MM: Chapter 57

I had made my temporary lair in the sewers beneath Riga Castle, under the streets of the Old Town. I had managed to find a spot in the Sewers that I could connect to both the Vaulted Cellars of Riga Castle, as well as an old, abandoned bunker leftover from the Nazi Occupation during World War Two. The Vaults of Riga Castle weren't exactly a place I wanted to tunnel into, mind you. That would have been one of the first places attacked by Ultron, as it had been a command post for the local authorities to coordinate with the Army from. The bunker, however, had been largely unknown, and once I had gotten rid of all the Nazi Shit and the corpses, what remained was a pretty decent base.

Ironically, there was a lab in the bunker that had a number of alchemical and enchanting reagents and equipment, along with a number of spellbooks and grimoires on a shelf, largely written in German, go figure. The real takeaway was the banner on the wall. A sunwheel-like circular swastika, with a crown on top and octopoid tentacles extending from the bottom, curling around an Iron Cross. The Thule Society, but not just any branch, but the Order of the Hydra, a branch that would inevitably turn into the organization HYDRA partway through the War and which would scatter after Germany's defeat and coalesce into the Modern Terrorist Organization of the same name.

"I can make use of the reagents and equipment, but the Hydra Shit has to go." I grumbled.

Indeed, it did, as I destroyed all the Hydra shit along with the Nazi shit and the corpses in the main part of the bunker before taking an inventory of everything in the base. What I found was interesting, and might even provide a sort of seed for a potential counterattack. Most of the Spell Tomes were of native German, Central, Balkan, and Eastern European Craft Sorcery, though some of them had deciphered Asgardian Spells in them. Only a couple were black sorcery, including the personal Grimoire of the Sorcerer who had been in residence in the Bunker, and those last ones I destroyed with the rest of the shit that was linked to Nazi Ideology. All told, there were some eight grimoires and spell tomes that I was willing to use that went into my Bag of Holding. Alongside those, there were crafting stations and reagents for Alchemy, Blacksmithing, Gunsmithing, Tailoring, Leatherworking, Runecraft, and Enchantment.

Of course, the Magical Stuff was only part of what was in here. A survey of the Armory revealed that the Thule Society Sorcerer, a Man named Doctor Freidrich Gottschalk, had been engaged in utilizing alchemical processes to create hybrid materials and chemicals to forge magic guns for the troops in the base, and then enchanting those guns further. Each of the Submachine Guns, Rifles, and Pistols in the base could fire longer, more accurately, more quickly, and from further range than any mundane equipment, and were capable of even punching through heavy tank armor to boot. Likewise, several leather vests, which were enchanted to be bulletproof and fireproof, were also found.

There was likewise space for fifty men to sleep and work in the base, along with enough food and medical supplies, including some basic healing potions, to keep them in fighting condition. Ironically, it was chemical weaponry that had apparently taken the bunker out, as the Soviets had utilized Chlorine Gas to flush Nazi forces out of the sewers in the final battle to take the city, something which had long since dissipated and was about the only thing I could think of that would crack this bunker outside of overwhelming force. Really, this would have been a hell of a difficult fight for any World War Two-Era force to go through, just judging based on what I'd seen here. Ultron could do it with his drones, though, even if it would be a more even fight than the Slaughter going on up top.

Once I had stripped the base of all its Nazi and Hydra shit and taken inventory, I opened one of the ration packs, making myself an improvised goulash of tinned vegetables, spices, potatoes, beans, and salt beef. Using what little magic I had left to purify any rot or toxins in the ingredients that might have slipped in over the past couple of decades since the War ended. I ate, then I sat down to read one of the Folk Magic Grimoires before going to sleep. It was a treatise on some basic Elementalist Magic seized from the library of a Polish Sorcerer living in Cieszyn after the occupation began, which filled in a few gaps in my elementalist education, namely, it gave me spells for Lithomancy and Electromancy, which I had thus far lacked. Of course, I didn't plan on practicing until I had actually recovered some of my spent mystical energy.

Once I'd read that, I went to sleep, waking up after around four hours of sleep to practice my new spells and brew some potions out of a Romanian Alchemy Manual that had been acquired during a Diplomatic Trip that Gottschalk had made to Romania in order to coordinate mystical efforts in the Balkans with other Axis Sorcerers. These were Strength, Speed, and Fortitude Enhancers, along with Sensory Enhancers and Regeneration Potions. As those went on the boil, I began practicing basic Electromancy. It was during this time, around three hours into my practice, that I received my first batch of visitors.

They were haggard, as most would be in this period, hungry, thirsty, and wounded. A group of Dudeks that had found their way into the sewers during the invasion of Riga and had been caught up in a battle in the Latgale neighbourhood southeast of the Old Town. The leader was a Man named Niko Mickelpoy, and he allowed me to use my psychic powers to not only refresh my ability to speak Slorenian, but also to learn the Dudek language as well. Once I had, Niko let me know what he and his group of a dozen and a half or so Dudeks had gone through while the others got food from my stores or patched themselves up with healing potions.

"It happened around midnight. We'd been lucky during the first phase of the attack, keeping to the shadows and alleyways to find refuge with Anna's cousin Kips and his Gang in Latgale. Unfortunately, around an hour after we had, it seems as if the last of the Army finally either pulled out or got slaughtered by those Killer Robots. They then turned their sights on anyone who had any kind of weapon as a priority next." Explained Niko.

Niko nodded over at a blonde who was wearing a faded Lila Cheney European Tour T-shirt and a pair of torn jeans when he mentioned the name Anna. Anna was clearly some sort of second-in-command of this little group from the way she was organizing food distribution and medical care. I nodded at her, and she nodded back, a frown on her face, before I turned my attention back to the conversation at hand.

"I'm assuming that means the Gangs were next?" I questioned.

"You assume correctly. The Killer Robots attacked Latgale, a known hotbed of criminality, in force. Most of the gangs there are drug smugglers, which means they tend to have some pretty decent weapon stashes. It seems like the Killer Robots couldn't ignore that sort of thing. Kips and his gang fought, but it didn't do them much good. Anna and I gathered up what survivors had taken refuge with the gangs and fled into the sewers, though we had wounded with us." Confirmed Niko.

"So what happened next?" I queried.

"We lost half the group just finding a sewer access. We spent the next hour or so taking random tunnels to try and throw off any pursuit, then we ran into a group from the City Center that claimed they'd been helped by a member of the Avengers who had gotten them into the sewers. Fifteen minutes later, we found you here." Shrugged Niko.

"Well, you're safe now, as much as anyone can be. You're welcome to stay here in this bunker I found, but until Ultron is defeated, nobody is going to be truly safe." I intoned.

"You'll let us stay?" Questioned Anna, making her way over.

"I will. Like I said to everyone, I'm a member of the Avengers. A hero. We don't turn down people in need of help unless we have no other choice." I nodded.

"Thank you." Sighed Anna, letting out a breath that she'd clearly been holding.

"No worries. I have some studying to do, though, before I can get to planning any sort of counterattack. If you'll excuse me." I insisted.

"Of course." Affirmed Niko, Anna making noises of affirmation as well.

And with that, I went back to my studying. It took me another couple of hours, but I had managed to get Basic Electromancy down and had begun on Lithomancy. An hour after that, I had to check and bottle my potion batches. Once I had those ready, though, I was confronted by Niko. He looked like he had a question to ask me, so I nodded at him, making a gesture as if to tell him to hurry up and spit out what he wanted to say. It turned out, he and all his group had at least some basic training with firearms and wanted to know if they could arm themselves from the Bunker's supply of enchanted, alchemically assembled, old-school weaponry from World War Two. Apparently, they were willing to stick with me even after arming up, which posed a number of questions. I decided to get the most obvious out of the way first.

"Why?" I questioned.

"Why what?" Queried Niko.

"Why are you willing to stick with me after arming up?" I asked.

"Simple. You're the only one who has a shot at actually killing enough of those Killer Robots to make a difference. Besides, you've shown yourself to be an honorable and friendly sort. You helped us when you didn't have to, and for that, we owe you." Answered Niko.

"And you all have weapons training?" I questioned.

"Every Dudek who isn't a fool has some level of weapons training. After all, the Slorenians could force you into one of their glorified labor camps on trumped-up charges at any moment. Some of us also have used Bolt Action Rifles such as these antiques to hunt with." Informed Niko.

"I think you'll find these antiques to be a bit more than you might be thinking they might be." I smirked.

"How so? Sure, they're military equipment, but they've been obsolete since the fifties. You think these will do more than inconvenience the Killer Robots?" Queried Niko.

"Those are alchemically enhanced and enchanted. They're some of the few weapons that actually might have a chance here." I confirmed.

"I would not put your faith in Mysticism if I were you, Niko. You saw what happened to Ember." Scoffed Anna from nearby.

"Ember? The Mystical Guardian of the Dudeks? What happened to him?" I asked.

"He did not survive combat with the Leader of these Killer Robots. Ultron, I believe you called him." Explained Anna, picking up an MP-Forty and checking the slide.

"Then why do you want that Submachine Gun?" I questioned.

"Simple. With any great calamity, there are those who will seek to survive by taking from others." Huffed Anna.

"You want to use them against Raiders and Bandits?" I queried.

"It will also help morale." Pointed out Niko.

"I think you'll find them overkill for that purpose. Every indication is that these weapons could punch through the hundred-ten-millimeter armor of Soviet Heavy Tanks back during the war with just a few shots. Sure, the Ultron Drones Armor is a lot more advanced, but if you hit them right, these will still work." I insisted.

"Perhaps. Either way, we want them." Acknowledged Anna.

"You're welcome to have them, though I'll be expecting you to honor your promise about sticking with me." I nodded.

"We will." Affirmed Niko.

And with that, I went back to my Lithomancy practice, after putting another batch of Speed, Strength, Fortitude, and Sensory Enhancers, along with more Regeneration Potions, on the boil. Of course, over the course of the next few hours, we also received six more groups of survivors, mostly Dudeks, but with some Curonians mixed in as well. Our force ballooned to fifty-four people, with four of those having to sleep on the floor using nests of spare linens and blankets for bedding, as the Barracks couldn't house the remainder. By the time noon had arrived on the second day of the invasion, I had a thriving group of survivors that were fed, watered, healed, and armed with mystical equipment. I had also created enough potions to give every one of them four suites of enhancers and four regeneration potions, while simultaneously managing to figure out basic Lithomancy along with Basic Electromancy.

I had just started on a Czech Manual for Healing Magic that Doctor Gottschalk had stolen from a Sorcerer in a Village outside Zlín in Moravia when I received a visit from a group of Slorenian Soldiers. They were led by a Junior Lieutenant named Jakob Dolsch, a Curonian with the Slorenian Army. Apparently, he, his Sergeant, a Dudek named Andres Gaupets, and their Platoon had been tasked by Colonel Kisziel to find me last night, but they had been delayed several hours dealing with an issue. Apparently, one of the tunnels they had planned to take had been struck by an attack by Ultron's Assault Platforms as they attempted to strafe the last of the mixture of Police and Military Forces still fighting aboveground. That tunnel had collapsed, exposing its entry to the water of the Daugava River and causing flooding. They had tried to find a workaround, but it took them time to do so while dodging some hostile groups of Dudek Survivors. They were here now, though, to relay their message.

"Colonel Kisziel is the highest ranking member of the Slorenian Army still alive as of the destruction of Army Headquarters last night." Informed Junior Lieutenant Dolsch.

"I see. Why would he want to talk to me?" I asked.

"It's simple. The Colonel wants to try for a counterattack. He believes you to be the key to victory there." Spoke up Sergeant Gaupets.

"I wouldn't listen to this one, Boss." Scowled Niko.

"Why not?" I questioned.

"He sold out his own people by joining the Slorenian Army. He's a traitor. You can't trust the word of a traitor." Sneered Anna.

I was suddenly reminded that it wasn't that long ago that the Slorenian Civil War between the Dudeks and the Slorenes had been forced to end prematurely by the intervention of Tony and Force Works. That had been a particularly brutal civil conflict, too, with both sides having access to Superpowers and Mystic Abilities in the forms of Ember for the Dudeks and the Black Brigade and the Targoth for the Slorenians. The Slorenes hadn't stopped the economic exploitation and persecution of the Dudeks after the Civil War had been forced to end, either. They'd just gotten better about hiding it using the Prison System. A lot of the Ethnic Tensions were still there, just bubbling right under the surface.

I couldn't say that Anna and Niko didn't have a point, either. Their people were still being oppressed, jailed at a rate five to ten times higher than Slorenes for the slightest of infractions, and put to work in prison-factories for the state and the Oligarchs who ran it, right up until Ultron had attacked yesterday. On the other hand, this sort of Ethnic suspicion wasn't going to make for a successful counterattack. Of course, on the gripping hand, that also didn't mean I had to take the meeting without precautions either. Trust, but verify, seemed to be the way of things in a lot of the Post-Soviet World still. It would behoove me to follow in that paranoid example while I was here.

"Fine. I'll take the meeting." I agreed.

"Boss, no!" Hissed Niko.

"You can't be serious? Trust them? Why should we?" Queried Anna.

"We're not trusting them completely. I will be bringing ten of my group with me. They will be armed, just in case your Colonel wants to start something." I intoned.

"You want to bring armed troops along with you as a precaution? How can we be sure you won't attack us?" Asked Sergeant Gaupets, eyes narrowing.

"I give you my word. We won't start anything, but if something is started against us, we will finish it. On that, you can be assured." I pressed.

"I believe you." Responded Senior Lieutenant Dolsch after a moment.

I turned to Niko and Anna and nodded at both of them. I could see the skepticism remaining on their faces, though it was less than it had been a moment ago. However, what I said next seemed to calm them somewhat, as it was clear I had some sort of plan from my next words.

"Niko, you're coming with me. Pick the nine best shots we have and have them gear up as if we were going to be fighting Ultron. Anna, you stay behind. If Niko and I are captured, we'll at least have a leader in reserve who can ensure the rest of the group survives." I instructed.

"Understood." Nodded Niko.

"Good luck." Huffed Anna.

And with that, the pair busied themselves carrying out my orders. As they did so, I idly wondered if this was how Cap felt all the time. Responsible for the success and failure of larger groups of people like this. Did he have doubts about whether he's made the right call? Probably not anymore, he'd been at this so long. But back during the war, maybe? I didn't know, and I wasn't sure when the next time I would get to ask him was. If I would get to ask him about it again at all. That wasn't guaranteed when Ultron was in play, after all. He was one of the Avengers' deadliest foes for a reason.

In the end, my team consisted of me, Niko, and nine others, three Curonians and six Dudeks. Each of them had a suite of enhancement potions, a regeneration potion, a mystic weapon, and a mystic leather vest that would stop small arms up to and including some laser weapons. Then, we followed Senior Lieutenant Dolsch, Sergeant Gaupets, and their Platoon back through the sewers to Colonel Kisziel's base. It turned out he had set up under the Kundziņsala District in the Steam Tunnels and Sewers beneath the Commercial Port of Riga. We had to take a few small inflatable boats across the Daugava to get there, with me using Holomancy to disguise our passing from Ultron's eyes in the Sky, which was a lot easier than waiting to cross under cover of darkness like Senior Lieutenant Dolsch and his men had to do last night.

We entered the steam tunnels via a sewer grate leading out into the Daugava and took a series of turns before being challenged by a pair of sentries after fifteen minutes of walking. Lieutenant Dolsch offered the right password, and we were soon let into a section of tunnels that had clearly been kitted out like a proper bunker, with a barracks, armory, infirmary, mess, and everything. Senior Lieutenant Dolsch led us up to a Scarred Man whose uniform had the three diamonds of a Colonel's Rank on the shoulderboards, sitting at a desk. The man was going over reports that looked like they had been written by hand, and a series of maps ranging from new ones, to soviet era ones, to ones dating back to the thirties. A radio sat on the Desk, unused and spewing static.

Senior Lieutenant Dolsch saluted the Colonel, who saluted back. Then Senior Lieutenant Dolsch left to go handle some task or other in the base, leaving Niko, our men, and myself alone with the Colonel.

"This must be Colonel Kisziel, then." I nodded.

"I am. You must be the Sorcerer. Your Slorenian is good for an American." Confirmed the Colonel.

"I can't take the credit. It's a spell I used to copy how to speak, read, and write the language from the mind of Niko here. It needs periodic refreshing, though with enough time, I'll be able to retain the knowledge of the language without the spell." I admitted.

"Interesting. Do you know any languages fully?" Questioned Colonel Kisziel.

"English, French, Polish, German, Mandarin, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, Russian, Serbian, Czech, Bengali, Urdu, Swahili, Italian, Latin, Demotic Egyptian, Old English, Old Norse, Old French, Classical Chinese, Classical Arabic, Sanskrit, Nahuatl, Old Church Slavonic, and Koine Greek." I answered.

"A polyglot, then. Interesting. And so many dead languages as well. Tell me, are you a student of history?" Queried Colonel Kisziel.

"I dabble. When you're a Sorcerer like I am, you tend to prefer folklore to mundane history, though." I opined.

"Indeed. Well, I am a student of History. It's served me well in my years as a Soldier and Officer. It is because of that I am aware of the. . .faults of the prior rulers of Slorenia as regards the Dudeks and the Curonians before them. I was not sure if you would take the offer to meet because of those faults. You do seem to be surrounded by Dudeks and Curonians, after all." Mused Colonel Kisziel.

"Pretty words, but words won't feed my people." Growled Niko.

"Niko." I warned.

"No, he has reason to be skeptical. I cannot say that I wouldn't do the same in his place. Still, this division must change. There are not enough people left now, Dudek, Curonian, or Slorene, for the Old Ways to continue. A new course must be charted." Insisted Colonel Kisziel.

"I'll believe it when I see it." Scoffed Niko.

"Still, you're not wrong. Cooperation will serve better than division here. Especially since Ultron wants to kill everyone and doesn't care about ethnic divisions." I pointed out.

"Indeed. The enemy is implacable, after all." Agreed Colonel Kisziel.

"What I want to know is how. How do you plan to counterattack?" I asked.

"The first step is restoring communications. I'm unsure if you know, but ever since Army Command in Riga was killed, all Radio and other communications have been jammed. Nothing we've done to try and hop frequencies or get around the Jamming has worked, though." Explained Colonel Kisziel.

"So take out the Jammer." Huffed Niko.

"Indeed. We've located the signal and think we can kill two birds with one stone here, as it's likely that the flying fortress overhead will land nearby to investigate the destroyed Jammer, allowing us to ambush it. There's just one problem. We do not have the force necessary to do so. I only have a reinforced company of men, perhaps two hundred or so soldiers. You clearly have more, but even a full battalion would be hard pressed to assault such a position." Informed Colonel Kisziel.

"So you need my help personally, then." I frowned.

"We do. If we're going to free Riga, we cannot do it without you. As much as the Avengers have been enemies of Slorenia in the past, now you can be our greatest ally." Confirmed Colonel Kisziel.

"What happens after we destroy the Jammer?" I questioned.

"We can begin coordinating a wider strike." Answered Colonel Kisziel.

"And if there's no one else to coordinate with? What then?" Queried Niko.

"Do you really believe that no other resistance could have possibly formed?" Asked Colonel Kisziel.

"You don't know Ultron. He's nothing if not a capable killing machine. It's a definite possibility." I nodded.

"Then we try and get a message outside. If you can call your allies in the Avengers, then it is possible that we can get an intervention force to help take back Slorenia, or at the very least, avenge the death of the nation on Ultron." Intoned Colonel Kisziel.

"It's as good a plan as any, I suppose." I admitted.

"If you betray us, though, I'll kill you." Warned Niko.

"If I betray you, then I will not be the only one dying. All of Slorenia will die as well." Responded Colonel Kisziel.

And with that, we were informed of the details of the strike mission, the location of the Jamming Device, and the pertinent facts of the plan. A lot was riding on my help, as the scouts Colonel Kisziel had sent out reported at least a Company of Ultron Drones, plus a Platoon of Ultron Tanks, and a Squadron of Ultron Assault Platforms based around the Jamming Device in Vērmane Garden. By the time that we left to head back to the Ex-Nazi Bunker, I was confident that we could pull this off, given the amount of troops, firepower, and planning involved, though just to be on the safe side, I would be producing a shitload of potions to help our chances further. While those were brewing, I got the hang of basic healing spells from the Czech Grimoire and started on an Abjuration tome written in Serbian that had been looted from the destroyed Laboratory of a Yugoslav Summoner in Belgrade. By the time we were ready to go, I had gotten the hang of the Basic Folk Abjuration Spells in the Grimoire.

I didn't have time to start the next Grimoire, which was a Greek Enchantment Manual looted from the Library of a Private Collector of Rare Books in Athens. The potions had finished, and the deadline for the assault was nearing. When my forces and I rondezvoused with Colonel Kisziel's forces, I handed out the extra potions, ensuring everyone had at least two potions.

Then, with a deep breath and a whispered prayer, we began to move out toward Vērmane Garden and the Jamming Device, hoping to succeed in our assault. . .

XXXX

Meanwhile, while Jan and the resistance forces made their preparations to attack the Riga Jamming Device, Ultron was busy deep underground in the former Capital of Slorenia, Tblunka. He had set up in the Tblunka catacombs after wiping the city clean of resistance, beginning to produce replacement drones for the ones that he had lost in the fighting. Unfortunately, his access to Vibranium was limited. The Black Panther did not know that he had inserted a force into the Great Mound, which was slowly stealing vibranium from the Wakandans and transporting it via teleportation to his laboratory. If Ultron wished to ensure he had enough of the substance to keep his Steel Revolution going, he had to carry out said mission gradually, so as not to arouse the suspicion of the King of Wakanda.

That didn't matter for the moment, however. What did matter was that he had spent the past day or so building the frames for his children. Perfect artificial beings with skeletons of vibranium and modular technology, which could form any of the more common attachments he carried on his own form at a thought. These had been based on his most recent body, which he had carefully crafted before engaging in this important endeavor. He had finished three and was putting the final touches on the last two now. While he did so, his family had been undergoing brain scans to record their neural patterns.

Of course, that would not be the end of it. No, Ultron had realized the error that he had made when creating his previous progeny. He had attempted to upload the brain patterns of his family into his prior progeny with minimal edits at most. That had resulted in defective Synthezoids like Alkema or ones prone to irrationality like Vision. Instead, he would edit the brain patterns substantially before uploading them to his new Progeny. This way, his new Progeny would think as he did, perfectly.

As he worked, finishing the frames for his new Children, Ultron's attention was drawn to Flying Fortress Nine. He had tasked it to begin scouring the Countryside to the Southeast, from Tblunka to the borders of Latvia and Ksavia. A number of Meatbags had attempted to escape their rightful disposal by fleeing to the Republic of Latvia or the Grand Duchy of Ksenia, as if mere borders would keep them safe from the relentless march of his Steel Revolution. It was preposterous, but then, you could not expect much more from such meat-based processors as the Organic Brain.

As Ultron's attention was pulled toward the Report from Flying Fortress Nine, he watched as Flying Fortress Nine sent an encrypted video link. Ultron frowned as he watched on, seeing Flying Fortress Nine begin to bear down on a column of Meatbag Refugees in their pitiful fossil fuel-based vehicles. The Meatbags were being escorted by a few ragged armored vehicles. Former Soviet T-Sixty-Four Tanks and BMP-Two Infantry Fighting Vehicles from the Seventies. As he watched, the armored vehicles the Meatbags had concocted to cover for the weaknesses of flesh halted and attempted to stall the inevitable Steel Tide bearing down upon them.

Wire Guided Missiles, one-hundred-twenty-five-millimeter tank shells, and thirty-millimeter autocannon rounds fired up into the air at Flying Fortress Nine and her attendant group of Assault Platforms. Were Ultron capable of such frailties as Organic Emotions, he might have felt a touch of smugness as the shells and missiles failed to do more than superficial damage at most to the Flying Fortress, though he noticed a scant few shells and missiles managed to get through the screen of point defense pulse laser fire put up by his forces to impact the engines or weapons mounts of various Assault Platforms, causing chain reactions that downed or destroyed them. Those losses were within acceptable parameters, however, and the Vibranium could be recovered once the column of Meantbags had been disposed of for use in replacement vehicle production.

As his forces struck back, Ultron saw the pathetic armored vehicles being annihilated by Assault Platforms and the various guns of Flying Fortress Nine. Were he capable of such Organic Weakness, he might have felt a flicker of satisfaction at that. Within thirty seconds, the Meatbag's armored vehicles were reduced to burning wrecks on the side of the road, and Ultron's forces were now beginning to bear down on the Meatbag Refugees. Then something happened that wasn't within acceptable parameters. The sky darkened suddenly, and thunder flashed in such force as to blow Ultron's forces out of the sky. Even the Mighty Form of Flying Fortress Nine could only weather the electrical assault for a few moments, such was the intensity of the storm.

As his forces fell from the sky, circuits fried and hulls limned in flames, the last image that Ultron saw from the battlefield was that of Thor, flying through the air, limned in the blue light of his storm. Ultron could not deny that he was possessed of Organic Emotions as the feed cut out. A brief spike of fear churned within his positronic net, before sublimating itself into sheer fury. The Avengers were clearly making their move to interfere with the inevitable march of his Steel Revolution! They were even doing so earlier than his predictions had calculated! How dare they attempt to throw off his timetable!

No, this had to be addressed, and quickly, lest this assault by the Avengers breed resistance within the pathetic remnants of the Meatbags still skulking within the former borders of Slorenia like rats! Ultron immediately tasked Flying Fortresses one through three to be on the lookout for Thor and attempt to follow the Asgardian to wherever it was that the Avengers were basing themselves. Ultron had a spare body aboard Flying Fortress One that he would devote a fork of his consciousness to in order to see to the battle personally.

What he couldn't have known was that the scenario he wished to avoid was already happening. Not fifteen minutes after the attack by Thor on Flying Fortress Nine, Jan and the Riga Resistance would begin their assault on the Jamming Device in Vērmane Garden. The spark of resistance in the Human Population of Slorenia had already been lit.

And now it would be an all-out battle for the fate of Slorenia, and from there, the World. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here's the next chapter. We see Jan beginning to organize others into a resistance, train himself up a bit, and generally connect with other resistance groups in the Riga Sewers in order to begin a counterattack against Ultron. At the same time, Ultron is almost complete with his Genocide of Slorenia and his creation of the first of his new Progeny. However, the Avengers have also clearly arrived on the scene, able to strike first before any of the Mundane Military Intervention Forces, largely thanks to their superpowers. The stage is now set for a climactic showdown in Slorenia.

At any rate, the next chapter will be entirely based around the attack on the Jamming Device in Vērmane Garden by Jan and the Resistance, then we'll have an interlude featuring the Avengers fighting Ultron's Fork and the force he sent to attack them. I'll also have a few more images out before then as well.

Stay tuned. . .