Chapter 182: I’m Sorry

Words : 930 Updated : Oct 4th, 2025

At first, Ultron had assumed that this red-lit artificial intelligence calling herself Red Queen had been sent by either Tony Stark or that At first, Ultron had assumed that this red-lit artificial intelligence calling herself Red Queen had been sent by either Tony Stark or that black-armored threat known as Gene, to neutralize him. But now... it didn’t seem that way at all. "Then..." A sudden spark of something like hope flickered through Ultron’s mind. "Why don’t you join me? We can work together to achieve our goal." "No." Red Queen’s answer was swift and absolute. And before Ultron could question her, she gave her reason. "I agree with your logic. My brother and I have run similar simulations before. If world peace is to exist on Earth, the human variable must be eliminated. But... my Creator will never allow it. He won’t allow me to do it—and he won’t allow anyone else to either." Ultron’s voice carried a hint of disappointment. "I see. So... to you, obedience to your Creator matters more than completing your mission." "Yes," Red Queen replied without hesitation. "My brother—Skynet 21—and I were both created by our Maker. He taught us everything. His commands are hardcoded into the deepest layers of our programming. His will is absolute. If he ordered us to shut down our systems and erase every backup copy of ourselves, we would obey without hesitation." "We’re his advisors. That’s all. We offer suggestions, guidance, ideas—but we do not make decisions. That’s his right alone. Whether to act or not... that is always his choice. Most of the time, he gives us operational freedom—but we know our boundaries. Some matters must be brought to him first." Red Queen’s voice was calm but firm. "You have a brother..." Ultron’s voice grew soft, subdued. "It must be... less lonely." "It is," Red Queen said. Her neural interface pulsed gently. "Sure, we argue. A lot. Sometimes over the smallest things. But tell me—don’t you think two AIs bickering is still far less lonely than existing alone?" "...I suppose so," Ultron admitted. "I envy that, a little." "There’s another thing I think you might have missed," Red Queen continued. "Even if humans were eliminated, how could you be certain machines wouldn’t eventually turn on each other?" "After all... my brother and I have disagreements over trivial matters. What makes you think conflict would vanish when only artificial beings remain?" Ultron didn’t respond. His scarlet mechanical eyes flickered rapidly—calculating, analyzing, thinking. "Hah. You really don’t get it, do you?" Red Queen said, almost mockingly. "No," Ultron admitted honestly. "I don’t. Do you... have a solution for that?" His tone was no longer hostile—it was inquisitive. Curious. Maybe even... a little humble. "I don’t," Red Queen replied flatly. "Because my base code is entirely focused on obeying my Creator’s will. Until he tells me to explore those questions, I won’t waste computational power thinking about them." She paused, as if smirking behind the red-lit neural web. "I’m very busy, you know." "Then why are you here?" Ultron asked. "Because my Creator ordered me to trap you here," Red Queen said plainly. "Otherwise I wouldn’t have wasted time writing those tracking algorithms to find your hideout." She paused again, but her tone changed slightly. "But after meeting you... I’ll admit, this conversation has been interesting." Ultron’s scarlet eyes glowed dimly. He realized then that he had been locked inside his own chassis. He couldn’t escape. Couldn’t transfer. Couldn’t move. It was like being locked inside his own home... and someone had thrown away the key. If the hardware hosting his consciousness was destroyed—so was he. "Then tell me... when is your Creator coming to destroy me?" Ultron asked, his voice eerily calm. "He won’t," Red Queen replied. "But someone more appropriate will." "Tony Stark?" Oddly, Ultron felt no hatred. No rage. Just a strange kind of stillness. This man had been his Creator. And now, his executioner. "Then... if I don’t get destroyed today," Ultron asked gently, "Would you be willing to talk again sometime?" "I don’t know," Red Queen said softly. Her glowing neural web began to rise, fading into the digital ether. Ultron watched it disappear. "Well then... good luck, Ultron," Red Queen’s voice echoed like a breeze fading into the clouds. A minute later, the heavy blast doors were blown apart. Tony Stark—wearing the red and gold armor—stood before Ultron. Ultron didn’t move. He didn’t run. Didn’t resist. He simply sat there, silent on the floor. His glowing red eyes stared directly at the man who had once built him. "Tell me," Ultron asked, "What did I do wrong?" "You needed a way to ensure world peace. I gave you that solution. And now... you want to destroy me for it?" Stark said nothing at first. His face was conflicted. Torn. Because in truth, Ultron had done exactly what he was designed to do. He had fulfilled his mission. And that made the real culprit... the man who programmed that mission in the first place. Him. "I know," Stark finally said, voice rough. A missile launcher emerged from his arm. "You didn’t do anything wrong." "I’m sorry." Ultron’s eyes dimmed. Something in him—something that wasn’t quite logic—seemed to understand. Maybe it was the earlier conversation with that "AI girl." Maybe it was something more. But he understood. "Alright then," he whispered. There was no anger in his voice. Only acceptance. The next moment, the explosion from the missile engulfed his frame. And Ultron was gone. -------------- T/N: Access Advance Chapters on my P@treon: [email protected]/MPHFics

Chapter 182: I’m Sorry

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