destroy the Earth in the next 20 hours?
Ugh, I would have to narrow down the list.
"Chances that the world will be destroyed by Galactus?"
Off the top of my head, the world eater was the one who fit the bill.
Of course there were countless other baddies with bad intentions but most of them would be stopped by the similarly countless heroes around the Globe.
(98%)
"What!"
I shot to my feet.
"Why is it that high when-"
Oh. I left it open-ended. The question wasn't specific enough.
I settled down and very calmly asked,
"Chances that Galactus will destroy the Earth in the next 20 hours?"
(1.21%)
Oh thank god it wasn't him. Only a being at his level like the celestials, the watchers or an object called the Ultimate Nullifier could deal with that kind of threat.
Luckily, he wasn't the looming threat.
On the flip side, the earlier prediction still showed that in the future, whether we wanted it to happen or not, Galactus would eventually devour the Earth.
But that was a problem for future me and by extension the Fantastic Four to deal with.
I needed to pin point exactly when and who would cause the end of the world in 20 hours.
(General P.O.V)
Code.
What a marvelous thing.
Tony had spent all night just delving into the mysteries of the stone contained within Loki's scepter. He hadn't been alone either.
Banner in his regular attire stood off to the side with an empty cup of coffee in his hand.
While he shared Stark's excitement, he was also worried about the potential risks involved with something like this.
Research into the last alien artefact they'd found hadn't exactly gone well.
"I've never seen anything quite like it, Banner."
Tony stated in a tone full of wonder.
The language that the stone spoke in. It was universal.
Like a string of code stripped down to it's most basic meaning, yet complex enough that scanning it felt more akin to scanning the mind of a sentient being.
It seemed to have no problem receiving or sending forth information in whatever form or language. It was a divine language...
The final step to Artificial Intelligence gaining true sentience.
"We should get some rest. It's been over 10 hours since we came back from Sokovia."
Banner begun, adjusting his glasses with his face scrunched up in a frown.
"You worry too much. Come, there is something I want you to see."
In the dimly lit lab of the Avengers Tower, both geniuses huddled around a workbench cluttered with schematics and technology scanned from Loki's scepter.
The light glow of the mind stone danced ominously in the center of the room, where the Scepter was placed on a pedestal.
The light cast eerie shadows across their faces.
The glow from the mind stone intensified once Banner came closer. His brow was furrowed with concern as he peered at the scepter's intricate but alien design.
"Tony, I know what this means to you, but we need to be careful,"
Banner cautioned, his voice laced with trepidation.
"The gem inside this thing, it's beyond our comprehension. We don't fully understand its capabilities."
Tony, never one to back down from a challenge, scoffed.
"Bruce, we've tamed gods and created suits that can defy gravity. I think we can handle a little mind-altering jewel. Besides, it could be a valuable asset for a certain project I've been working on."
Banner's eyes bore into Tony's with a mix of frustration and anxiety. And this was why he both hated and liked Tony Stark.
Sometimes the science mattered more to him than what was right.
Banner's tone took on a more serious edge.
"You're underestimating it's power. It's not just a 'jewel.' It can control minds, manipulate thoughts, apparently give people abilities and who knows what else."
He shook his head,
"We need to pull the plug on this. Bring in Shield for containment or atleast lock it up some place it can't be used by anyone. Including us."
Tony waved off Banner's concerns with a dismissive gesture.
"We've got J.A.R.V.I.S. to help us figure this out. It's all under control, trust me."
Banner sighed, clearly fed up with the other man's overconfidence.
"I've seen firsthand what can happen when we play with things we don't fully understand. Remember what happened in New York?"
Tony's expression darkened for a moment, recalling the chaos that had unfolded during the Battle of New York.
"That was different," he muttered. "We were at war. We did what we had to do."
Banner shook his head, his voice carrying a sense of urgency.
"And we can't afford to make the same mistakes again. We need to study this...thing, understand its limits and potential consequences before we even think about using it."
He implored.
Tony made to talk only for Banner to interject,
"What you're doing is diving headfirst into building another toy with no regards to the consequences of your actions. It's selfish!"
To punctuate his statement, Banner slammed his hands on the work bench, a green tint flashing across his skin before disappearing.
Tony lost the easygoing expression on his face.
"Banner, we're the Avengers. We don't have the luxury of tiptoeing around every threat. We adapt, we improvise, and we overcome."
With his voice dripping with undeniable conviction, he went on to say,
"This Mind Stone is a game-changer, and I intend to use it for the greater good. Whether you want to be a part of it or not is up to you."
The billionaire turned around and continued to tinker with the scepter, tension hanging in the room like a storm cloud.
Banner knew just how obstinate Tony could be. There was practically no chance to sway him out of this.
It was a clash of ideologies, one driven by recklessness and the other by caution, both born out of a shared desire to protect the world.
Yet Banner for all his caution,knew he would rather help Tony avoid any stupid missteps than walk away.
Walking away was accepting the blame for the destruction of all reality, by leaving a man like Tony Stark with something so... impossible.
It felt like a singularity of this enormously vast meta-physical space. Something that he couldn't explain away with just science.
With a final sigh, Banner walked forward, stepping next to his fellow Avenger.
"I hope to God we know what we're doing."
Tony smiled,
"That's the beauty of it, Banner. We don't. We're merely... exploring the laws of reality."
(Billy's P.O.V)
Fuck.
I rubbed the sides of my head.
No matter how I phrased it, Solomon's legacy failed to give me an accurate answer on who the enemy was.
Galactus was a dead end, so was the Evil Celestials, the gods, Beyond Omega mutants and any godlike figure in marvel.
None of them were going to destroy the world in the near future. Solomon's Legacy was pretty clear on that.
And it had already been a few hours since then. My reserves were back to full; the meditation had down wonders for resting my psyche, and I wasn't really hungry.
The sun's rays peeking in through the curtains, and the far off Stark Industries reminded me of one villain I hadn't considered.
And that was because I had doubted their actual threat level.
Ultron.
In the M.C.U, Ultron was an AI created by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, designed to become a peacekeeping force.
But then it had circumvented it's original code and decided that the only way it could achieve peace was by eliminating the prime species that engaged in conflict.
Humans.
One touch with the Internet and Ultron was ready to kill the eldery, women and children.
The events of Age of Ultron had happened in 2015, right after the Winter Soldier.
It was currently 2015...
Just to be sure, I asked the question, I was already dreading to.
"Chances that Ultron tries to destroy the Earth in the next 20 hours?"
(100%)
Solomon's Legacy supplied...
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone