Marvel 219

Sara carefully pried open the side panel while Max used a flick of his finger to magnetically rip out a power node.

"This... is a neural command relay," Max muttered, holding the small, spherical component. "Ultron uses these to control swarms remotely. If we can crack this, we might be able to track his signal... maybe even hijack it."

Sara blinked. "You're saying we can control some of his drones?"

"Possibly," Max said, tucking the relay into a sealed pouch. "Not all. But enough to make a difference. Besides, this tech is way too valuable to leave behind."

Sara handed him a reinforced panel, and Max gave an approving nod.

"Good instincts," he said. "We'll repurpose this into armor plating for the newer recruits. Strong stuff."

As they salvaged more parts, a sudden pulse rippled through the air — subtle, but unmistakable to Max. He stood up quickly, eyes narrowing toward the sky.

"What is it?" Sara asked, alert.

Max's face darkened. "That was a pulse beacon. A call."

"A call... to what?"

"To something big," Max said, already forming a teleportation sigil. "Something he doesn't want us salvaging."

He looked at Sara. "Take what you can and get it back to the city. I'm going to check it out."

She grabbed his arm. "I'm coming with you."

He raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

Sara nodded. Her eyes sparked again with red lightning. "I said I'd be the vanguard. That means I'm not letting you walk into danger alone."

Max smirked. "Alright then, partner. Let's go ruin Ultron's day."

With a flare of crimson light, the portal opened — and the two of them vanished into the unknown.

The portal flared shut behind them with a flash of crimson light.

Max and Sara emerged on a scorched plateau overlooking a vast, sunken crater. At the center, a monolithic structure pulsed with sickly blue light — part factory, part hive, part shrine. Countless Ultron drones swarmed around it like ants tending to a nest, and towering above them all…

A colossus.

It wasn't just another machine. It was something more.

Half-sentinel, half-Ultron Prime, the entity radiated authority. Thick armor plating, glowing runes of corrupted logic, and massive weaponized limbs. Its core shone like a miniature sun — flickering erratically, like something unstable… or evolving.

Max narrowed his eyes. "So that's what answered the call."

Sara instinctively took a step back. "It's… enormous."

Max nodded. "And smart. That's a command-class unit. Not just muscle — strategy, adaptation, leadership protocols."

He held up the salvaged neural relay. "This thing must've been part of a long-range network. And this guy? He's probably here to destroy any evidence we could've used."

The colossus looked up — directly at them.

Sara's heart skipped. "It sees us."

Max smirked. "Let it."

In a flash, he raised his hand and a blast of force erupted, launching him and Sara high into the air just as a barrage of blue energy slammed into the cliffside where they'd stood.

"Time for your next test," Max said mid-air, his coat whipping like a cape. "Sara — break the sky."

Sara didn't hesitate.

She flung her arms wide, red lightning crackling down her arms and up her back like a thunderstorm given human form. Her eyes glowed crimson as she screamed, unleashing a bolt straight into the clouds.

A second later, a massive red lightning storm exploded across the sky, arcs raining down onto the battlefield below, frying lesser drones instantly.

The colossus roared — a mechanical sound so deep it shook the earth.

Max landed beside her on a broken spire of metal. "That got its attention. Now… let's see if we can kill a Colossus class"

Sara grinned, eyes alight with stormfire. "Let's make him bleed circuits."

Below them, the colossus raised its massive arms.

The earth rumbled beneath them as the Colossus reared back, its core glowing brighter — preparing a barrage.

"Sara," Max said, voice sharp and focused, "you don't fight this head-on. You out-think it."

Sara nodded, dropping into a stance, red lightning coiling around her arms.

"First rule," Max said, pointing toward the beast's shoulder ports, "those cannons — take them out. They track motion and heat, so stay unpredictable. Don't run straight — zigzag, short bursts."

The Colossus unleashed a wave of searing plasma bolts.

Max extended a palm — a translucent crimson shield erupted before them, absorbing the blasts with an explosive hum.

"Go!" he barked.

Sara launched off the spire like a comet, her form trailing arcs of lightning. She zipped left, then right, then vaulted into the air — the Colossus's cannons tracking, struggling to keep up.

Max kept his hand raised, eyes glowing slightly as he pulled energy from his reserves, reinforcing the shield. "Fifteen seconds until it recalibrates..."

Sara reached the shoulder-mounted cannons, twisting mid-air. "Where do I hit?!"

"Behind the emitters — right where the plates segment!" Max called.

Sara twisted, channeled energy into her palm, and slammed a lightning-charged fist into the exact spot.

BOOM.

The left cannon exploded, sending debris spiraling into the sky.

The Colossus screamed — a jagged metallic shriek — and swung a massive arm up toward her.

"Drop! Now!"

Sara let herself fall just as the arm narrowly missed, its massive claw slicing the air above her.

Max sprinted forward, leaping off the spire and landing hard atop a floating platform, sending out dozens of shimmering red drones from his inventory. They darted toward the Colossus's legs and began anchoring glowing energy rods.

"Buy me a minute!" he shouted.

Sara nodded, flipped mid-air, and landed on the Colossus's back. Her fingers dug in, lightning crackling violently around her as she ran toward the neck joint.

The Colossus's remaining cannon fired — this time straight at Max.

Max narrowed his eyes. "Too slow."

He drew a circle in the air — a mirror rune glyph spun into existence and reflected the blast upward, scorching the sky.

Below, the anchor rods activated — glowing red as they sent containment tendrils latching into the Colossus's legs.

Sara reached the neck joint, lightning fully coursing through her now. "Tell me where to hit!"

***

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