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“I won’t let you do this,” Stephen announced, hands raised, mandalas blooming. He let the power of every creature he’d consumed rise close to the surface. Something told him this adversary would require every trick he had.
“Do what?” Stark asked. He smiled, leaning against a computer console, the silvery-white armor gleaming. “Save the world?”
“You may think you’re saving it, but in reality, Ultron is the doom of this entire universe,” Stephen said. “If you activate that protocol, Ultron’s first act will not be to protect humanity, it will be to destroy it.”
Stark’s eyes narrow. “You think I programmed it that poorly?”
“I think you programmed it that well.” Stephen smiled bitterly at Stark. “Humanity is our own worst enemy. We’re thousands of years from truly learning how to live with each other. Ultron will rationalize that it needs to pare away the disruptive factions. But no matter how small you break down the groups, we’re never entirely in agreement. By the time Ultron realizes this, it will be too late. In an attempt to prove itself correct, and that the fault lay in humanity and not in its reasoning, Ultron will turn on the rest of the universe.”
Humming thoughtfully, Stark stepped closer to Stephen. He showed no fear of the magic, not even when some of Stephen’s less human elements slipped out of his shadow. “And you say you’ve seen this?” Stark asked.
“I’ve traveled the multiverse hunting universe killers,” Stephen said. “I’ve seen thousands of variations on the ends they bring. I’ve seen this one often enough to know: Ultron never works as intended.”
“Thousands of universe killers,” Stark mused. He was close enough to touch now. He cast Stephen an odd look. It was almost… warm. “Sounds lonely.”
Stephen faltered. “It’s… my penance.”
“For destroying your own universe?” Stark laid a hand on Stephen’s chest, his fingers lightly brushing his collarbone.
Stephen swallowed hard. He let the mandalas fade. “Yes.”
Stark smiled and eased a little closer. “Perhaps I should come with you. See what you’ve seen. Learn the… error of my ways.”
“Somehow, I don’t think that’s what you mean to learn,” Stephen said, but he couldn’t look away from Stark’s gaze. They weren’t touching anywhere but that one hand on his chest, but Stephen swore he could feel the nearness of Stark’s body.
“You’ll be setting the curriculum,” Stark said lightly. “Isn’t it worth a try? After all, you learned better. Who says I can’t?”
Stephen knew this was a bad idea. Stark was only interested in more power, and the more powerful he became, the more dangerous he was. But hadn’t Stephen recklessly pursued power, once? Hadn’t he learned better?
Did his penance require him to be alone?
“Perhaps… we can try,” he said.
The sudden, bright triumph in Stark’s eyes only makes Stephen’s heart beat faster.