A brief short circuit sent the damaged robot crashing to the ground, temporarily deactivating it. Ironically, that malfunction allowed it to escape Blaine's spiritual seeds—it was sheer luck that it survived.
Naturally, Blaine hadn't expected that.
As someone who already knew the original course of events, Blaine was well aware that the last energy pillar was supposed to be triggered by one of Ultron's drones. Before leaving, he had scanned every fallen body in the church with his psychic energy. It wasn't a thorough sweep, but he was confident no functional robots remained.
He hadn't tried to alter the plot deliberately—he was simply completing his mission. But since he'd known there might still be something alive, why hadn't he checked more carefully?
The outcome took him by surprise. Could it be that the timeline had actually changed? That the little drone was gone for good? Convinced it didn't matter, Blaine stopped searching and left it at that.
He never expected it would reappear like this.
The crippled Ultron unit dragged itself forward with its one remaining arm, inching across the shattered church floor like a maggot. Bit by bit, it made its way to the center of the ruined sanctuary—straight toward the glowing energy pillar.
Even Blaine hadn't anticipated this, and the Avengers certainly wouldn't have.
Clank.
Rumble—rumble—rumble—
The drone's metal hand pressed against the energy pillar. Something sparked inside its head, and the blue light within the crystal suddenly flared to life.
Moments later, as though its purpose had been fulfilled, the robot went still. The red light faded from its eyes, and its body collapsed.
Then, in an instant, the massive engines supporting all of Sokovia shut down.
The city lost power as if a plane had stalled in midair.
Panic erupted. Citizens who had been evacuating in order suddenly screamed and scattered in chaos. The fear that Sokovia would fall any second now was overwhelming. Even the Avengers felt it—the weight of thousands of tons hanging above the Earth with nothing to hold it up.
"Rhodes, do you copy?" Tony's voice cut sharply through the comms.
"Loud and clear."
"Good. Come with me. We need to see if we can stop this."
As one of the few who could fly, Tony took the lead.
"I'm coming too," Vision said, joining in without hesitation.
This wasn't the kind of moment anyone hesitated for.
On the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, a massive screen in Nick's command room displayed the live feed. The situation was critical.
At the bottom of Sokovia, near the engines' exhaust ports, Tony, Vision, and War Machine were giving everything they had. Each of them was blasting their full power downward, trying to generate thrust strong enough to slow the city's fall. Vision's energy beam burned bright, pushing in the opposite direction of the descent.
They were trying to hold an entire city in the sky with sheer force.
It was working—barely. Sokovia's descent slowed, but only by a fraction. Against something this massive, their efforts were almost meaningless.
This wasn't a ship or an aircraft carrier; it was an entire city—one capable of housing millions. No amount of engines or power suits could counter gravity at that scale.
At this rate, when it fell, everything would be obliterated. The city, its people, and perhaps even part of the Earth itself.
Maybe Ultron's final plan would succeed after all.
Blaine saw everything. So did Fury.
If Fury had been trying to negotiate earlier, now he was far past that. Sokovia had stopped rising—now it was falling. Saving the world was no longer a matter of discussion; it was an emergency.
"Mr. Hunter, you see the situation," Fury said urgently. "This isn't the time to joke around. Two hundred billion! Take the job!"
"Hmph. I told you—I have the right to refuse your missions." Blaine's tone was calm, almost amused. "Emergency or not, what does it have to do with me? If you keep being dishonest, I can leave right now."
He understood exactly how bad things were—but that didn't mean he'd act for free. If he didn't press for more now, how could he live up to his reputation as the most expensive man alive?
"Two hundred and thirty billion?" Fury said, his voice tight.
"Two-fifty?"
"Two seventy?"
"Two eighty!"
Fury was losing his composure. This was already beyond what any agency could approve. The higher-ups would explode when they saw the numbers—but he didn't have a choice.
'You really are blinded by money,' he thought bitterly. 'What could you possibly need it all for? You'll never spend it in your lifetime. Isn't the world enough for you? Aren't people worth saving? Is your heart made of stone?'
"Alright, alright, enough whining," Blaine said at last, a grin audible in his voice. "You've got a deal. I'll take it."
At the mention of two hundred and eighty billion, he was practically glowing with satisfaction. Let Fury curse all he wanted—he was still paying. The louder the man complained, the more it proved how much the offer hurt.
And that only made Blaine happier.
He wasn't the only one wondering, though. Tony had also asked himself what the Bounty Hunter even did with all that money. No one had ever seen him spend a single cent.
Blaine, of course, was content to let them speculate. A little mystery was good for business. Let them wonder who the infamous Hunter really was.
Laughing quietly to himself, Blaine accepted the mission—and in the next moment, his figure reappeared high above Sokovia.
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